«Forget being the best at anything. That’s the fruit of the action. And you do the work, they say, for the doing, not the fruit. You can never really know how it’s going to turn out in the world, but you know if you enjoyed doing it. And ideas start flowing and you start getting excited about stuff. Then, you’re having a great time in the doing, and that’s what it’s all about. If you don’t enjoy the doing, then do something else.»
David Lynch
I’m borrowing this quote from Lynch to introduce you to my new solo album, Small Music From Broken Windows. That’s exactly the spirit that pervated the making of this record – I couldn’t find better words to express how much this new music feels special to me. For once, I’m free from expectations. I expect nothing from this album, and that’s a relief; a great feeling, really. We musicians and songwriters – we love doing music because we love music, but we don’t mind some kind of recognition; we pour so much energy into it, that we’d like people out there to acknowledge the work.
But I have come to terms with the fact that it’s not a big deal if I don’t sell tons of records, if the world doesn’t know my name. Maybe it will happen. If not, well… I have been busy doing lots of different things, living a happy, interesting life – so far. Music keeps me alive (both spiritually and physically) and I’m enjoying being a modern-day musician that produces his own albums, gets to travel the world, plays music in front of enthusiastic crowds (sometimes small, sometimes big, sometimes very small), and generally has a ball doing what he loves. That’s the most important thing.
Small Music From Broken Windows reflects all of this, though it might be perceived as a very dark record. It just came out this way. I see it as a blues record, a modern dark blues one. It’s very personal, intimate – the songs tell about depression, death, broken hearts. It’s my take on a short story written by H.P. Lovecraft, called “The Outsider” (you can read it here). I see it as a journey through the unconscious: you may not see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, although an epiphany, a realisation might come your way, and a new life will start. I have spoken about this and other things with Anthony Garone at Make Weird Music – the video will give you more insights about the music.
“Where can I find the album?” you might ask. It is available on my bandcamp page, as usual: http://marcomachera.bandcamp.com – both as a digital download and in the form of a beautiful digipak CD. You can request it signed, in case you want me to ruin the splendid artwork. I’m also thinking about making some special LPs available – I’ll see how the CD goes. I could order a small batch in time for Christmas. Let me know if you’re interested. Also, the album shall be out on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and all the other digital/streaming stores, too.
One more important thing. This new release marks the birth of my own music label, Soundmill. A project I share with a friend, Enzo Lamberti, who’s been helping organizing and managing my career for the past year. I’m grateful to Enzo for all the hard work. The idea is to (hopefully) start producing other artists next year. For now, Soundmill will be the ideal home base for my music and collaborations.
Enough talking. I hope you enjoy Small Music From Broken Windows as much as I have enjoyed doing it!
Marco Machera 