Mallman's Final Report

Mallman on night 7 of 7. Photo by Dan Schultz - Mordac.org

The Mark Mallman 7 Day party ended last night with probably the best attendance yet this week, partly due to the large crowds that had shown up to see Vicious Vicious and Turantula Skulls. It was sad to see it end. You wonder how many nights Mark could have just kept on playing without either getting exhausted or seeing his audience start to fall off. There are literally dozens of people who went all seven nights, and that includes fan and members of other bands who weren't even directly involved in the show.

The HowWasTheShow MM7 Photo Gallery includes photos from every night but Monday. (If you have Monday photos, email them in to blood08bill@photos.flicker.com.

Also, Dan Schultz of Mordac.org has put up his own gallery of photos from nights 4, 5 and 7.

Here's Mark's report from Saturday night:

"Sunday afternoon at 2 pm brings to me a van full of gear to unload in the summer sun. Alas, my concept has come to fruition. In ways this was an epic retrospective for me in the band I guess, but mostly it was a way for us and everybody who came and who played to have fun during the summer you know, for people just to drink cheap and see free rock shows. In many ways, it was a blissful week for me, and in many ways quite dark and empty. The times I spent on stage were glorious. Each night was an adventure that presented unique challenges 180 degrees from MARATHON 1 and 2.

Last nights show included mostly tracks from the SEVEN YEARS CD, but also some newer stuff, and some funny songs. It was a Saturday night set fitting for a warm summer corner bar on a warm summer evening. The Pooch came up and rapped again, but I accidentally hit him in the mouth -- oops. We rocked, we roared, we rumbled. The set finished with me tearing down the numbered backdrops and screaming about being a serious songwriter -- mostly truth, but the delivery was in jest. We played "7 Years" and finished with "Butchers Ballad." After the show, I signed stuff, and people were super nice. The energy was good, and I could tell we'd succeeded in all having fun times, which is what life is mostly about -- though I've found it hard to come by outside of rock these days. In the office of the bar, Chris Dorn said he felt like he might cry, we laughed at him. It's because of Chris that this whole thing happened. He booked the shows, let it be free, set the thing up. It was a lot of work. Now it's over. We had a party at the Idle Hands practice space, but all I drank was Fresca. It was a mellow evening, and my messy head hit the pillow at 5:30 after a long conversation with my ex about owhy it didn't work between us.

I dreamed about the ocean. It was calm and flat, like somebody covered it in Saran Warp and out it in a refrigerator.

This last week was a lot like being on the road only without the hotels and gas station food. Peter Anderson said to me, "My body feels like we're on the road, we should stop at a Pump and Munch on our way to the club, it would make sense."

Some people claim they know for what reason they were born. I guess it cannot be proved either way whether they're right or wrong. Some people live like insects and scavengers; I've met just as many in the white collar world as I have in nightclubs and record companies. Most of us, I think, just kind of go on intuition. We follow maybe what we think might be a good idea. I believe I fall into that category -- just a person who follows his intuition, with all the bag of tricks to be handed out along the way. Just like it's been an interesting/fascinating/exhilarating 7 years, it's been an exhausting/underwhelming/heartbreaking 7 years in the music industry as well. I've written a lot of songs since I was a kid. I don't know how many more I've got in me. I guess we'll just wait and see.

It's time now for me to go back into the lab, with a pen and a pad and get my damn piano off! There are more songs to be written. That's why I been playing this game to begin with."

Mallman's report on Day 6 of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon

Photo by Joe Cline

I want to thank Joe Cline for submitting the photo of Eleganza from Friday night's Mallman party. In fact, I want to thank everyone who has submitted photos. There are now dozens of great user-submitted pictures in the Mallman Party Gallery. (Keep on submitting your photos to blood08bill@photos.flickr.com. We'll leave that email active for a few days after the Mallman party ends, but due to the success of the "live photo" experiment, expect to see the gallery used again for future shows and events.)

Incidentally, while Joe was in the Hexagon last night taking these great shots, someone was outside breaking into his car and stealing his spare lenses. Joe tells me that someone broke out the back window of his 2002 Burgundy Dodge Caravan and stole a black Sony Camera bag with 2 lenses for a DCR-HC85 and an extra battery. It was parked on the east side of 27th Avenue about a half block south of the Hex/26th Street. If you have any info that might help Joe recover the lenses, he is offering a reward. Send him an email at cline@mm.com if you know anything, or just to say you enjoyed his photos.

