‘Soul’ singer
Tulsa’s Mark Gibson shares details about his new live album
Mark Gibson returns to Tulsa’s Soul City to celebrate the release of his new live album. Nathan Poppe shares his interview.
Getting everything right on the first try saves time, but it doesn’t always sound the best.
Cincinnati-via-Tulsa crooner Mark Gibson tried nailing a live album performance at Soul City in 2017 but needed another shot. And then another after getting sick right before attempt No. 2.
“A live record should be less work than a studio album,” Gibson told The
Oklahoman with a laugh. “But when you think about popular live albums, those bands are sometimes 60 performances into a tour. They have so much to pick from. It takes a special night for a band to be on, and it’s tough to get every tune you want.”
Sure, it was a lot of work covering two albums worth of material, but Gibson, 35, was glad he tried until he got things mostly right. The third time was a charm and “Live from Soul City” documents the “perfect storm when a song works in a live setting.” The album’s getting celebrated in concert Feb. 3 back where it all started in Tulsa.
“I wanted to do a live record for me just as much as my fans,” Gibson said during a recent phone interview. “That way, I can know what I sound like when I let emotion rule over technical ability and find something raw and honest.
“I also wanted to give this album to the people of Tulsa that enjoyed my music — as a sort of love letter — and a thank you for all their support over the years,” he later added in an email. “I guess I selfishly wanted a time capsule of that moment, too. Who can blame me, though? It was a great time.”
Fresh start
Gibson’s bounced between homebases for much of his life.
The California-born musician was raised in Broken Arrow, and he graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma. He returned to Tulsa in 2011 to complete his first album, “Beautifully Deconstructed,” and made plans to relocate to Austin, Texas. But that never happened.
“As the months turned into years, I realized how special of a city Tulsa was, and how lucky I was to get to be a full-time performer there,” Gibson said. “I began to play full-band shows in 2014 and slowly built up a fan base and an earnest identity as an artist.”
Soul City’s one of the venues where Gibson feels most at home. And what’s home without a family? His backing band’s lineup has grown to include Chris Wylie (drums), Ryan Magnani (bass), Kendrik McKinney (keys), Chanda Graham (background vox), Bill Gable (trumpet) and Mike Cameron (sax).
“There started to be special shows happening with the current band lineup that’s on the live album, and I wanted to capture that magic,” he said. “Another reason why I wanted to record a live album was that I moved to Cincinnati with my girlfriend in August 2017.”
Cautionary love song
Matters of the heart weren’t always so stable for Gibson. A standout track on “Live from Soul
City” is a newly recorded song called “Somebody Told Me.” You can’t find the cut on any of Gibson’s previous two records. The cautionary love song packs soul, sizzling solos and made me regret missing the original performance.
“It’s certainly fun to play,” Gibson said. “The guitar solos — yes, plural, I took some liberties there — subconsciously came
out sounding like a lovers’ quarrel. They sort of dance between being bittersweet and aggressive. I look forward to recording this song in the studio.”
A few relationships throughout Gibson’s 20s and an inability to know when to call it quits inspired the track. The line “In this life we see the things we choose to believe” sums up the song’s sentiment nicely, he said.
“If that’s where your head’s at, then no friend or family member can talk you out of a bad relationship,” Gibson said. “You sort of reside in your own alternate reality. Luckily, I broke that cycle, and this song is just a historical piece.”