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1.) We’re very excited to have some time today with acclaimed singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer Mark Fredson; greetings and salutations Mark, and welcome to Vents Magazine! Before we meander down the proverbial Q&A musical pathway, how is 2025 finding you and yours?
So far so good. Basically been hunkering down for the Winter, trudging through a quarter at community college and watching a lot of crime television.
2.) Major kudos and accolades on your freshly-minted LP Company Man which is lighting up record charts all around the ever-lovin’ globe even as we speak! Starting at the tip-top, can you talk about what inspired one of the very best albums of ’25?
First off, I’d venture to say that since the album isn’t out yet, it’s not lighting up record charts globally and I doubt it will, but a kid can dream, right? I was inspired by trying to reckon with my life thus far and come to terms with aging while still trying to hold on to the last scraps of youth for dear life.
3.) As a rightly lauded producer in your own right, is it a safe bet that you did the producing honors yourself on Company Man? And, if so, what are the pros to serving as your own producer?
I did produce the album myself as well as my previous three albums. Pros would be complete control over the product and no pressure to complete anything within any sort of time frame, which gives you time to let things marinate and experiment. Cons would be the fact that there’s no one else there with you to tell you if you’ve lost the plot. I try to trust my instincts and I think for the most part they haven’t steered me dramatically off course, but it would be nice to have a trusted confidant in my ear sometimes to tell me that maybe a certain keyboard part or sound doesn’t serve the song.
4.) We understand that some of Nashville’s very best took part in helping you conjure up this magical journey! Can you introduce our ever-inquisitive readers to the talented musical alchemists who lent their own indelible talents to make Company Man the fully formed gem of an LP it is?
That sentence sounds like it was written by AI! Most of the drums are performed and engineered by a mega-talented drummer named Dominic Billett who has played for bands like Weather Station, Phosphorescent, Faye Webster, Andrew Combs, etc. Most of the guitar is played by a longtime trusted collaborator named Zach Setchfield, who has played for Amanda Shires for years. A lot of the bass was played by Kevin Black who currently plays with Sturgill Simpson but was in Margo Price’s band for about a decade. The saxophonist is Paul Thacker of the Nashville band Ladycouch. That’s not all of the amazing players but definitely the core crew.
5.) We’re big admirers of the tune Me and Sarah which can be found front-and-center on the new Company Man album! What’s the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on this gem of a ditty?
I probably wrote this song in my head for about two weeks before finally sitting down and piecing together the music. The chorus hit me in the shower. I wanted to kind of cosplay as a suburban dad who is dissatisfied with his life. It’s always been one of my favorite genres, Revolutionary Road, the Winter of Our Discontent, so on. The instrumental outro was written separately at the piano at my mom’s house and it was like a lightbulb went off when I realized I could combine the two pieces.
6.) In your humble opinion, what differentiates the Company Man LP from the Distinguished Competition on the ’25 music scene?
I don’t necessarily think in those terms. I just kind of do my thing and follow my own arrow, you know? Plus, I’m so deeply underground that I don’t really consider myself in competition with anyone ’cause most people have no idea who I am!
7.) In the wake of the release of Company Man, can fans look forward to catching you on thetouring/performing circuit?
Some shows in the northwest for sure but I don’t think a big tour is in the cards, it’s just too expensive out there!
8.) Who are some of the key influences both in and out of the world of music who have inspired Company Man?
Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Haim, Tom Petty, and Warren Zevon are the few that come to mind.
9.) You hail from Port Angeles, Washington! How do those particular stomping grounds inform you as both an artist and as a person?
It’s a big part of who I am. I think it gives me strong working-class roots that I think are evident on this album. I actually think that my next album is most likely going to be a record about Port Angeles and all its eccentricities, a major undertaking but I think I’m up for the task.
10.) How is Company Man similar to some of your past music? How is it different?
It’s similar in that it’s self-produced and I worked with some of the same trusted collaborators that I have on previous records. But it’s different in that instead of chronicling late nights and debauchery, I turned the lens towards my working life and aging. Musically, I used a much larger rolodex of players, probably about three times the number of musicians I’ve used on past records. I kind of saw the songs as individual entities with their own needs that particular musicians could serve as opposed to the album as a whole.
11.) At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to your beautiful new LP Company Man?
I hope it hits them in the gut. I hope they keep coming back to it over and over again. I hope they realize that no matter what their age, there’s room for them to pursue their passions in whatever capacity makes sense. Art isn’t only for the young. I’m a little defeated by the end of the record, but it’s not like I’m not making art.
