Mark Mallman
Background information
Birth nameMark Mallman
Born (1973-07-20) July 20, 1973
Waukesha, Wisconsin
OriginMinnesota
Instrument(s)Piano
LabelsEagles Golden Tooth, Guilt Ridden Pop, Susstones, Badman Recording Company, Kindercore, Polka Dot Mayhem
WebsiteMarkMallman.com
Bermuda Music Company

Mark Mallman (born July 20, 1973) is a Minnesota musician, film composer, and memoirist. Since 1998, he has released nine full-length studio albums, Happiness (2021) being his most recent.

Education

Mallman graduated from Waukesha South High School in 1991. He studied jazz piano at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1991. In 1995, at age 21, Mallman earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he studied painting and performance art.

Musical career

Mark Mallman has earned a reputation as one of the Twin Cities' must-see live acts, complete with his own star on the wall outside First Avenue.[1] He started his career in the late 1990s with the short-lived band, the Odd, a surprisingly popular postmodern joke on 1970s rock histrionics. Days after they topped the City Pages "Best new Band" poll, they broke up, but reunited to record and release one album, Oh My G*d – It's the Odd in 1998, which was co-written and co-produced by Mallman.[2] His solo debut came in 1998 with the release of The Tourist. In 2000, Mallman issued his sophomore effort, How I Lost My Life and Lived to Tell about It, which featured guest spots by Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland and Mallman's schoolmate, Davey von Bohlen of The Promise Ring. The Red Bedroom, his third album, was issued in Spring 2002. It was produced by Radiohead producer Paul Q. Kolderie. The Who's Gonna Save You Now? EP and the live effort Live from First Avenue, Minneapolis were released in 2003.

Mr. Serious, Mallman's first self-produced album, followed in 2004. It marked his first album for Badman Recording Company.[3] His energetic performance style, combining the attitudes of punk rockers like Johnny Rotten and Darby Crash over the 70s disco-glam of Elton John, began to gain attention throughout the United States around the time of this record.[4] While he tirelessly performed 150 shows per year,[5] Mallman released Between the Devil and Middle C in 2006, and Invincible Criminal in 2009.[6] Invincible Criminal featured a duet with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, and violins by Shannon Frid of Cloud Cult.[7] After an extensive amount of touring the United States, he spent the first half of 2012 in Los Angeles writing and recording Double Silhouette, which was released later that year.[8]

On March 25, 2016, Mallman released The End is Not The End.[9] David Bowie's Scary Monsters and Super Creeps helped inspire the direction Mallman took with each of the album's twelve tracks.[10] The theme of life after death and constant rebirth on earth is affirmed throughout the entirety of the album.[11] Mallman created the album after his mother died and he was dealing with depression and anxiety attacks. He says it's "a deliberate meditation on overcoming the roots of despair."[12]

The Happiness Playlist

In the wake of his mother's death and a breakup with a longtime girlfriend, Mallman found himself struggling to listen to music that might trigger or amplify his despair, including previous favorites such as Joy Division.[13] In late 2014, in hopes of changing his mood, he compiled a playlist of 50 feel-good songs and decided to listen to nothing but the playlist for the entire winter.[14] He also began journaling, the results of which eventually morphed into a memoir, The Happiness Playlist: The True Story of Healing My Heart With Feel-Good Music.

The book was published in March 2019 by Think Piece Publishing, which promotes mental health advocacy through the arts.[15] It features a foreword by essayist Chuck Klosterman. More memoir than self-help, the book follows Mallman through his day-to-day life in Minneapolis as he recovers from grief with the help of his new soundtrack. Mallman has stressed that the playlist was just one tool — he also sought out therapy, antidepressants, meditation, and ceased consuming alcohol. "Music is not going to cure you but it is gonna make things better," he said.

The Happiness Playlist was well received with an average 4.38 rating on Goodreads.[16] IndieReader called it "an uplifting memoir that earns its wings honestly, with humor and perception."[17] Forward Reviews said Mallman's "prose is fueled by short, declarative sentences and a narrative willingness to be emotionally vulnerable."[18] Jim Walsh, author of The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting, called it "wise, funny, and heartfelt."[19]

Marathon song cycles

Mallman performing at The Cave at Carleton College in 2004.

In 1999 Mallman performed a 26-hour long song titled "Marathon 1". Later, in 2004, Mallman's "Marathon Two" session took place back at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota. Seventy-five musicians took turns backing Mallman as he performed one song for over two consecutive days, only breaking to go to the bathroom.[20] On October 10, 2010, he completed "Marathon 3", a 78-hour long song complete with 576 pages of lyrics. During the performance, he injured his left foot. He finished at 10pm on Sunday night by biting into a bouquet of flowers and spitting them over the crowd.[21]

Mayor Chris Coleman declared October 7–10, 2010 "Mark Mallman Days" in St. Paul, Minnesota in honor of his creative achievement. The mayor's proclamation included the statement "Whereas Mark Mallman is totally AWESOME."[22] From September 15 to Sept 22, 2012 he endured "Marathon IV: Road Rogue", an 8-day, 150-hour plus nonstop performance from New York to Los Angeles in the back of a van.[23] Marathon IV: Road Rogue was the first ever intercontinental mobile musical webcast in the history of the Internet.[24] In addition to the pioneering webcast, Mallman also employed a hacked midi brain controller which enabled him to perform music with his brainwaves while he was sleeping.[25]

