Having begun the new year on a high note playing two shows in sunny California with Fred Herrera and Alex Del Zoppo, founding members of Sweetwater (The first band to rock the 1969 Woodstock festival), singer/songwriter and guitarist Mark Newman is headed into the Spring season with a new lineup of shows from West to East as he gets ready to rock Colorado, New York, and Massachusetts in the coming weeks! (Upcoming Dates and Info Below)
Although Newman has played a ton of exciting solo and full-band showcases--notably NYC's B.B. King's for the
Delbert McClinton Birthday Show, The Space at Westbury opening for the one and only
Don Felder and America on separate occasions, The Blue Note in Tokyo, Japan, The Space at Westbury opening for David Bromberg, and NYC's Legendary Bitter End--he has also worked as sideman to so many soul, blues, and rock greats of our time like
John Oates (Hall and Oates),
Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds), Willy DeVille, Sam The Sham, and Sam Moore!
A New York native, Newman's musical prowess has taken him around the world several times over, playing with an eclectic mix of noted musical talents from Sting to Elvis Costello, and
Travis Tritt as well as his own solo work. A multi stringsman, Mark has mastered electric/acoustic/lap steel guitar as well as the mandolin and dobro, and with a voice reminiscent of many rock and blues men before him- it has the familiarity of an old friend yet the power and soul of many of today's rock, soul, folk and R&B icons. For over five years, Newman and fellow songwriter Naomi Margolin have run the "Music From the Hive" Singer/Songwriter Series, and for the past two years- "The Original Music Series" for bands, in an attempt to keep original music alive on Long Island. Newman also records and produces local artists in the Long Island/NYC area.
"Walls of Jericho," which was released in 2010, is filled with intricate guitar work and mixed with a plethora of sounds from hard rock to a lighter more Dylanesque folk tinge, but this style comes even more to the forefront on 2015's "Brussels" out now on Danal Music and available via iTunes and CD Baby. The live acoustic-driven EP packs a bluesy punch reminiscent of Clapton's "Unplugged" album through both the guitar work and raw vocal power. On the first track "Mean Season (Lucille, Lucille)", Newman bellows "I waited til' dawn, see if the sun will shine when you're gone // You turn away, I just can't stay where I don't belong" and like many early bluesmen before him, you can hear the soulful longing and strife in his voice. With the brilliant slide-guitar work in "Dead Man's Shoes" we're easily transported in our minds to the West in the era of outlaws and cowboy boots, and in "Must Be A Pony" reminded about the power of a child's enthusiasm and the efforts not to lose it as time goes by.
His most recent release, November 2016's "Scapegoat" is yet another tune that brings Newman's full-scale musicianship into the forefront as not only a brilliant slide-guitarist, but a gifted lyricist as well. Though a darker tale, the song itself verges more on the upbeat and danceable blues feel with a hammond organ solo that wouldn't be out of place in The Band, The Doors, or many of the great iconic rock songs of our time. But to judge for yourself, check it out via SoundCloud
HERE.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
Fri. March 10th @ The Wildwood w/Brothers Keeper, Aspen, CO
Sat. April 1st @ B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill for The 16th Annual Eric Clapton Birthday Celebration with Godfrey Townsend & Friends, New York, NY
Sat. June 10th @ The Bull Run, Shirley, MA
As he gets ready for further solo and full-band shows on the horizon in the coming weeks and months (And more with his Sailin' Shoes - Little Feat Tribute band), make sure to catch the incredible talents of the one and only Mark Newman when he comes to a city near you!
For More on Mark Newman, VISIT:
http://www.marknewman.us/
Facebook.com/MarkNewmanMusic
Purchase "Brussels" via iTunes HERE:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/brussells-ep/id978060700
or
via CD Baby HERE:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marknewman3
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