5 years…

…ago today we lost Mark. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. It’s taken a long time to come to terms with his loss. Mark was many things. A very talented musician. A gifted composer both in terms of melody and lyrics. His ability to evoke deep emotions from his economical use of words was one of his extraordinary talents. And his skills crossed over into the technical aspect of music making. He was a skillful producer, engineer, and almost a magician at times, taking outdated recording technology, things he found in junkyards and fixing them and giving them new life as a way to help create his unique sounds. And by all accounts an extraordinarily kind, gentle and humble man.

But on the 5th year anniversary of Mark’s leaving us, we’d like to focus less on mourning his loss, and more on celebrating his life. To that end, we’ve compiled a tribute to Mark that we hope you’ll all enjoy. We scraped high and low for photos. One or more of yours may show up here. And if so we hope you’ll forgive our appropriating the various images we’ve found to help memorialize Mark today.

 

john murry – “shade and honey”

Hey Everyone,

Happy New Year!!! It’s been an awfully long time since we’ve had a new post here but tonight we have something to make up for it. Our very good friend John Murry has shared his wonderful cover of “Shade And Honey” with us. Hope you all enjoy it.

Shade And Honey (by John Murry)

Produced by Mark Pistel and John Murry at Room Number Five, San Francisco, CA

Updated January 17: John asked us to enable downloads for this track, so you can now download the MP3 by mousing over the area just to the right of the play button and clicking on the magic arrow.  Cheers…

 

makers…

I’ve been listening a lot lately to a record that I have rediscovered recently. It’s called “Makers”, by a Seattle-based singer/songwriter named Rocky Votolato. As far as I know, he had no association with Mark, but this record, to me, tell’s Mark’s story. It is a record rife with loss, hurt and pain. And of yielding, at last, to all the overwhelming dark forces that gather in the minds of those that suffer as Mark did. It’s not a happy record; and for some perhaps a tough listen. But it is also very empathetic, and soothing. It is, to me, a balm. Perhaps it makes it easier for me to understand what happened almost 4 years ago. For those seeking some solace, as the anniversary of Mark’s passing draws near, you may find some here…

makers

http://www.rockyvotolato.com/

 

“White Daisy Passing”

Brighten Mornings & Hollows…

Here’s a little Christmas gift for everyone who is missing Mark today…

It’s a beautiful acoustic version of Morning Hollow recorded for BBC London Radio back in 2001. Most likely unheard since its original broadcast, we thought this was just too special not to share…

Wishing all our readers a very Happy Christmas!

Morning Hollow (Acoustic):

Morning Hollow (Acoustic)

In the silver morning hollow
Trembling and getting old
Smelling burnt oil of heaven
About ten years, too big to hold
She don’t get up when I come into the room
She don’t run through the fields anymore
Built a fire in the kitchen
Made her bed by a stove
Took a walk to the graveyard
But she didn’t want to go
She don’t worry all them murders of crows
Even though they was always out of reach
She don’t get up when I come into the room
She don’t run through the fields anymore