M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Somewhere along the slow path of aging and discovering myself at a point in life that calm and restive music is much what I prefer, I discovered the simple joy of hymns that, when sung correctly (to tempo and loudly) there is great joy and Spirit to be had.

I've discovered Sacred Harp hymn singing and now can barely praise my Lord without toe or finger tapping. As an artist I've thrown myself into that genre of music and am very happily writing hymn texts and children's lyrics. It's where the Lord wants me to be and I'm very happy there.

So imagine someone like me, who, when really wanting to shock his friends, plays something as worldly and wild and Josh Groban or George Dyer, suddenly discovering an artist from a really different point of view and becoming a faithful fan. Even my children shake their teenage heads.

Mark Hansen (www.markhansenmusic.com) is a Latter-day Saint artist who fits no molds but the one from which a very Heavenly Father called him forth, and his music is as joyful and praising of his Creator and the gospel plan as any I have ever heard. His love of life and his outlook on gospel subjects are as deep and thought-provoking as any heard on any Latter-day Saint-oriented album.

But what is so special about Mark is that he does it with an electric guitar, drums, and with very joyful enthusiasm. He is the ideal Latter-day Saint Joyful Noisemaker.

Mark and I first met when he invited me to join a new organization named LDS Musicians (www.LDSMusicians.com); Mark was Member Number Two, and I was Number Four. We were all a bunch of hopeful musicians who were getting together on the internet to support and help each other and have a lot of fun along the way.

Besides making a lot of good music himself, Mark took it upon himself to help as many group members as he could reach their musical potentials and has become, to many of us, the heart and soul of the group.

“One United Generation,” by Mark Hansen.

In 2005, he debuted his first CD, “One United Generation: Holding Fast to the Iron Rod,” introducing eleven songs in rock and ballad genres that explore aspects of Latter-day Saint life with enthusiasm and with deep, thought-provoking ideas.

When I heard that Mark's second album was getting ready to debut, I jumped at the invitation to interview him. So let's turn my boring old folk's music off and join Mark:

BRUCE: Hey, Mark. You do realize this interview is interrupting a Neil Diamond album — I don't let that happen for just anyone.

MARK: You might be surprised to know that a rocker like me also likes Neil Diamond. I think his “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” soundtrack album is a masterpiece. Too bad it doesn’t get played much these days. If I still had a copy it would be in my mp3 player right next to my Greg Simpson and my Metallica.

BRUCE: Your albums are geared mainly toward youth who love rock music and are looking for positive, uplifting messages without having to turn to music they think only really boring parents enjoy. When we first met I told you my favorite musical group was still the Carpenters and that I barely knew any rock — that statement is still mostly true. So tell me: how does a balladeer and “rocker” like you manage to make people like me turn off their Carpenters and Barry Manilow albums and enjoy a genre we otherwise wouldn't listen to?

MARK: I’m not sure. One thing for sure is the lyrics. I’m not singing about things that a lot of rockers do, like teen angst or just partying. And I’m not putting sacred topics to a heavy metal beat, either. I take life and the things that come up every day while I’m trying to live the gospel and make a tune out of it.

BRUCE: What is the power in music for you? Why is it such a driving force? What does it do for you personally?

MARK: You know, there are days when I wish I could answer that. I actually took a break in the mid 90’s. I’d had enough of struggling to get noticed and I just flat gave it up. It was one of the most miserable times in my life. I soon came to realize that I will always have songs coming to me, and I can’t not make music.

There have been a few songs come to me that were very therapeutic for me. On “One United Generation” the song “Toy Soldiers” helped heal me after losing a good friend and helped me to reconcile with him. “The Sun Shone through the Windows” was another (previously only released as an mp3). While it was originally written as a thought-provoking look at the now-prevalent school shootings, it helped me to deal with the fact that I hated junior high and high school, and get past that.

BRUCE: You're full-time in the worker, a husband, you have two energetic sons, and you carry your load of church callings. How do you find time for creating music?

MARK: I have to make time. Most of the time that means staying up a bit later and working on a tune. That’s why it takes me three to four years to put out a CD, where most big-time artists do one a year — sometimes even two. It’s nice to have the recording equipment in my own room in the basement. That way I can go down and work on a tune until two or three in the morning if I feel the drive to. The other night I was up way late cutting a lead vocal track for a new tune.

BRUCE: Again, if it's not too personal, let’s talk about your son Jacob. Two, three different special needs all wrapped up in one very beautiful soul. I know you were using music to help with his development; are you still doing so?

MARK: Yeah, some. He’s a sweet kid. One of the real blessings of making your own music is hearing your kids spontaneously start to sing one of your tunes. He’s eight, so we just got the chance to baptize him. He’s got this cute little boy voice and he starts singing my songs it really gets to me. One of his favorites is one that I never released, but I wrote and recorded for my wife (it was a kind of an apology song), called “Superman.” It goes, “But I am not your superman/And yet you love me as I am/So I’ll just do the best I can/So I can be your superman.” He loves that one.

