timeshift

Annabel's newest album, Timeshift, is out. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, amazon, etc. It is available all over the world. Great new songs, unique time signatures. Hope you like it!

my boy

It's been a while since I posted live music from our family. Here's a video of Shawnie drumming to a Paramore song. He loves comments if you have a YouTube channel. :)

feet disguised as people

Annabel's second EP has been released on iTunes and in general, into the world.  Four new songs...check them out here https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/feet-disguised-as-people-ep/id1048288523

or here https://soundcloud.com/forestsong108.

She's continuing to write songs and study guitar, bass and drums. Some days I literally cannot keep up with her pace.

conveyor

Annabel's first EP is available on iTunes and many other music promo sites all over the world, including Russia, Japan, France, and soon India.

Here it is in case you want to check it out https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rain-time/id983742879?i=983742903&ign-mpt=uo%3D4.

Four songs, all are wonderful.  My favorite is called Rain Time.

a new year

Wow, in many ways 2014 flew by.  It was my busiest year in a long time and I blogged the least amount since I have started this blog, which makes me a little sad because I honestly just didn't have much free time.  Writing this blog is really important to me.  I don't have tons of readers at this point, although I used to have more.  But I write for myself and my family.  This is a sort of record of our life. Someday when the kids are grown I hope they will read it and remember these moments.  I am still really behind with our past summer and fall travels, but I will get to them, in good time.

One thing I have learned in life is that for the most part, we are all just doing our best. And my best isn't close to perfection.  That's okay kids.  That's what they call a life.

I am always really happy when a new year begins.  I love the idea of seeing how more of our life unfolds.  And trust me, there have been so many surprises lately, I can't imagine what 2015 will bring.  But I am ready.

Here are excerpts from our holiday letter.

2104 was a busy year with a lot of travel (many college tours).  We went to several places, including Oahu, Los Angeles, NY, Europe, and northern California.  We went on retreat with Amma, saw family back east (spent Father’s Day with Theresa’s dad, which was really special), and returned to Italy and France.  We spent time in beautiful northern California, due to the generosity of our new friend Dennis.  The boys went to see the 49ers play in Santa Clara.  While at home there was a visit from Sky’s childhood friend Naomi, a surprise visit from Uncle JP, a family concert to raise money for Shawn’s school, and many meals cooked at our local homeless shelter. And lots and lots and lots of music.

Shawn is doing well.  He is now eleven years old.  His life is about school, baseball and drums.  He loved playing the king in his school play last spring, raised money for charity by selling baked goods he made himself, and was thrilled on his birthday with surprise tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  He played baseball in the spring and pitched many games, had some great hits, and his underdog team won the championship. Shawn does well academically, and started a new middle school this fall, that he likes.  He loves his male teacher, who tells us that Shawn keeps him on his toes with his constant discussions of science and the universe. 

Annabel is really growing up.  She turned fifteen this year.  Her first love is music. This year she released her first album (an EP of four songs), called Conveyor. She recorded this at a top studio, (Thanks Lynn!)  Shawn played drums on the songs, and Gary produced them.  Annabel also played a few live gigs this year and attended summer band camp in Palo Alto, along with Sky and Shawn. Annabel is also really into science, and spends much of her free time learning about chemistry and physics. She is a good student and is already looking into colleges.  Here is a link to Annabel’s songs:

https://soundcloud.com/forestsong108

Sky is eighteen, a licensed driver, and very independent.  She helps us a lot with cooking, grocery shopping, and…driving!  Her focus this past year has been SATs and college - visits, choices, applications, scholarships…She hopes to attend college in California next year. She has taken several college classes at her high school, and next year will venture to the local university campus for more. She is interested in psychology, technology, music and photography.  She plays recreational tennis, and loves her coaches.  She still records many songs, mostly covers, with many tracks and harmonies. Here is her updated website: http://skylarmarks.com/ 

Gary continues to write songs and novels.  He is very involved in the kids’ lives.  He is the one to buy them new instruments, replace drum sticks, find music teachers, or teach them himself.  Annabel and Shawn are now playing piano, Annabel plays bass and guitar, and Sky plays drums.  The family performed a benefit concert this year. The kids all learned two of Gary’s songs and the four Marks musicians performed together for the first time.  In the spring, Gary jumped in to coach Shawn’s team after the head coach quit.  Gary was fantastic with the boys and taught several of them to pitch and hit.  The team went from being one of the worst and depressed teams in the league to being tied for first place and winning the championship.  Shawn hit the winning run, it was all very exciting.

Theresa continues life as mama, wife, cook, nurse, counselor, photographer, blogger. She is also a bit of a farmer, growing bananas this year for the first time ever.  She continues her meditation and yoga practices and is hoping to become a meditation teacher this year. She attended several retreats, and took a few trips: one to see her brother give a medical talk, to California three times to visit with friends, to New York to celebrate her parents 50th wedding anniversary with a party with all her siblings.  Congrats Mom and Dad!  T is planning to apply to graduate school next fall.

