Well, I guess you can tell that I have a broad love of music, huh? I think if you are a TRUE music lover, like I would consider myself, then you have an appreciation for all different styles. Sharing this love for all kinds of music is what I’m setting out to do right here on Focus on the 615–a site devoted to truly great music and entertainment coming out of Nashville aka the 615!
This new Christmas album from Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, & Family entitled ‘A Skaggs Family Christmas: Volume 2’ would be a poignant and beautiful addition to anyone’s holiday collection. Have I mentioned that my favorite instrument is the mandolin and who plays that instrument better than Ricky Skaggs himself?
The album starts with a fun, playful bluegrass tune “Christmas Time’s A Coming”. I have to admit my foot was a-tapping (yes, I said it!) and there was a time that I would’ve complained it was a little too twangy for my taste, but I loved it! It puts me right in mind of being at the Grand Ole Opry when the cloggers come on stage–always my favorite part at the Opry! Followed by “Light Of The Stable”, a beautiful, light and airy tribute of praise to the reason for the season. (Let’s not forget what Christmas is all about and it DOES bother me that it seems that more & more the word “Christmas” is taken out and replaced by “holidays” as to not offend people. Ummm…no. For me, it will always be Christmas, that’s how I was raised, and I will always remember why I celebrate this holiday. So, wish me a “merry Christmas”, please, or you’ll offend me! :))
Then, there’s the Christmas classic “The First Noel” — a beautiful, a cappella version recorded live that gave me chills. “What Songs Were Sung” is a hauntingly-poignant, piano-driven ballad. I, also, thoroughly enjoyed the instrumental version of “Flight To Egypt”. Such musicianship! I was reminded of some other masterfully-skilled musicians listening to this–Bering Strait. If you haven’t heard of them, they are the classically-trained country group out of Russia that hit the music scene a few years back. Sadly, they never really took off despite being nominated for a Grammy for their instrumental song. I wasn’t that crazy about “Reunion Song”. I guess by this point, I just didn’t want to hear more religious songs. A little goes a long way with me. “Children Go” was definitely a tune that would appeal to your Bluegrass-traditionalist. It started to get a little too twangy for me at this point, though. Just being honest. I can only take so much twang! haha Not a knock against this album or Ricky Skaggs and The Whites, that’s just me! I respect them for the mastery of their craft. I’m just not a full convert to bluegrass, but I do appreciate it and good music. Next on the album was “Joy To The World”, which I believe had to have been done with a symphony because of the big sound created with all the extra strings added that ONLY a full symphony accompaniment would provide. It was beautiful, instrumental only, and a holiday classic that I would not expect to find on a Christmas album by bluegrass artists. The final song on the album is “Oh Come, Oh come, Emmanuel”, which as a melancholy ballad that was a beautiful ending to the album.
If you want a well-crafted album with wonderful musicianship, then look no further than this album filled with beautiful music to make your holidays just that much sweeter to your ears! This is an album filled with traditional bluegrass and Christmas classics done in a classical style that will sooth the mind & touch the heart.
“I moved to Texas, from Nashville, in 2005 after having gone through a long and difficult divorce. I left behind virtually everything I had worked for over the previous 25 years. It was a difficult time for me, one of the loneliest of my life. For the first few years I wouldn’t even decorate for Christmas. It was easier to cope with memories of the season, by not really going all out. I had a girl friend so I would help her decorate her home and enjoyed doing that, but when I would come back to my apartment it was always just plain like any other day of the year. It took a while but I eventually got back on my feet financially. After a few years I managed to buy a new home. I moved in March of that year but had no intentions of changing “new” holiday routine of keeping it plain and simple. That December I was traveling several days a week so outside of buying gifts, it was easy to just forget about the holiday and dressing up the house. Christmas was only a few days away and one night I came home after having been out of town for several days. As I drove up I noticed a light on inside. When I walked in there was the most beautiful Christmas tree I had ever seen. My girl friend had come into my house, while I was gone, bought a tree, set it up and decorated it so that it would be there to welcome me home. It wasn’t very big or very colorful or covered with fancy ornaments but its beauty was overwhelming. It was an amazing moment for me and I don’t think I have ever felt loved as much as I did that day. I just sat there crying like a baby. It was by far, one of the best Christmas’s of my life.” — Mark Wayne Glasmire
About Mark Wayne Glasmire
Mark Wayne Glasmire is happier than he’s ever been. His new, seven-song EP, GOING HOME, is due out this Fall, and the project has already given the resident of Arlington, Texas a #1 European single (“I Like You”). “I’m in a really good place right now,” says the personable singer/songwriter. “I’m spending a lot more time on my music – a luxury I’ve never had before.” For Glasmire, the extra hours spent advancing his career are exciting and invigorating. “I really believe that music is my life’s purpose, and I feel that GOING HOME shows that more than anything I’ve done before,” he explains.
