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Below you will find every diary entry Marc has ever written for his website, dating back to November 2001. There's a lot, so be patient while it loads and enjoy! Howdy everyone! Hope you're all doing well. It's been a few months since I've done a journal for this website, hasn't it? Well, there's been a few major developments in the Marc With a C world recently. Let''s list 'em off: a): As many of you already know, Ryan Price is no longer the stage drummer for Marc With a C. It's a completely amicable split, though. He's a very, very busy man that is working on a billion things at once. Plus, longtime Marc With a C bandmate/webmaster Chris Zabriskie was able to officially rejoin the group, so it seemed like the right way to go. Chris has been drumming at the last few shows, and we've been diggin up a ton of songs that haven't been performed onstage in a looong time. b): Chris and I are now also in a totally seperate band called "lo-fi is sci-fi". While it's an extension of the solo work Chris has done for years, it's definitely a fully functioning *band*. We've recently finished a new album called "We Were Wrong", and you can stream the entire thing at www.virb.com/lofiisscifi because we want you to hear it. I'm exceedingly proud of what we're doing, and I hope that you guys will like it too. c): Don't worry, folks. I've still got plenty of time for Marc With a C stuff! As a matter of fact, I've already finished my fifth full-length record. It's called "Normal Bias", and I'm absolutely positive that it's the best record I have ever made. As a matter of fact, it's so all-encompassing that I actually haven't got a single clue where to go from here. That's a pretty major thing for me, considering I write songs as often as most people take showers. I've let a few people hear it, and everyone seems pretty jazzed about the record. Right now, we're shooting for a September-ish release. And in case you're curious, here's the tracklist: 01. Song Song 02. Already Dead 03. Dear Son 04. A Tale To Tell 05. The Earth Didn't Move (You're Just Hung Over) 06. Ex-Neanderthal 07. Drunk Classic Rock Fans 08. Town In Flames 09. How It's Been 10. Happy To Be Alive d): On June 5th, 2007 I released a compilation called "What The Hell Is Wrong With Marc With a C?". Since almost all of my first four albums had sold out, it made more sense to just press a compilation of crowd favorites. You know, just to start making some type of semblance of sense over what I've put out in the last five years. The tracklist was decided by a popular vote. The voters were made up of close friends and big fans, and I have to say that they did a pretty bang-up job picking out the twenty songs that represent my act best. You can now order the compilation from this very website for the low price of $9.99! Since there's a minimal amount of liner notes, I thought I'd take this opportunity to write up a little blurb about each song contained on the disc. C'mon, it'll be fun! Let's do this...: 01. "The Problem Is Me" - I had a slight nervous breakdown in 2004 shortly after "Bubblegum Romance" was released. This song sums up how I felt at the time, having been written in the thick of me losing my mind. This is a different recording than the version that closes the "Life's So Hard" album. This is the slower version that I open the shows with occasionally. I like playing it both ways live, but on record? Yeah, this slow version is for me. Ryan Price did an amazing job on the drums here. Restraint, baby. 02. "No London In Brazil" - Years ago, I went on a few dates with a woman that was unquestionably out of her mind. Of course, I didn't know this at first. She was just a pretty southern belle that was receptive to my advances, right? Ahh, if only. Girl showed up at my house once with a backpack full of 7-11 coffee creamer packets that she drank through the afternoon like shots of whiskey. After I made it clear that I wasn't interested, she'd later just show up at random times and invite herself in. Like... while I was asleep. God knows what happened to that poor girl. Her insanity ran much deeper than her fetish for Coffeemate products, but I'm not sure if I'm terribly comfortable spelling them all out for you. The song touches on all the major points, and I don't slather the words in any sort of embellishment. She really was bat shit crazy, and I just wanted her to leave me alone. 03. "Nerdy Girls" - I honestly had no idea that this song would become such a popular thing. Many people have assumed that "Nerdy Girls" was written about a specific person, and they are half right. Actually, it was written about a Cecil Seaskull, leader of the 90's twee band called... Nerdy Girl. It was just a matter of me having a crush on the characters in her songs, but I'm not terribly sure that those tunes are all that personal for her. It's a nice song, and I'm glad so many people like it. 04. "Stuck With Me" - Again, this tune isn't about anyone specifically. I just wanted to write a song that sounded like it could have been the theme to all of those nineties-alternateen-coming-of-age-romantic-comedy-drama, you know? Since I like those songs more than I'm willing to admit, I wanted a song like that to call my very own. This is one of my very favorite songs to play live. I never ever get sick of it, and I'm glad that the crowds seem to enjoy it as well! 05. "Freezing In Florida" - I almost threw this song away, you know. I didn't think anyone could possibly enjoy a tune that I wrote in the style of Hank Williams, no matter how close to my heart it might have been at the time. I just figured that crowds wouldn't be into it. My friend Jessica Commins-Frick practically threatened me with bodily harm if I chucked this tune, and we used to do it as a duet together in the early days. That gal was onto something, as a couple got married in Chicago to the song. As I mentioned before... awards seem kinda meaning less after that type of honor, you know? 06. "Til You Come Home To Me" - This is a cute song I wrote for my soon-to-be-wife Nicole. I wrote it, quickly recorded it and shipped it off to her at work to let her know how excited I was for her to come home that day. The only recording that exists of this song is the same low-bitrate MP3 I sent to Nicole on that fateful day, so that should account for any lossy sound you're picking up in your headphones. Love, love, love this song. And I still mean it, too. 07. "Laura, I Need Medicine" - A very different recording than the original slower, turgid one on the "Human Slushy / The Early Stuff" releases. This one was recorded in my living room with Ryan Price on drums, and it sounds alot more like it does in a live setting. Plus this one has a sweet little freestyle rap in the middle! As sick as I can get of the constant barrage of requests for this song, I often forget that it's really just a fun pop song at the core. When I'm reminded of that fact... I don't mind playing the song at all. 08. "Broken Record Player" - They don't get much more direct than this. It's all true, my record player had broken and I was devastated. I saw a car crash in front of my house right after it broke, and I didn't care at all... I wanted to play my records. Quite possibly the saddest song I've ever written. Chris really likes the guitar solo on this song. 09. "RetroLowFi" - Ahh, yeah. A joyous little doo-wop song about how much I like listening to and shopping for vinyl records. This was written after Chris and I spent an entire day in a junk store just pouring through these artifacts. We came out dusty, sweaty, but most of all victorious. I got the first four Ramones LP's for a dollar, while he got Men At Work's "Business As Usual" and the soundtrack to The Goonies. Seriously, if you ever want to make me a happy guy, just toss me in the car and take me to a thrift store with a pile of used records. Five dollars can undoubtedly by Marc happiness in that situation, at least. 10. "Every Single Friend" - I had a very close friend for years. He was my best friend, and said he thought of me as his brother. He dropped me like a stinky rock with no warning or reason, and it still breaks my heart every time I think about it. I wrote this song from his perspective, realizing that when he lists off the things he thinks are cool about himself... well, those are the very things that I should've dropped his friendship over long ago. I'd still talk to him if he'd call, though. I hear he got married to a British girl and disappeared off the face of the earth. I have to assume that one day he'll want to talk to me after he figures out that this song is about him. If that's what it takes to open the lines of communication back up, I'm willing to pay that price. 11. "I Need A Hug" - Yay! My favorite song from "Bubblegum Romance". I was really strung out when I wrote this. So strung out that I quit drinking and doing drugs for a full two years afterwards. I don't really get reminded of all that nonsense when i sing it now... I just think it's really pretty and especially fun to play with Chris on drums. 12. "Life's So Hard" - Just a song where I take the piss out of overzealous kids on MySpace/LiveJournal. It's pretty tongue-in-cheek, though... I probably couldn't describe it very accurately if I weren't kinda one of them in a lot of ways. I whine in blogs, I constantly check my email, etc. It's only those certain kids, though... the ones that would rather write an email than actually talk to their friends. The ones that can't give a compliment without typing it in the "picture comment" field. MySpace itself isn't bad, really. I actually think that "Friends only" LiveJournals are much more destructive, and if you're around sometime... I'll explain it to you. 13. "She Loves The B-Sides" - From an early EP that made a family member sick to their stomach. She even stopped talking to me for awhile because I titled it "Hey Rape Girl". She's since come around, but she doesn't like the record much. I still really enjoy most of this disjointed little thing, especially this song and "Chasing The Bug". This one is about Kate Hudson's Penny Lane character in the directors cut of "Almost Famous". It's not about anything that ever happened to me, nor is it about anyone I've ever met. 14. "Why Don't Girls Like Me?" - This one was a pretty darn popular single for me for awhile. I've grown out of it quite a bit, being in a committed relationship and all, but I still think it's a fun pop song to listen to. It's a true story, too. I asked a gal-pal of mine once the worst question in the word: "why don't girls like me"? She talked me ear off for about thirty minutes on all of the reasons I was tragically unboyfriendable, and voila! A pop song was born! 15. "Bounce Bounce Bounce" - Another enduringly popular tune of mine. My daughter Juliana is seven years old now, so many of these things no longer apply, but I'm really glad I wrote this. You know, she'll be able to hear how much joy I received by simply watching her jump on the bed and playing with her toys. She's one of a kind, and she's without a doubt the smartest, prettiest and bestest person in the whole wide world. 16. "A Very Special Episode" - Another rerecording of an older tune. The original version of "Episode" was chock full of annoying drum machines, a moog that didn't quite fit, an out-of-tune guitar... all recorded in a key that I couldn't possibly sing in. This new version is how it's always been done live, as well as how it was intended to sound in the first place. I'm happy that it'll finally get the airing it deserves. It's a good, well-behaved song. Doesn't pee on the couch, doesn't chew up my homework, etc. 17. "Bite Size Help" - Written around the same time as "The Problem Is Me", and it's certainly about the same topics, this has been one of my personal favorites for years. Audiences only really started taking to it about a year ago, but I was really happy when they did. Call me self-absorbed if you will, but the "giving a whale a tic-tac" line is one of my favorite silly little lyrics I've ever made up. 18. "If I Had A Dealer" - The original release of this song came from an online-only EP of unfinished demos. I always liked the song, but something didn't feel totally right. Then Ryan Price got ahold of it and helped out a bit with the arrangement, and next thing you know, it had the actual ability to destroy entire city blocks. We've had to move sixteen times since the song was written, now. In all seriousness, I was trying to replicate the lazy New York swagger of the best Modern Lovers songs. I'm not sure if I was terribly successful in that aspect, but I think this is a really good song. I'm quite proud of this 'un. 19. "I'm In Love With Everyone I Know" - One of the most often asked questions I get after a show is as follows: "Did all that stuff really happen to you"? They're usually talking about this song, which includes a verse about my mom getting beaten up at a monster truck rally. Yes, it happened. Everything in the song is true. Well, technically I guess I'm not a pterodactyl, but I had a dream that I was once. 20. "We're All Gonna Die" - Not as volatile of a song as you'd think, really. I mean it in a positive way. We're all gonna die, so let's get rid of some of our pesky inhibitions and hang-ups, you know? I'm still working on being better about it. Heck, I still don't even really dance in public. This track had the distinct honor of opening at least two-thirds of every Marc With a C show in 2006, so it's a good one to close out the compilation with. And that pretty much should catch you up with everything going on with Marc With a C at the moment. There are shows galore coming up... all of which are conveniently listed on the shows page. Hope to see you at an upcoming event. We'll also be posting a podcast soon with tons more info on the compilation. It'll be worth your while, I promise. Until next time... Love on ya, Marc Last month, some longtime fans of mine named Ken and Rachel got married in Chicago. They picked my song "Freezing In Florida" as their first dance. I'd been told that they were going to do this, but it's the kind of thing that seems completely unfathomable to a songwriter. You always think to yourself 'oh, they'll realize my song is bullshit and find a better one to use along the way' or something equally self-deprecating. But, no. They went through with it and slow danced to my song in front of all of their family, friends and loved ones to. And if the reports are correct, Jodi the Antibabe forced the DJ to play the song a second time while people sang along, laughing and crying out of happiness. I could only think two things after hearing the news: 1. That is more flattering to me than any good review or silly music award could ever, ever, ever be. 2. Thank god they didn't use "Long Distance Dedication", which was Rachel's other suggestion out of my songs. (How awkward would it be to tell your family that your wedding song was from a song-cycle about a girl that seeks out fantasy rape?) The above event led me to a realization that I'd been toying with for awhile: I'm really, really happy overall. Sure, bad stuff still happens to me just like everyone else, but I handle it in a remarkably different way than I once did. I used to just sort of withdraw from all the bad goings-on and have a little mini-crisis... which usually led me to some ridiculous bout of "I'm not good enough to play for people", which in turn led to my denial of the songs I'd written that make people happy. And sure, I'm more sick of playing "Nerdy Girls" than you can ever imagine, but lately when that comes up, I'm just thinking 'wow, all I have to do is play a silly song about girls with facial accessories, and everyone in the room starts smiling'. There's also a little voice that says 'I hope they like the new songs I'm writing as much', but it isn't as loud. Said happiness has everything to do with... well, jeez: Chris and Bhren Zabriskie moved back to Florida, my girlfriend Nicole and I are happy and making important future plans, a family member is finally getting past some hard times, my daughter Juliana is growing up to be smarter and more creative than I ever was... and to the best of my knowledge, I haven't had a stalker in quite some time, which is a first. There's also important but smaller things that make me happy, like nearly selling out the first pressing of "Life's So Hard" in less than six months, my audience's acceptance (and love) of Ryan Price's presence onstage with me, watching many of my friends that struggled with unhappiness finally coming into their own, and the fact that our dog Meatwad barely pees on the floor anymore. On an even smaller scale - but no less applicable - there's the fact that I don't have the same urges to rely on drugs and alcohol the way I once did, most of my favorite musical groups got back together and made (mostly) quality output, and I have many outlets for my restless creativity. With all of that being said, I'm working diligently on writing my fifth album, and thanks to all the good feelings in my belly I finally feel able to creatively work with some heavier topics I've dealt with for most of my life without relying on melodrama or destroying myself in the process. I know that may read like some stupid 'tortured artist' bullshit, but, really... ask anyone that was near me the week I recorded the "Hey Rape Girl" EP. You couldn't deal with my manic-depression, and I couldn't relate to you like a normal human being. Many times I find it impossible to seperate what I'm working on artistically from what I should deal with when I put down the guitar and pen. I don't have a working title for the next album, but I do have a overriding theme for it. I'd say it here, but I don't want to jinx myself into pressure to stick to it. I'm pretty sure that no matter how many variations the album goes through before I press it, the theme will be pretty apparrent, so don't concern yourself with 'not getting it'. I will say that it's a much more downbeat album than the last three were at this point, but I'm trying really hard to make it hopeful. As a matter of fact, while Nicole has told me that the demos are utterly devastating, I played through the finished songs last night by myself on guitar in the rehearsal room and... left the room feeling like a million bucks. It feels so good to express the sentiments... so maybe the tunes are only uplifting to me. Here's the working titles for the songs I've demoed for the album thusfar: Song Song You're Not Already Dead Dear Son A Tale To Tell The Earth Didn't Move, You're Just Hungover Ex-Neanderthal This Is How It's Been Drunk Classic Rock Fans Happy To Be Alive I Want All Of You People To Go Up In Flames I don't know that all of these songs will make it to the record, but I can say that out of these, there's at least seven or eight right now that I'd be hard pressed to leave off of an album, no matter how long it got. I'll be continuing to work on the songs and writing new ones through the month of February, and there's a possibility that the album will be done by the end of the year, but only if it's as good as it can be. I haven't had a ton of feedback on these songs yet, but at the moment this is my favorite project I've worked on yet. And I'm not just saying that because I have to. Ask anyone. On that note, I'll wrap up this edition of Marc's-super-primo-bitchin' blog. Hope you're all doing well, and that we cross paths soon. Love on ya, Marc Say whatever you want about my musical tastes after the following admission, but 'Be True To Your School' by The Beach Boys is pretty much everything a pop song needs to be. It's not my favorite pop song of all time though, as that honor goes to 'They Don't Know About Us' by Tracy Ullman, which I'm sure is well documented elsewhere. One day I'll make up a list of my favorite pop songs of all-time, but I have a feeling that it'll be a huge undertaking that I'll never get around to persuing. I can say that the following songs would certainly be in the top twenty: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show 'Cover Of The Rolling Stone' Twa Toots 'Yo Yo' Julie Brown 'Earth Girls Are Easy' Murray Head 'One Night In Bangkok' Melanie Safka 'Brand New Key' Maybe one day I'll write a pop song good enough to be on someone else's list. I'm working on it, though. Since I'm working on another record and all, but I wouldn't expect to see it too quickly. I'm trying to write the best record possible, and I'm doing everything I can not to force the songs out. I will say this, though: I listened to my album 'This World Is Scary As Fuck' a few days ago, and man... I don't think I'd change a single thing about it. I'm not crazy about the mix on the song 'Bite Size Help', but beyond that, I really, really like that one. Hopefully the next album will make me that happy two years after it was released. Oh, yeah. Shows. I played some! I played them at Universal Studios opening for Rocky Horror Picture Show again this year, and it was a hoot. I met a lot of really nice people and saw a lot of people in their underwear. On a specific night, I was actually unsure of if I'd get out of the parking lot without getting beaten up due to some ghetto-hecklers in the front rows, but everything turned out just fine. So thanks again to the Rich Weirdoes for bringing me out again, and also to all of the nice people that clapped real loud when I sang songs. Nicole and I went out to try and buy shelves for CD's tonight. It didn't work out too well. Those things are expensive, and the storage-facility-companies seem to specifically make them in the wrong dimensions just to tick me off. So, yeah, if you have a bunch of CD shelving lying around that you'd like to sell for absolutely no money whatsoever, please, I implore you to contact me. Otherwise, Nicole and I will be forced to lie around in our pajamas while eating pizza rolls and watching illegally downloaded movies again. Just a heads up. Speaking of downloaded items, check out this song by Partyline. I really want their album, but it's been elusive thusfar. Writing for a webzine will only get you so far, my friends. It's late. I'm going to watch some illegally obtained Upright Citizens Brigade episodes. If they didn't want us to download them, they should have flippin' released them on DVD, eh? Love on ya, Marc P.S.: I'm doing a show at Stardust in Winter Park, FL on 11/18 with Scott Sutton and Bob On Blonde. You should come. Hi everyone! Long time no journal entry, right? Chalk that up to the fact that I'm doing a lot of writing for RetroLowFi.com, as well as doing a few shows to promote my new album and making time for all the people I love in between. I do what I can, but I only have so much time in the day. Considering I'm an insomniac, I should get a lot more done, but... then it's just half-assed because I'm doing it while sleepy. So, here's a few things that I feel are important to tell you: 1. As stated on the news page of www.marcwithac.com, I did a live set on 9/1/2006 on WPRK's 3rd marathon. The sound was horribly unlistenable which was 1000% beyond my control. I feel really bad that people took the time out of their day to listen to my songs and were only able to hear a very distorted version of my guitar, some of my vocals wayyyy in the background and almost no drums to speak of. What really sucks is that Ryan and I were exceptionally good that day, and you'll never get to hear it. To make up for this issue, we've posted a free downloadable live set recorded in my living room of roughly the same length and a few of the same songs so that you aren't totally ripped off. Here's the setlist for the living room podcast: When My Ship Comes In Stuck With Me Counting Down Famous Painter Shock Treatment Every Single Friend Hot Topic Kids Brand New Key Enjoy. It's up for one month and one month only. RIGHT CLICK HERE AND CHOOSE "SAVE AS" TO DOWNLOAD. 2. I'd like to thank all of you that have been coming to all of the recent gigs, especially the record release party. The temperature at said show was hotter than almost any I've dealt with for a year now, but I want to thank you for sticking through it with me. And, thanks to all of your record purchasing, we've sold very nearly half of the first shipment of "Life's So Hard". Not bad for an album that's been out for... ten days as of this writing? Seriously, thank you. If you guys are ever in a knife fight, I got your back. Unless I don't have a knife. Ahem. 3. I really don't have as much to say as I thought I did. Please go to RetroLowFi.com every single day and obsess over what we have to say. As for now, I'm going to bed. I bid you goodnight. Love on ya, Marc So, the other day Nicole and I were at Stardust renting "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" and a Bill Hicks DVD when I was approached with some surprising news. Some guy I barely remember from the open mics I used to host way back when stops me to congratulate me on being 'the third most popular artist in Orlando'. Now, this sounds funny when you hear it outloud and at first I thought it was the best backhanded compliment I'd ever heard in my life. But, no... according to some chart that 91.5 WPRK puts on, I'm number three in the popularity ratings. Now, uh, look... don't chalk this up to self-esteem or anything, but this is kind of hard to swallow. Just look at the band right beneath me at ..4 this week... Doris Delay. These guys outdraw me regularly and frankly Bambi Helicopter writes way better songs than I do. I'm just going to accept it as a fluke, but one I'm honored to get... even if it might just be a major typo. So that's exciting, sure. But I'm even more excited about the following bit o' news: MY NEW ALBUM IS DONE! Yessir. The album is called "Life's So Hard". It's roughly 35 minutes long. Here's the tracklisting for those who obsess over such things :::sheepishly raises hand::: 01. We're All Gonna Die 02. What The Hell Were You On? 03. Military Brat 04. Every Single Friend 05. Life's So Hard 06. Counting Down 07. Diane Works For Ozzy 08. Broken Record Player 09. What If I Can't Swim? 10. Music Can Heal 11. The Problem Is Me Here are 18 random facts about the album: a. I played all the instruments except for the drums on "Every Single Friend" and some of the backing vocals on "Life's So Hard". b. I think this is the best record I've ever made. c. There are a few songs on this record that were originally released as substandard demos. They've always been waiting for the right home on a physical album. d. Chris Zabriskie says that this is the most low-fi record I've ever made. I disagree. That would be "Hey Rape Girl Vol. 1" or "Shock Treatment." e. There are roughly 1700 overdubbed vocals on the song "Life's So Hard", but that's only if you round up the number a lot. f. Five songs did not make the cut for the record, one of which is called "Astrid" and I don't think I even recorded that one. If I did record it, only the webmaster of this site has a really low-fi demo of it that I sent him in the mail. g. There's kind of a concept to this record, but really... it only makes sense to me. In this aspect, this record is incredibly pretentious. h. I'm probably not going to tour for this or any other record in the foreseeable future. i. One of the songs that got chopped off this album had a pretty fun keyboard solo. j. It's going to be really hard to recreate some of this album live. k. According to my calculations, I literally did the last bit of tweaking approximately 24 hours before it got sent out to the duplication plant. l. This is my fourth album as Marc With a C, which means I've outlasted some of my favorite bands now. m. Holy crap, I just realized that there are no keyboards anywhere on this album now. n. There's a URL in really tiny print somewhere on the album artwork that leads you to a website where you can get free stuff of mine when we remember to update it. o. Some of this is the loudest stuff I've ever released. p. This is the least autobiographical record I've ever done, so please don't misinterpret any of it as applicable to my personal life. q. Now that the album is done, I plan to do some shows to promote it, do some more "Shock Treatment" work and possibly work on a movie soundtrack. r. The record release party is at Austins Coffee & Film in WInter Park, FL on Saturday August 26th, 2006. The opening act is Bucket Of Nails. The show is free and all ages are welcome. Please come. