Mark Eitzel

Eitzel spent his formative years in a military family living in Okinawa, Taiwan, Ohio and the United Kingdom.{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60147468.html?dids=60147468:60147468&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+13%2C+1998&author=DAVID+BELCHER&pub=The+Herald&desc=All+on+his+own+and+more%27s+the+pithy%3B+Boss+Grooves%3A+garb+yourself+in+finely+textured+tunes+cut+from+very+different+cloths&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131162112/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60147468.html?dids=60147468:60147468&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+13,+1998&author=DAVID+BELCHER&pub=The+Herald&desc=All+on+his+own+and+more's+the+pithy;+Boss+Grooves:+garb+yourself+in+finely+textured+tunes+cut+from+very+different+cloths&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=All on his own and more's the pithy...|last=Belcher|first=David|date=13 February 1998|work=Glasgow Herald|access-date=13 August 2011}} He moved to San Francisco in 1979, and came out as gay in 1985.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/american-music-clubs-mark-eitzel-strikes-a-hopeful-tone-8485588.html|title=American Music Club's Mark Eitzel strikes a hopeful tone|first=Ben|last=Walsh|date=February 8, 2013|work=The Independent}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/12/04/mark_eitzel_interview_songwriter_talks_about_the_closet_don_t_be_a_stranger.html|title=Mark Eitzel Is Making Great Music, Not Much Money|date=December 4, 2012|first=Seth|last=Stevenson|magazine=Slate}}

He started making music while he was a teenager in Southampton, England. His first band was a punk band called the Cowboys when he moved to Columbus, Ohio, at 19. They released one single in 1980. His second band was called The Naked Skinnies{{cite book|last1=George-Warren|first1=Holly|last2=Romanowski|first2=Patricia|last3=Bashe|first3=Patricia Romanowski|author4=Jon Pareles|title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uU9AAQA6kAMC|access-date=13 August 2011 |date=30 October 2001 |publisher=Fireside|isbn=978-0-7432-0120-9|pages=18–}} and they released one single in 1981. He moved to San Francisco with The Naked Skinnies in 1981 where they disbanded in 1982. Eitzel formed American Music Club (AMC) in San Francisco in 1982. The band performed and created albums for twelve years. At one point, Eitzel also sang with San Francisco's Toiling Midgets, and often recorded solo work while involved in AMC.

American Music Club disbanded in 1994, and Eitzel focused on his solo career, releasing 60 Watt Silver Lining{{cite news|url=https://www.salon.com/1997/05/08/eitzel970508 |title=Mark Eitzel |last=Eggers |first=Dave |date=8 May 1997 |work=Salon}} in 1996. Also in 1996, Eitzel contributed to the AIDS benefit album Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip produced by the Red Hot Organization. Following this, he released West in 1997, co-writing all of the songs with the R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, with whom he also toured. He followed up with Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby, assisted by Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and the Yo La Tengo bass guitarist James McNew.

Eitzel released more music in 2001, beginning with a more electronic turn in The Invisible Man{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/121246940.html?dids=121246940:121246940&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24%2C+2002&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=The+Melancholy+Man+Lightens+Up&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107164402/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/121246940.html?dids=121246940:121246940&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24,+2002&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=The+Melancholy+Man+Lightens+Up&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2012|title=The Melancholy Man Lightens Up|last=Harrington|first=Richard|date=24 May 2002|newspaper=Washington Post|page=T6|access-date=13 August 2011}} on Matador Records. This was followed by two covers projects in 2002: Music for Courage and Confidence,{{cite news|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2002-05-31/93940/|title=Mark Eitzel - Music Review|last=Caligiuri|first=Jim|date=31 May 2002|work=Austin Chronicle|access-date=13 August 2011}} which was material written by other songwriters, and The Ugly American,{{cite news|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-02-13/music/american-music-club-s-san-francisco-fixation/|title=American Music Club's San Francisco Fixation|last=Sanders|first=Mark|date=13 February 2008|work=SF Weekly|page=1|access-date=13 August 2011}} an album which included reinterpretations of American Music Club songs performed with a band of traditional and non traditional Greek musicians.

American Music Club reformed in 2003 for a sold out show at the South Bank Centre in London. In the following year, they released Love Songs For Patriots{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29481-2004Nov5.html|title=Pop Music: American Music Club |last=Foster|first=Patrick|date=6 November 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=C3|access-date=13 August 2011}} and toured both the United States and Europe several times. The album received glowing reviews across the world.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} In 2008, the band line-up changed again and the band released The Golden Age{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/a-divine-evening-at-the-music-club-with-old-friends-1280682.html|title=A divine evening at the music club with old friends|last=Sweeney|first=Eamon|date=4 February 2008|work=Irish Independent|access-date=13 August 2011}} which Uncut magazine said was their best since Mercury with a 5-star album of the month review.

