Education
Mark Mallman studied jazz piano at The Milwaukee Conservatory of Music then moved to
Minneapolis,
Minnesota in 1991. In 1995, at age 21, Mallman earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts from
Minneapolis College of Art and Design where he studied painting and performance art.
Musical career
thumb in
Minneapolis, MN
His CD, "The Tourist" was released in 1998. A follow up "How I Lost My Life And Lived To Tell About It" was released in 2000. A clinical diagnosis with
Dysthymic Disorder prohibited any form of long term touring, and he stayed in Minneapolis building a cult following of glam loving fans. Among his nicknames - "Mr. Serious," "Mallkill," and "The Fastest Piano in the Midwest."
His first musical marathon put the national spotlight on him. 2002 found Mallman's "The Red Bedroom" album to be released on Minneapolis indie punk label Guilt Ridden Pop. He took a short break after its release to focus on his mental health. A year later, the depression that once kept him homebound had cleared enough for him to start playing on the road.
Mallman signed with Badman Recording Company in 2003. In 2004, his first national release
Mr. Serious was praised by critics, but largely ignored by the majority of American and European media.
Allmusic called him "criminally underappreciated."
Mallman has toured across America opening for
Guided by Voices,
Cat Power,
Donovan,
Tegan and Sara,
Ozomatli,
Everlast,
Eagles of Death Metal,
Exene Cervenka,
Howie Day,
Cracker,
Beth Orton,
Linda Ronstadt, and many others. Along with numerous tours of the United States, Mallman completed his first extensive tour of the
United Kingdom with friend and mentor
Chuck Prophet in spring of 2005.
That summer he would begin writing
Between the Devil and Middle C
. It would be his most extensive songwriting session in 10 years — a 9-month session where Mark wrote "enough material for 3 albums." The final product was recorded in Minneapolis and
Louisville, KY, and released in the US on
September 5, 2006.
Mallman joined with his high school friend
Dan Geller and drummer
Aaron LeMay to Form the band
Ruby Isle. They released an EP,
Into the Black
in 2007 and released their first full length album
Night Shot
in 2008.
Marathon
Mallman is well-known for his shows Marathon 1 and Marathon 2. Marathon 1 was the nonstop 26.2-hour performance of a single song in 1999 at the
Turf Club in
St. Paul,
Minnesota. Marathon 2 was the nonstop 52.4-hour performance of a single song, double the length of Marathon 1, reportedly comprising more than 600 pages of lyrics. It started on
September 4,
2004, at the Turf Club and ended at 10:24 p.m.
CST September 6.
Marathon 2 was considered for the
Guinness Book of Records longest pop song. However, the record was denied, citing the subjective nature of judging what a song is.
Alter ego
Mallman's
alter ego is Mallwolf who occasionally makes appearances at Mallman's performances.
Recognition
- "Best Male Vocalist Twin Cities" by City Pages
in 2000.
- Minnesota Music Award for best keyboard/piano player 2004.
- Minnesota Music Award for Rock Band and Rock Record (Mr. Serious) 2005.
Film music
Mark Mallman works as a professional composer for film by day, mostly doing music for major motion picture trailers, such as
Wall-E
,
10,000 BC
and
Vacancy
. He has composed music for
Living Arrangements
(2009).
[1]
Discography
Studio albums
Album Title
| Year
| Label
|
The Tourist
| 1998
| Eagles Golden Tooth
|
How I Lost My Life and Lived to Tell about It
| 2000
| Eagles Golden Tooth
|
Mark Mallman and Vermont
(with Vermont)
| 2001
| Guilt Ridden Pop
|
The Red Bedroom
| 2002
| Guilt Ridden Pop
|
Mr. Serious
| 2004
| Badman
|
Between the Devil and Middle C
| 2006
| Badman
|
Night Shot
(with Ruby Isle)
| 2008
| Kindercore
|
Invincible Criminal
| 2009
| Badman
|
Live albums
Album Title
| Year
| Label
|
Live from First Avenue, Minneapolis
| 2003
| Susstones
|
Singles/EPs
Album Title
| Year
| Label
|
Who's Gonna Save You Now?
[EP]
| 2002
| Guilt Ridden Pop
|
Into the Black
[EP] (with Ruby Isle)
| 2007
| Kindercore
|
Compilation albums
Album Title
| Year
| Label
|
Seven Years
| 2005
| Eagles Golden Tooth
|
Outtakes Vol 1
[mp3 download]
| 2006
| mallman.com
|
Loneliness in America
[mp3 download]
| 2008
| mallman.com
|
Remix albums
Album Title
| Year
| Label
|
Night Shot 2.0
[2] (with Ruby Isle)
|
| Kindercore
|
Contributions and other releases
Album Title
| Year
| Label
| Contribution
|
Twin Town Music Yearbook vol. 3 • 1999-2000
| 1999
| Digital Edison/City Pages
| Song: "Waking the Neighborhood"
|
Amusia
by Katastrophy Wife
| 2001
| Almafame
| Organ on "Anathema"
|
Crisp Songs Sampler Vol. 1
| 2004
| Crisp Songs/The Orchard
| Song: "Besides the B-Sides"
|
Audiophile's Guide to the Twin Cities
| 2004
| Pioneer Press/MCAD/Copycats
| Song: "True Love"
|
Badman Slow Rock Sampler
|
| Badman
| Song: "Hardcore Romantics"
|
Badman - Winter 2005 Sampler
| 2005
| Badman
| Song: "Hardcore Romantics"
|
The Bootlegs, Vol. 1: Celebrating 35 Years at First Avenue
| 2005
| SRO Productions
| Song: "To Speak of the Animal" (live)
|
Over You
by Ben Connelly
| 2006
| AD/CD Records LLC / IODA
| Vocals on "I'm Over You"
|
Revolver USA Sampler Summer '06
| 2006
| Revolver USA
| Song: "Death Wish"
|
Twin Town High Music Yearbook #9
| 2007
| City Pages/Copycats
| Song: "Remember the 20th Century"
|
Buffetlibre Rewind
| 2008
| Buffetlibre
| Song: "The Final Cut" (w/ Ruby Isle)
|
Song: "The Boy In The Bubble"
|
Bristol Nights
| 2009
| Bristol Motor Speedway
| Song: "Bristol or Bust" (w/ Ryan Smith)
|
Music Videos
- "Tell me How A Man Gets Close to You" (2006)
- "Do You Feel Like Breaking Up?" (2008)
- "Invincible Criminal" (2009)
With Ruby Isle
- "Into the Black" (2007)
- "Teenage Riot" (2007)
- "How it Hurts" (2008)
- "White Winter Hymnal" (Fleet Foxes cover) (2009)
- "Skinny Love" (Bon Iver cover) (2009)
- "The Rake's Song" (The Decemberists cover) (2009)
- "My Girls (Animal Collective cover) (2009)
- "Short Fuse" (Black Lips cover) (2009)
- "Now We Can See" (The Thermals cover) (2009)
Movies
- With or Without You
(1998) ... Co-worker
References
- Mark Mallman gives away greatest hits compilation, re-records upcoming album for Badman Recordings, writes soundtrack for Living Arrangements.
- Elbo.ws2Megamix