PLAY IT AGAIN! …From my room to yours, MARK DAVIS and The INKLINGS

Mark Davis and the Inklings – Room By Room is available at Bandcamp.

by Walter Price

What a perplexing situation we’re all experiencing. Seeing things and/or shifting definitions and sentiments to fit the times is the new norm. And around the world artists are keeping us entertained, comforted, and intrigued as they too are repurposing their wares. And To Wake You‘s Mark Davis’ side project, Mark Davis and The Inklings, had already been in the process of writing and recording a beautiful new track, “Room By Room”, before the pandemic dropped. And as you’ll soon discover, the words and accompanying visuals now have heightened tenderness and tear-inducing meaning.

Davis explains, “One night in the summer of 2019, I woke up caught in a wave of panic at the state of world affairs – in particular, my own country, the US, and the terrifying path it appeared to be taking. I knew I was not alone in this feeling. I got up, went to the piano, and the song appeared. Writing the song was certainly a release of the overwhelm, and also a reminder to myself that I cannot, in fact, take on the whole world myself or better said, that the primary way to affect things is perhaps to keep my own center, my own ‘inner fire,’ alive and well.

“I recorded the song in the winter and had already planned on a spring 2020 release. I also already had the idea of creating a video collage of various people with candles to go with it. When the virus and subsequent lockdown hit, a new dimension was added to the song that I had never intended, and my invitation for folks to share clips of themselves took on new meaning. We each have found ourselves self-isolating in our own ‘rooms,’ hopefully, each of us tending well to our well-being and aliveness, in anticipation of the light of day returning, for the healing of our country and our world, one room at a time.

“Here is the humble result, a cobbling together of various homemade shots from around the planet, including my own. From my “room” to yours, with deep gratitude to the bright ones who contributed clips to the making of this little film, and to all those involved in the making of the record.”

MARK DAVIS and The INKLINGS

Artist photo via Bandcamp

B3 Organ by Brother Paul Brown
Strings performed by Pete Whitfield, arranged by Pete Whitfield and Mark Davis
Vocals, piano, guitar, video editing by Mark Davis
Recorded and mixed by Damon Castillo; mastering Panic Studios/John McCaig

to wake you / spotify / facebook

Hold on to me when you forget
When darkened states get in your head
Hold on to me your inner fire
There is a way to end the night
The darkened state it is a lie

Room by room… we’ll build a fire
Room by room… we’ll keep it bright

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