tag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:/blogs/mark-s-blog-about-music-and-everything-elseMark's Blog about music and everything else.2018-07-16T14:11:52-04:00Mark Phillipsfalsetag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/46782832017-04-20T11:30:06-04:002020-12-02T10:25:04-05:00Influences This week has had me thinking about my influences, so much so that it is framing a show I'm playing on Saturday night. If you're in the area of New Sharon, Maine on Saturday night, the 22nd of April 2017, come to the Brick Church on the Cape Cod Hill Road and catch my show. If you mention reading this blog, I'll gift you my first cd (yes, shameless plug!).<br><br> As a human, I am given to fits of nostalgia. As I've been framing my set list and thinking about my influences, I discovered that it isn't as easy as just rattling off a few names and a few songs. I've been attempting to narrow down both names and songs and it isn't easy. I like to include a variety of people and topics, so much so that narrowing down my choices to a few influences is hard. I struggle with this when I promote myself. A common question is what kind of music do you play. I play such a variety that pairing it down to a one or two word phrase doesn't sum it up for me. The weight that was taken off my shoulders when someone came up with the term "Americana" was tremendous, as well as "roots music". <br><br> In the pairing down of my influences, I've discovered that there are a few songs I've needed to learn over this week. How is that possible? These people influenced you, shouldn't you know the stuff that influenced you really well? I would've thought so but I've discovered something else. As I think more about these people and groups, I've discovered that there are songs they've done that I haven't but I feel the need to.<br><br> The moral of the story? These influences keep influencing me. It's a dynamic relationship, with something new to discover, and different ways to look at old ideas. <br><br> Some of what I've discovered include that Bob Dylan's poetry is incredibly relevant to many aspects of my life, and it continues to be. I've always enjoyed Dylan's music, and I like learning his stuff. It looks and sounds deceptively simple but when I dig into trying to perform some of his material, I discover that his phrasing is unique and challenging. It's easy to play the Judy Collins or the Byrds versions of Mr. Tambourine Man, but to emulate Dylan's phrasing is different and challenging. Dylan also uses an interesting vocal range. He's got a rich baritone if he uses it, and he occasionally writes interesting bass vocal tones in his melody lines. I would love to hear Dylan sing a lot of his repertoire in the voice he used to record Nashville Skyline. <br><br> Jimmy Buffett is another artist that continues to influence me. Years ago I discovered an album of older material he'd released called American Storyteller. It was music he'd written and recorded prior to going to Key West and becoming the Parrothead King. Buffett was a good ol' American folk artist, and the songs are great. Even though he rarely gets critical accolades for his music, he writes some good stuff. His chord progressions and key changes harken back to older folk music and from a time when musicians were musicians. He's another artist with a rich baritone. His stuff is written in a lower register that I find refreshing to sing in. <br><br> John Denver has been mentioned on this blog before. Talk about a vocal range. He was incredible singer, but I don't think many people think of how good a guitarist he was. There's a video on the Youtube of him performing The Bells of Rhymney on a 12-string and he is going to town on that guitar. I think John Denver was probably my first real inspiration for becoming a performer. I remember sitting in front of my Aunt and Uncle's stereo, wearing a tremendous pair of headphones they had, and listening to The Garden Song over and over again. I met David Mallett a few years ago and even played with him once. He's now become one of my influences through John Denver. <br><br> The Kingston Trio is one of the groups I always wanted to be in. I was introduced to them by my father and my grandparents. I don't know how we didn't wear out my grandparents' Kingston Trio records. I wonder the same thing about their Alvin and The Chipmunks record that was a really cool translucent red, and I don't know how my sisters didn't wear out their Sound of Music original cast recording record. They had some cool eight tracks, too, but I digress. The harmonies that the Kingston Trio sang captured my imagination and I just wanted to be on stage with them, strumming or picking, not caring about the uniform nature of the shirts they were wearing. They were often accused of bastardizing folk music but I think that outlook would change if one were to listen to some of their early live recordings. I got my Dad a live recording cassette of them when I was 11 or 12 and I apologized profusely when i discovered that there were some bad words on it, like hell or damn. My Dad, who never uses such language, laughed and reassured me that it was okay and he still liked listening to it.<br><br> You all know how big a fan of Tom Petty I am. I still remember the first time I consciously heard him. It was at a Comfort Inn in South Carolina and we were on our way to Florida to visit my grandparents. The motel room had MTV, and we watched as much of it as we could in the short time we were there. The video for Free Fallin' came on and I was hooked. I purchased Full Moon Fever as soon as we got back to PA. <br><br> I have many other influences but it would take days to expound upon them all. I'm feeling grateful for the chance to think about them, and perform some of them. I hope to share them with you on Saturday night.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/46380902017-03-20T19:38:22-04:002020-07-25T02:05:38-04:00Jack Dalton.... I have been a fan of the real MacGyver since I was small. I remember watching the show with my father, much to the chagrin of my older siblings because they thought MacGyver was cheesy and uncool. I saw MacGyver and thought," Wow, that's what I want to be when I grow up!" Well, I haven't grown up yet but I still love the idea of being a MacGyver. Some people who know me well might say that I get close on occasion. <br> <br> There's another character on MacGyver that I might also emulate. That character would be Jack Dalton, MacGyver's up-to-no-good, scheming, get-rich-quick friend. Whenever Jack appears, MacGyver knows they'll be some ridiculous trouble that he could avoid by simply saying no to Jack and walking away. MacGyver never does, though. He stands by Jack and they help each other out of whatever hot water Jack has gotten them into. <br><br> Jack has some redeeming qualities. He has a great sense of humor, he's loyal to MacGyver, he's an excellent pilot, and his left eye blinks uncontrollably when he's lying. <br><br> So how do I emulate Jack? Well, I have a great sense of humor, I'm loyal to MacGyver, and I have dreams of being a pilot one day, or at least a boat captain. I have dragged a certain cousin into some interesting adventures, usually in a canoe or a boat, or attempting to use a plow truck as a makeshift crane (he actually looks a little like MacGyver, come to think of it..). I've spent a night adrift in a small boat with some friends, stuck in the fog. I've played practical jokes that haven't gone over so well. <br><br> Maybe the Jack connection isn't as strong as I thought it was when I started this. The real question is, do you have a Jack Dalton? Are you someone's Jack Dalton? I certainly hope the answer is yes to both those questions. <br><br> Jack is a good friend and MacGyver comes running when Jack calls. I know I've had some Jacks in my life and I'm grateful for them. I know I've been a Jack many times and I'm grateful for my MacGyvers. <br><br> Take a few minutes and think about who are your Jacks and who are your MacGyvers. I think it might surprise you to find that you have both and you are both.<br><br> Also, the original theme to MacGyver is so much better than the one they started using around season three with all the synthesizers. I'd like to think Angus MacGyver would prefer real music to synthesizers.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/46192212017-03-06T20:24:06-05:002021-06-24T06:37:51-04:00Deep Joy My son and I enjoy a show from the BBC called the Reassembler. It features James May, of Top Gear fame, putting stuff back together. We enjoy May's manner and banter as he reassembles things, including debating the difference between a bolt and a screw and playing Twinkle, Twinkle on his wrenches with a rubber mallet. I've been reflecting on one of his sayings. He'll look at something or feel something after it's been re-assembled and calmly explain, "deep joy...". <br><br> Why have I been thinking about this? Well, this is the first time since I graduated from college when one of my primary income sources has not been in one of the fields I studied. I had a task before me today that might seem tedious but it was relaxing and the process brought me deep joy. I don't know if it would if I did the task everyday, but for today it did. Got me thinking about other things that bring me deep joy.<br><br> I like to fix stuff. When something I've tinkered with works (after I've tinkered with it), that brings me deep joy. When an engine runs after I've fixed it, that brings me deep joy. When I use foul language in the process of fixing something, it reduces my stress level and brings me deep joy. Well, it helps me on my path to deep joy. <br><br> I like it when the dog is behaving. If he comes when I call him, deep joy. If he jumps on me in the morning and then falls off the bed because he's being a bozo, deep joy. When he curls up beside me on the couch, deep joy.<br><br> Music brings me deep joy. Singing does, always has, and always will, more than just about anything I can think of. If you know me, you know I'm quick to sing and slow to stop. The process of learning music, writing music, and sharing music brings me deep joy, so deep that I'm not always conscious of it. Making music, especially with my son, brings me deep joy. <br><br> Being a father brings me deep joy, even in the frustrating bits. When he succeeds, when he fails then figures it out, when he smiles, when he shares a story or thought, all these things bring me deep joy. Deep joy comes from knowing this cool person, as it seems you always have. Deep joy comes from the excitement of seeing what's next. <br><br> Sailing and being on (and under) the water brings me deep joy. I can't explain the feeling I get when I'm sailing but it feels right, like an old shoe. Sometimes the shoe gives you a blister but that's probably because you had a wrinkle in your sock. <br><br> What do all these things have in common? That's really what I was thinking about today. All of these things are processes, journeys, experiences. They aren't static and it isn't about the destination, it's about enjoying what got you there. A fixed engine will get you places, but fixing an engine will take you places. A dog is the best kind of friend, one that only wants to hang out and have you throw him the ball. He'll come back, eventually, because you're the one he wants to curl up with on the couch. Music is always a journey, and always exciting. The waters never stay the same, there's always nuance. Kids grow older, and you get to enjoy all kinds of different things with them.<br><br> I have a challenge for you. What brings you deep joy? Think about it and the answer might surprise you. An hour in your hammock might be one of your many things, as I know it is mine. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/45836022017-02-09T18:22:07-05:002020-08-24T06:40:44-04:00It's Our Fault To my chagrin, we have an unqualified administration in office that chose to nominate an unqualified cabinet and a majority in the house and senate not willing to make any good decisions. Even more to my chagrin, we have a minority party that hasn't done much to help the situation. <br><br> As an educator, I am not happy with the choice of Betsy DeVos to be the Secretary of Education. She is unqualified and she basically bought her way in. We have a strain of anti-intellectualism in our society and it's gaining momentum (listen to any nuevo-country station and you can hear it). Betsy DeVos is evidence that the people in Washington don't really care about the people they're representing. Even one of the republican dissenters, Susan Collins of Maine, doesn't care. Collins had a chance to stop DeVos from coming out of committee and she didn't. Then Collins voted no, making herself look good, like a voice of reason. Susan Collins is not a voice of reason. She's a party troll, and I don't mean the fun kind that show up at your party and sits in the corner making everyone a little uncomfortable. <br><br> I hear many of my educator friends and friends who are education advocates voice their disbelief that someone as unqualified as DeVos could become the overseer of public education in the US. I'm not surprised. You shouldn't be either. This DeVos thing isn't new. Public education has been on a downward spiral for a long time. It isn't because of the teachers, though the media and certain legislators would like you to believe that. It's the fault of many, and the fault of many who didn't stand up for what they know to be right.<br><br> In order to run for Sheriff, one needs to have a backround in law enforcement. In order to run for DA, one needs to pass the bar exam, usually requiring a law degree. In order to be elected to the school board, one doesn't even need to have graduated from high school. I think I've discovered one of the causes of public education's downward spiral. We have school board members throughout this country that make decisions that effect education and they don't know much about the topic. Their decisions usually show that.<br><br> In local school administration, I've discovered that it isn't the cream that's rising to the top. Few of the administrators I've worked with are competent. These administrators don't seem to understand students, don't seem to understand teaching, don't seem to understand how to use statistics. They use their ignorance to influence the local school boards who don't know what's going on and have been duped by the self-serving administrators. Many school boards seem to think that they work for the superintendents rather than the other way around. <br><br> Teachers themselves are part of the problem, and I don't mean on a competency level. Teachers associations refuse to act like real unions and advocate for themselves. If they were to advocate for themselves, they would inherently be advocating for their students. <br><br> Let's look at this in a real world situation. A mandate comes from above, either from the federal or state government. The mandate is uninformed, onerous, and takes too much time away from teacher/student interactions. The lawmakers tie the mandate to funding, even if the mandate is unfunded (NCLB is an example). The local administrators automatically say their school has to do it, and convinces the local school board that it is a necessity (the administrator wants to look good so they can get a high level government appointment later on). The teachers look at the mandate, and voice concerns about it. The administration ignores the teachers' concerns and pushes forward, until a few months later when a new mandate comes down the pike and the process repeats. Mandate 2 is 180 degrees from mandate 1 and all the work (time, money, human capital) that went into mandate 1 goes out the window for the next best thing, mandate 2. Shortly afterwards, mandate 2 is given the boot and mandate 3 takes over, which looks a lot like mandate 1 but is all new because mandate 1 was thrown out. <br><br> In this process, the professionals (teacher) who know what's going on are ignored and they don't do anything to stop it. The school boards are clueless because they just blindly follow what the administrators are telling them to do. The administrators know the mandates are not okay but they do it anyway because they don't want to go against the grain, it could hurt their appointment chances later on. Meanwhile, the students (who are the most important part of a school) are falling behind, getting dumber because the people who supposed to be teaching them are stressing out over a new mandate rather than spending time with them, nurturing relationships that lead to learning and growth.<br><br> How do we stop this slide? It's simple. One of the aforementioned groups needs to say no. The administrators should say no and they shouldn't participate in mandates that take away teacher/student interactions. School boards should be made up of people qualified to be on a school board which means they possess the knowledge and understanding that the mandates are not in the best interest of the students. The teachers should form strong associations that are willing to band together and say no. <br><br> Let's look at what should have happened in a real world situation. A mandate came from above stating that each school could choose from one of three teacher effectiveness rating programs. Many schools chose one developed by a man named Robert Marzano. The local taxpayers paid Bobby Marzano lots of money to use his program. Bobby Marzano doesn't have the most firm grasp on the English language. Bobby Marzano misuses the term rigor, as well as many others. If anyone dug into Bobby Marzano's research methods, one would discover that Bobby Marzano doesn't have a firm grasp on the proper use of statistics. Bobby Marzano is laughing his way to the bank (I picture him wringing his hands and cackling while swimming through his vault full of gold coin, kind of like a cross between Mr. Burns and Scrooge MacDuck). <br><br> How could we have stopped this? First of all, the administrator should have dismissed any program that misuses terms and doesn't use statistics properly. Second, the district administrator (superintendent) hired building administrators to do the job and evaluate the teachers in their buildings. It is not necessary to send money to Bobby. If the building administrator is not qualified to give thorough support and evaluations to the teachers they supervise, then they shouldn't be building administrators. <br> Thirdly, the school board should educate themselves on the topic and inform the administrator that sending money to Bobby is not an effective use of scarce local funds and that money would be better spent on teachers, not on Bobby's vault. <br> The fourth part to this puzzle is the teachers. They should band together and say no. Bobby's program is a joke, Bobby doesn't seem to understand basic vocabulary, and Bobby's method takes too much time away from students. If teachers showed solidarity to do what's right, none of it would happen.<br><br> I'll be interested to read any feedback I get from this. If any of you are questioning my assumptions (which is something everyone should do), please comment and let us all question your assumptions. I'm going to leave you with this.<br><br> Everything in education now is supposed to be data driven. Over the years, many studies have been done that show, without question, that there is nothing better than music for a developing brain. What is usually the first thing cut when the educational belts need tightening? Music. <br><br> That's just one example. If education is supposed to be data driven, then administrators should be using data in their decision making process. This example shows that administrators don't care about the students. It shows that school boards are under-informed. If teachers really care about their students, they would band together (not meant to be a pun but it works) and insist that students have access to music in schools. <br><br> I've used some broad stereotypes here. I've seen these patterns first hand, but I've also met administrators who genuinely care about their students. I've met school board members who educate themselves and advocate for what's right, and I've worked with teachers who band together and go out of their way to keep music in schools and do what's right. Every one of these groups, across the board and across the country need to band together and resist this slide that's been dragging public education down.<br><br> Also, I blame Pink Floyd. We do need education, just not the thought control bit.<br><br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/45100082016-12-13T22:34:50-05:002016-12-14T11:18:00-05:00Male Role Models Throughout the course of my day, I kept coming back to a thought I'd had in the morning. I don't know why this was the predominant thought in my noggin today but I figured I should write something about it and see if I can't figure out why. <br> I listen to NPR a lot, mostly when i'm driving, and I really put the miles away. As of late, I've found that I can't stomach more than ten or fifteen minutes of the NPR news. There's someone in the news, over and over again, that I just don't care for. I can't understand how anyone does. I think that's where today's thoughts come from. <br> <br> Our society is lacking positive male role models. <br><br> It's not just a plight of the urban youth, it's effecting everyone. We have a society where the men in public leadership roles are a disgrace (I wouldn't leave any kid alone in a room with the president-elect or Maine's governor), men are a rarity in our schools, and there's a dominant paradigm where all fathers are some version of Homer Simpson (a character I find hilarious but not someone I would want to be compared to). <br><br> Let's tackle these one at a time. We'll start with the "leaders". We've had eight years of outstanding leadership in the White House from a very decent man, father, and husband. Does he get much credit for it? No, many of the other male "leaders" cut him down and attempt to belittle his accomplishments. They play petty political games in an attempt to discredit him. They refuse to work together for compromise and work as a team. Our kids see this and many of them think it's okay (and I don't think it's just the kids but many of our citizens who refuse to educate themselves or to care about their fellow human beings or the planet they live on). In Maine we have a governor who thinks it's okay to call people who question his decisions and he verbally abuses them over the telephone. This isn't leadership, and it certainly isn't manly. It's petty, stupid stuff that does nothing to improve our society. It drives wedges in between people. Most importantly, it's a bad example of what it means to be a decent human being. Our kids see this, and many of them think that's what it means to be a man. We have a person who might become our president who displays no characteristics of what I would consider to be a decent human being. He doesn't care to hear security briefings, he degrades women, he's a racist, and he's surrounding himself with people who share similar values. I don't want my son to meet that guy. I'm embarrassed for the US. I think one of the biggest points of embarrassment is that we, the people, did not elect this jerk. I will never cease to remind everyone I can that someone else won the vote, by more than 2.8 million votes (the last figure I saw). One of the biggest issues I have with this loser is that he is about the worst male role model I could imagine. We don't want our kids emulating his behavior. (Funny aside, I once met one of his sons, when I was in high school and he was attending a local private school. That kid was the biggest jerk I've ever met, hands down, and I only spent about five minutes around him.)<br><br> I've spent a long time in education, both elementary and middle/high school level. There are few positive male role models in schools. I think it's because men don't have the same level of tolerance for bullshit that women do (I commend many women for that tolerance, I don't know how they do it). My son's school has one male teacher. I know he is making a difference in my son's life and I really appreciate that. I know he is making a difference in the lives of the other kids in that school and I appreciate that as well. I'm not taking away from the contributions of the positive female role models in my son's school, I just feel that we need to think about getting more men involved with kids in positive ways. Another problem we have with schools, as with the politicians, is that it isn't the cream that rising to the top. Many of the educational leaders I've met, men and women, have no business running a Burger King, let alone a school. Ask me about some notable exceptions. Okay, actually, of the seven men I've worked with in educational leadership positions, 5.5 out of 8 were and are decent human humans who care about the kids and communities they serve. 2.5 are dipshits, with one especially coming to mind. This one is a principal of a high school who doesn't understand basic statistics, hasn't spent enough time teaching in a classroom to understand anything, and is hell bent on personal promotion at any cost, not genuinely caring about the students, the teachers, or his community. He does keep the local hair product industry in business, though. He's not the kind of role model any of us need, male or otherwise, yet he's a dime a dozen in our society.<br><br> I'm not Homer Simpson. Neither are many of the men I know, yet it's accepted in our society for women to make comments like,"Well, I have three kids, but four if you count my husband." Not only is that disrespectful, it's degrading. Husbands and wives are supposed to be partners in raising kids and managing the home. It is not okay to belittle the contributions of 1/2 of that co-op, yet our society thinks that's okay. If I said that the little wifey should mind her business and get back in the kitchen, I would be crucified in the court of public opinion, even if I was kidding. The problem with all of this is that the kids are listening. If a little boy hears his father degrade women, he's going to think it's okay. Guess what, that goes for the mother, too. If the little boy, or girl, hears the mother making comments about the father being another child, they're going to think it's okay. It is not okay. <br> And for you fathers and husbands out there who consistently act like a child, and I mean by not contributing and being a jackass, I'm not taking about the fathers who make fart jokes while washing the dishes or giggling whilst cutting the cheese during meal preparation, you are a part of the problem. Show your kids, and other kids, that you can cook, you can clean, and you can be a decent human being. Don't allow women to make comic asides about you ineptitude as an adult. It is not okay.