So, dear readers, if any of you are reading this, here’s wishing you Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!  I always love to hear from you, please comment and tell me how you are.

annabel songbird

I love this picture that Gary took of Annabel in the recording studio.  She is finishing her EP.  There are four songs, I love them all.  She is our unique poetic indie rocker. She is really doing her own thing. She has put so much time into her music the last two years, I am really proud of her.  On this album she sings, plays guitar and bass. And she wrote all of the songs.  Can't wait to share them with you all!

annabel

Annabel's album is bringing the family together musically like never before. They had another day of success in the studio yesterday, this time, with Shawn on the drums!! He blew everyone away. They're all having such a big time, it's thrilling to see.  And daddy is the producer.  In many ways, life is as good as it gets.

corner view~something(s) to celebrate

Lately we are celebrating a few things.

Little Miss Skylar is now a licensed driver!  Last week she passed her road test on her first try.  Most kids here take several attempts at the test before they pass, so this was an overnight change that we didn't expect to happen so quickly. Sky is now beginning to take the car and go off on her own - shopping, to tennis class, to the grocery store for starters.  I am celebrating my willingness to trust that she will be okay every time she drives away.  There is a natural letting go that happens with kids, each step of the way. This part is not easy for me, but it is important for us to let them do these things so our kids develop independence, experience and trust in themselves. Luckily Sky is a careful, thoughtful, level headed girl, and a good driver.

Miss Annabel is continuing to record her album!  She goes into the studio this weekend with Shawn, who is doing the drum parts.  Pretty exciting!  They have been practicing a whole lot.  Just yesterday Annabel wrote a new song.  She has many great songs.  I can't wait to see how they sound.  She is our little rock star, eagerly awaiting band camp this summer where she will get to play music with kids her age.  

And Mr. Shawn.  Well, what do you get when you combine Shawn, his favorite toy, and a ripe bunch of bananas?  The Amma Kendama Project, as Shawn calls it.   This is Shawn's attempt to raise money for charity.  With my help he is selling baked goods to friends and neighbors.  Then we are going to buy a bunch of kendamas, wholesale. Then we will pack them up and bring them on our summer trip. Our first stop will be a retreat with Amma.  Shawn is going to donate the kendamas to Amma's bookstore. All profits will benefit Amma's various worldwide charities.  And these toys are fun, and occupy kids for long periods of time, which is good when parents are on retreat. I'd much rather have my kid playing with one of these than playing a video game.  We were joking about how maybe all the swamis will play with them. So we may have to get some orange ones.

So far we have fifteen orders and have gotten over $200.  We have made granola and baked blueberry muffins, oatmeal cookies, and banana bread.  Lots of banana bread. More to come.  Meanwhile, would you like a blueberry muffin?  They are divine.      

today

Annabel is going into the studio to begin recording her first album!!!!!  Happy girl. Excited girl. Enough said.

final song from her album

Skylar is pictured above with her ukulele, her newest instrument.  She and Annabel have been playing music together a lot these days.  They are planning to record a Paramore cover together.  They attend a high school where they have some days off weekly and are assigned virtual work.  They get their schoolwork done early in the week, and then make time for music.  It can be a bit chaotic for Gary and me with no regular school schedule (every day is different).   But the girls are having a balanced life, they are students and artists.

This is the final song from Skylar's album.  The song title is "Journal Pg. 15." Click here to hear it. She loves getting comments on her songs if you have YouTube accounts.

annabel's first band gig

We heard about this week long band camp from a friend whose son has done it in the past.  The counselors said we could come the first day to check it out before paying, since we were from out of town.  "We need a lead singer," they had told me.  Annabel was happy to accept the challenge.  The first day we walked in with her, all of us, the five Marks family members, into this tiny room packed with about twelve boys, and two male counselors.  They were friendly and welcoming.  Annabel turned to me and said, "I've got this," and that was our cue to leave.

She went to camp daily for a week, coming home happy and inspired and chatting about her new friends.  Then on Friday afternoon the kids performed five songs, one of which was Annabel's original, a new song that still has no title.  

time

A couple more of Sky's original songs are here, (written in 2009) and here (written in 2010).  The first one is called 'Survival," and the best line from that song is, "How can you love with an unhappy mind?"

The second song is titled "Flying Through Time," appropriately illustrated above.

