Mark Evans: Journal

"Why d'ya like all them dead people?"

"Erm..."

"Well they're shit."

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In today’s frenetic music business the man (or woman – of course ladies) who stands still is a damn loser. So, seeking to model my behaviour on a literary genius, today I copied Oscar Wilde:

“All morning I worked on the proof of one of my poems,
and took out a comma;
in the afternoon I put it back.”

Now I am tired. I need to don my quilted smoking jacket, recline on my chaise longue, and sip a cooling beverage. Pretentious, moi?

And Mickey Newbury’s been making me cry today – nearly.
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"What's all this CD crap?"

"It's...erm..."

"Well I ain't listening to it."

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From the first email to the final master Fett – Producer and Chief Engineer at Azalea Studios - co-ordinated my recording project. I was lucky to meet him and grateful for his technical expertise and creative insight. Here’s the tale:

April 2005 Darrell Scott says, “make a CD.” And with my usual dynamic optimism I thought, “yeah, yeah, that’s gonna happen.” Fast forward to August 2005 and I’m driving to Azalea studios in Nashville Tennessee to make a start.

Pitching up in Nashville to record could be intimidating for an artist with some experience, for someone who’s previous studio experience was in their kitchen it could be terrifying – but it wasn’t. Thanks to Fett – and second engineer Wes Raine - the studio was soon full of laughter, foul language (mine), and creative juice.

Fett understood what the whole thing was about. He lined up some superb musicians – Tim Lorsch (fiddle), Mike Daley (pedal steel), and Rick Gordon (mandolin & dobro). Kathy Chiavola came in and sang on two songs and – on my second trip – Darrell Scott came in and played dobro on two. With all that talent we still left the songs pretty naked and I’m happy about that – I can’t imagine them squashed into ball gowns and tuxedos.

I set out pretty much in the dark with unsure expectations and ended up with a record I’m proud of. If you’ve got a similar project in mind join in the love-fest and call Fett at Azalea Music Group– you’ll thank me for it.
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A man can learn a lot from daytime TV:
This room is light because it has windows
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Thanks for all your votes on what the new CD cover should look like. Joint winners were number 1 and number 3. We’re combining these two. It’ll be a piece of pure gorgeousness. Guaranteed.

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With a $10,000 value this exclusive music business report is our gift to you for visiting with us today. You will not find this information anywhere else on the World Wide Inter Web. Enjoy. And don’t forget to join our email list to access our full range of industry reports.

10 Steps To Musical Success
The Pros Don’t Want You To Know

1. Be as rude as possible to everyone you meet. Face it - these bastards ain’t gonna help you, and why suck up to the ones that would?

2. Talk constantly and loudly about yourself and nothing else – you owe it to your fans.

3. Insist on a lengthy and meticulous sound check particularly if you are a solo performer. Then make sure to change all the settings, move the mikes, and kick a few things before your performance. Remember – the shorter your set the longer and more complicated sound check you should aim for.

4. If you happen on one of those dreary acoustic nights grab a table at the front and scream and shout about yourself throughout the performances. Better still whack out the cell phone and get gabbing. You’re a bigshot now – people deserve to know.

5. Never thank anyone. It shows weakness. The sharks will smell your blood.

6. Make sure people have a hard time contacting you. Don’t return calls or respond to emails, and never ever answer your cell phone. This builds mystique and makes folks just that bit keener to work with you.

7. If you’re a performing songwriter be sure to include a lengthy introduction explaining each song. Fifteen to twenty minutes per three minute song is about right.

8. Tuners are for idiots. If they can’t feel your vibe through a little dissonance they never will.

9. When dealing with anyone at any level in the music industry insist you know best. Veterans will thank you for freshening up their jaded outlook.

10. Tell everyone you’re ahead of your time – if you’ve carefully followed steps one through nine and you still ain’t a star you probably are.

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Time was I got a pencil and a bit of paper and made up songs. That's all in the past. I've discovered Myspace.com. You can spend all day and all night pretending to be friends with heroes like Billy Joe Shaver, dead people like Hank Williams, and fine looking women you'll never meet. I recommend it because:

One - you don't have to move out of your chair.