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, that's that. I'll do some shows to promote it and I'll make another record sometime soon. Then I'm gonna do some other stuff. I'll probably listen to a lot of vinyl on headphones in the middle of the night which has been my newest coping mechanism for insomnia. When I haven't had a proper night of sleep, it's really apparent in my writing, demeanor, attitude and capacity for being next to other people. But I'm excited about all of the goings on, even if I haven't been as active as I once was. And you guys... you've been a wonderful laugh track. Honestly. I'm off to do some more writing and such. Maybe I'll scrub the shower out, but I think that Nicole left the solvent she bought for said endeavour in the backseat of the car. Now that she's at work, it makes using those products feel unlikely. Maybe I'll just shave instead? Oh, and call the phone company about our internet bill, because they screwed it up yet again. It's hard to get good service nowadays. Love on ya, Marc Howdy everyone. It's a busy time for me lately, but not as busy as it's going to get, I'm afraid. I recently got some oral surgery done which certainly slowed down any writing or rehearsing I'd been doing. It's a shame too, because I felt like I was really on a good writing streak, but then my teeth got all angry at me and I had to get them yanked out. Now I'm in the middle of changing careers. I'd been doing a job that I utterly hated and really did a number on me mentally. Said job wasn't stimulating me creatively in the least, and when it did, it was a 100% negative influence. I'm going back into the type of work that I was doing when I got started with doing Marc With a "C" shows in the first place which is much more fitting for an artsy-fartsy type such as myself. On top of this, there's also the high probability that I'll be expanding the live show a bit... meaning incorporating another musician for the first time in a long while. I don't really plan on bringing him out until the next record is ready to go, but we're rehearsing whenever we get the chance because... well, homeslice has a lot of songs to get familiar with. I'll announce his name later on as shows with him are imminent. I'm also doing some work in the podcasting field with Ryan Price. We're putting together a series called "Liberatr Presents" which will feature downloadable live shows recorded in central Florida. Some will be local, some will be national, all will be worth checking out. The first episode of the show is already out and guess what? It's a Marc With a "C" set recorded over at Stardust on 3/25/06. It's a really, really fun set of mine. I was in a particularly good mood that night and I think it shows. I've gotten nothing but positive feedback on the show, so you may want to get it while you can. The website in question is: http://live.liberatr.net and yes, we meant to spell 'liberatr' that way. New shows are coming soon featuring the likes of Bucket Of Nails, Strange Luck, Unicornicopia and others. I've got another show coming up in a few days, so last night while insomnia was being exceptionally rude to me I sat in the garage and played through possible songs I could yank out for the next set. Oddly, I kept playing tons of early songs that I really never play live anymore. Now, don't get your hopes up if you're hoping for "Monkeys Comin' Outta Yo Ass", "Famous Painter", "Eddie's Soup" or any of that sillyness. Nope. I'm talking stuff like "Groupie Sex" and "Human Slushy". I found myself enjoying them more than I probably have since they were written. I doubt I'll be playing those tracks at the Stardust date in April because I only have a short opening set and I'd rather play newer material for those, but I'm not opposed to busting out with some of those obscurities at my next headlining gig. Anyways, I'm getting ahead of what I wanted to write about. You've seen me go on at length about the recording of "Bubblegum Romance" but not that much about "Human Slushy" which was my first record. This is for multiple reasons, I think. First off, many people think that "Bubblegum" is my best record. I don't blame them, it's pretty good. Also it was a really fun record to make, (the version you have heard at least), and I'd never felt more confident, prepared and supported during the recording process. That was due to Chris Zabriskie being the only person believing that these songs needed to be low-fi and sparse besides myself as well as the preceding two years of prepping the material onstage night after night. Why is "Slushy" different? "Human Slushy" was very much pieced together to be the record I *thought* I had to make at the time. There were certainly outside influences that I probably shouldn't have been listening to. In short, I was making the record for everyone BUT myself. Back in 2002 I thought I'd only be playing as a solo artist onstage until "Slushy" finally came out, then I'd get a super-primo-bitchin' backing band, I'd be a guitar hero, the record would be some pop masterpiece, etc. Boy, was I wrong. We did put together that backing band, but not only do I look kinda stupid wearing an electric guitar... you couldn't understand the lyrics when we played loud. The other gentlemen that were playing onstage with me in the "Slushy" era were from fairly loud-rock backgrounds and didn't want to play softer. When they didn't want to play a bit quieter, I decided that I didn't want to play with a band anymore. This left me with an album full of material that was a bit complicated for an audience to swallow without a backbeat and mere weeks after "Slushy" was released, I'd pretty much dropped all of that album from the set, barring "Left For Her", "Why Don't Girls Like Me", "Laura, I Need Medicine", "Well Fucked Sailor" and "Charles In Charge". Hah, now it's a surprise if I play even one of those at a show. What I'm getting at is that I dislike that record. The production doesn't suit me at all and I'm really sad that it was the inaugural Marc With a "C" release. I'm also saddened by the fact that the producer of those sessions plays more instruments on it than I do. Oh, don't get me wrong, I *wanted* to play more, but he was positive he could do it better than, you know, the guy who wrote the songs and had his name on the cover. In the end, it sounds exactly like another band he was in called "My Little Pony". I'm serious, too. Chris, back me up here! Editor's note: Affirmative. What I do like about "Human Slushy" is the songs. Looking back, there isn't a single song on it that I truly dislike. Oh sure, I get plenty tired of "Laura, I Need Medicine", but that's just because you guys get kinda overboard with requesting it sometimes. What made me sit in that garage and play nearly the whole damn album straight through and enjoy it so much? Well, because I haven't heard the album for at least a year now. Every time I play it I get pissed off at the production/memories surrounding the recording process and take it out on the songs themselves by refusing to air them in concerts. When I just sit and play them on my trusty acoustic just the way I liked them in the first place? That's when I really, really like that record. I've actually considered re-recording that album from start to finish. The problem with that idea is that I fucking HATEHATEHATE when other artists do that. I always think it's some stupid cash-in move and that you shouldn't try to rewrite history. However, if I re-record that whole album, I'll probably never put it out. Just keep it around for myself or something. What do you guys think? Okay, I'm gonna wrap this up now, me thinks. Still hoping to have a new record out by year's end, but we'll see. Not until I'm sure I won't want to re-record it four years from now. :::insert sideways smiling emoticon here and maybe a LOLZ::: Hope everyone is doing well. I am... I'm happier than you've ever seen me, I assure you. Ask around! Here's the list of the songs that came up on random on iTunes while I wrote this (and during all the smoke breaks I took writing it as well) The Mountain Goats "Song For Cleomenes" The Wrens "Hopeless" The Monkees "Steam Engine 99" The Shins "Turn a Square" Airport Five "Yellow Wive no. 5" Saturday Looks Good To Me "Everyday" Superchunk "Without Blinking" Pixies "Cactus" Moving Units "Available" Sloan "The N.S." Dead Milkmen "Stuart" Queen "Flash" Pinback "Penelope" The Microphones "The Glow Pt. II" Clutch "I Send Pictures" The Who "I Can't Reach You" The Go! Team "Panther Dash" Stars "The Big Fight" Jonathan Richman "Down In Bermuda" See you all soon, I hope! Love on ya, Marc Alright, I've thought it over, and I'm going to have to redo my "Top 100 albums of all time" list. It's probably going to be closer to 150 records in all actuality. You know, just in the interest of accuracy. I'd been toying with the idea for a few weeks now after reading my list over again and seeing how strongly I disagree with my own opinions nowadays. Recently, two things happened that totally made me realize that this list was defunct/null and void: a) Faithful webmaster Chris Zabriskie posted his very own top 100 list and brought up a great point about his own pick for "..1 super-primo-bitchin' record EVAR"... that point? That he was in the mood for that record anytime night or day. I can't say that about my previous pick. Oh sure, "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" is still gonna be way up there, don't get me wrong, but if I listen to it first thing in the morning... my day is fucking shot. (By the way, Chris's pick was John Denver's "Windsong". I can't make a joke about it because I've never heard the album. It very well could make my head explode for all I know). b) Last night I listened to "Come On Feel The Lemonheads" again. Now, I know, Evan Dando and his merry band of whoever happened to show up to rehearsal that day aren't held in the highest esteem anymore. Some people just make fun of me for liking this band so much. I don't care. This record is amazing, as are all of their albums. Here's what you need to know about the band to get started: The Lemonheads formed in Massechussetts in the late 1980's. Put out a few brilliant Replacements-inspired rock albums that were highly acclaimed. Co-leader Ben Deily leaves the band, Evan Dando takes over. Hones his brilliant jangly-pop skills and makes some of the best rock albums that the mid-90's had to offer. Known primarily for a silly cover of "Mrs. Robinson" and doing a lot of drugs. Never seemed to keep a solid band lineup for more than a few months. Dando breaks up the Lemonheads around 1998. Gets somewhat clean. Makes dark country record called "Baby, I'm Bored". Revives the Lemonheads name and gets the rhythm section of The Descendents to back him up for a new record he promises to be out by the end of the year. No telling what that release date translates to in Evan Dando years, but regardless of his popularity at the time or his level of intoxication... he never disappoints. He's consistently brilliant. Now, I've had some awkward run-ins with Mr. Dando himself personally, and usually that tends to hinder my appreciation of a persons musical output. With Evan, it hasn't ever mattered. I mean, he's only human. So what if he ripped the setlist I asked him to sign once? So what if he stole my friend Jessica's pipe a few years ago? So what if I asked him to sign a copy of the "Balancing Act" 7" and instead he tried to keep it because he didn't have one of his own? No matter. His songs are just as good as they were before those things occured. He probably doesn't remember any of those things anyways, but it does help paint the picture if I point out the following: if 10 people meet him over 10 consecutive days, you pretty much get 10 totally differing stories on his character. For this reason, it doesn't help to read interviews he's given. The opinions contained within are probably outdated by the time the interviewer clicks off his tape recorder. So, if the story of the band isn't terribly interesting, and the guy isn't some diva superstar, what's the hook... right? There isn't one. There never has been one either. The guy knows how to give you some fucking amazing songs without any of that distracting peripheral crap. And this seems like a good time to tell you a bit about the album "Come On Feel The Lemonheads". It's a 15 track collection of seemingly whatever Evan could throw together at the time. A few of the songs, ("Being Around". "Dawn Can't Decide"), had already surfaced on hard-to-find singles and b-sides. Some tracks weren't written by Evan, and many of them are co-writes with Tom Morgan. The last track is just a hodgepodge of studio experimentation and general goofing off. There's even that legendary tale that the vocals were recorded at the last possible minute due to Evan blowing his voice out after a long period of indulging in the joys of crack cocaine. All of the above listed things add to the albums urgency. And somehow, that urgency sounds relaxed. Every performance is right in the pocket. Portions of the record don't seem to flow so well at first, but repeated listenings bring out the drastic mood swings that were probably apparent in the studio. Juliana Hatfield lends some of the most perfectly placed backing vocals you'll ever hear. The lyrics are full of tasteful double entendres and word play. This record shouldn't be so fucking perfect... but it is. It may be one of the most perfect pop records ever crafted. The guitars jangle, the drums are fill-tastic, the vocals fit the songs perfectly, and most important of all... it's still just as wonderful 13 years later. Many people prefer their prior album, "It's A Shame About Ray", and I can't fault them. It's every bit as good as this one, but something in this album always brings me back to "Come On Feel" and has me replaying it for days on end. Now, if you've never experienced the Lemonheads, I'd like to suggest a few songs for your listening pleasure. The following 12 tracks ARE NOT a 'greatest hits' set. They aren't a comprehensive overview and they certainly aren't representative of all aspects/time periods of the group. However, if you want an introduction to one of the most consistently great and overlooked bands of all time, you could do a lot worse. Run to your nearest file-sharing service, pick these songs up, and go buy a record or two. You can thank me later. 1. Rest Assured ("Come On Feel The Lemonheads" 1993) 2. Half The Time ("Lovey" 1990) 3. Galveston ("Balancing Act" 7-inch 1997) 4. The Outdoor Type ("Car Button Cloth" 1996) 5. Hannah & Gabi ("It's A Shame About Ray" 1992) 6. The Great Big NO ("Come On Feel The Lemonheads" 1993): (One of the only times I have ever danced at a show was seeing The Lemonheads in San Diego, circa 1994. I danced my little teenaged indier-than-thou ass off amongst the throngs of screaming girls to this song. Ahhh, good times.) 7. Purple Paralellogram (Unreleased 1996): (This was originally to be the first single off "Car Button Cloth". Noel Gallagher (who co-wrote the song) wasn't crazy about that idea, had his record company block the release of this song, and they went with "If I Could Talk, I'd Tell You" as the lead single. Probably for the best, as that song was a sizeable hit and this one... well, it was probably a bit too country for the intended outlets this song would have been marketed to. Whatever, I like the song a lot.) 8. Buddy ("It's A Shame About Ray" 1992) 9. It's About Time ("Come On Feel the Lemonheads" 1993) 10. Rudderless ("It's A Shame About Ray" 1992) 11. Hate Your Friends ("Hate Your Friends" 1987) 12. A Circle Of One ("Lick" 1989) I could go on for days, really. But I think I've said enough. Check out some Lemonheads. I'm still battling a tooth infection, so I'm not really in the mood to talk about anything that involves my own singing at this time. I assure you, there will be a real update coming soon. Hope everyone is well! Love on ya, Marc Howdy there everyone. I trust that your new year is treating you well. Mine's going totally swell. By now, I'm sure you noticed that there's an EP listed on the news page that isn't credited to me (Editor's note: it's on the stuff page now). I'll tell you a bit about it. The Glowy Stickers are a silly side project by my girlfriend Nicole and I. Just a silly take-off on electroclash that you shouldn't take too seriously. My daughter Juliana came up with both the name of the band and the title of our EP, and the band was formed after the fact. The five songs you hear weren't labored on at all, the music was 100% improvised and was a lot of fun to make. The lyrics are mostly just inside jokes between Nicole and I. There's a good chance there'll be another EP later in the year by us, too. So, download, enjoy, watch a b-movie. But wait! What about Marc With a C music? Oh, I'm cooking it up. I have roughly 6 songs I'm very happy about that I've written for the next album so far. It's very much a cross between "Bubblegum Romance" and "This World Is Scary..." unless there's a major left turn somewhere in the writing process. Ideally, I'd like to have it out by August (the traditional month for Marc releases) but it isn't looking likely at this moment. Probably by years end you'll have a new album in your paws. But wait! Would you like to hear one of the new songs? I can provide that to you at no charge. See, I was a guest on a podcast known as "You Can't Spell Crapface Without PFA" which you can hear at pfalliance.blogspot.com. I did two episodes in one night. The first one (episode 4) contains my premiere of the new song "Diane Works For Ozzy" as well as a reading of the long-running crowd favorite "Freezing In Florida". The second episode (episode 5, obviously) sees Nicole and I just frothing off at the mouth about even more inside jokes. Ryan and Emily host it, it was good times and I think you'll enjoy the heck out of it. Please, go download away. (You don't need an iPod for Podcasts. You download it just like an MP3 and then play it on pretty much whatever format you'd like.) So, yes. There are things I want to tell you about, but they aren't confirmed yet. Sorry. Instead, I'll tell you about some other stuff. ROBERT POLLARD "FROM A COMPOUND EYE" LP: I've been waiting to rant about this one for months now. It leaked online to GBV circles around last March. Listen, I miss Guided By Voices as much as the next guy, but check it out. If I were Bob Pollard and had just written this double album, I'd probably have done something utterly fucking insane too, you know... like break up my 21 year old band to make an album that sounds ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THEM. That's not a bad thing. Most of GBV's product was phenomenal and this just adds some new elements to the signature sound. That's it. Same great hooks, same angelic fractured harmonies, same ol' Bob. Just a really good, intensely fucked up album. I recommend that you go get it today... on vinyl. You need to have a break every 6-7 songs to regroup because this album is gonna fuck your day right up, especially if you're following along while reading the lyric sheet. "HARD ROCK ZOMBIES": Want a good b-movie? Look no further. Probably one of the most disgraceful entries into film ever. A hair metal band gets killed by a gang of ghouls headed by Adolf Hitler... but they come back to life to play their big concert in Nowheresville, USA. Fuck yes. Any movie where a zombie midget eats his own face is a good time, if you ask me. "OATMEAL COOKIE FLAVORED GRANOLA BARS": It's a really good snack. CHUCK KLOSTERMAN "SEX, DRUGS & COCOA PUFFS": Nicole gave me this book amongst many wonderful other things for my birthday. I'm only a few chapters into it, but it's a really good analysis of pop culture and it's affect on today's twentysomethings. Any book that bashes Coldplay in the first few chapters is okay with me, you know? Alright everyone, news coming soon. Sorry I'm so flaky on the journal front lately. I'll try to rectify it. Maybe? Love on ya, Marc Oh man, it's my favorite time of year. Not only is the temperature dropping (which means I can sing "Freezing In Florida" without sweat dripping off my nose), but it's that month where all those bitchin' Year In Review magazines come out. It's a tradition that I do my own favorite-albums-of-the-year list here every December, and I'm really excited about this one. Why? Because the last few years saw us in the musical doldrums overall. This year I bought and acquired more great records than this list will permit for a rounded up number. Instead, I present to you: MARC WITH A C'S TOP 16 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: 16/15: Joy Zipper "American Whip" (US) / "Heartlight Set" (UK): I don't know why two continents got two completely different albums from this duo in 2005. Do they even warrant it? I read a review somewhere that said they sounded like the love child of Air and The Breeders. Needless to say I literally bought the album that friggin' night. And of course, the critics were wrong. It's most mostly just groovy mellow pop songs over a bed of noise. Great choruses and all that. The US record is a little closer to My Bloody Valentine, while the UK offering is centered around 3-minute pop wonders. If anyone knows the rhyme or reason to this, please email me at marc@marcwithac.com because I'm dying to know. 14: Guided By Voices "The Electrifying Conclusion" DVD: Wait! Do DVD's count? I'd say so. They make DVD-audio albums. Same damn thing, so don't give me any crap. This particular DVD chronicles GBV's final show in excruciating detail. No filler, either. All four hours of the show with no interviews of sappy memories. The show is uneven, the band is wasted, the crowd is unfamiliar with half of the 63 or so songs... just like every other GBV show. It's the closest we'll ever get to one from now on. Enjoy the muddy sound, the blown notes, the puking and the drunkest singer ever captured on film. This could have been the best triple live album ever... (hint hint) 13. Tummy Toast "My Silly Girl Songs For My Bunny Toast": You're not going to find this in any record stores, so I'll tell you all that I know about it. Tummy Toast is a girl named Jordyne that is very in love with her boyfriend. She's far away from him for various reasons and writes songs for him. Sounds fairly typical, right? The mitigating factor here is that Jordyne can't actually play any instruments and only has a tenuous grasp of rhythm. Two songs even have nearly identical melodies, for example. As a matter of fact, this isn't even really an album yet. She records the songs into a microphone using what sounds to be some type of toy drum machine and throws them up on SoulSeek whenever she's done with them. However... everyone that has heard her that I know personally is bowled over by the pure innocence in her songs. No pretensions or anything. Just the raw truth and the raw recordings that communicate her feelings best. You can't get the songs out of your head and you can't stop swooning over cute couplets like "There's no A.C. or car to drive / I think my feet are going to die / I don't get good food for my tummy / Because I hardly have any money." Seriously, track it down. This could become legendary. 12. Mumpsy "The Exuberance Of Peachtree" Mumpsy and I have been friends for a few years, it's true, but back when he was playing drums for Out... you just never saw these songwriting chops coming. He's on Post Records. The record is a little bit Dylan, a smattering of Elliot Smith, vocally there's a touch of Wayne Coyne, but it's not one big rip-off or anything. What sets this release apart from other local Orlando albums is the fact that all of these songs are defiantly original though you'll swear you've heard them before somewhere else. You haven't. He's just one of the best songwriters in the southeast, period. 11. Paul McCartney "Chaos & Creation In the Backyard" Let's get it straight, ok? This isn't just a good record for Paul McCartney. It's fuckin' good album all the way around. If any random indie band dropped out of the sky with this record, Pitchfork and it's ilk would be all over this like vasculitis on an episode of "House." 10. Bucket Of Nails "Bucket Of Nails & Nico" I produced this record and I really don't care if you think I'm biased. They tightened up the song structures, the guitar got menacing, and it will make your face melt off. 9. Sufjan Stevens "Illinoise" Oh, sure. Wave your little indie flag and tell me how overrated this album is. I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that you haven't given it a fair shake. If you say you have and don't like it, you're lying. I want an actual list of what you don't like about it. There's a good chance you just let it become background music and that's a huge no-no. You really have to pay close attention. This surely would have placed higher on the list if it weren't *so* long. 8. Sleater Kinney "The Woods" This record somehow polarized Sleater Kinney's fan base. Not really sure how that worked out as this is easily their most enjoyable album ever. Neat production tricks abound like pushing the faders so far into the red that you actually get the idea that your speakers have blown. Most of that annoying vocal interplay is gone as well. It's one heavy album, almost reminiscent of bloated mid-'70's Sabbath records... you know, besides the vocals. I wholeheartedly recommend this and denounce those who refuse to give it a chance based on their prior opinion of Sleater Kinney. Because, well, barring a few tracks here and there, older Sleater Kinney fucking sucks. 7. New Pornographers "Twin Cinema" Slow the bandwagon down because I'm hopping on. Even the verses sound like anthemic choruses. 6. The Pixies "Sell Out DVD" We never really got an official Pixies live album from the reunion tour, and it looks like this is as close as we'll get. No . worries though. It's a no-frills viewing of an average show on this past tour. Most of the hits are there. The audience is freaking out and gnawing off their own hands. The band looks bewildered and sedentary through it all. They sound like they haven't aged a day... plus they are actually playing better and tighter than ever before. 5. Frank Black "Honeycomb" You can't say you didn't see it coming. Our favorite Pixies front man has been edging ever closer to country since "Black Letter Days." This is the record where his country/soul leanings take over. Now sure, not *every* song is brilliant, but at least it never loses it's mood. It's all very well-performed, well-written and an album that both you and your parents can agree on. Perfect for Sunday drives, really. 4. Juliana Hatfield "Made In China" Of course I'm biased here. I named my daughter after her! But that didn't help with my feelings toward that inexcusable "In Exile Deo" album. It was an obvious bid toward Adult Contemporary radio, and besides winning some critical acclaim, it didn't do much else for her. Thank god. That record was bland and unconvincing whereas this one... phew. She sounds more impassioned than she has since "Only Everything." . Every wart imaginable was left on this one, even leaving the impression that Juliana was 'less than coherent' during some of these sessions. She sounds like she's full of murderistic urges at points, and there's nary a time that she gives a single concession to the fans that prefer the sweet and innocent Juliana of 199something. Fuck yeah. 3. Mountain Goats "Sunset Tree" So many people discredit John Darnielle for abandoning the boom box recording method. Even more seem miffed at his newfound love of writing autobiographically. Bollocks to them. A good impassioned record that's probably lyrically better than most of those early records... if not just better melodically. I'd hate to see it happen, but if he had to do it, this would be a fitting swan song. Give it a few years and it'll be remembered as the classic that it really is. 2. Decemberists "Picaresque" You have no idea how long I've hated this group. I've actually gotten mad at people for playing them around me. There were all of these nascent Neutral Milk Hotel-isms and it just didn't seem sincere in the least. I still stand by the fact that if Pitchfork hadn't acted as if they were the second coming they'd still be milling away in Joe's Coffee Shack. I've since come around to a few songs off of earlier releases, but none of them can prepare you for this. There's not a single point similar to NMH here. There's still sea shanties aplenty though. And Petra Haden to boot! But this album also builds up to possibly the best song of 2005: "The Mariners Revenge Song." Holy crap, there's never been a better epic so far this decade. It might take a few listens, but this one'll get you. NIGHT IN THE RUTS!*#@^^!!!!!! 1. Low "The Great Destroyer" I know. You're all still mad at Low for buying a distortion pedal and picking up the tempos. You're mad that they sound so much like other indie rock bands now. Well, guess what? They are better. These are their first real stabs at conventional alt-rock stylings and they're better than anyone else's have been this year. There are layers of noise and harmonies and it's better than anything you'll ever write. As a matter of fact, I have a friend that bought the record and immediately sold it to the used shop. I asked him why, and he told me that he found the record to be obvious and formulaic. Then, and I'm not kidding, he joins possibly the most formulaic rock band I've ever heard. Oh, his band is awesome, mind you... but what I'm getting at is that people didn't WANT Low to change for whatever reason. They were happy letting them be reverb-laden drone rock forever. People hate change. But trust me... five good listens to this album and you'll decide that maybe formulaic ain't so bad after all. