With Catie's last two visits through the San Francisco Bay Area she was accompanied by her friend, collaborator and an equally talented musician Mark Erelli. And I've just gotta say...I've got me some lovin' on for Mark!
He is a really nice guy, he's got a big heart, he cares about this world and the people in it, and oh yeah, he writes and sings great too!
Admittedly, I'm a relatively late comer to Mark's music. He's been writing and performing for several years, as reflected in his discography starting with his debut release of his
1999 eponymous release on Signature Sounds. I hadn't really started listening to his stuff until his 2004 release of
Hillbilly Pilgrim. I love the swing tunes on this CD, a lively yet poignant collection of songs with my personal faves of
Troubadour Blues and the story of being a performing songwriter,
A Bend in the River, a love song to his hometown, and the sad & melancholy dirge for a town lost to "progress"
The Farewell Ball...the last of which always seems to bring me close to tears.
I only acquired his 2006 release
Hope & Other Casualties on this last trip through with Catie. However, I've kept it in the playlist on a regular basis. Recently at work, I had the iTunes playing and his song
Here & Now played. I stopped working and played it again as I read the lyrics. It struck me that this could be the theme song for my latest project at work and I proceeded to send a link to the only clip to my project colleagues. Being a person of the political persuasion, I'm particularly drawn and can empathize with many of the messages Mark shares on Hope & Other Casualties...particularly while my hopes have been lifted since November 8!
But I've also got to plug the latest little release of his called
Innocent When You Dream. You can read all about it on his
news page. I have already ordered and received my 3-pack...it's Christmas time, don'tcha know
...and I LOVE the sweetness of the tunes, many of which are covers. He originally recorded this quietly late at night in his apartment as a gift for friends and family...a gift he's now shared with us. Definitely a nice little keeper to drift off to sleep with.
So...check him out and
go see a show if he's playing anywhere near you! I'm thrilled that he be back for his own shows in Berkeley on January 9 and Felton on January 10...I'll be to at least one, probably both! Then I understand that he'll be touring with Lori McKenna next year...I don't see details anywhere about that yet, but I sure hope they'll visit us in SF!
