INTERVIEW: Mark Daly, ready to break out, wants to ‘Be More’
Photo: Mark Daly’s new album is called Devil’s Arms. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by O’Donnell Media Group with permission.
Mark Daly, an Irish rock ‘n’ roll singer, has been having an awesome time these past few weeks as the opening act for Mr. Big on the band’s farewell tour. For 30 minutes, Daly and his talented band, the Ravens, mesmerize the audience with their original songs that showcase the singer’s unique voice and spirited energy. At a recent gig at New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom, Daly was in command of the audience and perfectly in sync with his mates on stage, including James Brown on guitar, Jack Ross on bass and Danny Laverde on drums. It seemed to be a solid night of getting the music out to new listeners.
Daly’s time with Mr. Big comes to an end tonight, Feb. 7, when they play the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire, but before he finishes the tour, he has a couple of special treats for his growing fan base. Daly will offer two headlining shows in the coming days — Feb. 8 at Eisenhower Hall in West Point, New York, and Feb. 10 at Leon’s Garage in Marysville, Ohio.
The singer’s concerts, whether opening for Mr. Big or headlining, feature tunes from his forthcoming album, called Devil’s Arms and due out later this year from One Opportunity Records. Fans can enjoy Daly’s new single off the album, “I Wanna Be More,” which also makes its way to the set list each night.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox talked with Daly about his new music, what he likes about opening for Mr. Big, sharing a band with Geoff Tate and what listeners can expect at that West Point show. Here’s what he had to say …
On what it has been like opening for Mr. Big …
“It’s been amazing, absolutely amazing to see their show, just to watch them perform, never mind being up there playing our music as well. It’s been amazing since the second we got off the flight. … It’s a mixture, get them excited, kind of warm up the crowd, and get our new music out there, and hopefully convert them into fans of the music, which has been overwhelmingly positive since we got here. So, we’ve had a great time getting to know the Mr. Big family.”
On his new music, including the new single “I Wanna Be More” …
“That’s in our set and finally released … so it’s lovely to have it out there. Actually most of our set is the new songs because we have our new record, which is not out until July, actually on sale exclusively at live shows. So, we’ve been playing a bunch of brand-new stuff. … I was writing the demos at home about a year ago, and then at the end of last summer, we went to Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas, with the full band and recorded it there.”
On how he writes a song …
“It’s acoustic guitar, pen and paper on my lap, and sometimes the melody will come first, and I’ll work the guitar around it. Or, I’ll play with the guitar and feel the lyrics come to me naturally that way. It’s a nice mixture.”
On what fans can expect at the headlining gigs, including the West Point concert …
“It’s a headline show, and we’re ridiculously excited for that one. I think we’re playing 90 minutes, which will be the first time that five of us in the band have done that. So it’ll be really cool. … We’re nervous / excited. It is a big set for us. I think the most we’ve done so far is kind of 70 minutes, so it’s got that 20 minutes of extra. We do have two covers in the set, and the rest of it will be our own songs that we’ll be playing — pretty much the whole new album, and then some of the older track, and then a couple of covers.”
On how he connected with Geoff Tate and his band members …
“It’s crazy how it worked out because myself and lead guitar, James Brown, we met in Ireland. He was in a band, and I was in a band. We started working together on songs, and then he ended up working a bit with Geoff as well. And then a couple of the lads in Geoff’s band ended up in our band, and it’s crazy. Fortunately, our schedules have not conflicted for this tour. The boys were all free and available, and they’ve got more dates out on the road with Geoff this year. So far nothing has conflicted.”
On how he first got into music …
“For the band scene, I didn’t get into it until later on. I think I was 19 or maybe even 20 when I was getting in the band scene, but always into music, always trying different instruments. Yeah, it’s just been something I’ve been passionate about for as long as I can remember.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Mark Daly is currently opening for Mr. Big and soon will headline his own shows. Click here for more information and tickets.
