Comments & Discussion About This Session

Recorded in Santa Barbara, CA on April 10, 2009.

It was a lazy springtime Friday afternoon in Santa Barbara when we recorded Marc B. The sun was low in the perfect sky as friends gathered in the living room of my home nestled between the southern California ocean and the chaparral mountains. Marc and I chatted casually while I arranged the microphones and set input levels. Similar easy conversations were had amongst the visitors while beer and wine sips bid the ending week goodbye and welcomed the ensuing weekend's respite. One would be hard pressed to find a care in the room - not even Marc seemed to have a nerve in his soul as he sat poised at the center of the room surrounded by audio and video recording equipment. The entire setting was idyllically Santa Barbara and created a fitting venue to capture Marc B's mellow acoustic surf rock sounds.

We perhaps took a little longer than usual that evening to get the session started - there was no rush. Eventually, though, after double and triple checking the mic placements and the levels, I settled down behind my computer and gave Marc the cue. The room quieted as bodies shuffled onto chairs and couches and Marc commenced his performance. He began with a song called "The River" - the opening track to The Yellow Jelly EP and a tune featured in pro surfer Kelly Slater's 9th World Title video on Wetsand.com. It describes the experience of moving into a new home situated near a river. The third song of the set, called "Comin' Up," describes his observations of buildings and houses incessantly sprouting up around the land of Southern California. Marc rounded out his set with a tune called "The Right Way" which tells about ending the day the right way - with a solid surf session.

Marc B grew up around waves and music. He was surfing the ocean at Newport Beach as a youngster and began writing songs at age 12, pulling inspiration from his father and grandfather who passed the genealogical music bug onto his young mind. Currently living in Huntington Beach, Marc B pulls influence from such names as Jack Johnson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Matt Costa, Brett Dennen, Ben Harper, and Mason Jennings - pioneers who have defined a generation of easy listening, California music. Marc B is carving his own niche in this scene: he was recently named as a nominee for the Best Surf Artist at the Orange Country Music Awards and, in June 2010, his first full-length album and music video will be released.

Marc B currently works with Oniric Records and has played with such artists as The White Buffalo, Matt Costa, The Dirty Heads, and others in such beachside venues as The US Open of Surfing, The Boost Mobile Pro, and the ASR Tradeshow. I'm willing to bet a few bucks that this isn't the last you'll hear of this young songwriter. Be sure to follow his progress at MarcBMusic.com.