Mark Gardener played his first amazing solo shows SXSW Festival in Austin
Texas, two years ago. That started the ball rolling. Mark has now completed his
debut solo album that is called "These Beautiful Ghosts." It was produced by
Bill Racine and features the band Goldrush. Songs like "Snow In Mexico" and
"Magdalen Sky" show signs of the new direction of the former Ride front man.
Ride is one of the main bands associated with the Shoegazer thing. The album is
to be released on the US indie label United For Opportunity (www.ufomusic.com)
on October 11th, 2005.
Mark is releasing a special limited edition advance version of the album too,
which will come with a bonus DVD. Mark has been asked to support Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club on their North American tour in September and October 2005.
Mark has also been busy working with French duo Rinocerose. Back in 2004 Mark
co-wrote and sang on a couple of tracks that the duo were working on in their
studio in Montpelier. The tracks now feature on their forthcoming V2 album.
After so much calm, now there is a storm of activity.
There is also Mark's solo live album, Live At The Knitting Factory NYC. Also
still available online is the Falling Out Into The Night EP that Mark released
with Goldrush. We caught up with the ex-Ride front man right after a sneak
Los Angeles show in July 2005. Many musicians from other bands like The Warlocks
were in the audience. The first show of the legendary tour with BRMC is of
course in SF at the Great American Music Hall. We got to talk about all the busy
things in his life.
AL: How are things going in Oxford?
Mark: Pretty good. I have only just got here. I was on the West Coast last
week. I played a show there. I have been flying around all over. I just did this
thing with the French band, Rinocerose. They have been playing all the summer
festivals. I have been up for four days. I am still here and still standing.
AL: You lived in the United States before that?
Mark: Most of this year I have been living in New York. That is where I
really pulled the album together. I have been working with Bill Racine who lives in
New York.
AL: You have played with Goldrush a lot.
Mark: They are not from America. They are an Oxford band. We have been
playing a lot of shows in America last year and the year before. They have just
released an album. They were always Ride fans. I heard there was a band that
played a cover of "Dreams Burn Down." I went to a Goldrush gig with a mutual
friend about three or four years ago. It was great. They found out that I was going
to do my own thing in the future. They said, "Whenever you need a backing
band, we want to back you." That was really good for me because they are really
good musicians. There are two really good singers in that band. It was good to
get harmonies going again.
AL: When did this album "These Beautiful Ghosts" start for you?
Mark: It's something that has been in my mind since Ride finished which was
in 1996. I knew that at some point when I wasn't in a group I would do my own
record. It's always been in my mind. I guess the last five years I have been
writing bits and pieces. I would think that some ideas I had would be good for a
solo record. Basically it has come together in the last four or five months
while I was in New York. I have also done some intense recording in upstate New
York at Tarbox studios. It's where Dave Fridmann has a studio. I made three
other tracks with Goldrush about a few years ago. I did it in bits and pieces.
That is the only way I can work because I funded it myself. I wanted to do it
my way before I even talked to any labels.
AL: You ended up working with this new label United For Opportunity.
Mark: It's called UFO. The way the record industry is changing. They are just
trying to be a new model label. They have more realistic ways of doing
things. When you are dealing with bigger labels you end up never meeting the people
who make big decisions about your life. It was nice to meet people who are
running the label and into the music. I like them. After developing a
relationship we decided the time was right to release this record.
AL: How do you write songs? Is it different from the days of Ride?
Mark: It was different from Ride in a sense. Andy Bell and me were the main
writers. There was a lot of input between us on each other's stuff. I guess it
has changed in a sense where I have more time to work on things and get them
the way I want them. Even though it is my album, I also believe in the power of
letting go. As long as I was working with people like Goldrush and people
that I trusted musically, I have been able to have people add their input on it.
I am still the guy who wrote the Ride songs. People can spot that out that
thread. I have similar concerns in music. I just hope that I am doing it better.
I wanted this record to be a little bit more exposed and honest. I wanted to
have some trippy things that I like in music. I wanted to make something that
was interesting to listen to.
AL: So do you start with music or lyrics?
Mark: It usually starts with music. The music usually suggests words and
lyrics to me. I start out with some chords or a rhythm. I play around with loops,
and things like that. I'll have a beat with acoustic guitar and bass guitar.
You just end up mucking around until you have something. You have to have
something moving.
By alexander laurence
