Mark Newman is a songwriter and guitarist who has performed with artists including Sam Moore, John Oates, Jim McCarty and Bobby Whitlock. In this interview, Jason Barnard talks to Mark about his musical inspirations, his career highlights and creative process.
Who were your early musical inspirations and how they shaped your music?
There were the usual suspects, Beatles, Stones and a lot of British bands, then there was Dylan. I was also listening to a lot of Motown and Stax. Steve Cropper was a huge influence. Then the Allman Brothers appeared and I started playing slide guitar. The thing that tied all these groups together for me was the songwriting and the sound of the guitar.
Can you tell us about the formation and experience of being in the band Tao Jones and releasing the album Rorschach Sunset?
I wound up on a gig with drummer, John Michel. The gig was a nightmare but John sounded great. I had the same situation with bassist, Tony Montalbo. We were playing clubs in the New York area, mostly the Bitter End in New York and finally got around to recording Rorschach Sunset. We were all doing sessions and sideman gigs for other artists so the CD took a while. Both John and Tony are two of my best friends to this day. We do an occasional reunion gig.
What are your solo highlights over the last 20 years or so?
I got to open for a lot of great acts at BB King’s and The Highline Ballroom in NYC. My favorite was Delbert McClinton. That same week I opened for Don Felder at The Space in Westbury, NY. I also opened for a few acts at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. They asked me to open for The Doobie Brothers. My drummer and bass player were already booked so I called my old band mates from Tao Jones and did the gig.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing lyrics for your songs? How do you decide on themes and subjects to write about?
I watch the news a lot. Sometimes the subject matter jumps out at me. The hard part is making it sound like a song, not an essay. Sometimes I’ve written the music or at least a riff or chord progression and have no idea what I want to say, lyrically, then one day the music will inspire the story.
Out of all your material, which songs of yours would you recommend new listeners seek out and why?
“At The Border”. It’s about leaving an oppressive living situation with the hope of having a better life when you reach the “promised land”. Another one is “Tulsa” which is based on the Tulsa massacre of 1921.
You’ve shared the stage with many notable musicians. Is there any in particular that stand out as particularly memorable and why?
I’ve been lucky to work with some great artists, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), John Oates (Hall & Oates), Willy DeVille (Mink DeVille), Sam The Sham, Jim McCarty (Yardbirds). They were all great to work with. The one that stands out the most was Bobby Whitlock (Derek & the Dominos). We played a lot of songs from the Layla album and some of Bobby’s newer material.
Where are you from and where do you live now? Does that impact your music?
I’m from New York and that’s where I live now. I’ve also lived in Atlanta and Los Angeles. There are a lot of great musicians here so the bar is pretty high. It was the same in Atlanta and L.A. Musical influences vary regionally. I tried to incorporate what I picked up into what I was already doing. Now, with the internet, you can hear great musicians from anywhere.
What was the process like for creating your latest album, Empirical Truth? How did you approach its songwriting and recording?
A lot of the songs came right out of watching the news, most notably with “When I Aim My Gun”.
“One More Song About A Highway” is about a person losing a job because the factory shut down. The only job he can get is as a long haul driver. I would go to the studio with drummer, Shawn Murray and lay down basic tracks. Sometimes I would play to a click and Shawn would come in afterward to play drums. When I needed keys, I would send tracks to Kevin McKendree in Nashville.
What can fans expect from your future musical projects?
I’ve been releasing singles since everybody streams these days. I’m working on a video for “At The Border” which will be out (hopefully) by May 1st. I’m playing Mayfest in Leesville, LA on May 6 and the Jazz/R&B Fest in Natchitoces, LA on May 13. After that, I’ll be playing in the NY/NJ area including Great South Bay Music Festival
Finally, how do people find out more about you?
My website is marknewman.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marknewmanmusic
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/marknewman
Youtube: www.youtube.com/mnewmanvideos
Instagram: www.instagram.com/marknewmanmusic
Publicist: rick@rickeberle.com
For a non-musician, I’d suggest listening to Mean Season or Mambo Dancing – great songs to just get into. And for anyone who has watched a child grow up, Little One is a must listen. Great stuff from Mark.