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NOVEMBER 2025 NEWSLETTER
THE CLOSER YOU LOOK, THE MORE YOU SEE
Imagine standing at some distance from a green wall of vegetation and thinking “forest.” As you walk closer, individual trees begin to emerge. Closer still, you start to discern different types of trees. You might notice that each species has its own growth form—some straight and tall, others shorter and more widely-branched—and upon closer inspection, how each bears distinctly shaped leaves. Of course, a more careful look reveals that even on a single tree, every leaf has its own unique contours and particular shade of green. With a magnifying glass, you might see different fungi or insects on each tree species. Place any leaf under a microscope, and you’ll discover increasingly intricate universes of diversity at every level of resolution.
The closer we really look at something, the more we see. Functionally, there is no end to the dizzying array of diversity available to us—if only we pay attention. This is true not only of forests, oceans, swamps, and rocks, but also of languages, religions, stories, songs, and people. Is it any wonder that we spend much of our lives with blinders on, simply hoping to make it through the day without being overwhelmed by the vast cosmos of detail that our scrutiny reveals?
Much of humanity’s attempt to document and understand this diversity has been scraped up by the giant computer models driving artificial intelligence (AI). Scientific journal articles, YouTube pet videos, literary classics and pulp fiction alike, every social media post ever posted, Beethoven and Bach, and surely even my own songs have been drafted into the service of this new technology, often without permission (or compensation). Some real and tangible benefits will surely emerge from this massive data processing push. Perhaps we’ll discover new ways to treat disease or gain a deeper understanding of protein folding. Who knows what life-changing paradigms AI might usher in? At the very least, we are told, AI will save us time by helping to manage our schedules, write emails, book our travel, and more.
In a recent New York Times opinion piece, the domination of the AI sector was called “the biggest prize in the history of capitalism.” There is simply too much money to be made to conceive of a course reversal, and the ubiquity of AI in our daily lives now seems inevitable. But I think we need to ask ourselves this important question: How shall we live with all of the extra time AI will reportedly save us?
If outsourcing mundane tasks to AI allows us the freedom to be more present—to really see the forest and marvel at its multitudes—what a gift that could be! But we also need to be honest with ourselves. What do we usually do when we have a few unexpected moments of free time? If you’re like most people (myself included), out comes the phone, where we’re increasingly likely to encounter AI-generated media. We may be standing on the edge of a digital rabbit hole, one from which escape becomes harder and harder.
But just the other day, I took a walk in the woods. Summer’s green canopy now a brown carpet beneath my feet, dried leaves crunching underfoot with every step. The air was crisp, the late afternoon light was sharp and clear, a hint of woodsmoke in the air. The crickets that had fiddled nightly for months had fallen silent after the season’s first killing frost, leaving a deep stillness in its wake.
I paused and took it all in, and understood that I was surrounded by countless layers of information—unprocessed and unsynthesized, yet completely real. And for that moment, it was more than enough.
BOSTON MUSIC AWARD NOMINATION
I’m very honored to be recognized once again with a Boston Music Award nomination in the Folk Artist of the Year category. I share this nomination with many other great artists and friends also in the same category. Yes, awards are silly, of course. But…it’s also true that I’ve never actually won of these things before! You can vote for me this year until the voting closes on November 14th.
MP3 of the MONTH
In honor of Thanksgiving later this month, I thought I’d share an acoustic version of an unreleased song about the challenges of “mixed” family holidays called “Love Matters Most.” I got the idea from a Facebook post I saw from Vance Gilbert. The song just tumbled out of me before I could ask him to write it with me. I offered co-write credit, but he demurred. Still, to me it feels like something he and I made together. It’s available for free for the month of November on my Bandcamp page. Enjoy!
2nd SHIFT MUSIC SERIES CURATION
I’m extremely proud of the slate of concerts I’ve lined for the Fall 2025 2nd Shift Music Series at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham MA. If you haven’t yet been to one of the evenings I curate for the museum, this is the season to give it a shot! Individual ticket links below, and season tickets (at a discounted per show rate) are also available if you simply can’t choose!
Thu Nov 6 - Maya deVitry
Thu Nov 20 - The Wolff Sisters
Thu Dec 4 - Hickman, Anick & Woodsmith
TOUR DATES
Sat Nov 1 - South Shore Folk Music Club, Duxbury MA - 7 pm
It’s been awhile since I’ve done an exclusively solo acoustic show. One of the best things about this format is the freedom it allows me to revisit some songs I may not have performed in awhile, and even play new songs live for the first time. Looking forward to doing both as I re-connect with my folk roots at this venerable South Shore folk music institution.
Alastair Moock’s Pastures Of Plenty 25th Anniversary Show
Sat Nov 8 - Passim, Cambridge MA - 5 pm (16 tix left!) & 8 pm (SOLD OUT)
I have a deep kinship with fellow troubadour Alastair Moock. The parallels begin while growing up listening to folk music that none of our friends did, extends through stints in different small, New England liberal arts colleges, all the way to living in the same town and being married to different women with the same birthday. Though he is, I like to point out, older than me. His Pastures Of Plenty folk and roots variety show has been going on for a quarter century now, and I’m honored to come together with Moock and many other local luminaries to celebrate. The late show is sold out out but a handful of tickets remain for the early show.
“A Night Of Co-Writes” with Dinty Child
Fri Nov 28 - Passim, Cambridge MA - 8 pm
Our home-away-from-home club had a date open due to the unfortunate death of local folksinger Bob Franke. They asked Dinty and I if we would bring our “Night Of Co-Writes” show to the club—which we’ve never done—and include a little tribute to Bob as well…so that’s what’s happening! I don’t usually work Thanksgiving weekend, but this is the perfect show for a time of remembrance, gratitude, and community.
Under The Covers with Jake Armerding, Rose Cousins & Zachariah Hickman
Passim, Cambridge MA
Fri Dec 12 - 7 pm
Sat Dec 13 - 5 & 8 pm
Sun Dec 14 - 5 & 8 pm
What else can I say about this tradition of celebrating my love of great songs (and great friends) that is now into its third decade?!? We think about these shows literally all year, a wonderful opportunity to exalt our favorite singers and songs, and marvel at the fact that we’re all still around to do it, vibrantly. Jake took a paternity leave for last year’s shows, so it’ll be great to get the band back together. These 5 shows always sell out (over 80% of the tix are already gone), so if you’re on the fence, don’t hesitate too long!
SIDEMAN SECTION
Fri/Sat Dec 20/21 - Passim, Cambridge MA w/Lori McKenna & band (SOLD OUT)A WORD ABOUT PATREON
JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!
One of my hopes for 2025 is to double my number of Patreon subscribers.
I know we can do it!
The best way to sustainably support my creative output is by getting a subscription to my Patreon. As you're thinking about what you want to support in the coming show, I'd be honored if you made my music one of those things. For as little as $5/month ($60/year), you can help me do things like release new songs, make new albums, and tour consistently. In return, you get early access to all new music, and starting in 2025, invites to quarterly virtual community events.
peace,
mark
Watch Mark’s performance from the 2019 Americanafest at the Ryman Auditorium!
You can check out a special episode of Austin City Limits featuring highlights from this year's Americanafest (like yours truly performing with Lori McKenna, Josh Ritter, J.S. Ondara & Shawn Colvin) on PBS starting this Saturday at 10 pm CT! Check out this teaser video & go to http://acltv.com/watch/tv-schedule/ & click on "check your local PBS listings" to find out exactly when it will air in your market.
