Another tour has come and gone, this time it was North America. I ended up having to book the thing myself, pretty short notice. It was stressful to book, but I managed. It was stressful to get through, due to short-notice routing, but I did it. I had ups and downs, but it was mostly a great trip and a great time. I finally saw Puerto Rico, and if that ain’t one of the best places to play and visit, I dunno what is. Very few shows were disappointments, but the couple that were took place in cities I had expected better from. Now I know. I also realized that I am an outsider to the press, and even to the people in whatever ‘scene’ I may be dragged into. This in particular was not depressing or surprising, but kind of amusing to me, in that I seriously have had a major role in influencing a lot of the same stuff that is being written about and heavily attended – whether people wish to know or acknowledge that or not. I think a lot of folks, for example, don’t realize just how much I wrote and sang in The King Khan & BBQ Show or if I was even there at all, hahaha! But I was. And my contributions may not be respected right now, down to the biased, side-taking reviews, lack of coverage, the sullying, the vilifying etc… but my music and its breadth will be remembered in the future, when image and this moment’s attitudes are forgotten for the façade that they are. The music will always rise to the top – even if it is coveted by few. One thing I DID, however, find unsavoury was how some ‘friends’ and music buddies I had made through the last few years had no problem turning their backs once they had concluded that I am not part of something ‘hip’, anymore. That would be my assumption. That some folks are scared to not be ‘cool’ and possibly face lensless judgement. I guess I had just assumed that kind of clique-y desperation was happening far away from my world. The truth is that no matter how tiny the ‘scene’, how inconsequential the music, however 3rd rate the media coverage and ‘celebrity’, people are consumers and suckers for the most part, generally reverting back to their adolescent insecurities and mechanisms. Oh well. Good riddance. You follow the leaders, and I will be over here doing my own thing.

I am proud of my many contributions. I am proud of my 2 (3!) new albums. I am proud to be doing something perceived as being cloying, while remaining pure. I am proud of my live show. I will paraphrase and combine what I was told once in NYC and once in Paris. My patience and defeat are often rewarded in observations like this from excited strangers, who feel how much I give from my soul at a show and inspire me to continue:

“When I close my eyes I hear pirate radio, complete with the static, with the sound of the signal cutting, the styles changing, tempos crashing, vinyl popping and scratching, like on a juke-box. I am excited to hear what will happen next. When I open my eyes, I see only one man lovingly sacrificing himself for a purpose he doesn’t quite understand. It’s magic.”

I love everyone who helped me out, housed me, drove, promoted me, lied to me, loved me, hated me, had a drink with me, laughed with me, lent me gear, bought my stuff, played with me, came to the shows, tried to fight me, fed me – even those who prove me right by saying shit like, “He doesn’t wear a turban live?! I’m not going.” I just want to play my music, make my music. It is what keeps me going.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Months ago, I was trying to book a small tour around the holidays in Europe. But like with anywhere else, it has proven unnecessarily difficult. Here is what was managed:

Dec 15th: Copenhagen, DK – Stengade
Dec 16th: Stockholm, SW – Vielle Montagne
Dec 17th: Goteborg, SW – Showdown
Dec 22nd: Rome, IT – Init
Dec 27th: Bergen, NO – Garage
Dec 28th: Berlin, DE – Monarch

My plan is to come back to Europe in 2012 and play some other cities and see some friends. If you read this and promote, feel free to write me with ideas.

MARK

To be clear, I don’t even know dubstep. I am a hypocrite. I also like to lie. Live however you wanna live. I realize it’s better to print the worst parts of interviews, but I honestly don’t think I am better or worse than anyone – just living my life. I enjoy being facetious and if that gets you to listen to my music, I’m happy, cuz it seems there is no other way.
 
- Mark

SIDE A
Keep Em Satisfied Pt. 1
In Future Worlds
Satisfied And Lazy
Pancakes
Party Crasher
Not Another Day
See Them Wave Goodbye

SIDE B
Keep Em Satisfied Pt. 2
Let Me Freeze
Apophis To the Slaughter
Sweeter Than Wine
For Those Who Don’t Exist

Mark Sultan has two new albums waiting to be released on vinyl in the US and beyond sometime in the fall on In The Red Records out of Los Angeles, California. The names of the albums are ‘Whatever I Want’ and “Whenever I Want’, respectively, with a CD release entitled ‘Whatever/Whenever’ following their heels containing 7 songs from each album, 14 of a total 26. The songs are in a similar vein that he has mined of late (and for years): early rock’n’roll, psych, avant garde, free jazz, doo wop, early r&b, garage punk, punk rock, etc… thrown in a pot and simmered over his incredible vocals. Covers of such artists as Ultravox, The Stains, The Four Lords and a couple more round out the collection. Collaborators include Choyce (Red Mass), Jared (Black Lips), Cole (Black Lips), Erin (Spits), Danny (The Gories), etc…”

The first 200 on each LP are on blue vinyl. Get at In The Red.

