On the back of a highly successful crowdfunding campaign for his fourth solo album Nambucca Fables, ‘Every Waking Hour‘ (which premiered on Double J‘s Tower of Song with Henry Wagons and on Backseat Mafia) heralds the return of Mark Moldre, four years after his acclaimed album Fever Dreams. Following the release of the single, Mark is excited to release its accompanying video clip (premiered online by Rhythms Magazine), filmed by Jo Moldre, directed and edited by Mark and beautifully populated with photos from his family photo albums.

NSW singer-songwriter Mark Moldre returns with the first taste of his forthcoming new album, Nambucca Fables, due out April 14th.
 

On the back of a highly successful crowdfunding campaign for his fourth solo album Nambucca Fables, ‘Every Waking Hour‘ heralds the return of Mark Moldre, four years after his acclaimed album Fever Dreams.

A lot has happened in the intervening years. Floods, fires and a pandemic descended, and just prior to that, on a devastating personal note, the sad and tragic loss of Mark’s mother. “Grief stifles you at first. You can barely sleep, eat or get dressed….let alone try to write. Your brain feels like it’s shrouded in a low, damp mist. I certainly couldn’t write at my desk, I felt like I was suffocating there,” he confesses. 

That creative paralysis would continue for a year before he could finally put pen to paper and was able to write again. “‘Every Waking Hour’ almost threw itself onto the page when I took a notepad down to the beach. It came out in a messed up jumble of words, total stream of consciousness. That hardly ever happens and it feels surreal when it does. I barely changed a word afterwards. Melody and lyrics all arrived fully formed.” says Mark. “The lyrical style felt different for me – it was more conversational and effortless. I was able to take my finger out of the dam after that day and thankfully the words/memories/love/loss began to flow.”
 

“Every waking hour I’m just dying to go back to sleep.”

The song, in spite of its subject matter and intense personal nature, fairly leaps from the speaker with a vibrant rhythm section and invigorating and vital guitars that cleverly convey remembrance as much as they contrast with the raw longing and emotional dislocation in the wake of the passing of a loved one. Mark’s lifetime of exploring the possibilities of the guitar in indie rock, jazz, power pop and beyond comes to the fore on the song. Heroes like Nels Cline, Neil Young and Bill Frisell are omnipresent as Mark and his band create an exquisite blend of melodic Americana and indie pop-rock that descends into a frazzled, clattering heap as the song concludes. 

“After grief, there is some kind of new balance… a new you,” explains Mark. “Damaged but somehow improved. A deeper understanding, more empathetic. Love finds new depths. Somehow you find you way out of that mist and into a new morning.”

Double J has already premiered the new single on Henry Wagon’s show Tower Of Song, Henry said “Sometimes music can process the most complicated and grief stricken experiences into quite a jaunty, toe-tapping tune. It’s sometimes the best way to fend off the tears. A great piece of jangle and country rock.”.

Backseat Mafia gave us the online premiere and said “A sparkling gem filled with poignancy and stature….gathering all the collective immediacy and veracity of songwriters from Bob Dylan to Sufjan Stevens.”

You can listen to the new single from today on all streaming services – choose your fave HERE.

Purchase the single on Bandcamp.

Pre-order Mark Moldre’s upcoming album Nambucca Fables on LTD Edition Gatefold vinyl, CD and digital HERE.

Welcome folks to 2023.

Thanks to the overwhelming support last year for my crowdfunding campaign, 2023 will see lots of new music. I’ll be forever indebted to all you very kind benefactors.

Nambucca Fables will be released April 14th on CD and LTD ED gatefold vinyl (signed with bonus lyric insert) and sold exclusively at my Bandcamp site. It will be available for pre-order February 28th. It will also be available on all the usual streaming platforms.

Want to know some of the back story? Check out the home video we made for the crowdfunding campaign which features all the band members and engineer Tim Kevin. Lots more news incoming.

Love

Mark x

You read correctly! With much anticipation/excitement/apprehension I’m happy to say that my new album entitled “Nambucca Fables” has been recorded and mixed. It’s certainly been a long time between drinks, my last update may have been as far back as mid last year. We’ve been busy though – chipping away at these songs in the studio, (and from home) through Covid and lockdowns. I’ve been lucky enough to work with my usual band along with Tim Kevin (Holly Throsby, The Apartments, Youth Group) at the helm for most of the mixing/engineering duties.

