Mark Watkin Price

I can't believe that what was supposed to be an irregular but occasion blog has turned into very occasional. I suppose it's a habit I never developed.

A really busy and fulfilling few months again. Loads of gigs, some playing to an empty room, some with an audience for whom music is wallpaper so they talk through it proving I am not as charismatic as legend would have me believe. OK, I'm joking, but some audiences a real joy to play for. They listen, they join  in, and so many have said, in the word of one, ‘you made me laugh and you made me cry, in the same set.’ I treasure those moments. They validate everything.

Meanwhile, I have been enjoying the Martin  after being introduced to the brand by Danny. So much easier and more pleasing to play than the Faiths I had. Interestingly, the same problems with them encountered by several players I have spoken to. Nice to know it's not me.

I think I have finally settled on the sound with the Nux Oprima Air pedal and it's IR setting for acoustic guitar albeit a Gibson IR. But I will bring back my old Valeton with compressor and notch. Anoraky maybe but hopefully that will perfect the sound.

The Listening Lounge hopefully will develop - the idea of home concerts - should yield audiences more inclined to listen. Big in the Us and Canada, I have spoken with a couple of local people who have done them here and said they were their best gigs ever for enjoyment. Looking forward to it.

On a sadder note, I have been diagnosed with osteo arthritis which is increasingly affecting my hands. My beautiful Jane has bought my Christmas present - a nylon strung thin necked guitar which should make fretting less painful if it ever gets to that. Either way, I shall offload the Spanish I already have a nylon which is a proper classical, I never like it to play - too wide.

So in the expectation I won't remember to blog again until 2027, here's to the new year.

Happy Christmas anyone who's stumbled across this.

July 15th 2023 - first ever public gig, Rudry Festival. Thank you to my friend Brenda for her encouragement and enthusiasm. What a gig it was. The backdrop, black with my white logo, made of ‘non-crease’ vinyl looked very creased on the videos. Soon to be replaced. But the energy I got through just getting up there, holding attention for thirty minutes, and trying out presentation of material and me for the first time. It was pretty gruelling, but so much fun. I remember the sheer relief when I came off. I just wanted to do it all again.
I discovered the joy of interacting with an audience and making them smile.

So, it's only three years. What a ride. Met so many fabulous people, learned so much, about people and about me, about audiences and about venues.

And, as someone wiser than me once said, if they're not listening, you just have to plough on like the orchestra on the Titanic. Weirdly, even if some are not listening, the number of times someone comes up afterwards and says they enjoyed the set or a particular song. 

So, although Rich and Famous is the song I have been paid for most by performance, courtesy of the PRS, neither is likely, certainly not rich. I must have spent a small fortune on kit, travel and strings and so far grossed a couple of thousand back. In three years! But it's not about money, it's about communication, and the interaction between an audience who is enjoying, and the performer, is the honey every performer wants on his bread. 

So here's to the next thirty years. Keep smiling, everyone. 

I have now done three gigs at Cardigan Holiday Park, all to a very small number of people. But last night I played at YHA Manorbier, Tenby. I had never been to a YHA before and was blown away with the staff friendliness, the cleanliness of the place and albeit basic, the standard and comfort of the rooms. The gig? Fabulous. An interested and engaged audience who to a man, stayec the whole session. It was the sort of gig that confirms the worthwhileness of it all.
Debateable whether the new stage monitor will make things any easier but worth a try. Last night eas my PA which performed excellently. So, famous last words, all thr kit I will ever need is now in my hands.

After a long winter, the 2026 season is slowly gathering momentum. In January I wonered if any gigs would come in, then suddenly my involvement with the Mountain Song Revival created 5 gigs and a multiple-gig invitation in Poppitt Sands, Aberteifi created another 7. That with the rest, has meant a fairly busy summer coming up.

I have settled on kit, now after a lot of trial and error. After working with Danny Chang and accidentally finding that Martin Guitars suit my playing style far better than the Faiths -less fret buzz and less body squeak against clothing from the 5 and 12 strings and the older Neptune had the buzz too. I'll keep the 12-string as it was a present from my lovely Jane, but the two 6 strings can go - one already has to a really good home, it seems, so a happy ending there. 

The Martin is lovely with less buzz and easier accuracy.

I had a Stryon Cloudburst ambient reverb for a while but am about to leave that off the pedal board as I forget to use it, either to switch it on, or if I do remember to switch on, to switch off again. So as my songs are lyric-driven not guitar virtusos-ish, the pedal has gone. Just left with the EQ/Compressor/Reverb and BodyRes pedals for simplicity's sake.

I have realised I am still too fast live - again, so need to pay attention to that metronome. Lesson never learned but working on it.

Target for the rest of the year - after three weeks wasted trying to get my Danny-produced CD pressed, dumping the first supplier for a second who promised a 10 day turnaround, three weeks later I am promised two more weeks. Won't be using them again.

And the one-off vinyl (vanity project) LP for £35ish, I knew would take weeks but this long? Heyho. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

That's another session with Danny and a couple more songs, one on each of the two days. Both songs dressed up! I worry that what we are recroding is not represntative of what I do, but as Jane says, many artists who have famous recordings don't do it the same way live.

I now have three more two-day sessions booked with Danny, opportunities to create something interesting. Once I have half a dozen, we are on the way to EP launch.

As for live performance, the Shure SH55 mic apparently doesn't give a lot of gain for some mixing desks despite being ok with others. I have a small box to rectify that which I hoped t test out last night, but the PA couldn't give me the 48v phantom power I needed to spark the booster into life. Home testing showed it works in principle. Meanwhile, Gordon Giltrap uses an ambient reverb peday. Jane wanted one for me. It's just arrived. I hope to leave it to Christmas, but she may have other ideas…..

