Tales is Mark Westin’s 4th full-length album. The ten songs on the record are culled from an intensive two-year period of writing. Mark wrote close to 50 songs, and narrowed down to the ones I felt would fit together thematically.
The unifying thread is that all the songs on Tales are character-driven narratives. Think of this album like a book of short stories. You can start at the beginning and go through to the end, or you can dip in and choose one that appeals to you at the moment, then put it down and return later for another.
Tales was recorded at The Building in Marlboro, New York. After the isolation of Covid, which had required MArk to record by himself at home with collaborators uploading their tracks, “I really wanted to get back into a room with other musicians and make an old-school record,” he shares.
His band for Tales was The Restless Age: Will Bryant, Lee Falco, and Brandon Morrison. They’re terrific players who have performed with Donald Fagen, Marshall Crenshaw, Joan Osborne, The Lemonheads, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Amy Helm and many others.
In two days they recorded all ten songs. A fiddle part by Daisycutter’s Sara Milonovich and a bodhran from Scott MX Turner were overdubbed, along with a couple of guitar parts and some backing vocals, but most of what you hear on this album is the first or second time they had ever played the song.
We had the honor of catching up with Mark for an insightful interview you’ll find below!
What can you share with readers about your latest release “Tales”?
I’m really proud of this record. It’s an old-school songwriter album where every song is a character-based narrative. If you listen to the album all the way through, it takes you on a journey from beginning to end, but each song also stands alone. I think of it like a book of short stories – If you feel like just dipping in for one now and coming back for another later, you can, in whatever order you like.
How does this project compare with your other projects you had in the
past?
I think it’s just a natural evolution of my songwriting. The more I do this, the more I learn my craft and the more I refine my vision. This is probably the best record I’ve made so far in terms of both writing and production.
What about this project makes you most proud?
The songs themselves are really strong. Because of the Covid lockdown, I had a lot of time to write and really polish up my ideas. The record also sounds phenomenal, and that’s due in a big way to the guys I recorded with – Will Bryant, Lee Falco, and Brandon Morrison. Brandon engineered and mixed it in addition to playing on it. And I have to mention Alan Douches who did outstanding masters for vinyl, CD and streaming. Good songs and good sounds, that’s a win-win situation.
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
Yes. After being locked down and having to record by myself for nearly two years, I was hungry to get back into a room with other human beings and make an album. I wanted it to sound great, but mainly I was going for the right feel, and that was more important to me than having every note be absolutely perfect. We recorded the full band and the lead vocals live, and then overdubbed additional parts to fill out the sound. In most cases, what you hear on the record was the first or second time we’d ever played the songs together, so there’s a real live energy to it.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
I do it because I have to. Music is a part of me as much as my arms or my legs. It’s always in me 24/7, and I don’t know any other way to be. I’m sure most artists would tell you the same thing.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown
– who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a
link so readers can check them out.
Boy, there are a lot. To me, collaboration is what music is all about. Here are just a few folks I’m thinking of at the moment: As a songwriter I wish I could’ve written with Guy Clark or Allen Toussaint. As a guitar player, I would have loved to be in the Jeff Beck Group of the early 70s, Frank Zappa’s “Roxy”-era band, or Little Feat.
I’m not a jazz player, but I also would have loved to work with Gil Evans in the late ‘50s-early ‘60s, because his arrangements were so incredible and his sense of melody and harmony remains fresh and unique to this day. Ask me the same question tomorrow and you’ll get a totally different answer.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
The last song I listened to was “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper. I’m learning the guitar parts for a show I’m doing. Maybe not the hippest song out there, but I’m being honest. And c’mon, early Alice Cooper rocks like a mofo!
Aside from the folks I mentioned in your last question, some of my favorite artists are Tampa Red, Rory Gallagher, Steely Dan, Burt Bacharach, The Meters and Earl Scruggs. I like a lot of old stuff. In general, I listen to a wide range of musical styles because it all informs what I do and gives me inspiration to draw from.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
My website www.markwest.in has links to everything, so you can start there and sign up for my mailing list. I’m on Bandcamp, YouTube and most social media, and my songs are on all the streaming services. I’m here to be found, so search my name and find me where you prefer!
I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before
we sign off?
I hope people will give Tales a listen, buy the record, tell their friends and then bring them all to a show. Or at least, give me a follow or a subscribe on one platform or another. For that matter, follow anyone you like who’s doing something creative – it costs nothing and it really makes a difference to an artist when people show appreciation for what they do.
