Hi everyone,
It’s finally time for another update. I’ve been meaning to write one almost every day since the last post, but the days were so full — with work, pressure, small crises, and a few good surprises — that it kept slipping further away. So here we are, and I’ll just go through things as they come to mind.
To begin with, the health situation has eased up. The big concern has thankfully been ruled out for now, which is a huge relief. The symptoms are still around and I’m getting treatment, but at least I can stay on the road and won’t have to cancel anything. That alone makes everything feel a bit lighter. I keep circling around the idea of doing these updates more regularly, maybe even as a kind of diary. I’m not sure if that would be interesting or just repetitive, but if you have thoughts — or questions you want me to answer in future updates — let me know.
Over the past weeks, music kept moving in surprising ways. The new album with Robert Rich, Incubation, has been doing extremely well — Bandcamp Top 10 territory — which, in my little universe, feels genuinely big. His audience is so much larger than mine that I’m grateful for every listener who finds their way to the work. And I love that record deeply. It was created during a pretty dark stretch: the cancelled summer tour, the long days in Oakland, and then that spontaneous, almost restorative visit to see Robert in Carmel. Somehow the music came out of all that, unexpected but very welcome.
And then there’s the other music I’ve been involved in, some with my name on the front, some not. For example, The Solina Record with Frankie Cofone — something we improvised at the end of a recording day earlier this year, with the Solina String Ensemble and all sorts of sounds coming together. It's being released as a Francis Cofone album featuring me. Another highlight is Sky on the Ground, my collaboration with Stefano Castagna. That one feels special in a very personal way, and it’s out on vinyl, CD, and even cassette.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who reached out after I mentioned depression in the previous update. That one word seems to open a lot of doors for people. I’m grateful you shared your stories with me — and reading them also showed me how different my situation looks from the outside. Even when people get things wrong, the perspective helps. Truly.
The last two weeks were incredibly productive thanks to my friend and engineer Erik Emil Eskildsen, who came to Berlin. We managed to push a lot across the finish line: more tracking for the Stick Men album, and a new project with Dave Bessell — around ten contemporary classical pieces. It’s music that sits comfortably in my language but in a form I haven’t worked with in a long time, so it felt refreshing. Erik also helped me record parts for Jean Philippe Rossi’s new project, Your Preferred Retailer, which features JP, Jon Poole, Troy Jones, and me. There are eleven songs, wonderfully quirky and full of surprises.
On top of that, I somehow ended up playing two local performances — which is rare for me. The first one was the 7-hour solo set at Pink You Festival. I thought I’d just set up some ambient textures and let them breathe, but instead I ended up actively playing for more than six and a half hours. It turned into this deep, immersive experience, helped enormously by Mirella’s lighting design. And yes, everything was recorded.
The second was another Pink You event with Mirella and Muep, this hyperactive, punk-energy pianist who’s somehow also incredibly sensitive in his listening. The acoustic piano wasn’t miked, my sound went through the PA, and it all merged beautifully in the room at Acker Stadt Palast. I’m glad to have connected with the people there — it feels like a place I’d like to return to.
Some of you asked about TU-NER. The live album with Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn is finally musically finished — it just needs mastering now. And honestly, it might be my favourite live record I’ve ever been part of. When we started this version of the band, especially including some King Crimson material, I wasn’t sure how it would sit. But it works — almost surprisingly well — and it feels fresh and meaningful to me. We’re now looking at cover art and putting together a small plan around it.
Looking ahead, I’ll fly to Los Angeles next week for the recording session I mentioned earlier. I have about twelve pieces floating in my mind, maybe more that haven’t made themselves known yet. They tend to appear at the very last moment, so I’m not worried. After that, Stick Men will meet in Seattle the day after Thanksgiving to rehearse, and then we start the West Coast tour in Vancouver. The dates are on stickmenband.com if you’re curious. I’ll be away until around December 19.
And yes, the GoFundMe campaign for the Touch Guitar book is still running. Your support has been incredibly helpful and truly encouraging. I’ve already added a new chapter and updated the campaign page a couple of times. Some friends asked me to keep it open while I continue working on the book, so that’s the plan. This book means a lot to me, and I’ll talk more about it in the next update.
For now, thank you for listening and for being here. Feel free to send me questions or ideas for future updates — I’d like to do this more regularly, and your prompts really help.
Thanks for everything.
Bye for now.
Markus