I am catching myself flying through time these days.  And it seems like all of our kids are ready to take off.  

one fall

This is another one of my girl's songs from her new album.  The title, "One Fall."  I remember when this one was first being created.  We hear her on the piano, working something out, until suddenly there is a new song.  I have no idea how this happens, but all four of the people I live with over here have this gift.  I just listen.

another song

Skylar at 11

Title track of Sky's new album, "Searchlight."  She sure has a way of telling a story.  She has always been fascinated by orphans.

back to earth

I think I have a favorite Sky song.  It's called Back to Earth.  This girl amazes me.  I can't wait to see what she does with her life.  She is already on her way, that's for sure.

listening party and friendship

So this is an incredible story, especially since I don't like facebook much.  In 2010 I "met" a woman online through a mutual male friend on facebook.  I never even saw a picture of her because she only posted pictures of flowers and cats on her profile.  She loved our family's music, and for years would often comment about and repost songs I posted.  She had a sweet vibe in written word.

Right before we left for our recent summer trip she asked me if we needed a place to stay in northern California, because she knew of a rental.  We had already made arrangements so I told her thanks but we were good.  Soon thereafter she contacted me and asked if we would like her to host a listening party for us.  She had worked years ago as a booking agent in the music business and loved hosting parties.  I had never mentioned that we were wanting to plan one.  She later told me that she had simply woken up with the idea to suggest this.  It was such a generous offer coming from someone we had never met.  She offered us a date that worked for both of our schedules.

When Gary and I met her we liked her.  Her voice reminded me so much of my godmother.  We quickly began planning the party. Invites, a menu of cakes and fruit, folding chairs, a sound system.  The setting was a lovely garden and home.  It all came together easily, and we had so much fun planning, and shopping for the food. Gary and I were blown away by the generosity of this stranger named Juliette.

One night Juliette and I were talking about a glitch with the online invitation. Since our houses were minutes apart I decided to go over to her house to try to work out the glitch.  When I showed up she had a tray with tea and chocolates. We worked out the problem and then spent the rest of the night talking and sipping tea in her outside garden under a pergola lit from white Christmas lights.

I went home that night and told Gary "I think I've made a new friend."

The party was June 30th.  We were going to gather in the daytime but there was a heatwave so we changed it to the evening.  We got a great turnout.  We had so much fun preparing the food.  Old friends showed up, along with Gary's California band and Juliette's neighbors and friends.  We played tracks from Gary's new album as well as Sky's.  Annabel sang and played guitar live.  It was a great evening.

For the rest of our stay in town we spent time together.  Our family, and she and her son.  We had lots of fun.

Thank you Juliette.  I'm so glad I met you!    

a new sky song

Skylar's new album has been released.  She worked very hard on this.  She wrote all of the songs, sang lead vocals and all of her harmonies, and played all of the instruments.  Then she recorded the entire album and mixed it to boot. We sent it to LA to have it mastered.

Sky, I am so proud of you.  The songs are amazing.  (There are seven).

The first song is titled, "Too Wonderful To Be Here."  Skylar wrote this one a while ago, when she was thirteen.  Click here to listen.

circling the world/giveaway

back cover of "No Turning Back" designed by Gary and Sky

Here is the final song to share with you from Gary's new album.  This song, "Circling the World" is described by Gary as "about our inner search to find faith in love."

My interpretation -- This could be romantic love, or Divine love.  I like to think of it as both.

The first line is, "Every mind, circles a world, tries to find the sun it left behind."

That has been my task in the last year since I began my daily meditation.  A beautiful challenge, one that I have to recommit to daily.  It's easy to leave the sun behind.  But it's always there.  We just sometimes forget.

A giveaway of the CD "No Turning Back" is happening this week on Facebook. Click here and like Gary's page to play along!

right reasons

About Gary's song "Right Reasons at the Time," he said, "I got back into Bob Marley for a while and re-listened to 'Three Little Birds.'  He sings 'Don't you worry 'bout a thing.  'Cause everything little thing gonna be all right.'  But we can't always be on the same emotional level as the high priests in this world. This song is about what happens when we ignore the message of the three birds at our door step."

time for a new song over here...

Somehow many of the songs Gary wrote for his new album remind me of our time in Italy, the Cinque Terre region.

This is a song that is close to Gary's heart.

In Papa Maestro's words, "The song 'Bells from Town' is an autobiography that never happened. I imagined one night what might have been if I'd have made other decisions in my life -- basically choosing touring my songs over starting a family. And I saw in a dream an aging washed-up ex-rock 'n roll star living in a big house by himself on a hill overlooking his home town. No one wants him to tour on the big stage anymore. He gave up the girl he loved to chase after that dream, chasing after an image of himself -- a modern Narcissus. And he is left standing at his gate, looking a little thin, hearing the bells from town, and wondering. . . . .

When it was time for the great lead guitarist, Tom Finch, to record his solo I told him the story about this guy and said, 'Tom, be him. He was a great player in his day, but he's done. It's over. And he's angry. He's not ready to stop. He's screaming through this one final great solo of his, that no one's ever going to hear. He's screaming about the loneliness, and the entire waste of a life! Play that!'

Fortunately, Tom Finch is not one to be intimidated. He's the real deal. And this solo proves it. I can listen to it over and over, and I feel this guy standing by his gate, screaming into the wind."