STRATEGIC ARTIST ADVOCACY SINCE 1997
Good morning!
The conversation about this feature story for Charleston Home + Design Magazine started two years ago as Mark Bryan was still in construction on his studio.
I absolutely love how the final piece turned out! On stands locally now, or you can check it out right here.
Many thanks to Micaela Arnett and Paige Taylor for seeing this through. The beautiful photography is by Callie Cranford.
Favorite local band? SUSTO!
Loving what writer Lee Zimmerman says today at Goldmine Magazine in his intro to Mark Bryan’s "10 Albums That Changed My Life,” for which he actually wanted to name 20 (including Tom Waits, XTC, The Ramones, and The Replacements, along with other usual and essential suspects).
"It seems inevitable that Bryan will forever be associated with the band he helped found, Hootie and the Blowfish. Regardless of any popular perception, Bryan boasts a stellar solo career... the ever-emphatic 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 establishes a new high bar as far as his individual achievement."
I was teasing Mark Bryan, calling him psychic, for suggesting The Who’s Who’s Next as the subject of an episode of the fab Records Revisited Podcast. Mark picked it months ago; then, about a month after taping, an avalanche of press hit about the album's 50th anniversary. Good thing too, as Mark's knowledge of this album supersedes much of the journalism about the record and he’s able to discuss it as both a fan and technician.
Mark's solo album Midlife Priceless is out now on Stone Point Records, distributed by Slow Start Records.
Mark Bryan made an appearance on the 50th episode of the Ranking The Beatles podcast, discussing the Rubber Soul tune "I'm Looking Through You," as well as his new solo album. Mark also discusses another band he's involved with called Hootie and the Blowfish that is apparently making some waves.
In a recent review as park of a “best new music” roundup, The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania wrote that Midlife Priceless “suggests Bryan brings more to [Hootie & the Blowfish] than appearances suggest. Bryan’s solo songs have a bit poppier feel than Hootie & the Blowfish, but there’s still a rootsy, unpretentious quality to these songs.”
Mark Bryan isn’t just a solo artist and member of Hootie and the Blowfish. He’s also an accomplished producer, and recently helped up-and-comers Tennis Courts as they put together their debut EP Best Regards. Window Sound’s Jack Story recently had a conversation with Mark and Tennis Courts’ Patrick Walsh about the experience, and the Q&A demonstrates how down-to-earth and forthcoming Mark is as a musician and friend to other musicians.
Cheers to Mark Bryan’s hometown Charleston City Paper for helping to hype 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, the Hootie and the Blowfish guitarist’s fourth solo album. Mark’s celebrating the release in June at the Windjammer in South Carolina, with a cadre of players who helped make the recordings so magical.
If you haven’t heard it yet, the record is available to buy and stream here.
Mark Bryan is the guest on the newest edition of Holy City Sinner Radio, a podcast hosted by Christian Senger of Holy City Sinner. They talk about the Hootie and the Blowfish guitarist’s new LP 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, his band Occasional Milkshake, his work with Carolina Studios, and more.
Thank you, Far Out Magazine, for including Mark Bryan’s 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 on a best new vinyl releases list alongside Bob Dylan, Alice Coltrane, Warren Zevon, and Sturgill Simpson.
The 180-gram vinyl package is beautiful and available to order.
Thanks so much to Holy City Sinner for all the support in the lead up to the release of Mark Bryan’s Midlife Priceless, which arrives tomorrow (Friday, April 2). The site, known as the most popular blog in Charleston, has been an advocate of Mark’s from the beginning and has really helped get the word out about the fantastic new solo release the Hootie And The Blowfish lead guitarist is prepping for release at the end of the week. See the lyric video for “A Little More Rock N Roll,” made from old Hootie footage, via Holy City Sinner.
To celebrate release week, Mark is doing a Facebook Live session with friends from his studio on Thursday, April 1 starting at 8pm EDT. Find the show on Facebook here or watch the Youtube simulcast here. Don’t worry if you miss it live - those links will take you to the archived performance once it’s finished.
This is fun! Thanks to Parade today for premiering the lyric video for Mark Bryan’s "A Little More Rock N Roll," featuring VHS footage from 1993 of a pre-fame Hootie and the Blowfish on a road trip to Buffalo, NY for a gig opening for Dread Zeppelin.
The song is from Mark's upcoming new solo album Midlife Priceless, out April 2 from Stone Point Records (distributed by Slow Start). Pre-order the CD/LP here and use code "MIDLIFEPRICELESS" for 15% off.
Twangville has a personal Q&A with Mark Bryan, the Hootie and The Blowfish lead guitarist whose solo album Midlife Priceless is due April 2 from Slow Start Records. There are a few great stories here, going all the way back to the pre-Hootie days when Mark was writing songs while grounded as a teen.
Mark has released three singles from Midlife Priceless, and the fourth - called “Explain That To A Heart,” a cowrite with Wyatt Durette (the Zac Brown Band, Luke Combs) - comes on Friday.