Eitzel released a compilation album of electronic soundtrack material in 2005, Candy Ass.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10E384114C1BCEC8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Spin control|date=27 November 2005|work=Chicago Sun-Times|page=D2|access-date=13 August 2011}} In 2009, Klamath was released on Decor Records. Uncut magazine said it was his best solo album yet. In 2010, the musical Marine Parade was premiered in the 2010 Brighton Festival. The musical was written by Simon Stephens and Eitzel wrote all of the music and used two of the songs from Klamath. It received good reviews. He also contributed a cover version of the Ira Gershwin song "'S Wonderful" to the soundtrack of Vidal Sassoon - The Movie.{{cite web|url=http://www.vidalsassoonthemovie.com/ |title=How One Man Changed The World With a Pair of Scissors |website=Vidal Sassoon The Movie |access-date=31 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001133903/http://vidalsassoonthemovie.com/ |archive-date=1 October 2014 }} The film was directed by Craig Teper, and the soundtrack was produced by David Spelman. The soundtrack also included music by the post-rock chamber ensembles Clogs (featuring Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner of The National), Redhooker, and the Arcade Fire side project Bell Orchestre. The film had its premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

In addition to the above albums, Eitzel has also released many mail order tour CDs, his most recent{{when|date=February 2017}} being the limited edition (500 copies) Brannan St., which is available at his concert dates and at the Decor records website. His eleventh solo studio album, Don’t Be a Stranger, was released in October 2012 on Merge Records and produced by Sheldon Gomberg.

With American Music Club

• The Restless Stranger (Grifter, 1985)
• Engine (Frontier, 1987)
• California (Frontier, 1988)
• United Kingdom (Demon, 1989)
• Everclear (Alias, 1991)
• Mercury (Reprise, 1993)
• San Francisco (Reprise, 1994)
• Love Songs for Patriots (Cooking Vinyl, 2004)
• The Golden Age (Merge, 2008)
• Atwater Afternoon (self-released, 2008)

Solo

• Mean Mark Eitzel Gets Fat (self-released cassette, 1982)
• Songs of Love (Diablo, 1991)
• 60 Watt Silver Lining (Warner Bros., 1996)
• Lover's Leap USA (self-released, 1997)
• Words and Music (1997)
• West (Warner Bros., 1997)
• Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby (Matador, 1998)
• Live on WFMU (self-released, 2001)
• Superhits International (Demos 1999) (self-released, 2001)
• The Invisible Man (Matador, 2001)
• Music for Courage and Confidence (New West, 2002)
• The Ugly American (Soul Sister/Tongue Master/Thirsty Ear, 2003)
• Candy Ass (Cooking Vinyl, 2005)
• Demos Before Love Songs (self-released, 2005)
• Klamath (Decor, 2009)
• Brannan Street (self-released, 2010)
• Don't Be a Stranger (Merge, 2012)
• Glory{{cite web|title = Mark Eitzel - Glory|url = http://www.markeitzel.com/glory/|website=markeitzel.com}} (self-released, 2013){{cite web|title=Mark Eitzel - Glory|url=http://decor.limitedrun.com/products/512136-mark-eitzel-glory|publisher=Decor Records}}
• The Konk Sessions{{cite web|title = Mark Eitzel - The Eitzel Ordeal - The Konk Sessions|url = http://www.markeitzel.com/the-konk-sessions/|website=markeitzel.com }} (self-released, 2013){{cite web|title=Mark Eitzel - The Eitzel Ordeal - The Konk Sessions|url=http://decor.limitedrun.com/products/519560-mark-eitzel-the-eitzel-ordeal-the-konk-sessions|publisher=Decor Records}}
• Hey Mr. Ferryman{{cite web|title=Hey Mr Ferryman|url=http://www.markeitzel.com/hey-mr-ferryman/|website=markeitzel.com}} (Merge/Decor, 2017)
• Copenhagen (self-released, 2017)

With Cowboys

• "Supermarket"/"Teenage Life" 7" single (Tet Offensive, 1980)

With The Naked Skinnies

• "All My Life"/"This Is the Beautiful Night" 7" single (Naked House, 1981)

With Toiling Midgets

• Son (Matador, 1992)

In collaboration

• Mark Eitzel & Peter Buck: Words + Music (Warner Bros., 1997)

{{Reflist|2}}

{{sisterlinks|d=Q1106350|c=Category:Mark Eitzel|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}

• {{Official site}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140208013004/http://www.americanmusicclub.com/ American Music Club official web site]
• Sean Body, Wish The World Away: Mark Eitzel and the American Music Club, SAF Publishing, Ltd. (April 1999), {{ISBN|0-946719-20-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-946719-20-4}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eitzel, Mark}}

Category:1959 births

Category:Living people

Category:American rock singers

Category:American male singer-songwriters

Category:American rock songwriters

Category:American LGBTQ musicians

Category:LGBTQ people from California

Category:Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:The Minus 5 members

Category:Singer-songwriters from California

Category:American Music Club members

Category:Merge Records artists

Category:Thirsty Ear Recordings artists

Category:Cooking Vinyl artists

Category:New West Records artists

Category:Matador Records artists