Nambucca Fables is a very personal collection of songs for me, for a myriad of reasons, and I’m hoping to release this album on LTD ED Deluxe Gatefold vinyl and on CD. To accomplish that I’ll really need your help. I’ve spent my every last red cent on the album so far, financing the recording, mixing and mastering. Artwork is still upcoming. I won’t tell you too much of the backstory here though…..as you can read all about the turbulent creation of this new batch of songs at our Pozible HQ Crowdfunding Campaign. There’s also a link at the top of the campaign page to a mini documentary on the making of Nambucca Fables. The campaign will begin on Monday October 10th and will run until Monday November 7th.

If you head to Pozible there are loads of tasty rewards and pre-orders for your perusal. Thank you in advance for any support you can give this new, special project. Your help in getting this album off the ground will be greatly appreciated.

Plenty more news to come

Love Mark x

Hey folks

A lot has happened in the world since I last posted – and I’m struggling, like the rest of you to take it all in. Currently we’re into our 12th week of lockdown here in NSW, Australia. Remaining creative isn’t always easy, and I’ll admit I’ve been struggling to write. Lyrics aren’t coming as naturally as they used to. Melodies appear and fade. Chord progressions are softly strummed and promptly forgotten. Yet, despite the involunatry brain slump I’ve managed to start work on a new album, summoned up some new motivation and slowly (slowly slowly) something fresh is falling into place.

Here’s an update on a few happenings from the past year. 

Last May I took my usual comrades into the studio for a few days and we started work on a brand new album. We managed to get four songs in before COVID restrictions brought everything to a crashing halt. We are working with engineer Tim Kevin (Holly Throsby, Youth Group, The Apartments) out at Tempe River Studios. We’re managing to continue working remotely for the time being. Here’s a bunch of happy snaps.

In other news, my bandmates, Jamie Hutchings, Reuben Wills and Scott Hutchings also make 3/4’s of Sydney noisemakers Infinity Broke. They have just released a new album Your Dream My Jail which is currently available on vinyl and CD and you can grab a copy HERE

I also created the clip for their first single Death Of A Tourist which premiered at Rolling Stone Australia. Who had this to say: “With the song released earlier this month, it’s now been accompanied by a Mark Moldre-directed video, featuring the group performing the track in an industrial environment, armed with masks and the same sort of devil-may-care attitude that helps to turn a track like “Death of A Tourist” into a powerful, lingering piece of musical expression.”

I’ve been listening to loads of music and doing some reading while in lockdown, here’s the shortlist:

Music
The Felice Brothers : 3 new songs – from their upcoming release From Dreams To Dust – all 3 are brilliant I think this could be my fave release for 2021.
Howe Gelb : Cocoon
Jeff Tweedy : Love Is The King
Bill Callahan : Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt: Made Of Sound
John Lennon : The Plastic Ono Band
Marc Ribot : Silent Movies
Infinity Broke : Your Dream My Jail
Restless Leg : Dream Buffet
Toby Martin : I Felt The Valley Lifting
Nathan Salsburg : Psalms
Eagle And The Wold : Two Lovers
David Crosby : If I Could Only Remember My Name
The Feast Of Snakes : The Feast Of Snakes

Books
Klara and The Sun : Kazuo Ishiguro
The Unconsoled : Kazuo Ishiguro
How To Write One Song : Jeff Tweedy
Wandering : Hermann Hesse
Room To Dream : David Lynch and Kristine McKenna
Emily Dickinson : My Life Had Stood A Loaded Gun
Tom T. Hall : The Songwriters Handbook
Edited By Yasmine Gooneratne : Poems From India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia & Singapore
Sylvie Simmons: I’m Your Man The Life Of Leonard Cohen

Anyway folks, it’s nice to catch up with you.

take care and go gently

lots of love
mark
X

Hey Folks
Here’s something new for you
A brand new clip that we’ve put together
for the song Keep On Moving from Fever Dreams
the clip features footage from the archives
of the band on tour
through France
(loads of footage during our shows for
the Binic Folks Blues Festival)
including Le Galion (Lorient) and Saint-Quay Portrieux
train travel, driving and wandering
the streets of Paris
plus appearances in Australia at
Lizottes, The Excelsior,
The Vanguard, The Green Room,
Dashville Festival, Sly Fox,
The Factory, ABC Radio, The Hopetoun,
The Glass Onion Society, Red Pepper Cafe,
2SERFM, camping on the South Coast of NSW,
National Folk Festival, rehearsing, recording,
Love Hz plus a few homely bits n pieces
all put to a rollicking rowdy soundtrack
thanks to all these people
Jamie Hutchings, Scott Hutchings, Reuben Wills, Adam Lang
Tim Byron, Ludovic Lorre, Jared Harrison, Michael Carpenter,
Marie Caillou, Gilou Le Gruiec, Jeanclaude Massart, Chris Colquhoun,
Chris Familton and Ben Jones

