Posted by Frank Busch on May 25, 2011
I think I speak for everyone when I say “Whats up with the f%*#ing weather? I remember when I was a kid, and it hailed… once. Now its a weekly occurrence.. I could use a week of sunshine.
I am going to try to upload a picture of my mustache from Kenny’s 6th Annual Mustache Bash. TUGG, The Mighty Short Bus, Lucas Cates Band, and Function rocked the house for some sweet mustache clad music lovers. It was my first time seeing Function, and they were amazing. They are from Kalamazoo, MI but will be at Summerfest, so if you see them, tell them The Mighty Short Bus says hi. If you look closely at the picture of my sweet mustache, you can see Lucas Cates and Keefe Klug in the reflection of my sunglasses (yes, they are woman’s sunglasses. I found them.) 
Saturday we played a killer show at The Milwaukee Ale House. The Ale House is an institution for music in Milwaukee and John McCabe is one cool Mofo..
Sunday we played an evening show at The Sandy Hook in The Southwest Part of Nowhere, WI. I am naming this place one of the “Must Go’s” for all live music fans, just ask Sarah Warmke. There will be others to follow 
.
Last night I wrote a song with Carleen Wild of Main Street Wisdom (and yes, of channel 15 news.) We sat in my garage, drank a beer and wrote a song, which we have yet to name… We should get on that. This song will be on an upcoming EP of duets/Co-written songs featuring myself and local songstresses, the working title is “A Rooster in the Hen House”
K, back to work. Enjoy the rain!
Posted by Frank Busch on May 18, 2011
I met with Pat the other day, and he said that since I was the Project M Champ, I could keep blogging on here. So I shall.. I will keep you updated on not only my personal escapades, but also the shenanigans of The Mighty Short Bus. Which can be grand in both scope and scale .
First I need to say what a great season 2011 was for Project M. Mostly because I won, but also because there was so much talent involved. Many of whom I was unaware of. I knew Mark, and had heard of Brianna, but that was the extent of my knowledge of the contestants. The Anna’s (Wang and Dhybahl,) Chelsea Z, Jason Horowitz, Charlie Kim, Ryan Mauer, Mark and Brianna are all extremely talented. They were also all really nice people. I hope we all stay in touch. Following the work ethic that Project M has instilled with regards to writing, I plan on churning out as much music as my pen can write, and invite any of them to work together on something sometime. Charlie and I have already committed to writing a song together. I also was very honored to get to know many of the contestants from last season, thanks to the duet challenge.
There are lots of other projects I am working on including a new MSB record, a record of duets (inspired by the song with Beth Kille,) a solo record and lots of interesting shows in Madison. It is a lot of work, but like they say, “Ride it tall or not at all.” See you out there, Frank
Posted by Frank Busch on May 10, 2011
I think I am going to switch professions. I watched Black Swan last night, and I am going to give it a…. “meh.” Maybe a “meh +” but either way. I was kinda glad when it was over.
So, I think I have my setlist chosen. They told us we had to do all originals, but I think I can sneak in some Sugar Ray b-sides, or a lesser known Smash Mouth song and that will give me the edge I need .
I have a few Short Bus songs, a few songs that you might have heard on Project M, or at my solo shows, and even a few brand new ones. I am very excited for tomorrow night.
We should bet on the order that we play, you know, like the coin toss at the Superbowl.. I think it’s even money that I pick the first spot lol..
Posted by Frank Busch on May 6, 2011
I know we are supposed to keep away from reading the comment board, but sometimes that is like telling a hungry dog to stay away from those uncooked steaks on the table… So yes, we read the comment board, at least I do, and I know Jason does. He jokingly asked me if I was the one who wrote that he F***ing sucked. I politely informed me that it was Mark. Seriously tho, it’s amazing how anonymity can turn people mean. Then again they can be jerks in person as well. We have had people come up to us at shows, request some God awful Creedleback (something of the Creed/Nickleback genre) song, and when we say we don’t know it, they inform us that we suck.. I always wanted to go to their work and scream at them, then when they don’t do what I want, tell them they suck at their job lol.