SIDE A
Axis Abraxas
Livin’ My life
Calloused Hands
Graveyard Eyes
Quit The Human Race
Just For a Moment
No Worries

SIDE B
Song In Grey
If I Had a Polaroid
Blood On Your Hands
Just Like Before
Repulse Me, Baby
I Turned Them All Down
Never Coming Home

Mark Sultan has two new albums waiting to be released on vinyl in the US and beyond sometime in the fall on In The Red Records out of Los Angeles, California. The names of the albums are ‘Whatever I Want’ and “Whenever I Want’, respectively, with a CD release entitled ‘Whatever/Whenever’ following their heels containing 7 songs from each album, 14 of a total 26. The songs are in a similar vein that he has mined of late (and for years): early rock’n’roll, psych, avant garde, free jazz, doo wop, early r&b, garage punk, punk rock, etc… thrown in a pot and simmered over his incredible vocals. Covers of such artists as Ultravox, The Stains, The Four Lords and a couple more round out the collection. Collaborators include Choyce (Red Mass), Jared (Black Lips), Cole (Black Lips), Erin (Spits), Danny (The Gories), etc…”

The first 200 on each LP are on blue vinyl. Get at In The Red.

For a few years now, I have come to a conclusion regarding the music that I have loved forever: Rock N Roll MUST be destroyed. Killed, in order to preserve it and its spirit. I can’t be the only one who has thought this. Or that there was no need for a Gremlins 3-D.

Maybe now is the perfect time, given that anarchy is being co-opted for a surrealist ad-campaign. Maybe it’ll make more sense. Maybe the idea is now as trendy as the entity I am trying to repossess ownership from. Maybe I am a liar, a foolish punk rocker. Maybe my bitching is trendier than everything.

There is an alternate history being written of the music I love, written and left for dead at the hands of culture ghouls. For the last few years, I have watched and, at times, indulged. And had a lot of fun. Years from now, there will be another batch of kids revisiting rock’n’roll, starting bands according to the information that they have gleaned from the past. The artifact for them to touch and understand, for them to learn from, is a forgery. It is an impudent and unrepentant alternate history. Its allure has skewed the music’s innocence. Motivations have changed, confusing the music’s soul. That, in turn, has trickled down to some people who start bands. This alternate history wears like an ill-fitting shirt on the music’s eternal being, the tastemakers using prefab iconography for their own gain, and the inherent naiveté of the music itself and its players as their pop-culture ammunition. This artifact has and will be captured on high-end film, big tours, magazines, etc…. The hierarchy is in place with the competitive nature of sports and square lifestyles reigning over fun, integrity, sigils and community. In the end, it is the same machinery used in mainstream music that I stupidly thought most of us were against, maaaaan. And if you are not part of this private club? No crazy booking agents, shows, festivals, labels, magazines, TV, films…. Banished to invisibility by the ‘popular kids’. Fuck that jock shit. But I’m not saying I would want this music to stay small, like the guy who was into Band X before they got big, but rather to get it back to the ‘mainstream’ consciousness because of its merits and quality and rightful place in the hearts of everyone. Some bands have achieved this.

A lot of bands don’t know or have forgotten how things always were. When bands rode horses miles and miles into 3 feet of snow to play some crummy town for a pack of Popeye cigs and a California Raisins backpack at the mercy of a telegram. This is a small subgenre of music. Has been for years. And has always lived on. But if the vampires suck every last drop of life from the real thing in front of our eyes, this will never come back to life. It will be remembered as just another stupid trend, like skoth or skwing. Can we afford to have the anonymous bands, promoters, clubs… who are held upon the shoulders of the spirits ignored as the other history that time forgets? The history that actually sits upon a very real timeline, where thoughts, vision, sounds and fuckery have been passed along with care for years? Sincere rockabilly fans and 60’s garage purists haven’t blinked an eye, and continue to protect rock’n’roll by innocently using the untouchable camouflage of the ‘uncool’.