On another note
I’ve finally started writing the follow up
to Fever Dreams
hopefully you’ll be hearing some new music from me
in 2021

love
mark
X

Hi there fine folk, I hope this ramble finds you well during the current chaos. I just wanted to let you know about a new release (of sorts) that will be uploaded for the masses in cyberspace today. Just in time for Bandcamp Day I’ll be releasing ‘Fits And Starts’, a small collection of odds and sods from the past 15 years of my musical history. 7 songs that have previously only been available on compilations, as bonus tracks or have remained unreleased will now be available in a single collection. Fits And Starts features production work by a series of old friends and confidantes including Tim Powles (The Church), Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss/Infinity Broke), Michael Carpenter and Shane Pex.

The cover art features a photo taken while touring in France at a great pub called Le Galion (Lorient).

You’ll only be able to find this collection on Bandcamp – and you can pay whatever you like for it – in fact you can download all the tracks for free if you wish. My gift to you, folks. Bandcamp Day will begin at 5pm (Oz time) on Friday 7th August and finish at 5pm Saturday 8th August.

I’ve also lowered the price of Fever Dreams on vinyl and CD specifically during the Bandcamp Day period. 
FEVER DREAMS CD $12 w/free postage (in Australia)
FEVER DREAMS VINYL w/FREE TOTE $20 plus postage
Plus T-shirt/vinyl/CD deals

What are Bandcamp Fridays?

Bandcamp will continue its special “Bandcamp Friday” series for the rest of the year, waiving its revenue share on all sales on the first Friday of every month to give musicians more money from each purchase. The series started as a one-off at the end of March to help get extra money to artists after the COVID-19 pandemic brought touring to a halt and forced independent record stores to close. After fans spent $4.3 million on music and merch, the platform decided to waive its revenue share on the first Friday of the next three months. In a statement on its website, Bandcamp said, “Because the pandemic is far from over, we’ll continue to hold Bandcamp Fridays on the first Friday of every month until the end of the year.” The next five will take place August 7th, September 4th, October 2nd, November 6th and December 4th.

WHITE LIGHTNING

In case you missed the last film clip from Fever Dreams, heres the latest news – big thanks to 4ZZZ, 3RRR, 2serFM, FBi, AMNplify and community radio for showing your support. White Lightning was also featured on a series of Spotify playlists and recently received a mention on one of my favourite websites AmericanaUK:

“Here is a delightfully creative, homemade video, featuring cut-out text and images combined with performance footage. It’s the fourth single from Mark Moldre’s acclaimed 2019 album, ‘Fever Dreams’, celebrating a year since it’s release. ‘White Lightning’ reached the semi-finals of the Americana category in the International Songwriting Competition. It’s a spare, acoustic ballad, showing Moldre’s traditional influences. This is one of the best songs from a well-received album. Check it out.”

Finally – I’ve updated my website to include my Tour Diary, detailing my trip to Binic France, back in 2018. You can check it out here.

Look after yourselves and stay safe. I hope you enjoy the music.

Lotsa Love
Mark
X

To mark its one year anniversary, Mark Moldre has today released the fourth single and fifth video clip from his acclaimed 2019 album Fever Dreams.

LISTEN HERE

‘White Lightning‘ is a raised-glass country sway, an intoxicating tale of love lost and found – with soft shuffling drums, woozy electric guitar and a loose and heady, end-of-the-night vibe.

‘White Lightning’ was a semi-finalist in the Americana category of the International Songwriting Competition (along with ‘How Long?’) from Fever Dreams. The competition is held annually with an esteemed panel of judges that include Tom Waits, Fleet Foxes, Tanya Tucker, Lonnie Liston Smith, Lukas Nelson, Irma Thomas, John Mayall, DJ Shadow and many more.

