Arden, North Carolina (July 10, 2020) — For his debut single for Mountain Home, mandolinist Mark Stoffel — heretofore known as a “player’s player” who’s spent the past decade as a member of Chris Jones & The Night Drivers — offers up “Shadowbands,” a contemplative, atmospheric composition inspired by 2017’s solar eclipse.
Accompanied by former Night Driver Gina Furtado (banjo), acclaimed Irish fiddler/violinist Niall Murphy, co-producer Josh Morrison on guitar, and longtime colleague Ross Sermons (upright bass), Stoffel punctuates a distinctively symmetrical melody and classic fiddle tune structure with moody interludes that capture the skittering feel of the natural phenomenon for which the track is named.
“You can find the specifics online,” Stoffel notes, “but in short, shadow bands are wavy light patterns that happen briefly before and shortly after totality. Like many of the phenomena associated with a solar eclipse, these happen on the ground, not in the sky, and they are truly amazing.”
Stoffel’s interest in the eclipse was piqued originally by his fondness for nature, then amplified by his work in, among other things, producing media for Southern Illinois University; in addition to the composition, he and a colleague also made an award-winning documentary about their town’s preparations for the eclipse, as well as the event itself.
Widely considered to be among the genre’s unique stylists, thanks to a sophisticated yet energetic approach that reflects his long-standing affinity for contemporary, newgrass-flavored sounds, Mark can readily pinpoint the origins of “Shadowbands.”
“The idea was hatched at a bluegrass festival in Auburn, Alabama, in June of 2017,” he remembers, “while warming up for a show with Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. This happened just a couple months before the 2017 solar eclipse and my hometown was smack in the center of it; we were all hyped and anticipation was huge! It brought people of all stripes together, something we needed then and especially now. Everything is connected and I’d like to believe that much of the music I created during that time was informed by this experience.”
Listen to “Shadowbands” HERE.
About Mark Stoffel
Originally from Munich, Germany, Mark Stoffel spent literally decades traversing between two continents before finally settling down in Southern Illinois in 2001 with his wife Mary and his children, Finn and Oliver. Sealing his decision to make the United States his permanent home, he became a citizen in 2016.
A self-described bluegrass music “addict,” he was introduced to the music in 1979, when as a teenager, he wanted a ukulele for Christmas and was mistakenly given a mandolin instead. The flub turned into a virtue, as he parlayed a classic mandolin instructional book; occasional exposure to bluegrass through radio and concerts by touring American musicians; and accumulated experience in folk, rock and bluegrass bands into a lifelong artistic pursuit. During this time, he began to connect with American artists, helping to arrange tour dates and providing hospitality—including to the artist who would become his future employer, Chris Jones. As he spent more time in the United States, his tasteful approach to playing, growing expertise in sound engineering and supportive harmony vocal abilities earned him increased attention — first in regional acts, then with Jones’ singer/songwriter wife, Sally Jones, and finally with Jones himself, whose Night Drivers Mark joined around the time of the band’s 2009 recording, Cloud Of Dust.
Today his tasteful mandolin performances can be heard on countless recordings, including his first solo release, One-O-Five, and a string of Chris Jones and the Night Drivers projects, including Run Away Tonight (2015), Made To Move (2017) and the most recent, The Choosing Road (2019). “Mark is one of the most musical mandolin players I’ve ever played with,” says Jones. “ Mandolin players are really impressed with his playing everywhere we go.” Yet despite his passion for bluegrass, Stoffel confesses ironically that he is highly allergic to — yes, really — Kentucky Bluegrass.