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "S/T": I like it. It certainly doesn't warrant all the hype, but it's good nonetheless. James Kochalka Superstar "Our Most Beloved": I would have put this in the actual list if this weren't a compilation. However, it's the first time most of these songs have had major distribution. I don't know if it counts or not. . Either way, it's great mindless fun and my daughter thinks so, too. Wolf Parade "Issac Brock Is Our Friend" or whatever it's called: I haven't played this enough to give you a straight review. I like what I'm hearing and it's growing on me more and more. Spinto Band "Nice And Nicely Done" I like this a lot. The hooks didn't sustain and I found myself bored with it after awhile. Excellent indie-pop record, though. Giant Drag "Hearts And Unicorns" Another record I haven't given the proper attention to. If this year were one month longer, this probably would have been in the main list. You'll probably like it. MOVIE OF THE YEAR: "The Devils Rejects": I don't care what your opinion is. You won't sway me at all. And none of that whiny "I didn't like House Of 1000 Corpses" crap either. That's like comparing "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "The White Album." See it and love it, fucker. WORST PIECE OF CRAP MOVIE OF THE YEAR AND QUITE POSSIBLY THE DECADE (INCLUDING ANYTHING BY MICHAEL BAY): "Walk The Line": Fuck you. This is a terrible, inconsistent, over-hyped, underproduced film that will probably sweep a lot of awards shows. It was BEYOND historically incorrect... not to mention about 3 steps away from a Lifetime made for TV movie. The makers should be ashamed of themselves. Trust me, it won't insult the dead if you criticize posthumous works made off of their memory. BEST TV SHOW OF THE YEAR: "House": Just because. MOST OVERRATED TV SHOW OF THE YEAR: "Lost": Just because. And there you have it. Those are my opinions. You can feel free to write me to argue them, but you'll only annoy me. Happy New Year everyone :) Love on ya, Marc Well, hello there everyone! SECTION ONE: HALLOWEEN For the third year running, I did some shows opening for Rocky Horror Picture Show at Universal Studios. I always say I'll never do it again, and I always return. It isn't the cast or the audience that makes me say that. It's all of the 'hurry up and wait' involved to do a 15-20 minute set. The first two nights were actually opening slots where I joined Bucket Of Nails for a song at the end of their set. The first night was a sloppy mess with an iffy crowd. The second night everything fell together allowing for one of the best versions of "Terror Song" I've ever done. At least that's how I remember it. I haven't heard a tape of it or anything. The third night I did a full opening set that went pretty well. It was an unusually sedate crowd for Rocky, but I worked them up and got them into some crowd participation at the end. Sold a bunch of records and signed a bunch of autographs. I forget what great exposure these shows are... just tonight I got recognized by a fan at Target from these shows. So, will I do the shows again next Halloween? I dunno. Ask me in August. SECTION TWO: UNRELEASED RECORDINGS I'm sitting here rummaging through some rarities and cleaning them up a bit. We've just gotten this new computer with 8,000,000 GB of space, so I figure I oughta digitize some of them. Some of it is a lot better than I remember, which almost makes me want to release select outtakes and demos in a collection, but I really don't feel like having them pressed and being 'official'. I mean, I guess if they weren't good enough to come out in the first place, what makes them so good now? There are little tidbits I like though: "Weird On The Avenue": This is a cover of a Frogs song. I believe it was recorded around the time of the "Shock Treatment" EP for a covers album that never came to be. I've always liked this one, but there was never a good enough place for it. I had it streaming on MySpace for awhile to really positive responses. I don't know. I just can't imagine what kind of release I could put it on. I like the subject matter a lot. If I were to ever put out a compenium of *all* of the songs written for "Hey Rape Girl", I could see this being a bonus track. There's about five other songs left off of that EP that few have ever heard, but I doubt there'd be high enough interest in it to release. "Look At Your Feet": You know, I've mentioned before that the reason the "Bubblegum Romance" album turned out so well is because I wrote somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 songs for the album. Plus, I had the skillfull ear of Chris Zabriskie aiding me in weeding out the lesser songs. Until like 5 minutes ago, if you'd have asked me about this song I'd have looked at you like a dog you just showed a card trick to. I'd forgotten all about it. I'm glad it didn't make the record, but it's a really cool acoustic demo that sounds a lot like the stuff I've been working on for the next album. Just a countryish little zygote of a song. "Another Minute Or So": At some point around the Zabriskie sessions for "Bubblegum Romance" I started making little experimental 4-track tapes just to get the hang of recording and playing other instruments besides guitar and vocals. This certainly dated from that time. It's actually a really, really cool song that probably could have been on "This World Is Scary As Fuck" and not have sounded out of place at all. It was sort of a sequel to a song from the aborted Bunnythumbs project. It's totally drenched in delay and reverb and sounds claustrophopic but highly orchestrated. I really like this line in particular: "I keep a blanket in my mouth to stop me from saying the things that I shouldn't / Now there's a blanket over my tounge but I'm asking for help when I said that I wouldn't". It sounds exactly like what was going on at the time... I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown that lasted for months. I've still never totally recovered. "She's With The Band": You know, about a year ago we were talking about the second half of "Hey Rape Girl" being released. Obviously that never materialized and we just sort of kept our mouths shut about it. Truth is, there's a whole other 30 minutes in the can that you've never heard a lick of. Why didn't it come out? I'm not comfortable going into it. It's probably best that it didn't. One reason you never heard it (but not the ultimate reason) is that I sound a little distant in the vocal department. For whatever reason I sound completely disinterested. That's not the case, but maybe I just wasn't on top of my game that day. Again, unless I were to do a release of all of the "HRG" songs in one package, you'll likley never hear this song. I like it, no matter how despondent I might sound in the recording. "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar": Ahhh. Good stuff here. I did a show around June of 2004 with Bhren that I wasn't really announced at. I played mostly brand new songs nobody had heard and I think it may be the loosest show I ever did. Chris was backing me on drums for the latter section of the set and with literally no warning or rehearsal we both jumped into this Jonathan Richman cover almost telepathically at the same time, if memory serves. Considering that neither of us actually knew how to play it, it's pretty good. Looking this over, I have so far converted easily enough unreleased/unheard original material to easily fill an 80 minute album. That isn't counting various demo recordings of familiar live songs or covers, either. Maybe one day I'll do something with this stuff. I'm filing it in a folder called "Truckload Of Cash" because that's what it'd take for me to be able to afford releasing this. I seriously have enough so far for a boxed set... and I'm not even halfway done with this pile of CD's and tapes. SECTION THREE: RANDOM CRAP (This section is going to be disjointed. Get over it.) 1. If you haven't seen "The Devils Rejects" yet, you're missing out on the best film of the year. Possibly my favorite film of the decade so far. We've seen it more times than I can count now. Every actor overacts just perfectly for the films genre and the juxtaposition of music to imagery is aboslutely masterful. I really don't care if you hated "House Of 1000 Corpses" or not. It's not even close to the same type of film. It will change the way you look at any mainstream 'horror' movie made in the last 5 years. Don't wait. Go get it. 2. "House" is the best non-animated show on television. It can be argued that this season has been hit or miss, but overall it's pretty fucking amazing. 3. I haven't done this in a long time. Here's some things I've been listening to and enjoying quite a bit lately: Guided By Voices "Propeller": Sure, it's not as cannonized as "Bee Thousand" and "Alien Lanes", but it will knock your socks off. I just got the rerelease of this on vinyl and it's really good. I'd suggest downloading "Weed King" to see just how anthemic lo-fi music can be. Wolf Parade "Apologies To The Queen Mary": By now you've heard all of the hype. They probably aren't as wonderful as certain press outlets would have you believe, but it's a really solid inventive indie-rock album. Check out "I'll Believe In Anything" to hear one of the last great unwritten melodies unleashed. I hear they are a bit of a let-down live, but that shouldn't discourage you. Hell, even The Kinks sucked live in their early years. Twa Toots "Don't Send Me Flowers": The greatest twee-pop band you've never heard. This album is from around 1983, and these girls were so ahead of their time that it's almost nauseating. I can't find much information on them at all. I don't even know if this album is still in print. I do know that as soon as you hear it you'll freak the fuck out, however. Go download "Yo-Yo" and prepare to lose your mind. Belly "Star": You should be able to find this album for about 50 cents on www.half.com. I mean, this record was huge when it came out back in the early 90's, but now it's just an alt-rock footnote. That's really unfair as it's a beautiful, dreamy pop record. It's not going to change your life or anything, but it makes me happy. It's also pretty nice to fall asleep to. Giant Drag "Hearts And Unicorns": With the proper promotion, this could be one of the most fondly remembered records of 2005. Lots of MBV-esque guitars swirling all over the place and the vocals hooks are in a league of their own. I read some pretty good write-ups on them and hadn't expected much considering titles like "You Fuck Like My Dad". The song titles couldn't have less to do with the songs though... it's a nice sleeper album that kinda came out of nowhere. I highly recommend it. The Decemberists "Picaresque": I used to hate this group with an unmitigated passion. I wanted lead singer Colin Meloy to be eaten by a flaming llama for what I perceived at the time as blatant Neutral Milk Hotel rip-offs. I stand corrected. If there's a better lyricist in the indie world at the moment, please point me in their direction. This new album fixed everything I disliked about them in the beginning. I know a few people that refuse to budge on their hatred for the band, but that is unfairly based on their earlier work. I challenge you, listener. Go download "The Mariner's Revenge Song", strap on some headphones, turn off all distractions, pay close attention... and tell me that it isn't quite possibly the song of the year. I dare you. Tummy Toast "My Silly Girls Songs For My Bunny Toast": The way I came across this artist is a bit odd, and frankly, it may not be your cup of tea. The songs are performed by a girl named Jordyne from Texas. They are all short by uniform and contain little more than a badly miked drum machine and the most innocent voice you've ever heard singing effortless couplets about missing her boyfriend (the aforementioned "Bunny Toast", natch). There's no actual 'music' to speak of beyond the melodies she waves and wavers through vocally. The album isn't available anywhere, but you've never heard anything like this. It's lots of fun and flat-out swoontastic. I'm trying to get her to come out to Orlando to do a show with me, but who knows... I may be doing a show in Texas next year anyways, so maybe I'll try to get her on the bill. You can hear a smattering of it at www.myspace.com/tummytoast. If I had a label, I'd sign her straightaway. SECTION FOUR: MY NEXT STEPS I'm fighting with myself over how to do the next record. I've got some equipment at my disposal to make a somewhat produced album, but it seems that this batch of songs calls for some fairly dry/untouched production work. I sent Chris (the best webmaster in the world) a tape of the new songs and I'll let him say a little something about what you can expect here. Go Chris!!! They are fantastic. Especially the last one. I'm also conflicted about wether or not to turn the annual holiday bash into a request show or not. I'm so into the new material that I want to debut practically all of it and because of it, I can't settle on what old stuff to play for you guys. If anyone has any words of wisdom, drop me a line. I am excited about that show though... I have a feeling that it may just be one of the best shows of the year for me. And, on that note, I'm going to depart. In the next entry you will most likely see an interview with me exclusive to this website. It's just a matter of Chris sending me the questions. And in December, you can look forward to our yearly 'best of' list. 2005... it's been pretty good. And so have all of you. . Thank you so much for all of your support. I'll be seeing you all very soon, I hope. Love on ya, Marc Yay! The website is back! Sorry for the downtime. I wish there was a better excuse for the site's absence, but there isn't. Basically, we forgot to renew it and didn't have any money to do so at the time. Thanks for all of the nice emails telling me about it. There is some new stuff going on I should tell you about. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST: October 18, 2005, THE ALBUMS ARE BACK IN PRINT! You'll be able to order the albums here and on the MySpace page that all of the kids are so crazy about these days. What are these albums? 1. "Marc With A C: The Early Stuff" 2002-2003 Mundane / Groupie Sex / Left For Her / Victorias Girls / Laura, I Need Medicine / Not There At All / A Very Special Episode / Melena / Why Don't Girls Like Me? / Human Slushy / Well Fucked Sailor / Charles In Charge / Stairway To Rudolph (live) / Mall Sluts With Cell Phones (live) / Eddie's Soup (live) / Blowjob Queen (live) / You & Me Should Go Away (live) / Monkeys Comin' Outta Yo' Ass (live) / Music Can Heal (live) / MWS / Chasing The Bug / Hey Rape Girl / She Loves The B-Sides / Every Inch Of You / Long Distance Dedication Now, as you can see, this means you can now get the "Human Slushy" and "Hey Rape Girl" albums on one disc, as well as selections from the long out-of-print live album "One Planned Slip". It's basically all my most popular songs from 2002-2003 in one place. "HRG" has never been officially released on disc, it's always been in the MP3 format if memory serves. This is the first time you can hear it in the intended uncompressed state. 25 songs for 10 bucks is a steal, if you ask me. 2. "Bubblegum Romance" 2004 I'm In Love With Everyone I Know / Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World / Just A Few Words / Nerdy Girls / Honda Civic Paint Rocket / I Need A Hug / Freezing In Florida / RetroLowFi / No London In Brazil / Bounce Bounce Bounce / When You're Not Around / The Real Story / Hot Topic Kids / I Really Wanna Be Your Friend Probably the most popular album of mine thusfar... and it's back in print! We haven't changed a single thing about it. All of the original liner notes, photographs and master recordings are still here, untouched. Everyone loves this one, myself included. Be the first one on your block to buy it again! 3. "This World Is Scary As Fuck" 2005 When My Ship Comes In / Bite Size Help / 'Til You Come Home To Me / I Am Going To Fuck Your Life Up / This Is Hopeless / God Save The Queen From Navy Seals / Music Geek / One Hit Wonder / I Will Keep You / Stuck With Me / Terror Song / Amy, It's Kevin Kiss that flimsy CD-R copy away. This one has better artwork, plus after a teensy bit of knob-twiddling on a track or two, it just flat out sounds better. There's also a new recording of fan favorite "Amy It's Kevin" closing the disc now. This is certainly my favorite album to listen to, and if you haven't heard it you... well, this ain't "Human Slushy". I've come a long way, baby. So, as you can tell I'm very excited that these are back out for you to keep and enjoy. I guess I could have just directed you to the discography page, but I'm too excited. Oh, and I'm sure you're wondering about certain holes in the discography that aren't represented. I'm going to go through them now and give you damn good reasons for their absence. "One Planned Slip... Live" is an outdated document that was never meant to be as popular as it was. It was limited to 100 copies, but somehow spread like wildfire. The most popular songs from it have ended up on "Early Stuff", but I sincerely doubt it will ever be released in full again. "Shock Treatment": was a cool EP. I like it alot. But, with copyright laws being the way they are, there's very little sense in me selling an album I'll have to give all of the royaties away from. Until Richard O'Brien decides to be generous and let me make money off of covers of his songs, this one will remain out of print. If you're resourceful, you can probably just get someone to burn you a copy though. "FIN": There was no sense in reissuing a simple five song EP. There's a good chance that "Broken Record Player" will creep up on my next album, and most of the others are on "This World Is Scary As Fuck". So, that wraps up the discography portion of the journal. Any other questions about it can be directed to marc@marcwithac.com and I'll answer you when I get a chance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND: Often people will ask me how Juliana is doing. She's doing great. She had a rough 12 months or so but is coming out about a million times smarter than I am. She's an absolute surrealist that sees the ridiculousness in everything, yet has no meter for sarcasm whatsoever. Case in point. Here's a joke she told me recently: Juliana: Daddy, why was Abraham Lincoln full of meat? Me: Why? Juliana: Because he had a cow! Seriously. How cool is that? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD: I'm doing quite a few shows this month. Some are announced on the shows page and one is in the works but I can't say anything about it yet. I'm taking things slowly and doing them as I feel comfortable. I have a lot of strange social anxieties and unfortunatly performing is included. Getting on a stage and playing songs isn't the problem... it's all of the stuff that surrounds it. The booking, the billing, the money, the attendance. After the shows in October, I don't expect to do anything else until the annual holiday bash. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOURTH: It's true. I'm working on a new album. I've made about four demos for songs I really like while I've got some other ideas brewing. I've made the mistake in the past of putting out an album just because I thought it was a good idea at the time. That left me with a discography I was only half proud of. Now I simply want to release things I'm 1,000,000% happy with. So, just because you read that I'm working on a new album, please don't get your hopes up for it anytime soon. Here's what I can tell you so far... all or none of the songs I've written so far might make it to the album. The subject matter is a mish-mash of "Bubblegum Romance" and "This World Is...". I'd like to call the album "I Am The Cheese", but that is subject to change as the album develops. I can say that until I like it as much as the last two albums, there won't be a release date. I can also tell you that everyone that has heard the new songs has been very happy with them. There's a rekindled spirit in them, or so I'm told. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTH: I'd like to thank Chris Zabriskie for not only running this site for the last three years, but also to each and every one of you for all of you unfettered support. Also, if Chris has anything he'd like to add here... go ahead, man. Go see Grizzly Man. Now. Love, Chris See you all real soon. Hopefully at the upcoming shows? Love on ya, Marc OK, so I had this great find in the VHS-for-sale bin at Stardust recently. It's a live Joe Jackson video from 1988 and it rules. I was trying to convert it on the computer so I can listen to it on CD, but SoundForge keeps crashing. Is it not meant to be? That would be sad. Speaking of great finds... I totally got the self-titled Modern Lovers album and both Neutral Milk Hotel albums on vinyl. They are about the best arguments for why vinyl sounds superior to CD that I may have ever found. Especially the NMH albums... "On Avery Island" simply doesn't work for me on CD, but on vinyl ... it's almost as if each side of the record are two totally different experiences. Just amazing. So yes, musically, it's just been an all around good few months. The shows have been going exceptionally well, and I have felt really good when playing them. For the last year or so, I've done all I could to run from my earlier records, but I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with them lately. I realize that they are part of a catalog that people really like, and while there are a few songs I wish I could erase from peoples memories, on the whole I'm proud of what I've done. This would explain the rash of older songs being performed lately. I mean sure, I'm in a committed healthy relationship so I don't exactly relate to "Why Don't Girls Like Me" and "Blowjob Queen," but people really like those songs, and I think they are okay as songs ... so why run from them? You might remember that I was planning on doing a series of shows where I performed everything I'd officially released, and at the last minute I decided against it. I mentioned that there were some songs I didn't feel comfortable revisiting just yet, and everyone that I spoke to about it wanted to know what those tracks were. Now, there's a few I'm just not going to comment on, but here's a rundown on some of the specific tunes that had me throwing that idea out the window: "When You're Not Around": You know, while it is on arguably my best overall album, I have a bad taste in my mouth about this one. It really well where it was on "Bubblegum Romance," and I'm glad it's there for historical purposes, but I'm so far removed from this song personally that I can't figure out any reason to perform it in the foreseeable future. Besides, I don't think that anyone has ever requested this song at a show ... so it's not like you'll be disappointed. "Carte Blanche" / "Look What I Did To My Id" / "Duel Duet": These are from the "Shock Treatment" EP. The above songs have never been performed live, and they weren't ever really meant to be. While I think they are interesting on the record, I can't imagine the situation where "Id" would work without the drum machine or where I'd have enough effects at my disposal to do a reasonable facsimile of "Carte Blanche." "Duel Duet" is another story altogether... I think it's simply too depressing to work live. Besides, I always forget the words and phrasing. Maybe if "Shock Treatment" ever comes out on DVD, I'll do the EP in it's entirety to celebrate. "Mall Sluts With Cell Phones": It's a joke song that hasn't dated very well. I mean, not only does pretty much everyone own a cell phone nowadays, but references to Blink 182 and Mystikal aren't exactly the heights of genius that they once were. (That was sarcastic of course). "Mundane": You know, there's an acoustic demo of this song laying around somewhere that absolutely destroys the wannabe-Lemonheads version that made it to "Human Slushy." But if you really wanna know why I don't play it anymore ... frankly, this song kinda sucks. It's a shame it's the first song on that album. "Groupie Sex": Come to think of it, the second song on that album isn't too hot either. It was about a very specific incident that turned me off to meeting girls at show for romantic endeavors almost instantly. Now, on the recorded version, you've got some really cool backing vocals by Jessica Frick, but other than that ... this song isn't very interesting. And again, no one is exactly beating down my door to request it, so it works out well. "Hey Rape Girl": This song fits perfectly in the middle of the EP it hails from. I love the paranoia that all the effects at the end suggest, and I really like that I was singing what were supposed to be someone else's thoughts. That's why the lyrics are so teen-girl-angst, of course ... but they aren't going to work outside of the context of the other songs, so you can kiss hearing this one live good-bye for the time being. "Well Fucked Sailor": One of the people described in this song has passed away. Out of respect for them, I don't feel right singing those mean-spirited lines about them anymore. "Monkeys Comin' Outta Yo Ass": Look, I know you guys like it for the ridiculous qualities, you love to participate at the end, and it's just good mindless fun for you ... but seriously. I just don't like it. I revived it briefly when I thought I was done with performing live, but that's the only reason you've heard it since early 2004. Performances of this song can't even be bribed out of me. Not even in my living room when no one else is around. Sorry. And really, there's a few others that are scattered B-sides and such that I'm just not in the mood for. Some songs like "Nerdy Girls" are just taking a long vacation. It's not all that cerebral... I just do what I'm in the mood for. But you shouldn't be shy about requesting anything. Who know ... you might just change my mind. So, hmmm... what else can I tell you about? Well, I'm recording a new record right now. Don't expect to see it out until next summer. I'm still doing it in a low-fi setting like the last album, and I'm recording the songs as they are written. I'm not sure that I'll continue that pattern, but I'm really liking the way it's turning out so far. I think you will too. On that note, I want to thank everyone for all their support lately. Coming to the shows, clapping, singing along, buying the albums... I couldn't do this without you, and I'm so glad you are here. Love on ya, Marc I have a really bad habit of chewing on thumbtacks. I'm not sure why I do it, either. It's really dangerous, and if I slip up and choke on one of these things, I'm really gonna be screwed. I'm back, but it's hard to say how back I am. I made enough songs for an album I really like, so I am putting it out. It's called "This World Is Scary As Fuck." It's all four track stuff, making the album even more low-fi than "Bubblegum Romance." If this trend continues, the next album will be recorded on duct tape. Anyways, it's going to be a challenging listen for some of you. You can get the album at a a few shows I'll be doing soon. I know, I said I wouldn't be doing shows anymore right? I guess I owe you an explanation, but I'm not going to pull any punches here. This is going to be uncomfortably candid and personal at points, so put on your 'acting like a grown-up' hat for awhile: In December, I was dying for a break from playing shows. Everytime I'd announce that such-and-such show would be the last until my break was over, I'd get booked on another bill that I couldn't refuse. After some internal tension at the Celestial Bison Bash, this very website came down, and I was frightened at how little I cared about the page being gone. I played a few small shows afterwards, but was simply unhappy playing them or being recognized as Marc (with a "C"). You can chalk a lot of that up to some emotional disorders I've always suffered from that had been really coming to a head since around September of 2004. Did I get help? I certainly tried. People that were close to me were dying and there was nothing I could do about it. I really wasn't in the mood to sing "Nerdy Girls", understandably. So, I was out of ideas and exhausted. I decided to throw in the towel. I wish I'd done it in a quieter way, because a lot of people misconstrued it. I never said I was "RETIRING." I just didn't want to play shows anymore. I still had every intention of making records, and I thought I'd made it clear. So, what happened to the concept I was planning on moving into? Well, it backfired. The idea was to release albums (under the name "Bunnythumbs") for free via the internet with no information and lots of mystique. It'd be recorded in the style of a band, and it would be hinted at that there were multiple members when there wouldn't be. This got sidelined when the website we *needed* to use for this to be a reality was taken...it was already a porn site. The album was shelved and I had to rethink how I'd deal with my output...again. I did a few low-profile shows under a 'friends-only' guise and really enjoyed them. The pressure was off and I was able to play whatever I wanted with no expectations. I realized that I didn't mind performing when it could be this laid-back...plus I had a much better outlook