Photograph courtesy of Mark Wallace
A busy type, bassist Mark Wallace splits his musical time among three projects: Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing, Mt. Thelonious, and Adonis Blue. He also gigs as an on-call bassist, in a variety of live settings. A 2012 graduate of Webster University’s music program, he joins a growing cast of players from that school making a name for themselves in St. Louis and beyond.
In coming weeks, a couple of Wallace’s projects have notable events happening. On Tuesday, September 16, Guerrilla Swing will play the music of Randy Newman at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington; the show begins at 7:30 p.m. and will touch on all aspects of that songwriter’s career. And on Tuesday, September 30, at 7 p.m., Mt. Thelonious will release “Other People’s Music,” a short EP of cover songs. The event takes place at Maplewood’s Stone Spiral Coffee and Curios, 2500 Sutton.
Twice a month, we ask area musicians the same seven questions. This time out, it’s Mark Wallace’s turn.
Music school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
I initially bought an instrument to play in a punk band in high school. I ended up going to Jefferson Community College and enrolling in all music classes, not knowing anything about music, or having any clue what I wanted to do with my life. I developed a passion for improvised music after listening to the two jazz albums in the Jefferson College library, Albert Ayler's Spiritual Unity and Charles Mingus' Blues & Roots.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
I love what I do, and feel like I'm getting away with something, being able to play music for a living. So consequently I feel pressure to maintain a strict practice routine that holds some semblance of a normal routine or work day.
What are the elements that make for an ideal studio/recording experience?
An ideal recording experience is recording with Adam Long. It's in his home, I bring my dog, and have a great time.
Is it more rewarding to play a technically solid gig to a moderately engaged audience, or to play a loosey-goosey set to a crowd that's clearly "there" with you?
I play several cocktail gigs a month, operating as wallpaper. That is a financial necessity, and is by no means a drag. However, it is a world of difference performing for at least one person who is clearly enjoying what I'm doing.
You're able to wake up tomorrow, magically gifted proficiency on the instrument of your choice, one that you currently don't play. What instrument would that be?
It would be piano, if only just to understand what Herbie Hancock is doing.
From childhood on, what's the very first song that you played to a point of real, true satisfaction?
On Mt. Thelonious' new EP we record Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees." This is a performance/recording that I feel particularly proud of. I use jazz standards as a template for improvisation; however, with some of this material we adapt for Mt. Thelonious arrangements (pop songs), I feel a need to do something original.
Do you believe there are musical "guilty pleasures," or is this an unfair and misused term?
I'm not a fan of the guilty pleasure term. Musicians are a culmination of all of their influences. You should be proud of what you have a passion for. I play the music I play today because of Annie Lennox, Black Flag, Miles Davis, and that tape I had where Cheech Marin teaches me the colors.
