News & Updates
FEBRUARY 2025 NEWSLETTER
HELP ME MAKE TWO NEW ALBUMS - WITH JUST ONE KICKSTARTER!
BIG NEWS…I am readying not just one but TWO new albums for release over the next year or so! Coming this spring is my first official live album, Live In Rockport, recorded last summer during a series of performances with a string quintet. The second project will be my 14th full-length studio album, with a planned release in late 2025 or early 2026. For the last 15 years or so, I’ve relied on crowdfunding—on you—to help me realize my creative vision, and you’ve never let me down. I’ve just launched a Kickstarter today to help me fund the recording and release of both of my upcoming releases! We have one month to raise at least $45,000 - the minimum amount I need to complete and release both of these projects.
I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the project video and consider kicking in!
Live albums traditionally fall into one of two categories. The faithful, modest chronicle of what an artist does in concert, something to tide the fans over until the next proper studio album. Or else the career-defining snapshot of transcendent moment in time, an inflection point that presents an artist in a whole new light. I have always wanted to offer up a live album but only if I could pull off the latter, something truly special. Live In Rockport is that kind of document, capturing what many long-time fans said to me after the performance: “That was the best show of yours that I’ve ever seen!” It features selections from my catalog reinterpreted through the lens of gorgeous string arrangements written by my long-time friend and musical partner Zachariah Hickman. You’ve never heard my songs like this before (unless you came to the show!), and I’m so excited to share this document of a truly special night with you.
The second project that needs your support is my next studio album of new, original material. I am drawing from a group of over 50 songs for this project, and there are many exciting yet different directions in which I could go. But my guiding principle this time around is simply to make a record that sounds like love. Not “love songs,” per se, though there are some of those. Rather, I want to give you the kind of record that can only come from people who truly care about each other, writing and playing together. Many of these songs were co-written with friends from my annual songwriting retreat on Lake Winnipesaukee (like Rose Cousins and more), and most have rarely been publicly performed. We’re going for a real vibe this time around, and though I can’t say for sure exactly how it’ll sound I do feel comfortable guaranteeing you a compelling and stirring addition to my catalog.
Everything I do is really something that we do. I can put all of my heart and soul into an endeavor, but it only takes flight with your engagement and support. I do what I do not because I’m compelled to tell you about me. I want my music to be something we all share, something that makes us feel more connected, less alone. I wish I could just write a bunch of checks, make the records, and then offer them up for sale…but that’s not the music business we have anymore. I need you to show your support in advance, and trust me to honor your vote of confidence by making the best possible records I can. I feel like we both have a track record of stepping up in those ways, and now I’m humbly asking us to do it again…twice!
I usually do one crowdfunding campaign per album, but this time I’m doing a two-for-one approach because the live album has already been tracked. With the resources from this Kickstarter, I can finish bringing that release to market and get started on the next studio album right away! So check out the Kickstarter, show your support in whatever way you can, and spread the word to others! Please know that I consider it a privilege to make this music, together, and share it with all of you.
ONLINE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP
Sign up to take an online songwriting workshop with me on
Wed Feb 5 from 6:30-9 pm ET!
Workshop cost: $125 via Paypal or Venmo, please put your email address in the “What’s this for?” field so we can send you the workshop Zoom link.
Ever wondered how songs come to life? Songs are carefully crafted creations with unique structures. In this workshop, we'll spend two hours exploring the architecture of songs. We'll look at well-known types like ballads and blues forms, as well as more unusual forms with quirky elements (like pre-choruses and more). In each section, I’ll break the form down for you, and you'll have the chance to hear an example or two and ask questions. In the last half an hour, why not share a song with the workshop that we can listen to and appreciate architecturally!
With over 25 years of experience writing, recording, and producing music, including collaborations with artists like Lori McKenna, Chuck Prophet, and Matt Nathanson, I’ve discovered the power of viewing songs through an architectural lens. At the end of this workshop, you'll leave with a deeper appreciation of songwriting archetypes, and creative rules that you can follow (or break) to enhance your enjoyment of songs and help you write your own!
MP3 of the MONTH
This month’s free song is a worktape of a little song I composed in my head during my daily morning walk with Leo around a reservoir in the Middlesex Fells. Cleverly and mysteriously, it’s called “Walking With Dog Around The Reservoir.” Can’t imagine recording this one properly, but there was something about the first and only time I’ve ever sat down to play it, and I thought I’d share with the 4,000 people I love the most. It’s available for free for the month of February on my Bandcamp page. Enjoy!
TOUR DATES
The Songs Of Dinty Child & Mark Erelli
Thu Jan 30 - Flying Goose Brew Pub, New London NH - 7:30 pm
Fri Jan 31 - House Concert, Litchfield CT - 7:30 pm
Sat Feb 1 - House Of Love, Brooklyn NY - 7:30 pm
I’ve been writing songs with Session Americana’s Dinty Child for a decade now, starting with “Look Up,” and more recently our newest joint single “The History Of The Future.” We’ve done a few livestreams of our joint material, but never any actual shows for live human beings. That’s where YOU come in…come find us on this first mini-tour together!
Sub Rosa: Songs From Three Mile Island
Sun Feb 9 & Mon Feb 10 - Passim, Cambridge MA - 7 pm
Join me and my friends from our annual songwriting retreat on Lake Winnipesaukee when we reunite on stage at Club Passim to bring each other’s unreleased songs to life with their 10 piece symphony of singers, acoustic guitars, mandolins, pump organ, bass, wurlitzer, and the storied “fuzzy” drums.
Members of the Sub Rosa Songwriting Collective performing will also include Club Passim veterans Dinty Child, Rose Polenzani, Zachariah Hickman, Miss Tess, Dietrich Strause, Sean Staples, Annie Lynch, Dave Godowsky, Neil Cleary, & Kris Delmhorst
Fri Mar 14 - Passim, Cambridge MA - 8 pm
Join myself and “double bassist to the stars” Zachariah Hickman for an old school duo show. Just two best friends/life partners throwing down on whatever we feel like playing from my released (or unreleased) catalog. If I can cajole him, my son Owen might join us for this show as well, but as he usually says when I ask him to gig with me: “maybe.” As an added bonus, the truly exceptional Colin McGovernwill open the show.
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.
