Mark Kozelek

Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is best known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as the vocalist, guitarist and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1989 until 2001.

Mark Kozelek
Kozelek performing with Sun Kil Moon in 2014
Background information
Birth nameMark Edward Kozelek
Born (1967-01-24) January 24, 1967
OriginMassillon, Ohio, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • record label owner
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • piano
Years active1989–present
LabelsCaldo Verde
Associated acts
Websitewww.sunkilmoon.com

Born and raised in Massillon, Ohio, Kozelek developed an interest in music as a child. Upon meeting drummer Anthony Koutsos in Atlanta, Georgia, the pair moved to San Francisco, California and formed Red House Painters alongside guitarist Gorden Mack and bass guitarist Jerry Vessel. Signing with record label 4AD, the band released four studio albums to critical acclaim. In 1996, Kozelek recorded the band's fifth studio album, Songs for a Blue Guitar, mostly alone. The release of the band's final studio album, Old Ramon (2001), was delayed for three years. In the interim, Kozelek recorded both an album and an EP of AC/DC cover songs.

Reconvening with Koutsos and Vessel, the trio continued performing under the new name of Sun Kil Moon, releasing their debut album, Ghosts of the Great Highway, in 2003. Inspired by classical guitar music, Kozelek recorded Sun Kil Moon's fourth studio album, Admiral Fell Promises (2010), as a solo act, and continued to record mostly alone on its follow-up, Among the Leaves (2012). The album introduced a deeply personal lyrical perspective, which continued on the collaborative solo releases, Perils from the Sea and Mark Kozelek & Desertshore, both released in 2013.

In 2014, Sun Kil Moon's sixth studio album, Benji, was released to widespread critical acclaim and increased exposure, with its follow-up, Universal Themes, featuring lengthy compositions and stream-of-consciousness lyrics. In 2016, Kozelek released a collaborative studio album with Jesu, titled Jesu/Sun Kil Moon.

Across his work in Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters and his own solo material, Kozelek has released thirty-one studio albums, with his most recent being All the Best, Isaac Hayes (2020). Many of his albums have been critically acclaimed, and some commentators have described him as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.[1][2][3]

Life and career

Kozelek was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. In his teenage years, he led a band named God Forbid.[4] Upon relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, he met drummer Anthony Koutsos. After the pair moved once again to San Francisco, California, Red House Painters formed with the addition of guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel. From 1992 to 1996, Red House Painters released a series of acclaimed albums, showcasing Kozelek's intense, highly autobiographical songs.

However, Kozelek's parting with the record label 4AD, followed by a major label merger which left Red House Painters' 1998 album Old Ramon on the shelf, proved highly frustrating and stifled the group's momentum. Kozelek opted to occupy himself with a series of idiosyncratic solo recordings as Red House Painters dissolved.

In 2000, he released the solo EP Rock 'n' Roll Singer, which featured three original songs as well as covers of John Denver's "Around and Around" and three AC/DC songs ("Rock 'n' Roll Singer," "Bad Boy Boogie," and "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me"). Two of the AC/DC cover versions on Rock 'n' Roll Singer were radical re-arrangements of the originals which removed the Bon Scott-penned lyrics from their hard rock context and placed them into gentle, acoustic "folk ballad" settings.[5]

Kozelek expanded on this idea in 2001, releasing a full-length album composed solely of AC/DC covers titled What's Next to the Moon.[6] These new arrangements sounded so unlike the originals that a KCRW radio executive insisted that the title track was a Leonard Cohen song.

This was not the first time Kozelek had drastically re-arranged others' material to his own ends. With Red House Painters, he had previously done similar reconstructions with Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock," The Cars' "All Mixed Up," Kiss's "Shock Me," Yes's "Long Distance Runaround," Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs," and Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In the years between his band projects, Kozelek's music made a number of appearances on compilations and tribute albums. He contributed the song "New Partner" to the Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) tribute album, I Am Cold Rock. I Am Dull Grass. Around this time, Kozelek commandeered a tribute album to John Denver titled Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver, featuring Will Oldham, The Innocence Mission and Low to name a few. The compilation also featured Kozelek covering "Around and Around" as a duet with Rachel Goswell.

