Mark Eitzel: Difference between revisions

|label          = [[Decor Records]], [[Cooking Vinyl]], [[Thirsty Ear Recordings]], [[New West Records]], [[Matador Records]], [[Diablo Records]], [[Warner Bros.]], [[Merge Records]]

|associated_acts = [[American Music Club]], [[Toiling Midgets]], [[The Naked Skinnies]], [[The Cowboys]], [[Peter Buck]], [[The Undertow Orchestra]]

He started making music while he was a teenager in Southampton, England. His first band was a punk band called [[The Cowboys]] when he moved to Columbus, Ohio at 19. They released one single in 1980. His second band was called [[The Naked Skinnies]]<ref name="George-WarrenRomanowski2001">{{cite book|last1=George-Warren|first1=Holly|last2=Romanowski|first2=Patricia|last3=Bashe|first3=Patricia Romanowski|author4=Jon Pareles|title=The Rolling stone encyclopedia of rock & roll|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uU9AAQA6kAMC|accessdate=August 13, 2011|date=2001-10-30|publisher=Fireside|isbn=978-0-7432-0120-9|pages=18-€“}}</ref> and they released one single in 1981. He moved to San Francisco with [[The Naked Skinnies]] in 1981 where they disbanded in 1982. Eitzel formed [[American Music Club]] (AMC) in San Francisco in 1982. The band performed and created albums for twelve years. At one point, Eitzel also sang with San Francisco's [[Toiling Midgets]], and often recorded solo work while involved in AMC.

[[American Music Club]] disbanded in 1994, and Eitzel focused on his solo career, releasing ''[[60 Watt Silver Lining]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/music/feature/1997/05/08/eitzel970508|title=Mark Eitzel|last=Eggers|first=Dave|date=May 8, 1997|work=Salon|accessdate=August 13, 2011}}</ref> in 1996. It was a surprisingly smooth, jazz-pop departure.  Also in 1996, Eitzel contributed to the AIDS benefit album ''Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip'' produced by the Red Hot Organization.  Following this, he released ''[[West]]'' in 1997 co-writing all of the songs with R.E.M. guitarist [[Peter Buck]], with whom he also toured. He followed up with ''[[Caught in A Trap And I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby]]'', assisted by [[Steve Shelley]] of Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo bassist [[James McNew]].

Eitzel released more music in 2001, beginning with a more electronic turn in ''[[The Invisible Man]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/121246940.html?dids=121246940:121246940&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24%2C+2002&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=The+Melancholy+Man+Lightens+Up&pqatl=google|title=The Melancholy Man Lightens Up|last=Harrington|first=Richard|date=May 24, 2002|work=Washington Post|page=T6|accessdate=August 13, 2011}}</ref> on Matador Records. This was followed by two covers projects in 2002: ''[[Music For Courage And Confidence]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2002-05-31/93940/|title=Mark Eitzel - Music Review|last=Caligiuri|first=Jim|date=May 31, 2002|work=Austin Chronicle|accessdate=August 13, 2011}}</ref> which was material written by other songwriters, and ''[[The Ugly American]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-02-13/music/american-music-club-s-san-francisco-fixation/|title=American Music Club's San Francisco Fixation|last=Sanders|first=Mark|date=February 13, 2008|work=SF Weekly|page=1|accessdate=August 13, 2011}}</ref> an album which included reinterpretations of [[American Music Club]] songs performed with a band of traditional and non-traditional Greek musicians.

Eitzel released the electronic ''[[Candy Ass]]'' in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10E384114C1BCEC8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Spin control|date=November 27, 2005|work=Chicago Sun-Times|page=D2|accessdate=August 13, 2011}}</ref> In 2009, he released ''[[Klamath]]'' on [[Decor Records]]. ''Uncut'' magazine said it was his best solo album yet. 2010 saw the launch of ''[[Marine Parade]]''.  This was a musical written by [[Simon Stephens]] for which Eitzel had written all the music.  It was premiered in the 2010 Brighton Festival to good reviews and featured two of the songs from ''[[Klamath]]''.  He also contributed a cover of the Ira Gershwin song "[['S Wonderful]]" to the soundtrack of "Vidal Sassoon - The Movie".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vidalsassoonthemovie.com/ |title=How One Man Changed The World With a Pair of Scissors |publisher=Vidal Sassoon The Movie |accessdate=2012-10-31}}</ref>  The film was directed by Craig Teper, and the soundtrack was produced by David Spelman. The soundtrack also included music by post-rock chamber ensembles Clogs (featuring Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner of The National), Redhooker, and Arcade Fire side-project Bell Orchestre. The film had its premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

*''[[Supermarket / Teenage Life]]'' (7") - [[Tet Offensive Records]] - 1980

[[The Naked Skinnies]]

*''[[All My Life / This Is The Beautiful Night]]'' (7") - [[Naked House Records]] - 1981

* ''[[California]]'' (CD/LP/CS) [[Frontier Records]] (October 1988)

* ''[[Mercury]]'' (CD/LP/CS) [[Reprise Records]] - (March 1993)

* ''[[San Francisco]]'' (CD/LP/CS) [[Reprise Records]] - (September 1994)

* ''[[Love Songs For Patriots]]'' (CD/LP) [[Cooking Vinyl]] - (September 2004)

* ''[[The Golden Age]]'' (CD) [[Merge Records]] - (February 2008)

* ''[[Son]]'' (CD) [[Matador Records]] - 1992

*''[[Songs Of Love Live]]'' (CD/LP) - [[Diablo Records]] - 1991

*''[[The Ugly American]]'' (CD) - [[Soul Sister]] | [[Tongue Master Records]] | [[Thirsty Ear Recordings]] - 2003

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