News & Updates
DECEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER
ANOTHER GRATEFUL YEAR
For much of this year, I felt tossed about as the tempest of several cycles of varying periodicity converged. My self-titled Signature Sounds debut turned 25 just a couple months before I turned 50. I revisited a song off my debut with a string quintet. I performed a series of summer shows backed by a string quintet, the last of which will serve as the basis for my first live album that is coming early next year. In between all that, I returned to my bluegrass band Barnstar! to finally release a record we finished recording five years ago. Oh yeah, I also released a few digital singles, including a new co-write with Dinty Child. Looking back at the end of the year, it’s like I was swept up by a 25-year long tornado…only to be set back down in almost the same place, forever changed.
I couldn’t do any of this without you. I say this every year, but it feels increasingly important to intentionally return to this place of gratitude. So much of popular culture is foisted upon us, seeping into every aspect of our lives via some algorithmic Trojan horse. My career is modest, but it’s real—the way we are there to witness each other, year after year, makes it so. The world can take so much away, but we can always choose to show up for each other. That’s what you do for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
In closing, I wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday. We have endured a whirlwind of change for the past several months, and more uncertainty looms on the horizon. I won’t presume to know your feelings, but I know my own heart, and can honestly say that I’m ready to get to work. All are welcome at my shows, and I want (literally) everyone to listen to my music. I won’t preemptively censor myself, but I am committed to art that comes from a place of honesty, with a genuine desire for inclusion and connection. If that’s your kind of thing, I’ll be there for you in 2025.
CHECK OUT THE NEW SINGLES
Nothing says “thank you” like releasing more music! I’m sharing some exciting new music by releasing a series of digital singles over the course of the next year or so. I’ve already released two songs—have you heard “Apocalyptic Love” and “Still Small Voice” yet? These are recordings that I’ve labored over at home, equal parts artistic exploration and meditative practice. While they feel likely unlikely candidates for inclusion on a full album, I am really proud of these songs and this feels like the best way to set them loose in the world and let them do whatever it is they are supposed to do. You can stream them or purchase downloads from my Bandcamp page(or both!).
A WORD ABOUT PATREON
JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!
As many of you know, the best way to sustainably support my creative output is by getting a subscription to my Patreon. In fact, the two singles above were made possible by Patreon! As you're thinking about what you want to support in 2025, 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.
One of my hopes for 2025 is to double my number of Patreon subscribers.
I know we can do it!
MP3 of the MONTH
This month’s free song is the work tape version of my newest single “Still Small Voice.” Work tapes are rough recordings, often made just after the first draft of a song has been completed, mainly so you don’t forget how the song goes when you come back later to improve it with edits. There’s often a real charm to a work tape, a feeling of one’s way, a tender mix of exhilaration and uncertainty. This tape dates to June 4, 2020, for me a time of real fear and sadness, unemployed and uncertain of the future. I also hear an artist trying to sing the world he wanted into existence, instead of wallowing in distress. What do you hear? It’s available for free for the month of December on my Bandcamp page. Enjoy!
TOUR DATES
21st Annual UNDER THE COVERS Shows
with Rose Cousins, Zachariah Hickman & Don Mitchell (of Darlingside)
GET YOUR TICKETS WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
Fri Dec 13 - 7 pm (SOLD OUT!)
Sat Dec 14 - TWO SHOWS 5 & 8 pm
Sun Dec 15 - TWO SHOWS 5 & 8 pm
Passim, Cambridge MA
After more than two decades, I probably don’t have to tell you how fun these shows are. Our compadre Jake Armerding needed to take a year off, so we’ve temporarily filled his slot with Don Mitchell, who you might be familiar with from the folk supergroup Darlingside. Jake will be back next year, but we are grateful to Don for stepping up and eager to see what mischief ensues. The first night is already sold out, and there are only a handful of tickets left for the other 4 shows. You know what to do!
Sat Jan 18 - Crossroads Music Series, North Andover MA - 8 pm
My first visit to this fantastic local music series! I’ll be joined by Andrew Stern on guitars and Zachariah Hickman on bass. We will be heading into the studio the next day to begin work on my 14th studio album, so you can expect a few new songs alongside your usual faves.
The Songs Of Dinty Child & Mark Erelli
Thu Jan 30 - Flying Goose Brew Pub, New London NH - 7:30 pm
Fri Jan 31 - Private House Concert, Litchfield CT
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.” There is a anthemic quality to a lot of what we write together, as well as real depth of thought and emotion. 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, and you’ll hear a night of stories and songs, set against the backdrop of deep friendship and mutual respect.
SIDEMAN SECTION
Dec 20-21 - Passim, Cambridge MA w/Lori McKenna (SOLD OUT)
2ND SHIFT SERIES IN WALTHAM
Come on out to a show at the concert series I’ve been curating at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham MA for the past 6+ years. ONE MORE SHOW left in our Fall 2024 series!
Dec 5 - Mike Block
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.