Mark’s last CD, the critically-acclaimed LIFE GOES ON (2009) gave him several hits: “You Opened My Eyes” held the #1 spot on the International Country HotDisc Chart for a total of four weeks and performed well on the national U.S. Music Row Chart, while “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” was a favorite at country radio around the globe. “LIFE GOES ON was a good album,” Mark says. “But I think this new EP is even better.”
GOING HOME showcases this artist in top form: the songs are well-written and Mark’s vocals are stellar. His crisp, clear tenor rises effortlessly, hitting the high notes with confidence and energy, while he artfully addresses the more tender ballads with emotive ease. Co-produced by Glasmire and John Albani (Steve Azar, Monty Holmes, Randy Boudreaux), the EP features A-list Nashville pickers, along with Mark’s signature guitar work. “It was truly a labor of love,” Mark says. “There’s a certainty and commitment that I think come across in the music.”
The title track, a poignant ode to “home” and the comfort that can only be found there, was inspired by a conversation Mark had with a good friend who was retiring after a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps. The wide-open chorus gives Mark’s powerful voice a chance to shine, and the lyrics are those of a writer at the peak of his talent. “We were talking about where he’d been and where he was headed,” Mark comments. “His story really moved me.”
“I Like You” is a lighthearted song á la Jimmy Buffett. It immediately brings to mind swaying palm trees, warm breezes and sunny days. “It’s a simple song,” Glasmire concedes with a grin. “But people like to feel good – and this song always leaves them smiling.”
Mark lets his personal opinions show on the driving “Last Of A Dying Breed.” He calls it his “soap box” song, and explains that he was raised “differently” than many young folks today. “Accountability was important to my Dad,” Glasmire notes. “And he made sure that I knew the importance of a good work ethic, honesty and compassion.”
The sweet simplicity of “The Last Goodbye” (co-written with Craig Holland) offers a unique, hooky twist and an addictive, slow-building melody. The track offers a counter-point for the harder-driving “She’s Got It All,” which Glasmire co-wrote with Tom Guardino. The song showcases Mark’s country/rock side, offering a Brooks & Dunn feel, a popping electric guitar lick, a razor-sharp harmonica riff and a lyric that tells the tale of a girl in red Dingo’s and a faded blue-denim coat; a truck-stop meeting, and a love affair.
The more serious “The Moment” is one of Mark’s favorite compositions. The road not taken and things left unsaid are pondered here. “I close every show with this song,” Mark explains. “Athletes always talk about ‘being in the moment’,” he adds. “I know what they mean because I experience that whenever I step on the stage. You can’t explain this to someone who’s never felt it, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”
Track seven is the bonus, “Now I Believe.” Co-written with Lucas P. Gravell, the song offers listeners what may be Glasmire’s best vocal performances to date, with a lush chorus and uplifting lyrics sweetening the deal.The track reached the #15 spot on the International Country HotDisc chart last year.
“I’m excited about this whole project in a way that’s hard to convey,” Mark observes. “This is my moment, and I’m giving my heart and soul to it.”
Raised in a strict, faith-filled home, commitment and hard work are tenets that Glasmire understands. His first 14 years were filled with church activities. “My mom sang in the choir, and the church was really our whole social life,” he adds. In the steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mark’s blue-collar world revolved around a piano-playing dad who worked up to three jobs at a time to provide for his family.
His parents gave Mark his first guitar for Christmas the year that he turned 10, and it was a pivotal moment in his young life. “That was the moment that I knew music was what I wanted to do.” Although his high school years were filled with athletics and work – not music, Mark returned to his guitar, and his dream, as soon as he was able. College saw him singing in coffee houses while earning a Business Administration degree. He also learned one of show biz’s hardest lessons: You don’t make much money until you reach the “big leagues.”
For years, Glasmire worked a “real job” and put music on the back burner. But he always strove to improve; he studied the business end of things, wrote constantly and sang every chance he got. Mark gained experience in New York City’s folk scene and at Nashville’s storied writer’s nights (Bluebird Cafe, Exit-In, Wildhorse Saloon). He lived in Music City for several years before he moved to Arlington, Texas.
“I was a little disillusioned,” Mark confesses, after several years in Nashville without a major-label deal in hand. “But I kept after it.” Glasmire became a popular fixture in the Texas market, opening for Guy Clark, Dierks Bentley and other top-tier acts. With the release of LIFE GOES ON, Mark secured a place in the spotlight; he enjoyed several hits, and won several songwriting competitions. His awards include First Place Honors in: B. W. Stevenson Memorial Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX, Dallas Songwriters Association Int’l Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX and GINA/LAWIM Songwriting Competition – Los Angeles, CA. Mark took the Grand Prize in the County Song division of the 2010 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (held at Merlefest).
