Find more about the band at sunspotmusic.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 146
Watch Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 146 in Celebrity & Showbiz | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Partying in Elcho, saying goodbye to Bambi, and getting ready for this week's big Halloween parties!
Download the SD version here: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/sunspotrm146-2344667.mov
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 145
Sunspot has the weekend off, but Mike gets himself six feet under the Zombie Pub Crawl in Minneapolis while Wendy Lynn performs with rocker Mark Mallman during his epic 78-hour music marathon at The Turf Club in St. Paul. It's a Twin Cities rock/horror party!
Download the SD version: http://sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/SunspotRoadMania145-2281103.m4v
Friday, October 08, 2010
Mark Mallman, I salute you and your 78-hour song!
In a triathlon, athletes test the limits of their physical abilities by running a full marathon, biking 112 miles, and swimming 2.4 miles. This weekend, musician Mark Mallman ( http://www.mallman.com ) will undertake the musical equivalent of such a challenge by performing a 78-hour rock epic entitled “Marathon 3”.
That’s actually not a fair analogy, because while thousands of athletes can say they have completed a triathlete, I am unaware of any musician who has rocked for 78 hours nonstop.
It is an artist’s nature to want to push things to extremes. After all, the dangerous qualities of rock and roll are part of its allure. We pride ourselves on playing for hours on end; we wear the scars and scabs resulting from onstage antics like badges of honor. We cram ourselves into vans, drive dozens of hours, play seven shows in four days, and drive another twenty hours straight back home, making barely enough money to cover our expenses- Not something most adults would elect to do with their time- yet we love every second of it.
But Mark Mallman takes his dedication to music a step further. The prolific songwriter and performer, also known as the Mad Man, pushes the boundaries of modern music and his own creativity far beyond limits that the rest of us dare not approach. Having previously completed 26-hour and 52-hour versions of the marathon, he knows what he’s getting into, and he leaps enthusiastically into the rabbit hole with reckless abandon.
Can you imagine what might come out of one’s mind after hours and hours of continuous musical expression? What magical corridors of the brain might be unlocked by days of sleep deprivation? For an artist to not only choose to do this, but to do it publicly and invite the world, is a bold move which I respect profoundly.
When I first heard about Mark Mallman’s marathons, I thought it sounded like a cool way to rally the troops, gather scores of musicians and stay up all night rocking. It reminded me of the childhood delight of a lock-in or slumber party, where we would defy sleep and partake in all of our favorite activities until we dropped. However, further investigation revealed to me that this is no joke, not a gimmick for press attention, an attempt to break a record, nor a charity fundraising event. This is all about art.
The Marathon 3 involved much more prep work than just finding a venue that will allow such a lengthy performance. Mallman is armed with hundreds of pages of lyrics and an overarching theme for each of three 26.2-hour segments of the event. He has scheduled a continuous rotation of musicians who will follow him through the twists and turns the lengthy performance will surely take. I should have known all along the man nicknamed Mr. Serious would not take something like this lightly! Of course, it is rock and roll, and therefore guaranteed to include the fun and entertainment that a show normally includes: elements crucial to defying the gravity of such an enormous creative undertaking.
So, this weekend I will make the pilgrimage to the twin cities to experience the Marathon 3 for myself, not only to support an artist I highly respect, but to seek out some inspiration of my own. I will not just observe what is happening in the temple of rock known as the Turf Club in St. Paul, but like everyone there, I will become part of a unique scene; a grand vortex of music, lyrics, and creative chaos. Although but a fraction of what Mallman will be doing, I will also challenge myself to perform for hours on end, and hopefully come out of it with a fresh and new perspective. I will enthusiastically follow this obsessed pied piper of rock as he hammers out his catchy tune on the piano. And with any luck, I will survive the journey with a new outlook on musical performance itself.
You can watch the Marathon 3 live webcast at:
http://m3.implex.net/
Check the Schedule... You just might see me behind the drum set!
That’s actually not a fair analogy, because while thousands of athletes can say they have completed a triathlete, I am unaware of any musician who has rocked for 78 hours nonstop.
It is an artist’s nature to want to push things to extremes. After all, the dangerous qualities of rock and roll are part of its allure. We pride ourselves on playing for hours on end; we wear the scars and scabs resulting from onstage antics like badges of honor. We cram ourselves into vans, drive dozens of hours, play seven shows in four days, and drive another twenty hours straight back home, making barely enough money to cover our expenses- Not something most adults would elect to do with their time- yet we love every second of it.
But Mark Mallman takes his dedication to music a step further. The prolific songwriter and performer, also known as the Mad Man, pushes the boundaries of modern music and his own creativity far beyond limits that the rest of us dare not approach. Having previously completed 26-hour and 52-hour versions of the marathon, he knows what he’s getting into, and he leaps enthusiastically into the rabbit hole with reckless abandon.
Can you imagine what might come out of one’s mind after hours and hours of continuous musical expression? What magical corridors of the brain might be unlocked by days of sleep deprivation? For an artist to not only choose to do this, but to do it publicly and invite the world, is a bold move which I respect profoundly.
When I first heard about Mark Mallman’s marathons, I thought it sounded like a cool way to rally the troops, gather scores of musicians and stay up all night rocking. It reminded me of the childhood delight of a lock-in or slumber party, where we would defy sleep and partake in all of our favorite activities until we dropped. However, further investigation revealed to me that this is no joke, not a gimmick for press attention, an attempt to break a record, nor a charity fundraising event. This is all about art.
The Marathon 3 involved much more prep work than just finding a venue that will allow such a lengthy performance. Mallman is armed with hundreds of pages of lyrics and an overarching theme for each of three 26.2-hour segments of the event. He has scheduled a continuous rotation of musicians who will follow him through the twists and turns the lengthy performance will surely take. I should have known all along the man nicknamed Mr. Serious would not take something like this lightly! Of course, it is rock and roll, and therefore guaranteed to include the fun and entertainment that a show normally includes: elements crucial to defying the gravity of such an enormous creative undertaking.
So, this weekend I will make the pilgrimage to the twin cities to experience the Marathon 3 for myself, not only to support an artist I highly respect, but to seek out some inspiration of my own. I will not just observe what is happening in the temple of rock known as the Turf Club in St. Paul, but like everyone there, I will become part of a unique scene; a grand vortex of music, lyrics, and creative chaos. Although but a fraction of what Mallman will be doing, I will also challenge myself to perform for hours on end, and hopefully come out of it with a fresh and new perspective. I will enthusiastically follow this obsessed pied piper of rock as he hammers out his catchy tune on the piano. And with any luck, I will survive the journey with a new outlook on musical performance itself.
You can watch the Marathon 3 live webcast at:
http://m3.implex.net/
Check the Schedule... You just might see me behind the drum set!
Sunspot Road Mania - Ep. 144
Sunspot video shoot, hanging out at old haunts, and discussing the extraordinarily talented musician, Jibbs.
SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/RoadManiaEP144-2250957.m4v
SD version here: http://www.sunspotmusic.com/roadmania/RoadManiaEP144-2250957.m4v
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