News & Updates
MARCH 2025 NEWSLETTER
A PERSPECTIVE ON GRATITUDE
Thank you.
I want to give you so much more, but I keep returning to these two words. I don’t think I have others that truly express the depth of my gratitude. Sometimes I find myself wrestling with the notion that these crowdfunding campaigns might come across as appeals for charity—a perspective that never sits quite right with me. But that shadow is dispelled by all your wonderful messages expressing what a privilege and a joy it is to invest in and support what I’m trying to do. We can all engage with the same thing, but ultimately our perception of that engagement comes down to our unique perspectives.
Sunsets, for example, are admittedly picturesque and I can of course appreciate them as much as anyone. But for me, sunsets are a precipice, the last bit of beauty before the void of night engulfs all. Or, to put it bluntly, I basically “go blind” every day. In the months following my diagnosis, I would get very agitated as sunset approached. As early evening loomed, I would attack my mental list of things-to-do, a bit frenzied to accomplish all I could before my eyes failed me. It was a fight-or-flight sort of reflex, activated daily, often hitting me just as I was due onstage for a 7 or 8 pm show. I was working through a lot.
Recently, it occurred to me that what I’ve been dreading as a sunset here in Boston, someone on the other side of the world is enjoying as a sunrise. I had always thought of the two as separate phenomena, but they are both merely the same sun viewed from different vantage points. It seems simple, but it’s also kind of mind-blowing in the way that most simple things can be if you let them.
I’m better with sunsets and the ensuing nights now, though I still struggle on occasion. I’m getting better at asking for help, too, because I know that a crowdfunding campaign is actually more like another invitation to continue this conversation we’ve been having for quite some time now. It’s amazing what a radical shift in perspective can do.
And it’s truly humbling what we are able to do, together, so I’ll simply leave off the same way I started:
Thank you.
LIVE IN ROCKPORT
The official announcement will be made on March 12th, but I wanted you to be among the first to know: I’ll be releasing my first official concert album Live In Rockport: Mark Erelli + His String Quintet on April 16th! My tastes as a listener have always gravitated toward the kinds of live albums that feel unexpected and special, that challenge preconceived notions of how people regard the artist and his work. Recorded with the backing of a stunning string quintet last summer at the beautiful Shalin Liu Performance Center, I feel Live In Rockport is this kind of document. Keep it on the down low, but Live In Rockport is available for pre-order on my Bandcamp site NOW!
TRUE SONGS 2024
Last fall, the venerable upstate NY folk venue Caffe Lena paired me with Gloria, a young woman with an incredibly powerful story of overcoming violence and abuse, and charged me with writing a song inspired by her experience. I can’t recall ever being more moved by both the resilience of the human spirit and the power of art to inspire and heal. Gloria’s story and my song were shared at a performance in Saratoga Springs NY last fall called True Songs: Lyrics Of Life. The event was taped and is now available to watch on YouTube. The storytelling and performance segment with my song begins at 20:15, but there’s plenty to be inspired by through watching the whole performance.
MP3 of the MONTH
This month’s free song is a duo version of “Analog Hero” with Andrew Stern on electric guitar, recorded live in 2023 at CSPS in Cedar Rapids IA. It’s available for free for the month of March on my Bandcamp page. Enjoy!
TOUR DATES
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. Don’t sleep on this…there are 7 tickets left!
Zachariah Hickman’s Power Outage Party!
Fri Mar 21 - Word Barn, Exeter NH - 7pm (SOLD OUT)
Sat Mar 22 - Word Barn, Exeter NH - 7 pm (SOLD OUT)
The Power Outage Party is simple—imagine you are cozy at home and the power goes out, and you happened to have had invited more than a dozen of the finest musicians over for the night. Rather than cancel the party, you decide to gather together in your living room for a fully acoustic night of music, stories, theatre and more. No mics, no sound system, no stage lights—just a bunch of your favorite musicians together in the room with you, playing unamplified, with just candles and lanterns to light the way.
Thu Mar 27 - Burr & Burton Academy (Mountain Campus), Peru VT - 6 pm
I’m coming to this Manchester school to do a couple presentations and workshops for the students, and I’ll top off my day with a solo acoustic show. Tickets are FREE, but reservations are required.
LIVE IN ROCKPORT Album Release Shows!
Thu May 1 - Groton Music Hall, Groton MA - 8 pm
Fri May 2 - Jamestown Arts Center, Jamestown RI (to be confirmed)
Sat May 3 - Bass Hall, Peterborough NH - 7 pm
I’m very excited to perform 3 special shows backed by a string quintet (featuring arranger/double bassist/Barnstar! co-conspirator Zachariah Hickman) to celebrate the release of my first official concert recording Live In Rockport!
SIDEMAN SECTION
JOSH RITTER Acoustic Trio tour feat. Zachariah Hickman & Mark Erelli
Mar 7 - Assembly, Kingston NY
Mar 8 - Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown NY
Mar 9 - West Art, Lancaster PA (matinee & evening shows)
Mar 10 - Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville PA
Mar 12 - Ramshead On Stage, Annapolis MD
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.
