Mark Schirmacher Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a middle school choral teacher for 34 years, my mom taught piano lessons for 40+ years, and growing up, I sang in school and church choirs. There was always some kind of music going on at home. I learned to play the piano early, 10 years old, maybe, and started playing trumpet in band in 5th grade. Incidentally, that’s the same time I “discovered” the Beatles and my friend’s dad’s drum set - so from there, formal music training only held so much interest for me. Though I did study trumpet very seriously all the way through high school. Once I discovered the guitar at 15, it was all over. A new world had been opened up to me and I began hearing everything through that lens. It’s as if guitar was some kind of secret code and I’d been given ears to decipher it. I was totally obsessed with playing, jamming with people, learning songs, and recording with my boombox. I started multi tracking then, too, laying a song down on one tape, then playing it back through another boombox while playing lead and singing vocal harmonies over that. I think I did Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” that way, and a Simon and Garfunkel song, “Only Living Boy In New York.” I have the cassette tapes somewhere….So I formed bands with my friends and began playing basement parties, backyard parties, and eventually in the bars and clubs of Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been doing versions of that ever since, really, with the emphasis in the past few years of developing my songwriting and cultivating the sound of my recorded music.
Q: You wrote the songs for your recent release Bird in Your Tree during 2016/2017. What are some of themes that run through the album?
A: Something I’ve had to come to terms with recently is that as a cancer survivor, I feel like I don’t have forever on this planet. Life is so short and our health, relationships, and our physical bodies are not guaranteed. So my choice is to either be bummed about that and lose the second-by-second beauty of this fragile life, or to celebrate it. The songs on this record take the latter approach - in line with my general life philosophy - that we need to cherish the imperfections and occasional physical happiness of this side of life (“Satisfied”), the stolen moments that we may not get again (“Longest Night”), the relentless longing for something barely attainable (“When Will You Be Mine”), and the living well in the push-and-pull of being a parent and husband (“No Shirt, No Shoes”). When you get right down to it, this is an album of love songs. And all the complications, joys, hangups, peace and turmoil that comes with real love. Like on “Old Man (Laughter in the Lines”) I talk about my dad, among other figures in my life, and I think of it as a kind of love song. “Are You Okay” is a love song that takes form in concern and curiosity towards a friend. It doesn’t say “I love you,” but it is rooted in the idea that we’re all connected here and we have to look out for each other. And that leaves us with the title track “Bird In Your Tree.” The ultimate love song. I don’t write a lot of these because I rarely feel that absolute about things. Love is complex and shouldn’t be boiled down to cheap phrases. But, what can I do? The words came out, the feeling was real, so I went with it.
Q: You mention you write songs in non-standard tunings. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the specific tunings you prefer?
A: I was talking to my piano tuner today, and we were discussing Joni Mitchell’s use of non-standard tunings. You can hear it in her songs, this chordal and harmonic refusal to play nice, and it sounds so boundless. So big and uncontainable. Magnificent. As a guitar player, you can always hear standard positions and it gets a little dull. D chord, G chord, E chord...and as I was writing these songs, I felt really inhibited by the familiarity of standard tuning. The process became too easy and the expression of my thoughts became cheapened. So I started messing with the strings and dropping this or that string, finding the chord progressions again, and along the way, reshaping the overall sound and urgency of the tune. I had to work a little harder to say the same thing, but it brought me to a more imaginative place, leaving more space for the other instruments to play within. So on the record “Satisfied” and “Old Man (Laughter in the Lines)” are the only songs in standard tunings. “Bird In Your Tree” is a variation of open G, with the 1st and 5th strings dropping down a whole step; “No Shirt, No Shoes” is a modified open D, the 1st string staying in standard tuning’s E position; “Longest Night” is a modified open A with only the 5th and 6th strings being tuned a whole step lower, to A and D, respectively. And “Are You Okay” is a version of drop-D, where the 1st and 6th strings are tuned down a whole step. It gives the song a big, earthy bottom end. Some listeners have commented on hearing a bass on that song, but it’s just the fat drop-D working its magic.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a middle school choral teacher for 34 years, my mom taught piano lessons for 40+ years, and growing up, I sang in school and church choirs. There was always some kind of music going on at home. I learned to play the piano early, 10 years old, maybe, and started playing trumpet in band in 5th grade. Incidentally, that’s the same time I “discovered” the Beatles and my friend’s dad’s drum set - so from there, formal music training only held so much interest for me. Though I did study trumpet very seriously all the way through high school. Once I discovered the guitar at 15, it was all over. A new world had been opened up to me and I began hearing everything through that lens. It’s as if guitar was some kind of secret code and I’d been given ears to decipher it. I was totally obsessed with playing, jamming with people, learning songs, and recording with my boombox. I started multi tracking then, too, laying a song down on one tape, then playing it back through another boombox while playing lead and singing vocal harmonies over that. I think I did Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” that way, and a Simon and Garfunkel song, “Only Living Boy In New York.” I have the cassette tapes somewhere….So I formed bands with my friends and began playing basement parties, backyard parties, and eventually in the bars and clubs of Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been doing versions of that ever since, really, with the emphasis in the past few years of developing my songwriting and cultivating the sound of my recorded music.
