Being a rock star was Mark Mooney’s backup plan, or so he says—somewhat cheekily, I might add. For years, he owned a motorcycle dealership, which for him was the dream job. As much as he loved it, he often thought about that backup plan; you know, if things ever got rough.
And then they did. He sold the dealership in 2008 as he was going through a divorce. He released his first album in 2005 (as things were about to crumble), and a second in 2008 (as things were actively falling apart).
Those first two dreamy folk-rock records bring him right back to the pain of divorce, and changed his entire life.
“Everything that I had worked on for my entire life was going sideways. There are songs on both records that go back to that. And the songs are reflective of it,” says Mooney.
Things have been good for Mooney the last few years. He gets to write articles and give lectures in the sports bike industry. Plus, he’s played a lot more music.
His second album, The Beginning of Again, even got a fair amount of press. NPR praised it. And why not? Mooney’s gorgeous songwriting mixed with his surreal singing style—which doesn’t immediately match the music—is intoxicating. His band includes David Roda on percussion and Chris Weinress on bass.
This isn’t his first foray into music. Back in the mid ’70s, Mooney went to L.A. to make it as a musician, and got a lot of positive responses, but didn’t work hard enough to take advantage of opportunities. Now, he’s not wasting any time. He’s currently working on his third record, which should be out sometime in 2017.
“I want to be a singer-songwriter. It does not matter how old you are. Your desires for your life’s journey don’t generally change. I’m coming back to the music gig,” Mooney says. “The new album is going to be good. Now what I’m writing is truly reflective of my life and where I’ve been. I’ve been working on the songs for 10 stinking years.”
INFO: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $25/adv, $30/door. 335-2800.
