“Let me tell you a story, about my time in the… Mojave Desert.” You see, Duane Mark spent most of his formidable years, growing up in the deserts outside of Bakersfield, CA. Desolation is the first thing that comes to mind, when one thinks on the Mojave Desert. What does one do when growing up in such circumstances? They find a passion to immerse them self in. For Duane Mark, that passion was music.
The son of a carpenter, Duane Mark was born in Phoenix, AZ to a hard working young family, who had a love for music. At the age of 13, he began playing the gospel and bluegrass music that surrounded the small mining towns he would spend his junior high and high school years in. As the teenage years came to a close, Duane would find himself working to build a name in the hard rock sounds of music.
Fast forward through several years of bands, shows, and experiences and we find Duane delivering his latest album, A Letter To My Friends.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Duane about his latest project, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Hello, my name is Duane Mark! I am based out of Austin, Texas, but originally from the deserts of Arizona and California. We jokingly and lovingly refer to our brand of American roots music as “AmeriKINDA”, because we don’t always fit a lot of folks’ genre boundaries.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Over a decade ago, a producer and mentor challenged me about songwriting. He said that if a song could stand on its own, with only a vocal and one instrument, it was probably a good song and had potential to be a great song! I really took this advice to heart. After a number of years of trying to put a band together, I took that advice and started out on my own, writing and performing solo. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the heartbeat of writing and performing those songs. I still do some solo work throughout the year, but have the honor of performing as a trio regularly.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
A couple of things come to mind… I think one of the key components of this record being different, was the time we spent arranging the songs together. Before we traveled to Memphis to record the new project, Tim, Sarah, and myself (the aforementioned Trio) got to spend a couple of weeks specifically working through these new tunes. The second big difference, was the Producer and Studio we chose to work with on “A Letter To My Friends”. Scott McEwan came on board to produce this record, having worked as an engineer on a couple of my previous projects. His knowledge of music, my art, and the industry, really helped us focus on bringing these songs alive! Working at Memphis Magnetic’s all analog recording facility, was a major impact on the sound and feel of this record. There’s something about capturing a moment on 2 inch tape, that can’t really be replicated any other way.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
As much as I hate to say it, one of the main problems is that just about anyone can put music on free platforms that just about anyone has access to listen on. I am no big fan of the industry controlling what people get to listen to, but I also see that over saturation can be overwhelming and facilitates a lack of interest from potential fans. If anything, it benefits the top of the industry, by creating an even larger gap between the (now) millions of independent artists and the thousands of artists with major label representation. It is challenging to market ourselves in an honest and heartfelt manner, when there are so many consumer options out there. Often feels like we do silly things, just to get someones attention, in hopes that they will give our songs an honest listen. All that said, the fact that we can digitally distribute a recording world-wide, with no major label behind us, is unbelievable! Access to publications, small radio stations, and gig booking, is infinitely easier than it was, even in the late 90’s.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Thoughts and Prayers” by The People vs Hugh Deneal. In my never-to-be-humble opinion, Hugh is a master songwriter.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl first… always. That preference is a huge part of why we chose to record in an analog studio. The new record, A Letter To My Friends, is 100% analog from start to finish, so any of our audiophile fans can enjoy all the nuances that are captured in this type of media and recording!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I am sucker for Spotify. It’s easy to use and I love that it suggests things that you might enjoy… almost like having your favorite hometown radio DJ. None of the digital platforms really pay what music should be, or at least used to be, worth. Spotify at least offers a crazy wide array of options, and if you promote your independent offerings well, you can grow a solid following there.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I am supposed to say that our direct website – https://www.ihateduanemark.com/ – is the best way to keep up to date on everything. It’s connected to our tour schedule, music, store, social media, etc. Truthfully, we do a ton of promo through Facebook and Spotify, so I often encourage folks to go there. We are working on an email newsletter solution, which will allow us more direct contact with fans!
Anything else before we sign off?
I really hope folks will dig into this new record, both sonically and lyrically! We poured our heart and soul into this offering. Keep an ear to the ground for more new content soon!