Alas I am not a heckler, I am a songwriter, so I shall exact my revenge in that manor. You can expect a song in the finals inspired by the infamous comment board.
Posted by Frank Busch on May 5, 2011
Thanks for everyone that has been following this competition the last few weeks, it has been quite a ride. Last night we got whittled down to the final three contestants. Unfortunately Anna Dybdahl didn’t make the finals. She is extremely talented, and probably the most positive person in Project M. So don’t worry, you will hear her name a lot in the coming years.
All week I feared that I was on the chopping block. I had very little time to write that last challenge, even less to rehearse it. When I finished playing, I texted my sister that I had “bombed.” When she asked what I gave my performance, I gave it a 3 out of 10.. You can imagine my relief and surprise when Pat said that I was not only safe, but that I had won this challenge. Maybe I will revisit “Money” and polish it up for future use.
I must admit, it was nice to win one going into the finals. I feel like I should thank Mark and Jason for “finally letting me win” lol. Either way, I feel a good shot of confidence, and quite frankly it was needed. I can’t speak for the rest of the contestants, but I think Project M has been affecting my state of mind lately. Having your music judged by not only your peers, but also the general public can trigger both elation, and depression. It has been tricky to keep perspective. I think a thank you is in order to my girlfriend, son, and bandmates for putting up with my moodiness.
I plan on blogging a few times this week, but here is my schedule, should you want to see me play. Saturday The Mighty Short Bus will be playing the Monona 20k from 10:30-1, we have a private show in Green Bay that night. Friday I will be doing charity solo show for the Studio Quest Fashion Show, I play from 5-6, check facebook for details. I will be playing a 15 minute set when I pick up my son from daycare today.. But that is a surpise 
. Talk soon.
Posted by Mark Croft on May 4, 2011
I thought I’d take some time today to tell you about my latest CD “Evening Flood,” which I released this past fall. EF is my 4th CD and as far as I’m concerned it’s definitely my best. I spent most of the spring of 2010 writing songs for this record and went up to Minneapolis to record it in July. There’s literally something on here for everyone, and I was honored to have such a high caliber of talent playing on, producing, and mixing these tracks. Here’s the info taken from my website where you can order a physical copy or find the link to download from iTunes. You can also sample the tracks and find out more at my website www.MarkCroftMusic.com.
"Evening Flood"
Evening Flood is the fourth and latest CD by Mark Croft. The CD features the rousing funk-infused single “The Gas Is On” written in the wake of the gulf oil spill and reflects on the global impact and aftermath. In a repertoire brimming with memorable pop singles, Local Sounds Magazine called the title track (“Evening Flood”) “the best-written, most succinct pop song he’s done yet.” Croft incorporates genres like southern funk (”If She’s Gonna Shake It”), swampy blues (”One Mississippi”), gospel (”Amen and Hallelujah”), and gypsy swing (”The Crow and the Raven”), in the process, he demonstrates his continued maturity as a songwriter and storyteller. The album also features Mark’s version of one of his favorite Peter Gabriel songs “Washing of the Water”. Croft gives a profoundly intimate and emotional performance for which he received praise from Gabriel himself.
Recorded at Masters Recording Studio (formerly Flyte Tyme Studios) in Edina, MN, Evening Flood was produced by Anthony JW Benson and mixed by Grammy Award™ winning engineer Tom Tucker (Prince, Sting, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt) and mastered by Airshow Mastering wiz Dominick Maita (Herbie Hancock, Glee Soundtracks, Curtis Stigers, Til Tuesday, Billy Joel). The album features a bevy of talented musicians and vocalists including drummer Noah Levy (BoDeans, Five for Fighting, Peter Frampton, Brian Setzer) More information on ordering and downloading “Evening Flood” can be found by visiting the store at Mark’s website.
“Great version – Wonderful Voice” - Peter Gabriel
Don’t forget to come out to the Annex tonight (5/4/11) for a showcase featuring the final 4 contestants of this season’s Project M. The show starts at 8pm and we’ll find out who the final three will be. You’ll also have the opportunity to buy CD’s and t-shirts from all of the contestants…and yes, I will have “Evening Flood” in tow!
Cheers,
Mark
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