It’s A Six Year Town

It has been an incredible week in Music City, just reflecting on it all.

1) played on a soundtrack to an animated film, The Quiet Life, made by Oscar nominated film maker Tim Hittle (composer Brian Kearney, along with Slats Klug, Jamie Reid, Steve Mascari and engineer Dave Weber)

2) got to sit in at Blue Monday with Kenny Vaughan, one of my favorite guitar players ever– along with the fantastic rhythm section of Jeff Clemens on drums and Johnny  d’Artenay on the upright bass, and steel guitar great Pete Finney.

3) played a little joint in Madison TN called Pope’s Place with The Mark Robinson Review Band-- Daniel Seymour on bass, Joe Giotta on drums. Our guests were Brian Langlinais, Tommy Womack and Tiffany Huggins-Grant. A pretty amazing night in a little dive bar.

4) taught and performed at the TSU Guitar Summit along with– Dave Isaacs, Andy Ellis, Gary Talley, Denny Sarokin, R.L. Castleman, and Web Wilder– an amazing weekend of guitar instruction and picking. It was an honor to teach and play with such a cool and distinguished group of guitar bums. Thanks to all of the teachers and students– it was a blast.

5) I’m mixing Randy Handley’s stellar new CD “You Don’t Know My Mind”–it will be finished soon.

6) my new CD “Quit Your Job – Play Guitar” is back from the manufacturer– boxes piled up in the living room.

Thanks Music City!

CD mixed and mastered–FREE DOWNLOAD

My new CD “Quit Your Job – Play Guitar” is mixed and mastered and ready to go to the manufacturer. Thanks to all of the great people who helped me get it this far along.

I’m giving away a FREE DOWNLOAD of “I Know You’ll Be Mine” from the new CD.
http://markrobinsonguitar.com
go to the mp3 page for the free download

Hello friends,

“One Mo’ Mojito”, a song I wrote with Randy Handley, that is sung by Davis Raines has been chosen as a possible song on a sampler CD by Alternate Root magazine, Endless Summer. It’s a CD of Summertime songs. This is a pretty cool thing. But you need to vote for the song to have it chosen for the CD.

The song is called “One Mo’ Mojito” by Handley, Robinson & Raines.
So go listen to the song, and listen to the other songs that are entered. If you think we should be on the CD, vote for our song. Here’s what you do– go to:
http://www.thealternateroot.com/endless-summer-free-sampler

Bubba-Jack’s Work-Release Blues Jam

A sophisticated friend from the big city was visiting Nashville recently. We went to East Nashville looking for food, booze and some live music. We ended up at a meat-and -hree with beer and live music– we’ll call the place “Bubba-Jack’s”.  We got bologna sandwiches some long necks and headed for the porch where the band was playing.

It turned out that a blues jam was going on out on the porch and the players and singers were pretty good. But as people took turns on stage, I realized that a lot of the jammers last gig might well have been in a prison band. We nick-named it  “Bubba-Jack’s Work-Release Blues Jam”. We had a great time and I plan to go back.

Only in Nashville.

One Degree From James Burton

I have a new guitar student, a retired gentleman who has always wanted to play guitar. He told me he really wanted to play a few songs well enough to play with his friend James. James Burton that is! My student says that when he’s ready, we’ll get together and play with James. Only in Nashville.

The King Of Money

The King Of Money

My nickname is “The King of Money”. It came from a story I tell about working in a Big Guitar Store in Chicago in the mid 80′s. We had a customer called The King Of Money. He was reputedly a pimp, and looked like a miniature Mr. T.—shaved head, beard, and gold chains and medallions. He would drive up in his big gold Eldorado and enter the store with his bodyguards. The bodyguards would shout “The King of Money is in the house”. At which point we would chase everybody out of the store and lock the doors. The King often spent several thousand dollars during a visit, and we agreed to split the income from his visits among all of the sales staff on duty. When the King was done shopping he would retire to the office with the manager to discuss his discount– at which point the bodyguards would bring in some of the “girls” to help negotiate the deal. It was always exciting to get a visit from The King Of Money.

I told this story to my friend Davis Raines, who immediately started calling me The King Of Money. Somehow it stuck, and many people in Nashville call me the King of Money, or just King. In Texas, thanks to my friend Walt Wilkins I am known as “Money”. I’ve had calls for recording sessions from people who just know me as Money… Very few people know where the nickname came from, but as nicknames go– I think it’s a  pretty good one.

Click on their names and go check out DAVIS RAINES and WALT WILKINS & the MYSTIQUEROS

Two of my favorite songwriters and performers.

Watch for my upcoming WORST GIG EVER CONTEST. Details coming soon

Doc Warner CD

I spent last weekend up in Muncie Indiana, playing a CD release party for my friend Michael “Doc” Warner.  I engineered and co-produced his CD “Hobre Del Rio”  with Daniel Seymour. Doc’s CD is a fine piece of work. I’m proud to be a part of it. Thanks to all of the folks who made the CD and the party a big success.

The party was GREAT! I’m hoping to have some pictures and video from it up soon.

New Music Video Of My Song “Wake Up Next To You”

Nashville country singer Shane Morgan cut one of my songs “Wake Up Next To You” on his new CD “Getting Gone”.

He’s got a music video up on YouTube for it! Check it out at: WAKE UP

Shane Morgan

Look Ma, I’m On Youtube

Years ago when I had a gig I would send a notice to the local paper, I’d make posters to hang around town, and I’d call up 10 friends to let them know about the gig. Now– I should write an email, I put it on myspace, facebook, twitter and text everybody in my phone. Oh yeah– I’d still send it to the local paper electronically and they might put it up on their webpage.

There are some positives to all of this, but it seems like artists we are spending more time trying to promote our art than making it. There have always been business tasks for artists, but there has been a big shift in how we spend our time. Most people are spending more time on social networking than they are writing, recording or playing gigs.

That being said, here’s a Youtube video of me playing “Sleepwalk” last year at a Festival in Logansport Indiana with Randy Handley on piano, Rick Mitchell on sax, Rex Miller on drums and Steve Mascari on bass. Hope you enjoy it.

click here SLEEPWALK to watch

Mark Robinson plays Logansport Jazz Festival (photo by Rich Voorhees)

Central Soul Time

Central Soul Time

We changed the clocks this week, but it’s always Central Soul Time around here.