Follow the Money Mark...tales from LAMC
-
-
- CafeMedia
- added this
Mark Ramos-Nishita, better known as Money Mark, walks through the Roosevelt Hotel with a small Casio keyboard under his arm. The instrument, circa 1987, pre-dates his time with the Beastie Boys, who he’s written, produced and performed with since 1989. It’s also followed him as he’s produced Plastilina Mosh, Kinky and Hello Seahorse! as well as when he’s composed for movies like “Blow” starring Johnny Depp.
The eclectic experimentalist has had a long music career – with both fond and funny memories. Although he has a hard time choosing a favorite, one of the most memorable was getting a lemon meringue pie to the face while playing in Switzerland with the Beastie Boys.
“It took them maybe 30 minutes to get up to the front,” says Mark. “I think they were trying to hit Adam, but the Beastie Boys are always running around…the pie went flying through the air and I kind of ran into it. It was actually entertaining.”
The self-proclaimed musical encyclopedia is based in LA and says music has always been a part of his life. His mom is a Tejana singer, his grandfather was a violinist, his uncles were guitar players and his father grew up in Hawaii and played the ukulele. He got his start on the family piano, studied theatre and music, and will put his experience and creativity to good use on a solo album he’ll release this fall.
“I actually put an ad on Craigslist for people who are trying to get rid of their broken pianos,” says Mark. “I have these pianos that are in my yard and I just dismantled them and I’m taking the harps and the strings to do something with it…I don’t even know yet. Everything is an experiment. Who’s to say what’s coming next?”
But the one sure thing on his agenda is producing a Latin alternative super band called Boom Segundo, a side project for artists like Camilo Lara from the Mexican Institute of Sound, Julieta Venegas and Denise from Hello Seahorse! He’ll also be producing more artists like Hello Seahorse! and writing music for an Aaron Rose documentary - as part of the Levi’s “Go Forth” campaign - on a Pennsylvania town trying to recover from the collapse of the steel mill industry and a crack cocaine habit that’s plagued the area since the 80s. Presently, you can catch him on stage with the Mexican Institute of Sound.
www.CafeMagazine.com/Music
www.Twitter.com/CafeConMusica
The eclectic experimentalist has had a long music career – with both fond and funny memories. Although he has a hard time choosing a favorite, one of the most memorable was getting a lemon meringue pie to the face while playing in Switzerland with the Beastie Boys.
“It took them maybe 30 minutes to get up to the front,” says Mark. “I think they were trying to hit Adam, but the Beastie Boys are always running around…the pie went flying through the air and I kind of ran into it. It was actually entertaining.”
The self-proclaimed musical encyclopedia is based in LA and says music has always been a part of his life. His mom is a Tejana singer, his grandfather was a violinist, his uncles were guitar players and his father grew up in Hawaii and played the ukulele. He got his start on the family piano, studied theatre and music, and will put his experience and creativity to good use on a solo album he’ll release this fall.
“I actually put an ad on Craigslist for people who are trying to get rid of their broken pianos,” says Mark. “I have these pianos that are in my yard and I just dismantled them and I’m taking the harps and the strings to do something with it…I don’t even know yet. Everything is an experiment. Who’s to say what’s coming next?”
But the one sure thing on his agenda is producing a Latin alternative super band called Boom Segundo, a side project for artists like Camilo Lara from the Mexican Institute of Sound, Julieta Venegas and Denise from Hello Seahorse! He’ll also be producing more artists like Hello Seahorse! and writing music for an Aaron Rose documentary - as part of the Levi’s “Go Forth” campaign - on a Pennsylvania town trying to recover from the collapse of the steel mill industry and a crack cocaine habit that’s plagued the area since the 80s. Presently, you can catch him on stage with the Mexican Institute of Sound.
www.CafeMagazine.com/Music
www.Twitter.com/CafeConMusica
-
- groups:
- Entertainment, Music
-
- tags:
- Musica, Music Industry, Beastie Boys, cafe media, 4 more
