MARK GERMINO

Seldom if ever, during the course of a singer-songwriter’s creative life, do seasoned studio caliber musicians, all with credible road credentials, literally come knocking on that songwriter’s door soliciting him to make a studio recording. Those moments are usually reserved for name producers seeking the services of an artist who is sitting  dormant with a sizable fan base. So, when multi-instrumentalist Michael Webb (Poco, Bobby Keys), guitarist Kenny Vaughn (Lucinda Williams, Marty Stewart), bassist Tom Comet (Webb Wilder, Kevin Gordan), and drummer Rick Lonow, (Burrito Brothers, Ryan Bingham) came knocking for singer/songwriter Mark Germino to make his way over to Southern Ground Studios at the corner of 17th Avenue & McGavock at the top of Nashville’s music row, Germino, profoundly appreciative, still had to chuckle at the utter improbability of their proposal. Germino recalls“You guys are nothing short of crazy for coming up with an idea like this.” His mildly cynical lighthearted response was typical Germino. However, as he gazed back at those four musicians setting up their gear for that first session, he began to unequivocally realize they were dead serious.

It had been a long somewhat fractured journey since his last publicly released album Rank & File hit the stores. It was an acoustic record that had found its’ way to the top of the newly launched Americana charts. Along the way, artists such as Vince Gill, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Burrito Brothers Deluxe, Loretta Lynn, Seldom Scene, Clare Lynch, John Anderson and Kenny Chesney all saw fit to access Germino’s diverse folk/rock/progressive country catalogue for their albums. “ Destiny and conditions had me positioned outside of the music business for a number of years, but when I looked around at what was happening, I  found I was not particularly embattled by that fateful set of circumstances. Because of my inactivity, I gained the opportunity to raise my son more attentively, so those ‘cuts’ by other artists meant a lot to me at that time.” During those years, Germino wasn’t exactly idle. “I stayed creative. I ended up writing three unpublished novels, a book of poetry and numerous songs.”

Germino is probably best known for his song ‘Rex Bob Lowenstein,’ a song about the drawbacks of subscribed programming in mainstream radio. The tune was BBC Radio One ‘Song Of The Week’ in the UK and was considered a turntable hit throughout Europe.

Those who have come to know Germino’s past work, realize that his compelling subject matter is the life force of his lyrics. In the past Germino has been no stranger to taking on tough inflammatory topics such as; teenage suicide, rape recovery, mind control, propaganda wars, interracial love and the shadowy impact of subscribed programming in main stream radio. Contrarily, ‘Midnight Carnival’ kicks the album off with a fictitious rave up of a man’s rousing travelogue. Ettress Rolls On, is a song literally born from a dream. It depicts a couple who stayed married (and devoted) but chose to live in nearby separate dwellings. Lightning Don’t Always Strike The Tallest Tree offers up the idea of mistakenly settling for substandard results when you have other choices. The track Peace Train is a high note ride down the rails of acceptance. It examines one’s fate through a maze of human adjustments. It makes the listener feel good just to hear it. Germino slows down the pace with Blessed Are The Ones and seeks to illustrate how a person can fail dreadfully in the eyes of God, but can also become ‘approved‘ in spite of their shortcomings. Midway through the album, Tennessee Trash Disclosure commences to hit fourth gear in a hurry as Andy Leftwich’s fiddle saws its way through the song’s playful lyrics that describe a man with an exotic maxed-out taste for life; a ‘new breed  of hayseed’ frames the main character’s profile brilliantly and you will laugh your way through it. Born from a real life experience Koraleah, is the story of a woman dealing with the pressures of taking a job at a new gun factory as opposed to continuing to live in poverty. Koraleah holds the power to delight you and make you cry within seconds of each emotion. The Greatest Song Ever Written is a spoken word narrative that chronicles a songwriter’s journey to Nashville, Tennessee. Germino weighs in on this tune from his own experiences and uses much of his seasoned insight before fictionalizing the song based on a real life experience. Carolina In The Morning explores Germino’s home state, its’ history and its indigenous accentuations. Poco’s Rusty Young accompanies the song with his renowned pedal steel and does so without invoking bluegrass licks as the primary musical weapon. Beautifully done. Finest American Waltz represents the glowing memory of attending the early Union Grove Music Festivals in Western North Carolina when Doc and Merle Watson were virtually unknown but reigned mightily. Author Of My Journey is a candid talk with the Almighty that converses both assertively and tenderly. Very few songs have been written in this fashion. Until The Fat Man Swings closes the door on Midnight Carnival. It is a song that invokes the realities and the magic that occur within the game of baseball.

We hope you enjoy Midnight Carnival. The entire album is a home run.