After reviewing ‘Alluvial Fans’ and getting to know a bit about Mack Vickness Interconnected, we are beyond excited to speak to them and get to know more about them and how ‘Alluvial Fans’ came to be.
- What was the inspiration behind ‘Alluvial Fans’?
- And why did you choose this piece to be the prelude to releasing your album?
All of the pieces on In The Rain Shadow (with one exception) are inspired by having moved to the high desert in California’s Owen Valley late in 2020. We live right on the edge of the Eastern Sierra and look out on alluvial fans every day. The piece itself is a good example of the kind of musical interconnectedness I am hoping to achieve with this album. It draws on different elements including some world music traditions, classical composition and includes an improvised oboe solo in the middle of the piece that draws on jazz improvisation. I chose to release this piece first because it is exemplary of what this album will be and really shows off the incredible skill of the musicians I am working with here.
- What message are you hoping will inspire people?
We desperately need more interconnectedness in today’s world. That is what this music, this group, is all about, bringing different musical cultures, eras and traditions together into what is hopefully a unified and accessible experience that helps bring people together in a way that only music can.
- California’s Owens Valley and the element of nature seem to be your key inspiration for your upcoming new album ‘In The Rain Shadow’. Tell us more about why this place was your source of inspo specifically?
- Are there any other elements, people, moments, or places… that shaped or may have inspired the creation of ‘In The Rain Shadow’?
The Owens Valley, the Eastern Sierra has long been a refuge for my wife and I. We spent years backpacking in the Eastern Sierra even before we had our two children and then brought them to this magical place as well. Having a home there now has been a life altering experience because we can witness the rhythm of the changes that happen in the environment day to day. It is simply a breathtaking place to live and it has had a tremendous impact on the kind of music I am writing now.
- How did you come together as a group? Was it you, Mark, who knew everyone and connected them?
Yes, I’ve worked with all of these musicians going back years except for Matt Renzi who I was lucky to find in San Francisco. It’s a tremendous privilege and honor to work with these players and the parts are very much written for them. You can’t write a highly rhythmic funk violin part and expect a long beautifully crafted improvised violin solo from any professional violinist. You’ve gotta have Mads Tolling (or maybe one of a handful of other players who can pull that off).
- To Mark: You started your musical career at age 6 with the piano. How did you get from there to where you are now?
- How did you do it, or when did you know which direction you wanted to take?
I studied theory and composition beginning in high school, through a music major in college and then in graduate school at the California Institute of the Arts. From there to here was a winding road of many different groups, a couple of film scores and decades as the instrumental half of a guitar/vocal duo. After that, I began my solo instrumental projects with Places in 2017 followed by Interconnected in 2020 and now In The Rain Shadow with this group.
- When you search for inspiration, where do you go?
Most of my pieces begin with extensive guitar improvisations but sometimes ideas just form in my head. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving and had to pull off to grab my phone and sing a new idea into my phone.
- Do you have any artists or bands that inspire you that you could share with us?
So many. JS Bach, Pat Metheney, Michael Hedges, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussein, Stevie Wonder. I could go on.
- Do you have any upcoming or planned performances or gigs for the future?
We will be shooting live video of a bunch of music from In The Rain Shadow in September followed by the release of the album hopefully in November. We will then be looking to perform in support of the release assuming it’s safe to do so.
We thank you kindly for your time to do this interview, and we look forward to hearing more of your music.