Two - you don't need to wash or change your clothes.

Three - you don't need to listen to anyone else’s music, just jazz about telling everyone they're awesome and adding to your massive list of friends.

Top Tip for PC users : if your machine is slow or doesn't perform as you'd like try jabbing at the mouse repeatedly. Make each jab harder than the one before and gradually build up speed until you're jabbing at your maximum potential. Accompany this with the foulest language you can think of and it should solve the problem. Feel free to mail in any problems you're having with new technology and we'll do our best to solve 'em. Here at Mark Evans Music Group we're always happy to help.
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Andy and Rob - pictured above in all their glory - are an acoustic duo called Phineas. Andy Bailey wrote the best song I’ve heard doing the rounds of open mikes. It’s called Supermarket Social Club. It made me listen when my ears were numb. check them out here

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Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils circa 1826

“If you who are organized by Divine Providence for Spiritual communion. Refuse & bury your Talent in the Earth even tho you should want Natural Bread. Sorrow &
Desperation pursues you thro life! & after death shame & confusion of face to eternity."
William Blake
(stole this one from Kristofferson)


"Don't ever try to be like anybody else,
because you
ain't never gonna be."
Waylon
So how long does it take to learn this shit?
Forty years and counting kids.
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Not just a musical Bitchin' Babe she's also an excellent teacher. If you get the chance to take her classes
Making A Record That Gets Attention,
So You've Made A Record...Now What?
Niche Marketing For Songwriters Who Don't Fit the Commercial Mould.
Do it. Alright? Or you could take 'em online at SongU.com - it's in the links. Might even stop you whingeing and moaning - who knows? That ends today’s sermon from the kitchen chair. Thank You.

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Thanks to the millions of people who let me know that the new version of Bluer Than The Movie did not in fact feature Darrell Scott - as advertised. It featured this chair squeaking and creaking. I'm stomping on my technical advisor’s head as we speak and the problem has now been rectified.
(Thanks Andy)

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In today's inbox:

*A few offers from Nigeria - if I just send my bank details they'll give me a million pounds.

*Advice from a self-help-guru - now that Spring is here shouldn't I consider rebirthing?

*An offer to increase my length by three inches and my girth by two.


Hmm - wouldn't you be tempted?

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From Billy Don Burns Myspace

Dislikes:
1)Rick Blackburn the piece of shit who was head of CBS Nashville and dropped Johnny Cash from the label.

2)People who think that they are hot shit.

As we say in England - here, here, old chap.

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I ended up at a Nashville networking party. My net ain't worked for years but there was free food. Here's what I learned:

”I got this song – wrote it from the point of view of the unborn foetus – sang it for the pro-life convention – man they went crazy – the spirit just got in me when I wrote that thing”

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A Few Minutes With Mark Evans

Why do you write songs?

It's easier than digging ditches.

Who are your main influences?

Don't know if they're influences but the people I love are: Hank,Haggard,Waylon, Willie, Johnny Paycheck, Vern Gosdin, David Allan Coe, Ernest Tubb, Floyd Tillman, Lefty Frizzell, Bobby Bare, Shel Silverstein, Bobby Braddock, John Prine, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Billy Joe Shaver, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kris Kristofferson. Lately I like Robbie Fulks & Dale Watson.

Who's your favorite songwriter and why?

Max D Barnes. Because it was, and still is, a treat to listen to the heart and craft in all his songs. In the days when you could read writer credits on LP sleeves, if I spoted his name I bought it - simple as that. Then I'd sit down for days and try to figure out how he did it.

How would you describe the type of music you primarily write?

Country

How would you describe your music and the kinds of songs you write?

I think they're called alternative country.

What's your favorite song that you've written to date?

Bluer Than The Movie - 'cause it makes people laugh
Still A Drunk - 'cause it's so damn sad it busts me up. Technically it's all wrong, and I may never play it for anyone else, but if I'm sitting around at home it's one I always play.

What's your favorite quote?

