The band Blue Horse actually consists of a bunch of wandering nomads who drift in and out of the band. When playing in Florida the current band is Noel Millan on drums and percussion, Andy King on bass, (the talented father figure to a generation of Jacksonville musicians, Landon Walker often played bass with us but has recently moved to NC). The cellist is the wonderful Linda Minke, but when she is away and the equally wonderful cellist Tahirah Whittington is in town we get to have her sit in. Our newest member who plays guitar, cello and mandolin is Victor Hull. When Bill Pillmore is in town from Asheville he plays guitar and lap steel. When Lucas Pappas is in town from Nashville he’s on guitar. The band up north consists of Rick Wagner on bass (Rick and I have played together since we were teenagers. We played together when we were living in PA and then in NY.) Brando Wisnosky on drums and the ever wild and crazy Johnny Certain on guitar. Blue Horse tends to be very electric up north and more acoustic in the south, but we can rock in either configuration. We get bored if we do one thing to often so we can rock hard, jam with a jazz or latin feel, mingle in some classical or eclectic sounds, or just drive hard with a blues or rock edge. Most of the musicians over 30 years old have interesting bios from playing in influential bands such as Cowboy or the dbs, or have played in well known symphonies or have been up for a Grammy award. They bring skill and heart to the band. And those musicians in the band that are under 30 seem to be all about the music as well, bringing their own energy and creativity to the show. And it’s always a joy for me to play with them all.
Influences
Santana, Dali, Neil Young, Superman, the Can-can, Batman, The Beatles, Beethoven, Buffalo Springfield, Little Joe and Hoss, Mr. Leonard Cohen, Mr. Miles Davis, The Boss, The Lone Ranger, Abe Lincoln, U2, B.B. King, Martin Luther King, and a little bit of Sting, Harriet Tubman, The NY Giants, the breaker boys from the coal mines of PA, Bob Dylan, Steve Forbert, Robin Williams, Lucinda Williams, Clarence Williams III, John Irving, John Prine, John Lennon, John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, Daniel Nevins, Bill Pillmore, Jimi, Janis, and Jim...
Sounds Like
On most days we sound like Mark Williams and Blue Horse.
First: our songs are available on iTunes, Rhapsody, MusicNet or go to www.cdbaby.com/CD/MarkWilliams ................................................................................. Here are some of the people I’ve had the pleasure of opening for recently: PIERCE PETIS, STEVE FORBERT (who has been a songwriting hero of mine for ages - even before his top 10 hit "Romeo’s Tune" was released) . KELLY JOE PHELPS who was Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s "Artist of the Decade". WILLY PORTER who the Boston Globe said is "an acoustic picker with the Olympian speed of Leo Kottke bolstered by rootsy vocals and twisting, offbeat lyrics that evoke John Hiatt..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what some people are saying about me: "It was a warm April night at the Waterfront, and Mark Williams was on stage...and he was in top form. And though most in the room were unfamiliar with Williams and his music, it took just a few songs for him to have everyone’s attention." from MUSIC ON THE MENU, by Alan K. Stout Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. --------------" 'Ghosts of Eden' is tremendous", Dave Stewart, Music Director 102.3 FM The Mountain........."(Williams') eclectic adult alternative sound has haunting melodies and poetic lyrics", Tamara McClaran, The Florida Times-Union ........................................................................................................................................ Here are some reviews of the CD "GHOSTS OF EDEN": author: Larry Knight "’GHOSTS’ IS EXTREMELY HAUNTING" “...‘Ghosts’ has the allure of an old record while maintaining a freshness that only seems to grow better with each listen. The vibrancy of each track, along with its flawless chronology makes this album one for the ages. The last track, ‘Snow Falling’ is perhaps a fitting end to the album, giving the project a stark realism that is accented by the piercing otherworldly shrieks of Linda Minke’s cello and Pillmore and Williams’ guitars. In addition, the vocals give the track a meditative quality that is very reminiscent of Alice Coltrane or The Moody Blues at the height of their careers. It is a resolution piece; a very beautiful, euphonic closing to a story that seems to drift off into vastness of space rather than fade into ... nothingness...” REVIEW FROM FOLIOWEEKLY (December 14, 2004) northeast florida’s news and opinion magazine by J. Citrone: It’s obvious, even upon first listen, that Jacksonville songwriter MARK WILLIAMS’ work is too broad for easy catergorization. A blend of Americana and Southwestern flavor, Williams’ music is more suited for film soundtracks than afternoon drive-time listening. At times gritty, at others sweetly melodic, Williams’ release "Ghosts of Eden" is a collection of random tunes augmented with a piece written specifically for local spoken-word artist Al Letson’s one-man play "Essential Personnel." "Witch Hunts" indicts society’s bigots (dating back to McCarthyism) with a solid slow-locomotive groove, "South of Savannah" counters with Seals & Crofts softness, a lilting chromatic ballad that ranks among the records best - thanks in no small part to guest vocalist Michelle Barry. Another standout is "Horses Cross the Line," a Neil Young-ish rocker driven by wah-wah guitars. And "Cuban Dreams," written for Letson, is a simple yet impressive instrumental with an obsorbing minor-key melody. Williams’ music never strays far from the point - which seems to be the point - offering tightly crafted backdrops for the engaging stories he tells.
"Crawl Across The Holy Land" and "Horses Cross The Line" are my favourites at the moment. Something in your sound reminds me of Richie Havens and Cat Stevens – two of my favourites.
...we were ballsy, though, weren't we?? Remember playing Suite Judy Blue Eyes...as a duo...for an audition at the Hearthstone in Dallas?
We should've done "Change Partners" or "If I Fell" (we did a mean duo cover of that, back when I could hit the high notes...I think Bubba Hapeman still has a tape of it somewhere).
Way Cool! I can't believe I said that. "Way Cool." Like I'm sixteen or something. I'm part of the Geritol Generation now. Let me use Pittstonese instead...the language of all age groups in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Here goes: "Great site up the My Space, Mark. Heyna? Or No?"