A limited edition live recording, White Christmas Live, was released by the Sub Pop label in late 2001. In addition to his solo material, it featured several Red House Painters songs done in a stripped-down, acoustic guitar-and-vocals style, and one a cappella rendition. An early version of his current project Sun Kil Moon's "Lily and Parrots" is tacked onto the end as an uncredited bonus track. It also features one previously unreleased song, "Admiral Fell Promises".

Sun Kil Moon debuted with Ghosts of the Great Highway in 2003, and also features former RHP members Jerry Vessel and Anthony Koutsos as well as new collaborators Geoff Stanfield (formerly of Black Lab) and Tim Mooney of American Music Club. Their follow-up effort appeared in 2005 on Kozelek's newly formed label, Caldo Verde Records. Titled Tiny Cities, the album is made up entirely of covers of songs by Modest Mouse. Once again, Kozelek's cover versions varied greatly from the originals. In a February 2014 interview with Seattle's The Stranger, Kozelek commented that he's "never heard from Modest Mouse" as to what they think of the record.[7]

In 2006, Kozelek was invited by Toronto indie rock label Paper Bag Records to exclusively contribute to their See You on the Moon! Songs for Kids of All Ages compilation with his original song "Leo and Luna." Then in November 2006, Kozelek released a live album titled Little Drummer Boy Live. On the album's two discs, he plays songs from his solo career, covers, and material from the catalogs of both Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon.

Kozelek returned in 2008 with the release of Sun Kil Moon's third album April. The album features 11 brand new recordings, including guest vocal contributions by Ben Gibbard, Will Oldham and Eric Pollard.

The release of the new album also brought the re-issue of Nights of Passed Over, a 256-page, hard-cover book of all the lyrics to Kozelek's solo songs, Red House Painters' songs, and Sun Kil Moon's songs. It also features setlists, handwritten lyrics, and a preface by Kozelek himself. The original edition of this book was released in 2002 in Portugal, and featured all the lyrics up to that point, printed in both English and Portuguese. The updated edition spans to his current Sun Kil Moon days, and the book also includes a 12-track bonus CD titled Nights LP, featuring live and rare versions of songs dated 1996 to 2007. The edition is sold exclusively on his label's website and is limited to 2,500 copies.[8]

On December 9, 2008, Kozelek and Caldo Verde Records issued The Finally LP, a CD collection of 10 unreleased tracks, including covers of songs by Stephen Sondheim, Will Oldham, Hüsker Dü, and Low among others, as well as two previously unreleased instrumentals. Two newly recorded live albums, Find Me, Ruben Olivares: Live in Spain and Lost Verses Live, followed in spring 2009.

On April 23, 2010, the release of Sun Kil Moon's fourth album, Admiral Fell Promises, was announced. The album was released on July 13, 2010.[9][10][11]

Mark Kozelek performing with Sun Kil Moon in Paris in 2014

A documentary film titled Mark Kozelek: On Tour was released via Caldo Verde Records on August 16, 2011. The movie was filmed during portions Mark Kozelek's European/North American tours of 2010 and early 2011.

In 2012, an article at Queensberry-Rules.com by staff writer Mark Ortega detailed Kozelek's fascination with the sport of boxing, which inspired the name of his Sun Kil Moon project as well as a few songs on a Desertshore album.

"Their backgrounds are extremely harsh and they work very hard to move up in their careers. I was in attendance at the Manny Pacquiao-Agapito Sanchez fight in San Francisco in 2001. When I heard Sanchez was murdered shortly after, it had a profound effect on me. It hurts when anyone dies young, but when you see the backgrounds of these guys and the path they've taken to try to find some light in their lives, it hurts to see them die young." [12]

Sun Kil Moon's fifth album, Among the Leaves, was released on Caldo Verde Records on May 29, 2012. On the whole its 17 tracks display by far the most lighthearted approach to songwriting Kozelek has ever taken, though the songs remain autobiographical and poignant.