<br><br> So instead of just going on and on about the crappy male role models or lack of good male role models, I am now going to talk about the positive male role models I've had and ones I've seen. First of all, no one is perfect, including myself even though you, dear readers, think I am. The men I think about might not have been perfect but they try and tried to be decent human beings, and I know I owe a debt of gratitude to them. Some of the men that showed me what it means to be a man include: my Father; both my Grandfathers; my Uncles; my Scoutmaster, as well as a many of the scout leaders and parents; my middle school band directors; my middle school wrestling coaches; Mr. Stipa, my 7th grade history teacher, who believed in the use of force; the men of our church choir; my middle school theater director; my high school chorus director; one of the assistant principles at my high school; the first aquatics director at the first Y I worked at, many college professors; both in music and geography; the head boys counselor at NEMC when I was a counselor there; the captain of the first ship I worked on; 5.5 of the male school administrators I worked with; my friend Kevin who I miss dearly. The aforementioned people tended to be people older than me, who acted as mentors. I also admire and am eternally grateful to my brother and my brothers in law, my cousins, many of my friends, included but not limited to Phil and Nick and many others, to the men that are my son's scout leaders, and my friends. I think of the executive director of a local non-profit that runs a day care. He know the names of every kid in that center. He doesn't need to but he does and I respect him for that. The kids love him, too.<br><br> So men, grow a pair and get out there and set a good example. Be positive, be involved. Our kids need you, now more than ever.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/44412482016-10-27T22:50:31-04:002021-06-24T06:54:26-04:00Stanley.... I only occasionally do the silly "What Character are You" surveys on the Facebook. Another one popped up on my feed the other day and I couldn't resist. It was "What Character from The Office are You?" I really enjoyed the show when it was on and I occasionally watch reruns. As I clicked on the page, I thought to myself about what character it would say I'd be.<br><br> Would I be Jim, the star-crossed lover full of unrequited love who finally has his love requited (is requited a word?)?<br><br> Would I be Michael Scott, the manager who everyone is embarrassed for and by on a daily basis, a man out of touch with his own awkwardness, the bumbling reason for many of the office's problems yet the one responsible for repairing most of its faults....<br><br> Would I be Kevin, the numbers guy, the man-child with youthful insights full of the insecurity that middle school breeds and most of us grow out of....<br><br> No, I didn't imagine being any of those characters, or Oscar, or Ryan (I'm not that dishonest or evil), nor Roy (I'm not a meathead). I'm not uber creepy like Creed, I have more self esteem than Toby....<br><br> Ahh, I know who I'd be. Darryl. He plays the keys, sings with a silky smooth voice, plays basketball really well....wait, that last bit rules out Darryl. <br><br> Who does that leave. Crap, Andy Bernard. He sings, does a cappella....is lovably nerdy to a point...bicycles to work...no, wait. He drives a Prius. Couldn't be me (phew!).<br><br> So who does that leave. Ah yes, Dwight Schrute. He knows everything, grows beets, sees hitting a goose on the way to work as a miracle, due to all the fresh goose grease...yup, this survey would find me as being Dwight Schrute. I guess I could live with that comparison, although I would have been a little better about plotting and carrying out revenge on Jim, or at least I'd like to think so.<br><br> I didn't get any of the aforementioned characters. Who did I get? Stanley Hudson, the quiet, stoic hard worker who tells it like it is. He doesn't buy into Michael's ridiculous team building activities, he doesn't bother anyone at work, and most of the time he just wants to go have some quiet time at home. He likes soft pretzels and it is alluded to that he was a founding member of the Black Panther Party. <br><br> As always, I've been reflecting about this characterization. I do see many parallels between myself and Stanley. I think telling it like it is is important. Might get me in trouble occasionally, as it does Stanley, but it's honest, it's authentic, it's real. <br><br> I've been subjected, as we all have, lately to many political ads, debates, candidate forums. We could all use some Stanley. I would really like to hear one candidate call the other candidate a nincompoop when they say something stupid or lacking truth, or common sense. I think we could change our debates to a points based system, with candidates earning points for calling their opponents on bull, except that they'd have to use like nincompoop, nothing that wanders into foul language. If a candidate used a bad word, they'd lose all their points, yet they'd earn points for creative, folksy insults that would be acceptable language at a church picnic.<br><br> "Well Donald, that's the biggest bit of mularkey I've heard since Uncle Bob told me I could grow a cactus in the swamp during a blizzard...."<br><br> "Hillary, if I believed that, I go get my hockey stick so we could play volleyball with that wad of cud you just spit up..."<br><br> No, it doesn't have to make sense, it just can't be offensive. Maybe it would make the debates more substantive, as perhaps it would makes the candidates shut up and think about the next folkism they could hurl. It couldn't make the debates less substantive.<br><br> I'd like to implore you to think about what character you might be. Why? Then go find a silly survey on the Facebook and find out if you were right. It's got to be better and more informative than listening to all this election mularkey.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/44235302016-10-17T19:24:47-04:002021-06-24T03:57:24-04:00Stuff you do...Music isn't the only thing I do. I have a plethora of interests, so many in fact that some might say I'm distractible. I'm going to list just a few of my favorite pastimes, then rate myself on how good I am at them. I encourage you to do the same in the comments, and be honest with yourself..<br><br> <strong>Reading: </strong>I read a lot. If you have a conversation with me, you'll realize that I retain large amounts of useless information from all the reading I do. Does that mean I'm good at reading? I'd like to think so but maybe I'm just good at regurgitating useless information.<br><br> <strong>Sailing/Boating/SCUBA diving/aqua type stuff: </strong>Any of you who know me know that I'm a bit on the obsessive side about boating and all things water related. I have accumulated...err...collected a number of small vessels and I spend as much time on the water, in the water, and under the water as possible. I blame my upbringing. Giving a kid a marine environment to spend 6 weeks on every summer and then land-locking him for the rest of the year creates such monsters, especially when that kid is given to daydreaming and singing sea chanties. Am I good at it? I'd like to think so. I've always made it back to land, so far anyway, and no one has been seriously injured on my adventures. I still enjoy almost every minute of it, even diving in dark murky water and crawling into tight spots to fix stuff. <br><br> <b>Bicycling</b>: I love biking, especially mountain biking. The freedom of cruising along a back road with almost zero emissions, at least none from the vehicle, or flying along a single track trail in the woods just can't be beat. It gets even better when your son and your dog join you. To watch the joy of a dog running with his boy on a bike is one of the greatest things any parent can enjoy. Am I good at biking? I guess I'm okay. I don't crash often and I haven't caused property damage to anyone else's property so I'm gonna go with a yes on that one. <br><br> <strong>Fishing/Hunting</strong>: Yes, I fish and hunt. I occasionally catch a fish and my shotgun gets a good airing out every once in awhile. I find as I slowly get older that I tend to fish more and hunt less. My success in both categories is about the same as it's always been, except for when I was a kid. One of my cousins and I religiously fished during early morning times when we were kids. We came back with stringers full of pike and bass, fueled up with the hope that next time it would be a muskie on that stringer. I'm pretty sure I used up all my fishing karma by the time I was 11 or 12. That's okay, though. As I tell my son, there's a reason that they call is fishing and not catching. I recently took up recreational lobster fishing. I love it, and I love lobster. While I haven't caught tons of lobsters, I've caught enough and I really enjoy it. I've done recreational scallop diving in the past and I plan to do that again, soon. Scallops are good. <br><br> <b>Hiking/Camping:</b> I love hiking and camping. As with the aqua stuff and the hunting and fishing stuff, it really comes down to being outside and communing with nature. The views from the top of a mountain peak you just hiked are incredible, the feeling of waking up in a tent is unique, especially after listening to the wild animals wandering around outside you tent, and the open feeling of my soul I get from cooking outside, sleeping outside, and being outside just inspire me and center me. I think a lot about living intentionally. Can you live more intentionally than when you're living out of your backpack, carrying all your supplies, figuring out exactly what you need so that you're not carrying any more weight that what's necessary? Maybe you can and maybe I'll find out how one day but I haven't yet. <br><br> <strong>Fixing Stuff:</strong> I love fixing stuff. Engines, motors, bicycles, cars, boats, locked doors....you name it, I'm usually willing to tear it apart to see how it works. I'm not always great at getting stuff back together, as the 6 horsepower Evinrude in a box in my shop will attest, but it was fun getting apart. Yeah, I know I said this category was fixing stuff, not just tearing it apart. It's on my list. Get off my back....the sound of an engine firing back to life after you've fixed it is incredible. I used to have a '71 VW Bus and I learned so much about mechanics while I had that. I had to. No one else knew how to work on them. Say what you will about German engineering, as I've heard many a mechanic grumble about German cars and I also owned an '83 Mercedes 300 Turbo Diesel, if you take a deep breath and think of it from a different perspective, the German cars make sense. So did and old Volvo I had and every Subaru I've had (the famous Subaru horizontally opposed boxer engine is basically an old VW air cooled engine that's been water cooled and fuel injected. The water cooling allowed for heat and that, as well as some great AWD capabilities, is why Subaru took over the old hippy market from VW in colder climates, like Maine). It's not just engines and stuff I like fixing, I've also taken doors off hinges, fixed locks and windows, replaced wiring and sockets, and I actually enjoy plumbing. I've done construction and I enjoy it but not as much as just handyman fixing stuff. Am I good at any of this stuff? Depends on the project but I'd like to think that I'm pretty decent at most of, at least decent enough for a part-time, recreational fixit guy. And tools are fun, especially my angle grinder (my favorite power tool).<br><br> <strong>Petting my dog: </strong>My dog insists that I pet him, almost all the time, so not only has it become a past time, I must be pretty good at it.<br><br> <strong>Beer: </strong>I do like a frosty beer now and again. <br><br>So what do you enjoy doing? Does it matter if you're good at it or not? Can you think of anything I've left off? <br><br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/43572892016-09-05T07:49:48-04:002022-01-20T02:21:13-05:00Places In my last post, I mentioned some of the women in my life that influence me. Places also influence artists, and the people in those places. I've lived in plenty of places, and I hope to live in plenty more. Here's an overview of some of the places that have meant a great deal to me.<br><br> I grew up in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When I was a kid, there were still a great deal of farms. Not anymore. Most of the farms have been plowed under to make way for shopping malls, housing developments, and large corporate offices. I spent many hours wandering through the woods, fishing in the local creek, and riding my bike wherever I could. There are more people there now, and I always feel a little claustrophobic when I visit. The food is great, though. I'm a pizza snob, as many of you know, and I don't think there are many places that can beat the pizza and cheesesteaks of the area. My college years just north of there were also great for experiencing culinary delights, like a $5 dollar pizza, Mark's Cheesesteaks, and Yuengling Lager. The PA Dutch are excellent bakers and they have set the bar against which I judge all baked goods. <br><br> I went to sea for a time, working on the East Coast and then in the Pacific Northwest. I've formed strong opinions about places like Hampton Roads, Virginia, Long Island, Connecticut, metro Seattle, and all the people in those places. The food was never memorable for me in those places, but the people were. I met a band called Tongue and Groove in a dive bar in Port Angeles, WA. It was a great band and I followed them the whole time I was in the area, catching their shows in Seattle. They disbanded years ago but I think their lead singer and guitarist are still touring the Northwest. <br><br> I worked for a company that had me spend time in the UP of Michigan, Detroit, Burns Harbor, Indiana, and a dozen other places. I've always loved the idea of the Great Lakes, and working around them solidified their legend in my mind. <br><br> I've spend a great deal of time on the St. Lawrence River, a place that is close to my heart and always will be. The river is a part of me and it influences me in many ways.<br><br> Many of you know how I feel about Maine. I've lived all over the state and it is my home. While it has its quirks, all it takes is a short trip south to realize why Maine is special. I don't know whether I'll be here forever, but I'll always love sailing its waters, hiking its woods, and fishing its lakes and streams. The people here are special and they compliment the beautiful landscape. I'll never be a millionaire here but that's okay with me. Money couldn't buy the views you get here, or the people you meet.<br><br> How has place influenced you?Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/43572822016-09-05T07:28:38-04:002022-05-11T01:29:26-04:00Important Influences A lot of artists talk about their influences, usually referencing other important artists in their genre, or other famous people who have made names for themselves on a large scale. As a Tom Petty fan, I'm well aware of the influence that Elvis Presley and the Beatles had on him, just as I'm well aware of the influence that Buddy Holly had on the Beatles and so on. Some of my influences include Tom Petty, the Beatles, and Buddy Holly as well as some less popular groups like the Kingston Trio, or people like Dave Van Ronk and Django Reinhardt. <br><br> Occasionally you hear an artist talk about influences that are closer to home, like family and friends. They can be good or bad influences, they can be events, they can be a collective, like a neighborhood. As a musical geographer, I like the place based influences, it interests me. <br><br> Today I'd like to expand on my influences. The people and place of my everyday life have shaped my world view and my music. It's nice to consider where you came from now and then. Maybe it could focus you on where you're going.<br><br> I am lucky. I've known two great-grandmothers. I had two grandmothers who genuinely cared about me and showed it in many ways. I had a great aunt who was one of the most amazing women you could ever meet, and I have an aunt who is still a role model. What do they all have in common (other than me)? They are strong female role models. I'm lucky to have known a group of strong women. Has it influenced my life and music? Absolutely.<br><br> We're living in some odd times. One of the things that bothers me the most is that there are a group of people trying to turn back the clock on women's rights. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that there are people letting them do it. Some of the ways that those rights are being turned back is subtle. The most annoying thing for me is the image of a woman in a nuevo country music videos. You know what I'm talking about, a scantily clad girl sitting in the the middle of a bench seat in a pick-up truck on a dirt road, fawning all over her man. Ladies, that's a degrading image. Why don't you take a turn driving? Why don't you tell that fat b^st#$d to get his own beer? Do you understand that little girls all over the world are watching that video and looking up to you? <br><br> I can't place all the emphasis on country music here. Any time a rapper mentions his hoes and people spend money on the song, it's reinforcing negative images of what a woman should be. <br><br> Why can't I write all this stuff off? Because the strong women in my life would never stand for it. I would feel their disappointment across time and space if I ever treated a woman like that or endorsed someone who does. More importantly, if my son saw me treat a woman like that, he would think it would be okay, and that would be awful. <br><br> When I think of strong women, I'll think of my grandmother teaching me to swim or ride my bike. I'll remember my grandmother taking us to the beach, or mini-golf, all while we all sing-a-long to Weird Al's latest album. Whenever I untangle a fishing line, occasionally mine but usually my son's, I'll remember the extreme patience and enjoyment my grandmother seemed to get from defeating a particularly large bird's nest. I'll remember the love of music that most of my family has, but especially my grandmothers. There are certain songs I play that know they both enjoyed immensely, and frequently requested. <br><br> Have these women influenced my music? Yes, because they've influenced my life.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/42437312016-06-22T19:29:41-04:002020-01-21T07:19:36-05:00Musicals?Good Wednesday to you. Musicals? Yup, that's what I said. Well, wrote. People who know me might be puzzled as I'm not generally a fan of musicals. I am suddenly feeling the need to defend myself and insult a bunch of people all at once, so here goes.<br><br>I know many songs from musicals. When I was in college, I was a part of a group called Broadway Magic, the campus's Broadway revue company. Each semester we'd learn a few ensemble numbers and we'd each learn a solo number. We had themes, my favorite being the 50's musical show. I recall performing "Dentist" from Little Shop of Horrors. Some of the female ensemble members did the backing vocals and dancing. It was great. Some other solo numbers I did included "Get Me to the Church on Time" from My Fair Lady and "I've Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua" from Kiss Me Kate. Everything about Broadway Magic was rewarding for me. I remember working as hard, maybe harder, for that group than any other group. I was in a vocal jazz ensemble for awhile and while I worked hard for it, it never seemed as rewarding or as satisfying. <br><br>So if the Broadway revue company was so much fun, why would my close acquaintances thing I dislike Broadway? It's not Broadway I dislike, it's the crappy music and writing over the past thirty or forty years that doesn't interest me. I once was hired to sing a song from Rent during Evening Gown competition of the Miss Berks County Pageant. I think there were about ten of us in the little ensemble who smiled and sang that awful song for what seemed like 4 hours. We were compensated for it so I don't really feel badly about it. It was a learning experience. Now when I hear that song, I can't help thinking of the scene in Bad Grandpa where the kid is pole dancing to Warrant's Cherry Pie in the beauty contest. Cherry Pie and Warrant make me think of my friend Steve from college who almost got hit by a car after coming out of the record store where he had excitedly purchased a used cassette tape of the Warrant album that Cherry Pie is on. He told me actually hummed that song for a long time whenever he'd cross the road, almost as a prayer of thanks for not becoming roadkill. <br><br>So back to the topic at hand (as an aside, if any of you music teachers out there are sick and tired of hearing "Hot Cross Buns" on a recorder, "Eye of the Tiger" is the same three notes and way more fun, and you can progress to playing Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" by adding only a few more notes, great for teaching the right hand). I think most Broadway music is crap. That's all I really need to say about it. Please notice I said most. Let's dig into that.<br><br>I was a big fan of South Park. When the South Park Movie came out (Bigger, Longer, Uncut), I was at the front of the line to see it. I didn't realize at the time that it was a musical. I still think it was one of the best musicals ever composed. The story satirizes modern culture in many ways, and it is done perfectly. Cursing kids, inept guidance counselors, overreacting parents and community members, farting Canadians, and, to top it off, Satan singing about his deep down desires to live amongst the rest of us (...without evil there could be no good so it must be good to be evil sometime....). Now we all know that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were good at satire, but did you also know they are incredible composers? Trey Stone was a music major at the University of Colorado in Boulder and composed Cannibal! The Musical while studying there. <br><br>So why am I mentioning this? Because Trey Parker and Matt Stone are two of the three people behind The Book of Mormon, another musically and satirically fantastic show. They even won Tonys for it. There isn't a bad song in it but I think my favorite is "Hasa Diga Ebowai". I find myself mumbling that phrase on a regular basis. <br><br>Other musicals I've enjoyed lately include Wicked (yes, I know, who doesn't like Wicked...), Avenue Q, and Spamalot. Wicked is the outlier. I read the book the musical was based on and I couldn't actually recommend it to anyone. The music, though, is good. Avenue Q is just hilarious, while also satirizing many aspects of our culture and adding foul-mouthed puppets who sing. Okay, I'll admit it before anyone can say it, I like the idea of puppets with foul-mouths singing anything, but the fact that Avenue Q's music is fantastic is icing on the cake. I hope it helps us all accept what the internet is really for.<br><br>Spamalot is a musical theater interpretation of Monty Python's Holy Grail. Need I say more? <br><br>With father's day just having happened, I feel it necessary to mention that my son loves Wicked and Spamalot. Does he enjoy the others? I think he will but he hasn't heard them yet, as many of their lyrics and themes (lyrically) are inappropriate for younger audiences. One day I hope to sing-a-long with him to the South Park music, the Book of Mormon, and Avenue Q. I can wait for that, but it will be rewarding.<br><br>So I do like musicals, but musicals that are good musically, lyrically, that have puppets that sing about what they use the internet for. There are many other musicals I like, but mostly old ones. I don't often think about parts I'd like to sing, but when I do, I'd like to be Roger from Grease, singing "Mooning", Freddy from My Fair Lady because I'd love to sing "The Street Where You Live" (unfortunately as part for tenors, and I'm a solid baritone), or Alfred Doolittle from the same. Of course, Orin Scrivello, DDS, from Little Shop of Horrors. There are others but the one that I'd almost drop anything to sing would be the Pirate King from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. Yes, I know it's an operetta but close enough. In my mind, Kevin Kline defined the character, but I think it would be a massive amount of fun to play him. <br><br>Maybe one day, but for now my fingers are itching to play my guitar and my voice is ready to sing a long. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/42270172016-06-13T09:08:45-04:002021-06-22T01:35:50-04:00What's that smell? We're living in some strange times. There's a ridiculous presidential campaign that seems like it been going on for a decade now, there's been another mass shooting not far from where someone shot a singer made famous from one of those contest shows. Prince's name is now added to a sad list of musicians who succumbed due to drug overdose. Justin Bieber still has a fan base....things are dark.<br><br> Several things I find I'm learning, or learning again. One, my dog is smarter than I give him credit for. If you've met my dog, I give him more credit than most. After joyously destroying a baseball last week, he figured out out to open a drawer to get to the replacement baseball. Yes, open a drawer. Amazing. He also knows exactly when I become, uhh, immobile. The bathroom door closes and the tell-tale sounds of him licking something on the counter reverberate through the house, followed by angry exhortations emanating from my mouth, exhortations that he knows he can ignore because there's no way I'll get there in time to stop him. <br><br> Other things I'm re-learning. The cliquey attitudes that people develop in school don't go away, they fester and evolve. Well, a lot of people, that is. I don't fall into this category, or at least I don't think I do. I base decisions and opinions on fact, not on rumors and false innuendo. Many people don't. Check out this graduation speech that Jon Lovett delivered in 2013 at the Pitzer College Commencement:<br>http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/05/life-lessons-in-fighting-the-culture-of-bullshit/276030/<br><br>(if you can't link it, copy and paste it into your browser)<p> That speech was three years ago and it's gotten worse. Is there a level beyond maximum bullshit? To borrow from Spaceballs, yes, we're barreling towards Ludicrous Bullshit, to be referred to now as LB. This isn't just on a national political stage, it's at all levels of government, in our media, in our interpersonal relationships, and, unfortunately, in our music. Let's look at this one by one.