Also, just posted today is Cyn Collins review of Mallman Night #5 featuring Fort Wilson Riot, whom she called "riotous fun" and the Beatifics, whom she called "lucious, intelligent power pop."

And getting down to business, here is Mark Mallman's report from the Friday night show:

"95 degrees in the heat today, listened to Sugarhill Gang while driving from Maharaja's this afternoon. I feel like I was born in the wrong decade - even sun feels like it's rising sideways. Outside there is a crow cawing and an airplane flying overhead at the same time. That's funny to me.

Let me tell you, I'm having fun - these shows are great, and I'm so very grateful to every single person who has shown up to hear the material, and the band, and I hope you're all having fun.

Last night's show included new songs "Missed a Year" off of the Seven Years CD, and "Wheelbarrow" - which is actually a tune I wrote for THE ODD that we never used. "Midnight Man" was played for the first time since October of last year, and it was super fun. I bought some lemon juice to keep on stage in addition to my usual shot of tequila before I go on. The monitors at the bar are simply not very loud, and that's resulted in me losing my voice.

After the party I walked into the park behind my house. It was as if I could feel the world spinning beneath me - like standing on water. Sometimes I think I see ghosts in the park, But last night, It was just a blue shadow of some trees in the dark. My ears were still buzzing from the amplifiers. I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep - I kept thinking about the future. My ears were still buzzing from the amplifiers. I kept thinking about the winter, even in the midst of summer's night. Must have been the air conditioning on too hard."

Mallman's report on Day 5 of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon

Photo by Janey G.

Here is Mark Mallman's report going into Friday night's show:

"It's Friday early evening as I type this, and it saddens me to see that the end is in sight. I wish I could play shows every night, and write songs everyday, and live life like other musicians. I don't know what or why it is the way that it is, and I'm grateful for the fans I have, and for this city. Do you ever lie awake at night and think about what could have been? I do. Some people have dreams, others have realities - most of the time I just feel like a ghost. Anyways, I guess that's hard for some to understand, so I'll just get on with it..

Last night was an opportunity for me to play some of my slower tunes - we had more on the set list, but the crowd seemed like they wanted the wild stuff. We managed to squeeze in "Romeo Daze", "I work Here, I Grew up Here", and "Simply in the Distance", but had to cut a few. I threw in "Humankind" when a certain 'difficulty' came up. I had this Dr. Dre sample to play with and an acoustic guitar - so I combined "The Hangman, He Grinned" with a new song called "the Devil is my co-pilot".

Someone asked me if I was playing these 7 shows as my last shows ever - she'd heard a rumour. All my life I've felt an overbearing darkness, a draining, force of sadness - music has been the only cure for me. I literally cannot face the day without music. I would rather be dead."

Mallman's report on Day 4 of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon

Mallman Wednesday night with dancing moose - photo by Dan Schultz (click photo for more)

I just read the Star Trib's report that the US Olympic Committee had threated the Olympic Hopefuls with legal action if they didn't change their name. They will henceforth be known as just "The Hopefuls." But what's next? Will the Mall of America sue Mark Mallman and force him to change his name to just "The Man?" See this thread over on MNSpeak.com for witty predictions.

Wednesday night's Mallman extravaganza at the Hex included Revolver Modele and DJ Jake Rudh's Transmission. Before Mallman even took the stage last night, I checked the internet to see that people had indeed started submitting camera phone photos to the Mallman photo blog, including one of a button or patch that said "Mallman kicks ass." Too cool. This morning I noticed a few great photo submissions from Dan Schultz of Mordac.org.

Cyn Collins has a report on her blog from Tuesday's show here. (And it looks like she recounted the sides of the bar and renamed it appropriately.)

Also, If I Were A 16 Year Old Girl.... has a report of last night's show here.

Normally I get Mallman's reports in the afternoon. But the man is truly crazy. He wrote it after the post-show hot tub party and I had it in my inbox before I even woke up today.

Here's the Mallman Wednesday night report from the man himself:

"My hands are still shriveled from the hot tub as I type this, at 4:30 am - just arrived home from everybody's friend, FOXY'S place. About 8 of us sang the theme to Cheers in the water before a neighbor came to shut us the fuck up. Oh yeah, this is about the shows....

