John Mark Nelson

John Mark Nelson
Born 23 November 1993
Laguna Beach, CA
Occupation(s) Musician, Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Accordion, Mandolin, Marxophone
Years active 2011-Present
Labels Periscope MGMT
Website johnmarknelson.com

John Mark Nelson (born November 23, 1993) is an independent American folk songwriter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John Mark Nelson quietly released his debut album Still Here in 2011. His second release, Waiting and Waiting, was released in August 2012. In June 2014, Nelson released his third album, Sings The Moon, thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped him fund the project.[1]

Early Life

Nelson was born in Laguna Beach on November 23, 1993. He attended Minnetonka High School and graduated there in 2012.

History

2011: Still Here

Main article: Still Here (album)

Nelson grew up around music, as his immediate family was composed of musicians. When he has 14 years old, Nelson started to learn instruments and arrange original compositions.[2] At 17, he spent the fall and the winters crafting songs at home, and in 2011, he put this record together and released his first full length, Still Here released independently on 29 December, 2011. He does not have the intention to be a songwriter, after his songs were featured on locals radios stations in Minnesota, Nelson got back to his music career.

2012: Waiting and Waiting

Main article: Waiting and Waiting

After graduating from Minnetonka High School, he produced his second full length album, Waiting and Waiting released independently on 12 August, 2012. The album was released with a sold out show on Observer Drift and Husky and had songs featured on seven local radio stations. In December 2012, Nelson participated in a project called Minnesota Beatles Project Volume 4, recording The Beatles' song, A Day in the Life.[3]

2014: Sings The Moon

Main article: Sings The Moon

On January 17, 2013 Nelson launched an Kickstarter campaign to fund his third album production. The campaign was funded in February 7, 2013 with the goal of $16,735.[1] The album was produced by Matt Patrick with co-production of Nelson. One of the songs on Sings the Moon, "The Moon and the Stars" was featured as his first music video and aired on MTV on August 13, 2013.[4][5] On June 24, 2014 he released the album Sings The Moon. For this effort, rather than playing and engineering everything on his own, Nelson opted for a professional studio recording and chose the Library Recording Studio in Minneapolis. Sings the Moon was co-produced by The Library Studio's owner/operator Matt Patrick (producer). He employed his live band; Nate Babbs, Benjamin Kelly, Nic Eggert, Grace Keating but also brought in several guest musicians; Jeremy Messersmith, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Matt Patrick (producer), Aaron Fabbrini, Ben Rosenbush, Kara Laudon, Zach Miller,Jim O'Neill, John Cushing, Josh Misner, and Kenni Holmen. Nelson released the album's second single "Boy" was directed by Mairin Hart and released on YouTube on October 22, 2014.[6]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Critical reception

The Current said about the participation of Nelson in the Minnesota Beatle Project compilation, a charitable project benefiting music and art education in the Minnesota public school system: "The other thought I'm struck with while listening to "A Day in the Life" is that John Lennon was dead for 14 years when John Mark Nelson was born. Yet this is the perfect kick-off track, capturing the Beatles at the height of John and Paul's collaboration, and offering a potentially intimidating challenge to any artist today to tackle. Maybe it is John Mark Nelson's youth that enables him to grasp it unabashed and imbue it with both respect and re-invention, adding a sax solo from Kenni Holmen that takes the song to a new place."[3]

Jon Schober from NPR wrote: "When people hear John Mark Nelson's music for the first time, there's often a sense of disbelief. With arrangements that recall the work of veteran songwriters, the 19-year-old Minnesota native has been recording sophisticated compositions since he was 14".[2]

The University of Minnesota wrote: "Music always being a part of his life and home, John Mark’s Bon Iver like sound young in life giving it a unique whimsical sound infused with simplistically deep lyrics. Who knows if it’s his lyrics that stick in your head for days, his toe-tappin’ folk tunes or his impressive beard that would make any young hipster boy envious, but the Twin Cities are crazy about John Mark Nelson and are excited for much more to come".[7]

"As there are more and more musicians employing these techniques every day, standing out is a challenge, but 18-year-old folkie John Mark Nelson has been scooped out of the Bandcamp fray. Nelson's popular trajectory has more to do with a pleasantly constructed presence on the web -- with the all-important "Minneapolis" tag—than a lengthy run in local clubs."[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nelson, John Mark. "John Mark Nelson: A New Album] - Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 SCHOBER, JON. "John Mark Nelson: A Teenager With Serious Talent". NPR. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 McGuinn, Jim (December 3, 2012). "Album Review: Minnesota Beatle Project Volume 4". The Current. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "John Mark Nelson - "The Moon and the Stars"". MTV. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Raihala, Ross (June 26, 2014). "For third album, John Mark Nelson takes 'hands off the steering wheel'". Twin Cities. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ Songspace, American Songwriter (May 16, 2014). "Daily Discovery: John Mark Nelson, "Boy"". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  7. ↑ "John Mark Nelson with Hippo Campus and Hunter & Colleen". University of Minnesota. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Fischer, Reed. "John Mark Nelson makes early Minneapolis impact via Bandcamp". CityPages. Retrieved 29 November 2014.

External links