Mark Esakoff Interview
Q: Can you give us a little musical history about your life? If my research is correct you started playing guitar at thirteen years old.
A: Yes, it was then that I started taking guitar lessons and wanted to learn Beatles songs. While in high school I got my first electric guitar, a Fender Mustang and played in garage bands. At the same time I became a big fan of Neil Young and imitated his style. That’s also when I started writing songs. During my years at San Diego State University I played in party bands, did solo gigs in coffee houses and performed lunchtime concerts at different colleges in the area. I also did a couple of concerts at a women’s prison. Upon graduating I took my acoustic guitar, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and for the next two years traveled through America, Europe and North Africa. I honed my performing skills as a street musician while playing from Sweden (did a prison concert there too) to marketplaces in Egypt. When returning to the states I soon became a member of The National Academy of Songwriters in Hollywood where I crafted my music composition skills. Being influenced by the likes of David Bowie, The Kinks and XTC, I went into the recording studio where I made over forty recordings from 1982-1987. These songs were released under the name of Mark Freddy & The Flanger Managers and were played on college radios around the country. They were quirky tunes that fit the college radio format at the time. More recently I released a Mark Freddy retrospect album with 19 tracks in 2010 titled Circular Reason on Sticks & Stones Music label. Anyway, later I became inspired by the guitar playing of Ottmar Liebert and his Nouveau Flamenco sound. While working aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California I met a musician named Mike Whipple. We later formed the world jazz band Chasm. It was/is a blend of contemporary jazz within a world music setting featuring classical guitar, flute, marimba, upright bass, drums and ethic percussion. We made four albums on Sticks & Stones Music with the help of other band members. And now I’ve returned to my Mark Freddy sound with this new self-titled album ESAKOFF.
Q: Let’s talk about your new album ESAKOFF. Apparently, these songs were written while you were traveling but they never saw the light of day. Why release them now? Can you tell us about some of the general themes of the album?
A: Most of these songs were written while traveling. The short answer as to why I would release these now is that they sound better to me than when I originally wrote them. The long answer has to do with why they sound better than before. At the risk of sounding delusional, my Muse inspired me to do this. My Muse is a mysterious presence who shows up in my thoughts once every five years or so and compels me to do a creative task. In this case it was taking songs I had written during my travels, but never recorded, and collaborating with that younger version of myself to create these “new” songs. The rediscovered old songs sounded fresh again as if I had just written them. I became incredibly inspired to do this inner collaboration until it was finished. I didn’t choose to be inspired. I was inspired by what chose me. Once the task was complete, I was released from the obsession. Now I carry on making music as usual until my Muse returns and disrupts my life again with a new passion. The songs on this album all have their own individual themes: love at first sight (“Sweet On You”); water-sun-fun vacation (“Found In Paradise”); traveling the world with no plans to come home (“Home When I Get There”); facing the future unfettered and undecided (“She’s Free”); the magic moments of simply watching your newly born daughter (“Look At Her Glow”); an allegory about people who believe in a Jesus who agrees with all their personal opinions (“Cheeses”); an unexpected spiritual conversion (“Somewhere Somehow Something”); goofing on what people think you should do with yourself (“Peer Pressure”); and my soul mate as a destination (“My Destiny”).
Q: Can you talk to us about the creative process on the album? There is a full band on these songs. Are you playing everything? Or did you have some help from other musicians?