That being said, I am not defending expensive costumes, Sonics covers, wrestling masks, one-man bands, ‘trash’, zombies, ‘voodoo’, hipster stereotypes from any genre/music ‘lifestyle’, Del Taco, the desperate dressing by-the-numbers ‘cool’ to fit in, or shtick over songs. Do everything you can with soul. Wrap rock’n’roll up in the stink of sincerity so the tastemakers and the vampires cannot enjoy it. Confuse them. Shroud the music and disguise it. Smuggle it with love and knowledge, inside your body, mind and damaged colon. But how long can this method last, without condescension and irony tearing out the floorboards like cops?

I believe that the only way to protect its soul is to destroy it, in the hopes that the future generations will wash it off and resurrect/resuscitate it, relisten/revisit and let it flourish again. Destroy it before they destroy its soul for good, while we just watch, defeated, from our imaginary, elitist towers. This is my contribution. Like this planet, I believe rock’n’roll needs to die to live. This is my only protest. Fuck money, fuck politics, fuck the world. This is me, destroying the music I love and the life I live on my own terms. Can you hear its soul beating somewhere within? If not, good. My name is Marco Antonio Pepe and I am a liar.

Read this however you wish: a complaint from a bitter old rocker, a manifesto, lies and trickery, boredom, parody…prententious ass-grabbery, self-imposed alienation, a regrettable joke, provocation, a naïve plea… Tear at this stupid diatribe with your genitalia. Tear it to shreds so that you understand it is bullshit, but not without thought. But
Listen to the music.
Sometimes I love you.

I need anyone listening to this ‘performance’ to know now that this is how I sound live. This is what you will hear at my one-man shows. This. And although it was recorded in improvisation, and this was the first time I attempted to use a floor tom, cymbal and delay pedal, I LIKE this sound and will continue to do it, to your liking or chagrin. Folks know of my disdain for 95% of one-man bands, including my own at times. But I like what I am doing, now. I hope you do, too.

Mark

Neither BRADFORD COX or KING KHAN appear on the new mark sultan releases. This is COMPLETE BULLSHIT.

So much news!! Holy shit! What the FUCK am I doing to myself!?!? Hahahahaha…OK, so firstly, I dunno if I addressed this yet, but thanks to Rob and everyone at the Reverberation Appreciation Society for an awesome time at the Psych Fest show in Austin. Great folks, great bands, etc…Thank you.

What else have I been up to show-wise…Hmmm…Well, chronologically, my next shows are gonna be in SOUTH AMERICA!!! Starting NEXT WEEK!!

AUGUST
25 – Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL: Hula-Hula A-Go-Go @ Saloon 79
26 – Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL: A Obra Bar Dançante
27 – Goiânia, BRAZIL: Metropolis
28 – Porto Alegre, BRAZIL: Santander Cultural

SEPTEMBER
2 – Curitiba, BRAZIL: Wonka Bar
3 – São Paulo, BRAZIL: Clube Berlin 6th Anniversary Bash!!
9 – Valparaíso, CHILE: Bar La Cantera
10 – Santiago, CHILE: Bar Loreto
11 – Montevideo, URUGUAY: TBC

I am really stoked to be able to go back and see friends and visit such wonderful places, and play some shows with BlackNeedles. Gonna be so much fun! I hope to drink ayahuasca and eat a toucan. I DO know that I will be recording in Sao Paulo. Fucked up tropicalia meets synth meltdown meets doo-wop – fucking STOKED!!!

Right after South America, I go to Montreal, where I will be practicing with Les Sexareenos for our Pop Montreal gig! A reunion? Sorta, I guess. Just a bunch of friends playing for kicks – we might even record us a new single!

A few days earlier, I will be joining Bloodshot Bill for The Ding-Dongs’ second show EVER! At L’Esco! That will be wild!!

SEPTEMBER
20 – THE DING-DONGS at L’Esco
24 – LES SEXAREENOS at TBA (Pop Montreal)

Check out each band’s respective new facebook pages with full, up-to-date discographies to listen to and videos to watch.

Speaking of The Ding-Dong’s discography, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have a new 4-song EP coming out on my newly revamped label, SULTAN RECORDS!!! Here is a link to its facebook page, with all the old stuff that was put out back in ‘98/’99 available to listen to. Some may sound dated, I dunno…but that’s what was up in Montreal (and Toronto), at the time.

I will add some new songs from these new Sultan releases in the next week or so!:

Mark Sultan Livin’ My Life (alt) / Pounding / Shadow With The Golden Eyes	The King Khan & BBQ Show We Are The Ocean / Terrapin	The Ding-Dongs Lucky Day / The Dump / Zach / Weekend

All are 7” 45rpm, all 1000 pressed (650 black, 350 white), all vinyl only. Distributed through Revolver & FAB. All other copies go to bands for sale. I won’t be doing mailorder, as I don’t have time. So go to your mom n pop’s and DEMAND them (they should be out in a few weeks) OR catch these bands on tour or wherever. MORE STUFF TO COME!!!

