Ragamuffin Soul

I went to the JayZ/Kanye show last night in Dallas. I’m pretty sure it was one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. Live. The crazy thing is, with as much swag as those 2 guys had on stage, their talent was undeniable. This genre of music actually breeds and celebrates self indulgence. It [...]

Nathan Finnochio has quickly become one of my dearest friends. He loves my kids, my family, and me. In that order. He is also one of the most brilliant people I know. We got to talking about the Michael Gungor blog post, that I retweeted because I thought it was amazing, and the dialogue dug [...]

Family. These guys are it. I don’t ever beg. But if there was a time, it would be now. Why? Because there is so much getting pimped on the web a lot of time gold gets overlooked. Put Nathan and Gabe on the middle of your radar. Like the center. The game is about to [...]

Celebrating a new album for me is like celebrating a new child. The time, the sweat, the tears, the life that goes into writing, recording and producing…. It truly is a labor of love. My friend Brandon is celebrating his new album, A Love Better Than Life, and it is great! You can download a [...]

Here’s the deal. My friend Keith, and an OG Creative Coaching alumni has just released a new album. And I guess he learned something in our creative coaching, because he has an idea that I think is a fantastic way for artists to get their music out. Will you play along in our little social [...]

This is the music no one told you would change your life. This is the music that no one told you would make the hair on your arms stand. These are my GREAT friends ALL THE BRIGHT LIGHTS and you need them as much as they need you. Seriously. It will haunt you and move [...]

So here is my dilemma. I’m a musician. I sell merch at shows. I’m booked ALL over this fall and am getting my fall merch line in order But I am also a speaker. I am also a blogger. I want a phrase on a t-shirt that can travel across my platforms. John Mark’s best [...]

Gimme Shelter | Playing For Change from Playing For Change on Vimeo. A man in India sits playing his drums, CUT TO: a woman singing, the blue hills of Jamaica as her backdrop, CUT TO: a street musician standing in a New Orleans park playing a washboard… CUT TO: Mark Johnson, a man who has [...]

There is not much I can’t say about creative block when it comes to writing music. Because I live in it. I am not a natural music writer. I am a story teller. How to make a story fit inside a melody frustrates the hell out of me. But here are some areas of focus [...]

Check out the first part of this review here… The Glory Of God He goes right for the knockout with piano and strings. 6/8 time. I think. With a mix of something else. It is confusing…But I think it is supposed to be. The music is smarter than I. I love how the piano scales [...]