The loss of innocence.
The agony of youth.
The arrogance of the child mind.
The grey ghosts of middle age.
The workingman’s blues.
The placid rest along the road.
The warm comfort of being loved.
These are the themes that defined this project.
In 2022, I wrapped up the final album of instrumental music inspired by C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy with the release of, “That Hideous Sound.” That album, based on the novel, “That Hideous Strength,” marked a significant departure for my guitar-heavy instrumental projects as I dove into the public domain to source spoken word parts and additional sounds such as horns and strings.
The adventure into the public domain to edit and mix pieces with my own creations was very fulfilling, especially for a musician such as myself who works solo the majority of the time.
Yet, I also wanted to collaborate with other ‘live’ musicians.
Fortune was on my side, as I connected with drummer Jeff Thal and vocalist, and the love of my life, Jami Maguire.
Before I incorporated their talents, I began working on a project in January 2022 on the stages of life with the theme of, ‘Confessions of a Pale Sinner.’
I began fiddling (yes, I am Southern and will use that word as a verb) with landscapes on the piano and playing clumsy block chords. Thal’s drumming pushed my bass playing and I was grateful.
Three pieces feature poetry snippets by William Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats, and Edna St. Vincent Millay recited by Sonja, Winston Tharpe, and Eva Davis.
Yet, halfway through the project as I spent hours trying to find the right spoken word part to layer upon a few pieces, my wife, Jami, recommended I recite some of my own poetry.
Many years ago with my first bands and at various poetry readings around metro Atlanta and north Georgia, I had participated in spoken word, but out of a disregard for my own voice, had forsaken it.
But, it made sense now.
I’ve been writing poetry and songs for over 30 years and have had my work published in multiple reviews. I am also a huge fan of Gil Scott-Heron and Bob Dylan so the affinity came naturally.
Why not?
It would save time and it added a unique touch to the project.
Taking the plunge I did so and am pleased that four of those pieces appear on this album. (The poems are part of a compilation to be released in 2025).
I also ventured into new fields musically, adding keyboards, and more guitar ambient layering.
As I mentioned prior, I was thirsty to work with other musicians. I really miss collaborating with artists and had grown weary of my own creations, specifically, my drumming and beat-making.
I connected with Thal and he plays on three songs. He is a super talent and has fantastic touch and time! Playing with a live drummer really made a difference in the dynamics and how I approached the pieces. Discover more about Jeff Thal at https://www.havuheard.com/studio and https://www.jeffthal.com/
For the other instruments such as the timbale drums and violin on, “The Grey Ghosts of Middle Age,” I used recordings made over 50 years ago which I downloaded and edited.
Editing is not just a cut and paste, but often includes such changes as pitch modulation, altering the speed and, occasionally, adding a reverse or echo effect so they would fit in each song. (Yes, I was inspired a bit by Moby, Radiohead, and R.L. Burnside and co. on this effort.)
The project came together glacially over a year and a half. With a full time job, freelance work and a father, my time was scarce and my recording was relegated – as has been the case for the last ten years plus – to weekend nights in my study/studio, ‘Haskin’s Hideaway” aka “Red Clay Country Studios.”
I was near the end of the project when I had a weekend with my wife away at a lovely cabin in Woodland, Georgia where that gorgeous first imprint of the Appalachains strikes a jagged scar across Middle Georgia. While there, we had a remote recording and songwriting session. Two of the pieces will appear on a later album, but one worked with this one.
“Come inside my melody,” is the second to the last song on this album. My wife and I wrote it in an afternoon and recorded several takes in the evening. She is a wonderful creative partner, songwriter, poet, and singer and having her lend her ethereal vocal and songwriting talent to this album was the coup de grace.
I don’t know where most of the public domain pieces were recorded as you can’t really tell unless you do a deep dive. I do know that some pieces ranged as far back as 1960s London and 1940s St. Louis.
When it came down to it, I wrote and recorded nearly 60 pieces for this album. For example, “A child in the King’s court,” had four different remixes. Dozens of other pieces didn’t measure up, and wound up on the cutting room floor.
Nearly two years and 60 pieces and you wind up with just over 10 minutes of music. I am not complaining. I found immense joy in this pursuit. Time and editing is part of the creative process. (Just look at U2’s ‘shadow’ album they released after 20 years in the bucket!)
Outside of Thal’s contributions, I play the remainder of the parts you hear: Electric guitars, Acoustic guitars, Slide guitars, Bass guitar, piano, keyboards and light percussion. Many of the sonic landscapes and ambient sounds you hear are actually from my guitar in a technique known as sweeping. It may sound like a synthesizer, but it is actually a guitar being played where one manually slowly turns up the volume on a chord. I began using this technique many years ago and was inspired by players such as The Edge’s early work. Todd Mohr of Big Head Todd and the Monsters is a master at this tool.
