Mark Westin: Mark's Ramblings

After far too long, "dirty folk" is back from the pressing plant and ready to go. I'm incredibly pleased with how it came out. The cover looks great and the disc sounds terrific. Some of my best work I think.

It's in the process of going up on CDBaby and iTunes now. Stay tuned.

Just wanna let you know that my original creation, the Penguinicon, which looks like this: (8>{OI
...is now available on t-shirts and hats at the Spinach World store . You can click the link above or visit the "Buy Stuff" page over on the top of the right side there ---> Be the first on your block to own this high-fashion item from the first Spinach Couture Collection! What does it have to do with music, you ask? Hmm, you'll just have to wait and see...

Hey kidz,
Move From Center is now available on iTunes!!!
Download all your fave tracks now!

Hey there -
It's been a hectic few months so I haven't posted as much as I'd like.

On the music front, "dirty folk" is finally in final mix and it will be out within months, so expect an annoying group email soon. And if I can believe the people who handle these things, my earlier CD "Move From Center" should be available on iTunes, so pay yer damn 99c and get a track or two now, k???

You might consider organic spinach, and for that matter organic anything. Now more than ever, pay attention to what kind of food goes into your body.

To say nothing of the fact that organic foods just taste better.

No matter how the MAN tries to bring us down, he will never vanquish the mighty green!!!

Doing my part for awareness, here's the latest on tainted spinach. Hang in there, leaf lovers, we will get through this.

In case you haven't heard, the FDA has issued a warning about E. Coli contamination of fresh bagged spinach. Read the full info here.

It's a dark day in leafy greens history, my friends. But don't blame the spinach. If you're gonna blame anyone, blame the industry food-handling standards that allow this to happen.

A brand new song by Mark Westin & Steve Giordano is featured on the soundtrack of the motion picture Fast Lane Summer, a great film about top fuel drag racing. Check out the tune on the See Hear! page.

...is on the See Hear! page. I released this early in response to the current Middle East situation.

"Open mike" and "Approximates a soul", two more tracks from the upcoming "dirty folk" album are available for your listening pleasure on the See Hear! page

I've been struggling with the final stages of completion for "dirty folk", my new album. The original idea was to do a record that was as live, immediate, and one-take as possible, warts and all. I'd sacrifice technique for energy, emotion and pure balls.

That's the spirit in which I recorded. But when I got to the mix phase I suddenly found myself filled with conflict; what order should the songs go in for best effect? Should I turn up the guitar or move the vocals to one side? Which song should I "produce up" for most commercial potential?

And then I remembered what I was doing this record for. I'm doing it as a gesture of respect to all the artists before me, who influenced me musically and personally, who shaped my worldview and taught me how to express it. To all the artists who spoke through their songs or through their example about the way life really works. About politics, society, religion, humanity.
You know, all the 'difficult' subjects. All the ones that requre individual thought to comprehend. All the non-commercial ones.

I realized I had to leave my record alone. I wrote the songs as best I could and sang 'em as best as I can. And I'm leaving behind a document for future generations to know that life on this planet wasn't all manufactured, processed and focus-grouped before being implanted into the willing brains of a love-starved public.

So I'm making the record I want to make - unvarnished, immediate, real. As a tribute to the artists before me who did the same in their time. The artists who attempted to say something whether or not anyone was listening, whether what they were saying was in vogue at the moment, and even whether what they were saying made any sense at all. The artists who searched for truth in all its myriad forms and struggled to bring their discoveries to a wider world. In short, the artists who MATTERED.

PS - re: the above ramble, I have a recurring nightmare that when 3000 years have passed and future civilizations or aliens are digging us up, they will judge our civilization only by what survives in the greatest quantity. Check out "The Virgin Britney Dream" video for the full version of the tale.

The first song, though not necessarily the first single, from my upcoming "dirty folk" album, is on the See Hear! page now. Check it out.

Hi folks -
Welcome to the all-new Spinach World website. I'm really excited about the changes here and I hope you will be too. In the weeks to come there will be all kinds of music and video clips available on the site, plus gig notices, song lyrics, blog entries and whatever else comes to mind. Check back often, and thanks for stopping by.
-Mark Westin