After these releases, or sometime during, will come this fantastic split 7” I did with Black Lips for Hozac.
Black Lips – ‘I Wanna Dance With You’
Mark Sultan – ‘Song In Grey (alt)’

Ok, so what then…AHHHH! My two new albums are coming out on In the Red in October. The two LPs are called ‘Whatever I Want’ and ‘Whenever I Want’. Both will be released with a limited colour vinyl run.

Here are the track listings:

SIDE A Axis Abraxas Livin’ My life Calloused Hands Graveyard Eyes Quit The Human Race Just For a Moment No Worries SIDE B Song In Grey If I Had a Polaroid Blood On Your Hands Just Like Before Repulse Me, Baby I Turned Them All Down Never Coming Home	SIDE A Keep Em Satisfied Pt. 1 In Future Worlds Satisfied And Lazy Pancakes Party Crasher Not Another Day See Them Wave Goodbye SIDE B Keep Em Satisfied Pt. 2 Let Me Freeze Apophis To the Slaughter Sweeter Than Wine For Those Who Don’t Exist	Axis Abraxas Satisfied And Lazy Song In Grey Just Like Before Calloused Hands In Future Worlds Let Me Freeze If I Had A Polaroid Never Coming Home Graveyard Eyes Party Crasher No Worries For Those Who Don’t Exist

And here is a little more about these albums:
“Mark Sultan has two new albums waiting to be released on vinyl in the US and beyond sometime in the fall on In The Red records out of Los Angeles, California. The names of the albums are ‘Whatever I Want’ and “Whenever I Want’, respectively, with a CD release entitled ‘Whatever/Whenever’ following their heels containing 7 songs from each album, 14 of a total 26. The songs are in a similar vein that he has mined of late (and for years): early rock’n'roll, psych, avant garde, free jazz, doo wop, early r&b, garage punk, punk rock, etc… thrown in a pot and simmered over his incredible vocals. Covers of such artists as Ultravox, The Stains, The Four Lords and a couple more round out the collection. Collaborators include Choyce (Red Mass), Jared (Black Lips), Cole (Black Lips), Erin (Spits), Danny (The Gories), etc…”

I will be adding songs from the new albums onto this site and also the player on this facebook page. When and how many? Could be now and again. Could be as many as I please. Best advice is to check.

These albums will be followed in the Spring by the rerelease, but as far as I am concerned REAL, OFFICIAL release of my 2010 album ‘$’, which was totally left for dead by people who gained my trust and shit on it, as well as one more NEW ALBUM. These, too, will be released simultaneously.

And ya, in the fall I will be doing a Canadian/US tour. All I can say for now is that it starts in late October in the Canadian West and goes everywhere else, including Puerto Rico, finally. I can also tell you I am playing this awesome festival:

I will announce these finalized tourdates in the coming weeks.

SEE YOU ALL SOON. XO
Mark

twitter | facebook

Write me for interviews and In Ihe Red for promo.

OK!!! It has been a few days since that mini North American tour concluded. I am fully chilled out, sitting in Toronto. Good stuff. My positivity has worked wonders lately, as has my self-confidence. I know I am good at what I do and think my music is actually decent. The shows went well and a lot of folks enjoyed them, including myself. For those who did not, no problem. There are plenty of other bands to see in this world. Anyway, I just wanted to thank all of the promoters and fans who booked these things and came out, etc… I am currently booking a bigger tour for the fall to support two new albums on In The Red (i know, i keep talking about it…), so if you have ideas or are a promoter, email me. I am totally psyched and ready to do this shit!!!
In the next two weeks, expect a few new songs up here, as well as the two albums’ artwork, track listings, news on my split with Black Lips, etc…
Thanks to all,
MARK

I am back in Canada. Did so much shit in Europe. Me and Khan recorded a new single, too:

“We Are The Ocean” b/w “Terrapin”

PAZOW!