<br><br>Nationally, we've been suffering through a horrible presidential campaign with only one clear choice for president, and he probably won't make it past the Democratic Convention due to party machine politics. We're left with no good choice for November, with people asked to vote for the lesser of two evils. This isn't anything new, but what drives me nuts is that people are telling me I need to vote against my conscious simply to keep the really evil one out. No thank you. It's my right to vote, or not to vote, and suffer the consequences. It's called a democracy. You might be okay with bending your values and morals to keep the more evil out, but I don't think I am. And that's okay. I'm not going to judge you for your election choices. I may not agree with it, you may not agree with me and that's fine. Here's the big thing. I've made my decisions based on policy, not right-wing hate rhetoric, or right-wing media control. While I think sheep are really cool to watch and hang out with, I am not a sheep. When a candidate accepts large amounts of money from Wall Street, Monsanto, and that candidate supports fracking, I will not vote for that candidate. That's my trifecta if you will. It's simple. I do not smell and male cow manure smell in my statement. I also won't vote for someone who wants to ban people from entering our country based upon the color of their skin or the religion they choose to follow. That's simple, clear, and lacking odor. <br><br>A recent horrible shooting has occurred again. My social media feed has some recurring themes. The majority are good, spreading messages of condolence, peace, and love, messages that embrace us all as one big community that cares. Then there's the other messages, messages that claim that guns aren't to blame for this tragedy, but godless communities with no morals are to blame. I smell something.....what could it be? Yes, BULLSHIT. My favorite verses from the bible are ones where Jesus is preaching to the masses at the firing range, showing off his new fully automatic rifle. If anyone can preach it, the son of god can...it's a god given right to have any gun you want..wait, are you saying that's not anywhere in the bible? But people all over the interwebs are saying it? It's not in there? You're damn right it's not in there. A peace loving longhair that wander around Galilee in the company of fishermen, prostitutes, and vagrants didn't have access to guns. He didn't carry a sword either, at least in the accounts I've read. He was a non-violent guy, except for that incident in the temple where he went ballistic on the money-changers. But I don't believe he physically assaulted anyone. It's not a lack of god in our communities, it's a lack or morals in our world. God has nothing to do with it. According to our constitution, no god has a place in our schools. That's not an attack on your religion, that's fact. Everyone in our country is free to worship whatever god they want, or not to worship any god. It's part of that whole freedom thing everyone likes to spout off about. We live in a society where people bow and pray to consumerism, but they don't give a rat's behind about the genuine, important things, like caring about your community. Like limiting access to dangerous, high powered firearms. <br><br> Wait, do you smell bullshit? Did I really just write dangerous firearms? Aren't all firearms dangerous? Well, yes, but so are all cars, so are all lawn mowers, and so are all angle grinders (my favorite tool) if used improperly. I've been a hunter for a long time. I see hunting as the only reason to own a firearm. You don't need a gun that holds more than two or three rounds to hunt. If you do, you need more practice at the target range. No one is calling for the outlawing of all firearms. No one, no reasonable person, is calling for banning hunting. We need reasonable restrictions. You need a license to drive a car. You should need a license to own a gun. It is that simple. And any of you reading this are concerned because you need your guns so you can defend yourself from the government, please, for the sake of us all, go get some counseling. If you dream of a fire fight, or live combat, go join the French Foreign Legion. I'm sure they can help you out with that. <br><br>Locally, we have small time politicians that are pushing personal agenda with little caring for what's right, or what's in the best interest of the communities they serve. This goes on all over, I'm sure. This plays itself out in secrecy. Let me ask you a question. Is there any need for secrecy at a local town meeting? Is there any place for secrecy on a school board? No, there isn't. If you have to keep secrets and you're on one of these boards, then what you're trying to do probably isn't in the best interest of the people you serve. If it is, then put it out in the open and promote it. If you can't discuss it in public, then don't discuss it. That's how being moral and ethical play out. <br><br>So I've ranted here about stuff that has little to do with music. It actually has a lot to do with music. Study after study shows that participation in music programs enhances brain function and learning. <br><br>Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng<br><br>Everything in education nowadays is supposed to be data driven. This is solid data, that music makes people's brains function better. Yet many schools make it difficult for kids to participate in music. If an administrator claims that they are there to serve the students and make them the best they can be, then puts in a schedule that makes participating in band almost impossible, that administrator is not acting in the best interest of the students they're serving. It's that simple, no BS. <br><br>On a consumer music level, I've already mentioned the ridiculousness that is Justin Bieber or any of the myriads of other crappy musicians who are dominating the airwaves. One of my favorite all-time albums is Tom Petty's The Last DJ. Haven't heard much of it? You should. It critiques the music industry and says what needs to be said, no BS. If you don't own this album, go get it today by whatever means necessary. Except for stealing, don't steal it or commit an act of violence to get it. Let me change that statement. If you don't own The Last DJ already, go out and legally and non-violently acquire it forthwith. <br><br>This might seem like a depressing essay about the state of what is a rather depressing time. It's not though. It's a request, a simple request. What am I requesting? I am simply asking that you call the bullshit when you see it. Don't buy into false rhetoric. Don't buy crappy music. Hold your head up high and call out that bullshit from the highest peaks. Do it with a silly accent. Come up with a catchphrase such as (said in faux British accent), "You sir (or Madame), are full of shit!", or perhaps (with a faux southern accent), "Cletus, I do declare that you're full of male cow excrement!", or perhaps (with a faux western cowboy/miner accent, the one that breaks slightly like a boy going through puberty, or even Yosemite Sam, "Well, if you ain't full of the turds of an uncastrated male cow, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" I could go on but I won't.....<br><br>How's about you add your catchphrase to the comments below, or to the comments on my fb page. No time limit. Add it when you're ready. </p>Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/41872152016-05-18T21:31:42-04:002020-08-24T02:12:17-04:00Dusting off ye ol'blog... Hello all. It's been few months since I posted anything. I'm getting ready to do some gigs and it feels good, like a spring awakening if you will.<br><br> I've had some interesting events happening to me lately and I'm ready to move on to a new stage in my life. I'm not sure what exactly it will look like, but it will be something good. I've been working on some songs that are rekindling some energy that I haven't felt in awhile, I'm gearing up to perform more, and I like the way I sound. I've found a great acoustic spot in my house and the guitar and voice just blend and resonate in the space in a way that makes it hard to put them down. <br><br> So for my next stage, I need some input. I've been considering doing a Patreon page. Patreon is a cool service where Patrons can subscribe to an artists YouTube or Vimeo page and pledge a certain amount of cash for each bit of content that the artist puts out there. In return, the Patron gets the content, and special gifts from the artist. I guess it's kind of like cloud funding. I find it amazing that there are enough people out there willing to support artists in such ways. Would you consider becoming a Patron? Please comment below, I'm really curious. Most of the content I watch that uses Patreon are videos about people sailing. My vision for content would not necessarily be sailing, but music content. It would be a great tool to encourage me to write more songs and, more importantly, share more songs. <br><br> As a final thought for this post, I feel the need to comment on our society in general. I find it amazing that people support each other, and genuinely care for each other. I find it amazing because at the same time so many other people don't. So many people are self-obsessed narcissists that they don't get to experience the joy of community, and community support. If you're reading this, do me a favor. Put down your smart-phone or tablet or whatever, and go knock on your neighbor's door. Say hello, share a beverage, or a song, or just a conversation. It's up lifting, it's authentic. Pet their dog, or their horse, or their llama if you are so lucky, and take a few minutes to connect. Tell people you care. Maybe it's what makes us human, I don't know, but I really appreciate my community, and my friends. I suspected they cared about me before, but now I know. With all of the bad going on in the world, especially things we can only hope to change, community fills in the void, shines light on the dark, breaks the mirrors of the narcissists (without the whole 7 years of back luck thing). Cheers.<br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/39917292016-01-15T22:34:06-05:002021-09-17T00:42:40-04:00Songs of Significance...some random thoughtsHello everyone. We've got a small storm moving in and I think the dropping barometer has led to me thinking some thoughts I'd like to share. I'd love for this blog to become a place where people comment and discuss things after I throw them out there. Perhaps the reason it isn't is because I'm so right about everything that I've said it all.....I don't really believe that so throw out your thoughts.<br><br>As we're approaching MLK day, I read a cousin's post about MLK's assassination. He observed in a group he was in that very few people knew the name of the assassin. He felt that was a good thing. I thought about that for a moment and realized the beauty of that statement. As people who know me are aware, I am a wealth of useless information. I love, and I think everyone should, knowing random facts and names, especially historical ones. The more obscure the better. For instance, do you know the name of Alexander the Great's horse? I do. Why? I don't know, I picked it up along the way, probably in 7th grade history with Mr. Stipa, and it stuck. Ask me sometime about getting picked up in Mr. Stipa's class sometime, it's another great story, but I digress. Perhaps it's a Voldemort situation, remembering the names of horrible people who did horrible things. Maybe it isn't, maybe it's just an excuse that people use to justify not learning history so we can repeat the same mistakes and claim that they're original. More important is the sentiment. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a statement loud and clear, so loud and clear that we're still talking about it. The message was positive, a message that stressed coming together. A message that stressed the power of love over the power of hate. While the bullet that took his life was fueled by hate, Dr. King's message, a message fueled by love, carries on with a much louder, stronger sound than the crack of that murderer's gun. <br><br>I really like songs of all kind, but I have a special place in my heart for songs of significance. Topical protest songs, metaphorical songs, even sarcastic songs with a message. I think that's why I like parodies so much. Parodies often poke fun and educate listeners about either the original song, or a current event. A good protest song does the same thing. So what is a song of significance? It's any song that I feel spreads a message I believe in, a song that moves me. My list isn't going to be the same as yours, and it shouldn't be.<br><br>Some songs of significance I believe in. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony (No. 3): Beethoven wrote this to honor Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven changed the name after Bonaparte declared himself emperor. I love that Beethoven had the wherewithal to stick to his beliefs and changed the name. The music's pretty good, too. <br><br>Phil Ochs' All the News That's Fit to Sing. If you haven't listened to this entire album, go. Listen. Phil Ochs considered himself to be a journalist and this album is great. Ochs and Dylan were contemporaries, and friends. Many think Ochs was as good or better than Dylan for awhile. Every song on this album is a song of significance, especially I Ain't Marching Anymore. <br><br>Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind. Yes, everyone's heard this a million times and many people think it was a war protest song. It wasn't, it was a civil rights song, even performed by Dylan and Joan Baez at Dr. King's 1963 March on Washington, DC. Dylan considers himself to be just a musician, not the voice of his generation as some claim. Whatever he thinks, he nailed it perfectly with this song. Dylan's friend Sam Cooke was apparently upset that a white man had written this song. I don't care who wrote it, it's great.<br><br>Pete Seeger's Bells of Rhymney. Seeger took the poem by Welsh poet Idris Davies (pronounced Davis, by the way, but don't get me started on that...) and put it to music. Not only does this song outline the greed that continues to corrupt our planet, but it mentions towns in South Wales being destroyed by the coal mining industry. I'm a descendent of Welsh coal miners and this song hit me hard when I first heard it (John Denver did a terrific cover of it, displaying not only his incredible voice but his incredible guitar chops as well). <br><br>Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant Massacree. Every Thanksgiving, WBLM in Portland, Maine plays this song uninterrupted. They've been doing it for years and it's one of the reasons I love Maine. The song is a great protest song, even with its humor and sarcasm. The song makes you think, and I always imagine the characters in it, even after hearing it a thousand times. Blind judges, the group W bench, and VW buses all come alive. <br><br>Tom Petty's Two Gunslingers. Great song with a great message. Tom Petty did another album called the Last DJ that you don't hear about much anymore. It's a great album, probably my favorite and if you haven't listened to it from beginning to end, you haven't listened to it. My favorite song on it is called Have Love, Will Travel. There's a great line in it: Here's to all those those bad girls, and all those boys who play that rock and roll. They love it, like you love Jesus. It does the same thing to their souls....Can't say it any better than that.<br><br>The Kingston Trio were often thought to have bastardized folk music but I still like them. Charlie and the MTA is a great song with a great message. I remember an ex-girlfriend looking at me strangely when I was excited to find that we were in the Scollay Square Station on the T in Boston. I tried to explain but she didn't get it. We didn't last long as a couple. Another Kingston Trio song that counts for me is Take Her Out of Pity. I had never thought much about the song, other than that I liked it and it was fun to play, audiences seemed to enjoy it. I was playing it one night at the Rose Garden in Eastport, Maine and there was an older middle-aged lady in the bag that was visibly distressed at my performance. She approached me later and admonished me for playing the song, claiming that it had set the women's liberation movement back 40 years. I always thought it was a song about asking the most beautiful girls out because if I didn't, who would? I still think that's what it's about and I still play it because it's a good song. That lady might be right but...<br><br>I could go on for hours about this but no one wants to read that. What songs do you think are your personal songs of significance? Leave them in the comments below. <br><br>Stayed tuned to my YouTube channel. I'm going to start making simple videos of my interpretations of some of my songs of significance. I hope you'll dig them.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/39674302015-12-24T08:26:10-05:002020-09-09T03:47:37-04:00Greetings....Good day everyone! People who know me know that I'm not generally a big fan of this time of year. Some have stooped so low as to call me a Grinch. That I am not. Perhaps a Costanza, but not a Grinch. <br>With that subtle reference to Festivus, I now feel the need to reflect upon the parody, an oft loved, yet little respected form of music. It is folk music in the extreme, a variation of the highest order.<br>Weird Al Yankovic is, far and away, the person I consider to be the king of all parodies. Not only can he craft witty alternative lyrics to just about any song, making them culturally relevant, he's also a fantastic musician. His original compositions are great. He parodies song styles, parodies people, parodies holidays...yes, THE holidays..Christmas At Ground Zero is not only a great Christmas parody, it's also a pretty biting, yet humorous look at our society during the cold war. The Night Santa Went Crazy could be interpreted as a look into all of our work-life balances, and what happens when we don't take enough time for our friends and family. Also, it looks at the horrifying outcomes of what can happen when anyone has access to high powered, military grade weapons with large capacity magazines. Weird Al is just great.<br>But Weird Al does not have the best Christmas parody album out there, yet. That has to go to Bob Rivers. Twisted Christmas is the finest holiday parody album out there. From altering traditional carols to writing such classics as There's Something in the Chimney, every piece on that album is a classic.<br>My brother acquired the cassette tape of Twisted Christmas sometime around my 5th or 6th grade year, I think. As with any silly album, the two of us took to memorizing every lyric and singing it incessantly (we almost wore out his original copy of Weird Al's first album by rewinding My Bologna over and over again until we could get the belch in the exact right spot). Finally, here was a guy who recorded some Christmas carols the way we wanted to, with the kind of inappropriate lyrics we'd make up, and frequently get in trouble for. This guy was living the dream.<br>I have a special connection to Twisted Christmas, and not just the amount of hours I've spent listening to it. Years later, my brother and I found ourselves in Ft. Myers Beach in Florida around the holidays. It had been a long car trip. We were on the beach and it started to rain. We ducked into a coffee shop and there on the wall was a gold record, Twisted Christmas to be precise. The lady who owned the store sang on the album and it was her daughter who sang Something in the Chimney. I felt like we'd met Elvis. <br>I lived in Seattle for awhile. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bob Rivers hosted a morning radio show on KZOK. It was a pretty good show and I listened to it regularly, even becoming a regular caller who would argue, I mean, discuss the virtues of Frank Zappa. <br>So grab a copy of Twisted Christmas, gather round the fire, and memorize the entire album. It will be sure to bring warmth and calmness to your crazy holiday season. You will hear parts of yourself in every song, and I hear the voice of Mrs. Roberts, my middle school chorus teacher, reminding me to stop screwing around and sing the right words.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/39563632015-12-08T22:46:26-05:002021-06-24T01:33:26-04:00Wow, where'd those months go... Hello all. I've been thinking about writing another entry for awhile and haven't gotten around to it. I didn't realize my last post was in September. A lot has happened since then, for all of us I'm sure. This blog is going to have very little consistent theme, but rather some musings I've been having lately. I hope you enjoy. If you do, let me know in the comments. If you don't, listen incessantly to my songs on Youtube (Youtube.com/markislem) and reconsider your enjoyment. <br> <br><strong>Saying Sorry</strong><br>There are a few current figures of speech, speaking habits, and such that really drive me nuts. So....Have you noticed how many people start thought with," So...." So what? Think before you speak and then say it. Saying,"So.....(pregnant pauses)..." and then speaking doesn't make you sound more intelligent. It just wastes time and makes you sound stupid. So...<br>Saying sorry also drives me nuts. I've noticed this in several incarnations. "I'm sorry but I like the color blue..." What are you sorry about? You like the color blue. You don't need to apologize for your preference for the color blue (or colour blue for my British and Canadian readers). I've also noticed a disturbing habit of people apologizing for something they really aren't apologetic about. "Betsy, please stop talking in class."<br>"Sorry."<br>[Two Minutes later] "Betsy, please stop talking in class." <br>"Sorry."<br>"No, you're not sorry. If you were sorry, you wouldn't do it again, especially two minutes after the last reminder and apology."<br>Saying sorry doesn't absolve you, it doesn't guarantee forgiveness, especially if you don't change your behavior. You're not sorry, you're just rude. I, for instance, need to take my advice here because I occasionally apologize when I break wind, especially for strong, pungent air biscuits. I need to stop apologizing. I'm not sorry, in fact, I usually feel pretty good afterwards. Do I feel some empathy for the people around me? Maybe....okay, no, I don't. <br>Something else that bothers me is the Valley Girlization of our current vernacular. Whether you call it upspeak or whatever, it's obnoxious. I enjoy NPR as much as the next granola, but Ira Glass and the rest of his NRP cronies who speak this way drive me nuts. You even hear interviews with "experts" talking that way. When I hear an interview and the "expert" is using upspeak, I will not consider that person an expert, unless they're talking about the mall. Are they asking a question or making a statement? I can't tell because you sound like a Valley Girl? Oh Ma God, Becky, I think that guy with the really cool sideburns just cut one....<br><br><strong>Political Candidates and Election Cycles</strong><br>Do I even need to say anything here? We need a three week or less election cycle, we all need to vote, and nobody should give any credit, time, or energy to a billionaire that can't get himself a good toupee. I'm not going to mention his name because he's a racist, sexist bastard who is out of touch with reality. Also, please don't run for the POTUS if you were born in Canada. We have this thing called the Constitution, and while not a perfect document, it is pretty clear that you need to be born in the US to be POTUS (BTW, before any of you crazy, racist rednecks say it, Hawaii is actually a state, Canada, while I love it, is not). <br><br><strong>The NRA</strong><br>I'm a hunter. Have been for a long time. Will be for a long time. Do I support gun control? Absolutely. I got a call from the NRA a few years back (I'm not a member). They were concerned that a proposed law would ban the use of semi-automatic firearms for hunting and wanted me to support the defeat of this bill. The conversation that followed was great. The guy on the other end of the phone was disappointed when I told him that there was no reason to use a semi-automatic firearm for hunting. He asked what I used and I told him. I get two shots. If I miss, I miss. He actually asked if I was concerned about the deer charging me. I said no, not concerned. He asked why not. I informed him that I am a real man and if a buck decides to charge me, I would pull out my knife and take the buck on. He asked if I was inferring that he wasn't a real man because he hunted with a semi-automatic weapon. I said something or other about his powers of deduction being top-notch, he said a bad word and hung up. I broke wind, started to apologize to the dog, then stopped, because I wasn't sorry. <br>The fact of it is, the NRA isn't protecting our hunting heritage. I don't know who the think they're protecting. You don't need anything more than a shotgun or a simple rifle for hunting. If you want to use high-powered machine guns and automatic weapons and you dream of defending your house from government bad guys, go join the military. Go join the French Foreign Legion. Become a mercenary and go somewhere else if neither of the aforementioned organizations will take you. No one's going to take your hunting weapons away. No one's going to stop people from target shooting with their .22's. It is past time for reasonable gun control laws in this country. Do we need improvement in our mental health systems as well? Yes. We need both. And to quoth the Dylan," Your old road is rapidly fading. Get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand..."<br><br><strong>My Dog</strong><br>You were outside five minutes ago, I know you don't need to pee, and no, you may not play with the skunk or porcupine who's hanging around out there. <br><br><strong>Modern Composers</strong><br>We've lost the melody. Mood music with massive amounts of dissonance is not a composition, it's simply writing down the notes being played by a two year-old banging on the piano in the living room. <br>I'm sorry, that wasn't very nice to two year olds.....<br><br><strong>The New Star Wars Movie</strong><br>I know Mark Hamill was in the movie, why wasn't he in the preview I saw? Please don't let him go to the dark side. If it isn't Luke who turns, you better do a pretty damn good job of explaining who Vader's apprentice was, because there's only supposed to be two Sith at a time and the Emperor was fried, then Vader died, and, unless I missed something, there wasn't enough time for two more Sith to pop up. And if the Smoke Monster or a mysterious hatch pops up in this movie, I'm gonna be ticked off. Although, I do like Jorge Garcia and it would be nice to see him get some more work.<br><br><strong>The New Star Wars Movie</strong><br>I can't wait, I'm so excited. A little over a week 'til the local theater gets it...<br><br><strong>The Hunger Games</strong><br>I still haven't seen the second half of the third movie. The third book was awful and the first half of the third movie was awful, but I'm still feeling obligated to see the last part, just to say I've finished it. Thoughts? I do like Jennifer Lawrence. Her performance in the Silver Linings Playbook was incredible. If someone asked me what movie star I'd like to have a beer with, my top two picks would be Jennifer Lawrence and Steve Zahn. They both seem like down-to-earth people and people I'd really like to hang out with. I hope that some movie execs pull their heads out of their rears and make another Dirk Pitt movie. Steve Zahn totally embodied Al Giordino in Sahara. If they can make an Expendables one, two, and three, then they can make another Dirk Pitt movie. <br><br><strong>The Weather</strong><br>This weather has been beautiful. I actually went for a sail the other day. I think I saw a minke whale whilst out on the waves. I'm going to enjoy this El Nino year for all it's worth. I was about to apologize to the southwest, because El Nino years tend to bring an increase in Hantavirus cases in the southwest, but I can't be sorry for that because I had nothing to do with it and the sailing is still beautiful.<br><br>Well, I need to sign off. Thanks for reading. I feel as though I've covered some of my myriad of thought over the last couple months. I hope you're enjoying whatever holidays you're enjoying. or preparing to enjoy. I know I am, I think.....maybe, sorry, what was the question again?Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/38471072015-09-08T19:49:43-04:002015-09-09T19:52:45-04:00Where have all the childhoods gone?Are you ready for a rant? I hope so because I feel a good one coming on....<br><br>When I was a kid, I was very active. I was a cub scout, occasionally attempted to play little league (I was hands down the worst baseball player ever), I wrestled from the time I was in 2nd grade until I was overcome with a fit of teenage angst and quit the team during my 9th grade year. I was in plays, I played the tuba in the band, I sang constantly (in the school choirs, my church choir, and whenever else I felt like it) (and yes, I know it's hard to believe that I ever went to church let alone be in the choir). As I got older, into high school anyway, I kept at it with hockey, scouts, and I got a part time job. I was pretty busy, or so I thought. Even as busy as I seemed, I still had time to walk in the woods after school, go fishing, do massive amounts of chores around the house (my mouth was responsible for most of that), learned how to drive, work on motors, and hang around with a close-knot group of neighborhood friends. Some of us got a band together and more than one person would say we were pretty decent. In short, as busy as I was, I still had time to just be. Just be fishing, just be skating on a local pond if it froze, just be pestering the local neighborhood curmudgeon by specifically going where he told us not to....I recent heard he passed away and turned out to be a huge hoarder. I can't say I'm surprised but I digress...<br><br>Do kids today have time to get in trouble? Life wasn't perfect for us growing up but it wasn't too bad. I'm not ashamed to say I was a latch-key kid. My father left the house for work before our bus arrived and we were expected to be ready to go and on that bus. And we were. When we got home from school, we were expected to do our homework (at home) and then go outside and play. We did. We never got kidnapped, we occasionally got bruised and cut, as any kid should, and we rarely did anything really bad because one of the neighbors might see us and tell my father and then I'd really be in for it. There were consequences for negative behaviors but we enjoyed a great deal of being outside, expected to be home, and expected to have our chores done. Was it always nice? No. Was it as perfect as I'm portraying it here? No, but you know what, that's life. There were a few things that could have been better but I survived pretty well. <br><br>I run into a lot of people, kids and adults, who are over-scheduled. It's easy to do. Some people even think it's responsible parenting. I don't but that's okay. In my experience, the hardest thing about parenting is allowing your kids to fail. It's not nice, it doesn't feel good, but that failure is called learning. A lot of that learning happens in unstructured play time with peers. Kids on the playground, grown men watching football in the the living room with their buddies putting entirely too much time and effort into fantasy leagues, ladies having a ladies night out with their girlfriends, that guy Bob down the street constantly mowing his lawn....<br><br>I really started to understand music while playing in a rock band and writing songs. Our band did covers and originals and we had a good time. We even played a few gigs. If someone offered me a Delorean with a flux capacitor in it, I would hop in and go back to that small room with those guys and just play to my heart's content. I don't know how many kids today would be able to do that because they're scheduled for everything. It's sad for me to think that some kids who should be rocking out will never get to feel how good it is to crank up your tiny practice amp and play loud music with your friends. <br><br>One of the other things that this over-scheduling is affecting is other activities. I've been trying to work this out in my head and I haven't solved it yet because this part of the rant is a Catch-22 of sorts. There are a lot of activities that overlap now. Sports overlap with scout meetings, a play rehearsal overlaps with a choir rehearsal, band practice overlaps with swim team...the list could go on and on. I happen to be connected with two very special communities, the one I live in and the one I used to live in and stay involved with on a part-time basis. From my perspective, there aren't enough kids in both communities to sustain the number of activities that are going on in those communities. The scouts suffer because little Billy wants to play soccer and is then rushed over to scouts and misses most of the programming. The program for scouts isn't as good as it could be because so few scouts are there on time, if at all. And no one talks to each other about this stuff. Everyone's got blinders on, and these kids don't know how to just go goof around in the woods after-school. How did I learn how to use a hose? I had to to clean the mud of me from goofing around in the woods after-school. Did my tuba playing suffer? No, but I'll bet a lot of my family suffered from my tuba playing. I played after dark. <br><br>So what is the point of this rant, you ask? Perhaps you don't care what the point is....perhaps there is no point, just a moral (is there a difference?). The point is that too many people in our world go around with blinders on, oblivious to what's going on around them. Wow, how does this tie in with the above paragraphs? People are so obsessed with running their kid hear, signing them up for this, keeping themselves and their kids busy that no one takes time to smell the roses. No one stops to look at the world around them or understand the impact they have on their community. Their kids are busy and that some how makes them good parents. We wear our badges of exhaustion and business by the size of the coffee cup we drink from every morning. We train our kids to be on the hamster wheel of the rat race. We don't stop to think about what's really important. <br><br>I'm a proud parent when I hear my son playing a tune he made up, or just figured out by playing with notes. I'm proud when he makes obscure references to pieces of useless information. I'm really proud to see the comics that he writes, developing story line and characters over long periods of time. He does that during unstructured time. I'm proud when he crashes his bike or scooter and gets back on it. I'm proud when I turn around on a hike and see him examining something on the ground. I enjoy watching him talk to the dog. On a recent expedition to an uninhabited island, he made a series of "franken-crabs" out of bits of crab left behind by seagulls. I was so proud my heart nearly beat out of my chest. <br><br>I'm sure many of you could consider your own situation and then tear my statements to shreds. That's okay, I'm not going to be offended. I'm going to stay active in my community and try to model for my son what a balanced life should look like. I'm not always going to be successful but I'm going to leave time to jam out, to explore, to build franken-crabs. It's amazing what you can do simply messing around in boats, or anywhere for that matter. <br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/38231662015-08-17T23:08:50-04:002021-06-24T01:54:20-04:00It's been awhile...Hello everyone. Yes, it's been quite a summer. Sailing and driving and vacationing and pondering the absurdity of life. It was warm here in Maine today, and by that I mean over 80 degrees, that's fahrenheit for my Canadian readers...The hound and I went for a little row this morning, taking in the flat waters of the Maine coast, so rare. As we're getting on towards back to school time, my thoughts occasionally head in that direction, and usually to the darker sides of that direction. Do you know any teachers? Are you a teacher? Do you dream of becoming a teacher? Were any of you ancestors teachers? Is you brother's wife's third cousin's mother-in-law's college room mate a teacher? If any of this applies to you, give yourself a big hug, you deserve it for Septemberrrr, I mean August is here, the time we go back to school....and by we, I mean we, because everyone is affected by back-to-school time.<br><br>Don't believe me? You may not curse my name when you get stuck behind a school bus on your way to or from work in the next couple of weeks. <br><br>But more importantly, to my point of this short pontification....Why are the schools of the US a dark subject to speak about? Is the students? No, the students, for the most part, are the best part of any teacher's day. Is it the teachers? Of course not. It is so rare to meet a teacher who isn't enthralled with their students or that doesn't thoroughly enjoy the relationships that they build with their students. So what is so dark about enlightening our youth, you ask?<br><br>All of the bull...stuff that teachers have to deal with that takes them away from valuable time spent with their students. Ask any teacher and they will tell you that it continues to pile on. It comes in the form of initiatives, new computer programs to track student learning, constantly creating new curriculums or learning about the new edu-speak buzz words, which are really just rehashed ideas from yesteryear given new packaging and making someone money (and that someone is not the teacher whose throat it is being forced down). The amount of cashola that local communities are spending on consultants, student data tracking programs, and cookie-cutter learning materials from a few large educational companies is ridiculous. You don't need to ask what my opinion is about whether that's money that's well spent. <br><br>So why is all this happening? It's pretty simple in my way of thinking. Corporate lobbyists (from the large educational corporations) convince law makers on many different levels of government to enact policy tied to funding that forces local communities to send their money to the big corporations. In other words, looting the local coffers to make rich corporate types richer. The cycle get perpetuated. <br><br>Yes, that was perhaps an oversimplified model but that's how it works. It's amazing how the same company's name is on so many of the materials that are present in a school...I'm not going to mention any names because I can't afford a lawsuit, but take a look around the next time you're in a school and you'll see what I mean.<br><br>So who can stop this cycle and get our systems back on the right tracks? I don't know for sure because as optimistic and sunny as I like to me, I'm not naive enough to think that money will ever stop talking and bull..stuff will ever stop walking. By the way, did you know that dried cow pies make an excellent fuel for a fire, as do buffalo pies, especially if you're crossing the great plains in a Conestoga wagon on your way to Oregon. Beware of Utah...but I digress....<br><br>I really believe there are people on the local level who can stop this cycle, on place at a time. Why don't they? I don't know. Certain people accumulate power, or what is thought of as power, and they get good at playing the political game, and we all know that somebody once said all politics is local (I got me some of that book learnin' from a history book). <br><br>I guess I would like to believe that we, as a society, will get to a point where we put the kids first in education. Every teacher I know puts the kids first but they're being told to put data collection first, or a new initiative first. All of this stuff is a distraction, an impediment to what should be a teacher's, and a school's first priority- The KIDS! <br><br>I'd like to believe that no one involved in education on a local level thinks that their actions are not in the students' best interest but I'm not completely naive either. I'm going to hold onto my belief, though, until it is proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, to be off base.<br><br>What does this matter to me as a musician? I learned my craft from a lot of places, but one of the biggest influence on me and my music were the music teachers I had along the way. They were all passionate musicians who guided my on my path, let me develop as an artist, and held me to account when I veered. I can still remember them all, all the way back to kindergarten. My other teacher were almost always there for me as well. I tend to, and always have, asked a lot of questions and it was very rare that any of them were frustrated by my incessant questioning (or if they were they hid it well). That encourages my songwriting, encourages my desire to explore and adventure, not only in music but in life as well. <br><br>If teachers cannot be given the space to encourage those things, than students will not get those things, and a big chunk of our society will suffocate. Teachers are passionate professionals who need to be treated as such. If they are their students will do great things.<br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/37324242015-06-07T19:10:50-04:002015-06-10T20:34:10-04:00Judgement Day!Hello all,<br><br>I had a beautiful day today. I sailed my little boat out to Damariscove Island, and preserve island owned by the Boothbay Region Land Trust. They're a great organization, check them out. I had intended to motor out, spend a couple of hours exploring the island, then sail in a leisurely fashion back. Well, the best laid plans, right? I got tired of listening to the motor after about 15 minutes and the wind was more plentiful than the weatherpersons had predicted, so I shut 'er off, hoisted the sails, and set a course for the island. My crew was one blonde mutt, a mix of Lab and Retriever, who generally enjoys sailing. He is of little help hoisting sails, steering the vessel, or scrubbing the decks. Among other things, I took along my bluetooth speaker and a few tunes on the phone. It was the first time I had listened to music on the boat and it was pleasant. I feel the need at this point to thank U2 for the free album that appears on your iTunes whether you want it or not. I gave it a listen and I really enjoyed it. It's the first U2 album I've owned since Rattle and Hum, even though I have seen them in concert. <br><br>So I said it was judgement day, right? So first judgement is that I like the U2 album. I did not enjoy the mutt singing along. I enjoyed the gentle breeze that propelled my little vessel in a very easy tack right out to the harbor. I did not enjoy the mutt peeing in the cockpit (twice), dropping a deuce in cabin, or singing along with the music, the whole time, even when the music stopped. <br><br>Upon arrival at Damariscove, I discovered a really neat small harbor where a group of rather expensive looking yachts were rafted up next to each other and the occupants were well on their way to the joyful bliss of intoxication. Their clothes broadcast country club chic, the glances cast aspersions on this rather hairy fellow and his dog in an old, small sailboat. I tied up to a wharf only to be reminded by signs that dogs were not permitted on the island due to its fragile ecosystem. Whoops, bad on my part. I did need to use the facilities, though, so I climbed the wharf and headed up the path. Before I could take care of the business at hand, I hear desperate yelling from the harbor about my dog being in the water. I ran down the path to find the mutt swimming towards me, happily, while the "rafters" were all having conniptions and freaking out in general. I got the mutt back on the boat, secured him below decks, and completed what I'd set out to do. I ate a quick snack and decided to head out of the harbor after continuing to get dirty looks down noses, and the mutt continued to sing. <br><br>We had an uneventful sail back, if the shear beauty of sailing is to be called uneventful. The mutt took a break below decks, I took a break from the mutt in the cockpit, did some fishing, and listened to a little more music. <br><br>So I said this was about judgement, right? I am trying not to be judgmental of the "rafters". The dog is a water dog, I think he can swim. Actually, I know he can swim. I'm trying not to judge them by the disdain they showed because, I'm assuming, my ratty shorts and old boat were not up to their standards. I'm trying not to judge them by the fact that those little ankle biting "dogs" they have are not actual dogs but fru-fru cats who do not get any respect from me. I'm trying not to judge, but I am. <br><br>Music falls into this category, too. "Classical" music is frequently presented as this high-brow excellent music that is somehow better than rock and roll. It isn't. Rap is looked down upon as a lesser form of music because there is little melody. Music is music and we should all embrace whatever we like and respect what we don't.<br><br>Now respect comes in different forms. I will never truly respect nuevo "country" as anything but "pop with a southern accent", or to quote Tom Petty, "bad pop with a fiddle". It's crappy stuff being used simply to sell cowboy trucks and pick-up hats. I also have a hard time respecting anyone that presents "classical" music as something on a higher plane that rock and roll. Handel is repetitive, so are many rock songs. Beethoven killed himself by drinking, just like many rock stars. Musicians are musicians and music is music. <br><br>Do I care what you listen to? I'm interested but I don't expect you to stop listening to your favorite music because I don't like it. Perhaps we can share information on the music and give it some more depth. Maybe we can just listen to it together and open our ears to something new.<br><br>So to judge or not to judge? Yes, judge. Form opinions, but be kind, be open, be embracing. If you're going to raft up, raft up with people who won't judge and be mean. I may not have the money or desire to have a boat like the rafters, and I never see myself wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants whilst relaxing on my boat, but I'll never look down my nose at anyone. At least I'll remind myself not to. I'll also remind myself to teach the dog how to use a mop.Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/37217352015-05-29T22:26:59-04:002020-09-12T02:29:02-04:00I've been silent for awhile......and that is rare for me. I've had an incredibly musical couple of weeks. Most of the experiences have been great, other aspects have been frustrating. I guess that's what we call life. The good has been out-weighing the frustrating so I figure that's a net gain. It's good to feel supported by people in your "neighborhood" and I've had a lot of that. It's refreshing.<br> Speaking of neighborhoods, I really like the concept of "it takes a village to raise a child." Perhaps our society has let this go a bit but I think it is still relevant. I found out this morning that a foundation of my personal village passed on to his next adventure. When I was younger, this great uncle treated me, and my siblings like grandkids. He and my great aunt (pronounced ant in case any of you were wondering..) were the relatives that lived closest to us and we loved going over to their house. I still remember lounging on the shag carpet in their den, the color of which resembled that giant yarn-dog on Sesame Street, Barkley. Their beagle Zambo occasionally stayed with us when they went away. We loved Zambo, our father not so much, especially after Zambo left some marks on the door during a thunder storm. Those claw marks are still on the door at my father's house...When they retired, they moved out-of-state to live next door to my grandparents so we got to see them on a somewhat regular basis. <br> Our great uncle was an incredible person. He loved to joke around yet was a man of deep personal faith. He was a war hero, having been in the U.S. Navy in WWII in the Pacific. We always felt loved by him and I know I still adore him to this day, even though I hadn't seen him or talked to him in years. <br> So this blog entry/post actually has to do with music. This great uncle of whom I speak gave me a nickname that few people anymore know of. It's kind of an inside family joke. As I kid I remember wondering if he actually knew my real name. Okay, as an adult I'm still not sure. This nickname was well earned. Every time I saw Uncle Gordy, out would come the plastic yellow banjo and I'd enthrall him with renditions of Clementine, or the Garden Song (a la John Denver) or any other ditty I had in my head at the time. I seem to recall endless versions of Tomorrow from Annie as well. He'd encourage me, or egg me on, by yodeling along at the top of his lungs. <br> I don't know if I'd be a singer today if it hadn't been for several factors, and a big one was Uncle Gordy. He was a big part of the village that has made me who I am, like it or not. I tend to like it. I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears this morning, and I'm also not ashamed to say that I've had Clementine running through my head all day. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/33987372014-12-14T21:20:40-05:002014-12-29T18:58:42-05:00New compositions... I spend a lot of time driving. It's just the way my life is and I'm okay with it. Luckily, Maine has a great NPR affiliate and I can usually get pretty good reception in the car. Other than taking a break from the news, I frequently listen to NPR's comedy and music shows, as well as the occasional public affairs show. What, you might ask, is a folkie, rock and roll obsessed dude doing listening to "classical" music shows? 'Cause it's music, that's why. I'm feeling the need to rant so here I go. Please imagine my voice in the exasperated tones made famous by Lewis Black.<br><br> First of all, if it isn't music composed between 1750 and 1820 or so, it isn't classical music. Dear "classical" music snots, please use the proper terminology if you're going to be so pretentious in your handling of music. I don't care if the sheeple have been misinformed for generations, you should know better. Don't you dare introduce an Aaron Copeland or Gershwin piece during your "Classical Music Mornings" program. That's as dumb as anyone taking up Dick Cheney on an invite to go hunting. <br><br> Second of all, musicians are musicians, whether it's Mozart or Def Leppard. That Bach guy knew how to party and we all know the legend of W.A. Mozart's party prowess. And just say Bach, you don't need to cough up a phlegm ball every time you say his name. I swear I heard a pretentious "classical" music commentator drag out the last part of Bach's name for five minutes one time. You could almost see him looking down his nose at the filthy masses, even through the radio. <br><br> Thirdly, what happened to melody? I tried my best last Thursday evening to listen to an NPR program where a composer had been asked to compose a piece to honor Beethoven's Ninth by the same organization that had commissioned the Ninth Symphony from Beethoven himself. The result was crap. Harsh, you might say? Harsh it right. It sounded like a group of fourth grader learning to tune their violins for the first time. <br><br> I'm sorry, that was mean. The fourth graders sounded much better than what was on the radio. <br><br> This lack of melody is a big think. We can blame it on rap and hip hop but I don't think they deserve all the credit. Some of the bass lines and stolen loops in the back round of rap pieces (yeah, not singing so it isn't a song) are pretty musical. I think a lot of this responsibility can be placed on 20th century composers who couldn't just compose good music but had to come up with gimmicks, like the 12 tone system. While it is artistically interesting, it still sounds like poop. <br><br> I'm sorry, that was mean. Many times, if poop is accompanied by farts, it sounds way better than 12 tone compositions. <br><br> So modern composers, please understand this. Just writing a bunch of random notes all over the score doesn't make it a composition. Find your melody or get off the stage. If you want to write mood music, go compose back round music for television and film (Please Note: John Williams knows melody). So many people fawn over this modern garbage and I don't understand why. Gabriel Faure didn't either. He was one of the few music journalists who didn't go nuts over Wagner's material. Faure made the trip to Germany, listened to the stuff, the wrote about how it wasn't a big deal or really any good. I like Faure. As for Wagner, he ruined opera. He and Bugs Bunny. Now everyone thinks that opera is only large, nay, obese ladies screaming their heads off whilst wearing blonde braids and horned helmets. And while the Ride of the Valkyries is one of the more memorable melodies, mostly because it has been used to emphasize comedic scenes, especially the flying Pinto full of Nazis in the Blues Brothers, most of the rest of Wagner's stuff is still crap. And too long. <br><br> I'm sorry, that was mean. Crap, especially long ones, are much better than Wagner.<br><br> So why are our kids listening to pop music that has little originality, little melody, and little class? Because most of the new popular music, whether it's a top 40 or a pretentious "classical" music show, is lacking melody. Will our grandkids be able to sing? Will they be able to harmonize in consonant ways? Will they be able to feel free to express themselves playing a Pete Seeger tune, then a Chopin etude, then a piece they wrote? I hope so but the future isn't sounding so good.<br><br> On a positive note, the melody is still out there, it hasn't been vanquished yet. Share someone you know, in the comments below, who is fighting to keep melody alive.<br><br><br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/33697062014-12-06T22:21:24-05:002014-12-29T19:05:06-05:00The Garden Song...in December? I have many musical memories from my childhood, from car sing-a-longs, to my father singing to us while playing his guitar, to my grandfathers both singing to us, and my mother regaling us with stories of playing the french horn. I had dreams of playing tuba in the Penn State Blue Band, dreams of singing on stage next to John Denver next to a campfire, and dreams of singing fractured nursery rhymes to any kids I might have. I have fulfilled one of those dreams, thank you Grandpa Evans for the inspiration. Evan loves them. <br> I have a great uncle who nicknamed me Lem. My family knows this but few others do...until now, I guess. I'm thinking of this because tomorrow is December 7th, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. My grandfather and his brothers all served in World War II, including my uncle who gave me the nickname. I recall family gatherings where these brothers had legendary farting contests, or what we thought were legendary farting contests. They might have been joking for a minute or two then the legend began to snowball in our minds. My brother used to give incredibly hilarious recounts of the events while the rest of us rolled in laughter. So what does this have to do with my music? Almost everything....