After a string of singles that range from the jittery opening grooves of “Barnyard Funk” to a tranquil instrumental take on Reno & Smiley’s “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map”; the straight-ahead grass of “Slice and Dice”; the moody yet propulsive “Curious Times,” and the contemplative new focus track, “Hutchins Creek,” mandolinist Mark Stoffel fills in the gaps with the release of a new solo collection for Mountain Home Music Company, True Tones. Like its predecessor, 2020’s Coffee and Cake, True Tones — now available for pre-save/add ahead of its October 18 release — is filled with distinctive tunes and masterful performances centered around Stoffel’s elegant playing.
Bluegrass forms the underlying context for the set — no surprise, given Stoffel’s long-time role as a member of Chris Jones & the Night Drivers — but an eclectic array of influences is easily detected, as Celtic, swing, country, soul, rock and jazz touches abound. Working with co-producer Josh Morrison, the southern Illinois picker assembled a set of players whose approaches are as unique as his own: banjo players Gina Furtado, Marc Pruett (Balsam Range) and Kyle Triplett; guitarists Morrison, Chris Luquette and longtime colleague Nathan Clark George; fiddlers Malia Furtado and Niall Murphy; bassists Ross Sermons and Marshall Wilborn and ace studio drummer Tony Creasman, along with acclaimed fellow mandolinist Alan Bibey, who appears on “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map” together with legendary resophonic guitarist Rob Ickes.
From start to finish, the set’s dozen tunes elicit masterful interpretations with their memorable themes, sophisticated structures and virtuosic lines that nevertheless retain the instant appeal of canonic bluegrass instrumentals. Stoffel’s flair for melody is evident both in his lithe solos and in the compositions themselves, while intertwined threads of whimsicality and meditativeness provide a measured musical pathway that leave the listener thoughtful and refreshed by the time the final notes of the melancholy, yet quietly hopeful closer, “A House Empty” roll around.
Says Stoffel, “I’m delighted to present to you my third solo album – True Tones – on Mountain Home Music. It’s made up of mostly original tunes and I was lucky to record them with some of the best folks on the bluegrass circuit. That’s where the magic happened and I remember sparks flying in the studio. Really now! If you like acoustic instruments, especially mandolins, good tone, haunting melodies, and a pinch of drive …. you might like True Tones. Try it!”
Pre-save/add True Tones 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.
