Who is So Long Solo? And how did you guys come together to form this awesome multi-instrumentalist folk/pop duo?
Mark: So Long Solo is my wife, Heather, myself, and all the different instruments we can fit in our minivan with our 8-month-old baby. I was actually a solo artist performing as theothermarkmiller when we married in 2010, and on our honeymoon, Heather decided she wanted to drop her other businesses and join me full time in music – and thus, So Long Solo was born, though we didn’t actually change our band name until 2012.
You guys came from the same area. Independently doing your thing, traveling the world, and then you find yourselves back at home joining forces on a new musical journey…. would you say So Long Solo is a creation of fate…destiny…or however you label it?
Mark: Oh boy, I think the most accurate label would be divine intervention.
You worked on the new album in Nashville. How do you like Music City?
Mark: We love it! So much so that we are living there this summer in between tours. Heather and I are really looking forward to collaborating regularly with other full-time musicians whom we love and respect. And really, the atmosphere is just one of constant inspiration and encouragement. What’s not to like about that?
Do or have you performed in Nashville? What venues? Where can we see you next?
Mark: You know what – we’ve pretty much always been in Nashville to work on albums and see friends, so we’ve never actually performed there. At the moment, we are about a month into a four-month college tour, with Ohio State University in Lima coming up tomorrow before we swing over to the east coast for several shows and then fly out west to Washington State for 4 more shows. That’s pretty much the next few weeks in a nutshell.
How does playing music in the U.S. compare to playing in places like Japan or Uganda? I’ve heard accounts from internationally touring artists that say the non-US crowds seem to have a deeper appreciation for the music.
Mark: It’s actually really fascinating how appreciation differs even in the various regions of the US! But yes, in Uganda, most people perform to their own backing track karaoke style, so just performing live with my cello and guitar, and Heather with her flute, uke, and glockenspiel was a treat for them. Shortly into our time there, we were invited to play live on the radio a couple times, and we just had a blast.
Japan was another story, but in a good way. I’ve always found the Japanese to be extremely attentive, engaged, and supportive. We sold out of our CDs in the first week of touring there! So definitely the appreciation of live music takes on a whole new level there. Where in the states I think many people expect a live show to be free or under ten dollars, then Japanese would gladly spend the equivalent of $25 just to get in the door and share in the experience. How much of that is just because we are foreigners, who can say? I admit that I’m personally more intrigued by a British performer in Kansas City, after all, then one of the regular bands. Either way, we hope to keep expanding our international touring! It’s just incredible to engage with cultures all over the world.
Tell us more about this eclectic collection of instruments you all play…
Mark: Oh sure! It’s probably partially the composer in me, and partially my short attention span, but we keep adding new instruments into our regular set. Currently, I hold down most songs on acoustic guitar or cello (which I often play like a guitar courtesy of some fancy luthier work by KC Strings). Sometimes I steal Heather’s ukulele or the pianica that I picked up in Japanese thrift store back in 2007. Heather will lead on ukulele sometimes, and the rest of the time adds glockenspiel, the aforementioned pianica, flute, and percussion elements such as cajon and shakers. I’ve got my eye on some new additions, but I’ll leave those as a surprise for future tours.
What should listeners expect when they push play on your new album?
Mark: First and foremost – to smile. So Long Solo (our self-titled album) is filled with whimsical songs that relay the various emotions of searching for love, with forays into the X-men, tea, and thieving rabbits. Mitch Dane, our producer, really did an incredible job keeping us fascinated from song to song with unique instrumental hooks, and the band members (including my personal guitar hero, Stephen Mason from Jars of Clay) just blew us away with their creativity that made every song captivating. We do take some more introspective turns in Awaken, Poetry, and even Under the Bridge, which I feel like brought some weight to the album. In the end we just hope that by the last track your day is even better than when you tuned in.
Where can we connect with you online? Stream your tunes?
We are most active on facebook at So Long Solo, but of course you can visit our website, www.solongsolo.com, twitter, instagram, and iTunes.
Having a grammy award winner produce the album, we actually opted not to put it on Spotify or any other streaming service, essentially because it costs as much as some people’s annual salary to bring a CD to life and we want to keep making records for you guys!
Any last thoughts? Shout outs?
Shout out to Middle Tennessee Music for the great questions and to Paul Chandler for his promotion work for us! Keep up the great work guys!
