Nirvana + Michael Jackson

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Street Performing in Fredericksburg, VA

boardI decided last night that I need to get back into street performing.  Growing up in Hawaii, I would often take off from the North Shore of O’ahu so I could play guitar and sing on the streets of Waikiki.  It was so much fun to watch so many different kinds of people walk by as I played and sang.  I’d usually make enough money to buy some food and pay my cell phone bill for the month.

I’ve also been inspired by a musician named Dub FX who is primarily a street performer who has blown up.  He draws insane crowds for his street performances...

October 1, 2014 Uncategorized No comments
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How To Use Guitar Looping

Screen Shot 2014-09-26 at 10.39.59 AM Here’s a sample of what guitar looping looks like for me.  I layer lots of ideas and I love how each time I approach looping it can be totally new and fresh, opening up the creative process to me each time.

My son was up all night throwing up, so I chose to stay home and watch him while the wife took care of everything else in our home for the day.  While my boy was watching Thomas The Train, I decided to work on some new looping ideas I’ve been considering.  When I play live I like to start with a short instrumental song that demonstrates the looping I use throughout my shows.  I usually like to make up this short instrumental song on the spot, adding layers, tones, and ideas as I go.  It makes my shows a lot of fun and audiences always respond really well to the uniqueness of looping...

September 26, 2014 looping No comments
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Friends @ Amy’s Cafe

amysEven though my gig was cancelled @ Amy’s Cafe this past Saturday, great friends still showed up to hang out and have a good time.  I’m pretty sure we bothered people there with all our laughter.  Even though I didn’t have a chance to play, we still had a great time and wished you had been there!  I’ll let you know when I play there next.

September 22, 2014 Uncategorized No comments
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Gig Cancelled Tonight @ Amy’s Cafe

showcancelled__140511152857I just received a last minute cancellation for the gig tonight at Amy’s Cafe in Fredericksburg, VA.  Thank you so much to the loads of people who already showed their support by planning to be there and were making arrangements to hang out with me tonight.  I’ll still be there tonight for a bit if you’d like to join me for food and drinks.  Hope to still see some of you there!

-Marc

September 20, 2014 Uncategorized No comments
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Freedom To Choose – What It Means To Be Human

There is a space, an amount of time, between the moment we experience stimulus and our response.  In other words, when something happens, we always have the freedom to choose how we react.

honeycuttI was listening to a podcast by Srini Rao from the Unmistakable Creative recently and Srini was talking with Kevin Honeycutt.  There has been a running theme lately with Srini and some of his interviews about the gap between stimulus and response.  When talking with Kevin, that gap was compared to a gasket or a grommet.  A head gasket in a vehicle engine allows one piece of metal to respond to the impact of another – it creates a gap which allows wiggle room.  Without that wiggle room the two pieces of metal would destroy each other because they would hit each other hard enough to ruin their value...

September 19, 2014 Uncategorized No comments
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Which Song Would You Vote For The Mid-Atlantic Song Contest?

Tell Me Which of My Songs You’d Vote For

I just joined the Washington, DC Songwriters Association!  I’ll be submitting a song or two in their Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and want to know, from the demos I have below, which song would you vote for to win?  Keep in mind, these are demos and I have time to re-record them for better production quality; however, the impact of the song itself should be apparent in the demos below regardless of the production quality.  So, if you were a judge, which one do you think has the best: melody, lyrics, flow, structure, and overall effect?  Take a listen to the songs, VOTE HERE for the one you like the best, and that’ll be the one I submit to the contest.  Much love!

August 9, 2014 Uncategorized No comments
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Be My Booking Agent

I’ve decided that for the time being, I’m not going to have one person act as my booking agent.  I’m going to look at it a little bit like crowd funding – I want it to be available to everyone.  You could be my booking agent!

Performing live with Upstanding Youth

Performing live with Upstanding Youth

For now, if you find me a paid gig, I confirm it, and I get paid for it, you get 20% of the overall take.  That means even if you don’t live in my area of Northern Virginia you can still book me gigs and earn some money!  Here are some of the details to help you get going.

  1. I’m willing to drive approximately 1hr from Stafford, VA.
    • I’ll consider going further for a gig with a guaranteed good crowd (exposure) or good pay.
  2. I can play up to 3 hrs by myself with a combination of original and cover songs.
  3. I have my own PA system ...
June 23, 2014 live shows No comments
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Music Binds Us Together

I woke up this morning and saw two people had donated to my Kickstarter project while I slept. One of the donors was an old friend from my Kahuku High School days.  For some reason this caused me to do some deep reflection about how music binds us together in unique and meaningful relationships.

bannerscout

Early 2000s. “Canoe House” party in Laie, HI.

This Kickstarter project has been incredible because it’s put me back in touch with people I haven’t talked to or thought about in years. Because of that, it’s shown me that the impact I’ve had on people musically is much greater than I thought.  I sat for a while this morning and thought about the memories my classmate must have of my music. As I played a slide show of memories in my mind I was impressed with the following idea: music shared from the...

June 5, 2014 Music No comments
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How To Win Personalized Rewards – Help My Kickstarer!

acousticSince I’ve recently moved from Hawaii to Virginia and I’ve started to get my first solo gig offers! The problem is, I can’t do these gigs without a PA system!  My Kickstarter project is an effort to get me ready in the next 14 days for my first big solo gigs.  In other words, help me be heard!

This coming June, I’ve been asked to play a 3hr gig in Culpeper, VA at a bar called The Pier as well as a networking event in Washington, DC at the Graham Hotel.  These are amazing new opportunities for me as a solo singer/songwriter, but I can’t do this without your help.  Without a PA system I won’t be able to do these shows!!  All donations will go towards purchasing a Bose L1 S1 PA system.

Learn more and see the great rewards I’m offering (like writing you a song, a handwritten thank you l...

May 29, 2014 Music No comments
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How To Win 5 Free Albums This Week!

Sign Up and Show Up For My Live Show & Prizes This Week!

I’m doing my 4th and final live streaming show this coming Thursday, see details below for time and place.  The three previous streaming shows have gone so well and I’ve loved sharing my music with so many people.

MarcAndDFor this weeks show I’ve got a few twists planned.  First, I’m going to add a very small and private live audience to the show.  I’m going to try and pack my living room with close friends to enjoy this last show.  I’ve also asked a student of mine, Bri Biorn, to join me and play a few songs to start the night as well.

Here’s the big surprise for this weeks show, the prize this week  is the entire catalog of music that I’ve recorded with my band Upstanding Youth!!  That’s well over 40 songs at a value of over $40 FOR F...

May 4, 2014 live shows No comments
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