Well, well, well…
It’s been a while! Last some of you may have heard from me was a seemingly defeated few lines on Facebook – and i WAS defeated. Just a terrible tour. It was the worst I had been on for a looong time, booked as though by someone who had never done this before as though he was booking a band of kids armed with a cdr, touring europe for their first time. It was mostly a humbling, horrid situation. It seriously made me want to stop making music. But I am a fucking rock’n'roll cockroach. I know, no matter what people think of me, how they treat me or what kind of misguided fashion-over-music fantasy world people live in, that I am proud of what i do. Of my songs. Of my music. Of my show, etc… This isn’t a case of delusion. I just see what some people like and really don’t think I am doing something that much worse. I can see that my wearing the same utilitarian clothing every day, for example, confuses some casual ‘music fans’, as I am not wearing the costume of trend A or lifestyle B. I can see how an older guy who really doesn’t pander or give a fuck being kind of a piss-off. I can see how a one-man band set-up can leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth. This I can really see. I hate one-man bands. Seriously. There are only a couple I like, and those few I do like I like because I don’t consider them one-man bands, but rather musicians who manipulate minimal gear and sounds and transform it and themselves into something special and transcend what they present. And make the music that only makes sense in such a format. I don’t like the one-man band as gimmick. Or this fucking community of one-man band team thought. I hate teams. I hate competition. This is all sports mentality. I hate sports, too. Ya, I realized a few things about myself on the tour: that I have soul, that I refuse to take shit (sometimes at my own detriment), that I am neither a monkey nor a whore (but also that i can take this axiom to paranoid new levels), and most importantly, that I love music. A few people tried to take that feeling away from me, and it really did affect me, but I have taken it back. And my love for it is stronger than ever. I really do think people will get it all in the future, even if it is just 10 folks listening to my records around the battered and bloodied globe in 2036. I am not worried or concerned. That all being said, I can freely acknowledge that some of my behavior towards people can be unacceptable and ridiculous. So to any friends, enemies, promoters, fans, booking agents, McDonalds employees, fishmongers, etc… I may have fucked with, hurt, offended or shat upon, I really am sorry. I am trying to make myself into a better person. I just have to get rid of a few vices and curb my temper and insanity. Conversely, I must thank everyone who made the good parts of the tour (and I should be clear that there were definitely a few) THE BEST. You know who you are and I am very much appreciative. Love.
So much shit is coming up for me this year. I am pretty excited. Let’s see… By the time anyone reads this, you may know that The King Khan & BBQ Show played a secret (albeit chaotic and disasterous, but FUN) reunion show in Venice, Italy. We are both back to ‘normal’ and are brothers once more. Expect a new single this fall, I think. We discussed it. Even some Almighty Defenders talk…. Who knows about that one, though. So, ya, I will be playing a few random shows in June in a few US cities and also a couple in Mexico. Two new albums are coming out for me this year on In The Red. The first, ‘Whatever I Want’, will have 14 songs and come with free download code to side A of my album ‘$’ from last year, which was handled horribly and which I now have back as my own. Maybe people will actually find it when In The Red rereleases the vinyl next year. The second album, ‘Whenever I Want’, will come out at the end of 2011. It contains 12 songs and has free download codes to side B of ‘$’. The CD version of it is 14 songs long and will be a mix of stuff from both albums. Guests include: Jared and Cole from Black Lips, Choyce, Erin from The Spits, Danny from The Gories and more! Covers of Ultravox, Four Lords, The Stains, etc..! I’ll also be putting songs up online incrementally in the future on my website. Dunno if I’ll bother announcing them.
Somewhere in the midst of all of that will be a split 7″ on Hozac with Black Lips, as well as a 7″ EP on my label! Yes, I have revamped the damn thing – Sultan Records – and will start releasing stuff SOON. First few things: my 7″ EP, a Black Lips/ King Khan & The Shrines 7″, and hopefully something by Red Mass. Nice! Also this summer, recording a new Ding-Dongs album with Bloodshot Bill, I think. In September, shows in Brazil, Chile and Peru. And then in the Fall, a fullscale US tour, including Alaska and Puerto Rico (hopefully). Lastly, don’t forget to check out my ‘Calloused Hands/Git It’ limited, hand screened, coloured vinyl etc 7″ OUT NOW here http://everynightisasaturdaynight.com/

Here are June 2011 minitour dates:

June 14th: Vancouver, BC – The Astoria
June 16th: Portland, OR – East End
June 17th: Los Angeles, CA – Blue Star
June 18th: Mexicali, Mexico – Bambino’s Bar
June 19th: Tijuana, Mexico – Bar La Jiribilla
June 20th: Calexico, CA – Rock The Border’s Tiki Pool Party @ Scorpion Bar – Quality Inn
June 22nd: Atlanta, GA – The Earl
June 24th: Brooklyn, NY – The Knitting Factory
June 25th: Toronto, ON – The Garrison

is still on. but my eyes are open. long gripey blog to come