Film music

Mallman started working on video game music in 2001. That led to working on trailers, starting with the 2007 remake of the thriller The Hitcher.[26] Mallman was a professional composer of major motion picture trailers, such as Adventureland, 10,000 BC and Haunting of Molly Hartley from 2006 - 2009. He has also composed music for Living Arrangements (2009).[27] In 2012, he composed the score for the Lion's Gate / Machinima webseries Bite Me.[28] He currently operates his own music composition company, Bermuda Music, in Minneapolis.[29]

Discography

Mark Mallman swinging from the 7th Street Entry rafters in 2012.

Solo discography

  • The Tourist, 1998
  • How I Lost My Life and Lived to Tell about It, 2000
  • Mark Mallman and Vermont, (with Vermont) 2001
  • The Red Bedroom, 2002
  • Mr. Serious, 2004
  • Between the Devil and Middle C, 2006
  • Invincible Criminal, 2009
  • Double Silhouette, 2012
  • The End Is Not The End, 2015
  • Happiness, 2021.

The Odd discography

  • Oh My G*d - It's the Odd, 1998

Ruby Isle discography

Awards

Mallman's star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue
  • "Best Male Vocalist Twin Cities" by City Pages (2000)
  • Minnesota Music Award for best keyboard/piano player (2004)
  • Minnesota Music Award for Rock Band and Rock Record for Mr. Serious (2005)
  • "Best Live Artist Twin Cities" by City Pages (2010)
  • "Best Music Video Twin Cities" for It's Good To Be Alive by City Pages (2010)

Mallman has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[30] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[31] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.[32]

References

  1. ↑ Raihala, Ross (2016-03-22). "From chaos comes Mark Malman's strongest album". Twincities.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  2. ↑ Scholtes, Peter S. (September 23, 1998). "Odd Man Out". City Pages. Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Biography: Mark Mallman". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. ↑ Solomon, John. "Like a great character actor, Mark Mallman says he feels like someone else when he's on stage". The Westword. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Riemenschnieder, Chris. "Music: The Invincible Mark Mallman". Star Tribune. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  6. ↑ Sterzinger, Ann (24 September 2009). "Critics' Choices and other notable concerts". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  7. ↑ Chase, Ted. "Mark Mallman Invincible Criminal". QRO Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  8. ↑ Collins, Cyn (October 12, 2012). "On Making Double Silhouette a 10 Million Dollar Album". City Pages. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Mark Mallman - 'The End Is Not The End' (album stream) (premiere)". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  10. ↑ "That Music Magazine » Mark Mallman, The End is Not the End". Thatmusicmag.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  11. ↑ Walsh, Jim (4 March 2016). "Positive vibrations: Mark Mallman's 'The End Is Not The End'". MinnPost. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  12. ↑ "Tough times lead to new album by Mark Mallman | Minnesota Public Radio News". Mprnews.org. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  13. ↑ Cole, Kevin. ""Music Is Not Going to Cure You, But It's Gonna Make Things Better": Mark Mallman on The Happiness Playlist". KEXP. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Riemenschneider, Chris. "Can happy songs get you out of a funk? Minneapolis musician's new memoir says yes". Star Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Think Piece Publishing".
  16. ↑ "The Happiness Playlist". GoodReads. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Eisenstark, Dave (February 25, 2019). "The Happiness Playlist". IndieReader. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Review of the Happiness Playlist". Forward Reviews. February 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Happiness Playlist". GoodReads. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  20. ↑ Chapman, Gray. "Mark Mallman Talks Guinness Book of World Records, Marathon Shows, Keyboard Riding". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  21. ↑ Wells, Shayne. "Mark Mallman completes 78-hour music marathon". KARE11 News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  22. ↑ Iverson, Kate. "Mayor Coleman declares Oct 7-10th "Mark Mallman Days" in St. Paul". the651.com. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  23. ↑ Schlansky, Evan (September 10, 2012). "Song Premiere: Mark Mallman, "Double Silhouette"". American Songwriter.
  24. ↑ Fischer, Reed. "Mark Mallman's Marathon 4 is in progress!". City Pages. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  25. ↑ Hart, Hugh. "Road-Tripping Rocker to Livestream Brain Wave Music While He Sleeps". Wired. wired.com. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  26. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (11 June 2009). "Those snippets of music in a movie trailer? Someone has to write them – Twin Cities". Twincities.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  27. ↑ "Mark Mallman gives away greatest hits compilation, re-records upcoming album for Badman Recordings, writes soundtrack for Living Arrangements". Fanatic Promotion. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  28. ↑ ""Bite Me" (2010): Full cast and crew". IMDb. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  29. ↑ "Bermuda Music". bermuda-music.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  30. ↑ "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  31. ↑ Bream, Jon (2019-05-03). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  32. ↑ Marsh, Steve (2019-05-13). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
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