I have a couple of announcements, one of which being a show that I’m throwing with my homies Scott Yoshimoto and Joseph Vincent– called Harmony For The Heart.

The concert is a benefit for the American Heart Association, and will feature many local talented youtubestars such as AJ Rafael, Cathy Nguyen, Jennifer Chung & Johnny Yang, Timothy DeLa Ghetto (aka Traphik), + many more AND special guests! more info on the event can be found in the promo video right here:

As of 2006, 631,636 people died of heart disease. Heart disease caused 26% of deaths—more than one in every four—in the United States.
-Center for Disease Control

This number has remained steadily consistent over the years but researchers over at the American Heart Association have been hard at work battling heart disease and developing new ways to prevent and even cure cardiopulmonary conditions! This is our chance to aid that fight and raise awareness.

for more info and to donate and/or buy presale tickets visit:

http://harmonyfortheheart.blogspot.com

In addition, physical copies of my new EP album, NO LABELS, will be available for purchase for $5.00 at the event– and I will be donating a portion of my albumsales to the American Heart Association to support the cause too!

follow me at twitter.com/kris_mark for more information!

I hope to see all of you there– much life & love!

-Kris Mark

Scott Yoshimoto, Joseph Vincent, and myself, Kris Mark, are hosting our very first concert, HARMONY FOR THE HEART, in order to help the American Heart Association and their commitment to fighting heart disease and stroke, as well as their efforts to raise awareness of these diseases. We need YOUR support, through any form of donation–be it 5 cents or 50 dollars–in order for us to facilitate the concert and maximize the proceeds that to the American Heart Association. Any help will be greatly appreciated and you will be acknowledged at the concert as a sponsor!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW HARMONY FOR THE HEART CHIPIN WIDGET TO MAKE DONATION

(*THIS WIDGET is not asking for DONATIONS for the American Heart Association, this is our FUNDRAISER to go towards putting on the concert)

Concert Details:

Harmony for the Heart
Benefit Concert for the American Heart Association
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Crystal Cove Auditorium at UC Irvine

5:00PM Pre-Show Meet & Greet
6:00PM Doors Open
6:30PM Show Begins
9:30PM Show Ends/Meet & Greet Post-Show

Confirmed Line-Up:
- Joseph Vincent
- Kris Mark
- Request Line (Scott Yoshimoto, Casey Nishizu, Emily Yoshihara)
- AJ Rafael
- Cathy Nguyen
- Jennifer Chung & Johnny Yang
- Traphik aka Timothy DeLaGhetto
- Paul Dateh
- MOVeMEDIA Productions

Tickets:
$7 Presale
$10 Door

Stay tuned, as info regarding ticket purchases will be announced soon!

Love&light,

Kris Mark

After tons of hard work from myself and nearly everyone around me– ranging from my family to Studio37 peeps to my close music heads–the NO LABELS EP album, my FIRST EVER, is finally out!

THE UNBOXING:

deliveryyyy.

Inside cover +CD face

The creds, the track list, and barcode!

TRACKLIST:

1. Who Is She (First Love) feat. Kenni Earl

2. From Her

3. Swagger [NEW SONG!]

4. No Labels

PLEASE visit the link below to check out, preview, and buy the album on iTunes, and WRITE A REVIEW/RATE IT!

CLICK TO PURCHASE ON iTUNES!

ALSO, watch the WHO IS SHE Official Music Video, by MOVeMEDIAPRODUCTIONS

Props to my sister ELLE of digital-heat.com for the amazing artwork, Mike Ladia for the photography and track mixing, Glenn Clancy of Studio37 for all Mastering, and thanks to DISKFAKTORY for doing such a legit job with replication! I’d like to give a special thank you to EVERYONE involved. From the good times to the bad–there has undoubtedly been conflict of both personal and creative ideas as much as there was undeniable syncing of them, but to have experienced any of it at all has been a big deal to me as a musician and as a person.