November and December have turned out to be quite busy for playing out despite having nothing booked a few months ago. Amazing. Nothing yet for next year though. Hopefully things will come in, during which time I can start the radio attack.

This blog was supposed to have been a diary not a memoir. What a ride, and so much fun. I have worked hard to get gigs, many to almost empty rooms, but usually and whenever the rooms weren't empty, really appreciative audiences. Geography is spread between Leeds and Halifax to Cornwall and some of them repeat gigs which is encouraging.

I thought it was important to get almost any gig even if it didn't pay - it's the nearest I could get to the Beatles paying their dues in Hamburg. I have now played over 100 gigs. We have worked out what does work and what doesn't in terms of ease of setup and merching. We have also got to the end of merch types - we have Dogging dogs, Therapy dogs, badges, T-shirts, mugs and stickers. No need to order any more for ages - they do go slowly but we are not discouraged given that even established artists sell very few. Not really a way to get rich, just to show we are serious.

Having had a bit of a health scare late last year, my eye was off the ball for a while meaning not many gigs lined up for the immediate future, although affiliation with the Mountain Song Revival set up by Kristian has produced so far five during the last three months of the year, and all local which means no travel and no cost/time of travel. Looking forward to developing the concept with Kris as time moves on.

I did a recording session with Danny Chang three weeks ago and realised the difference between recording and performing. Sheeet! A discipline like no other - sticking to that click. I hope he can work with some with and some without - damned if I can play some songs that are not elastic!

Given the dwindling number  of venues therefore fewer chances to play, recording will become more important to get down tricks before I forget them altogether, albeit the most important ones - the legacy for my children. Athough seriously, as my way in to radio in any serious way.

More an another year or so!

Hmmm. Been neglecting this blog, fact is, forgot totally about it. Last hree months, gigs and looking for gigs. Went to Cornwall a couple of times, fixed gigs as a result of which 7 in June and a couple of others either side plus Bristol. In addition, met Matt, promoter last night atthe Green Rooms who seems to be an honest chap, no bullshit about him and says he will get me gigs. He seems to be an indie rock band promoter but says he can get me into The Moon and a couple of other venues we discussed in Cardiff and Swansea. His biggest fear seems that one or more of his roster is stolen by other promoters who then get fat of the back of them and he's left in the cold.

Meanwhile, the Dogging Doggies are a hit.

Brecon Farmers market a couple of weeks ago - audience generally walk by all the performers but the ambience is so good we love doing it. I test-ran a couple of songs I haven;t done for a while which seemed to go down ok.

A lovely but surprise gig at Bourtons (home from home) last Saturday. The scheduled player was ill and I was asked to step in - gratifying, although I was sorry at the reason. A small audience but they sang along with gusto, some even knew the lyrics not just the choruses and according to the daughter of a regular, Dad sings the songs at home too. Fantastically uplifting as an artist - without any hint of irony or sarcasm.  

I went to Bodmin Sunday and Monday where I looked for gigs. Chatted to a couple of possible venues. Hopefully they will get back, but I am optimistic.

And my feeler out in Bristol some weeks ago yielded a dividend - lunchtime gig booked at St Paul's Clifton. Looking at their schdule of music sacred and secular, I have been privileged to have been asked to play.

On the gear front, my birthday present from my beloved is another Faith, this one the Naked Venus, namely not finished with the usual extra shiny gloss, just a muted coating so the wood feels as smooth as skin. Luscious!

Every so often I remember I haven't done a blog for ages. 

James had called in sick for his Aberdare gig at which I was going to be support. So Jane and friend Nigel suggested that rather than dump the date, I do headline and Nigel does support. I am gratified that so many people turned up - so many that we had to get extra chairs out of the cupboard. I am pleased James is better again and back at work, but it gave me a chance to stretch my muscles and learn a lot (again).

Two days later was the Second 45 vinyl shop in Llanelli. It conflicted with rugby so not a huge turnout. It was a small but really enthusiastic audience. Another learning curve - playing while people are browsing vinyl and buying their choices. Pleased to say I sold a couple of CDs and a T-Shirt and the shop bought a copy of each of the four for stock.

Last week I played guest spot at Cellarfolk, an old established and very friendly folk club in Brighton which I used to go to. Shortly after the club started I did its first ever guest spot, it turns out 17 years ago, so it was great to go back and play as a guest again, plus catch up with old friends. 

News - I am going to go hammer and tongs to set up a series of dates and call it the ‘Nothing like Elvis’ Tour. Having played now at most variants of gig, such as folk clubs, pubs and festivals and got over them as ‘firsts’, and more importantly for me, confirmed everything works in each type of event, I have no further excuse. JFDI!

Bourtons have booked me for a further two dates so I have a running total; of at least 6 future dates. The task now is to increase that and to book as far ahead as possible to get the diary filled.

James was transported back from his tour of Sweden sick with sepsis and told not to work for the rest of February. Bummer. Nigel and Jane persuaded me we should hold the date but with me at Number 1 and Nigel support. Starting from scratch with leaflets, radio and facebook for this event. we may at this stage get 12. 

Yesterday I was interviewed on Radio GTFM which was exciting, I am sure I gushed too much but Jane said I was articulate, which was comforting.  Ineteresting responding to questions like how did you start? Luckily I kept it short.

In addition to this setback I was confirmed with an agency for a pub gig in Barry Island but at the ast minutre they decided the venue said they wanted someone upbeat so I was dropped. Laura (agent) said it was they who had messed her around, but my confidence suggests she or they listened to my material and found it wanting. 

Still I still have Second 45, Green Rooms and one Bristol gig to look forward to plus Lousie of the Feathers suggested a couple of places here in Wales, and of course my old stamping ground Brighton.

Got to line up some more soon otherwise dead time again.