Mark Twang plays a little bit of everything—rock, roots, jazz and bluegrass for starters—but so far they haven’t played much in public as evidenced by the fact that their upcoming show at Don Quixote’s will only be their second gig. But there’s a reason why the band isn’t performing a lot right now. “We have plans [to make an album],” says drummer Jeff Wilson. “We’re trying to do some things differently though and not just come out full-steam ahead and start playing all these shows.
We’re being selective so we can record an album and have something to offer to people at shows.” The band’s Facebook page reveals two live songs—the groovy rock ’n’ soul number “This Time Around” and the rootsy rocker “Your Sorrow Will Be Fine”—both of which contain attention-grabbing, slick guitar licks, a heavy dose of organs and raw energy. But Wilson says the two tracks only hint at what Mark Twang sounds like. “Our sound is kind of hard to describe, because while it’s definitely rock ’n’ roll, you kind of have to separate rock ’n’ roll apart to get a proper hold on it,” says Wilson. “Rock is a mixture of blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, R&B and all these different things. But I think the sound is a bit rootsy, there are some elements of jazz in the chords and we have progressions that aren’t super typical.” Wilson says he is hopeful that the band will release its debut album soon, but can’t provide any concrete details just now. “I think we’ll definitely record it before the year is out, but it just depends as far as when it’s going to be released,” he says.
INFO: 9 p.m. Monday, June 17. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 603-2294.