Now he hopes that GOING HOME will help to further nurture the dream. “Hey, I don’t need to be a household name to make a living with my music,” Mark stated on a recent blistering-hot Texas day. “But I’m going on several major radio promo tours, I have a new video, and I’m putting everything I can into this project to take things to the next level.” For Mark Wayne Glasmire the time is now, the vehicle is GOING HOME, and it should drive him to the top – where he deserves to be.
Mark Wayne Glasmire writes and sings with a depth of understanding that only a dashing, well-traveled troubadour can. It is obvious that he’s lived life to the fullest – and taken notes along the way. His newest CD, LIFE GOES ON, is a 12-song disc that includes 10 originals and two outside tunes. Mark’s lyrics run the gamut from heartache and jubilation; despair and love, disappointment and hope. His voice is a full-bodied, yet crisp tenor reminiscent at times of an early John Denver or a modern-day Collin Raye, but it is distinct and different – and immediately identifiable. Intriguing and hypnotic melody lines recapture the halcyon days of James Taylor and Pure Prairie League; gentle country ballads are interspersed with mid-tempo odes, but each song carries its own original message. “Most of what I write comes from my own life experience,” Mark says from his Arlington, Texas home. “Occasionally, I’ll take inspiration from a friend’s situation, but mostly my songs reflect what I’m going through.”
Whether the topic is a new romance (as reflected in the lyrics of “You Opened My Eyes”), or the eternal hope that shines in “Shelter From The Storm,” each song is embodied with a whimsical (and often intricate) melody that perfectly supports the song’s message.
On “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright,” the disc’s first single release, Glasmire takes on the current negative job and housing markets and gives us hope, reminding us that love and faith will see us through even the hardest times. “I wrote it about a childhood friend of mine who fell on hard times during the first job ‘crisis’ back in the 90s,” Mark says. “It was rough for awhile, but he never quit believing. Now he’s the senior vice president at a huge company.”
Faith was instilled in Mark at an early age and his first 14 years were filled with church activities. “My mom sang in the choir, and the church was really our whole social life,” he adds. In the steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mark grew up with a piano-playing dad who worked up to three jobs at a time to provide for his family. “Dad had a construction company that did a lot of infrastructure work for the city,” Glasmire notes. “I worked for him during summers in high school and on into college and after.” The company excavated for major projects such as sewer lines; water mains; sidewalks; curbs and more. It was often feast or famine, but his dad never quit. “He passed away in 2007, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him,” says Mark, who wrote the CD’s “Missing You” in memory of his father.
His parents gave him his first guitar for Christmas the year that Mark turned 10. “I’d heard The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show,” Mark says. “That was the moment that I knew music was what I wanted to do.” A few lessons later, Glasmire set down the guitar, but remained enthralled by the music of the day. His range of influences encompasses the “greats” of that time period, and includes: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jim Croce and Harry Chapin.
His high school years were filled with athletics and work – not musicianship, so it wasn’t until college that he picked up the guitar again. “I’d sit in the dorm’s bathroom and play,” he says with a laugh. “The acoustics were amazing!” Long lines would form just to hear him play, and once his girlfriend convinced him to step out onto a “real” stage, life as he knew it was over. “I was so hooked,” Mark says. “My shyness just evaporated. I loved it.” Glasmire finished college with a degree in Business Administration – about as far from music as he could get. But he’d already learned one of the hardest lessons in show biz: It doesn’t pay much until you reach the “big leagues.” Mark wanted to have a chance at music, and he knew he’d have to support himself until his “break” came along. No big deal to this son of a blue-collar working man.
During the 80s, Mark commuted back and forth from Bethlehem to New York City, landing gigs at such prestigious venues as Folk City, The Speakeasy and The Bottom Line. It was during this hyper-creative period that he self-produced and recorded his first CD, SAD SONGS. Glasmire worked construction by day, but at night he chased the dream – sharing the stage with many well-known acts, such as Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Chapman, Suzan Vega and Gordon Lightfoot. He also recorded an EP, THE SUN, THE MOON and THE SEASONS, with three friends, and recalls those years as “eye-opening times.”
His experiences in New York helped hone his writing and performing skills, and by 1995, Mark was ready for a move to Nashville. “It’s a great town,” Glasmire states. “But it’s hard to break through.” Glasmire recorded his second CD shortly after moving to Music City, a solo outing called ALL OF MY HEART. The disc was well-received, garnering airplay in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but a major deal remained just out of reach. He got close, however, landing an audition for Asylum Records. “I’d formed a trio called Borderline by that time,” Mark recalls. “Basically, they loved us – right up until they didn’t. We were ‘too old’ and missing a ‘marketable image.’ It was a setback emotionally when they didn’t offer us a deal.” Ah — but LIFE GOES ON.