He also loves to air guitar to “Dance with the Devil” and “Turn it Up.”

BRUCE: One thing I've learned from your music is that there are gospel and moral messages and celebrations meant for heavier, stronger forms of music than most of us associate with gospel themes. There are gospel truths the young as well as the old can celebrate through powerful music without becoming worldly or disrespectful of Deity. What is your goal in this regard?

MARK: When it comes to creating music, it helps to realize some important things regarding the use of style. The style or genre has to match the message and the mood of the song. That’s why “The Taker” is more moody and gentle and “Millstones” is angry and heavy. The one is about the struggle of repentance and the other is me being angry about child abuse.

See, let’s take an example. Let’s say someone was putting together an album about the temple, and they wanted a wide variety of artists to write and sing about it. Many would say, “How could you write a hard rock song about the temple? When I sit in the quiet of the Celestial Room, I’m thinking gentle thoughts, with God. How could you write about that with screaming guitars and heavy drums?”

It might surprise some people to hear me say, “You’re right, you can’t.” And it turns out that there are a lot of other styles that are also inappropriate for that experience. An energetic bluegrass dance, for example, would also be wrong. But, to continue the comparison, you could write a bluegrass dance about how happy it is for a couple to be sealed together and form a new family. And when you think of the struggle and repentance that a person might have to go through to get to be worthy of a temple recommend, that would be an excellent theme for a hard rock song. And yet, all three of these songs I’ve been talking about are about the temple.

And I guess part of my goal is to show that it can be done.

BRUCE: Who were your early musical influences? Who are your current influences?

MARK: I actually started out young, but as a classical music fan. I played cello in orchestras all the way up through early college. I’ve taken a couple of years of music theory and at one point had contemplated declaring a composition major. So, even though there’s not a lot of classical in my rock, like the old bands Yes, Kansas, or Genesis, I love a good symphony.

And those early prog rock bands were big influences as well. Rush, too. It’s funny listing them, though, because I don’t think my current music sounds anything like them. If I say they’re my influences, you should be able to hear it in the tunes a little bit — right?

There are a lot of people that inspire me, even if they don’t really influence me. A lot of current LDS musicians are like that. I love listening to Sam Payne. Cheri Call is also such an incredible writer, even though she’s not what some would call my style of music. Greg Simpson’s rock isn’t as hard as I usually like, but he’s got the edge and I love his singing and writing. There’s a line from “Rescue Me” that always inspires me: “I might by floating on my back, but I’m still lookin’ up…”

BRUCE: I said in my introduction that you are one of a kind in the LDS scene, and I meant it in a very good way. There are those who would think of you as a rebel, but I know you better than that; you simply have a different path to walk, and you're brave enough to do so. I admire that in you as much as I do your music. Tell us: when so many LDS artists are doing their best to cram themselves into the same mold and persona in hopes of musical contracts, what drives you to take the path you take and gives you the courage to do so?

MARK: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”? Maybe that’s it. Maybe the other road is too crowded. I’ve always valued being a little bit different, or even a lot different. Which is funny, because I never rebelled in typical teenage ways. I was never interested in drugs or getting drunk, for example. I rebelled in more superficial ways — my hair, my dress, the tunes I listened to, and ultimately, the music I created.

BRUCE: What's the name for your new album, and how did you title it?

Mark’s new CD, “Lost and Found.”

MARK: It’s called “Lost and Found.” I started to formulate the title as I was assembling the songs. I started to realize that there was an equal balance between songs about the struggle and songs about the joy. It’s tough to live on this earth, and there are times when I just feel so disconnected from God. Those songs are the “Lost” list. Then there are times when I’m walking right with Heavenly Father (or at least more so) and those songs are the “Found” list. They’re mixed up on the CD, but it’s pretty easy to pick them out. Some of them cross over, but most are pretty clear.

Then my good friend, Diego (who designed the cover for “Generation”) came up with the cover concept for this one. A small toy (we went with a robot) “lost” in a street gutter and then “found” on a child’s toy shelf. Front and back, lost and found. It’s kind of a cool concept, I think.

BRUCE: I've got your first album pretty well memorized, so tell me — what am I going to hear on your new one? More of the same or something new?

MARK: Yes. (smile) That’s the simple answer. The long answer is that I’ve continued to explore lots of other styles (I’ve even done a Latin-influenced song on this one). It’s still all rooted in good, heavy, driving classic rock. The tunes are, I think, better written, better sung, and better mixed. I’m really proud of this one.

BRUCE: Being a lyricist I know that often just the writing process can be a great spiritual journey. Can you tell us about such a journey with one of the songs from your new album?

MARK: “Play the Cards” comes to mind. It’s a deceptively simple little tune, with a simple little almost AC/DC-like riff driving though the verses. The lyrics came to me after years, really, of contemplation about the nature of foreordination and predestination. Some people think that we’re destined by God or by genetics or whatever to life the kind of life we have. Others say that the environment or the home we grew up in determines our life.

