Mark Ham Interview
Q: Can you talk about your history as an artist/band?
A: I’ve been performing most of my life as a singer/guitarist in a solo artist or band setting. I started writing when I was in high school. A tragic accident of classmates in Casper, Wyoming inspired me to write “I Wish I Could See Your Smile Once Again” which is on the album. Back in the day, that song was recorded as a single on a “45”. I am currently performing around the Colorado area in an acoustic duo/band called On The Flip Side. We do covers and originals.
Q: What inspired you to make Casper?
A: Covid-19 sort of got me to moving on the project but also I wanted to record some of the songs I had written over the years. I had always wanted to re-record “I Wish I Could See Your Smile Once Again” with a cello sound which I love.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: Most of my songs are from personal observance or I went through the story. “Casper” has 2 small stories of people down on their luck and going back to a place where life was more free, a sort of “anywhere but here” tune. “Oh Simone” is to all the great women out there who love life in spite of adversity. “Long Way Home” is me thinking about all the fun I have had over the years and bringing that to the now for fun today, it is a happy song. “In The Quiet Of The Night” is about how my wife and I (early in our marriage) would get into it and how we learned that hanging onto pride was so pointless.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I have a recording app on my iPhone that I use all the time. Sometimes things will hit me hard and I must capture them in that moment. It could be in the middle of the night, out with friends, whatever. I then go back and put it together in a song. It could be a catchy melody or phrase or just “I wanna write a song about this” sort of thing. Another thing I love to do is the “drive around.” I will take a demo recording of something I am working on and drive around in my car listening to it over and over. In this way I evaluate what I like and don’t like and even add to it.
Q: What was your recording process like for Casper? And has it changed over the years?
A: During Covid-19 it was difficult as everything was shut down. I worked with producer Michael Sandoval and we shared tracks back and forth over the Internet between our studios in our homes. All the vocal tracks are me singing in my basement studio. Some of the guitars, piano, and synth sounds are from my studio. The piano, organ, cello, pedal steel, dobro and drums were recorded at various studios around Denver, Colorado. Michael recorded some of the guitars and bass. The two of us just kept working back and forth until we felt like we had what we wanted.
I remember the days of reel-to-reel tape so recording has definitely changed. I think what is nice in digital is how easy it is to experiment with sounds to see if they fit or not. In the old days that could be very time consuming.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: First off, and I learned this from my brother who is a playwright, I just write down whatever comes to mind - it does not even have to rhyme. It is a free flowing jotting down of my thoughts. It could be verse, chorus, bridge, whatever but I must get it down on paper or on the computer. I then go back and put it into some form, create a demo recording, then do the “drive around” listening to it over and over. Not everything is a winner but I do this process to flush out new ideas.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I tend to like catchy melodies and stories within a song, but not every song has to have a story. Some songs can be about nothing and just be fun. Others are introspective. As an artist I have learned that the greatest compliment is someone liking one of my songs. When I write I hope that someone in the world will listen and go “I have been there, and I have felt that.” I think that is the greatest gift anyone can give an artist for their songs.
Q: Can you talk about your history as an artist/band?
A: I’ve been performing most of my life as a singer/guitarist in a solo artist or band setting. I started writing when I was in high school. A tragic accident of classmates in Casper, Wyoming inspired me to write “I Wish I Could See Your Smile Once Again” which is on the album. Back in the day, that song was recorded as a single on a “45”. I am currently performing around the Colorado area in an acoustic duo/band called On The Flip Side. We do covers and originals.
Q: What inspired you to make Casper?
A: Covid-19 sort of got me to moving on the project but also I wanted to record some of the songs I had written over the years. I had always wanted to re-record “I Wish I Could See Your Smile Once Again” with a cello sound which I love.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: Most of my songs are from personal observance or I went through the story. “Casper” has 2 small stories of people down on their luck and going back to a place where life was more free, a sort of “anywhere but here” tune. “Oh Simone” is to all the great women out there who love life in spite of adversity. “Long Way Home” is me thinking about all the fun I have had over the years and bringing that to the now for fun today, it is a happy song. “In The Quiet Of The Night” is about how my wife and I (early in our marriage) would get into it and how we learned that hanging onto pride was so pointless.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I have a recording app on my iPhone that I use all the time. Sometimes things will hit me hard and I must capture them in that moment. It could be in the middle of the night, out with friends, whatever. I then go back and put it together in a song. It could be a catchy melody or phrase or just “I wanna write a song about this” sort of thing. Another thing I love to do is the “drive around.” I will take a demo recording of something I am working on and drive around in my car listening to it over and over. In this way I evaluate what I like and don’t like and even add to it.
Q: What was your recording process like for Casper? And has it changed over the years?
A: During Covid-19 it was difficult as everything was shut down. I worked with producer Michael Sandoval and we shared tracks back and forth over the Internet between our studios in our homes. All the vocal tracks are me singing in my basement studio. Some of the guitars, piano, and synth sounds are from my studio. The piano, organ, cello, pedal steel, dobro and drums were recorded at various studios around Denver, Colorado. Michael recorded some of the guitars and bass. The two of us just kept working back and forth until we felt like we had what we wanted.
I remember the days of reel-to-reel tape so recording has definitely changed. I think what is nice in digital is how easy it is to experiment with sounds to see if they fit or not. In the old days that could be very time consuming.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: First off, and I learned this from my brother who is a playwright, I just write down whatever comes to mind - it does not even have to rhyme. It is a free flowing jotting down of my thoughts. It could be verse, chorus, bridge, whatever but I must get it down on paper or on the computer. I then go back and put it into some form, create a demo recording, then do the “drive around” listening to it over and over. Not everything is a winner but I do this process to flush out new ideas.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I tend to like catchy melodies and stories within a song, but not every song has to have a story. Some songs can be about nothing and just be fun. Others are introspective. As an artist I have learned that the greatest compliment is someone liking one of my songs. When I write I hope that someone in the world will listen and go “I have been there, and I have felt that.” I think that is the greatest gift anyone can give an artist for their songs.