Paul Mark & the Van Dorens

From Music City Blues Society, Nashville TN:

"Having spent several years of his youth playing in countless dive bars in the Manhattan area, Paul Mark and his backing band, the Van Dorens, gained a gunslinger's reputation as raw, brash, and straight-ahead with their brand of blues-fused roots-rock. Those years of "woodshedding" have paid off quite handomely, tho, as the band's current release, Trick Fiction, recorded in Memphis at Ardent Studios, is jam-packed with killer guitar and some of the coolest lyrics we've heard in quite some time!

Consisting of Paul Mark on guitar and vocals, James Strain on bass, Dan Schnapp on keys, and Joshua Wheeler on drums, these guys are more than just "three chords and a cloud of dust." Paul's lyrics run deep, dealing with topical subjects that one reads about in the daily news, way more than just the standard blues cliches.

Check out what happens when his woman leaves, puttin' him on a strict diet of Fritos, BBQ, and Scotch! Never Again rocks like a long-lost Chuck Berry nugget with its frisky piano work. Big Glass Building is a swampy tale of a guaranteed cure for global warming! Everyone, from the cops right on down to 911 operators seem to be against Paul in Conspiracy. Your over-indulgences just might get to you in the gospel-flavored 30 Lbs. In 30 Days! And, the lone cover on the set, Suspicion, is given an eerie, slowed-down treatment that is vastly different from the Terry Stafford or Presley
versions.

We had two favorites, too. The rockin' Wholly Rollin reminds us that there are "holy shepherds fleecin' holy sheep," and one is pretty much on their own to determine right from wrong and is characterized by some cool slide guitar work at the bridge. And, Small Heaven is a piano-and-vocal ballad that sweetens the whole set with its message of hope.

A definite breath of fresh air on the blues scene, Paul Mark and the Van Dorens have hit it big with Trick Fiction. Or, as the venerable NBA announcer from New York, Marv Albert, would say, these guys have "administered a FACIAL!!"

by Sheryl and Don Crow