On Labor Day of 2002,
singer/songwriter Mark Melloan released his debut album
"The Shadowlands." The much-awaited album features such
bluegrass stars as the banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck (New
Grass Revival, The Flecktones), legendary dobro player
Curtis Burch (New Grass Revival, "O Brother"
soundtrack), and the famous violinist Casey Driessen
(John Mayer, Nickel Creek, Steve Earle).
 The
avant-garde album combines traditional, bluegrass
instrumentation with progressive, acoustic guitar and
poignant lyricism. The result is a rich and vibrant
sound that offers a refreshing alternative from bland
material on the current music scene. Don't be surprised
if Melloan becomes the Dave Matthews of bluegrass in a
few years -- in fact, he's already been deemed the next
James Taylor by Curtis Burch of the "O Brother"
soundtrack. With such talents, Melloan is destined to
become a household name in bluegrass music.
Corresponding from his current residence in the
bluegrass-Mecca of Bowling Green, KY, Melloan generously
has granted this exclusive online interview with The
Angle magazine.
[Question] First I'd like to
thank you for taking a break from your busy schedule to
grant this exclusive interview with The Angle magazine.
Let's start by discussing your musical career before the
release of your debut album. How did you first enter the
music industry, and how did you come to make connections
with such big names as Béla Fleck and Curtis Burch?
Mark Melloan: At the Blues-Aid festival in
Memphis, I was scheduled to play the Daisy Miller
Theatre with Kurtis Matthew. We were supposed to go on
after the Kentucky Headhunters, but I was starved, so
Curtis (Burch) and I walked over to some
hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant and talked music
over refried beans. I had played some songs for Curtis
the week before, and they must have made a genuine
impression on him. In between bites, he kept on telling
me that I had to do an album-that I was exploring a 'new
era' in acoustic music and that it had to be recorded.
That night, I was really unsure about the whole thing,
but in the months to come, he proved his sincerity. He
believed in me enough to call Bela (Fleck) and say,
'Listen to this kid'.
At what point did you
decide to break away from a career as a supporting
artist and become a songwriter?
Melloan:
Actually, I've always hoped to record my songs and reach
an audience. When I first started writing songs (I guess
I was eleven or twelve) I had no idea that part of the
journey would include sharing the stage with guys like
Kurtis (Matthew). Playing bass in a blues band is a far
cry from doing the folk-grassy singer-songwriter thing.
So, needless to say, it's been an interesting
trip.
What has influenced your songwriting?
Have any particular musicians or experiences influenced
your development as a songwriter?
Melloan:
My first semester at Western, I was playing guitar out
on the campus lawn for a group of students. Around
midnight, this kid walked up, complimented my Taylor
(guitar), and strummed out this great progression. That
was the beginning of a formative friendship. Micah
(Gerdis) and I really challenged each other musically.
He gave me the Alison Krauss "Now That I've Found You"
album, and I must have listened to it a hundred times.
We played locally in Bowling Green: coffee shops, the
Frog Farm Full-Moon Festival, random stuff like that.
Around that time, I also acquired a new passion for
reading, from Ernest Hemingway to C. S. Lewis. I really
identified with book authors-many of whom had a big
impact on me lyrically.
On the topic of
songwriting, let's talk about the development of your
debut album, "The Shadowlands." What is the meaning of
the album's title and what themes does it support in the
album?
Melloan: [laughs] If I tell you,
you'll stop thinking about it. I will say this: it has
nothing to do with Mario Brothers 2 where you drop the
potion and go through the magic door. It's about the
world. The very existence of a shadow suggests the
presence of a light, shining through in snatches. We're
not lost in darkness, we're just waiting in "The
Shadowlands."
I noticed that themes of the
bluegrass region appear frequently in the album,
particularly in such songs as "Morgan Hunt's Mill,"
"Hubert Atwell's Store," and "Courthouse Rock." How
would you say that the Bluegrass Region has shaped your
songwriting?
Melloan: Kentucky is rich with
culture and history. I love it and I hate it, but I
can't stop thinking about it. When my grandfather drove
me down to Mr. Atwell's store, I was instantly struck by
the dynamics of the twentieth century. I knew that no
song could convey my emotions as well as an actual trip
to the store, where you can shake a loafer's hand or
feel the grooves in the hardwood floor. Nonetheless,
within a few minutes of returning home, I found myself
hammering out the chord changes that would define the
song. It's the same with Courthouse Rock. My fingernails
were digging into that cliff and I just knew that I
couldn't have been the only person to have experienced
that fear. Kentucky geography makes me emotional and the
songs just happen.
The songs on "The
Shadowlands" are carefully crafted, and it seems that
you created a metaphor out of each location mentioned in
the song. Could you comment on the metaphorical meaning
of such locations within the Bluegrass Region as Morgan
Hunt's Mill, Courthouse Rock, and Hubert Atwell's Store?
Melloan: "Morgan Hunt's Mill" is about a
church without pews, a steeple, or stained-glass
windows. "Courthouse Rock" is about conquered fears and
judgment. "Hubert Atwell's Store" is about the
turbulence a dead century.
