For those following me on Twitter or reading my Facebook posts of late, it will come as no surprise to learn I've been on a serious "Crowded House" listening jag these days. As a long-time fan of the band, I've been busy obsessing over their latest album, "Intriguer", as well as revisiting their incredible back catalog. Listening to that amazing body of work, particularly the albums that meant so much to me growing up, I couldn't help but reminisce about the very first time I saw my fave Kiwi trio perform live...
Circa '88 I'm a 19 year old college kid working with my best friend in the home recording studio we built in the basement of his parent's house (an anomaly for the time, btw, not like today wherein every musician has Pro Tools in their bedroom), when my friend's younger sister burst in informing us that CH was on WNEW announcing a "secret" show that evening at CBGB's. The band's second record had just come out and as my friend and I were enamored with both their albums, we immediately stopped what we were doing and made our trek from Queens down to the Bowery.
Long story longer, we got to the club early enough to sit first-table-center at the foot of the stage. Needless to say, that intimate night of music was incredible. CH was simply the tightest (yet agile) band I'd seen to date, playing the most beautifully melodic, Beatle-esque tunes just six inches in front of me replete with their own unique brand of style and humor. And the harmonies?! Man, could those three sing together (RIP Paul Hester). Too young to see the Fab Four live, I imagined this must have been what it was like.
After the band played an electric AND an acoustic busking set, my friend and I couldn't resist the opportunity to meet our heroes in the tiny dressing room behind stage. I remember being incredibly star struck. When the moment finally came, we first met an amazingly friendly Nick and then an equally genuine Neil. I offered Mr. Finn a sweaty, nervous handshake (which he graciously accepted - sorry Neil), made some small talk and a fantastic night of music came to a surreal conclusion. A pedestrian experience, maybe, for some but us true music fans know better; I could have died on the ride back to Queens that evening, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
I believe the very next day CH taped this Letterman appearance; check it to get an idea of the pure joy, subtle power and sound that floored this young musician that night at CBs.
In keeping with a long-standing, self-deprecating (& honestly somewhat perplexing) tradition of making a fool of myself in the name of an album release (see here & here), I give you the video for "Happy", the single from my new album, "Queens English".
Obviously, it's one of those clips wherein you question whether this kind of behavior is beneficial to one's career... but since I'm never quite sure I actually have one, I figure I'm good to go; why not climb out on that shaky limb and have a little fun in the process?
Or who knows? Maybe I'm just one of those cryin' on the inside kind of clowns.
Ah, the gig... Simultaneously the thrill and bane of a performer's existence (or at least this performer's). A bubbling Diet Coke-meets-Mentos combination of nervousness and excitement - Will it suck? Will it be cool? Will five people come out or 150? Will the bartender cut off our free drinks?
In my case, all those questions are forgotten and invariably melt away as the first chord sounds and my attentions turn toward the simple joy of making music with friends and connecting with a live audience.
Such was, indeed, the case last week at our Pete's show in Brooklyn as a warm, summer Monday evening - not generally the recipe for record attendance - predictably yielded a small but loyal crowd while the band and I took to providing our take on the popular song format.
Later, during the after-set hang (sometimes just as much fun as the set itself), I found myself meeting, getting to know and having a blast with a very cool group of peeps who, flatteringly, care close to as much about my music as I do despite them being extremely intelligent and successful folks ;-) Always a humbling experience; one for which I'm eternally grateful and never take for granted.
Although the music business finds itself in a bad way these days, fraught with many pitfalls, I can think of very few "9 to 5's" (barring obvious philanthropic endeavors) that offer the kind of fulfillment and human connection described above.
"Turned on the radio Sounded like a disco Musta turned the dial for a couple of miles But I couldn't find no rock n' roll
This computerized crap ain't gettin' me off Everywhere I go - the kids wanna rock" - Bryan Adams
First off, just wanted to remind everyone that the band folk and I will be playing some new jams and some old faves at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn this coming Monday night (8/2, 8p) as we celebrate (somewhat belatedly) the release of my newest long player, "Queens English". If you're free, please join us as we make a racket in the back room then retire to Pete's awesome garden for a mid-summer night's libation under the stars. Details below -
Mark Bacino Mon. August 2, 2010 - 8pm Pete's Candy Store 709 Lorimer Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.302.3770 www.petescandystore.com *Free Admission* Lastly, in quick literary transition from live to Memorex - It struck me this week, in a wave of randomness, just how much I rely upon YouTube vids these days while investigating new musical finds. After, say, reading about a new band or artist, I find myself, almost reflexively, hitting my YouTube browser tab long before heading to iTunes, MySpace, etc. Usually I find your standard issue, MTV-era, bells and whistles video or a DIY Flip Cam vid but sometimes I land on a fan made clip, as I'm sure you have, consisting of nothing more than a tune from the band in question along with a static picture lasting the entire duration of the song. You would think given the obvious nature of YouTube as a visual platform this would be a detriment to the video's popularity but often I find these "static" vids to have thousands of plays. Go figure - The fascinating nexus of YouTube as Web 2.0 jukebox and modern man's uncanny ability to bend technology toward never intended uses coupled with his timeless need to simply get his groove on.
