Cynosures Hiding In the Air

Old news that may be new to you
(older news as your go down...)

(July MMI)

The Echo Beach Tribute album, featuring MatM's "On A Silent Summer Evening", will be released by the German remix/dub label Echo Beach in Spring 2002. The label's head, Nicolai Beverungen, in consultation with Mark Gane, decided to wait that long, due to numerous delays that have occurred during the project. He thinks it's better to shoot for a Spring or early Summer release rather than later this year. And the Muffins agree.

The new Canadian soap opera "Paradise Falls" began airing in Canada Monday June 25th on the Showcase channel. Set in a fictional town in cottage country north of Toronto, the closing credits feature a remixed version of the MatM composition "Paradise" from the 1992 "Modern Lullaby" album. The song got placed when Mark read an article on the series in The Globe and Mail and thought the song might work as a theme for the show. After contacting the producers and sending them a copy of "Paradise" they commented that it seemed as though the song had been written especially for the series and are now using it as the closing theme. Episode 11 will also include "Rainbow Sign", from the same album, as background music.

(February MMI)

The Danseparc/Mystery Walk CD released last year on One Way Records took M+M by surprise, and not a particularly pleasant one. Read all about it in the M+M Online Newletter #3 Previously...

(October MM)

M+M have written ten new songs this summer and hope to begin recording them over the winter.

M+M made a rare live appearance in September at The Now Lounge in Toronto for the inaugural evening of a new monthly series entitled The Listening Room, where songwriters can perform material outside of their normal "band" context. Martha and Mark did a guitar/voice version of "Black Stations/White Stations" as well as two new songs: "Angel In My House" and "Sailing Through The Light". These were so new Martha was reading the lyrics off of a music stand.

Also in the works is an Echo Beach Tribute Album from the German indie label called (appropriately enough) Echo Beach. Label owner Nicolai Beverungen has assembled several remix/dub artists to create their own versions of the song and invited M+M to do the same. They've just started working on it and are quite excited about what they're coming up with. More info can be found at Echo Beach's website. (Catch the dub of Martha when the site loads!)

M+M finally got their sub-licensing deal with Virgin which effectively allows them to release or find interested parties to release the Virgin-owned part of the back catalogue, (Metro Music /Trance & Dance / This is the Ice Age).  In addition, they just got digital copies of the early B-sides (including 22 in Cincinatti) as well as the "Live EP" originally included with the UK pressing of Trance & Dance.

Martha was recently in Wellcraft Music Studios in Toronto recording a new version of "Santa's Gift of Love", penned by Mark and Martha two years ago and originally slated for her planned 2nd children's album. This version, with Martha accompanied by some of Anne Murray's backing musicians, is to be included on the "Pride and Joy 5 Christmas Album", to be released in Canada in December 2000. Produced and distributed by Variety - The Children's Charity, the album's purpose is to raise funds for children in need.

Mark and Martha continue to write the next Martha and the Muffins album. New songs in the works include "Crosswalk", "Delicate", "Wonderful Trouble" and "Love Began With Eve".

In May 1999, Martha and the Muffins (Martha, Mark, Jocelyne Lanois, Nick Gane, Sarah Keates, and Tom Bona)  performed "Echo Beach" on the Open Mike With Mike Bullard Show (Canada's late-night talk show, also seen on the Comedy Channel). Update: A pic from the performance can be found on the main page.

Check out the new song Do You Ever Wonder? on a compilation album "The World According to Popguru" by Graham Stairs. More infor at the popguru site

 Look for Run DMC's album with a track "In the Beginning" which samples the dance re-mix of Black Stations/White Stations.