In regards to these
metaphors, what messages did you want to get across in
the album to the listener? When you wrote the songs, did
you envision yourself as being in direct communication
with the listener?
Melloan: Yeah, I'm pretty
aware of the listener when I write a song. Like I said,
the emotions that inspire my songs come from striking
situations, but there's always a point when I begin to
make a conscious effort to communicate what I'm feeling.
If I don't think a church needs a steeple or
stained-glass windows, the listener will probably feel
that. Keats called it egoism-I call it
honesty.
Let's
now move away from the topic of songwriting and talk
about the actual music on your album. What motivated you
to do a predominantly acoustic album?
Melloan: [laughs] Well, the techno-version
of "Hubert Atwell's Store" didn't really turn out
[joking].
Your album features an all-star cast
of bluegrass musicians, with such famous names as Béla
Fleck (New Grass Revival, The Flecktones), Curtis Burch
(New Grass Revival, "O Brother" Soundtrack), and Casey
Driessen (John Mayer, Nickel Creek, Steve Earle). Could
you comment on what each musician brought to the album
and what it was like working with such a cast?
Melloan: Well, Bela brought some amazing
musicianship, not surprisingly. He's built a career on
innovative twists of the traditional banjo sound. And
Casey was essential. He brought songs like "Coal-Burning
Train" and "I Told Them I'd Die" to life. Mark Goodman
(engineer) said that the fiddle was the "deep red carpet
on the walls." And I can't say enough about Curtis. He's
a roots music legend and a great friend. Recording and
playing concerts with him is something I'll never
forget.
Let's talk about Béla Fleck for a
moment. What was it like to work with this master of the
banjo and what did he bring to the album specifically?
What suggestions did he have for the music? Are there
any particular tracks that he shaped or stood apart in?
Melloan: I was really nervous about working
with Bela Fleck. He's practically a musical icon. But he
was such a nice guy and so complimentary that all of my
fears dissipated. I think his favorite is "Deadbeat
Backseat Man," but his banjo parts on the other songs
are also powerful. "Morgan Hunt's Mill" is particularly
interesting. The lyrics, the black-gospel harmonies,
Bela's banjo track-it adds up to a pretty profound
social statement. And, on "Colorbow," some of the sounds
he was making I didn't even know a banjo could make. As
far as advice he gave me, at that point in the project,
I was concerned that I was playing too big of a role in
the album, but he was reassuring. I think he said, "I
support too much artist involvement." And he's really
right. Today, it's too common for the primary artist to
play a minimal role in the recording
process.
Let's now take a close look at a
couple of songs on the album. The song "Hubert Atwell's
Store" seems to have one of the most memorable verses
about the abrupt changes of the 20th century: "Down at
Hubert Atwell's store / The folks who stop don't shop no
more / at Hubert Atwell's store / They bring their
cameras, bring their kids / 'Cause now it's just a relic
/ Of the times that came before / Years gave men in men
in space and KIAS / From Vietnam and two world wars / It
poured color in the TV / Time poured asphalt on the
road." Could you comment on the development of this song
and the interaction between the music and lyrics?
Melloan: Well, the first verse gives some
historical background on the song, what happened in
1913, what happened in 1937. So, it's pretty subdued,
but when the chorus kicks in and I start discussing the
rapid changes of the twentieth century, the band goes
double-time. It's a neat effect, not something that most
people would really notice, but I hope they'll feel it.
Imagine, today's ninety-year-old is both pre-Henry Ford
and post-Bill Gates, pre-Hitler and post-Bin Laden. That
tension between the past and the present is the song's
theme, and I think it really comes across in the
music.
I'd now like to look at one song that
stands apart, "I Told Them I'd Die." In the song, you
seem to combine the storyline of a struggling fiddle
player with a rueful rendition from Casey Driessen
that's reminiscent of the story's time period. What
motivated you to write this song and its music? Also,
the song seems almost autobiographical for you - is that
so?
Melloan: Well, in a way, all of my songs
are autobiographical. But I can especially identify with
the emotions expressed in "I Told Them I'd Die." I've
been to the right (or maybe wrong) places in Nashville
enough times to see the powerful emotions that accompany
musical aspirations. But I'm learning to let go of all
that. I read somewhere that we have to lay our ambitions
down before our dreams come to life.
As a
final question, I'd like to ask you about your plans for
the future. What do you plan to do in the future with
your music? What changes do you foresee? Is there
another album awaiting in the distant future?
Melloan: Well, in the very near future, I'll
face the most difficult and intimidating crowd of my
entire career. Friday, I play for over five-hundred
grade-school students at a Kentucky school [laughing].
Beyond that, Kentucky concerts, National Public Radio
[NPR] support, and a KET television special are all on
the calendar. And, yes, hopefully, there are more albums
to be recorded. I'm writing the songs as we
speak.
Mr. Melloan, I'd like to thank you for
granting this exclusive interview, and I'd like to wish
you best of luck in promoting your new album and with
your future career.
Mark Melloan
currently is on tour in the KY/TN area as he
concurrently finishes his BA at Western Kentucky
University. For more information about this rising
artist or to purchase his new album, you may visit his
website at http://www.markmelloan.com/.
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