"There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes." John Prine

"Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."
Willie Nelson

What's up next for Mark Evans?

Hopefuly not a sharp stick

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Probably in a box - not sure if it will be pine or cardboard.

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"If I look like a mean old man that's what I am."

Kris Kristofferson

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This all started for me when I went to a week-long songwriting seminar organised by John and Moira Wirtz www.sorefingers.co.uk We were taught by Darrell Scott (and for everyone who keeps asking me who Darrell Scott is Check him out here)

That's where I met Kathy Chialvola, she was kind and generous with her time explaining how things worked in Nashville. And for everyone who keeps asking me who Kathy is
Check her out here

It's kind of cheesy but that week changed my whole life. I've been banging on about it for a year now, and've got every intention of banging on about it for a good few years to come. So the first thank you's to Darrell and Kathy, and all the others involved in that week.

With their encouragement I started to lurk round local open mics. Finally did a couple of songs at the Silver Moon in Hitchin. Jo and Rachel made me comfortable as could be and have supported me since then. Thanks.

A while later I made my first trip to Nashville (first time on an aeroplane - first time out of England). There's a heap of people to thank there, but, following the sage advice to never to today what you can put off 'till tommorrow, I'll do it tommorrow.

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Winners of this year's Mister Awesome Competition? Hell no. It's producer Fett, Me, and all round legend Darrell Scott.

Read on for the story...this is taken from Fett's blog at Performing Songriter where he's technology editor. He's also my favourite producer (he knows what I'm on about) and man of many haircuts. I'll shut up now and let him tell the story, thank's Fett, and thanks Darrell - he changed my life but that's another story:

When Magic Happens

A couple of weeks ago, I had a return visit from Cambridge, England's own Mark Evans. He was on his second trip to Nashville, mostly to attend Tin Pan South and the NSAI Symposium, but also to play a few gigs around town. I first met Mark last July when he came to Nashville to attend NSAI's week-long Songposium event, and to record his first CD. Lucky for me, he chose me as producer for the project. We recorded Mark live for nearly every track, at the Performing Songwriter Studio Test Lab. He had some killer Nashville session musicians join him for overdubs on backing vocals, pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin. Some of the gear that has been reviewed in the pages of Performing Songwriter over the past several issues was used on those sessions.

Most of the tracks and mixing were completed last fall, but Mark had one more track he just had to add: Nashville's own Darrell Scott playing resonator guitar on Mark's song called "Daddy's Heart." Darrell was the inspiration behind Mark's getting serious about his music and coming to Nashville in the first place. Darrell had the same reaction upon hearing Mark for the first time that nearly everyone does: "who is this amazing guy and where has he been all these years?" Mark is an enigma. Despite being born and raised in the UK, he writes and performs the most genuine, sincere country music you'll ever hear. As I've said on numerous occasions, Mark's is the best true country music I've heard since I moved to Nashville in 1993. It's not a put-on; it's the real deal.

For those of you who don't know Darrell Scott, he's a songwriter's songwriter and a musician's musician. An admirable writer and performer in his own right, Darrell also has numerous awards for hits by the likes of the Dixie Chicks and other huge Nashville acts. He's a do-it-all and do-it-all-really-well sort of musician. And he has a touch on guitar and other instruments that is full of emotion and gets right down to the heart of the music. Darrell played guitar on the first album I produced in Nashville back in 1993. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Darrell about his latest solo studio release, Theatre Of The Unheard, for the January/February, 2004 issue of Performing Songwriter. Darrell recorded it completely at home, in true indie fashion, but it certainly doesn't sound like a "home" CD. It's as good as anything out there.

While Mark was in town for his latest visit, Darrell came over to the Performing Songwriter Studio Test Lab to record his overdubs. As it turns out, he ended up recording resonator guitar on two of Mark's tracks. The combination of Mark's songs and vocals and Darrell's accompaniment were the perfect match that I had imagined. Now the mixes can be completed and Mark's CD can finally be released. Sometimes magic is worth the wait.

Read Fett's blog here

Playing at the Bluebird Cafe

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