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St. Cloud State University
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Diversions
Ex-member of ‘sex band’ excites
By Joe Palmersheim
Published:
Monday, September 30, 2002
Mark Mallman played at the Red Carpet Saturday night. “I like to play St. Cloud,” Mallman said. “The fans are super-devoted. It’s nice to play out of town because you know the people who show up came to see you.” The Wisconsin native has recently released his fourth album, “The Red Bedroom.”
Offstage, Mark Mallman is a quiet, unimposing figure.
He’s eloquent and soft-spoken, just a regular guy. Once he hits the stage, however, it is as if a switch has been flipped, a transformation on the level of Jekyll and Hyde, and he becomes pure energy. Mallman demonstrated this transformation to a crowd of 200 people at the Red Carpet Saturday, and the results were phenomenal.
Mallman hails from Waukesha, Wis., and has been playing music since the late 1980s. He’s currently touring to support his fourth album, “The Red Bedroom,” which is distributed by the Guilt Ridden Pop label.
“I like to play St. Cloud. I’ve played here a lot,” Mallman said. “The reason I like playing here is because the fans are super-devoted. It’s nice to play out of town because you know the people who showed up came to see you.”
Mallman, 29, is a part-time video editor who has been writing songs since he was 10 years old.
The current incarnation of his band has been playing for four years, and before that he was in a “sex band” called The Odd. Mallman played keyboards in The Odd, which was based in Minneapolis, and played their last show in December 1998.Mallman is backed a standard drums-bass-guitar mix, and adds life through use of keyboards.
The sound is part Elton John, part Iggy and the Stooges. The Iggy metaphor is appropriate, because it’s who Mallman most represents as he prowls around the stage, literally dripping with energy. His spastic movements and paranoid vocal inflections add to the punk energy.
“I guess my goals change because I’m an album-oriented person. An album represents a certain chapter, then there’s closure. There’s rituals with it- the mastering, the editing, and the release party. You’re so busy you don’t have time to write. Then it’s over, and you have time again. It’s almost like having to be at the airport in ten minutes. There’s no way you can do it, but somehow you manage, and you wonder, ‘How did I do that?’” Mallman said.
On Mallman’s website, www.mallman.com, there’s an advert for the new album that ends with the words “Tissues Not Included,” which is an apt description of the desired mood.
“‘Tissues Not Included’ could be taken in a few ways. It could be dirty sex or dirty tears. It’s like to think of my music as sad sex,” Mallman said.
The Pet Shop Boys have played a major influence in shaping the sound Mallman would like to project. He is currently working on an electronic-based side project called The Joggrrz, in conjunction with the lead singer from the band the 12-Rods. In regards to the future, Mallman seems optimistic.
“The goal for being a musician was there all the time. It’s the shallow things that get in the way. My goal is to just be creative.”
