Mark Mulholland Interview: SXSW 2010

Mark Mulholland, a singer-songwriter and guitar player born in Glasgow, Scotland, has been performing for over two decades as a solo artist, session musician and as a member of several groups. He recently released his new double album entitled 'The Devil on the Stairs,' and was commissioned by the Forum des Images of the City of Paris to compose and perform soundtrack music during the Festival Tout Petit Cinema, which occurred in February. Spinner recently spoke to the guitarist, who is set to play SXSW 2010, about his musical experiences and his expectations for the festival.

How would you describe your sound in your own words?

As a singer-songwriter, it's guitar and voice. The styles vary from song to song -- folk, country, blues, a fair bit of rock 'n' roll, sometimes dabbling in jazzy stuff, but the song is the important thing. It dictates the direction somehow.

How did you first begin playing music and when did you decide to pursue it professionally?

I started playing guitar when I was 16 and started playing on the street a couple of years later. Once I realized that you could generally make enough to eat and drink by singing a few songs, work somehow lost what little appeal it might otherwise have had. Now I'm playing gigs rather than busking, but still managing to avoid regular employment. There is a quote on one of the Green on Red album covers: "Why do we play music? Because we're too lazy to work and too nervous to steal." Pretty close.

What are your musical influences?

From folky singer-songwriter stuff through to loud rock 'n' roll. Too many to list, but a few are Green on Red, Bert Jansch, Patti Smith, the Stooges, Television, Husker Du, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Townes van Zandt, the Buzzcocks, the Undertones, and the Clash.

What is your biggest vice?

Oh, they all compete.

What is in your festival survival kit?

Not much, because I'd probably just lose it. The trick is to sign up for all the free food and gargle events

Gargle events?

Sorry, "gargle" is a Scottish or Irish term for booze. A Celtic slang glossary is often required for US readers.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

The thing about secrets is that they are best kept.

Beatles or Stones?

Stones. I love the Beatles too, but given a choice I have to go for live rock 'n' roll over studio creations, though I love the Stones albums too, but you know what I mean.

So you think that live performance is more important or legitimate than recorded material?

No, true enough. Recordings are just as valid, otherwise I wouldn't have spent the last few months wrestling with a new album. But when a recording can capture the raw energy of a band, as in, for example, 'Exile on Main St.,' combined with great songs, you get something really special.

What is your craziest tour experience?

There's a lot of competition for that. Thirty-five dates in 31 days around the states, including 8,000 miles of driving, was pretty mad. Touring Europe without transport or equipment and hiding in the toilets of trains to get from one gig to another was also an adventure. The reason I ended up in Berlin was that we were on tour and that was where the van broke down. We intended to stay three weeks, but it's been 14 years now.

How is touring in the US different than in Europe, and what do you expect your SXSW experience to be like?

I find people everywhere in the States incredibly hospitable. Americans come in for a lot of stick in Europe, so I make a point of pointing that out. Any time we have found ourselves in a situation where we had nowhere to stay after a gig, for example, there were always several people who offered us a place to stay, whether it was in a rich or poor neighborhood. Although these days, most people in continental Europe speak pretty good English, it is good to play to native speakers who understand the traditions that the songs come from.

SXSW will be a total overload of music, people and parties. I'm looking forward to catching up with a bunch of old friends and meeting lots of new ones, and playing a lot of great music with lots of different people. Professionally speaking, I have no illusions about suddenly making that magic connection--there are so many people playing that it is difficult to stand out, but I'm sure some good things will come out of it.

J. Marshall Pearson is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.