The album goes for $3.96 on iTunes @ $0.99 per track, and physical copies are $5.00! I’m going to be coming back here with updates to let you know how to obtain your physical copy via mail ASAP. I’ma be doing more shows, and getting my internet-savvy hat on and keep in touch with all of you. Without YOU, I wouldn’t have anyone to share in my passion. so THANK YOU!

As always, love&light.

-Kris Mark

“Who is Prince Charming, anyway?”

My answer:

Prince Charming is a mama’s boy with absolutely no real capability of supporting a relationship- his main and sole function is his power to gain INITIAL respect/affection.

Other than that, he’s jobless, goalless and idealistic… but hey, he’s good at slaying things. Are those relationship-sustaining traits?

His only apparent way of resolving a conflict is to kill things and show off to the girl in question. He chooses his best friend carefully; he has to have much more capacity for conscious thought than our Prince does (essentially, the real brains of the team), and his sidekick must present to him all the angles to a situation (otherwise, our rambunctious knight would probably just storm in and get himself killed).

Thus, our hero’s greatest asset is his dashing looks.

Not to mention the super clean, top of the line steed.

Today’s lesson? You want real happiness? DATE THE SIDEKICK. KM

Ever have that relaxing drive down the 405 Freeway at 5PM, full of smiles and friendly drivers slowing down to give you space and time to find your exit?

If you answered yes, you probably haven’t ever held a steering wheel before, or hail from downtown New York. It’s more than likely that you had to picture the aforementioned scenario with your car dancing to show tunes, a la Roger Rabbit—it’s just not realistic.

Photo from article by JOSH MAX Daily News Auto Correspondent | Tuesday, May 27th 2008

The sad reality of the daily commute is that there will be always be people violently cutting you off, because apparently you’re burning daylight if someone has to follow you at 70MPH (which, mind you, is 5 miles above the average California freeway speed limit.) Or worse, you may even subconsciously be one of these I-gotta-be-one-car-ahead-of-you-just-‘cause perpetrators.

So whether you’re in back breaking traffic, or just happily enjoying the scenic drive down the beach on a Thursday morning—why is it that we as drivers feel the need to battle each other like a heated Mario Kart match? Whether it’s Hollywood’s love of car chases, or video games that promote the idea of “get from point A to point B in x seconds or you’ll die!”, our minds are, in one way another, poisoned with the notion that urgency and feeling like you’re ahead of the game 24/7 will help you with your daily life.

Here’s a different, more realistic scenario to think of. When Daddy Warbucks in the 2009 Porsche 911 GT Turbo cuts you off, instead of getting offended by his wordlessly obvious statement of “you’re too slow noob,” it’d help to be aware of just what’s happening to his and your vehicle. Your vehicle’s gas pedal controls the amount of gasoline that is injected into your engine so it can burn and create energy. So a slow depressing of the pedal will slowly inject fuel into your engine, increasing speed at a slow, productive rate. Therefore, every time you smash the accelerator into the floor, you’re essentially injecting almost twice the amount of gasoline into your engine in that instance in order for your car respond and go faster in a shorter amount of time.

…What? Twice the amount of gas? That’s like, more money.

Yup, so when it boils down to practical thinking, the moment you get cut off, you’re immediately become the smarter, more cost-efficient person out of the bout. Not only that, there’s a really high chance that it won’t really do the cutoff guy (or gal) any overall good.

And thus, the endgame scenario: let’s say you’re both trying to get to The Lab for lunch. You’re in the fast lane, but saving mental energy by relaxing and driving at the speed limit. You get cut off by some cat trying to show off to his girlfriend in the passenger seat that his spoiled ass can go 95MPH.

Truth is, our bully will probably still be trying to find parking by the time you get there comfortably, and now you’ll be a couple more bucks richer than he is in terms of gas expenses. We have a tradeoff: self-gratification for one minute Speed Racer awesomeness versus potentially adding to your gas bill over time and simultaneously adding to someone else’s daily stresses. Sounds like all that Short Term vs. Long Term gain mumbo jumbo from Econ class is as applicable as they say it is!