Q: You wrote the songs for your recent release Bird in Your Tree during 2016/2017. What are some of themes that run through the album?
A: Something I’ve had to come to terms with recently is that as a cancer survivor, I feel like I don’t have forever on this planet. Life is so short and our health, relationships, and our physical bodies are not guaranteed. So my choice is to either be bummed about that and lose the second-by-second beauty of this fragile life, or to celebrate it. The songs on this record take the latter approach - in line with my general life philosophy - that we need to cherish the imperfections and occasional physical happiness of this side of life (“Satisfied”), the stolen moments that we may not get again (“Longest Night”), the relentless longing for something barely attainable (“When Will You Be Mine”), and the living well in the push-and-pull of being a parent and husband (“No Shirt, No Shoes”). When you get right down to it, this is an album of love songs. And all the complications, joys, hangups, peace and turmoil that comes with real love. Like on “Old Man (Laughter in the Lines”) I talk about my dad, among other figures in my life, and I think of it as a kind of love song. “Are You Okay” is a love song that takes form in concern and curiosity towards a friend. It doesn’t say “I love you,” but it is rooted in the idea that we’re all connected here and we have to look out for each other. And that leaves us with the title track “Bird In Your Tree.” The ultimate love song. I don’t write a lot of these because I rarely feel that absolute about things. Love is complex and shouldn’t be boiled down to cheap phrases. But, what can I do? The words came out, the feeling was real, so I went with it.
Q: You mention you write songs in non-standard tunings. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the specific tunings you prefer?
A: I was talking to my piano tuner today, and we were discussing Joni Mitchell’s use of non-standard tunings. You can hear it in her songs, this chordal and harmonic refusal to play nice, and it sounds so boundless. So big and uncontainable. Magnificent. As a guitar player, you can always hear standard positions and it gets a little dull. D chord, G chord, E chord...and as I was writing these songs, I felt really inhibited by the familiarity of standard tuning. The process became too easy and the expression of my thoughts became cheapened. So I started messing with the strings and dropping this or that string, finding the chord progressions again, and along the way, reshaping the overall sound and urgency of the tune. I had to work a little harder to say the same thing, but it brought me to a more imaginative place, leaving more space for the other instruments to play within. So on the record “Satisfied” and “Old Man (Laughter in the Lines)” are the only songs in standard tunings. “Bird In Your Tree” is a variation of open G, with the 1st and 5th strings dropping down a whole step; “No Shirt, No Shoes” is a modified open D, the 1st string staying in standard tuning’s E position; “Longest Night” is a modified open A with only the 5th and 6th strings being tuned a whole step lower, to A and D, respectively. And “Are You Okay” is a version of drop-D, where the 1st and 6th strings are tuned down a whole step. It gives the song a big, earthy bottom end. Some listeners have commented on hearing a bass on that song, but it’s just the fat drop-D working its magic.
Q: The songs on Bird in Your Tree sound like a full band. Did you do overdubs in the studio or work with studio musicians? What was the creative process like in the studio?
A: The music for Bird in Your Tree was all recorded live, except for vocals, harp and trumpet. I brought my own musicians in for the sessions, and was fortunate to have such great players. The drummer, Kelley Lima, I’ve worked with for over 30 years, though we hadn’t played together for about 15 years when I called him up for this project. His drumming was just what I hoped for on these songs - moody, exacting, spontaneous, and dynamic. Michael McGarthwaite, on electric guitar, had been playing live with me for about a year-and-a-half, so we had a pretty good idea of the arrangements by the time we hit the studio. His contribution to the sound on the record can’t be overstated - his guitar tone, minimal yet lush playing, and a gift for arranging were amazing assets to the project. And the final musician to come on board - my secret weapon - is the trumpet player, Mike Tenhoff. We’d known each other for a few years and always talked music, but hadn’t worked together until the tail end of the project. I had the whole thing mixed and mastered, but felt uneasy about the title track. There was a verse I wanted to redo but didn’t like the idea of re-recording, didn't want to fit into a moment that had already passed. So, remembering that Mike played trumpet, I asked him to play on that song. The next day, we headed to the studio to lay down a trumpet solo, and lo-and-behold, his sound transformed the song in a way that I couldn’t have anticipated. And through that chance session, Mike has continued to play live with me. I love having him on board - his deep well of country, jazz and blues, influence my song choices, arrangements and even my writing. As for the creative process in the studio, the arrangements were pretty tight, a few takes per song is all I wanted to do. Plus, as a self-produced album, I wanted to keep my eye on our studio time and keep things moving. We’d play the song all the way through, and based on my judgement and the opinion of the engineers, we’d try another one or move on. I’m not after perfect performances, just authentic moments when musicians are relating to one another. So in that way, we cut all the instrument tracks in a single day and I went over the songs the next day and recorded fresh vocals and harp parts. The exception to this process was “When Will You Be Mine,” which was recorded live with the piano and vocals together. I think that song benefited from the vocal performance and piano part being captured in the same moment.
