Goes to Twelve » music

Pop-Up Pianos, 2011

Mark — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:23:09 +0000

Last year I reported enthusiastically on the public art & music project, then called “Play Me, I’m Yours.” This year, the project returned under a new name, “Pop Up Pianos,” and as you can imagine, I was thrilled to have them back.

Although I didn’t land any spots in documentaries on the subject as I did last year, I did manage to get a decent recording of myself playing on one of the pianos:

This one was right on the East River in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

And if you liked what I played, then you’ll love this guy, who was jamming before and I after I stepped up to the plate:

Tik Tok Blues

Mark — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:10:35 +0000

I recorded this song about a year ago, but I was only recently able to complete the music video:

Check out Overthinking It for additional commentary and an MP3 download link.

Play Me, I’m Yours – Pianos on the Streets in NYC

Mark — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:09:59 +0000

In early July, the ambitious “Play Me, I’m Yours” public art project placed 60 pianos in parks and other public places throughout New York City and invited anyone to come up and play. I managed to get my hands on these pianos about 4 or 5 times, and each time, it was nothing short of magical. My favorite spot was the piano at the new Brooklyn Bridge Park, which was placed right on the waterfront and offered the player a breathtaking view of the East River and the New York City skyline.

I managed to take a few pictures of other people playing the piano, and also wound up on camera in a couple videos.

This first one’s from Time.com, and I make a brief appearance at the 3:50 mark playing “Hey Jude”:

I get some more camera time in this second one; you can see me playing “New York, New York” and saying a few words at around the 3 minute mark:

Lastly, here are pictures that I took in City Hall Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Grand Army Plaza:

New Music: Ke$ha Sings the Blues

Mark — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:59:39 +0000

This track dropped a few weeks ago on Overthinking It, but I wanted to make sure it got proper coverage on my blog as well.

Put simply, it’s the unholy love child of throw-away pop star Ke$ha and blues legend Muddy Waters:

Listen to it here:

“Tik Tok (Blues Version)”

Full disclosure: all instrumental sounds came from a prepackaged GarageBand backing track. But I take full credit/blame for the singing.

Video: A Little Springsteen

Mark — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:30:41 +0000

I had the house to myself. What else was I supposed to do but bash out “Thunder Road” as loud as I could with just my voice and a piano?

Apparently, I Have a Hit Single On My Hands

Mark — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:03:34 +0000

Potential hit single, I should add. According to uPlaya.com, a site which uses a computer algorithm to determine the likelihood a given song could be a hit, my original song “Sugar Mommy” scored an 8.5 out of 10, good enough for a “Platinum Auddy” award!

A Platinum Auddy™ denotes clear mathematical hit potential. The underlying musical patterns of this song are similar to songs that have been hits for a long time.

Clearly, this by itself will not send the record companies to my door, but it’s nice to get some recognition, even if it’s in a cold, calculated, algorithmic kind of way.

Take a listen for yourself:

A Platinum Auddy™ denotes clear mathematical hit potential. The underlying musical patterns of this song are similar to songs that have been hits for a long time.

New Music: Open Society Institute – George Soros Video

Mark — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:39:53 +0000

Due to a string of very fortunate events, I got a gig writing a bit of background music for a video of George Soros lectures. Aside from the very beginning and end, you can barely hear it, but trust me, it’s there!