One tidbit of knowledge we should all learn from is that even many experienced, professional racers and drivers take it easy when they drive in the city. This is because they’ve been around cars long enough to gain an understanding of how important it is to take care of not only their everyday vehicles, but other people on the road and how to minimize the balance on their bills as well. Tests prove it; you realistically save literally hundreds–sometimes thousands of dollars–just by being aware of your driving habits.

So here’s some piece of mind promoting peace of mind: Think twice about cutting someone off, and think twice about getting riled up ’cause someone gave you the Prince stare as they overtook you on the freeway. If you keep in mind the bigger picture, then you’ll always deserve a quietly confident last laugh. After all, if you weren’t encased in all that pretty metal, would you really willingly be a jerk to someone just having a good day?  KM

__

Sources: Edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html

**Leave it up to to a cold Valentine’s day, a hot shower, sprinkled with the end of a busy week to spur some deep self-thought.

Speaking of which, I’m so pumped to go back to school- ’cause although my summer has been one of the most productive ones I’ve had in my life thus far (recording, trips, room remodeling), I still feel like my brain is kind of on a standstill… and I really want to see how well I’d fare in studying this time around. I have this urge to fill my brain with knowledge that I think will be taken advantage of this quarter. I already have a prediction as to how freakishly awesome this upcoming quarter is going to be, due to all the opportunity that’s waiting for me when I get back. First and foremost, I’m finally declaring my major as Literary Journalism, and that takes a LOT of stressful weight off of my shoulders, seeing as I’ve been majorless for about 3 years now. Secondly, I’m taking some interesting classes (world of coffee and hip hop culture?! hell. yes.) and I have gut feeling that I’m going to be more responsible with my time management. On the off hand, I’m going to be hitting music full force if I’m not studying, especially with the arrival of my sexily amazing friend and upcoming engineer Michael Cupino now attending UCI. I have a [remotely] set plan for my quarter, and hopefully I’ll be able to juggle each and every one of these goals as the quarter rolls by without spreading myself too thin:

I. study hard, use library time twice as much as I did last year, throw together study groups, take better notes and watch videos that are extensions from lecture

II. visit office hours for key classes (lit j, sociology) [this helps immensely -_-]

III. set specific times for vocal lessons / tracking / writing sessions and NOT OVERDO IT.

IV. limit performances to about 3 big shows a month

V. take MCIA/KABA workshops… I wanna get back into dancing =)

VI. have album / website release by November 2008 [ample time, even with studies in mind]

–and that’s about it. I want to keep my plans that AREN’T academic as flexible as possible only because they’re so unpredictable… but I think so long as I keep these guidelines in mind I’ll be able to competently balance my year =).

As for my unusual contentedness, I just feel good about my life as of now. I’m working out more, doing more productive things, I’m tired of being on AIM, my boy Kenni has a dope girlfriend that he totally deserves, and this guy I know named Desmond has a dope girlfriend (SAMI! haha), I’ve been spending more time with my odlest sister, my godson is amazing, my older sister’s getting what she wants and is moving to SF later this year, I’m slowly improving on my guitar and vocal skills, and above all, my family’s more than awesome to me and I know who my friends are. I’m just not irrationally worried about things right now. Call it blissful disregard, or call it growing up– to me it’s just one of those appreciated moments where I’m not subconsciously ailed by some petty dissatisfaction towards something. Other than the sunburn on my back, life’s pretty effing good =).

Love&light,

-Kris

The following are titles that I would like to establish for myself in the near future:

The Session Guitarist

• an instrumentalist available for hire, as opposed to being a musician that is permanently a member of a set band/group

The Recording Artist

• The vocalist/musician with established and refined musical style
• Makes the most use of singing voice, performance and stage presentation
• Has at LEAST a demo package with songs that best represent vocalist’s style and professionalism
• established image, “star quality”

The Songwriter

• The lyricist and/or composer, responsible for creating melodies, words, and chords for multiple works. Songwriters may perform their own works, or may also write for other artsists.

