Tuesday, December 25, 2012

My new insomnia.

Hello friends.

I have a new thing going on in my life.  I have stopped sleeping.  Well, I have stopped maintaining a normal pattern of sleep.  I do sleep, certainly, just not at the right hours.  Also, my sleep intervals have gotten smaller.  I'll sleep for 4 hours and wake, sometimes for the entire day.  It doesn't bother me too much, however it catches up and I pass out.

Enough about my sleep.  Happy Holidays!  I have coincidentally posted on Christmas day!  This seriously wasn't planned, I just woke up and thought, what the hell, I'll write a blog.  Merry Christmas!  Hours from now, many hours, the wife will wake and we'll open some presents under the tree.  Then we'll enjoy a nice lazy, rainy, Portland day together.  I'm really looking forward to it actually.  Doing nothing sounds amazing!  Not working sounds amazing!  Clocking out and playing cards, sounds amazing!  I hope everybody out there can enjoy some quality time with family and friends or both if your lucky enough for that today.  All those loved ones, that's what the holidays are about.

Not too soon after the holidays, I'll be performing a show.


Saturday. Dec. 29th. 9pm @ Backspace in Portland OR
http://www.facebook.com/events/202178829919589

I have taken a little time off performing, and only gotten back into the swing of it recently.  I played a show in November, and another in mid December, both shorter sets and starter shows.  Now on the 29th, I'll be bringing my swagger back.  I am looking forward to it.  I feel as though I found some element in performing in the past two shows that I never had before.  It's odd.  After performing so much in so many years, it's hard to think that something feels different about it, but something does.  Something positive and good.  Some sort of uninhibited drive.  So, here we go.  I'm ready.

I'm still making a tape.  I know I was talking about it in my previous blog, and it's still a plan in the works.  I think it'll just be a small limited run.  I'll keep you posted on that.

Enjoy your time and day my friends.
Cheers & Happy Holidays,

Mark

Sunday, December 16, 2012

bringing blog back.

So, it's been about a year since I posted on this blog.  I created it twice as long ago with the intensions of writing weekly, even daily.  That seemed to fall away.  Of course I had a completely different perception on what this blog was and could be.  I will be taking a different approach.  I will still share some random wordiness, but I'll also just be keeping you up to date on music by : macminn.

I have a few new projects.  One of those is a band.  It's still my songs, but told through a different format, with a different voice.  I have four folks that are performing with me under the title, Bare the Butcher.

Online we only have a small facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BaretheButcher

It has been a really good time playing with some musicians again.  I seem to have forgotten that brotherhood that can happen.  That connection is certainly what I have missed most about not having a band all these years.  I am really looking forward to seeing how far this project can go!  I just plan on letting it go and seeing what happens.  We have a show coming up in January in Portland, send us your positive thoughts!  If your in the area, please join us.

Sunday. Jan. 20th. Alberta Rose Theatre.
https://tickets.aftonshows.com/BaretheButcher

I have also crawled out from my hole and taken on some more solo shows.  I played for the first time in a while last month.  It was strange to take the stage and realize that I hadn't been on one for three to four months!  I was a little nervous because of the time lapse.  My fingers got a little shaky and stiff.  They didn't want to work with me for a few moments, but it all came together.  After about four songs, everything felt normal, as it always does.  Funny thing was, I was only suppose to perform four to five songs.  I ended up playing an entire set worth of material and was on stage for at least an hour!  It felt good.  So, now I'm back.  I have another show coming up.

Saturday. Dec. 29th. 9pm @ Backspace in Portland OR
http://www.facebook.com/events/202178829919589

This will be the first of many to come.  I finally found a friend to help with some booking!  So, I expect to get back up on that horse, and hopefully ride it into the sunset, or down the highway, or across state-lines.  First things first.

My other fun little music project on the brain, is making a cassette tape!  I haven't made one of those since I was in high school.  Back then I had an acoustic group called the Kool Kats.  I hustled a two song tape around school, sold 100 or so.  Quite a successful venture for me at that age.  In fact it was my first taste of musical success.  I thought it was all gonna be easy after that!  Silly children.
So, I want to make another tape.  This time I am considering either reissuing and older recording….

 "Mr. Brown's Darkside"
 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mr.-browns-darkside/id281871528

Or, recording some new material, and making a tape out of that.  I do have some new songs that I am proud of, and would love to share.  It will likely take sometime to record them, and get them ready to put out, so maybe the Mr. Brown's Darkside tape will come first.

Well, here I am.  I'm alive.  I'm well.  I'm bringing blog back (my blog that is, don't think blogging went away or anything).

Cheers,
M