News
Trick Fiction on a Roll!
Airplay on Hundreds of North American Radio Stations
TRICK FICTION, the latest CD by Paul Mark & the Van Dorens contains a fresh batch of Paul Mark originals accompanied by the righteous rhythms of the Van Dorens. The new Radiation Records release was recorded and mixed at famed Ardent Studios in Memphis TN and has been a hit on the roots rock radio scene.
The CD is currently being played on hundreds of blues and rock stations across North America, both over the airwaves and on Internet channels. Critical acclaim and awards for the release just keep rolling in. And with the signing of a distribution agreement between Radiation Records and big-time indie distributor Select-O-Hits, TRICK FICTION can be found in brick-and-mortar retail stores across the U.S.
TRICK FICTION, with the band’s trademark eclecticism and relentless lyrical inventiveness, reaffirms PM’s status as one of the finest roots rock/blues songwriters working today. And the NYC-based band, with James Strain on bass, Josh Wheeler on drums and Dan Schnapp on organ, is spot-on in delivering that lean-forward R&B propulsion that the band has become known for after decades of road work.
“It got to the point where we had so much new material that we had to cut a CD,” says Mark. “We were performing and rehearsing non-stop but never seemed to make our way into the recording studio. By the time we recorded Trick Fiction I’d written more than two albums worth of material and the band was sounding slam-bang tight…great rhythm tracks. A lot of stuff ended up on the cutting room floor…As it turned out we were arguing among ourselves about which tracks to keep. I guess we’ll release the outtakes some day to counter the bootleggers, you know, the way real rock stars do.”
Co-piloting the production with Mark was long-time band confidant and Memphis music maven Jeff Powell, who also engineered and mixed the sessions. “Powell’s like fifth member of the band at this point,” says Mark. “We’d already worked together on MetSwamp and IndigoVertigo, so our comfort level is real high,” says Mark. “That is, we’re real comfortable arguing with each other.” Powell’s wife, high-octane talent Susan Marshall, contributed deep soul background vocals to the Trick Fiction tracks, paired up with the sweet harmonies of Memphis gospel great Jackie Johnson.