The Producer

• Has many roles, which include overseeing and controlling recording sessions, providing guidance to the musicians, scheduling and communicating monetary situations and resources, and supervising mixing/mastering sessions.
• essentially create or mold music that is given to them according to their vision for the final product
• also deals with the business side of music, including copyrights, rights, arranging gigs, communicating with venues and management.
• may also be capable of instrumentation (such as piano, guitar, drums, etc) and singing as well, but will not primarily be the recording artist in that they do not often perform live, appear as center roles in music videos/interviews etc.

In order for the latter to be fully realized, here’s what I need to accomplish:

1. Create a 3-5 song demo by MID SEPTEMBER. Preferrably before school starts so I have material to present if the need arises.
2. Work out. hard. this means, physical exercise as well as vocal and guitar and piano exercises. my lungs need to be 100%, my stomach needs to be able to support at 100%, and my hands need to build endurance for long setlists if I aspire to be a legit performer.
3. Network even MORE. there’s immeasurable strength in numbers and in friends. be a good person to everyone- life’s trick is that the most unexpected people can help you out or screw you over if there’s bad blood.
4. Write, read, inspire, be inspired. if I’m a sponge with everything around me, I’ll have more to say in my songs. I don’t want to be one-dimensional.
5. Emphasizing on reading- read books and manuals for Logic and Pro Tools… it would never hurt to understand engineering so that I can be even more understanding and cooperative with the ever so valuable mixing/mastering crew.
6. Find a damn image that suits me. ugh, meaning I need money for clothes… how lame
7. Freaking TIME MANAGE. this one’s going to be the bitch and a half- I have to own my free time without burning myself out if I plan to make the moves that I intend to. responsibility is going to start playing a much bigger role in my life from here on out.
8. Work with the Souldeep and Downplay Productions fam much, much more than I am now. they’re the best of both the professional and personal worlds. <3

this list will grow, and will be frequently checked upon as the summer rolls by.

bottom line? no more slacking. I want what I love to do to become a reality. if it means owning school, then bring it.

There are currently 4 quarters to my life at the moment:

FAMILY: As I grow more and more, I can see just how wise my older sisters/parents really are. What amazes me is that it’s not a matter of their gaining knowledge over time- they’ve always been this smart… I’ve only just barely began to acknowledge it in my own terms. It’s bittersweetly humbling. I have to be able to remind myself how incapable I am of pushing my limitations all at once; I need to attain my balance so that I can not only maintain my grades or respect, but to also not get ahead of myself and be more strict with my focus. My sister pointed out something really eye-opening recently and I doubt it’ll be leaving me anytime soon; “you have to help me take care of Jalen, not have our mom and I take care of you”. My irresponsibility and lack of balance has once again caused me to be sick, and that worries my fam like no other. I don’t know why I lose sight of their advice when I’m at school or working on music… but like my vocal coach told me; “you have to know your limitations. push them, not tackle.” I find it within my duty as a son, brother, cousin, and uncle to make my family proud and feel as if I’m reliable enough to handle my own petty stupidity so I can help them be happy. It’s 1/100,000,000th of what they’ve done for me. I’m 20 f**king years old– they shouldn’t be worrying about me as much as I make them, especially when it’s perfectly within my grasp to provide reassurance.

SCHOOL: The good point of this is that I feel more like a nerd than ever. Japanese art history is one of my favorite subjects because of how humorously applicable to videogames it is. I feel as if the one purely positive turning point I’ve made since the last school quarter is that I now know how to fit in studying a bit more snugly into my schedule, as well as actually maintain/enjoy what I learn. The perspective that I’ve taught myself is that if I can’t focus on learning about the aggregate demand and supply of a domestic firm, or how to pinpoint a writer’s take on irony in 500 words, then how would I be able to focus on learning the proper positioning for projecting the bridge for Anthony Hamilton – Dear Life? My ability to focus in school is parallel to my focus on what I love to do. So hell, why not love school. Nerd is in, and it just feels so damn good knowing everything your professor throws at you and correcting them when they mess up.