on life after the rest, not to mention an emotional comfort I'd only dreamt of. I wrote the songs for my new album from October of last year all the way to June 2005. Some were culled from the aborted Bunnythumbs album, while others are re-recorded from the "FIN" EP. It's an intensly personal record, but I hope you'll like it. And then...well, I decided to do shows whenever I felt like doing them. I don't need to take being Marc (with a "C") very seriously anymore. I acheived anything I pretty much wanted to under that stage name...now I can just do it for fun sometimes. And I will. Thanks for being patient with me. I know I can be temperamental. I'll be around, and I'm still gonna be making songs for you whenever I can. Oh, and thanks to Chris Zabriskie for his continued work on this website. Just because he isn't my drummer anymore doesn't mean he isn't still part of the act, eh? So, I'm off for now. I have a whole bunch of thumbtacks to chew on... talk to you soon? Love on ya, Marc Well, there ya go. What more could you want in a final show? I feel the tiniest tinges of regret after actually going through with it, but... if you're a musician, and something inside of you doesn't try really, really hard to put the brakes on when you think about quitting... it's usually time to do something else. But, I like the music I've made in the last 5 years enough to give it a proper send-off, and that's just what I tried to do at the Back Booth this weekend. Holidaysburg came and rocked it country-style. Bucket Of Nails owned the freaking show as one might expect, and Steve Garron was in top form, reminding me of why I was so inspired by him in the first place. We had a good crowd, and lots of sing-alongsdancing. Here'swhat the final setlist looked like: she loves the b-sides charles in charge famous painter just a few words i'm in love with everyone i know melena stuck with me honda civic paint rocket amy, it's kevin what if i cant swim left for her freezing in florida why dont girls like me broken record player retrolowfi hot topic kids no london in brazil well fucked sailor terror song (with larry fulford on drums) in my own way (encore break) monkeys comin outta yo ass blowjob queen bounce bounce bounce nerdy girls stairway to rudolph laura, i need medicine i wanna be yr friend sweat in my eyes (with pat on drums) From "No London In Brazil" on, it was fever-pitch singing for everyone in the room. I landed about a billion windmills and from what I've heard... I played pretty well. How could I not? I had the bestest crowd ever! We might release some recordings from the show at some point, but they don't sound terribly great. And, listen... I'll probably release some Marc (with a "C") music in he next two years. I'm just not 100% sure that I will, or that it'd be very similar to what you are used to. But, I will say this... if anyone remembers this or cares in two years, I'll do a show. If that show goes well, I'll do some more shows. But, for right now... that's it for the "C". I couldn't have done this all without Chris Zabriskie, Jessica Frick, WPRK, WTKS, collge radio, my mom, my family, my friends and all of the people that have let me play pop songs for them since 1999. Thank you all for everything. It's been a lot of fun, and... if it becomes fun again, I'll be back. I love you all... let's be friends. Love On Ya, Marc So, as promised, here's my shot at doing approximately one journal entry a week until the end of Marc (with a "C") I thought I might do sort of a history of the short rise to obscurity. It all started back in that ripe old year of 1999. I was freelancing as a fledgling open mic host. I honestly don't remember if I started the name Marc (with a "C") or if it was a running joke around the office. Either way, it's what I came to be known as while I announced performances by semi- decent groups that have long since broken up. My musical portion of this shindig was limited to killing time while other bands set up and hitting on the female audience member with limited results. I'd written a few jokey little songs that I'd use to keep the small crowds in their seats during interminable setups by kids that thought *they* could cover Dave Matthew's better than the last 14 performers. Some people chuckled, but nobody took it all that seriously. It lasted for a few months until interest waned and I got fired. Now, my former band Childlyke (AKA Molokoplus) had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I'd tried to regroup myself, but nothing felt right and I just couldn't write anything one could take seriously. I guess I made a demo tape of like 10-12 songs around this time, but nobody took any notice. People wouldn't sit still through these songs. I took it as a sign and practically gave up. I started working as a roadie for a local band that went under the moniker "Precious". As a roadie, my pay was gas money, free beer when the bartenders complied, and the prestige of... ooh, getting into half-empty clubs for free. This didn't matter to me, because dammit... if you saw them on a good night, Precious could be the band that changed your life. On a bad night... they'd keep you waiting forever to get onstage... and Steve Garron would slur, hit all the wrong notes, scream about screwing German Shepards and probably walk off the stage before the band knew that the set was over. And even *those* gigs could change your life. So, there was this kooky little benefit for Tibet or something that Precious had been called on to headline. Not only was Steve Garron (characteristically) nowhere to be found, but half of the bands had canceled. This posed a problem as the club was pretty packed. I really don't remember what came over me, but I told the promoter that I could play for a while. Having never heard me, she unbelievably obliged. I used a guitar that had somehow made it's way off of Precious's truck early. I got on the stage with no introduction and eagerly launched into the theme to "Laverne & Shirley", figuring I wouldn't make it much further. To my surprise, this massive crowd yelled and hooted in approval. I told them I was "Marc (with a "C") as a joke, and... there you go. Marc was born. I yelled really offensive comments to keep their eyes directed at the stage, improvised songs about lesbians, and played the few silly songs I'd recently written. And the next thing you know, people are a-bookin' me like crazy. I wrote a few more ridiculous songs in the interim, as well as penning the theme to Jessica Frick's wildly popular WPRK radio show. Every once in a while I'd try to sneak in a somewhat innocent pop song like "Not There At All", and it'd just get ignored. So I stuck to "Victoria's Girls," "Left For Her," "Why Don't Girls Like Me" and the "Charles In Charge" theme in almost each and every setlist. During one particularly uncomfortable, abusive show, (on my part and the audiences), I got tired of being partially ignored and partially mocked. It seemed like a good time to go for broke... I threw out this song I'd been working on in my bedroom that went under the working title of "I'm A Well Fucked Sailor That's Only Ever Attracted To The Most Fucked Up Girl In Any Given Room." It ran for almost 7 minutes that night... and that strange little barroom got eerily quiet. Honesty had beaten humor. Honesty had beaten the 'poor pitiful me' act that so many of the songs had been under the guise of at that point. Honesty had beaten (most important of all) those damn dick and fart jokes. And that only brings us up to about mid 2001. More to come next week. In other news... the 1983 self-titled album by Genesis freaking rules. Love on ya, Marc Hello. Marc (with a "C") here. Or at least, that's what I've been known as for the last few years. I've made a decision to put an end to Marc (with a "C") for the time being...as well as the foreseeable future. The final show will be on Saturday, March 12th at The Back Booth in Downtown Orlando. The only confirmed opening act thus far is Steve Garron of Precious fame. You might remember that the first official Marc (with a "C") show occured when Precious was late for a gig, so it's a pretty full cicle type of show. It'll be an early show. More details as they develop. Now, here's the answer to that burning question. "WHY ARE YOU QUITTING, MARC???" I simply do not have the passion that I once did for performing. I haven't got anymore ideas for Marc (with a "C"). I used to write like crazy, but the last few songs I've written came from pressuring myself to keep up this pace. Honestly, all I really wanted as a musician was to have a roomful of people so elated by something I created that they'd sing along, dance and want to be involved. I achieved that. I don't have the energy to push this to a national level. You must also consider that I only tend to write about the things that really, really inspire me, such as records, bad movies, books, and quite obviously, girls. I've pretty much written about all of those things. I don't have anything left to say right now. "BUT WILL YOU QUIT MAKING MUSIC ALTOGETHER?" Good God, no. See, with everything I write, I have to worry about how it'll come across onstage. I've thrown away more ideas than you can shake a stick at for this very reason. Usually, it's just me onstage. I can't exactly pull off some lush orchestral ballad that way. Occasionally Chris Zabriskie joins me, but that only adds a beat. Not a ton more harmonies or anything. This is a lot of pressure for someone that finds the craft of songwriting to be the most important part of music. I mean, you just don't have music without a song. So, I'll probably record whatever I write at home. I can't promise what it will sound like. So, that stuff will not be considered Marc (with a "C") material. I don't even foresee booking shows under any name. I hate doing promotions. I hate booking. I hate arguing over money. I hate freaking out over who did/didn't show up. Right now...I just have a very bad taste in my mouth about the music business. Who knows, I might write a musical. "WHAT ABOUT THOSE NEW SONGS YOU WERE PLAYING LIVE?" You can have them. They are on an EP called FIN. They are on the MP3 page right now for you to download. I like this EP a lot, and I thought it was a good note to end on. They'll be here for awhile. "SO, IS THE WEBSITE STAYING UP?" Yeah. It just won't be updated very often after the last show. Occasionally we'll throw up some random MP3's or something fun. Plus, this will be the place we'll post any news about anything I choose to do musically. I won't forgot my roots. Besides, won't this page be a neat way to remember all that was? "C'MON, WHY ARE YOU REALLY QUITTING?" I'd be lying if I said that there were no personal reasons behind this decision. There certainly are. Unfortunately, they are just that: personal. I can tell you this much...talk to me in about 6 months from the date of the last show. You'll probably like me much better as a person than you would now. "SO, UH... I GUESS I'LL SEE YOU LATER..." That's not really a question. But, look. There's certainly going to be some activity from me in the next few months. We're releasing a compilation entitled RetroLowFi: An Overview Of Marc (with a "C"). It's 14 songs, has most of the crowd favorites plus a few obscurities. More on that soon. And just so you know...I do reserve the right to change my mind. I am Marc (with a "C"), and I can do whatever I'd like. But for right now...consider my low-fi dreams kaput. Oh, and I'll try to put up a new journal entry every week up until the last show. Tying up loose ends and such. You all know how much I love to ramble. If not, please see the above writings. Love On Ya, Marc Chris: hello Chris: i have mine done Chris: i'll be back in just a sec Marc: ok, mines done too Chris: hello Marc: hiya Chris: sorry i'm at work after all Chris: i'm good now should we do this Marc: its cool. Chris: okay Marc: sure, if you'dlike. how should we do it? Chris: start with your runner up. you get one. artist - album. explanation. Chris: debate can follow, if desired. Marc: okey dokey, wanna trade off? Chris: yes Chris: runner up, 10 through one. Chris: you first Marc: Ok, well. I have two runner-up contenders: Chris: cheater!!!!!! Chris: okay, that's fine Chris: proceed Marc: dont gimmee that cheater crap. there are no rules in this game we call rankin'. Marc: kid dakota - the west is the future guided by voices - half smiles of the decomposed Marc: kid dakota: well, I know i'm going to love this record much more in the future, and i'm just not fully absorbing it now. it's growing on me by the day Marc: as for GBV: I'm in the minority that really likes them, but doesn't think they are the greatest thing in rock history. Therefore, I enjoy the album, but I've enjoyed others alot more. The last song, "Hoffman Prairie" really was the perfect send off for them in the context of the album though Chris: my turn? Chris: we should have some signal Marc: sure, go ahead Chris: okay, the signal is: "watermelon rind" Chris: that's when you're odne Chris: okay, runner up: Marc: hahaha, ok Chris: local h. whatever happened to pj soles? alright, i think i'm the only person outside of zion, il to have actually purchased this record, but it rules. it's really long, but scott yelling "heavy metal bakesale" over and over is worth $14. no question. a very good record, better than hctz. Chris: watermelon rind. Marc: Okay, number 10: Marc: paul westerberg - 'folker': I haven't had this album for very long, but so far it's hit me more than almost anythig else I've checked out this year. It always sounds like it's gonna fall apart, and parts of it seem made up on the spot. In other words... it reminds me of my last album, but I like it better. Plus, these are the best songs he has probably ever written Marc: watermelon rind Chris: cool Chris: you don't have to say watermelon rind if you don't want. Marc: ok, thanks Chris: number ten: Chris: can i interrupt myself for one second and mention what a miserable year in music this was? outside of my label, most music sucked. Chris: number ten: Chris: air. talkie walkie. i've always been a pretty casual air fan, but this album is fantastic. and "ran" freaks me out cause it sounds like they're saying my wife's name over and over. Chris: okay, you're up Marc: 9. elliot smith - 'from a basement on the hill': this is the first record he's ever done to really, really grab me, and it's a shame how it came about. if it'd come out in this form non-posthumously, it wouldn't seem at all unfinished. the songs cry for help, and then push away those that come to his aid. sort of like 'the boy who cried wolf whilst on heroin, but still wrote really fucking good songs'. Marc: watermelon gun Chris: number nine Chris: morrissey. you are the quarry. alright, i'm going to catch flak from some folks for a few on this list, but i don't care. this record is really, really good. you either like him or you don't, i understand, and to some people the smiths -> morrissey is like the beatles -> mccartney solo stuff, but this record sounds like every record that an aging artist makes in their 40's/50's except that he nails it. i like it. Chris: done Marc: 8. jolie holland - 'escondida': it's quaint, it doesnt intrude, it gets better with every listen. Jolie has pretty much the best voice in indie rock. If she sharpens those songwriting skils just a wee bit, we're in for the second coming. Marc: pork rind Chris: eight: Chris: sir william shatner. has been. has this guy been knighted yet? they should knight him for making a great record. seriously. i would laugh and dance spastically and then, next track, want to jump through a window and end it all. the album freaks me out completely. i guess being a bf5 fan from back in the day doesn't hurt, but it's shatner that makes the record good. Chris: yah Chris: rindy rind mcrinder Marc: 7. saturday looks good to me - 'every night': i dont have anything witty to say about this album. It's got great hooks, my favorite kind of production, and 'when the party ends' is the 'morning after' song for every one night stand after an indie show. Plus, their shows are just a 50's sock hop with thrift store clothes. Marc: i dont see nothing wrong with a little bump and rind Chris: eight Marc: nope, seven Chris: xiu xiu. fabulous muscles. yeah, i'm a geek, whatever. the band is awesome and this is probably their best all-the-way-through record. clowne towne freaks me out as well, but in a totally different way from shatner. Chris: oh Chris: seven Chris: right Chris: seven. Chris: RIINNINIINDIFNIDINDD Marc: 6. magnetic fields - 'i' - this probably has the best lyrics i've heard all year. mr merritt, when will you ever run out of couplets? that whole 'so you quote love unquote me' line... it's so damn good, it should have been mine. Marc: and shes buying a rindway to heavrind Marc: brb, door Chris: that's okay, i'll brb too the roof here is caving in Chris: seriously, there are construction workers wrestling (literally) on the roof here Chris: okay i'm back when you are Marc: woah, craziness Marc: ok, rind-head, go for it Chris: six: kid dakota. the west is the future. amazing. end of comments. rind her up and let her go. Marc: 5. the thermals - 'fuckin a': i still dont agree that they are the best band ever in the history of mankind. but, it's sure fun. and it's louder than alot of records on this list, so it's a nice change of pace. just beats the snot out of you for a half an hour. what more do you need? Marc: rind (nothing witty, just rind) Chris: ohhhhh thermals alsidfja;ilfjiawejf0ijeifjdkajsdlkfajskd Chris: sorry my head just exploded Chris: five!!! Chris: the mountain goats. we shall all be healed. this one climbed up the list, like, three weeks ago. possibly the best mg album EVER. people who say they miss the boombox mg are either stupid, lying or both. studio mg is wonderful stuff. and there was a three day period where i listened to nothing the last track on repeat at work. seriously, 8 hours a day, three days straight. Chris: take that rind out of your mouth, you don't know who it's been hugging. Marc: 4. jonathan richman - 'not so much to be loved': sort of ends a trilogy for him. started with the divorce album (i'm so confused), the rebound album (her mystery), and now the happiness/starting over album. the perfect summation of his career. for one of the only times in history, i can say that the hiddentracks are totally what make the album. Marc: rind 2: electric boogaloo Chris: that record is totally a runner up to my list, what a great album Chris: 04. The Thermals. Fuckin' A. OMGHDFBFYHNIDFGTAISIWTCUTCAMYIEAHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!ajsidfja09sdfu02u304u1*&*j23ireji9^!Kj Chris: rind Marc: 3. tilly & the wall - 'wild like children': this band came out of nowhere and tap danced all over my heart. at first i thought it was a stupid, boring folky album, but over time, the hooks got more insidious. it would have been higher if the last track wasn't so pointless. i don't get the ending of the album at all. plus, they get points off for the bright eyes association. Marc: let me tell ya a little story about a man named rind Chris: ooo, seriously! points off for knowing conor o. that's my next record title. Chris: alright, i will now blow all cred that i have and make people think that i am a pretentious, snotty, "i like it because everyone hates it" jerk Chris: ready? Marc: sure, but it better not be the new beastie boys Chris: it's not, that album SUCKS Chris: 03. radiohead - com lag ep. even die hard rh fans HATE this ep but i think it's the best ep they ever released. okay, i like it better than pablo honey. okay, i like it better than the bends. alright, i like it better than anything they've done save "hail to the thief" and maybe "kid a." maybe. seriously, this is the most soothing record to me. the first two tracks get me all worked up and paranoid and then i spend the rest of the album floating. this is seriously better than 99.9% of everything else that came out this year. yes, even paperbag writer. amazing, i love it and i've listened to it at least three times a week since they released it. there. done. everyone hates me now. Chris: i am a wicked rind. Marc: 2. elected - 'greetings in braille': blake needs to quit rilo kiley and make the best albums in history. this record was number one on this list for so freaking long. effortless, comical, hard to stomach sometimes. it's sort of like blake sennets 'all things must pass'. who knew he was such an amazing songwriter? Marc: with my indie cred intact, i say 'rind' Chris: all right time for number ones marc Chris: oh wait Chris: i still have to do number two Chris: do i? Chris: wait Chris: no Chris: where am i Marc: did you screw up, mr pants? Chris: *scrolling* Chris: okay, yeah, i didn't do number two Chris: okay Chris: number two: Chris: the arcade fire - funeral. alright, i wasn't aware of any hype until this record had already chewed my face off with how good it is. honestly, it's wonderful and it's hard to stop praising it. it grabbed me the same way it grabbed a lot of people, which makes it sound really dirty and desparate. so, yeah, it's great. on a lyrical basis alone, it makes it this high anyway. Chris: so there Chris: OKAY Chris: now wer are at marc's number one Marc: that's a good one. i should mak that a runner up as well Chris: do you want to give your number one last since it's your site Marc: well, you run the site, so you make the call, mr. zabriskie. Chris: nooooo i have a fear of decisions Chris: okay, fine, i'll give my number one first Marc: okey dokey Chris: then you can close this aim out Chris: number one.... Marc: i feel a hot little debate coming on over number one... Chris: john vanderslice - cellar door/mgm endings. i almost counted these as separate on the list and bumping off air, but air is cool and the french don't deserve that. it's hard to think of one jv record as better than another because they just seem to flow together so well. like, one ends, you put in the next one, keep rocking. regardless, these are seriously some of his very best songs yet. if you don't cry during 'when it hits my blood' you have no heart or you hated requiem for a dream. wait, i hated requiem for a dream. negated@!!!!! so, yeah, he's pretty much the best songwriter around (unless you count bowie as still being around, and then they're, like, tied). and he uses strings really well, which i usually hate. oh, and one more thing. 'lunar landscapes' is THE most depressing song, ever. seriously, it puts me in a bad mood. amazing. Chris: the rind. Chris: oh crap wait Chris: i didn't talk about mgm endins. Chris: it rules. wonderful. soundtrack to my nightmares. Chris: okay, rind. Chris: thank you. Marc: well, you ready? Chris: yes Chris: are you ready, kids? Chris: kids: "ready!" Marc: it's a good album, but... it bows to the majesty of my number one. Chris: i can feel this coming..... Marc: number one: all my albums! i'm a mega-lego-maniac!!! mwahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha Marc: ok, sorry. just kididng Chris: that was evil, i liked it Marc: 1. brian wilson 'smile': not only the album of the year, but possibly the best album of all time. if you don't like this album, you are a stupid person. you probably eat your own feces and think that 'the crow' is a good movie. if you don't like this album, i want you to die. if you disagree, then you are a good candidate for ethnic cleansing when i become world dictator. that's it, i mean it. Marc: seig rind! Chris: HAHAHAH the crow does suck, doesn't it Marc: oh man, even the caterers for that movie sucked Chris: dude, you know what movie i like? Marc: whats that? Chris: under seige 2. like, where's on the train. hahahahaaha. i love bad action movies. on occasion. i prefer bad horror movies. but, yeah, steven segal is always a good laugh. Chris: oh man we need to watch skullduggery, dude. Marc: i've never heard of it Marc: but im up for it, sure Chris: it's a horror movie about an rpg. like, a dungeons and dragons slasher film, it rules. Marc: hey, should we mention the huge disappointment albums of 2004 or what? Chris: YES Chris: okay you first Marc: i've got two, because the beastie boys is so obvious besides the 'triple trouble' song being good. Chris: yeah, beasties. yucky cd. Marc: ok, REM 'around the sun': should have been called 'around the bottom layer of my fucking wastebasket'. the first song: pretty good. that 'wanderlust' song: pretty good. but, jesus. get a melody. get an interesting guitar line. get a clue.get another greatest hits tour underway, because it' sthe only way they'll save face Chris: yikes Chris: nice Chris: me: Chris: i would say something like modest mouse or whatever, but i wasn't looking forward to that record anyway. i don't like wilco, i don't like most of these stupid bands everyone else likes. Marc: the modest mouse wasnt too bad Chris: i'm going to have to go ahead and say rilo kiley. i've never been a huge fan, but i really do like their first two records. the new one just annoys me. but, then again, at least they annoyed me. better than being bored Chris: OH CRAP Chris: wait, i forgot a record Marc: whats that? Chris: make air a runner up Chris: let's make this one number...three no four Chris: wait...yes Chris: three Chris: above the thermals Chris: i COMPLETELY forgot this record until this very second, i feel like an idiot Chris: THE ADVANTAGE. seriously, forget nostalgia, this band is amazing and their record is HOTTTTT. Chris: so yeah sorry about that, i forgot that came out this year Marc: h, i was never all that into video games, so i cant really relate to you on that one Chris: don't matter record stands on its own Chris: but, yeah, rilo kiley for disappointment Marc: but, i must tell you, my other disappointing album was... Chris: the jay-z/linkin park collaboration? seriously, i was SO looking forward to that one, too. Marc: the new rilo kiley. i tried *SO* hard to like it, but after seeing them do it live, even they looked disgusted by it. i dont know a single person that didn't try to convince themselves that it really wasnt so bad Chris: rolling stone did a good job. but, yeah, i don't know them personally. Chris: well, that was fun Marc: im pretty relieved myself, i must say Chris: i should clarify my sentence up there. rolling stone did a good job of convincing themselves it really wasn't so bad. there Chris: u rule marcus Chris: woah, that's the first time i've called you marcus Marc: yeah, i guess it was. weird huh? you think you know a person, and then they call you by your name! Chris: is that your birth name? Marc: it sho nuff is. Chris: woah Chris: can i print that on the site? Marc: if your pickle is tickled by it, why not? Chris: dude, there's a venue in PA called the mr. roboto project Chris: we need to tour Marc: no kidding Marc: that begs for a live album Here's the final results. Marc's Top Ten of 2004: 01. Brian Wilson - Smile. 02. The Elected - Me First. 03. Tilly & The Wall - Wild Like Children. 04. Jonathan Richman - Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love. 05. The Thermals - Fuckin' A. 06. The Magnetic Fields - I. 07. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Every Night. 08. Jolie Holland - Escondida. 09. Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill. 10. Paul Westerberg - Folker. runners-up: Guided By Voices, Kid Dakota. Chris' Top Ten of 2004: 01. John Vanderslice. Cellar Door/MGM Endings. 02. The Arcade Fire. Funeral. 03. Radiohead. Com Lag EP. 04. The Advantage - The Advantage. 05. The Thermals. Fuckin' A. 06. The Mountain Goats. We Shall All Be Healed. 07. Kid Dakota. The West Is The Future. 08. Xiu Xiu. Fabulous Muscles. 