Sept. 2009: Mark will be making his West End debut (London's equivelent to Broadway) this month, playing guitar with Tony winner Alan Cumming in his one man cabaret. Details for tickets can be found at: http://www.speckulationentertainment.com/alancumming.html .
June 2009: Mark just got a rave and a feature spot on the very humorous website gothsinhotweather. Referring to Mark's new post on youtube, the webmaster states, "Like a latter day Bryan Adams, Mark has just released the blockbuster tune of the Summer. Can't quite see them playing it at Underworld, but I for one will be standing outside Camden Town station, holding a ghetto blaster aloft, with this blaring out at top volume. Just like in 'Say Anything'."
April 2009: MAJ got a cool review on the BingeGamer website, "(We're going to) use this time to highlight some truly awesome music. Mark Aaron James is one of the more original alternative rock acts out there today. His songs about kleptomaniac girlfriends and having the stepmamma blues are instantly memorable, but the song that we're highlighting right now is arguably his biggest: "Aquaman's Lament"."
May 2008: The MAJ song "Aquaman's Lament" was picked by hypeful.com as nuber 11 on the top 20 songs ever about Superheroes. The list was also printed in USA Today, the most circulated newspaper in the United States. Here's what they said:" WHY IT MADE THE LIST:_In the world of super heroes, Aquaman has long been regarded for his comparatively uninteresting powers. (Ever see The State sketch where Superman flippantly assigns Aquaman the task to "go...talk to some fish?") So, it's fitting to place the lament of Aquaman just outside of the top 10 - a place tragically familiar to the underwater hero. Despite its position, this underdog track sounds like a lost 90's alterna-pop gem and deserves series props for depicting Aquaman as a Vicki Vale worshiping, gin & tonic lovin' drunk. Hypeful will have seven gin & tonics with any hero any day of the week."
Mark was chosen as a panelist and performer at this years College Music Journal Music Marathon. His panel, "Finding Gigs Off the Beaten Path," was attended by hundreds of CMJ-ers and he rocked two shows at Rockwood Music Hall and Barramundi.
Check out Mark's myspace page. It features exclusive pictures, blogs and videos of Mark's new songs.
Click Here to check it out.
News: Mark has just been named one of the TOP 14 SINGER/SONGWRITERS IN GREENWICH VILLAGE by UMO for the second time! (Check out www.umo.com for info on this organization). A live recording of his song "When Are You Gone" is featured on the Best Of... CD released this summer.
The CD, "Adventures With A Plastic Bag," Has hit it's 3 year anniversary with thousands of sales and airplay on over 126 radio stations. It charted top 10 in 12 cities. You can buy the CD by clicking at the top of the home page.
The title song for Plastic Bag won 3rd place in the pop category of the USA Songwriting Competition and made the list of the top 100 songs played on WRLT, Nashville's Lightning 100
Reviews
April, 2007
NCL Freestyle Daily
Our favorite guitar artist...incredibly talented and totally charming...See why everybody's talking about him.
Nov 1, 2006
CMJ Music Marathon Guide
Mark Aaron James makes sunny power-pop with a sense of humor and a big heart.
December 5, 2004
Uderground Music Org. website
Mark Aaron James wows the crowd with his powerful vocals and amazing songs.
From the April 18, 2002
Nashville Scene
Advendures With A Plastic Bag has crisp, structured songcraft and a relaxed hipster vibe that harks back to the early '80s this-side-of-new-wave-rockers...with able support from comrades such as Jonell Mosser. And the cover of Alan O'Day's psychotic 1972 soft rock nugget "Angie Baby" is nothing if not surprising.
- Jim Ridley
From the April 23, 2002
Tenessean
Hot Spot. The record (Adventures With a Plastic Bag) strongly echoes Armed Forces-era Elvis Costello, which is to say, cool.
From the November
issue of Border's News
Once you've heard Mark and his guitar, you'll understand why Nashvillians
voted him best local songwriter in a Nashville Scene readers' poll. His style
is from rock, with a distinctively alternative vein sprinkled with a smidgen
of pop. His lyrics are quirky at times, insightful and serious at other times.
Whether he's playing old standards, original music, with his band The Borrowed
Souls (made up of the best musicians from various groups) or alone with his
guitar, Mark leaves you with the conviction that his title of best local songwriter
is well deserved.
OUR PICKS: ...This artist is definitely on the road to fame. His current album,
features some of the best and most introspective pop music we've heard in
years. He is ammusing and witty in concert, and you'll find his style of music
addicting.
From DigitalCity.com, October , 99
- Rebecca Malone Melo
From ONLINETV.COM, July 15th, 99
Mark Aaron James came in from Nashville to cook up some pretty incredible
sounds. As jaded New York City dwellers we are not easy to please but Mark
and his entourage set us back on our heals. We will be heading out to Nashville
now after seeing the talent they have to offer.
From THE PERFORMING SONGWRITER,
Jan/Feb 99 issue, by Neil Fagan
Mark Aaron James, "Mr. Wirehead"
Elvis Costello meets Abba? That's what comes to mind listening to Mark Aaron
James' cover of "What's The Name Of The Game." Much like that Swedish
quintet, James has a way with a hook. And like Costello, he matches his inventive
melodies with crafty, clever word-play that won't insult your intelligence.
It's the best of both worlds. Mr. Wirehead is James' second CD and it overflows
with irresistible pop grooves. Unexpected chord progressions propel songs
like "Playground In Your Heart," "Pick Up Your Pride," and the title track-which, by the way, is probably the first and last song
you'll ever hear about a ceramic bust with a wire mohawk and a clock coming
out of its ear. James shows a more tender side on the dreamy and nostalgic
"June 17th." "Give A Damn" and "Mr. Ballantine" bring out more topical concerns; apathy in the former, family dysfunction
in the latter. Ellis Paul's "Autobiography Of A Pistol" also gets
a funky reworking. James' raspy tenor is especially effective. While his style
is pure pop, the CD has a slight murkiness that could either be a by-product
of the DIY world or perhaps an intentional production achievement. Grunge
pop? Still, it does little to hold down the helium-filled hooks that James
is so good at.
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