Mark Dylan releases “Parking Lot in Ohio” while exploring his identity in quarantine.
Brooklyn singer-songwriter Mark Dylan (@markdylanmusic) dropped his single “Parking Lot in Ohio,” a refined hard-rock track that contrasts his previous dance track “That’s No Issue.” His new music emerges as Dylan continues shaping his artistry while writing, producing and collaborating with other musicians.
Although missing the live-music scene, Dylan turns to new sounds to draw inspiration for his music and develop what is uniquely “Mark Dylan.” We spoke with him on the songwriting process for “Parking Lot in Ohio,” his growth as an artist and adapting to the ever-changing music scene.
- How has your background, either being from Brooklyn or attending Bowling Green State University, shaped you as an artist?
Wherever you physically are is going to shape any thought process and product that follows. As songwriters, these ideas literally come from a place of nowhere. It’s straight up magic. I use the analogy that I am constantly “fishing”. Sometimes you are not gonna catch anything, and sometimes you are gonna catch an idea but it might be something that you throw back into the water. Then sometimes an idea hits the moment in that perfect place at that perfect time and it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Whether it be my time in Ohio, or my current time living in Brooklyn, you are living in a world of influence. I think the skill of taking what is around you and forming a piece of art with that is the true magic. Wherever you are. Go fish.
2. Who has inspired your sound for these upcoming releases?
I am pretty open about how I think as a songwriter and producer. I steal all the time. I steal grooves, melodies, tempos, guitar tones, bass riffs, vocal delivery, all of it. Every single song I released I can tell you exactly my influences. I heard the guitar tone of “Pretty Boy” by Kevin Krauter, thought it was so beautifully dirty and dissonant. Walked to my guitar, and felt in the moment how I can take what I loved about that tone and make it into a brand new progression. That’s the intro progression. I stole verse 2 from Pinegrove. The bridge from a Brand New song. The ending harmonies from a Zac Brown song. Once you realize nothing is original, it’s all fair game. I go into every studio session with a Spotify playlist full of songs that I want to rip off at moments. But once it’s all filtered through the whole creative process then it just sounds like….Mark Dylan.
3. How have you maintained momentum as an artist these last few months?
I am not sure how I can measure “momentum”. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I learn a lot. I meet a lot of artists through it. It inspires me to see and hear what people are doing. But it also is a mirage of “momentum”. In some weird way, this pandemic humbled artists to forget about likes, promotion and showing people how they want to be seen, any of that. We are all missing aspects of our identity right now. I don’t have much momentum with playing live music right now, but I have momentum in learning how to produce, write, co-write for other artists, compose for advertisements, help with podcasts, teach.
I feel like you can’t fake the now, so if right now I am not going to be performing then it is the artist’s job to find out what you are supposed to do right now. It’s the journey. I think LiveRoom’s mission statement is fully living in the now. You have to adapt or you’ll end up being one of those burnt out musicians still waiting for their breakthrough while making music that sounds like it would’ve fit well decades ago. I don’t want to sound pessimistic about live music, I do miss it tremendously and it will be back, but my point is it’s the universe telling you today you should do something different.
4. Tell us about the songwriting process for “Parking Lot in Ohio.”
I mentioned my influences earlier on the sound itself. The song itself portrays the story of dealing with loneliness from a long-distance relationship. Holding on to moments that you want to hold on forever. The concept that time is always fleeting.
5. What can fans expect from your future releases?
I want to leave animpression that every single release will be a curveball. My last single was a super dance-pop track called “That’s No Issue”. This track is a straight-up hard rock, Midwest emo feel of a track. Being honest, for every song that makes it out as a release I’ve probably written around 50 concrete song ideas before it that just didn’t make the cut. Now that I’ve gotten into the role of co-writing and producing, some of those ideas now find life and meaning with other artists. It’s super rewarding for me. But if you know a new Mark Dylan single is coming out, I want my audience to know it is something I am truly proud of and something that needs to be heard.
6. How can fans support their favorite musicians while touring is down?
We are at a paradigm shift as musicians. Concerts are not existing. Right now we are currently fighting to get paid at least a penny for a stream of your song. Even though I am a podcast listener, the rise in podcasts platformed on these streaming services (Apple, Spotify) are creating less time that music is being listened to. We are walking into a new era for musicians and we need to find ways to still monetize music.
Being honest I don’t have an answer, and I don’t think anyone does. But I do think we need to accept innovation. I think these next couple of years can be a segway for innovation. What LiveRoom is doing is taking a shot in the dark in the spirits of innovation. To find a new avenue that musicians can make a living off their art and fund their projects. But for me personally, you can currently support me by sharing my music, donating to my projects and virtual shows. I co-write for singers and songwriters. I do session work. If I stay persistent in pushing out great music, and great work with others then I hope support will correspond with that.