09. William Shatner. Has Been. 10. Morrissey. You Are The Quarry. runners-up: Air, Local H. Oh, man, I look so boring. I know that it's been slow-going process on writing for the next album. I've written what would equal about 7 real songs, but they are just so ridiculously downbeat that I'm not sure how it'd work as a Marc (with a "C") album. I've premiered a few of them, and they've gotten okay responses. For example, "Bite Size Help" (aka "Ba-ba-ba-da-da-da") always makes people smile. And, "Broken Record Player" is certainly the logical sequel to the aforementioned "RetroLowFi." I guess I'm just holding out for that spark of creativity, like the one that came in the early parts of this year. Just when I thought "Bubblegum Romance" was tracked and ready to go, out came pouring "I'm In Love With Everyone," "The Real Story," "Honda Civic Paint Rocket"...in truth, about half of that album. I don't know if I need the break from performing to get those juices flowing...or if that type of thing will just make me sedentary and unable to feel motivated. It's confusing. So, at the moment, I'm booked until the end of January, but who knows...I might just keep booking. I'm open to suggestion. Actually, you could tell me anything at this point, and I'd probably believe you. Maybe I just miss my pet rat and my record player. Yeah, anyways, by this time, you've probably heard the "Shock Treatment" EP. I hope you liked it. I know it's depressing, but those are some really beautiful songs that I really wish I'd have written. If you go and search out the actual soundtrack to said movie, you'll find that those songs are presented in a more bombastic, broadway-esque manner. I heard something else in them, obviously. I'm a big fan of stripping music down to its bare essentials. I like using the bare minimum to communicate feeling through sound, and this EP was an exercise in that. But, man...if I had a nickel for everyone that has complained that "Carte Blanche" didn't download correctly. That's actually the way I meant it to sound. Not that I feel seriously misunderstood or anything, but sometimes people don't notice just how increasingly low-fi I really feel. For the record, though... I don't foresee myself covering any other movie soundtracks anytime soon. This weekend I opened for Saturday Looks Good To Me and that crowd was completely uninterested in yours truly. Seriously, I could have spontaneously combusted in the middle of "Freezing In Florida," and they still wouldn't have even bothered to applaud. Easily the lamest audience I've had in recent memory. Hopefully I'll find a way to be a bit more surefooted soon. I always lose the plot around this time of year, so you'll have to excuse me. And, finally, please forgive me for being ambiguous, but I need to say something important, and I'll have to tread lightly when I say it: Someone very closely related to me has passed away, and I'd really appreciate if you didn't request "Well Fucked Sailor" anymore. I don't think it'd be very respectful to play the song for the foreseeable future, and while it's not usually in my nature to be concerned with that type of thing, please allow me this one, guys. Alright. The new album by Low is really amazing, so go check it out. Consider it an assignment. If you don't feel like waiting for it's release in January, the new demos for the "Honeycomb" album by Frank Black is the end-all be- all of his solo career this far. Yeah, I know you'll have to utilize a file- sharing device to get a hold of them, but...it's the holidays. Spend money on your loved ones instead of us greedy musicians. Treat yourself, man. Happy holidays, Marc First off, I played at the 5th Deviance Fest, and true to the past appearances, it was a lot of fun. I pulled out some old songs that I haven't played in quite some time, and threatened a heckler with a teabagging. I swear, if he'd have kept it up, he'd have gotten it too. There was just a sea of people during my set at Wills, from the stage all the way to the door singing along with songs. It was a really good feeling. Sold some albums, made some new friends and fans. If anything marred the set it was the faulty DI box that would occasionally fade in and out. But really, you haven't lived until you've seen a crowd of people in leather and nipple tape joining in with "If You're Happy And You Know It." But, the next day...yes, I saw the mighty Pixies. And since I did a mini- benefit to help me get a ticket, I thought i should tell you all about it. I got in line pretty early to secure as close of a spot as possible. Talked to some really cool people in line which helped pass the time. Some people were even nice enough to share some Starburst jellybeans, so it wasn't all bad. But when the lights went down for opening band The Thrills...oh, that was rough. Proof positive that The Pixies have a sick sense of humor. The lead singer brought to mind every soap opera star that ever talked his way into a record contract. The crowd was polite...and by polite, I mean that we refrained from killing them. See, as I said to a few people in line, they could have booked a firebreathing pornstar that plays the saxophone with her labia...and I'm still gonna get impatient. So, lights go off and the crowd cheers and freaks out for like 3 minutes before the band finally walks onstage. No 'hello,' no 'thanks for sitting through our opening band...we thought they were hilarious too'... just ripping right into "Bone Machine," "Broken Face" and "Crackity Jones" with no pause whatsoever. And the crowd, well, to say that they went off is the understatment of the year. The crowd roar was actually *painful* between songs. Here's some notes that stick out from the show: *- Even when smiling, Black Francis/Charles Thompson/Frank Black looks like he would rather be anywhere else but onstage. *- Since there was no talking betwen songs from the band, it just seemed like they whipped out song after song after song...it was really impressive how tight they are. *- The normally subdued and non-emotive Joey Santiago stole the show with the best guitar solo I've ever seen during "Vamos." He produced a guitar stand, sat his Les Paul on it center stage, played it like a violin with a drumstick, and then using every bit of his gear except for the actual strings...played a 5 minute guitar solo. * - The Pixies are the only and I know of that can play the same song twice and get a BIGGER reaction the second time. Seriously. They played "Wave Of Mutilation" midset, and then played it a few songs later...but really, really quiet. Sorry guys, but that's something else. * - "Where Is My Mind" melted that crowds face off. There's no other way to describe it. * - For the encore of "Gigantic," Kim was off in space while Charles sang the introductory "Ayahhhh" a few times, and stumbled the beginning of the song due to it. Charles just laughed and did it a few more times. And then, in the patented section with just Charles' guitar before the final chorus comes crashing back in...he forgot how to play it. Twice. And the crowd ate it up, cheered, freaked out...and I was one of them. Watching our infallible gods of indie rock actually make a human error is way more entertaining than it should be. *-When the last notes of "Gigantic" died down, and everyone within a 50 foot radius of me dried the tears from their eyes, as if on cue, the band stopped smiling, put down their instruments and walked off with no 'goodbye.' You have to wonder if they even see the effect that they had on the 2000 people in that room. * - Like the good consumer I am, I bought a t-shirt. Which I like a lot. If you're gonna do something for the money like The Pixies have been accused of...do it right and give me every bit of the myth and legend in action. I'll reward you with t-shirt money. Now, time for that announcement I've been promising: Besides one possible showcase for Celestial Bison, after my show at Back Booth on December 4th, I'm going to take a break from shows for a few months. I've never taken a break from this since 1999. I need one. I'll be back, no worries. Anybody that does the same job for five years gets a vacation...and I really like my job, but to ensure that I continue to love it as much, I'll take this break. Hopefully I'll come back with some new songs in tow. Again...it's not effective till December, so I'll be around. Thanks for all your support! Love on ya, Marc Order of business #1: War's album entitled "All Day Music." Maybe it's just that I grew up with parents that were raised in southern California, but I've heard this album more times than many people reared in the South have heard "Gimme Three Steps" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It won't do anything for my indie cred, but this is a really fucking good album. And this ain't gonna be one of those 'this-record-is-so- timeless-and-would-even-be-a-hit-if-released-today' rants. Any label that released this album in today's market would fold faster than Superman on laundry day. It sounds really, really dated. This also wont be one of those "man-these-lyrics-are-still-so-easy-to- relate-to" speeches. They aren't. Quite frankly, I'm sure than some members of War are pretty embarrassed by their hazy odes to 70's party life. So, why is the album so damn good? First off, there's nothing actually wrong with a period piece. Good music is always good. Most people just don't consider it cool ... but fuck them. This is a band that could PLAY. And every member could sing their asses off. Sample lyric: "If you be runnin' the country and you ain't runnin' it funky/You gotta get down." I don't know what it means. Maybe it was the South Californian precursor to "Whip It?" Who knows. It's a good fuckin' album, listen to it with an open mind and prepare to lose yourself. Pretty much one of the only albums my mom played for the first 5 years of my life, and I actually like it. Order of business #2: This week, Brian Wilson released quite possibly the most put-off album in the history of mankind. Yeah, "Smile" finally saw the light of day, and to way less fanfare than it deserves. I don't care what you think about the Beach Boys, this album deserves all of the hype. It's pretty freaking' amazing. I'm not kidding when I say this: it may be one of the best albums ever recorded. And I mean *EVER*. Order #3: Now, as for albums that really could be relevant today..."Animals" by Pink Floyd. Holy crap. Look, it's timeless, period. Those lyrics stand a good chance of being the most scathing political lyrics penned by a former architect. "Bleating and babbling, we fell on his neck with a scream...." Fuck. Those lyrics don't even need music to be heavy. But, for the utmost listening pleasure possible... they gave it music anyway! Wheee! And those notes are some of the scariest, heaviest jams to ever rear their head in the 70's. Others were writing punk. Or disco. These guys were doing whatever the hell they felt like, and they did it better than anyone else has or probably ever will. Screw punk rock, it doesn't make me want to change the world the way this album does. Order o' business #4: CLUTCH. Yeah. While we're on the subject of heavy, you will find it with these guys in spades. There is no heavier band on this earth. There never will be or shall be again. If you disagree, you are simply wrong, wrong, wrong. The 'heaviness' lies in the thud, not in the speed. They rock, they swing, they delight in the faded things... Clutch's mystery, not of high heels and eyeshadow. But seriously...all you need to know is the first minute and a half of the song "Slow Hole To China." Go ahead, download it. I won't tell on you. Besides, you can only get it on a tour-only rarities disc which is now out- of-print. Go ahead, steal it. Listen to it. Savor it. And try to seriously tell me that they aren't the heaviest band ever. If you still cannot agree, download "I Have The Body Of John Wilkes Booth" from their self-titled album. Sure, it's commercially available, but again...I won't tell on you. Download it. Put it on repeat for three hours. You will lose the ability to shake hands with strangers. Order of business #5: This one is personal. I expect nobody besides myself to ever like the first self-titled solo album by Belinda Carlisle. When I moved back to San Diego for a while when I was 19, I used to drink some vodka that I mixed with vicodin, put on a skirt and go downtown. No real reason, either. I didn't go to any clubs or stores. I just walked around with my headphones on and played this record over and over. It made perfect sense at the time, I assure you. Either way, I still really like this album and if there's a record listed I this journal entry that I even feel slightly guilty about loving, this is the one. Cuz man...it's just so damn girly. And finally, order #6: "The Simpsons" is a great show. And we wouldn't have it if it weren't for Tracy Ullman. We owe her an endless amount of praise and thanks for bringing the show to national attention. But, that's not her only gift to us...in the early 80's, she graced us with a pop LP called "You Broke My Heart In 17 Places." It's sick how good it is. Stephen Merritt practically wrote his book of songwriting cliches on this album. He just took away the ridiculous production, really. I didn't hear this album in it's entirety until last year, finally. I'd been in love with the album's single "They Don't Know About Us" since its release in 1984. It has always been my favorite pop song of all time, but the album sank without a trace and understandably went out of print...and stayed there. This means that I didn't grow up with the alum and I'm judging it's saccharine goodness by todays standards and values. And while they both are great and full of merit, this record beats the new albums by Saturday Looks Good To Me and The Magnetic Fields at their own game, wipes it's nose with them, drinks all of their ginger ale, leaves the empty bottles in the fridge, steals their respective boyfriends/girlfriends and then sends them pictures of makeout sessions taken by camera phones. All of these albums are amazing. If I lose indie cred for liking them...I'd way rather be uncool. :) Love on ya, Marc So, "Bubblegum Romance" is out and in the hands of many people at this point. I'm getting nothing but positive responses from it, but every once in awhile, people ask me about some extraneous songs that didn't make the cut for the final tracklist. I'll tell you all about that in this entry, as well as some fun notes about each song. 01. "I'm In Love With Everyone I Know:" Just a list of some stuff that went down the day I wrote that song. I had a dream that I was a pterodactyl, I took an online personality quiz, my mom got beat up, and the Pixies got back together. Truth can be stranger than fiction. 02. "Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World:" Some very astute fans prefer the version of this song that ends with the very pretty girl being killed and placed in my trunk. I do not. It was fun to sing during the very loud Malk shows, but overall...these original lyrics are honest and more fun for me. I changed one line from the original draft, but nobody will probably ever notice. 03. "Just A Few Words:" Written the very same day as "RetroLowFi", it was just about how some people don't have to make a peep to change the mood of a room for the better/worse. It was an innocent song about the positives of keeping your mouth shut. If only life could imitate art more often... 04. "Nerdy Girls:" I have a serious thing for girls that wear glasses. It's not a fetish, but I'm much more likely to check someone out if they are donning a pair. 05. "Honda Civic Paint Rocket:" There's a very fun story behind this song, but I don't think I'll tell it here. I'd rather see what people make of it. I initially thought this was a fun little ditty that might make a cool demo or giveaway for the website, but never considered it album material. Too many shows were filled with requests for this one to let it sit around. Chris' in-studio dancing to a backing track he couldn't hear led to my outburst of laughter at the end. 06. "I Need A Hug:" This one used to be super loud and fast, but this is the way I mean it most. 07. "Freezing In Florida:" I change what this song is about every single time I talk about it, which tells me that it doesn't really need to be explained for whatever reason. I know of at least one couple that has deemed it "their song," which is very flattering for such a despondent, lonely and depressing subject. 08. "RetroLowFi:" This song was slow going in the crowd popularity department. I really thought that people would have taken a more immediate shine to this little ode to vinyl records. It's kinda bittersweet at the moment, as my record player is broken. Looking for a reasonably priced one, so if you have a lead, let me know. Anyway, the song is getting more requests lately, which makes me happy. Bhren, Chris and Eryn gathered behind me to sing backups when we recorded it. 09. "No London In Brazil" I could probably devote an entire journal entry to this song's origins. It's about the most sincerely insane woman I have ever met. A person that drank antibacterial soap, punched pictures of Evan Dando, considered 8-Ball & MJG to be new age music, sought out to screw up undercover drug busts and drank coffee creme as if it were whiskey. The stories about this person are endless, and most of them can be verified by our own PunkMatt. She looked like a cross between Juliette Lewis and Mary Timony, in case you are wondering why we kept inviting her over. 10. "Bounce Bounce Bounce:" One of those perennial crowd favorites. I don't get sick of this one usually. I had utterly no idea that this would ever become such a popular song. It's one of the times that I really think that I successfully captured the emotions of a moment in time. My daughter doesn't jump on the bed much lately, she's almost five. Hopefully this is temporary, as I still haven't grown out of it. 11. "When You're Not Around:" So self-explanatory that it's really pointless to wax poetic about it here. I miss her when she's not there, that's it. 12. "The Real Story:" This one was originally titled "For The Real Story, Go Read My Ex's Live Journal." It's the sequel to another fairly popular song of mine, but I'll probably never admit what it is. I loved this song straight away after writing it, but I hoarded it for a little while figuring that it was so out of character for me that nobody would like it. This is a blast to play when Chris is on drums at shows. 13. "Hot Topic Kids:" If I had to pick one favorite from this entire record, this would be it. Without sounding too much like a crotchety old man, I'd like to say that for the most part, I'm very disappointed with the 20 and under crowd of today as a whole. The breeding ground for creativity that we were blessed with due to the boom in indie rock in the early 90's should have led to some of the most intelligent, open-minded generations in history. It was not to be. Their happy buying their factory sealed rebellion t the same store where all of the other 'individuals' shop. Face it, if something's sold/promoted in a Hot Topic, how fucking cool can it really be? 14. "I Really Wanna Be Your Friend:" This had its genesis on an aborted EP that (thankfully) never saw the light of day. It was originally written for Natalie of Unicornucopia, but the lyrics had been redrafted so many times, that it's really pointed at the audience in general. Always a fun one live. There were a lot of extraneous songs recorded at various stages for "Bubblegum Romance" that fell by the wayside. Some of them were fairly popular with the crowd. Look at this laundry list: "One Hit Wonder:" Recorded in the 'rock sessions', a good song that had a middle eight that couldn't be replicated live. "Satellite" This one was recorded during the sessions with Zabriskie, and was actually on the master of the album. Dropped last minute because there wasn't a good place to fit it on the record. Chris demanded that I at least gave it a shot, I think this is one of his ultimate favorites of mine. "Bubblegum Romance" (AKA "Preemptive Breakup Song"): This was one of the first songs written for the album, but I just grew out of it. The recoded version stems from the 'rock' sessions with Joe Panton, and is probably my favorite from those tracks. The alternate title of this song describes the content pretty accurately. "Mall Sluts With Cell Phones:" Man, if I had a nickel for every time that this kid that talked like the elephant man would come to my shows, sit front and center and bellow requests for this song nonstop. While those memories are frightening, the actual reason this didn't make it were as follows: not only were the pop culture references in this song seriously dated by the time of it's recording, but while the live version was raw and acoustic ... the track was a failed studio experiment that came off sounding like a cross between Talking Heads and Nine Inch Nails. You aren't missing out on anything. "Liana:" One of the biggest crowd requests ever, and I had the gall to leave it off the record. At one time, it was even gonna be the single. And if the original aborted sessions had come to fruition, it would have been like track 8 on the album. However, when we redid the album with Chris at the wheel, it just didn't fit in with the vibe of the other songs anymore. Rest assured, it'll see the light of day. "You've Got This Curse" (AKA "I Wanna Love You Like You've Never Been Loved Before"): Another one that sounded really cool from the Joe Panton 'rock' sessions. We didn't even attempt to rerecord it for the second draft, but not for any particular reason that I can remember. We just didn't. But, I'd expect to see this one surface soon as well. I still really like the song. "Music Can Heal:" The studio version of this 6 minute heartbreaker (again from the Joe sessions) was a cross between Lynyrd Skynrd and Sonic Youth. Dueling noise against slide guitars. It was epic, man. Problem is that I grew out of the song. We rerecorded a really bare bones version of it for the second draft of "Bubblegum Romance" that really cut through the quiet living room air like a chainsaw. But alas, it's so epic that it could only fit at the end of the record, and I had to choose between ending with this suicide note or the happy, positive "I Really Want To Be Your Friend". The latter one, and I don't regret that decision one bit. While I don't enjoy playing this one live all that much, I still think that it's one of the best songs I've written. "Worth It Now:" A really sappy song. So saccharine that it bordered on irony, and the studio version didn't sound as heartfelt as I meant for it to. But it was also way too high for me to sing live anyway. I just realized that there were a total of 24 songs written and recorded for Bubblegum Romance. It could have been a double record... that's just unreal. The odd thing is that there were a multitude of other songs written for the album that never got past demo form. Dude, this seriously could have been like a Marc (with a "C") box set. I'll keep that in mind for 20 years from now when I'm putting together the 'super-bitchin'-ultra- deluxe-remastered-reissue version to milk you guys. So, what of these other songs? What will become of them before we hit 2024? Well, we have a really cool release in mind for potential release next year on Celestial Bison, but I don't really wanna map out any details right now for you. I mean, I'm really excited about it, but as we've seen with the last album, plans tend to change for my releases. A lot. Keep your eyes open though, because damn, it's gonna be a cool release. In other news, I'm working on a compilation for the heart and soul of Celestial Bison... Struggleburger. It's been a lot of fun going through their records. There's so much good stuff there, and they never got old or repeated themselves. Always kept you guessing and scratching your head. At the moment, I'm way into "Getting To Know The Neighbors," which was their fourth album and their first as a duo. Instead of just being a wall of noise like much of the prior releases, the dynamics between quiet and loud are so extreme... it's hard to believe that every track was done by the same band. In one year, they made a catalog that can parallel the Residents in volume innovation and annihilation. Except Struggleburger had cooler album covers. Hope you guys are enjoying that Bucket Of Nails record too. I'm not just talking about it so much because I produced it, either. Ask *ANYONE* at my record release part last month. Those kids stole the show. I was honestly afraid to follow them. So next time, I'm playing before them, dammit. This is the part where I'd normally recommend albums for you to check out. I'm lazy, and I've been listening to the same stuff repeatedly. So, I'll spare you the lengthy descriptions and give you a list of suggested end-of-summer listening: Talking Heads "More Songs About Buildings And Food" Saturday Looks Good To Me "Every Night" Rilo Kiley "More Adventurous" Mountain Goats "Tallahassee" Lisa Germano "Geek The Girl" The Who "A Quick One" The Pixies "Bossanova" Have at it, guys. I love you and I'll talk to you all again very soon. Sincerely, Marc So, why are the fucking kids so apathetic? I'm serious. I saw The Queers tonight at the Social (and I got paid to be there...long story), and while there was some serious enjoyment going on, most kids stood there with their arms crossed, acting too cool to have fun at the show. It even prompted the opening band Dynamite Boy to flip off the crowd and proclaim, "This is a fucking show. You came here to have a good time, act like it". I couldn't agree with that very large lead singer more. Stop fucking acting so indifferent. Dance if you want to. Sing out the words if you want to. Cheer as loud as you can every time the band does something you like. Otherwise sit at home, download music, and pretend to not care about the band in the privacy of your own home. If it sucks so bad...stay home. And stop spending money on their t-shirts at Hot Topic. Hot Topic kids are the most disappointing generation I can think of in the last 100 years. That includes the baby boomers. I can only hope that homosexuality runs rampant in their genre, causing them to not have little unwanted apathetic babies that listen to music worse than their idiotic anorexic adrogynous parents. But... folks, I have a record coming out. I'm excited, and I hope you are as well. I hope you like it. If you do, come to the shows and embrace it. Jump around, join in and have fun. And if you hate it, please hate it with as much passion as you can. So much so that you ignore me and never raise an eye to anything I'm doing. Just don't be lazy and be indifferent. That's the easy and cheap way out. Have an opinion. Stand behind it. Promote it. Save us from the Hot Topic generation, eh? Love on ya, Marc Well, it's been a fruitful and rewarding few weeks. Got my paws on the first copy of "Bubblegum Romance," and it just looks great. I'm really happy with the layout that Chris did, and I think you'll like it, too. Still very happy with the album overall. I haven't been really writing much since, bu I am trying to figure out my next steps. The future of my writing will more than likely be pretty linear, continuing to be very personal and real. I've got a few ideas kicking around now as I type. In my offtime, I'm registering people to vote. It's an important time to use your voice, even if you don't agree with how the system is run. While I do plenty of benefits as Marc (with a "C"), it's not in my nature to be preachy about politics, onstage or off. I'll just say this: if you aren't happy wih America right now, do something about it. Vote. If you are happy with the goings-on in the world today...vote. If you don't register, you can't complain about a single thing. Say you go to jail for breaking a really stupid law, right? But, you don't vote because you think anarchy is 'cool' and whatnot...anarchy won't get you out of jail. It won't save anyone else from going to jail for breaking that stupid law. And it won't be very realistic to convince anyone else that anarchy or a non-partisan system is the way to go...because you've never used your voice. C'mon, even the Dead Kennedys vote, and they are punks, right? Want to be different? Care about the world around you, get off your ass and speak up about it. :::stepping off my soapbox::: I hope you guys check out a new Celestial Bison Records band called "Bucket Of Nails." I helped those guys record their album. To call it spastic is not even close to fair. It's just chaos, and it needs to be heard. You can preview the band at my record release party on August 28th, but those details are on the shows page. I'm listening to lot of music lately. I think I'll tell you about some of it. Rilo Kiley's "More Adventurous:" It hasn't hit the streets yet, but beside being proclaimed the second best live band in existence by yours truly, they also make really cool records. It's a little different, and sometimes it almost seems like a Jenny Lewis solo album, but it's one of the best records you'll hear all year. Pete Townshend's "Who Are You Demos (Music Must Change):" All right. Pete Townshend would painstakingly demo every Who record in his home studio, playing every instrument, and those rare recordings are more than sought after by those 'in the know.' Why? Because they always rival the finished product in greatness. This one is no exception, but also surpasses the final album. See, "Who Are You" ended up being a pretty strange Who album. It has almost an equal number of Entwistle contributions and Pete songs, which was unheard of. This demo album is, understandably, a totally different beast. It's disconnected, lonely, angry and suicidal in places. You can hear Pete's life spiraling out of control more and more throughout the 13 tracks. I can't think of any other way to put this...but this might be the great lost Townshend album, and the world needs to hear this. It will give you a whole different perspective on The Who, and the tortuous songwriting process. Phew. You know? I'm actually fairly spent after thinking of those aforementioned demos. You should go and download them. I gonna go lie down and drift off to them. Have a good day, and I'll check in again before the release party! Love On Ya, Marc If you are any sort of indie rock fan, it's a fact you simply cannot deny. Of Montreal certainly took more than a little inspiration from side 2 of "Can't Buy A Thrill." You can consider Pavement's "Terror Twilight" the indie-equivalent to the Dan's "Gaucho." Wheat's earliest releases just wouldn't have existed without lots of influence from "Aja." Here's some more