Remember the Party by Mark Taylor- the latest college anthem

Mark Taylor is livening up the music scene with his latest release Remember the Party on the heels of the acoustic version of Dust off That Dirt. Remember the Party will send you back into the college-life memories and give you a few good laughs while reminiscing. (or maybe send college parents into a panic about their college-attending children.) Mark said the song was written in about 45 minutes with Dave Brainard and Steve O’Brien, and the stories had him laughing even when sending the song off to producer Leland Grant.

"If you remember the party

If you remember the party

Don't care about the who, what, when, or the where

If you remember the party, were you really even there?

I can't explain why I'm wearing this Hawaiian shirt

But this Waffle House receipt paints a thousand words

I'm pretty sure my credit card statement's

Gonna read like a good time forensic investigation"

Mark Taylor has spent his summer performing at festivals across the country with artists such as Joe Nichols, Jon Pardi, and Russell Dickerson who have all been significant influences for Mark Taylor on and off the stage. Mark said he was excited to see country music fans in the most unexpected places like the northern areas of New York state. The country music styles may vary by region but the fan base is strong and supportive everywhere. Mark said being on tour with artists he grew up listening to and writing with the writers of songs he has listened to are repeatedly pinch-me moments that he realizes after 20 minutes of being in a writers' room.

Mark Taylor is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated college with a degree in communication from North Carolina, playing music on the weekends through high school and college. Music brought Mark Taylor to Nashville after signing a publishing deal in college. Once he was looking to assemble a full band, his long-time friends from his home state of Maryland were able to join him and get their band (back) together after going their separate ways and playing for different groups. They have had some memorable travel times with overbooked hotels and long road trips together for weeks at a time. We agreed that is where the memories are made, in the unplanned, unconventional life events that you can laugh about when repeating the stories.

Mark Taylor has recently partnered with CALI Distillery to taste, design, and name his own bourbon whiskey – Steel String Signature which is available online through Great American Craft Spirits. Mark as a songwriter has had cuts by Amii Stewart, Whey Jennings, and more and has a song to be featured in an upcoming movie.

Thank you Mark for chatting with me about everything you have going on and sharing funny stories. And hey, you used that degree!

until next time, here it is- In a Country Minute! -Rose

Keep up with Mark Taylor on his social media pages, music, and website linked in the button below.

Mark Taylor

Minnesota's own Musician and Producer, Mark Stone

One of the things I like the most about interviewing is how casual conversations are with artists. I recently talked to local Minnesota artist Mark Stone who is incredibly knowledgeable about so many aspects of music, the music industry, and music production. We chatted about so many things, it was actually difficult to narrow down what to put in my blog.

Mark Stone is a solo artist, songwriter, the frontman for Dirty Country Band and ULTRA-MEGA, a music producer (La Grunge Music), sings demos, and makes production music.

Mark Stone photo by #fotodog Greg Mellang

Mark Stone is a career musician who started with a band signed to an independent label with national label distribution and sang with them until they disbanded. He has experienced every component of the cycle of music. There is not much he hasn't done in the life cycle of a song. Mark is at a point in his career where he is spreading his talents to grow into different facets of music and production, hence the long list of activities. The Dirty Country Band has a rock country sound and ULTRA-MEGA is post-modern grunge music with friend and bandmate Jeremy Schreifels. The music is released in alternating months for ULTRA-MEGA and the Dirty Country Band

throughout the year.

The cost of producing songs, including studio time and engineering costs, was the driving force in the development of La Grunge Music. Learning a new craft in the familiar world of music was the most logical way for Mark to grow in his career. Mark Stone became an independent producer. Having a home studio office space not only makes it time-saving, it was a career and mental savior during the pandemic. One thing that worked well when everyone was home was the ability for artists to collaborate with each other when normally their tour schedules prevented that option. Music has taken on a deeper meaning, songs became more personal, there was more self-reflection and more people started collaborating through whatever means necessary or available. Artists found ways to send and mix music that were almost unheard of beforehand. Mark said, "Collaborations bring you into the other person's creative process".

Minos - La Grunge Music logo

Mark Stone talked to me a little bit about the ins and outs of production music. Production music is EVERYWHERE and once you realize it, you’ll notice it more often. It is the background music used to support something else, it is supposed to blend into whatever it is supporting. It is the background music during television shows, movies, sports games, and commercials. Most of the time it goes unnoticed because its purpose is to produce the mood for whatever it is supporting and retain your attention. The first thing I thought of while we were talking about it was the movie The Holiday, Cameron Diaz plays a producer who is working with Jack Black and he is composing music for the credits to a movie. (I paid more attention to that part than the love story part.) Music can keep your focus on something other than your visual sense. It is an amazing thing.

Last but not least we talked about social media and how to manage it mentally and productively. From artists,(I hear this all the time) it’s a catch-22, a necessary evil to have social media. Social media is useful for artists to advertise music and shows and deliver content easily. It can also be a place for artists to advertise their favorite venues. Interacting with people in a public setting is a tricky thing at times and it can be exhausting if it is used outside of that context, otherwise it is really just a tool in the toolbox.

Keep up with Mark Stone on his social media buttons below.

It was a pleasure to talk to you, thank you for your conversation, In A Country Minute or a couple of hours. -Rose

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Big News for Chris Bianchi and Legend Recording Nashville

(Press Release below)

Legend Recordings Nashville Signs with The Orchard for Global Distribution

Newly launched Legend Recordings Nashville has signed a global distribution deal with The

Orchard, a leading music distribution and artist + label services company and member of Sony

Music Entertainment.

Legend Recordings was formed in Cleveland, OH by Artist Manager and Music Entrepreneur

Chris Bianchi in 2018. The label releases music from hard rock and metal acts. Bianchi

launched Legend Recordings Nashville late last year to focus on artists primarily in the

country, blues, Americana, and folk genres.

The debut signing comes with Dawson Brooks, a singer/songwriter from

Mississippi. A brand-new effort will be released later this year with additional signing announcements to come.

Throughout his career, Bianchi worked with Dropout Kings, Black Veil Brides, As Blood Runs

Black, Zakk Wylde, Rex Brown (PANTERA), and many others. His clients have amassed over 25 million sales globally, garnered numerous GRAMMY nods, and continue to tour all over the

world.

Bianchi said, “Being from a small town, growing up listening to older-style country with my family has always inspired and held a spot in my heart. After spending many years in rock and

metal, the time finally felt right to start releasing music in this respective lane. The Orchard has

been incredible for their belief in our vision and beyond to bring Legend Nashville to life,

supporting real artists.

More information on Legend Nashville can be found at www.legendrecordings.co/nashville