<br> Some of my other early musical memories bring me back to listening to John Denver on headphones in another aunt and uncle's living room. on a very impressive stereo. My song of choice, repeatedly? The Garden Song by David Mallett. John Denver performed what is perhaps the best known version, but Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger also did great variations, among others. Around the age of my listening adventure, someone gave me a yellow toy banjo, made of plastic. That banjo became my sidekick for a very long time. The song I played on it? Well, it was either Clementine or the Garden Song. Now when I say play, I mean I sang the song and randomly picked and strummed the instrument, in no discernible pattern. But I sang it with feeling and that's what counted. The headphone uncle later gave me an old guitar that would never hold a tuning but I loved that thing and played it in the same manner as the banjo. I don't know what ever happened to either the banjo or that old guitar but I'm sure I'll never see them again. <br> So how does the Garden Song come into these memories? I've found myself listening to David Mallett a lot lately. I've had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions. We were kind of neighbors for awhile, as he lived in the next town west of where I was living at the time and we'd run into each other occasionally. I was playing at a pub in Dover-Foxcroft one night and he came in. A friend of mine began taunting me to play the Garden Song while Mr. Mallett was there but I just couldn't do it. I joined him on stage in October of 2013 in a fundraiser for Lac Megantic, Quebec, and a group of us all sang the Ballad of St. Anne's Reel with him, including his regular bassist Mike Burd, a really cool guy and great musician in his own right. Some of David Mallett's newer songs that have been sticking to my brain lately include Artist in Me, Angel Standing By, Fire, and Living on the Edge. Check out his website, http://davidmallett.com/, and pick up some of his newer stuff. It's really good. (His sons also front the Mallett Brothers Band, a great act that you need to catch live. Trust me, they're great) On top of all this, David Mallett is a really cool, down to earth guy who is still writing music, still touring, and still living the dream in rural Maine. <br> So how does this all come together? I know, I've been avoiding the connections for several paragraphs now and you're all wondering where I'm going with this. I have been reexamining some of my childhood idols (He-Man has been left off the list for this one). I have had some uncles who not only served their country, but also influenced me in subtle ways that have had a pretty big influence on my life. One might have been joking around by calling me Lem but the nickname gave me the first inkling of a dream of singing in front of people, and it encouraged me. Another uncle let me use his headphones and patiently let me listen to a song over and over again and planted a seed that would grow inch by inch. My son has an uncle who absolutely adores him and the feeling is mutual. We don't get to see each other often but these relationships have impacts, now and in the future. I know I'll always value the memories of plastic banjos, headphones, and yes, I'll answer to Lem even if I pretend not to like it. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/33206812014-11-23T19:45:10-05:002021-01-23T02:00:04-05:00I'm baaaack! Well, I've taken a few months away from the blog. I've had some big changes in my life and that's good. It needs to happen sometimes. I'll be getting back into the swing of things over the next few months and I'd like to re-connect with everyone. <br><br> I'll be appearing at the Boothbay Opera House on the 13th December as part of the Gingerbread Festival. More information on that to follow. <br><br> Have you ever wanted to get up an play a few numbers in a public setting? I know I have, and do. Might I suggest an open mic night? There are a few of them around me and I still enjoy swinging by and playing a couple tunes at them. Last Thursday I stopped by the Gin Mill in Augusta and played a few tunes at the great open mic hosted by John Hasnip. He's got a great sound system and he knows how to use it. The crowd is great there, too. If you can't make it to the Gin Mill on Thursdays but you'd still like to do an open mic, John hosts one on Wednesday nights at Charlemagne's in Augusta. Charlemagne's is a really great place. I still say they have the best paninis I've ever had and their pizza is great. Both the Gin Mill and Charlemagne's are on Water Street in Augusta. One Mondays, I highly recommend the open mic at Mainely Brews in Waterville. Mike Rodrigue hosts and the crowds are great. I've heard that there's an open mic this Friday at the Red Cup in Boothbay Harbor and I'm going to try to make it. I've heard that they're great.<br><br> So keep your eyes open for some new changes to the website and for a list of dates. I hope to see you soon.<br><br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/29502412014-05-15T19:55:50-04:002014-05-15T20:26:00-04:00Final Song of Progressions So we've finally made it, 12 months, 12 songs. The final song on this list is the final song on the album. It's bittersweet, this post. I've enjoyed going through my material and thinking of where I was when I wrote these songs. I'm getting ready to record a new album and I really like the music. I don't think the stories behind the songs are as interesting but I like the music. I can't wait to see how they turn out.<br><br> So how did Sexy Man come to be? Well, I was looking at myself in the mirror and BAM!, it hit me. Just kidding. I had written the blues lick in the beginning and really wanted to write a blues song. This isn't exactly a blues number but it's got a similar soul. I added the harmonica later and just had a really good time with it. I always feel like this is a really fun song, regardless of the lyrics. I'd love to put together a small band and jam on songs like this. It's very different from the other songs on the album, in that I always envisioned it as a band number, not a solo thing. I've never had the pleasure of playing it with a band but I will one day, and I hope to have a recording of it.<br><br> Contrary to popular belief (okay, I've rarely had this conversation with anyone but I've imagined it many times), the ladies in this song are imaginary, and any resemblance to real life people is purely coincidental. Well, maybe they're more amalgamations of several ladies. The first lady, the one that has a hair combing obsession, is any number of ladies I've met over the years, ones I am rarely drawn to. We see them all over, the ones who, according to their online dating profiles, can't live without their phones. Hey, I admit it, my phone is a useful tool, but if I'm stranded on a desert isle (which could be really cool under the right circumstances), the lack of my phone is not going to prevent me from breathing. We've all met plenty of these people who use their inferred attractiveness to get rides to places, get drinks, be fake, and generally bring down the collect chi (Qi) of the human race. I have no use for such humans. I prefer the people who are real. I've met plenty of them. They don't mind a good conversation, sharing an honest insight, and getting their hands dirty. I've actually met more of these groovy people then the fake ones, giving me more confidence in the human race.<br><br> So are the lyrics to this song inappropriate? Some would say yes, others don't listen to lyrics closely enough to have an opinion. I usually warn people to listen to this track before sharing it with their kids. Does that make the song wrong? No, it's from the heart, it's light-hearted, and it's a good song. Yup, I'm endorsing my own song. It's okay to do now and then. <br><br> I've enjoyed sharing this music for the last year. Thanks to the friend/consultant who suggested this exercise. You know who you are. I've been through some changes in my life and I've got some more coming up. I guess we all do. Thanks for listening to my song rambling and I hope you've enjoyed this journey. I'll still be writing this blog and I hope to put up some demos of the new material soon. 4:04Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/28740072014-04-15T21:56:14-04:002014-04-15T21:56:14-04:00Smiling, this month's song. Wow, there's only two songs left. This month and next month's. What a year....<br><br> This month's song is Smiling. I wrote this song in the summer of 1998 while working as a counselor at a camp on a lake in Maine. Like many of my songs, the song is referring to a girl I was involved with and/or interested in. I can't remember if we were involved yet at the time. This is one of my few songs that has some borderline foul language in it, with the word ass making an appearance. Seemed more poetic than butt. I love this song because it reminds me of simpler times. One of my prized items at the time was a pair of Oakley Frogskin sunglasses. I bought them at a sunglass place in Freeport the year before and they were great. One of the few times I've ever spent more than $15 bucks on sunglasses and they were worth every penny of it. I think I still have the black cleaner pouch they came in. I loved those sunglasses and they got loved in return, by being used all the time. This song refers to my repair of them using super glue. I did briefly glue my rear to the step I was sitting on whilst repairing the sunglasses. I'd spilled a little super glue on the lens and lost track of the super glue tube while trying madly to repair my mistake. The glue came off my rear pretty easily butt (get it?) it held the glasses together for another couple of years. I eventually lost the sunglasses or they became so scratched that they were useless. I got a good song out of them, at least. <br><br> As for the girl, well, we had a fling but it didn't really go anywhere after the summer. We got together for New Years, in Boston, where I embarrassed her on the T when I cheered jubilantly when I realized we were in Scollay Square Station. She didn't understand my excitement, even when I quoted from "Charlie and the MTA." I believe I screamed something like "I need a Sandwich!", or "Why didn't she just put a nickel in the sandwich?" She was not impressed. I did later have a very memorable spring break trip to Cleveland with a foreign friend and we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was incredible. I should thank her for that. (BTW, whoever thought that Cleveland was a good place for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be drug out into the street and forced to listen to Rush and Phil Collins while Phil Specter chases them around a mulberry bush.) My foreign friend and I had a great trip to see her, while not actually seeing her very much. We did express our feelings though "sign language" to Tom Ridge, then governor of Pennsylvania, about cuts he suggested to our public university system, we experienced some of the most friendly employees at a Hooters that I've ever met, and we had a great deal of Indian food at the Indian restaurant near our motel. I had to air out my car for a week after that ride back. It was a good time.<br><br> There's a funny addendum to this story. The following summer I was in a boat with this girl, trying to avoid conversation and work a knot apart with my knife, 'cause I didn't have a marlinspike, and I cut myself. She panicked and made me go into the dock and then someone else made me go to the infirmary and they sent to the emergency room and all because something or other about rinsing a cut in the lake didn't seem sterile...I have a great scar to this day to remind me of her, and a song.3:48Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/28403532014-04-02T22:56:34-04:002014-04-02T23:59:09-04:00Listening lists.... This morning, after having the Blues Traveler song "Hook" stuck in my head for better than 24 hours, I got to thinking about albums that have stuck with me over the years. I assume that everyone does this at one time or another. I can even think of albums that I remember for rather specific time periods in my life. I thought I'd just mention a few and invite you to think of some of yours.<br><br> Blues Traveler's Four sticks out in my mind from when I was in college. I met John Popper once in passing at a Wawa (my Philly peeps know what that is) in Bucks County on the way back from a friend's hockey game. He was still huge at the time, both physically and in popularity, but he was pretty cool. I just mentioned that I liked his stuff and chatted for a few minutes about music and then went our separate ways. The album is just great, but a the song that really sticks in my head as a memory is "The Mountain Wins Again." I played this tune at a talent night with a friend on upright bass. For me, it was an electrifying performance to be a part of, ver y satisfying. I need to find a bassist to play with. <br><br> Ben Fold's Five Whatever and Ever Amen is another great album. I bought this album used when I was living in CT briefly along with the Band's Greatest Hits. The two albums were in constant rotation. I don't think anyone would say Ben Folds is a great singer but his songwriting is impressive. "Brick" is a shear classic. <br><br> Welcome Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne doesn't have a bad song on it. My cousin introduced me to FOW because I rarely listen to top 40 radio. It was on that same trip that he was playing a live version of "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction. I believe I bought both albums at the same time. Some may say Jane's Addiction and Fountains of Wayne have very little to do with each other but they do to me. <br><br> Weezer's Blue Album, Green Day's Dookie, The Offspring's Smash, Pearl Jam's Ten (although I still don't own Ten), Soundgarden, Better Than Ezra's Deluxe...these albums all came out when I was playing with a garageband in High School. We listened to a lot of it and played some of it, especially the Green Day. I also remember playing the Offspring's "Come Out and Play" and feeling like a real rebel.<br><br> I lived in Seattle for awhile, too, and I was generally disappointed by the music scene there. I came away with two great albums, though. The first album was Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasion Sing Frank Zappa. The Persuasions were a doo-wop group that Frank Zappa helped promote and encourage. The album is just incredible. If you think Zappa's stuff was too out there, listen to this album and it will give you an appreciation for Zappa's genius. The other Seattle era album I remember and still listen to is the self titled album from a Port Angeles band called Tongue and Groove. I was working on a ship at the time and we were anchored in Port Angeles Harbor. The ship was running liberty launches into town so I hopped aboard one. Most of my shipmates headed to the chi-chi bar and I made a beeline, along with a few others, for the dive bar across the street. This bar was great. It was dark, a little dingy, had a scuffed up pool table and the piece de resistance was the trough in the men's room that was full of ice. The bar tender was a beautiful girl nicknamed Gypsy. No one else seemed to know her real name as they'd all known her as Gypsy for so long. I was a little burrito obsessed at the time and they had some good burritos. The bar was mostly empty except for a couple of people who were my age playing pool. We got to talking and they told me they were in a band. One of them went over to the jukebox and played their record. I bought a copy right then and there. That was nearly 13 years ago and I still listen to it. They even recorded a VW bus for their opening tune. I saw them when they'd come to Seattle. They're not together in the same format anymore. The guys I met at the bar quit the band and settled down to careers and families. The two leads continue to tour the Northwest as a duet, writing and playing some great folk and bluegrass influenced rock. <br><br> So what was the biggest album to influence me? It took me about a half a second to name it. It wasn't a Beatles album, or Dylan's Bringing it All Back Home, or Buddy Holly's stuff, or the Kingston Trio's greatest hits (I regard all this stuff with the highest esteem). It was an album that I bought after Christmas when I was in 6th grade. My father had rented a car and driven my siblings and I to visit my grandparents in Florida. We stopped at a motel in South Carolina and we thought it was great because the motel room had MTV. I saw a video that changed my life. It was Tom Petty's Free Fallin'. I remember feeling distraught prior to this because I didn't have a favorite artist. A neighbor friend tried to convince me that it was Def Leppard but I had too much good taste for that, even back then. My brother tried to convince me that maybe it was the B-52's, his favorite band. Meh, they were okay but not exactly my favorite. Was it Weird Al? Yes, I dug him but maybe I needed something more serious. Was it the Kingston Trio? I dug them, still do but they seemed kind of dead. Was it John Denver? I loved, and still love, John Denver's stuff but....then WHAM! I saw the video and I was hooked. Who was this ghastly looking fellow with the unique voice and enticing scenes of California? This simple melody hit me like a ton of bricks. I bought the tape when we returned from Florida. I remember thinking that I had to talk loudly over the beginning of "I Won't Back Down" because he sang hell. I still love that album. There isn't a bad song on it and Tom Petty is without a doubt my favorite artist. The Last DJ is a truly inspiring album, as well as most of his other stuff. I've seen him live a few times and they're the best concerts I've been to. I hope to see him and the Heartbreakers again soon. <br><br> So what are your most influential albums? Where and when were you? I've only skimmed the surface here. I find I can look a many of the cd's in my collection and recollect something about where and when. They've all influenced me somehow. Have they influenced you?Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/27507592014-03-15T00:23:25-04:002014-03-15T00:23:25-04:00The Hours This month's song it The Hours. I think I wrote this song in college, maybe during my sophomore or junior year. I don't think I've played it again since I recorded it. I was trying to emulate Dylan's poetry, either Bob or Thomas, it doesn't matter to me, as well as a Beatles reference. I remember a place I lived where the sun would come through the windows at an angle that made it difficult to ignore, a bright place. I particularly remember spending serene hours with a very special lady and this song was me trying to put those emotions into song. <br><br> I know my description of this song makes absolutely no sense to someone who listened only to the first verse. I had a room mate at the time who snored so loudly that he would wake up people in other rooms on our floor. He was a favorite topic of conversation among our little community. Everyone else was always trying to help me with suggestions on how to solve the problem. I quickly realized that they weren't genuinely concerned for me, but that he was keeping them awake as well. Now, there are some who would claim that I tend to snore a bit. I will admit to occasionally waking myself up, but it was nothing like this guy. I eventually got into a habit of wearing earplugs. It helped but I had a hard time hearing my alarm go off. Another issue with this room mate was that he had just about no personal hygiene skills. Combine that with the snoring and a penchant for renaissance faires, and a it was the perfect recipe for one of the worst room mates ever. For anyone. The first verse is dedicated to this gentleman. (And in the interest of full disclosure, this blog is being written by someone who, on more than one occasion, during his senior year, woke up his room mate by producing an extremely loud flatus. At least I didn't snore, or have BO.)<br><br> So what's the song really mean? It was intended to pass along the idea that our most serene, peaceful times are short, while the harder times or less interesting times tend to drag on. Does anyone really need this pointed out to them? I don't know, but if they do, I tried in this song. I also feel the need to explain the tv reference. I have a strange problem with tv. If there is a tv on in a room, I cannot drag my attention away from it. It's like a magnet. When I hang out with friends where a tv is around, I consciously position myself in such a way so that I cannot see the tv. If it's in my line of sight, don't bother trying to have a conversation with me. Doesn't happen. I've gotten rather adept at being able to multi-task while playing places that have tvs. I feel like John Goodman in King Ralph, in the scene where he's a Vegas lounge pianist watching a football game while continuing to play. I'm sure this is an art developed by musicians over the years, not getting distracted by whatever is going on in the audience. I only hope I can learn to do it while having a conversation. <br><br> I hope you listen to this song and it brings you some enjoyment, or a chuckle at least, over some memories of bad room mates or people who lovingly snore, or awaken you with the lovely sound of a naturally amplified bronx cheer. I don't really plan on playing this song much, if ever, but I hope it brings some joy to your short, serene hours.4:45Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/26540582014-02-26T20:59:39-05:002022-02-01T05:00:11-05:00Music for the fledgling garage band... So while listening to Weezer, at a rather loud volume, I decided that I'm going to write a short syllabus for fledgling garage bands. You may not realize it, but I love garage bands, especially playing in them. I don't do it a lot, but when I do, I make sure there is plenty of distortion, a good loud microphone, and earplugs in my ears. So here goes:<br><br><strong>Weapons of choice:</strong><br>Two guitarists, one of them preferably the lead singer/rhythm guitarist, the other guy the lead guitarist, hopefully with the capability of doing some backround vocals.<br><br>One bassist, also a singer<br><br>One drummer, hopefully a singer, not a hack like Phil Collins. <br><br>Add to this one keyboardist, if they can play and sing. <br><br>The guitarist should be playing either small practice amps, Fender Princeton Chorus twins, or a Marshall half stack. Anything else is unacceptable. They should be playing either Fender Stratocasters, Mustangs, Lead I or II's, Epiphone Les Paul knockoffs, or any other assorted variations on this theme. NO GIBSONS! They are not to played until you get old enough and rich enough and pretentious enough to play them. This is a garageband, remember....<br><br>The bass should be some kind of Fender Bass, or appear to be one, or a Hohner or Hohner look alike, a la Paul McCartney, played through either an old Peavey keyboard or bass amp, or some kind of half stack system.<br><br>The drummer should be playing an old, stained set, preferably a five piece that was sitting in his uncle's basement for years. The front bass head should be removed and a pillow should be stuffed into the bass. The cymbals should all be in various states of green and/or cracked. The drummer should invest all his hard-earned lawn mowing money in a double bass pedal. That is the only thing on the set that can appear to be new.<br><br>Any keyboard should be either an old Hammond B-3 or Fender Rhodes, played through an old amp that cuts in and out. This is very important.<br><br>The microphones should be plugged into any old amp that is found lying around, using some old Shure SM58's or 57's that happened to be found in the lead singer's mother's underwear draw. The question of how he acquired them should never be asked. I repeat, this is a question that should never be asked!<br><br><strong>Repertoire:</strong><br><br>A proper garageband should steep itself in the classic garageband repertoire. They should be sure to play <em>Louie-Louie, Brown-Eyed Girl,</em> and Beatles tune, but especially <em>I Saw Her Standing There.</em> Some Creedence, <em>Knockin' on Heaven's Door, </em>a Buddy Holly tune or three, and any random song that any of their parents either sang to them or played for them when they were kids. The secret to this last one is to use reverb. Always use reverb....<br><br>After this elementary beginning, the fledgling garageband should study and play the music of any number of 1990's era garagebands. Pearl Jam, Green Day, and Weezer are almost all they need. They should practice until they can play all of Pearl Jam's Ten, Greenday's Dookie, and Weezer's Blue album. Top of the cake with Tom Petty's <em>Mary Jane's Last Dance, </em>and they will no longer be a fledgling garageband, but a true garageband ready to blast their way forward into rock and roll stardom. <br><br><strong>Conclusion:</strong><br><br>Be sure to play most of the music with more distortion, reverb, and feedback than you think you would normally like. Overindulgence is sometimes how we learn. Have fun and remember: wear earplugs so you can't hear the neighbors yelling at you to turn it down...<br><br><strong>Addendum:</strong><br><br>A fledgling garageband should also be writing it's own songs. The songs should have serious meaning to the composer/lyricist only, whilst making little sense to anyone else. It's how you learn....the drummer should be discouraged from writing his or her own songs, as history has shown us that drummer songwriters, with the notable exception of Levon Helm, tend to compose awful, meaningless songs that make people like me (people with good musical taste) want to smack someone. Any song by Rush, Genesis, or Phil Collins can be used as an example of how not to write a song. <br><br>If you have any good video of your fledgling garageband or would like to be a part of mine, please email me at Markislem@gmail.com. Please attach pictures of your set-up and your garage.....<br><br><br><br><br><br> Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/25970742014-02-17T18:47:05-05:002021-09-16T06:40:34-04:00February's Song and a great concert... So before anyone gives me a hard time, and I know who I should expect to hear from, I apologize for this blog being late this month. Life gets busy sometimes, and sometimes saying life is busy is a good excuse to use when you forget about something. I'm not going to say which one it was this month.<br><br> My song for February is Buryin' My Name. I wrote this song when I was in college, I think. I based it very loosely on some ideas I got from a Dylan Thomas poem. I don't listen to this song very much and I haven't performed it in many years. I was trying to be very philosophical in the lyrics, trying to emulate some Dylan, Bob this time. The meaning of the song stems from my thoughts on how odd gravestones are. While exploring remote woods in Maine, I've found that it isn't unusual to come across a small graveyard. Some are very well maintained, while others I've come across are fading back into the woods. I've read some of the stones and I always want to know more about the people that are represented by them. Who were they, what was their everyday life like? What songs were they humming or were they belting something out hoping to entice others to join in with them? These graveyards really cement for me the idea of how circular everything is. We're born, we live, and we go back into the mix. I've been reminded of this idea by the recent passing of Pete Seeger. Where Have All the Flowers Gone is near the top of my all-time favorite songs. I learned it by singing along to it on long car trips, whether it was my father leading us in a round of it or, when we got a vehicle with a tape deck, it was the Kingston Trio singing it in their wonderful three part harmony. Buryin My Name is nowhere near to being in the same league as Where Have All the Flowers Gone but I think the message is similar. I don't know, maybe I'll have to listen to it again.