Current Projects

 

Ben Wright Smith – No One

Ben was the 2015 Australia Council Nashville residency winner and got to spend three months in town, put a great band together and played most of the major Nashville rock venues. We recorded some great tracks including ” No One ” which he finished with Oscar Dawson back in Australia . Hoping to see Ben back in the US this year !

 

 

 

Richard Clapton

Richard is a legend and a friend . We recorded his ” Dark Spaces” album together in 1980 and have remained close ever since. I was blown away when he decided he wanted to record an album in Nashville. We cut what became the ” House of Orange” album Dec’16 and Jan’17 and it turned out to be a wonderful blend of rock and Americana. If Richard was born in America he would have been Steve Earle or Jackson Browne- both of whom are fans.

 

 

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Catherine Britt – “Who Cares”

Catherine had written this song with Bill Chambers and Guy Clark during  her Americana fest visit in 2013.  She wanted to record it and Bill suggested she call me.  I’m glad she did, it was the first time we’d worked together and it came together amazingly well.  Catherine really has developed her craft and is the first signing to UMG Australia’s Lost Highway imprint.

 

 

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Aaron Kelly

Not being an American Idol fan, I had no idea who Aaron is or what a great singer he is until he sat in my studio and sang his material with just an acoustic guitar.  We went in and cut 6 songs, and I was pleased to see how well he spanned the commercial and traditional styles.  Here’s a snippet of “Tired of Today” to illustrate that:

 

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Travis Caudle

Travis was one of the recipients of the Australia Council Nashville residency grant and had done his previous two records with the guys from The Church.  Even though this was his 6th time in the U.S., he hadn’t been to Nashville.  We put a great band together including Greg Morrow on drums and Michael Rhodes on  bass and went in to the studio.  Sparks flew.  Check out some of the results HERE.

 

 

 

 

derekDerek St. Holmes

Derek St. Holmes is one of the great American rock singers, his vocal performances on Nugent Band classics “Hey Baby” and “Stranglehold” are testaments to that. He’s also no slouch on the guitar. Derek moved to Nashville in 2010 and began jamming with Mark’s good friend and former Nugent bassist, Dave Kiswiney, who invited Mark to join in one night. Guitar sparks flew and a series of rehearsals followed. They officially formed Derek St. Holmes and the Originals with Andy Flores on Keys and John Whitehead on drums. After gigging at the Red Rooster in Nashville for about six months solid, they realized they were onto something. The energy was undeniable and those nights attracted the Who’s Who of Nashville rockers, seeing guest appearances by Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Mark Slaughter and others. Recently, they went into the studio and cut 8 tracks which will be completed when Derek returns in August from Ted Nugent’s ‘I still believe’ US tour.