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Hi Marsden, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Thanks for having me! I’ve been good, busy, and excited for the release of the new album.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “End on End”?
End on End is an upbeat song that disguises some darker lyrics, which is something I like to do a lot with my songs. It’s acoustic guitar driven but still has plenty of electric guitars. There’s a surf rock breakdown, a ripping guitar solo in the middle, and plenty of tasty licks and ear candy throughout.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
I wouldn’t say anything one thing was the inspiration, but it was written during the beginning of COVID so that was definitely a part of it. It also touches on general world craziness like climate change, natural disasters, or say, a pandemic. It screams for sensibility while reconciling that things bleed and we need to learn to be ok with that. As I was writing it I started to imagine the world spinning out of control like a car crashing and flipping end on end.
How was the filming process and experience behind the video?
Filming was awesome! I worked with a close friend, Jeremy Gehler, and we shot the whole thing in half a day at my parent’s property. Plenty of pre-production planning went in to make it smooth, so I scoped out shots that I thought could work well for different parts ahead of time. We have this really old decrepit barn that made for some excellent shots and was a sort of metaphor for the inevitable entropy of life that End on End encapsulates. We had a blast because all of the shots turned out just as we had anticipated as we went to each spot, and we also got lucky with a gorgeous day to film.
The single comes off your new album Tune It Out, which is your second album. How was the recording and writing process this time around compared to your previous release, Gravity?
Gravity was a concept album that had a throughline story to it, and I wanted to deviate from that this time around. I more so approached it with choosing my favorite songs and riff ideas that paired well together and allowed a solid base to be built upon. I chose the catchier ideas, tried to focus on melody, and pick songs that would allow for the best overall vibe. I ended up writing the title track “Tune It Out” in an hour session and immediately knew that should be the name for the album which helped to become a touchstone as I made the record.
I took a lot more time to write and record this album too. Part of that is that there are more songs on the album, but I also wanted to really level up on my writing and bring as much new skill as I could to the record. So, I ended up writing parts that are more intricate, or I had to play with just the right finesse which led to working on recording some parts over several days to get them just right. I also allowed for more space to experiment with sounds and try out different parts because I had the convenience of a home studio this time around. I didn’t want to sacrifice or settle so I took the extra steps to make the songs how I envisioned them, and in the end I think they turned out even better than I originally thought they could. I worked with an old friend, Lee Petz with Play Brain Audio to do the mixing and mastering. He’s such a brilliant guy and we communicate really well together so it made for a great overall experience. He also was able to put up with how picky I can get towards the end of the mixing process!
We’ve seen several references from critics to Alice In Chains and Radiohead. Who would you say are your biggest musician influences?
I want to preface this with saying I love a lot of different genres of music, so I think that definitely comes out with my approach and musicality. However, I definitely have some favorite musicians like Ian Thornley, John Frusciante, Jerry Cantrell, David Gilmore, and Neil Young. I wouldn’t say I approach writing music trying to make a specific genre of music, I just play what comes out and then group things together that I think would fit what I’m going for with this project and also fit together well on a record.
Several of the songs on Tune it Out address heavy subjects such as addiction, mental health issues, and media over-saturation. How do you as an artist tune everything out?
I can’t say I’m the most successful at tuning things out in a healthy way and so a lot of those subjects come from personal experience of navigating those issues. On my better days I try to read, take a walk or go hiking to enjoy nature, do yoga or meditate, and have good conversation with close friends. Things that get me away from doom scrolling social media that help me to accept the chaos and revel in the good life does have to offer.
What role does Madison play in your music?
Madison has been an excellent home. I feel there is a great energy here and it’s a beautiful city. Although I love adventuring in big cities, I grew up in the country so I’m definitely more geared to residing in peace and quiet, and for me Madison is a happy medium. It also has a great music community. I’ve built an awesome network of musicians and music industry friends that help to support a lot of what I work on. Plus it’s inspiring to have so many others pursuing the same path as I am, and helpful to have those resources around.
How did the pandemic impact you as an artist?
Honestly, I hit a huge rut at the beginning of the pandemic. It was rather depressing because I was stuck inside a studio apartment and normally I would rejoice having time holed up to create and play guitar, but I wanted nothing to do with it for quite a while. This led to a lot of time wasting on social media, but my over-consumption of it ended up leading to something that broke me out of the rut, which, considering the album subject matter is a bit ironic. I found some “guitar teacher reacts” videos on Youtube by a guy named Michael Palmisano, and for one, he has an infectious enthusiasm about him, and two, he effortlessly breaks down and understands songs/solos in a way I hadn’t seen before. He did a video of “Ghosts” by Big Wreck which is when I discovered Ian Thornley, and for me that was like pouring gasoline on a dying flame. From there I took Michael’s online guitar course and it was exactly what I needed to carry me through the creative process of creating “Tune It Out”. It still inspires me to keep pushing and learning more because he gave me more of a base to grow on than I had in my previous 20 years of playing guitar. It’s maybe not something all musicians like to admit, but I think we all need to keep growing and learning, and I think a lot of that essence showed up on “Tune It Out”
You’ve got an album release show coming up on November 17th at The High Noon Saloon. What else is happening next in Marsden’s world and where can fans go to find out more info?
I’ll be doing a live stream on December 16th with thespaceship.tv so anyone can watch the show worldwide. I have a full band playing with me and we’ll be doing the whole album front to back. I’m posting on social media almost daily and am sharing various live performance clips I’ve filmed leading up to this release, breakdowns of different riffs from the album and the music theory behind them, and also have a making-of video coming out after the release. I’ll probably take some downtime over the holidays because I’ve been going non-stop for the last 2-3 years as I made the album, but will also be focusing on booking for festivals and shows throughout the spring and summer next year. I’ll be choosing a couple new singles and starting the writing/recording process to put out music more consistently going forward with the goal of releasing them in the next year. I’ll also be working on developing a Patreon page with exclusive content for those that want to get closer to the music and connect on a more personal level with me. You can find all of this and more on Instagram and Facebook (@Marsdenizen) and on my website MarsdenMusic.com. End on End is a free download for anyone that signs up to my mailing list. Keep rockin’!