Well, we opened with "Kissing the Knife" and "Still Wasted" - and then into "Too Hot" from the Cd I did with my high school friends, Vermont. It's fun to play those tunes that people don't get to hear much. I showed the audience the prototype of a new toy Cabela's is making which I made the soundtrack for - it's a dancing moose. Ummm....yeah. Also, the harmonica came out during the encore - oooh, and during "Eagles Tooth", my good friend - and band roadie - THE POOCH, came up and did a stellar "rap" about Marco Polo. Wilson Webb fixed the lights and they're are just about where I want them.

After the show everybody kept dancing to Transmission, Sean Hoffman and I were singing the Cure, and it was a bit drunken. I swear, these are some of the best nights of the summer for me. I love this city, and these people, it's all so sweet - like a Cinnabon with buildings and a light rail."

Mallman's report on Day 3 of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon

Mallman at the Hex Tuesday night - Photo by Janey C. (Click photo for link to whole set.)

Mallman promises to send a report from each night of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon. 3 down. 4 to go. Tonight is the midway point. If Monday and Tuesday were supposedly "slow" nights, I can only imagine what the rest of the week will bring because it's been pretty busy each night so far and Mallman is just getting warmed up. Good thing they took many of the tables out of the band room to provide more standing space.

Lots of fun pictures from last night. View them in the photo blog.

Here's Mark's report from Tuesday night:

"Aha! Another one down swimmingly! Last night I was so happy with a number of things. We finally have the lights to a place that I'm happy with. Also, the bar moved the tables so that people could have more room. It's sad, the first 3 letters of LIQUORS have burned out on the Eastern portion of the Hex. So, last night, as we pulled the van up, we were greeted by a pink buzzing UORS sign...I pretended it said OURS.

My suit was tight and polyester - Peter and I both decided to wear a pink and blue element - We blazed through "Becoming a President" and "Dude is Dead". "Bulls eye" is always a painful song for me to perform, but I disguised it with humor. That's my trick, cause if you listen to almost the lyrics to any song of mine, you'll find sadness, emptiness, and isolation. So I always cover it up with humor - and everybody goes home happy. I guess one might call it low brow absurdist existentialism. But, if anybody actually came up to me and said that, I'd get em a drink.

I keep thinking of that Foo Fighters song, where he sings DONE DONE AND I'M ON TO THE NEXT ONE. ...DONE I'M DONE AND I'M ON TO THE NEXT."

My report from Mallman Day 3

I'm not so sure about this "live blogging" thing. I am at the Hexagon right now. We're kind of squashed into the corner by the door, but at least we have power for the laptop. Randy the sound guy is playing Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub, and that's making me very happy. We are between sets. Martin Dosh has just finished his short but sweet set (the photos are already live -- the photos were live while Martin was still playing his first song -- I love the internet).

Mallman will be going on around midnight like the vampire that he is. Tonight is somewhat more social than previous nights. As you can tell from the photos so far, we are kind of hanging out "with the bands."

Mallman's report on Day 2 of his 7 night stand at the Hexagon

I didn't make it to Monday night's Mallman show at the Hex, and I'm still waiting for the first fan pictures to start showing up on the photo blog. (Read the other post for instructions on submitting photos, and will someone please submit a picture of The Pooch with that gorilla?)

Fortunately, I have one volunteer writer who will be at every single show, and that is MARK MALLMAN himself.

Here's Mark's report on Day 2:

"Damn, this is sooo fun! I can't believe how tight the band got between the first show and last nights show. I keep thinking how it feels just like tour, only easier cause we don't have to drive 7 hours between shows. PLUS, each night we get to practice - which is a blast.

Last nights set included "Inside the Castle" and "7AM And Sober Again" from the now out of print Who's Gonna Save You Now EP - I fucked up hard night by singing the 3rd verse in place of the 2nd. The band gave me shit for it afterward! Also, since it was our roadie's, The Pooch's birthday, we covered his favorite Elvis Costello song - "God's Comic" - a really wierd version.

Also, The Pooch got this giant cut out of a Gorilla from who knows where, and was stumbling around all night rubbing its crotch. Pony told me after the show that Kubrick's 2001 is made for druggies. I laughed. Ryan is reading 2010. nerds in my band - sheesh - see what marriage does to people!"