Darren Wilson: "Has a Milk Problem"

"I drink milk with every meal. It cleanses my palate. I always have that milky taste. There's something that milk does to me that gets me so high. I need it like everyday. It's an addiction. I can never just take a sip."

-Darren Wilson
7/30/2009

Mark Rose CD/EP this Spring!

Hey gang,

I am excited to announce that I've been in the studio the past couple weeks putting the finishing touches on my debut CD/EP that will be released this Spring! Turning the knobs & pushing the buttons has been, the one and only, Matt Opal. I'm so excited to post a new track for you all to check out. I hope you'll be as happy to hear the songs as I have been to write & record them for you.

Track listing & release information to be announced shortly! There will be hard copies available for mail order and at my concerts as well as digital distribution for all of you "modern music" lovers out there.

Not on steroids,

Mark

Let's Hope It's A Good One...

Happy 2009 everybody! Not too long ago I was asked a great question by a beautiful woman. "What was your favorite present you received and favorite present you gave this year?" Feel free to post your answer to that question as a comment to this blog. I'd be interested to check out your response! Personally, my favorite gift this year I have yet to actually see. It's a framed silk-screened poster from my very first solo performance with my backing band from this past Spring at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. It's especially awesome because another friend had gotten the Spitalfield finale performance poster framed for me for my birthday last Summer. So these two will look great side by side, don't ya think? My favorite gift that I gave this year was a giant "Gale Sayers: 1965 NFL Rookie of the Year" banner, personalized and signed by Gale himself. I met him at Yorktown Mall a few weeks before Christmas in a sports memorabilia store. Too bad the 2008 Chicago Bears couldn't even make the playoffs. I even attended two (freezing cold) games this year! What gives, Bears? I did my part.

I've been writing so much material lately, it's been great. I can't wait to get into the studio so you guys can hear some of the new songs! I played Metro a little over a week ago, and it felt really good. I've always loved that stage, and I think I always will. Check out this YouTube video of my cover of "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins live from the Metro:





The holidays were really special this year. With Dan Man (my younger brother) around on his winter break, we've been able to spend some quality time together. It's been pretty fantastic. If we look back at the past two weeks, one thing we can truly say we accomplished is beating both The Lion King (pictured below) & Donkey Kong Country for Super Nintendo. That is pretty big time.

If you had asked me a couple years ago what my thoughts were on eating sushi, you'd probably have not gotten much of a verbal response- but more of an facial expression that says "Um, hey thanks, but no thanks". How foolish I was! Here is a photo of one of my finest meals to date:

Listening to lately:

Ray Lamontagne - If you haven't heard anything from him yet, you will. It's kind of like Van Morrison and David Gray birthed a child artist who was really into Wes Anderson films. Make sense? Probably not. Suggested track: You Are The Best Thing

D'Angelo - Yes, yes- the ripped black singer who was naked in that video from the mid-90's. But more importantly, one of the best "Neo-Soul" artists I've ever heard. When I think of the term "groove", I think of him. Suggested track to get down to: I Found My Smile Again

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! 2009 is going to be a good one, I know it.

xoxoxo

Mark

Let's get Spooked.

Let's talk about Halloween. I, for one, absolutely love this holiday. I've always loved dressing up and acting like someone I'm not (not just on Halloween, either)- but that is only part of it. One of my all time favorite flavors is pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bars, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin candles... yes, yes, yes, yes & yes please. Also, talk about the BEST episodes of most TV shows-- the Halloween specials are almost always killer (No pun intended. The first time I actually wrote "...are always sweet."- which was even worse). Boy Meets World, The Simpsons, Home Improvement, Family Matters, The Fresh Prince and hundreds of other sitcoms all re-run some of their finest "spooky" episodes around Halloween.

I'm tossing around a few different ideas as what to dress up as at my concert on Halloween in PA. In fact, the guys and I may be doing some kind of theme. Working out the details. I promise to share photos.

Do you guys have any great costume ideas? Comment me with either what you're being this year, your best costume ever or the best costume you've ever seen!

Figuring out how to dress at cat like a barnyard owl,
Mark

Tastes Good.

Things that are sweet as of late:

Sheetz (the Empire will expand)
Mark Rose Trio featuring (Altoona's very own) The Dan-Man
White Sox baseball (1st place!)
NFL Pre-season (Chicago Bears look... interesting)
E-Lo (the woman)
Where The Light Is (live CD/DVD)
Family Order (aka Boyfriends part deux)
That Great Gourmet himself, Merrill Howard Kailin (RIP)
Moose (dog from Baltimore)
Mousse (Chocolate)
Empires (Band)
Iced Chai (S*bucks)


What has been sweet on your plate lately? Comments encouraged. Give me a Top 5.

Hot Town, Summer in the City.

So, in the past couple days I have passed the 100,000 play mark on my MySpace page. I know in this modern age of technology this may not seem like a lot-- but was really a cool moment for me. I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has stuck by & supported me in doing what I love over the years. There is some exciting news on the horizon, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.


Speaking of exciting-- I am so stoked for my tour dates in August. I can't wait to show you all what I've been up and to get some bottled up energy out on stage.


"Silent Running" by Mike & the Mechanics just came on my iTunes... man, I love this song. Can you hear me? Can you hear me running? Anyways, in addition to my new music I've been working on, I've also spent a little time with some of my favorite songs. A friend commented to me not so long ago, asking why I always cover 80's songs. For starters, it was a fantastic decade, and not just because of my birth. But they had a point in asking, so I will be posting a new cover for you guys shortly that ISN'T from the 1980's. In fact, it was originally recorded in 1971. Any ideas what it could be? My only clue is that I decided I should cover it over the 4th of July weekend.


After Mike & the Mechanics comes Miles Davis... "Kind of Blue" to be specific. I should probably dim the lights a bit before I keep typing.


Actually, I'll just end this blog post right here. You know what is sweet? Between now and my next blog post I just might be seeing Lionel Richie perform a free outdoor concert on Lake Michigan. That will most likely deserve it's own blog post. Strike that-- it's own blog.

Salt Peanuts,
Salt Peanuts,
Mark

Aces & Eights

There is no feeling quite like watching part of your world die.