proof: - "Any Major Dude." If Juliana Hatfield would have sang this, it'd have seemed like the most earth-shattering lullaby ever created. It'd be free from nightmarish endings like "Rock-A-Bye Baby." - "My Old School." If Polyphonic Spree had any funk whatsoever, this is what they'd sound like. Not only did the musicians sing it in unison, but they harmonized with people that weren't even in the band. Why? Because whoever wanted to be was in the band. That's friggin' punk. - They did exactly one tour in their actual inception. See, after their second record, the two man cats in the group decided to make it a purely studio project. This gave the songs no room to grow/breathe in a live setting. Therefore, you can't question the songs. The form you heard them in were the form you were gonna hear them in, period. Which also meant you couldn't be distracted by crazy pyro or live musicians 'rocking out.' You had to enjoy the song for what it was. - "Do It Again" is the reason that Quasi can exist. - If J Mascis had been old enough to rock in the 1970's, the guitar solo to "Pretzel Logic" would have been his freakin' bible. - Ditto for "Do It Again." - The song "FM." Only available at the time on 45. All about the radio. Catchy enough to be a huuuge single. Couldn't be due to all of the profanity. One of two songs that the Dan used such language. The other being "Show Biz Kids"...which also was a single. - "Show Biz Kids." the bands reference the exact audience that was picking up on them, lays waste to their cocaine-snorting ways, and then references their own t-shirts. It also has no chorus, but backing vocalists chant 'lost wages' about 4000 times over the duration. - "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again." Think that the trilogy at the end of Abbey Road is the best ending to a rock record ever? You're wrong. This is. At least besides "Tommy" and "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea." And this was their *first album*. - "The Fez" = ultimate bedroom dance party. In summation, stop pretending that Steely Dan sucks. Get off your high horse. You're wrong. -Marc I think that we've finally gotten it right this time. "Bubblegum Romance" is so done that it tickles. It sounds exactly like a Marc (with a "C") album should. Warts and all. No high-gloss production here. No more instrumentation than the songs call for. And...it's good. It's really good. Chris Zabriskie and I made the best record we could. And after 2 years of production nightmares, long lapses in productivity and an eventual stalemate in progress on the first attempt at the album...this is better for me than what the last record was turning into. The original version was way more "rock," and while I like to rock sometimes, it gave you the impression that I had lofty 'rock band' ambitions, which really just isn't the case. The more we recorded initially, the less the record sounded like *me*. Joe Panton, for the record, is an amazing rock producer, and we may be using some of the old recordings later for a future project between he and I. But, on to the meat of things. The most important thing is that Chris and I had a really, really great time recording the album. We ordered out for Chinese food, watched b-movies and Muppet Show episodes. On some songs, we'd record entire tracks of instrumentation, only to throw it away later when the song just simply didn't need it. We tried to do a new version of the crowd favorite "Liana" on household objects, but it just didn't fit the overall vibe of the album. Neither did the quiet reading of "Music Can Heal" done at the first session. But, what did get left in was what we're really proud of. It's sparse, it's a party, it's the product of some friends in a room having a great time. And after 2 years, who'd have thought that we really only needed two sessions? I hope you like it, I hope you sing along, I hope it was worth the wait, and I especially hope that you have as good of a time listening to it as we did making it. Love On Ya, Marc Here's the good news: Besides mastering and one song still being unmixed, the long-overdue "Bubblegum Romance" album is finished. It's got really slick production and is just a huge rock epic. Here's the bad news: It wont be coming out. I could go on for hours about the tribulations of recording, mixing, the label interest that came and went, and all that crap, but none of it is why the album is getting scrapped. Here's the actual reason: I don't like being in a rock band. I like playing an acoustic guitar. I like having a drummer occasionally. But overall, for me, rock doesn't have to have a distortion pedal and huge production values. I just have to mean it. And there are points on this first version of "B.R." where actual emotion gets sacrificed for better sound and tonality. I can't handle that. So, "Bubblegum Romance" is going to get re-recorded very quickly. When I say quickly, I can assure you that this album will still be out by the end of the year. January would be the release date if we got all "Chinese Democracy" on it, but that ain't gonna happen. This is a record that will be stripped to the bare, raw minimum. I apologize if it's off-putting, but...if I put out a big rock album, and then woudn't perform with a full band, you'd feel a lot more mislead. (To clear it up: Joe Panton does excellent production work. Like, it's really amazing. But, it's just too good for the Marc With A C songs. It's that simple.) The Malk will continue to be whoever happens to join me onstage at any given time. It might even be a full-on rock band once in awhile. But... don't expect it. So, if you really like the direction I've been heading in lately, you'll be really happy when this new album is released. If you are in any way upset by the scrapping of the slick, saturated version of "Bubblegum Romance"...you'd just be put-off when it didn't sound that way live. Bottom line? I'm happy and I'm following my heart and muse. Q: And, what of all those new songs I've been playing live, like "I'm In Love With Everyone," "Honda Civic," "Real Story," etc? A: We're recording another album simultaneously. If you have any questions, that's what the chat board is for. That way I can answer them so that others don't have to ask later. I'm elated about this development, and more excited about music than I've been since prior to the release of "Human Slushy." Let's do this like Buddhists. -Marc PS: I'm still looking for two tickets to the Pixies in Orlando in October. If you're holdin'...hook a brother up. So, here's a journal entry all about Side 2 of Paul McCartney's 1973 album "Red Rose Speedway" instead. Ok, even if you own this album, you've probably never paid much attention this far into it. If you made it through the saccharine "My Love" and the excruciating "Get On The Right Thing/One More Kiss" combo, you were rewarded by the gorgeous epic "Little Lamb Dragonfly." We're talking soft-rock-epic, mind you, not "When The Levee Breaks," so don't get ticked off if you download it and find yourself lulled into sleep. But, the real glory comes when you flip that slab of dusty wax over... Yeah, the simplicity! This is what I remember about Paul! Man, "Single Pigeon" should have been the damned single off this album. It'd have gone to number one at the time simply on the strength of Paul's name (you've gotta remember, this is around the time that Paul successfully released a cover of "Mary Had A Little Lamb"...with a straight face. And it sold huge). But, instead, it lies in obscurity waiting to be discovered for your own personal happiness. You know, seemingly effortless lyrics, a wash of piano, a tasteful trumpet. Which leads into... "When The Night." The simplest rhyme scheme this side of my own "Liana" frames this nightmarish 50's pastiche. It sounds like something that would play on an AM radio while you wait to pick your grandmother up from work. Until Paul loses his shit and stars screaming "lalalalalalalala" at the top of his lungs "Oh Darling!" style. Yeah, man. "Loup, 1st Indian On the Moon." What the hell? Just one spacey, scary, druggy instrumental that shouldn't be listened to alone after 10 PM. Seriously. It's one strange little tune that no cultural dance steps can possibly match up to. I don't know what to make of it, but it's... pretty much the only song that could follow the eerie nature of the last one. And, Paul gives you a slight pause to ponder before... "Hold Me Tight", which is not to be confused with the early Beatles song of the same name. No, this one just has some of the least obvious chord changes you could think up. And, unless my ears deceive me, Paul rhymes "hold me tight" with "ogle me right". What? And,without even stopping, this track dead-ends right into "Lazy Dynamite," which ends with the melody line of the aforementioned track. You can pactically hear the sound of the scissors snipping as the song breaks midbeat into "Hands Of Love", which is harmonized with Linda...and won't turn your stomach. Why the bad rep for Linda's voice, anyways? She's not exactly wretched. More plain than anything, really. Has anyone besides me noticed that her voice blends really well with Paul's? I'm digressing... So, yeah. "Hands Of Love." Barely even 2 minutes into it, it fades prematurely into the least linear album closer in hisory..."Power Cut." I don't know what the song is about, or what Paul's trying to communicate, but it's awesome without all of the intertwining melodies of the thee previous tracks. No big rock ending, just a soft fade...and then the run-out groove. Don't flip the album over. Just move the needle back to the beginning of Side 2 and enjoy it as the seperate entity that it should be treated as. And, whatever you do, don't listen to it on CD. The mastering sucks, the continuity is destroyed by the worthless bonus tracks...and it's just generally lame. This one is always in dollar vinyl cut-out bins. Sink the dollar. If it doesn't appeal to you somewhat within 5 listens, I'll reimburse your dolla. Scout's honor. Next month: we'll be dissecting some other ridiculous album that you'd make fun of me for liking, but you'd come around to if you gave it a chance, you pretentious indie-than-thou-know-it-all. Love on ya, Marc Yeah. Welcome to www.marcwithac.com for the first second time ever. Jessica Frick owned it for awhile, and it was so uber-nice of her to buy it, renew it and continuously surprise me with it over the last two years. Yeah, man. But, now we've got the full ownership of it, and Chris is going to continue over seeing this as a web presence for now. The reasons why are numerous, and far too boring to go into here. All I can stand behind is that Chris is a great webmaster and an even better friend. Oh, and Jessica Frick? Well, you can catch up with my old bandmate at www.andrewandjess.com because she has a puppy and pretty much devotes most of her fuckin' website to it. We heart Jess. 2. Fringe Festival: Hey there. If you came to our show at the Fringe Festival, thank you. I learned that I don't like playing in the sun much. I was physically dead by the fifth song, but I caught a second wind soon afterwards. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to recover from it. The end of the set became total chaos and screaming, but I think it was mostly myself being stir-crazy in the Florida outdoor heat...plus the needless addition of orange heat lamps midway through the show. The show has the distinct honor of being (probably) the first show that included no swearing whatsoever from yours truly. That was saved for after the set when I had an orgasmic ice-cold shower to refresh me. Fuck yeah. It was fun...but if I can help it, I doubt I'll be playing outdoors in Florida's summer months anymore. Unless it's a really cool show. 3. Marc Sirdoreus: So, I'm sure you might be wondering what the hell is up with me booking a show under my actual name. I'll bet you are saying something like "Dude, you're still Marc with a C!" Well, you're right. I am. And I'm not sure if I'll ever commit to changing my stage name fully. I just knew I wanted to do a different type of show, and if I billed it as M (w/a "C") right now, there'd be a lot of pissed off audience members that came to hear dick, fart & drug jokes. This is my way of showing how far removed from that material I really am. Consider the Underground Bluz show indicative of the terribly near future for me in any stage guise. It's no secret that I've been calming down the shows for over a year, and I'll continue to do so. I'm doing the songs that I actually mean and feel from here on out. So what if I won't be swearing as much? That's just not who I am right now. I'm not gonna fake it for anyone anymore. I'll do what kind of show I want to do, and if it alienates people... then I'll grab an audience that wants to hear songs. Honest to goodness songs. With emotions beyond anger and humor. Maybe even happiness (which is still legal to write about, no matter what Clear Channel's rock radio will lead you to believe). All of the aspects of Marc (with a "C") will always be a part of me. But I'm growing, and other aspects of life are a bigger influence than those previously listed. As I previously stated, I will probably continue to be booked/billed/record as Marc (with a "C"), but the show will be for Marc Sirdoreus... and anyone else that wants to look and listen. I'll still do windmills, too. 4. Bubblegum Democracy: Yes, Bubblegum Romance will come out. Yes, it will be out by years end. Being that it's a production collaboration between myself and Joe Panton, it will not be released until both parties are 100% happy with all aspects of it. This album was envisioned as the pop record we'd both always wanted to make. We don't have any financial backing... but we also don't have anyone breathing down our necks to release it. We're taking advantage of that freedom by tweaking this record until it will be the best record these two human beings can make right now. So, be patient, and enjoy the two free songs from the album on the MP3 page. I promise that if you like those, the wait will be rewarding for you. 5. HRGII/ST: There was talk of the long-rumored "Shock Treatment" EP being completed and released this summer. Well, it is true that it was recorded, but it's not true that it will be released. It's very hard to listen to (unless you are me), and isn't something I could consider essential for me to release right now. A song or two might show up somewhere, but... it's not likely. If you're around sometime and want to hear it, cool. I'll play it for you. The same goes for the "Hey Rape Girl Vol. 2" EP that was completed at the same time. Instead of disturbing sexual imagery, the story was meant to become much more violent, removed and non-linear. It served that purpose so well that it's practically unlistenable to others as well, apparently. I needed to write the second half to give myself closure on it, and now I feel better. That was the point. So, I doubt it'll circulate in any form, save for the odd track here and there. Again, if you're around sometime, I'll play it for you. 6. Vicki Odor: We miss you. You were amazing. I hope you are OK. Sleep well. 7. Etc: I think I might do journal entries with a slightly higher frequency soon. They won't all be super-important things, but I'd like to at least update once or twice a month. Here's some suggested listening: Frank Black - Show Me Your Tears. Possibly the best record of the new millenium, still. Cracker - Countrysides. Give it a chance. Even if it isn't your thing, it's still probably better than your last album. Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere. It's spacy and not as Floydesque as the reviews might have you believe, but it's certainly one of a kind. Jolie Holland - Escondida. This woman has the best voice of any living creature. Mood, melody and atmosphere a-plenty. Holy crap. Jazz, blues, a little slow honky-tonk, some ragtime. She's all over the place, but grounded firmly in her not-so-obvious roots. The Thermals - Fuckin A. Insert Chris's rant here: Chris' Rant: I PERSONALLY WITNESSED THE HEAD OF EVERYONE WITHIN TEN MILES OF A THERMALS LIVE SHOW EXPLODE SCANNERS-STYLE!!!!! Luckily, I survived. Greatest band alive. The Melvins - Neither Here Nor There. The most schizophrenic best-of I can think of. Some people say the Melvins always sound the same. This sounds like a compilation of 3 avant-garde bands, one speedpunk band, and one really uncommercial grunge band. Not recommend for sleeping purposes. Mirah - C'mon Miracle. However, if you must fall asleep to one record, make it this one. Our little Microphones graduate can sing me to sleep anytime. Air - Virgin Suicides. Ditto. But they aren't neary as cute. And this might give you nightmares. And it's pretty damn creepy. But it's...uh, good. Yup. That's it. Enjoy some shows. Enjoy the new site. Enjoy tea. Say hello to Chris Zabriskie. Now you say hello to the readers, Chris. Hello. Now, make this sentence twirl and turn blue and shoot ponies out of the letter "o" like it's a hoop with some fancy-ass java applet, Chris. Haha! Something that computers can't do!!! Mwahahahahaha! Love on ya, Marc I'm having the ponies flown in from Hungary. Check back with me later this week. I wrote a diary entry for this site a few weeks ago, but we never put it up, so please don't think I'm ignoring my duties. Appearance on 104.1: Great fun. Hard building to get into. Premeired new single. Did on-air interview. Played live in-studio. Malk show at Wills: Loud, loose and sweaty. Fun show with lotsa new stuff from the upcoming record. Solo show at Bodhisattva: More new songs abounded. Good crowd that let me get away with it as well as some "Hey Rape Girl" action. All-request show at Austins: Nice. Some very unexpected requests. Good crowd that got the strangest (and probably last) version of "Monkeys Comin Outta Yo Ass" ever. ---------------------------------------------------- Important news: Effective immediatly. Marc (with a "C") & The Malk will no longer just be Joe Panton on drums and Chris Zabriskie on bass. I, Marc, will still be doing solo shows as I always have, but due to the unpredictable nature of these shows, any show advertised as a Malk show will mean the following: Marc with whoever the hell feels like joining me onstage at the time. It could just be Chris. It could just be Joe. It could be Mike Sincavage on a toy drum kit. It could be all of the above with a choir. But... that's what the Malk is, to clear up any further confusion. --------------------------------------------------- In other news: The long-rumored "Shock treatment" EP is in the can and ready to go. "Bubblegum Romance" will be out in late May/June more than likely. Mixing is pretty much finished. Mastering/pressing/artwork still must be finished. A third full-length will possibly see release via Celestial Bison and a limited CD pressing in January of next year. It's half-written at this point, and there will be no pussyfooting around with this one. Our faithful Chris Zabriskie will be producing/recording it. ------------------------------------------------------ Records I'm listening to alot lately: Ben Kweller - "On My Way" The Elected - "Me First" ZZ Top - "Tres Hombres" Clutch - "Blast Tyrant" Soft Rock Champion - "Grandfather" Duran Duran - "Pop Trash" Thanks, Marc
It's been a productive/frustrating few weeks since I
last wrote a real journal entry for this here site o' mine. It isn't
due to my interest waning, I can assure you of that. No, It's had a
lot more to do with a rampant writer's block that's been plaguing me
for about 5 months. Mind you, I've written a bit in that time.
However, the ratio of stuff I'm writing that I like to utter crap
that's flowing from me these days is noticeable by a wide, wide
margin. However, I do have a few new songs in the works ("I Can't
Win," "Hibachi," & "My Girlfriend" to name a few),
as well as a few
that I've been tinkering with live ("Wanna Be Yr Friend," "Brand New
Thing," "No Kidding," etc...), but... I guess it's just that the
songs are so markedly different from my usual output that I'm not
totally secure with where it's headed yet. Besides, I still have the
upcoming "Bubblegum Romance" album to attend to. More on that in a
paragraph or so.
The shows have been nice lately. Did a 16 Month Xmas
Xtravaganza that included Chris busting out some drum work with no
notice. Such little notice that he notified me of it as we were
loading in for the night. A great show that I'd love to have had a
non-malfunctioning tape deck recording for posterity. Also did a set
with the same lineup, (Marc: Vocals/Guitar, Chris: Vocals/Drums)
that people kept breathing down my neck exclaiming "Best Marc Show
EVER!!" over. I don't share that opinion as it was utter chaos
onstage with Rory holding together the makeshift drum kit as Chris
continued unfettered in his attempt to beat it into submission. But,
it was a fun show, for sure. I'm finally getting the hang of 'toning
it down,' yet still giving a crowd enough of what they request.
And, that birthday show... whoooooeeee! Bambi
Helicopter held everyone captivated, Natalie Weiss sang accordion
based nursery rhymes, and they both blew me away yet again. It was
the Malk's first time doing the acoustic full-band treatment, but I
was exceedingly happy with the results. Everyone could *hear* the
lyrics for once, which was a major plus. Also, the band played solid
and tight 99% of the time. Oh, and talk about a good crowd? Man, the
Guinevere's audience was all about showing the love. And bringing me
birthday stickers. To anyone that was there: you made my birthday
rock. And roll. All day long. Sweet Susie.
I spent the next day in jail due to a clerical error
on the DMV's part. And an oversight on mine. Don't ever go to jail
wearing a shirt that says "Precious" if you are male, FYI.
Now, "Bubblegum Romance:"
Instead of filling your head with bogus, unreliable
release dates, I'll tell you the truth as we know it. The album is
recorded and is in the mixing stages. It will be credited to Marc
With A "C" & The Malk. However, all members of the Malk are
exceedingly busy. Joe works fulltime and watches just as much bad
TV. Marc works fulltime, eats a lot of salad, reads biographies,
cuddles and freaks out a la "Smile"-era Brian Wilson over ever step
of the record making process. And, of course, Chris is getting
married to Bhren this month (they are registered at Target). This
leaves little time for musical work at the moment. I have the cover
art picked out, and I'm waiting on Chris to do the art layout, Joe
to finish the mixing, then it must be mastered and pressed. Once all
of these hurdles are successfully jumped, there will be a release
date. You won't hear one until we are sure we can keep it. The first
single will more than likely be "No London In Brazil." There will be
a single released with B-sides and all coinciding with the release
date of the album.
Did somebody say official "Bubblegum Romance" track
listing?
01. RetroLowFi
02. Bubblegum Romance
03. Prettiest Girl In My Trunk
04. No London In Brazil
05. Nerdy Girls
06. Bounce Bounce Bounce
07. Just A Few Words
08. Liana
09. One Hit Wonder
10. Freezing In Florida
11. I Need A Hug
12. You've Got This Curse
13. Music Can Heal
(That's the track list as of this writing. Subject to
change, but unlikely.)
And this, my friends is what I can offer you at the
moment. Hope you like the new website. Our shows will resume as the
release date inches closer. Soon, I'll tell you all about what I'm
listening to lately. As of now, my writing muse has been exhausted.
See you guys soon.
Love On Ya,
Marc
December 29, 2003
2003. It came. It didn't do much of
anything. It piddled around for awhile. It left. We rejoiced.
*****************************
JOE'S FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2003 (in
some sort or order)
*****************************
CHRIS' FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2003 (in exact order)
01. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million. GREATEST. BAND. ALIVE.
*****************************
and finally...
RORY OF THE GALA LUNCHEON'S FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2003 (in order)
01. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million. Okay, the first time I heard this record was in the car driving to the show. I was floored, I instantly fell in love with it, then to see them live 30 minutes later. Oh man, I repeat. Greatest band alive!
"The Postal Service", I reply. "It's really good" as she nods her head to the music. Light changes green, she drives off.
November 25
I'm just a bad liar. Anyone who knows me knows that I couldn't lie if my life depended on it. Marc asked me today to write a journal entry for the site. He's not tired of them, but he tried writing one earlier and just couldn't think of anything to say, I suppose, I don't know. So, I thought, hey, I should write a journal entry pretending to be Marc and fool everyone hahaha. Well, I just can't do it. I couldn't possibly be convincing enough. I'm sorry, dear reader. My honesty has failed us all.
Who am I, then? I'm Chris. I play bass for Marc's band and I have been running this site since August 2002. I feel a little greedy doing this, even though it was a request, since I keep my own journal at gymkata.org, where this and other sites are hosted. Still, I'll try my best to keep it informative and enlightening. Then again, I might just talk about bubbles.
First things first, the show at Will's Pub Friday night was insanity. It marked the third show of the new lineup (Marc, Joe and myself) and we really felt, at this point in the game, that we were ready to put on a really awesome show. We were confident with the material and with each other as a band, and it was now time to become the best live band you've ever seen. Or, at least, a reasonable facsimile of said band. I won't go into too many personal details, but here's what went on and why an apology to some of you is in order:
We were booked by Will's at the same time as another local band as a double bill. This other band, in the ensuing weeks, proceeded to add on three other bands they were friendly with without letting much of anyone know about it. They wanted to book their own show, and that's fine. They just had to say something. Instead, we get there and we're told that we're going on dead last. This ended up putting us on after 1:30 am. There were about fifteen people left. Even the other bands were in the process of ditching us. We had about 25 minutes to burn down Will's with whatever energy we had left. We did our best, I guess. We were a bit sloppy due to exhaustion from all the ridiculous drama we had to work out, let alone it being so late, Marc had no monitor for most of the show, I got really dizzy right as the first song began and nearly fell over numerous times, etc. All in all, however, it was a pretty cool set. A very sincere apology to anyone who showed up at midnight as promised, expecting us to play. Instead you got four frat kids singing faux-Irish songs about female pubic hair and beer. These dudes weren't even Irish, especially that Asian violin player. No way he could fool me. They could have at least sung with an Irish accent. Oh, and a quick message to those guys: the Proclaimers are Scottish. Thanks.
This leads me to the next item of business: if you haven't noticed already, up on the mp3 page of the site is a brand new live EP for all of you to consume. It's the Will's show from start to finish, minus soundcheck. Consider it a Christmas present. It's not the fanciest of all recordings, seeing as how we just hooked up a tape player to the soundboard, but if you haven't been out to a full band show yet, it'll give you some idea of how these songs sound now. We really hope you enjoy it.
This is serious, now. I had a dream last night that Marc with a C and The Malk had been invited to open a few dates of the next Pearl Jam tour. You wouldn't know it if you knew my music taste, but I really like Pearl Jam (the first two albums are crap, Yield and Binaural are brilliant), so this was kinda exciting. It was the third show of the tour and we had just finished our set. Marc and I stood by the side of the stage to watch Pearl Jam rock Madison Square Garden. Their first song? "Freezing In Florida. " They covered one of our songs! Now, please, imagine as best you can Eddie Vedder singing "It's freezing in florida/God, how I miss you," Stone's doing a really loose, bluesy solo overtop, the band gives it a real authentic Neal Young vibe...man, I wish I had a recording of that somehow. The dream was really vivid. Anyway, it ruled. I turned to Marc and said, "Oh, man, Dave's gonna flip! Pearl Jam covered one of his songs!"
At this point, I'm sure even the most casual of Marc fans are going, "Dave who?" Marc Sirdoreus wrote "Freezing In Florida," not some dude named Dave. Well, Dave is Dave Joslyn, my best friend since I was ten. He and I were in a band called Struggleburger a few years ago and Dave understands and loves Pearl Jam like no one else. Dave writes incredible songs, as can be heard on his album available at Celestial Bison Records (how's that for a plug?), but he did not write "Freezing In Florida." Well, in my dreams he did.