A: Actually, making this album was not my original intent. It all began when I took a trip up Oregon to start recording a new Chasm EP with Mike Whipple. Soon after we laid down a few tracks, it became obvious this was not world jazz like we’d recorded before. It was then decided that I should just do it as a solo project. However, Mike said he would still play flute, keyboards, drums or whatever if I still wanted him to and then my Muse showed up. I asked my friend John Wilson here in Ventura, California if he would take over as recording engineer and he agreed, not knowing what he was getting into. He also ended up playing pedal and lap steel guitar on there songs. I did the lead vocals, guitars, ukuleles and marimbas. Mike played flute, keyboards and drums on all the tracks. The bass parts were split between two of our friends, Zephyr (background vocals too) and Bodhi Jones. The process between John and I worked like this. Once all the parts were laid down for a song, I would go away for a week and he would mix it the way it sounded best to him. Then I would come back and make changes, or mess it up as he was thinking at times. I’m fortunate he went along with this and that I got to hear his take. Anyway, the project swelled and took on a life of it’s own. After two years we ended up with 13 songs. I then sent the final mixes up to Mike in Oregon to be mastered. Again, I stuck my nose in his process and asked for a lot of tweaks until he got frustrated with my hair splitting. That’s when I knew the album was finally finished.
Q: I was having a hard time nailing influences but it seemed to be far ranging maybe from David Bowie to Jethro Tull. What were some of the influences from the album musical or otherwise?
A: The influences are far ranging, but hopefully coherent. In addition to what you said, I’d say it’s a blend of The Kinks, XTC, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Ottmar Liebert and Herbie Mann.
Q: How would you describe your sound to some one who never heard your music before? And are there any specific songs on the album you think define the sound you were going after?
A: I’d describe it as alternative pop rock that might remind you of something you haven’t heard. Or, The Kinks meet XTC with a little Lovin' Spoonful on the side. This album does not have a common lyrical theme or a common musical sound that I was going after. I was hoping that having Mike play the same drums in the same room on all the songs would create a connective thread that would bind this album together. An underlying rhythmic tissue that would make it feel like it was coming from the same place. For me this was the best approach to herd this music.
Q: Are you performing live at the moment? What other musical plans do you have in 2017?
A: I don’t have any gigs scheduled at the moment. I’m planning on doing these songs as a trio with bass and drums, playing the craft brewery circuit here in Ventura. And I’ll have a variety of musician friends sitting in as well. In 2017 I hope to go back up to Oregon again to start recording the Chasm EP that got interrupted by this ESAKOFF album.
Q: Can you give us a little musical history about your life? If my research is correct you started playing guitar at thirteen years old.
A: Yes, it was then that I started taking guitar lessons and wanted to learn Beatles songs. While in high school I got my first electric guitar, a Fender Mustang and played in garage bands. At the same time I became a big fan of Neil Young and imitated his style. That’s also when I started writing songs. During my years at San Diego State University I played in party bands, did solo gigs in coffee houses and performed lunchtime concerts at different colleges in the area. I also did a couple of concerts at a women’s prison. Upon graduating I took my acoustic guitar, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and for the next two years traveled through America, Europe and North Africa. I honed my performing skills as a street musician while playing from Sweden (did a prison concert there too) to marketplaces in Egypt. When returning to the states I soon became a member of The National Academy of Songwriters in Hollywood where I crafted my music composition skills. Being influenced by the likes of David Bowie, The Kinks and XTC, I went into the recording studio where I made over forty recordings from 1982-1987. These songs were released under the name of Mark Freddy & The Flanger Managers and were played on college radios around the country. They were quirky tunes that fit the college radio format at the time. More recently I released a Mark Freddy retrospect album with 19 tracks in 2010 titled Circular Reason on Sticks & Stones Music label. Anyway, later I became inspired by the guitar playing of Ottmar Liebert and his Nouveau Flamenco sound. While working aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California I met a musician named Mike Whipple. We later formed the world jazz band Chasm. It was/is a blend of contemporary jazz within a world music setting featuring classical guitar, flute, marimba, upright bass, drums and ethic percussion. We made four albums on Sticks & Stones Music with the help of other band members. And now I’ve returned to my Mark Freddy sound with this new self-titled album ESAKOFF.
Q: Let’s talk about your new album ESAKOFF. Apparently, these songs were written while you were traveling but they never saw the light of day. Why release them now? Can you tell us about some of the general themes of the album?