<br><br> I recently heard two great bands live in concert. I know this has nothing to do with my song but I can't help mentioning it. The Mallett Brothers Band opened for Blackberry Smoke at the State Theater in Portland, Maine. The State is a great place to see a concert, an old theater that has maintained its character. The Mallett Brothers Band is a Maine grown band, formed around the sons of David Mallet, the singer-songwriter who wrote the Garden Song and The Ballad of St. Anne's Reel, among many others. The Mallett Brothers Band rocked. Their songs were pure rock, influenced by rural life in Maine. Some might call it country-rock but I think rock summed it up. There were great vocal harmonies, tasteful guitar and dobro playing, and the drumming was incredible. Their drummer is hands-down the best drummer I've heard in awhile. Whoever miked his set needs to be bought several rounds of suds. It was like they listened to Stan Lynch's drums on Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's Damn the Torpedos album and copied the sound. I'd been meaning to hear this band for awhile and I was glad I did. If you get a chance, check them out. They're playing in March at the Port City Music Hall. I'm not sure of the date but I'm thinking I might have to check them out.<br><br> I didn't know anything about Blackberry Smoke before I went to the show. They're a good ol' rock band from Georgia, I think. They rocked. They had a definite southern sound, but it was unique, like a cross between the Black Crowes, Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, and Mudcrutch, Tom Petty's band before the Heartbreakers. The lead singer/lead guitarist was engaging, the band was tight, and they put on an incredible show. A roadie also smudged the mics before the show. Smudging is a Native American blessing ceremony. It worked because the show was great and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I felt blessed to be there and hear the great music and take in the great atmosphere. <br><br> Check out both these bands if you get a chance. Rock and Roll is good for the soul, and they both rejuvenated my soul. I'm sure they will for you, too.3:31Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/24077952014-01-15T22:10:00-05:002014-01-15T22:10:00-05:00January's Song I thought about the song for this month for quite awhile. I decided to make it Momma, I Don't Wanna Die For Oil. It was the first real protest song I wrote and I don't play it much anymore. I still like it quite a bit and I think it still has quite a bit of relevancy.<br><br> I wrote this song as the Bush regime was ramping up to go to war in Iraq. I was working at a really magical alternative education place near the coast of Maine, having recently returned to Maine after being away for a couple of years. I can't believe I just used the word magical to describe something, I feel like Drew Barrymore. Anyway, I was working with a group of people who, for the most part, let me know that I was okay as me. They reinforced to me the idea that not all who wander are lost. I was a little lost, but in the good way, like when you stumble upon a really cool waterfall or a really groovy dive bar. I was not happy about some things, though, and the Iraq war propaganda was a big frustration for me. I knew a lot of people in the military who weren't being treated well, people who had served their time and earned a retirement but were being denied. I just didn't believe, as I do now, that going to war in Iraq would solve anything. Turns out we were right. That's right, we. I wasn't alone. I had started attending protests on the bridge between Damariscotta and Newcastle, Maine. A large group of people would gather there, and on many other bridges around Maine, and peacefully express our feelings about the Iraq war build-up propaganda. I was asked by a television crew why I was there and I remember I said that I was there to support our troops, to respect them by not sending them to a needless war. I later wrote this song from the perspective of a soldier. Our soldiers and sailors and other military, including the civilians that provide support, give up so much for us and yet our politicians completely disrespect them by sending them to die in places we don't need to be. Then the politicians disrespect them even more by not providing for them when they return. We, as a country, have never really dealt effectively with the after-effects of war, amputees, and especially the mental health of our servicemen and women. <br><br> At one of these Bridges for Peace protests, I actually witnessed a good 'ol 'merican hit a protester with his truck, intentionally, and say something about us protestors being un-patriotic because we didn't want to go kill Saddam (this guy pronounced it like he was from Texas or something but he was a well known local). I had to testify at the grand jury. The driver was convicted, of a pretty heinous attempted something-or-other crime, and off to jail he went and the protests went on. Crazy and unnecessary. <br><br> Well, I don't want to turn this into a rant so I'll get back to the song. I thought of songs like Universal Soldier and I Ain't Marching Anymore. I've recently felt like I've inadvertently channeled Phil Ochs with some songs I've written and it feels pretty good. I think Momma, I Don't Wanna Die for Oil put down the groundwork for some of these newer songs. I've always thought the song isn't angry but poignant, and I hoped to give a voice to our brave servicemen and women, not a voice of cowardice but a voice that pleads for an understanding of their sacrifice that we should already have. Give it a listen and I hope you enjoy it. I hope you get the message and enjoy it anyway you see fit.4:21Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/22343322013-12-15T11:08:05-05:002013-12-15T11:08:05-05:00December's Snowy Song December's song is Snowy Day. Coincidentally, today we're getting our first big snowstorm of the season. I'm trying to like the white reflection bouncing around inside and off the apartment walls. I am enjoying watching my son play around in the backyard, trying to excavate the huge pile of leaves that he raked up. We went for the first ski of the season yesterday at our local hill, Titcomb Mountain. It was great. Titcomb is a little mountain but it's five minutes away and it's inexpensive. Plus, it only has t-bars so you get extra skiing practice by having to ski up the hill, too. <br> But I digress from the point of today's blog entry, the Snowy Day song. I don't think I've ever played this song live. I wrote it quickly one night at my kitchen table in an apartment in Orrington, Maine. It was December. That turned out to be a cold but relatively light snow year, We got a few big storms in December followed by rain that washed the snow away. The temps were cold but the snow didn't come back, a miserable way to spend a winter in Maine. I remember writing this song quickly, thinking about how much I enjoy the water, yet also how much I enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and the feel of the landscape when it's covered in white. I'm always pining for the beaches, though, or the open expanse of a river or lake to swim in, or sail on, or paddle up. I've only been to the Carribean once. Don't know if I'd come back if I went. This song kind of sums that up for me. I dream of warm waters, sandy beaches, Jimmy Buffett and steel drum music wafting lazily out of a beach bar...yet I really do enjoy skiing and snowshoeing. <br> I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to Maine is that it has a Carribean attitude. The pace of life is slow, the people are laid back, and people live here because they like the place. I don't know anyone around here who doesn't enjoy either the woods, the views, the waters, or the pace of life. Is it hard to make it here? Some would say yes. I don't know, I think my personal jury is still out on that one. It's a balance. The balance usually leans towards the positive. Yesterday, while looking at the views before racing down a snow covered slope, the balance shifted drastically towards the positive.Watching the smile on my son's face as he raced down the slope was priceless. That's what Maine's about. <br> So back to this song. Yes, it sums up my dreams of island living. Yes, it mentions my affinity for the northern climate of Maine. Yes, I haven't played it in a long time. Does any of that matter? I don't think so. It's a fun song that I enjoy listening to on occasion. Would I like to be swaying on a beach? Absolutely. Do I want to be skiing? Absolutely. Man, I am torn.<br> I once found myself in Ft. Myer's Beach around this time of year. I spent some time on the beach, some time swimming (the locals thought it was too cold), and some time wandering in an out of a beach cantina. The floor was covered in sand and no one cared if you had shoes on or not. I, of course, did not. The Coronas were cold, the limes were fresh, and the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico were just outside, waiting with open arms for a swim in between rounds. This song was written with that experience in mind. I recently heard a friend mention cheap airfare (have I heard that in a lyric somewhere?) and I'm pondering...I can always ski when I get back, right?2:36Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/20794122013-11-19T21:32:21-05:002013-11-19T21:32:21-05:00November's Song-Coming to Maine Yes, I know, I'm a few days late this month. No, I'm not pregnant, just been busy. Heheheeee...The I chose this month is Coming to Maine. It's the second track on the album and I've thought that it should be the first on several occasions. As my friend Joe mentioned, and I'm paraphrasing here, it rocks. It's a good old rockin' acoustic song and I even play some really simple lead riffs on it. Nothing to brag about but it was fun to record. <br> I remember recording this as live as possible. I was in the makeshift vocal isolation booth, playing the guitar and singing and Kevin was drumming in the other room. We could see each other through the glass and hear each other through the headphones. Well, we could hear each other through the walls, too. I'm sure there was some sound bleeding but it didn't matter. I later added the bass if I remember correctly. <br> I used to play this song on my 12 string live but my 12-string doesn't like to go out in the dry winter weather up here. Keeping it in tune is even more of a chore so I just play this on my 6 string. I try to rock it hard, especially when playing the harmonica. A slightly out-of-tune 12 string is exponentially worse when trying to play in tune with a harmonica.<br> So the meat of the story on writing this song? This is the first song I remember writing in Maine after I'd moved here for more than just a summer job. It was the fall of 2000 and I was living in Augusta. That also made me realize that this is one of the oldest songs on the album. Anyway, I was just out of college and working as a photogrammtric technician. What's that, you say? It's someone who makes maps from aerial photos. While I really liked (like) the guys I worked with, I didn't really dig the job. It was second shift, though, and I worked from 2 to 10:30. I had an idyllic few months, getting out of work at 10:30 or so, heading down to Hallowell, usually to the Wharf, and listening to music until closing around one. Then I'd head home to my small apartment, get out the guitars and a used four track I'd purchased and start playing and writing, and singing quietly. I don't know to this day why none of my neighbors ever complained. There were a few other people in the complex who would come over and hang out, one a fantastic bass player that was going to UMA and studying music. I'd be up until almost dawn on most of those nights, really enjoying playing and trying to figure out the four track. It was a great time, looking back on it.<br> For those of you who don't know, central Maine, from Augusta/Hallowell down to Portland and south used to have a great music scene. It still might, I haven't been immersed in it in years. You could find live music any and every night of the week at the Wharf in Hallowell. There used to be several great music stores in Augusta and I remember asking the proprietor of Mills Music, long since out of business, about where to go to hear music. The Wharf was out of his mouth before I finished the question. In those days, the Wharf was a smoky dive on the bottom floor of a building in Hallowell. Now it's just a dive. There are a variety of license plates hanging from the old beams, and I'm proud to say that my last Pennsylvania license plate is among them. All the license plates apparently have stories but I doubt anyone remembers them. There were a lot of other places to hear live music, too. Mainely Brews in Waterville still has a great open mic night on Monday nights and I occasionally wander over and play. Other places in Augusta and Hallowell are still keeping it going. Higher Grounds in Hallowell, the Gin Mill and Charlamagne's in Augusta. The Old Goat in Richmond. All great places to hear live, local music. And the Wharf is still around, too. It's funny because I spent some time in Seattle after this and Seattle's music scene had nothing on Maine's. Every band I heard in Seattle seemed to be ripping off Pearl Jam, Nirvana, or Sound Garden, with the exception of a really groove salsa band I heard and a band called Tongue and Groove. Tongue and Groove was from Port Angeles and I met a bunch of there members in a dive bar there on an evening of liberty in 2001. I found out they were playing in Seattle and made it over to the club where they were playing and it was fantastic.<br> Anyway, as a recent college grad living his dream of moving to Maine, I was blown away by the music I was hearing. On open jam nights, it seemed to me that these guys were coming out of the woods, setting down their chainsaws, and playing some incredible music. It was usually heavily influenced by the blues. I loved it all. I even auditioned for a band. They needed a lead singer and I knew a bunch of their material. I sang with them one night and they turned me down, saying my voice was too clean. What!? Never mind, dudes, you're full of....like a good, clean voice is a bad thing? I digress...<br> So I wrote this song about a lady I was kind of seeing. I thought we were kind of seeing each other, even though she lived several states away and had no desire of moving to Maine and I had no idea what my desires were at the time, other than the obvious. The song really comes out of my feelings about her and our possible future together. I did meet and hang out with some groovy ladies in Maine at the time. No, I was not really committed to anyone so it didn't matter. I did feel alive, and I pursued the ladies with a vigor that has not happened since. Do you actually believe that? If so, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. <br> This song summed up a lot of me at that time. I was blown away with the everyday experiences I was having. Maine seemed like a foreign place in many ways but I also felt like I'd found somewhere that I fit. I left Maine for awhile but I came back. A cousin explained it to me recently, "You just don't seem to be happy if you're not in Maine..." I like some of the word play in the song. I actually fit the word surmised into the song and it doesn't sound ostentatious. Well, not to me anyway. <br> Enjoy this song. I hope it paints a picture and creates a mood for you. It always brings back so many memories from a short period of time in my life, memories that have remained vivid after all this time. <br> 2:58Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/18862702013-10-19T20:07:34-04:002013-10-19T20:42:19-04:00Influences? As I was sitting down to dinner with my son tonight, I realized that we needed something different to listen to. What music goes well with pork chops, fettucine alfredo. and broccoli? No Doubt, no doubt. I was flipping through my cds (yes, I still have and buy the occasional cd) and came across Tragic Kingdom.It was kind of funny because a friend randomly mentioned No Doubt the other day. I haven't really followed but Gwen Stefani seems to have eclipsed the rest of the band in recent years. She's got a great voice and while I don't always dig some of the new stuff she's doing, she is a great musician.<br> So I loaded the Tragic Kingdom onto the itunes and fired up the music. This album came out when I was in high school and I remember listening to it on the way to band practice. What blows my mind now as I'm listening to it is the orchestration. Yes, I really wrote that. The bass parts are simply impressive and the guitar parts that play off of them compliment them perfectly. I love the horns, don't get me wrong, especially the nouveau ska stuff going on with Spiderweb and I'm Just a Girl, but it's the rhythm parts that my ear went to first tonight. I'm not even listening to this stuff on headphones. Maybe I should. <br> Here's a question for all of you out there: Was this orchestration learned by the members of No Doubt or did they just happen across it? Did they know what they were doing or were they following Duke Ellington's old addage, "If it sounds good, it is good."? This question circles around in my head from time to time when thinking about music theory. I would say that I'm a borderline music theory geek. I like to learn songs in chord progressions rather than specific keys, so I can transpose them easier. I'm borderline, though, as I could care less about certain rules. I occasionally enjoy the random parallel fifth and I thoroughly enjoy the open fifths of the bagpipes, certain punk songs, and the A5 in The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (I also like open fifths of Gosling's Bermuda Black Seal Rum, but I put the cap back on so as not to spill any). I recently learned a Weird Al song (You Don't Love Me Anymore) and the best I can figger, it has a minor Vth chord in it. Right, I know, that's not really kosher but...do we really need to call it the ii of IV? Anyway, you real geeks can have all the discussion about it, I'm going to enjoy calling it what I do and playing the song while trying not to laugh. <br> Now let's get to the root of my blog today, connecting the title to the content. Ask yourself who are your influences? For me it's easy, Tom Petty, Tom Jones, Buddy Holly, The Kingston Trio, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Buffett, John Denver, and yes, Weird Al Yankovic. Listening to No Doubt tonight, though, is making me rethink, or at least add some. When I was learning to play guitar, I was listening to Green Day, Weezer, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Lisa Loeb, Jewel Kilcher, and a lot of the other good music that was being made in the mid-nineties. I am now thinking that I can't discount the influence these groups must have on me. The music is simple rock and roll, yet there's a level of musicianship that is pretty impressive. Now I'm not going to go back into my bit about music quality but the music of the mid-nineties makes me think of another good quality question. Let's think back to the mid-nineties. The economy was still recovering from the Reagan-Bush debacle years, and the art being made was very good. There's an old idea that when the economy is bad, the arts get good. So here's my question: Where's the good art now? Our economy is still in the pits after 2008 and yet, there's very little good music happening on the pop scene. What is up with that?<br> Okay, so I went there in the last part of my last paragraph. I apologize, kind of. So a random mention and a listen tonight is making me reconsider the idea of influences. Not in a huge, revolutionary way, but in a hmmm, maybe I was hearing some stuff that was much better than I've given it credit for. Maybe it had more influence on me than I'd ever admitted, or realized. So pull out those old cds and give them a listen and see if they spark anything in you. Let me know if they do, or they don't. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/18606022013-10-15T22:17:04-04:002013-10-17T12:16:35-04:00October's song story... This month's song is Denise, the lead off track for the Progressions album. I wrote this song in 2002 in New London, Connecticut. I was working as a hydrographer at the time, bouncing around the East Coast, towing boats, working long hours, living in motel rooms. I was rarely in my little studio apartment and I had to keep quiet when I was playing the guitar and singing, because my apartment was in a complex and the other guests at motels didn't appreciate late night live music from the next room. Needless to say, I wasn't performing a lot. I occasionally played at an open mic night in New London but I was so rarely there that I wouldn't have considered it regular. I always had my guitar on the road with me but I never found any open mics or performance opportunities. The hours worked on the road were long, and exhausting. I did play one night in the bar at the Ramada Inn in Watertown, New York. We'd been tying a few on and someone convinced me to bring my guitar down and play. It was the kind of drunken fun that you remember for years, yet know no one else who was there.<br> So how did Denise come about? As I think I've mentioned before, my favorite songwriters are storytellers. Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett, Arlo Guthrie, they all have the innate ability to tell complex stories in a relatively short song (Okay, Jimmy Buffett's stories aren't usually complex and Arlo did wind on for a bit with Alice's Restaurant, but there are always exceptions in music). I had never really written a story song, or a good one anyway. Denise just kind of flowed out of me. I spent a couple of days revising it, but it pretty much came as it is. I told a story based upon some true events. After I'd written it, I called a friend of mine in New Jersey and she listened to it over the phone and liked it. She knew I'd been trying to write a story song and she thought I'd hit the nail on the head.<br> This was the first song I recorded on this album. I listened to it over and over again on the late night drive home from where we'd recorded it. It blew my mind. I originally did some high harmony vocals over the top but we could never get them to sound quite right so we cut them out. My falsetto was just too close to the main melody vocals and they didn't jive well together. This is also the first song I ever wrote with a capo. I had been actively avoiding using one for years and I don't know why I used one here. I've since learned to use the capo as a very effective tool, but I use it sparingly. I played bass on this track, as well as most of the others and my friend Kevin handled the percussion. I was working as a surveyor when I recorded this and I remember listening to the original recording and feeling like a musician at last. <br> Some people might want to know more about the story but there isn't much more to tell. I think I summed it up pretty well in the lyrics. Tom Petty was onced propositioned to turn Into the Great Wide Open into a movie and his reply was simple, "It already is." I feel the same way about the story here. This song has generated some interesting buzz over the past couple of years. I once performed on the Night Show with Danny Cashman. It was an awful performance, as I was really pitchy. I'd like to blame it on the monitor being too loud or the fact that the following day I became sicker than I have in years, but it was just one of those bad performances. It took me three weeks to find out because the show taped three weeks in advance, but it was a great experience. If you've never watched the show, it's hilarious. Danny Cashman comes across as a David Letterman type at first but the humor is very original and very Maine. The night my show aired, in late March of 2011, the Night Show rated higher than Saturday Night Live in the Bangor viewing area. I personally think that's pretty cool, even with my bad performance. <br> So have a listen, let my lyrics tell you the story, and enjoy this song. I know many people who really enjoy this tune and I hope you do too. I also have an unplugged version of this song on my youtube page as part of the Orange Puffy Shirt series (<a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry0isf9CNA8" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry0isf9CNA8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry0isf9CNA8</a>). Do you have a favorite version?<br> 4:41Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/18142752013-10-08T21:42:49-04:002013-10-08T21:42:49-04:00Musical icons, and art in general... Last night I fulfilled a lifelong dream. Well, at least it was on my "bucket list." Silly phrase that is totally being overused right now. So what was the dream of which I speak? It was seeing Weird Al Yankovic live in concert. Now, this wasn't a dream that kept me up at night. I have those, mostly involving a sailing expedition I'd like to embark on some day. This was a dream I kept in my back pocket, to be realized when the opportunity presented itself but not necessarily sought after. Yet, it was a dream. <br> I have been a Weird Al fan since the first time my brother shared his music with me. My brother had one of Al's early albums on tape, maybe Polka Party. We someone quickly acquired all his albums to date, the coolest being the LP of In 3-D that our cousins gave us. Don't know why they gave it to us, it was awesome. "Nature Trail to Hell" is still one of my favorite Weird Al compositions, yet I rarely hear it. My siblings and I, especially my brother and myself, quickly committed every song to memory, repeating it ad nauseum. My father, not the most patient man on the planet, never seemed to mind, even when we reproduced the farts and belches and other bodily function noises. I can remember my brother and I rewinding the middle section of "My Bologna" over and over again to listen to the belch. I can hear the accordion part now, even as I write this, crescendoing to that incredible burp solo. One of my fondest Weird Al memories is riding in the back of the boat in the dark while my father and grandfather argued, nay, agressively discussed our whereabouts while my siblings and I huddled in the stern singing Weird Al songs in harmony. Not just singing, but in harmony. We're of Welsh descent, could you tell? <br> So I decided to go see Weird Al in Portland last night. The tickets were cheap and I wasn't too far away so I went. And it was totally worth it. The guy puts on a great show, multimedia, costumes, live music. I laughed, I sang along, I laughed some more, I was glad I'd visited the men's room twice before the show started. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.