So, I wake up this groggy this morning and about ten minutes later, hop into the shower. I'm washing my hair and planning out my day and I'm thinking, I should really write a journal entry for my site about how I opened for Pearl Jam and...oh. Yeah, it was a dream.
I'm tempted to ramble on about nothing while I have the chance, but I'll spare you. Just know five things real quick before I go:
01. I saw Styx this weekend. So did Marc. It was free. We still felt dirty. 02. The Thermals continue to be the greatest band alive. 03. Milk Duds are the candy of eternity. 04. No one cares about Kimberly Bauer. You should have let the mountain lion eat her, eat her alive! Television is stupid. 05. I won a game of Scrabble Sunday night with my first word. I used all of my letters in one turn. Shortest game of Scrabble ever. The word? "Stigmata."
Pleasant dreams of fading rock stars, everyone!
-Chris
November 10
"If life gives you lemons, make lemonade so that life can sneak up behind you and give you a golden shower."
This is kinda the running motto for the ongoing "Bubblegum Romance" sessions. So far, in the process of this album amps have blown up, body parts have been injured, massive blood disorders occur, computers have erased entire songs, etc. It's really one thing after another. And...just as we were about to go in and finish the last cleanups, the album instantly goes back into the limbo phase when the mainframe decides to shutdown every time we press 'record'. Who knows...you might just end up with a friggin' "Bubblegum Romance" EP if this all keeps up.
The first two Marc With A C & The Malk shows were very fun. The first show contained actual electrocution of yours truly, while the second saw Chris & Joe with a throat infection and a pulled back muscle, respectively. Somehow, the shows still saw their way into being raw infectious fun sweaty rock concerts. And, the rock will only get more intense...we hope. Or we might just get bored and say 'fuck it.' Who's to try and predict?
Last night, I actually began recording songs for the continuation of "Hey Rape Girl." One track I'm incredibly happy with, one is an intro I'm indifferent to, and the third...well, I had these really great sound effect ideas, but now they just seem to be drowning out the very-quietly-recorded-and-faintly-strummed guitar. This, uh, 'chaps my ass.' Either way, work will continue here and there on the project. Don't count on any given release date for it...it'll come out when it's good enough. And, though I've written numerous songs for the project, most were not up to par. Close, close friends even threatened me with bodily injury if certain songs from that vein ever saw the light of day. I don't want to become an amputee, so, uh...it's gonna hafta wait a few more months to be released, eh?
16 Month-er Bhren released her first album on Celestial Bison Records. I want everyone to go and get it. And then I want you to thank her for it, got it?
I'm on this massive Pink Floyd kick. Can't get off it. Maybe I'll just do my whole next journal entry on how fuckin' great Pink Floyd is. Or...maybe I'll do it now? Yeah, here's my top 5 Floyd albums:
1. (tie) THE FINAL CUT: Man, so many people dog this record. They all need their reproductive protuberances stretched out and stapled to their fuckin' faces. It's this simple...if you are a fan of Waters-era Floyd, and you don't count this album as a masterpiece, you are a Jerry's Kid. You are a stupid, bad person that will never bring anything but pain and suffering onto the earth and into the lives of people around you. The title track of "The Final Cut" may be the most moving, personal piece of music one man is capable of writing. "Two Suns In The Sunset" achieves a mean feat by actually *sounding* like what it's written about (which is death by nuclear holocaust during a night drive, but who's counting?), while "Paranoid Eyes" can relate to anyone's downfall in life, really. It drove the remaining band members away from the Floyd, and it's the detachment and loss of communication that makes the album sound cold and lonely...just like the subject matter.
1. (tie) THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN: I'm not going to go into the Syd Barrett story. If you care, look it up on Google. It's fascinating, sure, but I can't wax any more poetic about him than thousands of other writers already have. It's all ingenious. Every bit of it. And so what if Syd recites the I Ching verbatim during "Chapter 24." YOU didn't think of it, did ya smart guy? That's what I thought! Nope. And you didn't write anything as innocent and catchy as "Bike" in your bad high-school band, right? THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! So, shut up about how Syd's stuff is dated, or how "Dark Side Of The Moon" is sooooo much more stellar. If you really think you can do better, give it a shot. Otherwise, just own up to the fact that every bit of this album is brilliant and joyous, and has 1,000 times more influence over that Radiohead album you pretend to like than "Sgt. Pepper" or "Pet Sounds" could ever hope to.
2. MEDDLE: This is only at the second position due to the last 5 or so minutes of Side 1 being not my cup of tea. Chris will fight me on it, but...if they had dropped "San Tropez" and "Seamus" and simply put this out as a four song LP, people's head would have actually exploded upon conclusion of this album. Yes, actual fucking explosions. With the inclusion of those songs (which aren't bad by any stretch, they just don't fit and aren't on par with the other tracks), this album is only capable of causing involuntary bowel movements. Which is still pretty amazing. (Webmaster's note: we can't blame Marc for being...uh...special. We all know how integral "San Tropez" and "Seamus" to the album, don't we? I am your favorite webmaster...I am your favorite...)
3. MORE: You don't hear much about this one. I'm always a fan of the underdog, so maybe I'm biased. The overall flow of this is a bit spotty, but man...if you put it on 'shuffle,' it's almost a different album everytime. Some songs are just screeching acid-drenched hard rock ("Nile Song," "Ibiza Bar"), some are pastoral, quiet and folky ("Cirrus Minor," "Crying Song"), some are just ambient ("Quicksilver"), and some would have been massively huge singles if released as such ("Cymbaline," "Green Is The Colour"). It's got everything there is to like about the Floyd in one package, and if taken in the right context, there isn't a clunker in sight.
4. ATOM HEART MOTHER: Ohhhhhhhhhh my God. "Summer 68" is on this album. It's the only justification you need. Oh sure, the rest of the package is peachy-keen and all...but that track is the only excuse anyone needs for listing this album, really.
5. ANIMALS: Punk is not a guitar tone, a fashion sense, or a tempo. It's the attitude and intention. Read this lyric sheet and try to tell me that Roger Waters wasn't a punk at heart. It's just seething with intensity at all times. I don't really even know what they were trying to achieve with the representation of dogs, sheep and pigs...it's just a good album. It may only be five tracks, but I'm talking quality...not quantity. It would have rated higher, but a few of the instrumental portions almost kinda drag to me. Either way, it's a stand-alone album that doesn't fit well with any other album in their career. And, hell...if I played it every night and lived these lyrics daily, I'd probably take a page from the proverbial 'Book Of Waters' and start spitting on fans too.
Love on ya, Marc
October 20
On Saturday night, I performed "Hey Rape Girl Vol. 1" in it's entirety. That's it. No jokes, no stage banter...actually, not even a single word to the crowd. I'd post the set list, but it's really just the EP in tandem. I added a few lyrics/chords to certain songs and took the same away from others. I'd never felt so strange on a stage. When I started the set, I even toyed with not playing the EP for the first 30 seconds, and just sort of improvised some chords while I made up my mind of whether or not to go through with it. I think the crowd liked it, but considering that my heart was in my throat during the whole show, I couldn't honestly tell you. Maybe Chris might like to insert a small review here? (Webmaster's note: it was brilliant.) All I can really say is that when I took the guitar off, I had to make a beeline for the nearest roll of tissue. I doubt that I'll ever do such a thing in that form again...but I'm not closed to possibly doing it as a whole with the second volume for a one-time only show. I dunno. We'll see.
As for the rest of the show, Bhren was brilliant as always, plugging away at her new album that you would all do really well to check out.
And, after months of waiting, Soft Rock Champion opened up with a Thermals cover and had the night's biggest showstopper with an extended version of "Grandfather." You really don't know what you missed.
I don't really have much else to say right now. Uh, actually, I did want to make mention that Chris Zabriskie is the new permanent bass player for the Marc (with a "C") band. Now, there wasn't a falling out with Aaron Zacktan or anything, but this is a change that makes more sense in the long-run. With this bit of shuffling, it's been a decision across the board with most of the 16 Month Camp that the time was right to put a bit more emphasis on the band, and not the solo act. The acoustic shows will still take place, but most likely not with the frequency that they used to...at least for awhile. This has a lot to do with the pending release of "Bubblegum Romance". Once the album is unearthed, you couldn't promote the bulk of the songs with simply an acoustic guitar.
Ok, and since I get asked once in awhile, here's the tentative track listing for "Bubblegum Romance":
01. Hello, I'm Happy To Be Here 02. Prettiest Girl In The World 03. Liana 04. Worth It Now 05. Bubblegum Romance 06. Nerdy Girls 07. Just A Few Words 08. Bounce Bounce Bounce 09. Retro Low Fi 10. One Hit Wonder 11. You've Got This Curse 12. Freezing In Florida 13. I Need A Hug 14. Music Can Heal
That's it for now. See you all on November 1st?
Love On Ya,
Marc
October 13, 2003
A Brief Note From Your Humble Webmaster
Hello, everyone. Marc sent me the following via email this morning. Usually on these diary entries, I do one last proofread before sending it to all you fine folk, but today I am rendered helpless. I offer you exactly what was sent to me, in all its original one-paragraph, unedited glory. Cheers!
---------------------------------- Hi. Here’s a story. One that has been told many times, but not on this website. Eryn helped me out with some rough spots, but I think that my original vision and lucidity shine through, much like a glow-in-the-dark egg chock full o’ Monistat. Here goes: If you must want to shampoo about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was shampooed, and what my springy childhood was like, and how my hamburgers were occupied and all before they had me, and all that Purple the Loose Moose kind of Bea Arthur, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to violate the flaming labia. In the first place, that stuff rings me, and in the second place, my hamburgers would have about 17 Cosby sweaters apiece if I told anything pretty concave about them. They're quite flaccid about anything like that, especially my armadillo with pretty eyes and ice cream.. Where was I? Oh, yes? So the prince took Emil Etheel Mortimer D'arcy Throckmorton Cauliflower Blitzen Lucifer Tom Antigone Alowishus Winifred Seamus Mademoiselle Nobs Mullican Apullican Smith-Johnson for his King Shit Of Fuck Mountain, for now he knew that he had a real ice water and chain mail and pretty pink bunnies and pajamas and Snickers bars with Keds; and the fish that throw you in the water and dangle Cheetos from hooks in hopes that you like soggy Cheetos so that they may fish of you for sport was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it. Einstein believed that Holden's theory should, like all other laws of snaketoe obey the principle of Picasso. In other sheep that tend to squeeze puppies on Tuesdays, Holden's flaming dead midget that used to get 'jiggy' with Kid Rock should be pinkled even within any being all like whoooooooooooooo and shit reference special butterflies that sometimes turn things into potatoes.. Since speed c is built into the laws of snaketoe, Einstein Care-Bear-stared that every observer ought to lolligag every light ballgag to move at speed c, regardless of the observer's golden hippopotami fraternizing with surfing Nazi's of death that enjoy many things like stuff and that one dude who is always on TV late at night selling that thing that does the...dude, do you know where we can score some weed?. No matter how fast you saliva, a light ballgag always passes you at speed c, relative to you. This is why the idea of impale up with a light ballgag seemed stoopid to Einstein. If every observer sees every light ballgag move at speed c, then nobody can even begin to catch up with a light ballgag, much less catch all the way up with one and lolligag it at rest. In summation? why did Constantiinople get the works? Well son, that’s nobody’s business but the Turks. THE END (PS: New diary entry coming after the Hey Rape Girl/Bhren/Soft Rock Champion show next week. Promise. Maybe even a new picture?)
October 3, 2003
:::sings::: "Tonight's the night we'll
make history..."
September 4, 2003
So, there comes a time in every young
musician's life when he must sit down and write a new journal entry
for his website. Far be it from me to denounce such a time-honored
tradition. However, with my recent disavowal of a personal online
journal...this entry *might* get a bit personal. We'll see.
August 5, 2003
July 29, 2003
We're goin' boom boom boom...and that's
the way we live.
June 27, 2003
The first thing you'd need to know about
the "Hey Rape Girl Vol. 1" EP is that it's different. I mean it still
uses the same general 12 notes as other music, and most of the chords
are fairly common. It's just different for me.
June 24, 2003
I had this dream last night about a game
show called "Wrong Again!". What it'd be is this: -Marc
May 19 or so, 2003
Yeah...I like bossa nova. If anyone can
recommend some good bossa nova albums to me, (preferably non-English
ones), I'll hook you up with something. Not sure what I'll hook you up
with quite yet...it depends on what you want, really.
April 1, 2003
Stop...Journal Time!!! :::does Hammer
dance in funny Z. Cavaricci pants...then twirls:::
March 18, 2003
I didn't really feel like writing a
journal entry, but I certainly felt as if I should following the show
this weekend. I can't describe the mood I was in...but, I can only say
that there are times that everyone wants to call into work for having
a bad day and it's just not okay to do that. I wanted to do such a
thing, but...I didn''t want to get in the habit of canceling shows
without a really good reason. If you showed up...sorry if the show
didn't meet your expectations. If you didn't go...you missed me saying
"fuck it" and playing whatever was shouted at me.
Q: Was I going through the motions?
Q: Will it happen again?
Q: Why?
Q: What is that?
March 3, 2003
'Ello journal. ::scratches you behind
the ear::
Floyd The Monkee did a rousing "You Are
A Pipe" that the crowd seemed to like. My set included: Drugs & Dead
Puppies / Human Slushy / I Need A Hug / Why Don't Girls Like Me / Very
Special Episode / Laura, I Need Medicine / Monkeys Comin' Outta Yo
Ass. Well, then it was time. Time to do the 'deed', if you will. Not
Like Other Girls had to make it's debut...and we did just that (if you
don't know, said project is the fruit of Jessica Frick and myself). We
performed: Groupie Sex / Freezing In Florida / Pre-Emptive Break-Up
Song / Hold Me Now / My Drug Buddy. We are still pretty rough around
the edges, and our song selection is limited as well...but we love
what we do and we are gonna stick with it. Jess did a really good set
as well, as you could tell from the crowd's very loud reception of
her. I think her confidence is on the rise as well, which is sorely
needed. The Stardust audience just ate her up with a fork, knife,
spoon and a cute decorative umbrella.
Work continues in the studio. The
following songs are either done or in the 'touching up' stages now:
"Music Can Heal," "I Need A Hug," "Just A Few Words," "Mall Sluts With
Cell Phones," & "Retro Low Fi." You'll like it...but it may be awhile.
We wanna get this one totally right and record way more than we need
to. If all goes as planned, we'll record so many songs that I will be
totally tapped out at the end of the sessions. Well, tapped out of my
current incarnation, anyways. There's too much music in the world to
limit yourself to one thing. Keep that in mind next time that you
bitch when I play a bunch of country songs. I got really, really sick of the "Human Slushy" album for awhile, which I think is pretty understandable. Now, I'm kinda rediscovering it. I'm so into performing those songs again, and that means the upcoming shows will be slightly more familiar to you all...instead of it just being an hour of new songs that you don't really know and two early songs. I apologize for being so selfish at so many shows, but...I get bored very, very easily.
OH MY GOD!!! I almost forgot about the
Rilo Kiley show...you would have had such a good time. Amy, Rory,
Chris, Kattie, Rob and myself bumrushed that bad muthahushyomouth in a
way that had never been seen before. I stand by my vow that Rilo Kiley
is probably the second best live act in the world next to The Who. You
will understand better when you see this for yourself...and at the
rate their fan base is growing, that won't take very long. That night,
well...I danced, hugged my friends, sang at the top of my lungs,
cried, yelled, got jiggy, took pictures...and had the time of my life.
I'd like to thank my friends for reminding me what fun was, and Rilo
Kiley for being the soundtrack to it.
That's all for now. I love all of you
very much. And, if you get a chance...go to the message board and
remind Chris Zabriskie and Jessica Frick of why they rock so
hard...they need even more confidence. Show them the love. That's what
the 16 month family is all about, right?
February 24, 2003
I realized that I only write about current goings-on in the state of my musical endeavors here. Maybe I oughta change that. Who knows?
I get asked every so often about my old band Molokoplus (aka Childlyke). I don't find the music that we made very interesting, but for a band that did so little, we sure had a lot going on "behind the scenes." So, here's the most important things you should know about the band, in case you were curious.
1. It was called Molokoplus first. We changed it because of a major label band abounding called "Moloko." 2. The original lineup consisted of me (guitar/vocals), Chris Ott (guitar/bass/keyboard), Josh Thompson (drums), and Dewey on various things. 3. Chris left when we kicked him out. I liked Chris, but he wanted the band to be Marilyn Manson. 4. Josh left when I threw a guitar at him onstage. He may possess my least favorite drumming ability in history. 5. Our first EP was called "Donkey Scrotum." If you own it...please burn it in a sacrificial ritual. 6. Josh was replaced by Kerry McIness eventually. We went through numerous phases of drummers, but Kerry could be like a baby Dave Grohl when he wanted to be. 7. At some point the recording of "My Name Is Veronica" became much more popular than anyone intended...we now hate said song with an unbridled passion. It had a lot to do with us changing the name to Childlyke. 8. We rehearsed in Kerry's attic. We fought more than any band in the known universe. Dewey can back this up. 9. We had a fairly listenable EP that was never officially released, but if you are around, I'll play it for you some time. 10. Dewey wanted Dave to be our new drummer for reasons that I shouldn't go into. Kerry got the boot, and it destroyed said band.
There you go... everything you should know about my old band.
So, just yesterday, I rehearsed with Jessica for our "Not Like Other Girls" project. I had fun, but for us rehearsal usually consists of eating lunch, watching TV, listening to music, chatting incessantly and squeezing in a song or two when applicable. It's pretty laid back, and I really like it. I need laid back things. She's a great lady, that Jess. And...we're still recording my second record. It's coming along slowly but surely. More on that when I feel like it.
I'm really hungry. You know what I could go for? Some of the apple pie and ice cream that Chris's mom foisted upon me last night. Mmmm mmmm. Good stuff. One of the few times I've had homemade *anything* in the last few years.
Ok, this is gonna sound crazy, but I realized the strangest revelation last night while trying to sleep. I was thinking about a person that I really adore, and realized that we crossed paths in a really strange way once. Now, they wouldn't know it, and would probably deny it until the day they died, but I have some fairly sufficient proof that it was them. I can't exactly say what it was or how I found out...because it'd be pretty damn incriminating on my part. Plus, I'd not want to blow any "whistles" on said party, so to speak. Anyways...I know it's cryptic, but I just have to get it off my chest. It's just so strange realizing that someone you know exceptionally well had such a strain inside of them. You'd never see it coming, but then...it all makes perfect sense when you realize it.
Don't ever ask me about what I just said. It's my friggin' journal, and I can be cryptic if I wanna.
I don't have much else to really say here. I'm moving soon, I hope. And...life's not lookin' too shabby.
Love on ya, Marc
P.S. - Things I've been listening to and enjoying very much, thank you.
Holly & The Italians "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" (Damn, I love this song.) Kid Dakota "So Pretty" (Good, good record. Liked it much more than I thought I would.) Jonathan Richman "I'm So Confused" (My current personal life wrapped up in under 40 minutes. Means the world to me.) Breeders "Title TK" (Still just destroys me. A smile, two bangs and a religion.) Rilo Kiley "The Execution Of All Things" (If a more perfect pop record was constructed last year, I might just gnaw my own hand off over it.) Carole King "Tapestry" (Shut up. You have albums you don't wanna admit to liking, too.) Yo La Tango "Fakebook" (Not a bad album to just be lazy on a beautiful afternoon to.) Marzipan "Oh Yeah" (Every single 'girl-with-an-acoustic-guitar-and-a-story-to-tell' song in history...except this one is less than a minute long.) Alice Cooper "Welcome To My Nightmare" (Golly gee willakers...side 2 of this album *is* the 70's, really.) Neutral Milk Hotel "On Avery Island" (Ok, honestly I just kinda put the first 4 songs on endless repeat for about 40-50 minutes.) Frank Zappa "We're Only In It For The Money" (Yeah, I know. But, but... he's a genius? Oh well... the sentiments can be a bit dated at times, but it beats the pants off of anything on current rock radio playlists.) Talking Heads "77" (It's short, sweet, to the point...yet I'm probably one of the few people that can sit through the entire thing comfortably.)
By the way...if anyone happens to know where I can get the soundtrack to the 70's porn flick "Deep Throat" in it's entirety, please contact me ASAP. I'll pay.
January 28, 2003
If you are reading this... and you are a fan by any means, you truly have no idea what you are in for. I mean, you don't know what's about to occur. It's kinda funny, really. There you sit, probably thinking that Marc (with a "C") is just the "Why Don't Girls Like Me" guy. Just gonna do stuff like "Left For Her" forever. Tsk tsk tsk.
Here's some of what's been transpiring. I'll go though it in the order of events. Last week, Dewey Robbins and I started work on what is projected to be the third "With a C" album. It looks to be very stripped down, acoustic-based disc. Equal parts Jonathan Richman tribute, country record, etc...we aren't sure where it will end up. We started tracking a new song that is being kept under wraps called "Just A Few Words." Sounds good. I recorded my vocals in the closet.
Then, I ran to the birthday show so many of you graciously attended. Most of you didn't know you were being recorded...and the bulk of the live record I'm preparing will come from said show. And other various shows recorded in the same venue. Thank you, thank you, thank you if you came. I love you guys so so so so much. Said live record is as done as you can imagine right now. I may trim some things, but it will be available (knock on wood) by the February 28th show at Stardust. We will only sell it for about two months, so you have a very limited opportunity to pick it up.
Next...the lovely Jessica Frick and I have been conspiring a possible side project together. We even got together and ran through some stuff, and it felt gooooood to sing with her again. Really cool stuff, and we both had a blast. I admire that girl so damn much. As of yesterday, we were thinking of calling the project "Not Like Other Girls." Nothing etched in stone, but...I really hope we continue working together this way.
And, to bring us up to speed, the recording of the actual follow-up to "Human Slushy" began in earnest during the Super Bowl last night. Joe Panton and I tracked "Music Can Heal," which I can only describe as Skynyrd meets Sonic Youth. It will be a very, very surprising number for all involved, I promise you. We hope to keep the experimenting up through the duration of the studio process, and...Chris, back me up here: the studio craftsmanship makes the last album already look like a dead, run-over doggie, doesn't it? (Webmaster's note: I will back up Marc. Yes. It's unbelievable. Honest. Goosebumpy sort of ridiculously good. Trust me.)
So, guys...I gotta go. Love you all, and I hope to talk to and touch all of you guys really soon. Thanks for everything, and...understand that this isn't a hiatus. I'm actually working on music *more* now that I'm not playing out as much. It's for the greater good, I assure you.
Love on ya, Marc
January 18, 2003
Webmaster's note: To commemorate Mr. Marc's birthday, today's journal entry is an email that I received from Marc's mother last week. It gives us some very good insight into the artist that is Marc. Honestly, this is the real thing. It's not April Fool's Day yet. Enjoy it in its raw, unedited form.
Subject: Just a few helpful suggestions from Marc's mom.......I gave birth to Marc To chris@gymkata.org
Afterall I was the one who named Marc, spelled that way, after a very great attempt to name Marc, James Marshall Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix) that didn't work, there was a great resistance from the 'southern force' back in those days, but it did work to erase the 'k' Mark & changed it to Marc.......
If you need new pictures of Juliana, I would be more than happy to provide them......
It is very strange that there are pictures of Marc playing a Michael Jackson game..... A funny story about Marc & MJ----Marc brought home from school, MJ Thriller when he was in Kindergarden, I promptly took it away from him and made him listen for hours, days, weeks, to real music.....The Who, Yes, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Santana (old stuff, not the stuff he's doing now), Jefferson Airplane & Starship.....Quicksilver Messinger Service, Allman Brothers, Cream, Derek and the Dominoes, Led Zepplin, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and others that would only embarrass Marc at this point....but, I could go on. I just wanted to make sure Marc knew what REAL music was before he played that so called garbage he brought home.......I even made him go to any and all concerts, from Paul McCartney to Lynyrd Synyard (Marc never acquired a liking for good old southern rock)....anyway I did everything I could to introduce Marc to "real" music, I just find it funny that he had pictures taken playing Michael Jacksons' game, The Simpsons I would understand....I did everything in my power not excluding the use of sublingual powers/messaging to help Marc overcome his very brief introduction to unmusic.....well some of it worked!
