Mark Shepherd is a Cambridge-based singer-songwriter with a powerful, recognizable baritone and a dark, folky brand of acoustic rock/Americana that explores the stygian side of life with a rough warmth sure to stick with you long after you finish listening. Mark is a music aficionado who grew up listening to artists like Miles Davis, Kraftwerk, Devo, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, and Jimi Hendrix. A recording contract with a label that failed before the band’s music could be released came from school bands. He earned a degree in physics, founded several businesses, brought up a family, and played in local blues/rock cover bands all at the same time.
Mark has been highlighted on numerous blogs as well as BBC Introducing. The Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge Rock Festival, Camp Bestival, London’s 02 Academy Islington, Borderline, 229 the venue, The Islington, and The Spice of Life, among others, have all hosted performances. Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, among many others are in New York.
The new single from Mark Shepherd, World On Fire, is a resounding call to arms, a lament, and a wry observation on a world that is literally on fire. Mark’s comforting baritone calms, cautions, and at least a modicum of hope in the face of total chaos in national politics, international relations, and the climate emergency. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
MARK SHEPHERD: I’m from a town near Cambridge UK. It all got started when, as a teenager, I decided to learn to play the guitar and start a band with some friends at school. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
MARK SHEPHERD: My art teacher taught a group of us to play guitar at lunchtimes or after school. He wasn’t a music teacher, but he could play! After that, it was just practise.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘
MARK SHEPHERD’?
MARK SHEPHERD: Mark Shepherd is my actual name. I thought about coming up with a different stage name, but couldn’t decide on one. First and strongest influences is a tricky question– there are a lot of them and I’m not sure that I can figure out which ones, if any, I sound like. I’m a guitarist, so Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Who and bands like that have an influence, but so do bands like Nine Inch Nails, Captain Beefheart – all sorts really. I like Massive Attack, Beethoven and Adele too.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
MARK SHEPHERD: I’m just happy if some part of a song resonates somehow. I try to make the lyrics evocative and though provoking, but also do my best to make the music and the melody of the vocals as interesting as I can in case the listener doesn’t understand English. My sound? Acoustic rock, or Folk rock is a description that people use because I play an acoustic guitar as a solo performer. I’m not sure if that is right, but that’s the best we have so far.
5. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
MARK SHEPHERD:
There’s no doubt that music has a role to play. Whether it actually influences opinion, I am not certain about, but it can certainly provide a soundtrack for a subject. I don’t generally make political statements in songs, but World on Fire is about the climate emergency, which is probably the most important thing we could be worrying about in our lifetime. So I hope it makes a difference in some way.
6. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
MARK SHEPHERD:
The balance of fulfilment versus effort is very unpredictable. For example, you can travel for miles to a gig, having rehearsed etc. and then it turns out that the gig is cancelled or something went wrong with the booking and you end up playing to just a handful of people who weren’t expecting you. That might seem like a lot of effort for not much reward – on the other hand, if that handful of people really like the music, it’s all worth it. I don’t expect it will get more predictable in the future but that’s what keeps it interesting.
7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
MARK SHEPHERD:
I don’t have a fixed process. Usually, I come up with a guitar part that I like, which might suggest a mood and then it’s a case of coming up with some new lyrics that match, or occasionally, I’ll already have some lyrics that will fit. Anyhow, my songs usually evolve quite a bit before I think they are ready to record. I try to get as far along as I can and record a demo before going into the studio. Then we might add in other instruments, change the arrangement and so on. What we end up with is sometimes quite different to the demo.
8. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
MARK SHEPHERD:
It might not be the most difficult thing to endure, but certainly a major disappointment was the first record contract I had with my band. We recorded a single and had great expectations (because we didn’t know anything about the business at that time). Then before the single was released, the record company folded and everything came apart. The band all went separate ways, got jobs, married and so on. It took me a long time after that to get around to being a solo performer.
9. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
MARK SHEPHERD: It was years ago, but signing that first contract was a proud moment in my music career. Which is why the failure of the label so soon afterwards was such a disappointment. Now I’m proud to have teamed up with The Animal Farm, which has taken things to a new level for me as a solo artist.
10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
MARK SHEPHERD: I enjoy the writing process, but interaction with a live audience is where I get the most satisfaction. Especially when people let me know that they like my music. That’s where the fulfilment comes from.
11. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
MARK SHEPHERD: I write songs deliberately so that they can be interpreted by listeners in different ways and if so, I hope the songs mean more to people as a result. I’m sure some people will find a message of some sort, but actually, as long as they like something about the song, the melody or whatever, that’s good enough for me.
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