MUSIC: Two words: Leaps & bounds. Never before did I think whatever ounce of creativity I had in my brain would spark 3-4 fully arranged original songs in the course of 3 days (of course, with the help of my talented-ass batch of hustlers). It feels good. Bookings and gigs are popping up in places I used to think were only pipe dreams; UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Riverside, high schools from the bay to san diego and everywhere in between, and Hollywood. I’m ridiculously blessed to have even 2 people compliment the music that I cover, write, perform, and even rough draft. The ball is really beginning to roll, and I’m going to do my part in getting that avalanche started. In all airheaded honesty, I have a feeling that’s not the difficult part- what I’m more concerned with is how that will test my mental and physical endurance. Meeting / hearing / motivating all the other artists that are now considered a part of my music family has been a huge blessing to absorb- there’s a fellowship among people who love to do what they do, no matter what skill level. I’m amazed at how much talent can be packed into one area, and how I’m able to hold my own among them. Being in the booth last week at the Soul Deep studio (aka Glenn’s sexy condo) for the first time was probably one of the most invigorating and uplifting experiences of my life. To an outsider, I was pretty much alone in a closet lined with sponges and old track jackets who mimicked a valley girl singing in her dropped-top mustang. But to me, I was evoking the most intense feelings I’ve ever felt by translating my takes on love, sex, rejection, religion, jealousy, and longing into 2 verses, a hook, and a bridge. I don’t want it to ever stop. I want to be heard because it’s the one thing I feel like I have the potential to be damn good at. I want to be successful doing something I love. Successful, not famous. ‘Cause I find success in inspiring other people- whether its inspiring to try out guitar, asking their crush out, embracing the fact that they miss someone, to dance, and to be inspired to reach for the top of that shelf.

ROMANCE: Haha, this is the most zombified part of my life. Needless to say, I miss having a girlfriend that I’m obligated to give status and location reports to every hour. It’s funny when people ask me how things are going with girls and they give me a surprised face when I say “bleh”. I’ve had my fair share of psychotic girls and the interesting girls that tend to look perfect on paper but have a propensity for not taking hints and/or knowing what they want. I’ve been duly traumatized by my past relationships with good reason (both due to my actions and the trick’s). It’s not getting to me too badly yet- I like the single life productivity and room for self-improvement. Hopefully the lady of my future appreciates how many times I’ve gone over my past mistakes so I that don’t make them with her. In the meantime… to any girl that I may be currently crushing on or will be within the year: please realize that I’m flirting with you because I dig you, not because I want to be in love with you. Stop taking me so seriously.

all in all, I’m hoping my 4 quarters actually make me a dollar this year–

I’m not about to be chump change.

Love&Light,

-Kris

I might as well not let Valentine’s day go to waste.

In any case, I’ve been focused with tunnel vision on improving myself and reaching for my potential in every facet that I deem a priority in myself. I’m finally grasping the groove of studying and actually having all that information stick, I’m working hard on music and taking vocal lessons/writing/networking, I’m trying to get back in shape, and most of all– I’m doing my best to better show my family how much I appreciate them.

All the mush and self-assessment aside, it’s interesting to think January disappeared so fast.

For the sake of making this blog worth rereading in the future, I’m gonna list out a brief 3-month plan.

by MAY of 2008:

1) release a demo album

2) increase my vocal range and projection / endurance

3) get my abs back [required for 2 to take effect, and so I don't look like a fool come Summer]

4) master cooking 5 different dishes and master making 3 types of desserts.

5) learn 2 full songs on piano

6) collaborate with some talented people to make covers on youtube

7) make at least 2 production documentary videos

8 ) get those A’s

9) change up my style.

This gives me something to look back on in a year or two so I can feel good about getting all of those done and more.

love&light,

-Kris