So, with his confidence shaken “just a bit,” Mark took a job as Construction Manager for a large, company that required him to travel constantly. “I made it clear to them that music was still my first love, and I spent a lot of time commuting between Nashville and Dallas.” He performed at various Nashville writers’ nights, including The Bluebird Cafe, Exit-In, Wildhorse Saloon and 3rd & Lindsley as his “day job” allowed. But the strain of work and travel took a toll on his marriage, and Mark and his wife eventually divorced. Nashville radio stations were just beginning to play his songs, but he was on the move, headed to a new home in Dallas – and leaving his heart in Music City.
Glasmire might have left Nashville – but he didn’t leave the music behind. He recorded his third CD, SCRAPBOOK, in 2006, and began entering – and winning songwriting competitions. His awards include First Place Honors in: B. W. Stevenson Memorial Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX, Dallas Songwriters Association Int’l Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX and GINA/LAWIM Songwriting Competition – Los Angeles, CA.
A mutual friend introduced Glasmire to John Albani (Steve Azar, Monty Holmes, Randy Boudreaux) and suddenly things just “clicked.” “It was magical. He’s amazing to work with, and is so talented,” Mark says of his co-producer on LIFE GOES ON. “John has a way of pulling out the best in me.” Their collaboration is already bringing Glasmire accolades, and he’s recently shared the stage with Guy Clark and Dierks Bentley. “I know this is my best project to date,” says Mark. “And I really believe that this is my moment. I hope my fans agree.”
Glasmire may have taken the road less traveled to reach this point in his career, and there have been more than a few obstacles in his path, but LIFE GOES ON.
“My favorite memories are the snowy Christmas eve church services Mom and Dad took us to – – when we drove back to the farm, we’d wait in the car, to be sure Santa had left the toys ( cookies on plate ) and then went in to open gifts. The perfect presents were always there, no matter how small or big !” — Janie Fricke
About Janie Fricke
“All I ever wanted to do was sing.”Janie Frickehas gone from Indiana farm girl to internationally acclaimed recording artist throughout her career. She was born in South Whitley, Indiana, and raised on a 400-acre farm where her father taught her how to play guitar. From county fairs to corporate trade shows, live concerts, in recording studios, or before millions on television, Fricke’s individual sound and performance personality has captivated audiences around the world.
Fricke began her career singing in a “little church up the road” where her mother played piano. She sang at local coffeehouses, high school events, as well as her way through college where she obtained her degree from Indiana University in elementary education. Fricke then chose a musical career, working in Memphis, Dallas and Los Angeles. There, as one of the marketing industry’s most successful jingle singers, her voice became known to millions as the voice for such advertising giants as United Airlines, Coca-Cola, 7-Up, and Red Lobster. Her voice led her to singing sessions for Country artists such as Loretta Lynn, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell, Mel Tillis, Johnny Duncan and others. She has also been given the privilege to sing on albums for Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley, after their deaths. It was a line in Johnny Duncan’s single Stranger that ultimately gained the most attention for Fricke. When it hit the top of the charts in 1977, fans wanted to know who sang the line, “Shut out the light and lead me…” The music industry took notice as her voice was heard on duets with Merle Haggard, Moe Bandy and others, leading her to her first major recording contract.
Fricke soon began to dominate the country charts with smash hits such as Don’t Worry ‘ Bout Me Baby, He’s a Heartache and You’re Heart’s Not In It. It was only a matter of time before she started winning awards. Included among them are: Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year, “Billboard” Top Country Female Vocalist, “Cash Box’ Top Country Female Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year, British-based Country Music Round Up Most Popular International Female Solo Act, and she was chosen to the Country Music Hall of Fame Walkway of Stars. Twice she has been nominated for the coveted (Grammy Award, once for her It ain’t Easy Being Easy In her recording career, Janie has released 23 albums and 36 hit singles.
When she relaxes she spends time with her Husband Jeff and her animals. She attends church near her home, remembering from childhood the importance of her confirmation. Thankful for her blessings, Janie feels these values have helped her become the woman she is today. From an Indiana farm girl to an internationally acclaimed recording artist, she has never lost the pure heart and love of music that launched her career. And today, Janie Fricke sings on..
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Well, I guess you can tell that I have a broad love of music, huh? I think if you are a TRUE music lover, like I would consider myself, then you have an appreciation for all different styles. Sharing this love for all kinds of music is what I’m setting out to do right here on Focus on the 615–a site devoted to truly great music and entertainment coming out of Nashville aka the 615!