It's with all these lofty concepts in mind that I thought it might be fun to post some music from my new album in simple, YouTube neo-jukebox form - www.youtube.com/user/MBacino
I suppose no matter the medium, the kids still wanna rock.
One of my all time faves, Prince, recently declared that the "Internet's completely over" in a UKDaily Mirror piece. Of course he's totally wrong and of course the statement is probably just a way for the purple one to generate heat around his new album release (which The Daily Mirror just happens to be distributing free with it's paper) but I have to admit, all technological naivete/publicity stunts aside, in a roundabout way I kind of get what Prince might be saying.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm no luddite; having logged onto the interwebs myself for the first time back in '94 and surrounding myself daily with a bevy of computers, audio equipment and iPhones. Certainly the net is one of the greatest tools ever invented (thanks Al Gore) and we've yet to even scratch the surface, but like every piece of technology that has a profound affect on mankind, it, of course, has it's benefits and it's drawbacks. I guess what I'm trying to say is the web, at least for me, is sometimes like my Uncle Milt; love 'em, great fun, knows a heck of a lot about stuff but at times is just a tad removed from reality and, well, a bit much.
This weekend past, my wife and I accompanied my young son to one of his schoolmate's birthday parties. Although we knew the birthday boy's parents a bit, we were suddenly thrust into a totally foreign social-circle, spending the afternoon getting to know a bunch of flesh and blood strangers face to face. After the initial handshake awkwardness passed I found myself having the kind of fun Facebook could never hope to provide.
Maybe Prince is still a genius after all.
(For a laugh, click here to visit an archive of my first website created circa 1997 and inspired by the ridiculous promo picture of me above).
On your radio,On your radio, You're gonna hear me on your radio... - Joe Jackson
As some of you may know, I've been doing a lot of radio over the past month or so to help spread the word about my new album, "Queens English". In the process I've had a lot of fun, met a bunch of fine folks and learned a little along the way. Despite the sad state of corporate-run, commercial radio in this country, with it's generic playlists and endless commercial breaks, in my experience I'm happy to report that the medium of radio, along with it's true free-form spirit, is still alive and well; You might have to look a little harder for it but it's out there in the form of specialty shows, college stations, local broadcasting and the like.
And now thanks to the wonder of the interwebs, many of these aforementioned radio programs can finally enjoy a wider-then-ever-before reach via live internet streaming and podcasts, etc., no longer restricted by the limitations of signal strength or the lack of funds en route to finding a larger audience.
It's with all this in mind that I thought I'd share with you a podcast from one of my recent radio appearances. Back on June 5th I was lucky enough to be DJ Michael Shelley's guest on his always awesome, number-one-hits program which broadcasts via a stronghold of free-form radio, the mighty WFMU. If you haven't listened to Michael's show before you really should; with it's eclectic mix of pop, country, soul and a little dead-pan humor sprinkled throughout, it airs most Saturdays 11a -1p (EST) on 91.1 FM in NY/NJ and, of course, on the web streaming at WFMU.org. In addition to his DJ-ing expertise, Michael also happens to be one of my favorite singer/songwriters with numerous excellent albums to his credit. Please check out all things Mr. Shelley at his website when you get a moment.
So without further ado, here's my segment on The Michael Shelley Program, WFMU, NY 6/5/10 (thanks Michael for having me!) -
Check out Episode 5 of "Speakin' The Queens"; the video portion of my Blog and the world's only music Vlog to come to you direct from a Queens, NY living room.
This episode features music* from yours truly and special guests Cheri, Matty and Chris, collectively known as The Trouble Dolls; a great pop band based in NYC. The T Dolls are currently in the studio working on a new collection of songs while their 2003 album, “Sticky” (Half a Cow), is a must have for fans of all things melodic. Those with a keen eye might also recognize Cheri and Matty from their moonlighting gig as longtime members of my live band.
Many thanks to The Trouble Dolls for doing the show. Please visit them on the web at -
For those following me on Twitter or reading my Facebook posts of late, it will come as no surprise to learn I've been on a serious "Crowded House" listening jag these days. As a long-time fan of the band, I've been busy obsessing over their latest album, "Intriguer", as well as revisiting their incredible back catalog. Listening to that amazing body of work, particularly the albums that meant so much to me growing up, I couldn't help but reminisce about the very first time I saw my fave Kiwi trio perform live...
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