Anyway, Marc, I didn't say anything that should embarrass you, except that you really had in your possession "Thriller".....I did't mention the 259 times you watched Star Wars, ok?
love, Marcs' mom
December 17, 2002
Wow... it's journal time again. Smack in the midst of the holiday season, to boot. There's a reason that this is the most stressful time of the year. Everyone wants to make money, but nobody wants to spend any. Myself included. So, I do this abnormal amount of shows...some good, some bad. Of course, some part of myself thought it'd be a snazzy idea to do *all* these shows while trying to tone down my sets, which left me with a plethora of things I couldn't play anymore. "Blowjob Queen" did make a surprise appearance at the Deland show, but...you had to be there. It just fit the situation.
We recorded a second show for the live album, but very few of the tracks will be used. T his is due mostly to some recording snafus, and myself giving a somewhat lackluster reading of the songs we specifically needed for use. Now, if you were keeping score, you also know that we recorded one of the two 'end of an era' shows for this purpose. Man, oh man... I *really* wish we'd somehow recorded the second one. That particular performance happened at the Social as I opened for the Legendary JC's...with the original Blowjob Queen in the audience. I was wondering why the crowd had gotten so hushed during said song...
Anyways, the full band is getting out more often, and we are tightening up our craft. Some folks are actually preferring the band to my solo act nowadays. This was proven at the In Theory Xmas party last week. We broke out the new renditions of "I Need A Hug" and "Stairway To Rudolph," as well as most of the old "Slushy" favorites. I got quite a few compliments over how far we've come with so few rehearsals. The thanks is all due to Aaron Zacktan (bass) and Joe Panton (drums). Joe can still drum, no matter how wasted he gets before shows, and we love him for it. Oh...and I'm very saddened by the fact that Jessica Frick was unable to play before the show...these things happen. But, I do love In Theory for giving us such support and love. Kisses to them.
What else is on the horizon? Let's see...since the last journal entry, my daughter turned three, I quit drinking, and life is looking up...a good portion of the time. Tons of new, new, new songs have arisen, like "Pre-emptive Break-up Song (When You Finally Break My Heart)," "It's Freezing In Florida" and "Every Girl's Ex-Boyfriend Is An Idiot." Some you'll hear, and some will be overhauled. But the new music will come steadily in the coming year. I have (count 'em) three releases in mind. I'm not sure if I can pull them *all* off, but... his is what I'd like to see accomplished and released in the next year live album (limited pressing run, but a definite release is planned), full band album (sequel to "Slushy", already in progress) and a third album that some might call career suicide, with a heavy hand from various members of the 16 Month Family, but totally unlike anything I've released thus far. Very, very country, that one would be. I t's only in the planning stages now...so don't hold your breath.
And, coming up is a show in which I get to perform with everyone's favorite webmaster Chris Zabriskie and the heartthrob of the Orlando Scene, Ms. Bhren Gatlin. And then, the following evening, I infest Bodhisattva Social Club with another solo performance, featuring Ms. Jessica Frick and my buddies in My Little Pony.
All good stuff on the horizon.
Amy and I saw a really great movie called "Living In Oblivion." Steve Buscemi's finest hour. Rent it at your video store...if they are worth a damn, they'll have it.
I guess that's all. My message board seems lonely. You all should fix that. See you guys at the shows. Points to Soorya for saying the cutest thing any female has ever said to me at a show. Ever.
Love On Ya, Marc
P.S. Here is what I've been playing to death lately... Rilo Kiley "The Execution Of All Things" Chris Zabriskie "Demos" My Little Pony "S/T" Johnny Cash "homemade compilation" Jonathan Richman "I'm So Confused" Neutral Milk Hotel "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" REM "Fables Of The Reconstruction" Wilco "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" Belly "Star" Mojo Nixon "You Can't Kill Me" And... that Star Wars Christmas album. What *can* you get a Wookie for christmas when he already owns a comb, anyways?
Merry Christmas everyone!
November 16, 2002
I figured it was time to get a new journal entry up here to replace the old one. I have some things to say, so... this would be the time to do so, I suppose. As we all know, I usually don't exactly wax personal on these entries, but I'm in a rare mood tonight. We'll see where it goes.
So, with my show at Guinevere's on November 30th comes the end of an era. I'm not going to quit playing...I'm just going to tone this down gradually from here on out. And we'll see if that makes me happier. I'll still jump around onstage, I'll still force sing-alongs occasionally, and I'll still have the same sense of humor...but it won't revolve around words like "fuck," "blowjob," or "cunt" ALL of the time.
That over-the-top stage presence fueled a lot of problems for me: I'm not welcome at some venues because of it and alcohol only intensified it. Now that I've done a pretty good job of cutting the drinking out, the rest should be fairly easy to get out of. The kinder, gentler Marc (with a "C"). It might just piss off more people in the crowd than I ever did before.
November 5, 2002
Well, yet again we come to a journal entry. This is one I don't really want to write, but it's probably for the best that I do so. Actually, don't even consider it a journal entry...consider this an open letter to everyone.
A few days ago, I had the honor of hosting the Orlando Punk & Ska Awards. This show did not go as well as planned. I was given no script, and a shaky understanding of what was to happen when. About 30 minutes before the show, with all of the people piling in, it became clear that I was not the right choice for hosting it.
The crowd was restless through interminable delays, and soon I had to resort to some of my usual (and not-so-usual) stage patter. Which does not translate at all to a punk crowd, apparently. The folks that know what I do well understand that I have no grasp on an all-ages show as I don't do them often, especially ones where I am expected to be courteous of young ears. Usually, people know what they are going to get at a show of that nature...or maybe I don't have a grip on where the line is drawn in 'punk rock.'
Either way, I'm not here to make excuses. I didn't mesh with that audience at all. And, after having various objects hurled at me, I lost my cool and spit at one problem audience member in particular. He responded by slapping me. Not punching, not pushing...but slapping. I should not have spit at the guy. Period.
The show picked up after I quit. This 'open-minded' crowd had no stomach for what I had to say and my attempts at being what I thought I was hired to be. So, I took off.
And...this brings us up to date.
If you were at the show and my comments, demeanor or actions offended you in any way, I apologize wholeheartedly. I was just doing what I normally do, but possibly taken to a larger extreme. If you weren't there and have some problems with what I did, I'd like to direct you to the nearest brick wall to speak to.
It was a learning experience, and personally...I'm bored with talking about it. I said I'm sorry. Shit happens. Let's move on and be cool with each other.
Pete Townshend once said, "Be kind, be real or get out of my face". I should have stuck to it that night, but I know I'll be keeping it in mind from now on in public. You should as well...and if not...well, re-read the last part of the quote. I'm too old to punk rock anyways.
That is all. Marc
October 28, 2002
Yeah... it's journal time again. Gotta love that. I'll start it off by thanking everyone who has come out to the shows recently. There's a nice little buzz going on about the town thanks to you. And... the bigger the buzz gets, the better the shows, albums and presentation can be for everyone. So... let me start by saying "thank you" before it slips my mind (I'm a selfish bastard).
So... about the shows. Did a fun show with Beautiful Mess at Bodhisattva's a week or so ago that was a total blast. At said show, I did a few interesting things. See, the place is really small and intimate, which allowed me to walk into the middle of the audience quite often. I also got fed beer while playing, taught Mike from Beautiful Mess how to play "Stairway To Heaven" in the middle of my set, had the film "Quadrophenia" playing behind me during the show, scaled a wall to enter through a window after my set, and joined the Mess (with moi on bass and vocals) for rousing covers of "Laid" by James and "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash. The show was a keeper, and someone should have videotaped it.
Just a scant few days later, I made my way back to the Midtown Tavern in Winter Park for a rare performance with my band. We did most of "Human Slushy" and a newer song. Got to do a show with Landing On Land, which was really cool. Saw a lot of familiar faces, which made me even happier. Oh...and drummer Joe dropped his pants. You'll have to wait for the video for that sight. Very, very rocking show...and I got to even premier (for the first and last time) my sock-puppet friend...Senor Underpants.
Just when I thought it was safe to sleep off a hangover though, there was this really great acoustic jam at the Back Booth. This was such a great night, (although sparsely attended, which Chris can attest to), which included lots of musicians backstage in a Simpsons trivia contest. Joe won. Joe stomped a McMudhole in my ass, honestly. I got to premier more new material, a cover of Pink Floyd's "What Shall We Do Now" which featured me falling on my ass, and the end of the night sing-along...that was myself leading the night's musician's in a drunken reading of The Who's "My Generation". To imagine that I was probably the only sober person on the stage is quite a feat...yet is probably the truth.
Anyways...I'm usually just talking about me on these journals, but I wanted to make some side notes of what some members of the 16 Month Family have been up to lately. For example...PunkMatt has decided to further his education. He picked a college that gives you a free laptop just for going. Joe Panton just put the finishing touches on the new My Little Pony album (i.e. the side band of himself and Aaron, my bassist), and it's...so fucking good that my album looks like a festering bowl of dog snot in comparison. Dewey is starting an organization called the MRAO, which you can check out by going to www.mrao.org. They also have a nifty internet radio station there that specializes in nothing but Orlando artists. As you can imagine, you can hear quite a bit of Marc (with a "C") there...including lots of non-album tracks. And, last but verrrrry far from least, Jessica just completed her first year of sobriety on October 19th. I want you to all give three cheers for her right fucking now. If not, you are hereby banned from my website. Okay, not really...but I'll be sad if I find out that you didn't. Words cannot describe how very proud of her we are.
Ummm, in other news... I have a new merch-gal that is helping me out at some shows. If you are at a show, go say "hi" to Amy while she's selling the "Human Slushy" back-stock. Funny thing is...she's all tiny and stuff, right? But, somehow she held her own on a red wine induced night recently. We were watching "Kung Pow", and...yours truly not only got sick, but literally passed out on the bathroom floor for the better part of an hour. Her? Oh, yeah... she's fiiiine. Just sitting on the couch watching TV. That helped me decide that she's definitely someone we need to have in the fold.
On a totally different note, I've been hella busy writing songs for the follow-up to "Human Slushy" lately. Some of you may have heard a few of the newer tracks at live shows, like "Nerdy Girls," "Bounce Bounce Bounce" and "Mall Sluts With Cell Phones," but...oh, man. I have a ton of others that I've recently whipped up like "One Hit Wonder," "Worth It Now," "I Need A Hug" and a lyrical reworking of the rarely performed "Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World". Doing demos for it soon, and maybe...just maybe you all might get to hear one or two of them on this very website soon. And... maybe someone can explain all these damn love songs coming out of me?
So...next stop Dante's and then to the first ever Orlando Punk Awards. Keep your hands out of your pants...it's fucking disgusting.
Love On Ya, Marc
(Editors note: I usually don't do this, but I just had to tell everyone that these new songs Marc speaks of are *absolutely incredible.* Okay, that's all.)
October 14, 2002
I always feel like I've got a ton of things to talk about before I write these entries. When it comes down to actually doing them, I go utterly blank. I'll cut the crap and just tell you what I can remember. Let's go through the shows and events that have shaped all of our lives since the last entry, shall we?
There was that kooky show at Will's Pub known as "Pounds." I opened the showcase and did a set I was very pleased with. The crowd seemed to be as well. I got the chance to play some brand new works-in-progress like "Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World," as well as a set chock full of the old standards. Great crowd response, and I hear tales that there may be a local compilation soon that will feature some of my tracks from the show. More details as I'm let in on them.
So, a few days later, I make my way back to my trusty Midtown Tavern. Now, there have been some changes at the venue, and maybe the unfamiliar circumstances had something to do with it, but that is certain to go down as my strangest show *ever*. To fill you in, I had my faithful webmaster Chris opening the show which he did significantly well. How can you beat a cover of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," a Marc With A C cover *and* "I Don't Want To Live On The Moon?" HOW!?! For the love of sweet baby Christ in a chicken basket on a muthafuckin' pogo stick, how????
:::eats some Mentos:::
Ok, I'm better. So, this was followed by Bob rockin' the house in his usual style. I was happy that Bob played. I like him. But I don't think *anyone* within an 80 mile radius was prepared for the third act. They go by the moniker of "Shakin' Babies." They have seemingly five members. One is a wind-up monkey that acts as a sort-of drummer. One plays xylophone an saxophone. Sometimes simultaneously. One is a guitarist in a hockey mask. One is the vocalist/beat poet, (who I must say had some really great musical taste), and finally...a cat that sits on the side of the stage and yells things. One of the most bizarre sights ever seen in Orlando, and easily in my top 5 local acts ever.
After we were treated to The Babies set...I waltzed onstage. I had no idea what to do to follow these folks. I threw out my usual songs and played a set of 95% covers, including "Sister Christian," "Baby's Going Underground," "Tiger Woods" and some Britney Spears action. The music was the low point. Here goes the spot everyone seems to remember most:
I wasn't drunk when I got onstage, but after a few folks in the crowd had brought beer and hard liquor to the stage...I was more inebriated than I had probably ever been in public. One lucky heckler was treated to me flinging popcorn at him, which I followed by spitting more popcorn in his face. He started spitting beer at me, so I started spitting beer back at him. He ended up onstage eating popcorn off the floor, to which I responded by pouring beer on his head...and finally, :::sigh::: teabagging him. I'm not proud, but that's what happened. People certainly got their money's worth at that show.
A few days later, we moved on to Guinevere's to record the first of two shows for an upcoming live album. I won't say much about it as I don't want to spoil anything you may hear. I will give you this much: I played okay, had good crowd participation, and serenaded a dog. You'll have to wait for the album for the rest.
And now...we get to everyone's favorite topic over breakfast...The 2002 Orlando Music Awards.
First off, if you haven't checked out the pictures yet, please do so. It's the only time you will ever see me dressed up in any form in public. But...despite so many people being unhappy with the ceremony and winners, can I just be the first person to stand up and say that I had a great time? I didn't win anything. Who cares? I got free food, I got to hang out with a few of my best friends all night, then I got a chance to play my guitar on a big honkin' stage with a loud, receptive crowd to witness it. It was a really, really good time. All the other nominees, performers, crew members, producers, etc...were all really nice to me. I don't see what all the negative fuss is about. Eh...what can you do?
I'll tell you what *I* can do. I'm just going to keep doing my thing. And my thing is expressing myself musically anyway that I or my audience deems fit. So, until next entry...you can walk a mile in a man's shoes, but to get inside of his head? You'd have to get really small and go through his nose.
Love On Ya, Marc
P.S. Here's a smattering of what I've been absorbing through my eardrums lately: Rilo Kiley "Take-Off's & Landings" Neutral Milk Hotel "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" John Entwistle "Smash Your Head Against The Wall" Pink Floyd "The Final Cut" Jonathan Richman "Rockin & Romance" Ryan Adams "Demolition" and, well... frankly I'm too tired to remember much else.
September 17, 2002
Hey everyone. Hope you've enjoyed
checking out the new website. If not...why are you bothering
reading what I have to say?
September 2, 2002
Thus endeth hell month.
Let's all take a big breath of fresh air. :::takes a drag off my cigarette and coughs:::
Let me tell you about it. Towards the end of hell month, there was a little show called "The Deviance Fest." I was the next to last act on the closing night of the show, and as soon as I walked into the venue...well, to say I was scared shitless was putting it mildly. I mean, this venue was full of booths dedicated to peep shows, hot wax, kissing, spanking, torture equipment, etc... and all the people were wearing leather, vinyl, PVC and electrical tape over nipples. I didn't think there was anything I'd be able to do to win over the crowd, but I turned out to be wrong. I opened with the one-two punch of "Stairway To Rudolph" and "Blowjob Queen" and...well, my set included me pelting the crowd with condoms, a gal pouring hot wax all over my arm, girls rushing the stage and making out with me after "Left For Her," and finally a faux oral-sex session between a few lesbians while I played Rocky Horror covers. I'm not kidding, and we have the video to prove it.
And, last but not least...two days later, I was back at Ye Olde Guinevere's for a really cool show. Met a lot of really nice people and played a really good show. The crowd totally got it, which has been happening more and more lately. Good participation from them, and...I just really like the place. Look forward to rocking them again next month.
So...anyways, the massive workload on me is over with and I want to thank everyone that was involved. The record is getting pretty good responses for everyone, and that wouldn't have happened without everyone's support. Thank you, thank you, thank you...and I hope to see you in the following year. I'm *just* getting started. You have no idea what you are in for.
Marc
August 2002
Hello there my lovely little faithful
dearest. Been...busy. Or not. Some odd things abounding, but
everything always works out in the end. Just like a Linkin Park song.
Soon afterwards, news came through the
email-vine that yours truly, Marc (with a "C") had been nominated for
an Orlando Music Award...for best solo performer. Now, I'm not sure
how this happens. How they decide these things is a total mystery to
me. I am not complaining about it one iota, mind you...I just didn't
realize that so many people were paying so much attention to what I
was doing. It made me feel really, really good...knowing that this is
not all in vain, and that someone, somewhere cares about my stupid
little pop songs.
Tuesday, August 27th on 104.1 WTKS...at
5:00 a.m. you can hear me bright and early over the airwaves. I'll be
on Melissa Foxx's show playing a few new ditties, spinning some "Human
Slushy" music, and hopefully playing some stoner trivia. You can hear
it via www.wtks.com. Tune in! The show is to promote the record
release party at Midtown Tavern the very next day...in which I've got
Dewey Robbins playing, as well as My Little Pony...and myself.
Except...are you ready? I'll be playing with a *full band*. That's
right...we've had a few rehearsals, and boy...we are ready. Marc (with
a "C") in full electric format with two of the best musicians Orlando
has to offer? Could be one of the best nights of my life :)
Love On Ya,
July 2002
Your humble musician friend hasn't a lot
to say this month. I did some shows at the end of last month,
true...but, they weren't all up to snuff.
Here's to you, here's to me, here's to
truth and ecstasy...
June 2002
Phew. That's all it takes to describe
this month. Phew.
Love On ya, PS: The music that has made me feel alive over the last month has been: all those Who bootlegs PunkMatt bestowed upon me, lots of various Bob Marley records, some rare Rugburns/Steve Poltz stuff, that Moth record that Ryan let me borrow, and lots of classic rock radio.
May 2002
Lovely month it's been. For starters, I
had a fun show at ye olde Midtown Tavern. I did 12 songs in front of
my favorite crowd yet this year, then the old band known as Childlyke
got up and rocked out a few oldies. Good times. Of course...a heated
debate is going on in Orlando about whether or not I 'suck.' The
answer is clear...if you don't like me, I suck. If you do like me, I
don't suck. Me? I'm divided.
April 2002
Okey dokey. Prepare for the shortest, most belated diary entry I've written in recent memory.
In late March, I did a neat session on
WPRK which was hosted by the always lovely
Jessica
Frick. I played some tracks live in the studio (Charles In
Charge, Melena, A Very Special Episode, Laura I Need Medicine,
Jessie's Theme Song & The Secrets Of Victoria's Girls). She was nice
enough to redesign the universe for me, as well as to play a few
tracks from the upcoming "Human Slushy" album (Why Don't Girls Like
Me & Left For Her). Good times, good times. Listen to a song from
the broadcast
Anyways, that's all for right now. Expect another update way soon.
P.S.: what would a diary/news entry on Marc (with a "C")'s webpage be without listing the stuff I've been listening to this month? Well, I still can't get the last Ozma record out of my player, I adore the new Ben Kweller, and this Legends Of Rodeo album makes me want to be 14 again. PunkMatt has hooked me up with a ton of old rare Lemonheads stuff, which has re-made a fan all over again by default. And some obscure Beck radio sessions have made the month worthwhile. Far and away though...any Bowie from 1974-1980 has pretty much kept me alive for the last month...you'd do well to check it out.
March 2002
Boy, I sure am getting erratic with these so called 'musical diary entries.' One day, I'll eventually get myself on a real schedule with them. Anyways...what to say about things that have been going on in the last month or so?
Well, Joe Panton and I continued work on the upcoming "Human Slushy" album. We've pretty much completed "Mundane," "Left For Her" and "Not There At All." Contrary to popular belief, this album is not going to suck eggs. If you've downloaded the first single from the album, you've gotten just a taste of the broad spectrum we are trying to bring to the tracks. We've been peppering the album with all kinds of fun percussion, moog, and (gasp!) electric guitar. So, we've got about 8 more songs left that we want to fully complete.
So, I'm signing off. Keep your eyes peeled. I'll be around.
Love on ya, Marc
P.S.: How could I leave without telling you all what music has been tickling my fancy lately? The new Amity Three EP hasn't left my player since I got it. In sadder times, I've also been playing Steve Garron's new "Long Story Short" album. But, the month would have been nothing without Clutch's "Jam Room" EP, that 2 disc Replacements retrospective, the Mike Nesmith mixtape that Khara made for me, a live Big Star album, the Mates Of State album that I can't quit listening to, and a copy of Weezer's 2/02 Albany show. All recommended listening, folks.
January 2002
Hello everyone. Sorry that this diary
entry has come so belatedly for January. I guess when I said that I'd
be taking a month off, I really wasn't kidding. It's been a bit
strange, what with not having to scurry off to shows right after
work...but amazingly, I've stayed really busy.
December 2001
Hey all. Thanks for stopping by the
second installment of my monthly musical diary. Lots of fun stuff has
happened in the last month. Like what, you might ask?
Aside from all of the musical stuff...I
feel whole. I'm very happy right now, which I've been unable to say
for a long time. In the words of the immortal Sonic Youth song "Eric's
Trip:" "My head's on straight/My girlfriend's beautiful/Life looks
pretty good to me." Add to that my wonderful daughter, and you've got
a pretty fulfilling life. I'm not drinking much anymore, not taking
sleeping pills to get my nightly rest, and most importantly, I'm
content. This may not seem like it has much bearing on my musical
endeavors, but it has more to do with it than you'll ever be able to
imagine.
P.S.: Here's some of the music I've been
loving in the last month. You'd do well to check some of it out if you
ever have the chance: that Paul Peterson song called "She Cant Find
Her Keys;" Hagfish's "Caught Live" CD; All the new Weezer demos; A
Chinese freestyle rapper named MC Thai Mai Shu; Dan Bern's "New
American Language" album; any number of old tracks by Blue Oyster
Cult; Sebadoh's "Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock" CD; and...of
course...the really cool "Complete Hank Williams, Sr." box set I got
for Xmas. Ten discs of Hank? It's safe to say that I'll be busy for
awhile ;)
November 2001
This is going to be different. It just dawned on me to keep a diary on this webpage...you know, just to speak about what's going on in the Marc (with a "C") hourglass. I guess it could even double as a monthly news section.
So far, this month we call November has
been interesting. I've done two shows at my favorite club in Orlando
that have been recorded for an upcoming downloadable live record. The
first show was just lovely, and will make the basis for the tracks.
The second show was...well, lets just say that there won't be much
usable stuff from that hour of music. At said show, I was sloppy, the
crowd was sleepy, and nothing went correctly. We've all had shows like
that, I suppose. Hopefully there be some more useable material
recorded at a show next week that I'm looking *very* forward to.
Acoustic guitars will overrun a small record shop in Tavares for what
is being billed as a "low-fi showcase" of sorts. It's one of the best
bills I can remember being on in quite a long time. You've got Dewey
Robbins (who the astute may remember as the ex-bassist of
Molokoplus/Childlyke) opening the show. Coming up after that is a solo
act called The Data Project...I've heard that this kid is the acoustic
equivalent to the Alkaline Trio, so I'm really excited to see what
that's all about. Co-headlining the show, (i.e.: we aren't sure who
closes the night), is myself and Troy Meice, who has been in The Meat
Puppets and a band with some ex-members of the Feelies. Should be fun
if the PA system works out.
Hmm... not sure what else to put in this
first musical diary. Wrote a new song for Laura Prepon devotees titled
"Laura, I Need Medicine," which has gotten a pretty good reaction thus
far.
Love on ya,
That's it! |