I say that all those things play into your life, like a hand of cards that you’re dealt when you’re born. But then, we all have to play that hand of cards. And in the end, when the game of life is over, the Lord will judge us based on how well we played our own hand of cards. And if we played it well, we’ll receive the reward for that. And if we played it badly, we’ll be rewarded for that as well.

That also means that I can’t judge someone else’s life, because I don’t know the cards they’ve got in their hand that they have to deal with. Only the One that dealt those cards to them knows that, and has the right to judge.

BRUCE: There are a couple songs on the album I'm already familiar with. Tell us about “Dance with the Devil” — what it's about and how did you came to create it? I especially like the scripture you based it on; that's not one most musicians think they can bring to life!

MARK: That song arose out of the thought that often grabs us folks who have been members of the Church for a long time. We get comfortable and we get lax. We start to think that, even though we’d never dream of worshipping the devil, nor would we ever pray to him or serve him, it’s okay to dance with him a little. The problem with that is, of course, that he grabs us slowly and drags us down, bit by bit.

It did feel kinda odd putting out a song on the LDS market named “Dance With the Devil,” even though the message of the song is to not dance with him. I played with other alternative titles, like, “Any More,” which is another big hook in the song. But in the end, the title I chose was the only one that summed up the message of the song.

BRUCE: “I Will Sing this Prayer” — the title grabbed me, because in my line of music we really keep in mind that the Lord has said that the song of the righteous is a prayer unto Him. Tell us about this one.

MARK: That one was fun to write. I’d been involved in a songwriting challenge, and that particular time, the test was to write a song in AAA form. That means that there’s basically a hook line at the end of each verse, but there’s no chorus. There have been a few really good famous songs written in AAA, like “Gentle on my Mind” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but they’re really rare, especially in contemporary pop. I wanted to try, and this one was the result.

At the time, I was also thinking about my place in the universe. In the end, it helped to remind me that in all the vastness, God still thinks of me. That’s why the final hook line is a little different, “…And while He’s thinking of me, I will sing this prayer…”

BRUCE: And how about “How Beautiful”? I once told you and John Newman, who co-composed this with you, that you two should submit it to the Tabernacle Choir. For someone who's known as a rocker this is quite the beautiful and powerful choir piece! How did this number come about, and is it an entrance into a new genre for you?

MARK: Well, I don’t know if it’s really a Mormon Tabernacle kind of song. And yes, it is an exploration into a new genre. Actually, many of the songs on “Lost and Found” are new genres for me. I love to push myself that way.

In Contemporary Christian Music, there’s a sub-style called “Praise and Worship.” The songs are used in more mainstream Evangelical Christian church services, particularly youth ministries. They are slower, and “bigger” in arrangement. The lyrics, as the name implies are full of praising and worshipful messages. I’ve heard a few in this style that I really like, especially by groups like Third Day and Petra. So, I decided to try my hand at a P&W song.

Even though it uses choral parts (thanks so much to John Newman), it’s got a more “gospel”-ish feel than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir normally does.

It’s actually one of my favorites on the new CD. There have been many a morning that I’ve been very worn out and dreading the prospect of yet another day at my job, and on the way past the mountains on my daily commute, I’ll listen to this song two or three times, and by the time I arrive, I’m energized and ready to go!

BRUCE: I know that you recorded the choir parts for this song several times before you felt you had it right. Why was this one so important to get the right choir and the right sound? I think the results were well worth the journey!

MARK: Oh, man, it was years in the making. First of all, I tried to teach it to my ward choir and work it up. That sort of worked, but not quite. Then about a year later, I got up the gumption to try it again, but it still didn’t work. So, finally, I got each part together, two or three people at a time. We started with the sopranos. They learned it a line or two at a time, and we double recorded each line. Then a week or so later, it was the altos. My father (who barely tolerates rock music at all), actually was in town and sang the baritone and deep bass lines for me. That was very special for me.

BRUCE: How and where can we purchase your new album — and your previous one?

MARK: They’re both available at http://markhansenmusic.com Click in where it says, “The CD’s.” You can also go to the music page and download some of the songs for free. Of course the CD doesn’t have the voiceover at the end of the songs like the dowloadables do.

BRUCE: One last question. There's a lot of good Latter-day Saints who would really enjoy the full world of inspiration./gospel music if they'd only try it out. Too many Latter-day Saints never get beyond the hymnal or even seminary music and somehow think the Lord didn't mean for them to go any farther. I mean — well, you've seen my CD collection! Everything from Mahalia Jackson to the Tabernacle Choir to Mark Hansen! And all of it has made me a better hymnist. What would you say to someone to help them discover the incredible variety of expression and faith in the world of inspirational music?

MARK: I don’t know. I mean, everyone explores as much as they want to, and I can’t force anyone out of their zone. On the other hand, I think that if more people got out on the ‘net and sampled some of the music that’s out there, beyond their neighborhood Deseret Book store, they’d be amazed at what they’d find. Pop, rock, rap, country… It’s all out there. But sometimes you’ve gotta go looking for it.

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