<br> The best thing about the Weird Al concert was that it reminded my why I've loved him for so long. He puts out a quality product. His humor is self deprecating, yet genuinely funny. He doesn't blatanly make fun of anyone in a mean way. But for me, best of all is the quality of his music, his songwriting, and his musicians. His concert drove it home for me. Everything about his show was great. I think on the state of popular music now and I think we've lost a great deal of quality. The stuff they're shoveling out as pop music is horrible. Auto tunes, no talents (think Bieber and Cyrus), shows being judges by awful musicians like Christina Aguillera. Weird Al has put out quality for his entire career, even when parodying crap. <br> So I'll wrap this up, knowing that I really need to finish learning "You Don't Love Me Anymore" thinking again about how great that show was last night. Weird Al, and you band, if you can read this, thank you for proving to me what I've suspected all along, that you're incredible musicians and the force is with you. It flowed through the whole crowd during your encore of "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda." Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/17628532013-10-01T21:18:33-04:002013-10-01T21:18:33-04:00Education..... So this is a bit off topic, but then what isn't with me. I've been a bit frustrated with public education. We're pushing our kids too hard, holding them to unrealistic expectations, and not letting them be kids. Well, that's on one hand. One the other hand, we're not holding them accountable. What was wrong with holding back a kid who didn't do the work to advance? They just might need more time to get it, or they're lazy. I have personal experience with someone who is only given 20 minutes of recess a day, in the second grade. Are you kidding me? And they (the collective they) wonder why we have behavior issues. Seems pretty obvious to me. And it isn't the teacher's fault. Teachers are being set up to fail by being ordered to put kids in unrealistic situations. Drives me nuts. As it seems like with everything in our society, we're overthinking it.<br><br> This actually has a lot to do with music. Well, what doesn't have to do with music? We have a society who is buying the crap that is being sold to them. And by crap I mean Miley Cyrus, twerking, rap stars that are only interested in bling and hoes..yet get very little gardening done...wardrobe malfunctions, auto-tunings, etc. I tried watching the voice once. Blondie, no-talent judge there, whatever her name is (Jessica Simpson?, no...Christina Aguleirra...I can't remember or I don't care to remember) actually said that she was voting for a contestant because of her look. She even admitted that the other contestant was a better singer. I turned it off right there, the show lost any credibility. It's called The Voice for god's sake, the one with the best voice should win. Perfect example of what's wrong with our society. It might look good even if it sounds bad but people will buy it. And I love Cee-lo Green. Please leave that show for the sake of your credibility Cee-lo, you've got talent. Don't squander it with those other loser judges, whether one of them thinks he moves like Jagger or not.<br><br> What people need is good music without all the over-complicated stuff. Go listen to good stuff, it's around and it isn't hard to find. There's a local place here who advertises live music. I don't go there, though. Why you ask? Simple, they don't pay the musicians. The musicians work for a tip jar and maybe a meal. I don't mind going someplace and paying a cover when I know the band is being treated right. I do have a problem buying a drink and giving my money to the local bar owner when I know none of it's going to the musician. Those bar owners make a lot of cash off the booze they sell to the audience. Be classy and give the musician their share. What does this have to do with the above? It's a disconnect. People buy crap because the rich people at the top keep getting rich because people are buying crap. It's a viscious cycle. Some school know-it-all in the capital thinks they get education and push notions on down that just don't work. Kids need play, people need good music. We, as a society need to raise our standards. We need to stand up and say it. Let kids play, give us some quality music, respect. I guess respect is what it comes down to. The people at the top don't respect everyone below them, which is funny because I've stood near sewer vent pipes on roofs and I can certainly smell what's coming up that pipe.<br> <br> I personally don't care about what kind of music you're listening to. If you think it's good, that's all that matters. I just wish you were being given some good stuff to choose from. If you're looking for some good stuff, buy my album, it might be just what you're looking for. It might not be but at least you'd listen and find out. Keep an open mind and be ready for new sounds and ideas, they might really resonate with you. I do care that our kids are not being treated respectfully. High stakes testing and over-working kids does not produce people who think independently and have original thoughts. So there it is, if we question the quality, not the quantity of our education and the music scene, we'll improve society. So simple yet......Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/16274352013-09-15T12:47:41-04:002013-09-15T12:47:41-04:00September's Song Hello all. The song this month seemed almost like a no brainer for me, once I put some thought into it. The song is Stockton Springs. Stockton Springs is a small town on the Maine coast, pretty much where the Penobscot River meets the Penobscot Bay. Route 1 goes right by it, but you can't really see the town, as you drive by. It's also where Route 1 heads east towards the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, Bucksport, and Ellsworth, the gateway to Acadia National Park, and where Route 1A heads north towards Bangor. I think of Stockton Springs as being the last of the Midcoast towns before you truly get downeast. <br>
As the school year gets going, my driving gets going again. I'm reminded of this song and when I was when I wrote it. That wasn't a typo. I think of it as when, not necessarily where. I spent years driving from the Bangor area down to the midcoast region to teach private lessons. I drove past Stockton Springs so many times but had never stopped to see it. I knew there was a lighthouse there, as well as a beach, but I'd never taken the time to explore it. I wrote this song with that in mind, as the opening line suggests. I think of this as a catalog song, a song that lists some of the places in Maine where I've spent time, a place or experience that has stuck with me. I haven't been way up north to Fort Kent yet, but someday I'll make it. <br>
This song emodies a lot of what Maine is, or at least I think so. People frequently just think of Maine as lobsters, but it's so much more than that. Maine is a paradise, with beautiful mountains and the ocean right near by. You can hike a high peak one day and be deep sea fishing the next, or the same day if you get up early enough. Yes, it gets cold in the winter, but it's a dry cold and once you get used to it, skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing become like second nature. Also, you get used to it and then a 30 degree day comes along and you don't feel odd about taking off your coat. I think one of the things that has drawn me to live here is Maine's sense of community. I've lived elsewhere and never experienced the sense of community anywhere else. Certain parts of Seattle seemed to be trying but Maine has mastered it. Maybe we're drawn together so we can survive the long winters, or maybe it's something in the water. Whatever the reason, Maine is a unique place that has a heritage of valuing the place, and it's an attractive reason to come here.<br>
I've tried to get the Maine Tourist Board to listen to this song and try to use it but alas, no one has taken me up on the offer. If you like the song and you know someone who would like to use it, leave a comment here and I'll get in contact with them. If you don't know anyone, listen to the song and let it paint a picture of Maine for you. You're also welcome to come visit and I can show you some of my favorite parts.3:25Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/15498482013-09-04T17:54:57-04:002013-10-01T16:01:01-04:00Thoughts... September in Maine seems to be the nicest month. I went out for a good mountain bike ride around Farmington today and then went snorkeling in Clearwater Lake, or Pond, or whichever you want to call it. It was choppy so no one else was around. The coolest thing I saw today was a school of trout. For those of you that know me, I have an angling dream. It's to catch a trout. SImple, right? I wished I'd had my fishing rod. I was snorkeling on an old rockpile, pretty far off shore, and I loooked down and saw the trout, maybe twenty of them. The water is still pretty warm so I was a little taken aback. I dove down and swam with them for awhile, then wandered off. Picked up some golf balls and then wander back to look at them again. It was nice to hover and then dive and follow them around, so simple yet very relaxing. <br>
I also came across the island of Tristan Da Cuhna in the South Altlantic this week. I don't know how I've gone so long without reading about this place that claims to be the most remote island in the world. I need to go there. It's 1500 miles from Africa and 1700 miles from South America, and you can only get there by boat, a very infrequent one at that. There's no airport there, the waters are so rough that the local fishermen take there boats out of the water everyday (only 1 in 5 days is calm enough to fish), and there's a volcano. What else do you need? <br>
I think I'd like to visit Tristan Da Cuhna and write a song, as places can be very inspirational. I've got schools of trout, remote islands, beautiful months, and tubas bouncing around in my head for song ideas (yeah, I know the tuba bit seems random and it is, and has little to do with the rest of that stuff). So to keep you on the edge of your seats, I'll post a rough demo of the next song I write, especially if it's about any of the above. Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/14671692013-08-22T19:51:26-04:002013-10-01T16:01:03-04:00What are you listening to? I once read something that Stephen King wrote about writing. It went something like this, " In order to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader..." I think this is relevant to music, too. I always try to challenge myself to listen to new things and hear new ideas in things I've listened to a thousand times.<br><br>
This week I've found myself listening to Billy Joel's Piano Man album. It starts off with a tune called Traveling Prayer, hits the title track, and winds through some real classics, including the Ballad of Billy the Kid and finishing with Captain Jack. I don't listen to Billy Joel all that much but of the material I've listened to, I think I enjoy this album the most. Have you ever heard the mandolin in Piano Man? There's a banjo and a mouth harp in Traveling Prayer and the dialogue between the piano and every other instrument in the ensemble, including the strings section and drums, during the Ballad of Billy the Kid is just fantastic. <br><br>
I had some driving to do this week so I made a mix cd with this album, a certain Adele song, and several songs from Green Day's American Idiot. It's a strange mix but I'm digging it. I've decided to make a geography mix, or a playlist with songs with geographical references in it. So far I've got Billy Joel's You're My Home, James Taylor's Sweet Baby James, Tom Petty's Louisiana Rain, James Taylor and Mark Knoefler's duet Sailing to Philadelphia, and a few others. What would you add to this list? What are you listening to? Most importantly, have you noticed the mandolin in Piano Man before?<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/14429822013-08-20T06:21:36-04:002013-10-01T16:00:59-04:00Wow, another post So I know this blog is usually about music but today I shall take a side track. As a singer, I truly believe that fitness is one of the single most important things you can do to be a better singer and musician. Everyone who knows me may now laugh. I had been running pretty religiously there for awhile but I got busy doing something else. I spent the summer working as a mason tender, an incredibly physical job. I have built quite a bit of muscle in places I hadn't before. Because the work was so physical, I stopped running. I'd be beat at the end of the day, thinking that I had exercised all day at work. <br>
Another activity I love is mountain biking. I went for a short ride on Sunday and discovered that I was a bit out of shape. To remedy that, I decided yesterday to visit Kingdom Trails in Vermont and bike for about 30 miles. I only wrecked once, which is pretty good for me. I learned something else. While the trails were nice, I don't need to drive to Vermont to mountain bike. The trails right here around Farmington are pretty good and getting better, Carrabasset Valley has some great trails, and I hear the Bond Brook in Augusta is pretty good, too. I've ridden some in the Kennebec Highlands and loved it. <br>
So here's my point. Keep it local, music, biking, and exercise just a bit so you can be a better musician. Also, could someone please explain to me why mountain bike videos on Youtube always use techno beats as the backround music? Drives me nuts. Use some AC/DC, maybe some ZZ Top, something other that that techno crap....Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/14328452013-08-18T18:32:01-04:002013-08-18T18:32:01-04:00Later than I planned So I'm up later than I planned. I tried a recipe I found on the facebook and thought, wow, with some tweaking, I could use that recipe to make some home made power bars. It's taking longer to cook and cool them than I thought but they taste pretty good. I'll let you know later how they turn out. It has given me some time to reflect on the past few days.<br><br>
I saw an incredible rainbow today. We had a very cloudy, yet rainfree day here in central Maine. I was on the water and looked up at about where the sun would be and there were two huge rainbow circles, one inside the other, around the sun. There was a horizontal rainbow across the top of the circle and another rainbow intersecting all of them coming in from the top. On either side of the big circle, at around 3 and 9, the rainbows seemed to explode in giant prisms. It was an incredible sight. And before anyone starts to wonder if I was seeing things or under the influence of something, I wasn't and there was another witness so I wasn't imagining things.<br><br>
If that wasn't incredible enough, on the way home we say a bear. I know, bear-schmare, you live in the state with the highest black bear populations. Crazy thing is, the Maine black bears are really reclusive, not like the bold garbage-eating bears of the Poconos. It's rare to see a bear in Maine, especially in populated areas by the road. <br><br>
So what does this have to do with music? Nothing, maybe, as a song encompassing all these things has yet to pop into my head. Maybe it will over the next few days. I think I could write a song about the amazing things that happen if you notice them. Some really cool things appear in your peripheral vision if you allow yourself to notice them. <br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/14245942013-08-16T16:40:01-04:002013-08-16T16:40:01-04:00August Song- A Prayer to Mandy So this month's song is A Prayer to Mandy. I chose this song for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is because I've spent a chunk of the summer at the New England Music Camp, the place where I wrote the song nearly 15 years ago. I was a counselor there for three summers during college and it is a very special place to me and many other people. I spent this summer helping a mason build an elevator shaft. I discovered new muscles (mostly from pain) and really enjoyed reconnecting with the place and the people that make it special. Mandy is one of those people. <br>
Another reason I decided to feature this song is because of the tuba. In case you didn't know, tuba is one of my instruments. I've played it for a very long time and I plan on recording some of the bass lines on my next album with it. As I am quick to profess, the tuba is the King of all Instruments. There is no other instrument that is as solid, as melodious, and/or powerful than a tuba. My brother is sure that the reason I picked the tuba in fourth grade was because that almost every note that a tuba makes can be mistaken for a fart. I'm sure my brother is spot on with his reason that I picked it. It's a powerful, solid, yet inherently funny instrument, a perfect example of how we should be as human beings. <br>
A friend of mine was giving me his track by track assessment of this album and his commentary on this song has stuck with me for months now. He thought it was a rather frivolous, silly song but it stuck in his head. That's gold as far as I'm concerned. I don't think I've performed this song live more than two or three times and it hasn't been for a decade at least. I found myself practicing it a couple of weeks ago. I really feel like it's a prayer. I've had some big things happen in my life recently and this song really spells out the idea of being at peace with what you can and can't control. It's a lesson that I need a refresher on from time to time. If you say you don't, I think you're a liar, or you really are the Buddha. <br>
I've had a lot of support from a lot of friends over the years and I don't know if there's anything I can do to thank them all. I've found that when times get tough, friends come out of the woodwork to give you a kind word, buy you a frothy beverage, or give you the honest, even if it's painful, truth. I had an old college friend be very blunt with me awhile back and I really needed to hear it. So, without getting all gushy, thanks and I hope this song gets stuck in your head. <br><br>
Especially if you're farting. <br type="_moz">6:00Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/13414702013-08-06T05:30:13-04:002013-08-06T18:28:45-04:00Story TellersAll of my favorite songwriters are storytellers, Tom Petty, Arlo Guthrie, Jimmy Buffett, and many others. I've been working on doing more storytelling in my songs over the years. I'm about to embark on a songwriting theme. The first time I've ever tried to intentionally write instead of just letting it come to me. I met Dar Williams a couple of weeks ago and she said some interesting things about song writing that I'm taking to heart. The message I got above all was that I shouldn't be afraid to write a bad song. As many of you know, I'm not, so it's good to hear that I should be writing more and perhaps throwing more out? I feel the need to spend more time writing and I'm going to. <br><br>
So what's all this mean for fans out there? I'm planning to record a new album within the next year or so. I have some more writing to do and I need to fund the recording. Please let me know if you recommend any recording studios. I'm looking to do a really professional job on this on and record some really cool stuff. I'm proud of the writing I've done over the last couple of years and I really want to share it. Hope to hear from you!<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/11352822013-07-15T16:50:55-04:002022-05-22T13:25:46-04:00July Song- The IslandSo as I was thinking of which song to feature this month, I thought about when I had written the songs on this album. My memory is hazy but I know exactly where and about when I was when I wrote The Island. <br>
The year was about 2001 and I was working on the NOAA Ship RUDE as a Survey Technician. The RUDE (pronounced Rudy) was working primarily in Long Island Sound that summer. Every other weekend, when I didn't have in-port security watches, I would hop in my blue Subaru station wagon when the ship pulled in on Friday afternoons and head to the line for the Port Jeff-Bridgeport ferry. Off the ferrry in Bridgeport and I would continue north through Connecticut, into Masschusetts, then west into New York before heading north again in Utica. Skimming the edge of the Adirondacks, I head to Clayton, New York or Gananoque, Ontario where I'd meet up with a cousin and head to the island for the weekend. <br>
The island is a very special place to me. One particular weekend, after working 16 to 20 hour days on the RUDE and having an overnight watch or early morning watch, I can't remember, I was awake early and sitting on the porch, taking in the beauty of the 1000 Islands. This song just came to me as I was quietly strumming so as not to wake anyone in the cabin. The lyrics really sum up my sense of place about the river and the island. Anyone who knows me well knows where it sits in my heart. <br>
Shortly after the song came out, and I think it was the same morning, I heard a horrific grinding sound. I looked around the corner of the cottage and nice looking sailboat had run-aground on the shoal at the head of a nearby island. I went to the dock and hopped in the rowboat, fired up the outboard and went out to offer assistance. The boat was really hard aground on the shoal and there was no way that the little rowboat had any chance of pulling it off. By this time, my cousin had awakened and came down to help out. We hopped into their larger boat, picked up my now awakened father on out dock (which, by the way, is the earliest in recent memory that my father was awake on the island), and headed out to pull the boat off the rock. I ended up pulling down on their mainsheet halyard while my cousin gunned the engine and worked them off the shoal. They stopped and waved us over to them. On approach, we had a quick conference about what to do if they offered us a reward. All three of us agreed that no reward was neccessary. They offered us a case of beer. My cousin and I begrudgingly turned it down, mumbling something or other about our islands being dry. As we were heading back to the island, we had a good laugh about not considering what to do if they offered us beer. <br>
It was later in this day that my cousin and I developed the idea of stealing a hot dog cart. On the quay of a local town, a vendor had begun selling hot dogs from a hot dog cart, like you'd see in any big city. We found this idea to be comically absurd. What we thought would be even funnier than a hot dog cart in this small town was a hot dog cart being stolen from a small town. For the entire rest of the summer, we came up with more and more absurd ways of stealing this hot dog cart, none of which ever came to fruition. My personal favorite idea was tying a rope around the hot dog cart when the vendor wasn't looking, then attaching the other end of the rope to a tourist hovercraft, an increasingly annoying tourist feature that year and for a few years to come. The hovercraft was loud and it would come in really close to the islands, obliterating the peace and quiet. We thought it would be really funny to see the hovercraft towing a hot dog cart out across the river, skipping across the water like a stone, or the last time I remember my father waterskiing, spewing hot dogs and buns from it's innerds.....the hot dog cart, by the way, not my father. Let's face it, that would have been hilarious. Remind me some time to tell you the story of the sub nazi, and event that happened that very same summer.....<br type="_moz">3:11Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/10455282013-06-30T18:10:20-04:002013-06-30T18:10:20-04:00Smiles On a recent evening, I was playing songs for my son as he was trying to go to sleep. I was lightly strumming a ukelele and quietly singing some tunes, including Hey Soul Sister, I Won't Back Down, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, and a few others, and I got the irrepressible urge to smile. The uke does that to you. The simplicity of the instrument just has a great effect on things. I don't normally go all sappy but some images popped into my head as I was playing. The image was of many friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances I've met over the years smiling. From college gatherings to the garage band in high school, the laughing on scout trips, the joking on the ships I worked on...people I haven't thought of in a long time to people that I see almost everyday, people that are still among us and many who have embarked on their next adventures. I can't imagine that there is any drug out there that could have produced a better feeling (I think I can finally help Huey Lewis....anyone know his phone number?). So try a uke, and see if it makes you smile. <br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/9491632013-06-15T16:30:00-04:002013-06-17T16:07:08-04:00First Song Story Blog: The Ballad of John Boy While thinking of which song to highlight first, I was at a real loss. The story behind some of the songs were vague, I wanted to make it really relevant, and I wanted it to be interesting. I finally came around to the Ballad of John Boy for a couple of reasons. The story behind the song should highlight those reasons. There will be a test afterwards...<br>
<br>
The real reason I went with this tune first is because I think of it as the song that made me get a little more serious about pursuing music as a career. I know, what idiot studies music and spends all that money on tuition at a University studying music if he isn't going to do it as a career? I ended up graduating from Kutztown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music AND Geography. I had thought it would be easier to get a job in the geographic world and let the geography subsidize my music. I got this idea from the writings of Frank Zappa, who supported his less popular work (orchestral compositions) with his rock and roll band. While I enjoyed the geography based work, I found I never had time to pursue my music career on almost any level. I worked odd hours, travelled frequently, and was out to sea for periods of time that made it difficult to book any gigs with any regularity. After leaving a job at a private hydrographic job, I found myself working for Kieve Affective Education in Nobleboro, Maine. While at Kieve, I started teaching private guitar lessons at a now-defunct music store in Rockport. The experience was great and the extra income helped me make ends meet. While teaching lessons, I got to know the managers of the retail store, who hooked me up with a factory second Garrison G-40 acoustic-electric guitar. (By the way, if you get a chance, these same great guys own and manage a really cool music store in Camden, Maine called K2 Music. It's in the Reny's Plaza and I can guarantee that any visit there is worth it.) The purchase of this Garrison was a big step for me. The Garrison had a built-in pick-up that meant I could plug the guitar right into my PA system. Before this, I would mess around with my great old Fender acoustic and either extra microphones or a pick-up that bridged the soundhole, with neither being satisfactory. When I brought the Garrison back to my little cabin on that pennisula in Damariscotta Lake, a few friends came over to hang out and hear the new guitar. It sounded like an orchestra and I was inspired. I wrote this song, The Ballad of John Boy, along with another song that I've never recorded. I don't think I completed the whole song in front of my friends but it was finished before I went to sleep that night, or morning by the time I was finished with it.<br><br>
