Interview with
Mark Hansen


The rework of Random Tracks has allowed us a return to our roots of providing the best in independent music to you. Because this really is a return to the founding ideals we established two years ago, we thought it would be fun to bring back our very first featured artist, Mark Hansen.

 Mark Hansen is a true rocker in every sense of the word. He’s worked with music for years as a singer/songwriter, producer, and recording technician of various styles. His own brand of rock and roll has deep origins in his faith, and feelings as a family man. We caught up with him the other day, and he agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk about his music with us.

RT: How long have you been creating/performing your own music?

MH: Wow. I’ll have to think back on that one. I wrote my first song in high school, so that would have been in about 1977 or so. That doesn’t count making up silly stuff as a kid, though. Actually, I still remember that song. It was about a king that comes home from war and gets knocked off by his son, the prince. I was way into all that medieval stuff back then.

I’ve been doing it with more seriousness for about the last ten years or so, focused on the last 5, give or take. That’s when I started working on “One United Generation”.

RT: What long range goals do you have for you music career?

MH: I’M GOING TO RULE THE WORLD! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Or not...

I want to keep putting out CD’s, keep building my fanbase, and keep performing. I don’t really have any goals like, “win a Grammy” or whatever. But these songs keep coming to me, and I keep having fun making them. So, I’ll keep at it.

RT: Do you like to work in collaboration with others, or do you prefer to work alone?

MH: I wish I had more time to work with others. I tend to work alone, because the most available time I have to do music is way late at night or way early in the morning. I love bringing other people’s work into my songs. I just wish I could do more of that.

That being said, I also like to be in charge of my music, and sometimes that also gets in the way of collaboration. I’d like to be able to explore that more and get better at that, too.

RT: I always think of the hey day of 80's glam rock when I listen to most of your tunes, but the message in your music is very different. How do you explain that?

MH: I love that sound. A good driving beat with the drums, bass, and electric guitar is what gets me excited. I love all kinds of music, but that’s what really drives me. I guess it’s what I really grew up with, and so that’s what I’m accustomed to.

As I look back on that stuff now, I think the lyrics of a lot of those songs were lame and banal at best, and downright obscene at worst. I’ve never agreed with that kinda life, so when I wrote my music, I approached it more from the point of view of my own religious beliefs.

I also listened to a lot of Christian rock in that era, and still do, in fact.

RT: Do other people’s expectations of your music affect the way you create it?

MH: Yeah, I wish it didn’t, but it does. Part of me being a musician is this issue I have with acceptance and validation. I need some serious therapy, dude...

RT: What attributes and skills do you think musicians these days need to cultivate?

MH: Business skills comes to mind right off the bat. I wish business classes were required for anyone with a music major. Anything less is a disservice.

Musical skills, of course. Ya gotta get chops. But, honestly, I think that your choice of the word “cultivate” is the right one. I know that a lot of musicians are afraid of sharing their art because they don’t think they’re good enough. I say share it anyway and find your audience. You’ll build skills and confidence on your way.

Balance. You have to be driven to do music, but you’ve got to find a balance between musical life and real life. Family, friends, work. It all has to fit, or you’ll end up crazy. Right now, I find that music takes a back seat too often for my tastes.

RT: Tell me about the "One United Generation" CD. This is your second recording project, and it sounds like you've come a long way in the intervening years. Your sound has matured, I guess. What inspired you to release this CD after so many years? What went into the planning and creation of it?

MH: Before “Generation”, I had been working on a lot of songs, demoing them one at a time in my home studio. Some of those made it onto the old Cassette release I’d done, back in ’93, “A Joyful Noise”.

But at this time, I had just sold off all of my old analog recording gear and made the jump to computer-based digital, and I thought this would be a good time to push myself to finish a CD that was retail ready, instead of just a home-brewed demo.

So, I started working on the songs. Because I don’t do music full-time, it took me four full years to finish.

In a lot of ways, having a CD is kinda like getting a diploma. People take you more seriously as a musician when you’ve got a project done. I wanted to set myself up for a task that would be a landmark, an accomplishment, and fulfill that goal. The result was “One United Generation”.

RT: You worked with several different people on this project, and yet it still ended up sounding like “you.” How did you manage to preserve that "feel?"

MH: By being a control freak!

But seriously, folks...

That’s basically the job of the producer. To create something that works as a complete unit, as well as an individual song. The fact that the songs, as varied as they are, all have an underlying feel, is attributed to the fact that they all basically came from me, and not another producer.

And that’s not always a good thing. Because I did so much on the CD, I can tell that it sometimes lacks the elements that additional minds can bring to a project.

RT: Can you give us a preview of any of your current projects?

MH: I’m really excited about my next CD, to be titled “Lost and Found”. It’ll be coming out in late summer/early fall. Some of the tracks can be heard http://www.markhansenmusic.com/music.htm. This one is, for me, a big leap from Generation, as well. Some very strong songs. I listen to it a lot myself, actually, because I really like it!

That can come across as egotistical, I guess, but then, if I don’t like my own songs, how can I expect someone else to?

RT: Where do you see your music fitting into the music industry in general?

MH: Unfortunately, it isn’t fitting in as much as I’d like it to!

But this is a very exciting time to be an independent musician. The ‘net allows you to build up a fanbase that was unheard of for someone without a label. I’ve gotten fanmail from the other side of the world. That’s amazing, when you come from the pre-internet world.

It does take more work, but the rewards are your own.

RT: What kinds of projects would you like to undertake, but for whatever reason you’ve not tackled yet?

MH: I’ve got some ideas that I think are cool that I’d love to do. I’d like to write a musical. I’d like to do an album of all covers (I’d title it: “Mark Hansen: Everyone Else’s Greatest Hits”). I’ve got some ideas for staging some concerts that would be a lot of fun. All of which I will do in my plentiful spare time...

RT: In the larger world, we see a lot of rock musicians having troubles with their families. Divorce, drugs, and other problems seem to abound. I know you and your wife have had your share of problems, but the two of you actually seem to get along. What can you attribute your marital success to?

MH: To the fact that my good wife hasn’t wised up and dumped me yet!

She’s pretty amazing. It was a rocky start, but she allows and supports my musical efforts a lot. When it starts to get out of balance, she’ll remind me that the family’s getting neglected, and it helps keep me centered. In the long run, the tunes are great, but it’s the family that’ll last.
You can sample (and purchase)  Mark's music at his website, Mark Hansen Music.