The new 2022 album "GOOD THUNDER" was named while reading "Black Elk Speaks" during it's inception and recording. Fourteen original songs about humanity, hope, love, justice, equality and affirmation. It's a live, immediate, raw and passionate energy of folk, soul, blues and roots-rock in a sparse, streamlined acoustic trio sound and features the great John Lockwood on upright bass, dazzling drummers Steve Langone and Steve Chaggaris, an active bare-finger, claw-hammer amplified acoustic guitar style, vocal harmonies, riffs and improvs. It began as a remote pandemic recording project in early 2021. Tracks were cut remotely and drop-boxed, some were in-person with masks and some are live 2 track guitar-vocal takes. Everything was recorded and mixed on a Macbook.
For the past decade Marc has been writing songs (over 200 originals and dozens of cover versions) and self-producing albums, usually playing all the instruments himself. His approach is sometimes sparse and solitary, sometimes with multi-layered guitars, vocals and percussion tracks, yet it is always done with the intent to convey honest raw emotion.
What inspires and motivates him... why he does this... is a belief in the healing power of music, the possibility to inspire change through protest and observation and just to express the sheer joy of celebrating life. All tenets of his heroes Bob Marley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Other early influencers include Steely Dan, Keith Richards, Frank Zappa, Jeff Tweedy, John Steinbeck and Winslow Homer.
He got his start playing clubs in the Boston reggae scene, first with One World, then for twelve years ('92-04) with the venerable "Children of Funky Reggae" One People. Sang, chanted, played guitar, wrote, produced and released 3 One People records which garnering radio and press presence, national festival and college tours, regular shows at The Western Front and Bill's and concerts opening for Burning Spear, Outkast, Run DMC, Dispatch and Moe. He also was a talent agent at the time booking shows and concerts and worked for several years at Rounder Records marketing roots music and reggae with their label Heartbeat Records.
His first live performance was during the first year of college while studying fine art at the Hartford Art School. He was hooked, moved to Boston and with no formal training went to Berklee College of Music as part of the first class of the Music Production & Engineering major.
His early years were in urban Syracuse NY watching moon walks, Vietnam, MLK speeches on TV and honing in on the Beatles, jazz and rock 'n roll. His first instrument was a clarinet that made by his great-grandfather Jan Williams who played with John Phillip Sousa, Toscanini and The New York Philharmonic. But music didn't take hold until his grandmother gave him a 3/4 size acoustic guitar at age 10. His mother, an artist, taught him the creative process from infancy, which contributed mightily to the continued fascination with composition and expression.
He lives outside of Boston and is also an art teacher and illustrator. His wife Kim Poler is an amazingly inspiring visual artist, his son Eli is an architect who plays a left-handed Jazzmaster with Shakusky, and his daughter Georgia is an environmental conservationist.
He plays an MC-16GTE Martin acoustic guitar with Fishman pickup direct and Seymour Duncan pickup through an amp or Sansamp, usually with a capo in drop D tuning.
Discography
2020 Black and White EP
2017 Down The Rabbit Hole
2016 Hibiscus sweet soul reggae
2015 Big Blue Wail
2012 Everything Is Here
with One People:
2004 On Island Live
1999 From Within
1996 One People
contact: marcalbanese@comcast.net