The inspiration for this song, other than the new guitar, was a place in Indiana on Lake Michigan called Burns Harbor. I visited there while doing a job for a hydrographic firm I used to work for. We were surveying Big Burns Harbor, an industrial harbor that was handling coal or iron ore or both. The big harbor didn't have any facilities for our 26' survey vessel so we got a slip "nearby" at a marina near Little Burns Harbor. My memory about Little Burns Harbor is fuzzy. I didn't spend much time there as it was usually my job to provide land support for the boat, which means I had the lovely job of driving our work van to Big Burns Harbor while my partner got to drive the boat out and around. Little Burns Harbor was just a small rectangle, really just an area behind a breakwater. As it was too small to contain a marina, there was a most interesting waterway accessing the marinas called Burns Ditch. The name was appropriate. It really looked like it was a trenched that had been excavated with a back-hoe. I remember going up Burns Ditch, which was barely two boat lengths wide, to check on the weather on Lake Michigan. We were there longer than the survey should have taken because the weather on Lake Michigan prevented us, several times, from getting the boat around to Big Burns Harbor. While sitting in the marina, catching up on work or maintaining the equipment, I notice that the other boats in the marina, some of which were high end cabin cruisers and some very ice sailboats, rarely left the marina. We frequently heard Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley coming from the stereos on numerous vessels. The owners of these vessels frequently visited and hung out on the boats. The boats just rarely seemed to leave the harbor. This was probably due to the weather but we were there for awhile and noticed the same thing, even on good weather days. Hey, any time on a boat is great, right? I would hold this to be true, I just couldn't understand how the people on these boats didn't noticed the water. It looked like ditch water, because..well, it was ditch water. I recall thinking there was an odd smell to the air due to all the industrial stuff going on in the area but that might have been just me.<br><br>
So my experiences in Burns Ditch were the inspirations for the Ballad of John Boy. I like the idea of the Great Lakes. I spent my summers growing up in a place near the Great Lakes and the whole place is just neat. I've seen weather on Lake Superior creating waves that looked like mountains and I've surveyed on the eastern side of Lake Ontario and a few places in between. I've seen some of the life boats from the Edmund Fitzgerald at a floating museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and I've pulled leeches off my legs after days of surveying in the shallow bays where Lake Ontario and the Black River meet. I've been on the Detroit River and experienced all I want to experience of Downtown Detroit, Rock City, the craziest of which was surveying the city's sewage overflow that meets the River just downstream from a yacht club with million dollar yachts tied up. The only thing separating the the yacht club from the river of poo is a narrow spit of land. (They were constructing a new sewage plant at the time and some of the workers used to yell out to us in our small john boat to ask if we'd caught anything yet. We'd reply, "yeah, syphilis...") All of these experiences came together to make this story of a lonely guy who thought he was unappreciated and unnoticed. His disappearance sent a small shockwave through his friends, but through few others, possibly confirming his suspicions. Haven't we all felt like that at times? I know I feel like that on a pretty regular basis, but something or someone happens that makes me realize that my feelings are not accurate. I think that's what this song is about, the love and impact that comes from casual relationships. Sharing a song can be a powerful thing, whether it's with a big group or with a few friends around a campfire, or on a dock, whatever the circumstances might be. <br>5:04Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/9285362013-06-12T14:46:58-04:002017-02-02T02:05:03-05:00StoriesHello all. I've been planning and thinking about my upcoming monthly story about my songs. I was doing some work on the website and on my new Reverbnation site <a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/markphillips">(https://www.reverbnation.com/markphillips)</a> and the memories were coming back to me. SOme of the songs on my album date back to college, some to my mid and late 20's, a time that wasn't that long ago but seems pretty far off. <br><br>
I've always loved how music can make me remember a very specific time and circumstance. I know I'm not alone on this one. I remember my clock radio in elementary and middle school waking me up to some pretty awful pop music of the day. I can listen to Green Day and Weezer and instantly be transported back to the garageband of my high school days (well, we never practiced in a garage but back room in drummer's parent's house band doesn't have the same ring). I can still picture the places I lived in college when I wrote some of those songs, songs that express emotions that seem almost frivolous to my current self. Yet there are a couple of songs there that hit the same spot with me today as when I wrote them. <br><br>
The fact of it is, this album has taking years to make and finish. I have other work I'd like to record but I don't feel like I'm done with this material yet. Give it a listen, download some tracks, buy the album. I hope you're not done with it. I hope you listen to this stuff and it creates images and memories for you. I hope it makes memories for you that you'll cherish and enjoy like it has for me. And yes, I just used the word cherish in my blog. I apologize....<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/8922152013-06-06T17:27:35-04:002013-06-08T10:38:41-04:00New Blog ideaHello Markfans,<br>
I've decided to do a new feature on my blog. Each month I'm going to feature one of my songs, along with a link so you can listen as you read the story about how and why I wrote the song. I'll be starting this next week or so, looking to feature a new song on the 15th of each month, maybe more if I get good feedback. I'll include songs that are on my album as well as ones I haven't recorded yet. I guess I'll have to make some recordings. Won't that be cool? Let me know what you think. <br><br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/4965172013-04-09T15:54:32-04:002013-04-09T15:54:32-04:00Mozart So I like Mozart, Tom Petty, Gabriel Faure, Felix Mendelssohn, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Beethoven, The Kingston Trio, John Denver (I am not ashamed), Led Zeppelin, Berlioz, Frank Zappa, Jimmy Buffett, etc. I like to listen and play a lot of different kinds of music. I've always thought of this as healthy. I think most of my fellow musicians agree. I once saw an interview with an anonymous rap star extolling the virtues Benjamin Brittain, Gustav Holst, and Ralph Vaughn Williams, three guys whose work I also dig. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not a close minded musician and I don't think there are many out there. <br><br>
I did run into a few close minded people this week who I don't think are really musicians, even though they claimed to be. They also claimed to have a deep understanding of music but their comments only proved the exact opposite for me. One of the fascinating things I find about music is that it is never in a vacuum. I think everyone will agree that music influences time and place and time and place influence music. Music captures history, it inspires poets, it makes people angry, and it makes people tremendously happy. Talking about music and helping people understand the context of music and history is one of my favorite pastimes. Debating it as well, and understanding it as well. Learning about music and understanding music isn't about just playing music. I love playing it, too, don't get me wrong, but understanding music takes more than just singing or playing. The stories that music history tells are fascinating. The people and places are snap shots of society. It takes only for me to think and close my eyes to picture Beethoven walking directly up the the Austro-Hungarian Emperor (and family) and shaking his hand as an equal while Beethoven's friend Goethe bowed reverently on the sidelines. The courage that must have taken on Beethoven's part to make such a statement is inspiring. A single-handed act of simple rebellion, to be treated as an equal human being and not a subserviant servant. <br><br>
What I'm getting at here is that music and history are inseperable and they should be discussed and valued together. Listen and learn about all kinds of music and the people that made it and why. I want to be in one of the cars that Tom Petty and Mudcrutch drove from Florida to LA in. I want to be in the stateroom of that ship with Benjamin Brittain as he was composing on his voyage back to England. I want to be sitting on a park bench in Vienna, watching Beethoven shaking the Emperor's hand. I want someone to be thinking that way about me and a song I wrote that effected their lives. It gives me reason to write a song, practice an aria, or learn a new chord voicing.<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/624112012-11-14T05:37:54-05:002017-02-01T14:59:43-05:00This WednesdayI've posted two videos on my Youtube channel today. One is the John Henry, played on the banjo. I'm not a very good banjo player but it's fun. I like this song about man vs. machine and yes, I realize that a steel drill and a steel drum are not the same thing. Remember, the videos are quick and dirty...<br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVUOaqe2Pks&feature=g-upl">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVUOaqe2Pks&feature=g-upl</a><br><br>
The other video I put up is The Willow Tree, a great folk song from early European New England. It follow the story of Bluebeard, kind of. It's a macabre tale and delightful to sing.<br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAUA1toagI8&feature=g-upl">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAUA1toagI8&feature=g-upl<br></a><br>
I recorded the Willow Tree in the entrance way of an old farmhouse that seems to just have great acoustics. There are a few rooms in it that just make my ears buzz with excitement. I'm planning to do a recording in the bathroom soon, as they are usually really neat spaces, acoustically speaking. <br><br>
The recordings today are not what I'd usually play live but the melodies are cool and the stories are great. Let me know if you think I should throw them into a live set sometime. I think they'd work well in a house party type setting.<br><br>
I heard an interview with Keith Richards on NPR last night and he was talking about Street Fighting Man. His guitar was acoustic on that recording, just like his guitar on Satisfaction. I love the drive and emotion you can get out of an acoustic guitar. It was cool to hear Keith Richards mention the same vibe and that I came to it independently. I don't really do any Stones covers but I respect them. They always seem to get a good groove going but then they don't take it anywhere. Sympathy For the Devil would be a truly create song if it ever climaxed. There's no erution, no peak. I think a lot of their songs are that way. Maybe they're more of a live band. If I were to do a Stones cover, what should I do? I like Paint it Black. Also, I haven't heard much response about the Neil Young cover. I heard one of his new songs the other day and it made some great references to old songs and totally took the rhythm guitar line from Friend of the Devil but the whole song sounded cheap, somehow. <br><br>
Don't want to end on a negative thing so I'll leave you with this. I recently reviewed some videos of my favorite artist, Tom Petty, and I can honestly say that I'm as big a fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers now as I've ever been. I love the fact that they've evolved and followed their muises while remaining true to their ideals. I still think that The Last DJ is one of the greatest records ever recorded. To quoth the Petty, "To all those boys who play that rock and roll, they love it, like you love Jesus, it does the same thing to their soul..."<br><br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2482732012-11-08T03:55:00-05:002017-02-01T19:26:19-05:00The Day Before TomorrowHello, Markfans, or people who read this because I've pestered you on Facebook until you feel obligated. Either way, welcome. I'm going to preview something I'm going to do next week. I'm going to post either a short video or an audio recording of songs that have been on my mind lately. These will be quick and dirty recordings, using Quick Time for the videos and Garageband for the audio. For both, I'm using a Blue Snowball USB Microphone.<br><br>
The first audio I'm posting is my quick recording of Tenessee Ernie Ford's Sixteen Tons. I've lked this song for a long time but never performed it. I have good memories of watching "Joe VS. the Volcano" and this songs plays in the beginning when everyone's drudging into work. If you've never heard Kate Smith's version, you should. Tom Jones also recorded it and I'm a big Tom Jones fan. Let me know what you think. Should I play this at my next gig? I think I will. I'm going to post it on the listen section of my site.<br><br>
The first video is my version of Springsteen's Atlantic City. This is for everyone who missed the premier of my version at the Southside Tavern last Thursday. Listen carefully, I believe the fuzz when speeding by at one point, blue lights a flashin'. Check it out:<br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPNhYKyCkMo&feature=plcp">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPNhYKyCkMo&feature=plcp<br></a><br>
Happy Thursday, enjoy the snow if you got any.<br>3:12Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2470502012-11-06T02:47:52-05:002012-11-06T02:47:52-05:00Bruce, now Neil?Okay, so I've broken down and done a Bruce cover. I guess I should break down and do a Neil Young cover, although it is funny to play a Neil Diamond song whenever someone asks me to do a song by Neil. Most people don't get the joke. I don't really do any Neil Diamond songs, although Cherry, Cherry should be one. It's bound to get people to sing along. <br><br>
The Neil Young cover I think I'm going to do is Old Man. I heard it on the radio this morning and figured I could put my own twist on it. Do you have any suggestions? Are you aware of Neil Young's connection to Rick James, of Super Freak fame? If not, look it up. It's kind of funny and involves the US Navy. <br><br>
After pondering the way so many people refer to celebrities by their first names, like Neil, or Jerry, or Jewel, or Dido, I think I'm just going to start going by Mark. Sure, it would be hard to tell me from the other Marks, but hey, if Neil can do it, why can't I? I know several Neils and several Jerrys and several...well, there's goes that argument. I did notice once while reading the linear notes from a Dido album (the Dido album?) that there were entirely too many people involved with that album that went by one name. There should be a limit. Why hasn't that issue come up in the presidential debates?<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2452312012-11-02T07:32:52-04:002012-11-02T07:32:52-04:00Friday...Hey, it's Friday. I had a great gig at the Southside Tavern in Skowhegan last night. I love playing there. I'll be there again on December 13th. You should come, even if it means driving to Maine. Skowhegan is the town the Richard Russo loosely based Empire Falls on. It's a really cool place, with a New Balance factory outlet and American Made Shoes. I may be biased but New Balance are my favorite running shoes. They put on good sales in Skowhegan and it's right around the corner so I like to take advantage of their generosity.<br><br>
I debuted my first Springsteen cover last night. I did "Atlantic City" and I got a great response. It's a good song. My thoughts have been with people along the coast this week, especially a canine friend who is living in Connecticut. I know he was in a safe place with his family but I haven't heard how their house did. <br><br>
Have a great weekend and keep stopping by to comment and read whatever it is I have to say. I'm thinking of doing an online cd release party soon. Get your copy of Progressions in time for the holidays. It makes a great stocking stuffer.<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2445382012-11-01T07:57:03-04:002012-11-01T07:57:03-04:00Day after...Halloween was great, as usual. We had warm weather and occasional rain showers, but it was fun. I love the community. <br><br>
So if you're in Skowhegan, Maine tonight, stop by the Southside Tavern to hear me play. There's always an interesting group of locals that hang out here and I've yet to be there and not meet someone coming through town. Hope to see you.<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2437652012-10-31T07:55:08-04:002012-10-31T07:55:08-04:00Happy Halloween...Happy Halloween! It's one of my favorite times of year, when ghouls and goblins go door to door begging for candy. I'll bet the dentists love it, too. Really, though, what a great way to build community. It's such an important thing. <br><br>
I'm playing tomorrow night at the Southside Tavern in Skowhegan, Maine. This will be a special, note-worthy performance because I'll be playing my first ever Springsteen cover. It'll go down in history, I'm sure. It's going to be "Atlantic City". Quite relative to the current events, eh? There was going to be a rumble on the boardwalk but they're going to have to postpone or find somewhere else to fight. I know I've altered the lyrics a bit for that joke but I still think it's funny.<br><br>
I finally figured out why I'm not a Springsteen fan. Other than my thought that he puts way to much physical effort into every note, I don't think his songs have the same structure that I enjoy. Tom Petty builds a very good song, as do many of the other artists I respect. The different sections are very neat and distinct. Springsteen doesn't seem to do that. As an example, there's a mini-bridge in the middle of "Atlantic City". His phrasing doesn't follow a set course either. I'm thinking of Thunder Road as well. He has something to say and he says it and it doesn't seem to matter to him whether the chord progression fits. It's interesting and I can appreciate it, I'm just not sure yet whether the epiphany I've had about it will bring me around to doing anything more than appreciating it. Maybe that's all anyone needs to do. What do you think? And I'm originally from the Philly area so I know that no absolutely love Bruce is akin to blasphemy. <br><br>
Have a good Halloween and enjoy either getting or handing out the candy. Please don't be one of those losers who just puts out a bowl of candy and a sign saying something or other about the honor system. Meet your neighbors, and their kids. Have a laugh!<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2402832012-10-25T07:51:58-04:002012-10-25T07:51:58-04:00Fourth day in a row...Hello, Markfans....is that a cool name or what? I said I'd do more blogging and here's the fourth in a row. Joe recommended some Fountains of Wayne instead of Genesis. I love Fountains of Wayne. I only have "Welcome Interstate Managers" but I've heard some of their other stuff and it's good old American Rock and Roll. <br><br>
So Henry Rollins is appearing at Cony High School in Augusta on Sunday. I don't think I'm going to make it. I was never a fan of his singing but I like his message and I like how he uses his reputation to spread positive messages. If you're in the Augusta, Maine area on Sunday, please go check it out for me. Maybe I'll still go, I don't know. <br><br>
Here in Maine, deer season starts on Saturday. I think I'll go for a bit, more for birds but if a deer wanders my way, well. Let's face it, I ususually spend most of my deer hunting time napping under trees. It's okay, no matter how serious I get about it, not getting a deer hasn't bothered me. I do enjoy being outside during a beautiful time of year, napping under trees, and the manly feeling of carrying a loaded firearm through the woods. Maybe I'll write a song about it.....<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2395952012-10-24T07:54:53-04:002012-10-24T07:54:53-04:00My choice is going to be...Okay, so I commented on it and now I'm going to expand on it. I think the Springsteen cover is going to be...Atlantic City, although I'm digging Thunder Road, too. I must admit, I'm not a Springsteen fan. I was playing the Rack in Carrabassett Valley in June and a delightful young lady asked me to sing a Springsteen tune. I told her I didn't know any because I like good music and she was angry. I thought I was being funny but I guess she didn't think it was. While not a fan, I do respect the fact that he's been able to survive, thrive, and build such a huge following over the years. He's also a great musician and he's surrounded himself with great musicians. There's another thing I like about him, too. He's been playing the same telecaster for years. I'm sure he has more than one but it would be really cool if he really had only one. <br><br>
So Genesis has been suggested as well. I don't know if I'll be able to bring myself around to do Genesis. I have several really good friends who are huge Genesis fans, so maybe I should trust their judgement and torture my ears to see if I can get anything out of it, hehehehe...Will I have to get an electronic drum machine? (I'm guessing you know how I feel about those.)<br><br>
I received in the mail a really cool book in the mail. It's Keith and Rusty McNeil's "Colonial and Revolution Songbook". I spoke with Keith's son on the phone last week and had a very cool conversation. The McNeil's built a career out of teaching history through music. I love their example and I'd love to follow in their footsteps. When I was in college at Kutztown University, I met a gentleman who had graduated from Kutztown with a geography degree and he put together a group call the "History Alive Boys". They went around and played period songs in period constumes. I would have had a blast doing that. Maybe I will....what do you think?<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2391232012-10-23T15:25:15-04:002019-08-29T07:30:15-04:00Springsteen and more...So a good friend recommended "Born in the USA." Any others? I'll have more tomorrow, I'm sure.<br><br>
So Mandy recommended a book of shape note singing. I'm not a huge fan of shape note singing but the history of it in colonial New England is interesting. The Puritan fathers didn't like the tradition of tavern singing in New England. I'm looking to learn such titles of the era as "Kiss Me Quick, My Mother's Coming", "Bonny Lass Under a Blanket", and "Sweetest When She's Naked". Maybe I need a Delorian with a flux capacitor to really hear these songs. If anyone knows of these melodies, please let me know. I'd love to dress up like a pilgrim and sing them at a tavern on Thanksgiving. I know that has almost nothing to do with shape note singing but maybe the melodies were taken from church music and new words were improvised after a little ale. <br><br>
I'm thinking of making some more simple videos of songs I like to sing. Lately, I've really been enjoying singing "If I had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett. I also feel the need to share "Dunderback". Anyone else know this great song?<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/2377702012-10-22T07:32:46-04:002012-10-22T07:32:46-04:00Getting more bloggingSo I need to do more blogging. I'll have to make it a habit. I'm doing some interesting research on folk songs during the American Revolution. I haven't figured out how I'll work them into a set at a pub but maybe if I'm playing a house party. Would you listen to some historical music? Maybe if I soup it up with some wild guitar playing. I'm going to be doing some recording of it and I'll link it. <br>
I need to play a Springsteen song. Put a comment on here to let me know which one I should do. I'm not a fan so I don't know his stuff. Thanks in advance for your help. Hope to see you at the Southside Tavern in Skowhegan on the 1st of November. Give me a Springsteen suggestion and I'll have it ready for you on the 1st!<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/1907142012-07-17T16:56:02-04:002012-07-17T16:56:02-04:00New CD My new CD is on my website. Shipping is included and I know you want one!<br><br>
My trip to Eastport was great. I played at the Rose Garden, reconnecting with Al and Linda and meeting some new friends. On Saturday, I meandered back along the coast and even ran into an impromptu mandolin jam in Edmunds at a friend's house. I stopped at a beach in Stockton Springs, went for a swim in Penobscot Bay, and made it to the New England Music Camp in time to see my friend Rich conduct the concert band. I had to jump into Messalonskee after the concert. I've never been able to stay out of that lake. It was a whirlwind 30 hour trip.<br><br>
My project at home this week is to replace the oil cooler gaskets and the exhaust on my '71 VW Bus. I got the engine out on Monday and discovered a few things about the engine. I found a couple of broken bolts on the engine cradle that I might not have noticed had I not pulled the engine. It rained today so I didn't get the exhaust on or the engine in. I should by tomorrow or by Thursday. Anyone wanna come help? I can't wait to hear the new exhaust, as the old one was virtually non-existant. <br><br>
I'll be in Hallowell at Higher Grounds on Thursday from 5-8. Hope to see you there. I'll have cd's for sale and I hope you'll come in to hear some good tunes!<br type="_moz">Mark Phillipstag:mark-the-singer.com,2005:Post/1865142012-07-05T07:02:53-04:002012-07-05T07:02:53-04:00Getting the Blog Started So this is my first blog entry. I'm a little behind technologically, as everyone close to me knows I tend to be. I'm really excited because my new cd's should be here tomorrow and I'm planning a release party. I'll keep everyone up to date. July is shaping up to be busier than I thought it would be and I'm really excited. I'll be back at the Rose Garden in Eastport after a few years and I'll be playing again at Higher Grounds in Hallowell. I'll be playing a couple of Farmer's Markets in Farmington this month and I always enjoy playing there. <br><br>
In addition to music, I love the outdoors. I'm planning on heading up to Carrabassett Valley on Sunday to ride the new single track trails and Evan and I will be canoeing the Sandy River tomorrow. We also plan on watching fireworks in Industry in the canoe on Saturday night. Anyone interested joining us in their boats? We could make a pretty cool flotilla.<br><br>
I'll keep posting here on occasion so subscribe if you'd like. I'll keep you up-to-date on Mark's world.....<br type="_moz">Mark Phillips