Q: Do you perform live? If so are the performances solo?
A: I’ve got some performances coming up in May and they’re a mix of solo, small band and full band combinations. I love playing live, whether it be just me and my guitar and harmonica, or the full band thing. But I will say that for these songs, I’m really looking forward to giving the audience a taste of how great the band is on the record. So the full band shows are going to be special, I think. May 11th at the Underground Music Cafe in St Paul is one of those, as is an in-store performance at Barely Brothers Records in St Paul, MN, May 19th. You can find a full schedule of performance dates at my website, www.markschirmacher.com.
Q: What else should we know about Mark Schirmacher?
A: Well, I’ve written a musical! It’s called “Proof! An Alien Abduction Musical” and it’s premiering at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. It should be a complete hoot. It’s an hour long comedy/drama about love, life, and the pursuit of hard evidence. The script was written by a newly-formed theater company called Sister Shakes Theater, and I’m excited to be part of the project. Follow the show on Instagram @sistershakestheater. Also, I’m writing songs for my next record and I’m always interested in collaborations. If you’re reading this and have the inkling to join forces for a project - album, show, musical, fund raiser, movie score, house concert, tour - let me know. I’d love to chat! You can reach me at Instagram @catinabox9.
A: The music for Bird in Your Tree was all recorded live, except for vocals, harp and trumpet. I brought my own musicians in for the sessions, and was fortunate to have such great players. The drummer, Kelley Lima, I’ve worked with for over 30 years, though we hadn’t played together for about 15 years when I called him up for this project. His drumming was just what I hoped for on these songs - moody, exacting, spontaneous, and dynamic. Michael McGarthwaite, on electric guitar, had been playing live with me for about a year-and-a-half, so we had a pretty good idea of the arrangements by the time we hit the studio. His contribution to the sound on the record can’t be overstated - his guitar tone, minimal yet lush playing, and a gift for arranging were amazing assets to the project. And the final musician to come on board - my secret weapon - is the trumpet player, Mike Tenhoff. We’d known each other for a few years and always talked music, but hadn’t worked together until the tail end of the project. I had the whole thing mixed and mastered, but felt uneasy about the title track. There was a verse I wanted to redo but didn’t like the idea of re-recording, didn't want to fit into a moment that had already passed. So, remembering that Mike played trumpet, I asked him to play on that song. The next day, we headed to the studio to lay down a trumpet solo, and lo-and-behold, his sound transformed the song in a way that I couldn’t have anticipated. And through that chance session, Mike has continued to play live with me. I love having him on board - his deep well of country, jazz and blues, influence my song choices, arrangements and even my writing. As for the creative process in the studio, the arrangements were pretty tight, a few takes per song is all I wanted to do. Plus, as a self-produced album, I wanted to keep my eye on our studio time and keep things moving. We’d play the song all the way through, and based on my judgement and the opinion of the engineers, we’d try another one or move on. I’m not after perfect performances, just authentic moments when musicians are relating to one another. So in that way, we cut all the instrument tracks in a single day and I went over the songs the next day and recorded fresh vocals and harp parts. The exception to this process was “When Will You Be Mine,” which was recorded live with the piano and vocals together. I think that song benefited from the vocal performance and piano part being captured in the same moment.
Q: Do you perform live? If so are the performances solo?
A: I’ve got some performances coming up in May and they’re a mix of solo, small band and full band combinations. I love playing live, whether it be just me and my guitar and harmonica, or the full band thing. But I will say that for these songs, I’m really looking forward to giving the audience a taste of how great the band is on the record. So the full band shows are going to be special, I think. May 11th at the Underground Music Cafe in St Paul is one of those, as is an in-store performance at Barely Brothers Records in St Paul, MN, May 19th. You can find a full schedule of performance dates at my website, www.markschirmacher.com.
Q: What else should we know about Mark Schirmacher?
A: Well, I’ve written a musical! It’s called “Proof! An Alien Abduction Musical” and it’s premiering at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. It should be a complete hoot. It’s an hour long comedy/drama about love, life, and the pursuit of hard evidence. The script was written by a newly-formed theater company called Sister Shakes Theater, and I’m excited to be part of the project. Follow the show on Instagram @sistershakestheater. Also, I’m writing songs for my next record and I’m always interested in collaborations. If you’re reading this and have the inkling to join forces for a project - album, show, musical, fund raiser, movie score, house concert, tour - let me know. I’d love to chat! You can reach me at Instagram @catinabox9.