Mark van Mourik

Blues: Not A Given

Independent

Mark’s musical journey began in the Netherlands, at an early age, copying his father on a toy guitar. Seeing this, Mark’s dad gave him his old acoustic nylon-string guitar. Mark’s father saw he had to use three fingers to play one note, so quickly thereafter a smaller-size acoustic guitar was made available. His father taught him three chords, and from then on Mark went on to explore the guitar on his own. A gifted ear and a natural understanding of chord progressions helped him learn to play along with songs from his father’s records, by artists like B.B. King, the Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eric Clapton, the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Fats Domino, the Shadows, Freddy Fender, John Denver, and even the Beach Boys as earliest influences.

Mark soon realized that when you put microphones inside the body of the guitar and cranked up the volume, distorted notes would come out. Soon the speakers of the home sound system were broken. After saving money by doing extra chores, Mark bought his first electric guitar, a red and brown Avora. Now he was ready to perform at school and was also welcomed to the stage to play with his father’s band.

Mark soon joined the school band and started playing with other young musicians. He was first exposed to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix. Purchasing Hendrix’s Live at Winterland, Mark, with his brother on drums, started their own Experience.

Mark soon copied the gimmicks of Hendrix, playing with his teeth, behind his head and back, and with lots of distortion. His father told him, “It’s about playing with a feeling and hitting the right note at the right time. Listen to the blues.”

In 1995, Mark met Roy Roberts, a bluesman from the United States. Mark and Roy jammed together at the local Blues Cafe. Together they toured across the United States and Europe, where Roy often introduced Mark as his adopted son. Mark has had the privilege of playing with other artists including Taj Mahal, Floyd Miles (featuring Gregg Allman), Chick Willis, Sandra Hall, William Bell, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, B.B. King’s All-Star Band, Howard Tate, and many other fine musicians.

Mark was exposed to many fantastic musicians whose influence he has incorporated into his own style. Mark currently resides in the Netherlands, where he has recorded albums including Passages on Jovama Records and Dutch Guy Playing the Blues on Rock House Records. Not a Given features Mark on guitar and vocals; Wolfgang Roggenkamp on Hammond, Wurlitzer, and backing vocals; Dave Breidenbach on bass and backing vocals; and Peter Weissink on drums and percussion. The album was engineered and mixed by Phil Martin Timothy Holst at the Woodstock Recording Studio in the Netherlands.

The opening track, “Blame It on the Water,” is a hard-hitting, funky blues-rock tune with a driving groove filled with electric guitar riffs. A swirling percussive Hammond is anchored by a punchy bassline, as Mark sings, “I’m looking for a reason to justify my mind…you can blame it on the water, you can blame it on the rain…you can blame it on the moonlight…but you’ll never stay the same.”

On the title track, “Not a Given,” a slow-burning emotional power ballad, Mark’s vocal is deeply expressive, and his guitar solo, restrained yet soulful, completes this top-notch shuffle, as he chimes, “sitting under the willow tree watching the world go by…the wind starts to pickup while the rhythm of the raindrops start to wash away the past.”

“One More Blues Song” is a mid-tempo, soul-driven blues track with raw emotion and classic smoky phrasing. Co-written with Roberts, it is Mark’s homage to his old friend and mentor, as he chants, “confusion conquered my soul…just as sure as one and one is two…I thought I couldn’t go wrong…why you do me like this, why you do me like this…while I was gone.”

“Keeps Me Up” has a New Orleans second-line-infused drumbeat with a funky groovin’ bassline, around a warm but dirty Hammond B-3. Inspired by sleepless nights, Mark wails, “the rhythm in my head…must be reason for the music in my mind, keep me up at night, one thing is for sure, it keeps me up at night, it keeps me up at night.”

“Mistreated” is a dark D-minor slow blues that blends blues-rock grit with a steady road-trip backbeat and a strong hook. It supports a love story filled with dynamics, as Mark cries out, “I’ve been mistreated everytime I’m on the road…never saw it coming, now my whole world’s in trouble…just saying the words I don’t want to hear, I don’t want to see you no more,” with some great Hammond organ from Roggenkamp.

“Not So Kind” is a strong, solid blues. The locked-in rhythm section lays down a tight groove that supports the tell-it-like-it-is vocal line, as Mark bursts, “Well I hear you, why don’t I go back…but believe me when I say next time, I won’t be so kind…everyday is different, it seems like I’m losing my mind, believe me when I say next time will be different, I won’t be so kind.”

On “We Get Up,” Mark kicks into a propulsive 12/8 blues-rock backbeat. The emotional core of the song signifies unity and perseverance, embellished by a dynamic build in tension before the explosive, danceable chorus slams back in, as Mark belts, “If you mix up all the seasons, and I hope I’m not too late…and I’m hoping that your with me when I still call. When we fall down, we get up and when we fall down, we try again,” with more great organ.

The closer, “One Last Song,” is a heartfelt ballad with an expressive guitar, melodic Wurlitzer, and a take-me-to-church Hammond B-3. It was inspired by Mark’s feelings during the final days of his father’s life: “one last word wanting to hold on…and not let go.”

Blending blues with a touch of jazz, a sprinkle of funk, and a sliver of soul best describes the sound of contemporary blues artist Mark van Mourik. Strong guitar and heartfelt vocals, accompanied by a solid, locked-in rhythm section and warm, swirling Hammond B-3 organ, characterize the sound of Mark’s new album, Not a Given. Mark van Mourik plays “the right note at the right time.” Check him out — you’ll be glad you did!

Richard Ludmerer

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