You can purchase this album at https://markwallacemaguire.bandcamp.com/album/the-marsh-wizards and you can stream it on more than 20 services, including iTunes and Spotify.
Below are the extended liner notes and a detailed description of each song. I hope you enjoy this offering.
A Conversation with My Guardian Angel
Mark Wallace Maguire: Bass, Keyboard, Voice.
Jeff Thal: Drums
The poem, “A Conversation with My Guardian Angel” is written by Mark Wallace Maguire
Inspired to push the envelope of basic minor and major chord guitar work, I looked to Radiohead and lent a dissonant keyboard tone to this balanced by a strong bass line. Thal kept it all together with superior drum work.
Those that I fight, I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love
Mark Wallace Maguire: Electric Guitars, Bass.
Jeff Thal: Drums
Winston Tharpe: Vocals.
Poetry is an excerpt of “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death,” by W.B. Yeats.
For Bryan Cooper
This is a traditional blues melody, but with a different bass pattern. The impetus of this song is a piece I wrote called ‘Workingman’s Blues’ and ‘Bryan’s Blues.’ The sentiment is as it is said: Those we sell for, advocate for, work for we do not love, nor do we hate those others we compete with, strive against or work against. It initially may sound like an apathetic Gen X sentiment, but I find its meaning in the Tao. My friend Bryan Cooper always embodied this idea of which I respect.
A child in the King’s Court
Mark Wallace Maguire: Keyboard, Piano, Bass, Classical guitar, Guitars. Ambient Soundscapes.
Jeff Thal: Drums
Sonja: Voice.
Poetry is an excerpt of “Kitty Fisher’s Jig,” by Horace Walpole.
Thal kills this piece with magnificent drumming. I was very pleased at how he filled up the space and wanted that traction to offset the sparse keyboard and guitars. Sonja’s vocals add a rich ambience.
The Grey Ghosts of Middle Age
Mark Wallace Maguire: Piano, Synthesizer, Ambient Soundscapes, Voice.
Additional voices and sounds sourced from the Public Domain including internetarchiveorg and free sound.org
The spoken word piece is taken from ‘Macbeth,’ by William Shakespeare.
The darkest song of the album was the most involved. The timbale, violin, ringing Victorian doorbell, female whispering vocals, and man’s voice were all sourced from the Public Domain. I added a keyboard part I recorded through a distortion pedal and then reversed.
See you later
Mark Wallace Maguire: Voice, Piano.
The poem, “See you later,” is written by Mark Wallace Maguire
For Kemie Nix
I do not fancy myself a pianist and only play with block chords and one note progressions, but such simplicity worked with this piece dedicated to my dear friend who has transitioned to the next plane. I wrote the poem after my last visit with her at a hospice room in Athens, Georgia. I have never had a truer friend.
The Riddles of the Currents
Mark Wallace Maguire: Guitars, Voice.
The poem, “The Riddles of the Currents,” is written by Mark Wallace Maguire
I wrote this poem nearly four years ago and it needed a place to be. It is a Naturalist poem in the vein of the Transcendentalists. Of such truths are our lives.
Rest on the Journey
Mark Wallace Maguire: Guitars, Bass.
Vocals: Jami Maguire.
The spoken word section is from ‘Renascane,’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Three guitar parts were in place, but I added a sultry vocal and what words better to capture that than a breathy lady reading Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Come Inside My Melody
Jami Maguire: Vocals
Mark Wallace Maguire: Guitars, Bass.
We wrote and recorded this in one afternoon and evening. A few months later, I added the bass and guitar sweeps. The bass work was inspired by the bass work on Bob Dylan’s, “Blood on the Tracks.”
Jami’s singing still gives me chills.
The Details:
All music written by Mark Wallace Maguire.
Recorded at Red Clay Country Studio, Fayette County, Georgia, 2022-2024
HUH? Productions Studio, in Sarasota, Florida, 2023
Cypress Cabin in Woodland, Georgia, 2024.
Unknown remote locations around the globe.
Mixed and mastered by MWM at Red Clay Country studios, Fayette County Georgia, January 2022 to July 2024.
Discover more about MWM & The Marsh Wizards at alexandriarising.com and our associated pages on bandcamp, YouTube, amazon, and more.
Copyright BMI Mark Wallace Maguire, MWM Productions, 2024.
Mark Wallace Maguire • Author & Creative Collaborator 