“‘White Lightning’ was inspired by an article that I read online about returned soldiers, drug addiction and the difficulties in returning home to everyday life while dealing with PTSD. The wives of these men were interviewed and they recalled in detail the hardships that they’d been forced to overcome. One in particular mentioned that her husband had tried to talk her into joining him in his addiction and she had almost followed him down the path of his final overdose. The catalyst for putting pen to paper originally was his story. ‘White Lightning’ was apparently an old slang term for LSD… and once I wrote it into the chorus it stuck.”

The homemade, Wes Anderson-influenced video highlights Moldre’s visual creativity and noir aesthetic which combines footage of Moldre performing, with cut-out text and images – the perfect accompaniment to the impressionistic grit and grain of the song.

“‘White Lightning’ is sparse and seductive, in its own beautifully lackadaisical way.” – Redback Rock

“‘White Lightning’ is a riotous sing-along” –Lonesome Highway (Ireland)

“Our favorite song on this album, however, is the beautifully sung acoustic Americana ballad ‘White Lightning’, a catchy song that continues to fascinate and intrigue from start to finish” – Rootstime Belgium

White Lightning was premiered at Rhythms Magazine on the 29th June 2020 HERE

Fever Dreams is available to purchase on vinyl, CD and digital formats from Bandcamp, plus streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

Time marches on and the month of June marks the first year anniversary of Fever Dreams. You’ll find celebratory prices on all Fever Dreams related merch at my BANDCAMP store for the entire month.

PS Believe it or not my first solo album The Waiting Room also turned 10 this year.

Australian Lockdown ISO Covers

During these difficult times and the Stage 3 lockdown in Australia I’ve been recording a few off the cuff, warts and all, hushed, one-take video cover versions on my phone. Songs by some of the artists that have inspired me the most over the years – so far you’ll find covers of songs by Jeff Tweedy, Neil Young, Howe Gelb, Tom Waits, Ron Sexsmith, Elliot Smith, McCartney and more. I’ve just thrown a few of them up on YouTube – though you’ll find the bulk of them on IGTV @markmoldre and Facebook. Below is a version of Ron Sexsmith’s “Pretty Little Cemetery” – which even prompted an unsolicited comment from Ron himself, (“Wow, beautiful job!”) it’s the small things that make all this music malarkey worthwhile.

My son also joined me for a song – Chet doesn’t play guitar – except an obligatory Smoke On The Water (“…with the distortion on Dad!”) but on this occasion I put the guitar in an open tuning for him  and gave him a crash course in soundscapes – Jazzmaster/whammy/loud feedback/reverb/delay. We made a racket for a one take, warts n all version of Laminated Cat by Jeff Tweedy’s Loose Fur.

I hope this small update finds you all well and coping with the pandemic and crisis that we’re all currently learning to deal with.
From my semi closed doors to yours
I send much love
Mark
X

Mark Moldre has today released the fourth video clip from his acclaimed 2019 album Fever Dreams. ‘How Long?’ incorporates a junk-shop percussion vibe, jazz licks, noir-twang and Moldre’s surreal wordplay and infectious melodicism as he tells a tale of comeuppance.

The clip also features Moldre’s main guitar – his custom made Daddy Mojo, aptly named Rosetta. In fact, it’s custom made by the very same artist – Lenny Piroth-Robert who painted the cover art for Fever Dreams (a man of many talents). Also featured is Mark’s handwired Swart AST Pro – check out these beautiful amps made by Michael Swart HERE.

International Songwriting Comp

Coinciding with the release of ‘How Long?’, Mark is chuffed to announce that he has been selected as a semi-finalist in the Americana category of the International Songwriting Competition – for not one, but two songs (‘How Long?’ and ‘White Lightning‘) from Fever Dreams. The competition is held annually with an esteemed panel of judges that include Tom Waits, Fleet Foxes, Tanya Tucker, Lonnie Liston Smith, Lukas Nelson, Irma Thomas, John Mayall, DJ Shadow and many more.

National Folk Festival

April will see Mark returning, for three appearances with his full band line up, at the 2020 National Folk Festival, held at Exhibition Park in Canberra ACT over the Easter long weekend of 9-13th of April.

Friday April 10
21:00 to 21:50 Majestic Stage 

Saturday April 11
17:10 to 18:00 Scrumpy 

Sunday April 12
14:50 to 15:40 Borderland

Finally – grab a free tote bag – personally designed and screen printed by Mark – with every vinyl purchase of Fever Dreams on his Bandcamp STORE

Fever Dreams is available to purchase on vinyl, CD and digital formats from Bandcamp, plus streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.