Kozelek also contributed as a vocalist and bass player to Desertshore, a group featuring Red House Painters guitarist Phil Carney, classically trained pianist Chris Connolly, and more recently Sun Kil Moon drummer Mike Stevens. His first collaboration with Desertshore came on the group's second studio album, Drawing Of Threes (released November 22, 2011, Caldo Verde Records). Kozelek appeared in 6 out of 10 tracks as a vocalist and bass player. He played a more major role in the third studio album titled Mark Kozelek & Desertshore (released August 20, 2013, Caldo Verde Records), where he is featured as vocalist and bassist on all 10 tracks. In the same year, Kozelek released Perils From the Sea, a collaboration album with multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf, and covers album Like Rats.[13]

In 2014, Sun Kil Moon released Benji to wide acclaim, garnering a score of 85 from the critical rating aggregate website, Metacritic. No Ripcord calls it Kozelek's "most intimate work yet" and Kitty Empire of Observer added, it "might well be this difficult artist's most direct work." Soundblab rated it the best album of 2014, stating "When I remember 2014 in music, there will be Sun Kil Moon’s Benji and there will be everything else."[14]

Sun Kil Moon's sixth album of original material, Universal Themes, was released on June 2, 2015.[15] The album again featured drummer Steve Shelley, who previously played drums on Benji and then released an album in 2017 Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood. Kozelek toured Europe, the United States, and South America in support of the album in 2017 and 2018. On May 11, 2018, Kozelek released an eponymously titled double CD album, which "was recorded in San Francisco hotels and studios between May 2017 and January 2018."[16]

Vocal style

During his time with both Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon, as well as during his solo career, Kozelek has been known for his haunting, baritone style of vocals.[17][18]

Production work

Kozelek, who acted as record producer on every album released by his bands Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon as well as his solo releases, produced the debut album by friend and Low singer-guitarist Alan Sparhawk, in Sparhawk's side-project Retribution Gospel Choir.

Acting

Kozelek has also dabbled in acting. Friend and director Cameron Crowe cast him in his film Almost Famous (2000) as Larry Fellows (the bass player in Stillwater) and in Vanilla Sky (2001) as a clubgoer who mocks Tom Cruise's character.[19] In 2005, he appeared in Steve Martin's film Shopgirl, playing a musician who befriends and mentors Jason Schwartzman's character. Kozelek also performed "Lily and Parrots" (a Sun Kil Moon song) live in the film.

Kozelek appears as himself, and contributed to the soundtrack to Paolo Sorrentino's 2015 film, Youth. His 2015 Sun Kil Moon album, Universal Themes, often references his experiences while filming Youth.

Discography
Mark Kozelek in 2011
See also: Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters

Solo albums

EPs

Compilations

Live albums

References
  1. Slaughter, Matthew. "Mark Kozelek". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019. One of the truly great and largely overlooked songwriters of our times, [...]
  2. "Mark Kozelek, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down". Stereogum. October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2019. I was convinced he would be discovered posthumously, and eventually recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, maybe one of the greatest songwriters in the history of American rock music.
  3. "Here's Five: Saddest Songs By Mark Kozelek aka Sun Kil Moon". UnderTheRadarNZ. Retrieved December 27, 2019. He is also responsible for some of the most deeply melancholy music ever recorded, and is, by my reckoning, one of the greatest living American songwriters.
  4. Kellman, Andy. "Mark Kozelek". Allmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  5. allmusic ((( Rock 'N' Roll Singer > Overview )))
  6. allmusic ((( What's Next to the Moon > Overview )))
  7. Moorman, Trent. "Sound Check". The Stranger. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  8. "r/sadreminders". reddit. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008.
  9. "Sun Kil Moon: The Official Website for Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek, and Red House Painters". Sunkilmoon.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  10. "Caldo Verde Records". Caldoverderecords.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  11. "Sun Kil Moon Announce New Album – Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  12. "Famous Fight Fan: Mark Kozelek – Queensberry Rules". Queensberry-rules.com. February 11, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  13. "Sun Kil Moon – Discography". Caldo Verde. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  14. Penczak, Jeff. "Jeff Penczak – A Writer's Top 10 Releases of 2014 – Soundblab". Soundblab.com.
  15. "Sun Kil Moon Announces Universal Themes". Pitchfork Media. February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  16. "Sun Kil Moon: The Official Website for Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek, and Red House Painters". Sunkilmoon.com.
  17. "Mark Kozelek stands alone". Chicago.ohmyrockness.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  18. "Mark Kozelek Albums From Worst to Best". Stereogum. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  19. An Interview with Mark Kozelek (Welcome to Flavor Country) "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
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