I am still really new to the phenomena that is Carolyn Mark. Having heard her the first time in the soundtrack of a movie I was watching, I became addicted to the tracks I had almost immediately. So, while I can not pretend to really know too much about Mrs. Mark, I can make certain deductions from listening to her music, like, if you know her in person, I imagine you always know where you stand with her. Also, I bet she would be an absolute riot to get shitty drunk with and, as frequent readers of this blog know, that’s a good thing in my so-called life.

Well, she recently released her sixth album, Nothing is Free, on Mint Records. The album continues the trend of songs about the down-and-out lifestyle, with an unapologetic ‘damned the torpedoes’ attitude, in lieu of wallowing in it, feel. Mrs. Mark has crafted a fine album of emotion, with an air of indifferent disconnect. It is that very feel that makes Mark’s music cut to the bone. While it isn’t worn on the sleeve on Nothing is Free as much as her previous releases, it is still my reason for loving her, and one won’t need to dig to deep to find its essence.

Carolyn Mark - The 1 That Got Away (With It)
Carolyn Mark - 1 Thing
Carolyn Mark - Pirate and Shotgun

The song that started it all for me: 2 Days Smug & Sober

Carolyn Mark’s Official Site, Carolyn Mark on myspace, Buy Nothing is Free

Note: Yesterday I was stranded out in the world with no internet connectivity at all. At first, it was nice and I was really productive at work. Then the boredom set in (engineering is a very boring occupation) and the frustration about not being able to do any reef tank research turned to irritability which became depression. By the time I was back home and with internets I was despondent and listless and thus did not post anything yesterday. Fortunatly all of my problems can be cured by my good friend Jim Beam and today is a new day. Let’s get on with it shall we.

The other night the wife and I were watching this documentary, Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling. The soundtrack to the documentary was awesome, and I wish I would have written down all of the songs when the credits rolled, but I did catch the one I was most interested in. It was the song “2 Days Smug and Sober” by a singer named Carolyn Mark. I downloaded it the next day, and according to my last.fm profile I listened to it 10 times in 2 days. I have since ordered a few of her cds and am currently waiting for the mail like a kid at Christmas. Until I get them and post reviews, I’ll offer you these songs that I’ve been listening to daily. For those of you that jumped all over the Holly Golightly material you should give these a listen.

Carolyn Mark - 2 Days Smug and Sober
Carolyn Mark - You’re Not a Whore if No Ones Paying
Carolyn Mark - Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad

Until now I had never heard of Carolyn…turns out she is the “other corn sister”. I had heard of The Corn Sisters, but not being a big Neko Case fan, I never bothered to check them out. If the 2 cds I ordered pan out to be as likable as I am anticipating, I’ll have to get that Corn Sisters cd, as well. Other than that, all I know about her I learned from her bio and her Wiki entry:

Carolyn Mark is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded both as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case. Previous bands she has been in also include the Vinaigrettes, Showbusiness Giants, the Fixin’s, and the Metronome Cowboys. She has also provided backing vocals on recordings by The Buttless Chaps, Greenfield Main, Neko Case and Frog Eyes. She is known for her onstage antics and powerful voice.