A: Most of these songs were written while traveling. The short answer as to why I would release these now is that they sound better to me than when I originally wrote them. The long answer has to do with why they sound better than before. At the risk of sounding delusional, my Muse inspired me to do this. My Muse is a mysterious presence who shows up in my thoughts once every five years or so and compels me to do a creative task. In this case it was taking songs I had written during my travels, but never recorded, and collaborating with that younger version of myself to create these “new” songs. The rediscovered old songs sounded fresh again as if I had just written them. I became incredibly inspired to do this inner collaboration until it was finished. I didn’t choose to be inspired. I was inspired by what chose me. Once the task was complete, I was released from the obsession. Now I carry on making music as usual until my Muse returns and disrupts my life again with a new passion. The songs on this album all have their own individual themes: love at first sight (“Sweet On You”); water-sun-fun vacation (“Found In Paradise”); traveling the world with no plans to come home (“Home When I Get There”); facing the future unfettered and undecided (“She’s Free”); the magic moments of simply watching your newly born daughter (“Look At Her Glow”); an allegory about people who believe in a Jesus who agrees with all their personal opinions (“Cheeses”); an unexpected spiritual conversion (“Somewhere Somehow Something”); goofing on what people think you should do with yourself (“Peer Pressure”); and my soul mate as a destination (“My Destiny”).
Q: Can you talk to us about the creative process on the album? There is a full band on these songs. Are you playing everything? Or did you have some help from other musicians?
A: Actually, making this album was not my original intent. It all began when I took a trip up Oregon to start recording a new Chasm EP with Mike Whipple. Soon after we laid down a few tracks, it became obvious this was not world jazz like we’d recorded before. It was then decided that I should just do it as a solo project. However, Mike said he would still play flute, keyboards, drums or whatever if I still wanted him to and then my Muse showed up. I asked my friend John Wilson here in Ventura, California if he would take over as recording engineer and he agreed, not knowing what he was getting into. He also ended up playing pedal and lap steel guitar on there songs. I did the lead vocals, guitars, ukuleles and marimbas. Mike played flute, keyboards and drums on all the tracks. The bass parts were split between two of our friends, Zephyr (background vocals too) and Bodhi Jones. The process between John and I worked like this. Once all the parts were laid down for a song, I would go away for a week and he would mix it the way it sounded best to him. Then I would come back and make changes, or mess it up as he was thinking at times. I’m fortunate he went along with this and that I got to hear his take. Anyway, the project swelled and took on a life of it’s own. After two years we ended up with 13 songs. I then sent the final mixes up to Mike in Oregon to be mastered. Again, I stuck my nose in his process and asked for a lot of tweaks until he got frustrated with my hair splitting. That’s when I knew the album was finally finished.
Q: I was having a hard time nailing influences but it seemed to be far ranging maybe from David Bowie to Jethro Tull. What were some of the influences from the album musical or otherwise?
A: The influences are far ranging, but hopefully coherent. In addition to what you said, I’d say it’s a blend of The Kinks, XTC, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Ottmar Liebert and Herbie Mann.
Q: How would you describe your sound to some one who never heard your music before? And are there any specific songs on the album you think define the sound you were going after?
A: I’d describe it as alternative pop rock that might remind you of something you haven’t heard. Or, The Kinks meet XTC with a little Lovin' Spoonful on the side. This album does not have a common lyrical theme or a common musical sound that I was going after. I was hoping that having Mike play the same drums in the same room on all the songs would create a connective thread that would bind this album together. An underlying rhythmic tissue that would make it feel like it was coming from the same place. For me this was the best approach to herd this music.
Q: Are you performing live at the moment? What other musical plans do you have in 2017?
A: I don’t have any gigs scheduled at the moment. I’m planning on doing these songs as a trio with bass and drums, playing the craft brewery circuit here in Ventura. And I’ll have a variety of musician friends sitting in as well. In 2017 I hope to go back up to Oregon again to start recording the Chasm EP that got interrupted by this ESAKOFF album.