Grammy-winner singer/songwriter Marc Cohn

Mark Cohn, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, will be performing at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in New Jersey on February 24th. He is currently on a tour with fellow artists Sean Colvin and Sarah Jarosz. Cohn talks about his experiences playing in Alaska and his admiration for Sarah Jarosz. He also discusses his songwriting style, which focuses on storytelling. Cohn mentions that his songs, including "Walking in Memphis," have been embraced by the cities they describe. He also mentions that he has been writing for other artists and is active on social media, particularly Instagram. The show promises to be a night of great entertainment. as promised to you, I have a very special guest who is joining me this morning here at the RNJ Morning Program and he's going to be bringing his concert tour to the stage at the Mayo Performing Arts Center with a couple of really other great musicians and performers who will be there. The date of the show is Friday, February 24th, 8 p.m. and who's going to be performing on the stage that night is none other than Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Mark Cohn who joins me here this morning at the RNJ Morning Program. Mark, it is Burt Barron, WRNJ Radio in New Jersey, so great to speak with you this morning. How are you doing? I'm doing fine, thank you very much. Where are you today, Mark? I know this tour has had you bouncing all over the country. Where are you checking in from today? Yeah, we just got back from Alaska of all places. I've never been. I'm home for a couple of weeks in New York City and then we're back out on the road for the East Coast leg of this tour. Cool, very good and it's going to be great to having you on stage in New Jersey coming up in a couple weeks but yeah, I was going through the dates and I saw a couple of shows there in Alaska. What kind of crowds were you getting there and what was it like to play in just such a faraway place like that? It was strange. It was a little bit like playing on the moon. It was beautiful and the crowds were fantastic, really grateful in some ways. It's like not many people come here in the middle of January or the middle of winter. So it was wonderful. I mean, the whole tour has been great. As you've mentioned, I share the stage with two other great artists who are on stage together. Sean Colvin and Sarah Jarosz. It's just become a fantastic tour. I'm really proud being part of it. Yeah, this is just a great night of entertainment that's coming to Morristown. February 24th, get your tickets at mayoarts.org. This Sarah Jarosz, Mark, who you're on the road with, boy, she's young at this, she's new at this, but boy, she's really had a lot of great things that she's been able to do. What do you want people to know about her? Boy, Sarah is just one of the great new artists around. Somebody that I truly admire and am in awe of. She's been making records, I think, since she was 14 years old. She's pretty much a prodigy on the mandolin. She's only about 30 now and has already won several Grammys. Just an amazing, amazing songwriter, singer, instrumentalist. Sean Colvin and I are just blown away by somebody that young being so great. She truly is great. Really cool. And of course, Sean Colvin, of course, on the bill with you. And Mark Cohn, of course, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Grammy winner, will be as part of this tour and will be on stage as well on the 24th there. I think back to your songs, Mark, and what I think gives it such longevity is that your songs tell stories that I think people can relate to. You know, when I just close my eyes and I think about the lyrics to Walking in Memphis, I can smell the catfish on the table and I feel this special feeling of gospel in the air. Your songs have a way, at least for me, you take me on a journey. You take me somewhere I've never been before. Is that what you try to accomplish when it comes to crafting and writing songs? Yeah, it seems to be the kind of song I'm most interested in writing and maybe best at writing. I always loved songwriters that had sort of a cinematic feel to what they were writing about. Robbie Robertson from the band was a big influence. Some of the songs he's written were like little movies. Same with Jackson Brown and Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, all my favorites, really. I mean, it doesn't have to be an exact narrative with a beginning, middle and end, but I do love telling stories and that's one way it comes out. Yeah, and that's exactly what your work has done for such a long time. We are so excited to be joined this morning by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Mark Cohn, here at the R.N.J. Morning Program. February 24th, an exciting Friday night at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, along with Sean Colvin and Sarah Jarosz. Together in Concert, it is called. As you heard Mark mention, they're really going all over North America and are going to be coming to New Jersey on February 24th. Get your tickets at mayoarts.org. Also, when I think about walking in Memphis, Mark, it seems like songs are embraced, at least I hope they are, by the cities that they describe. I think about Elton John and Philadelphia Freedom and Randy Newman and I Love L.A. Is there a relationship with you and the city of Memphis as a result of this song that you've had for so many years? Yeah, I mean, when the song came out, within a year maybe, I was given a special plaque. I'm not sure. It wasn't a key to the city, but it was something like that. And the crowds there are very welcoming too. I think some people had doubts about what I was singing about because I'm not from there, but clearly it was an inspiring trip. And that city has definitely embraced the song and my music in general. That's so special. And when you say, tell me, are you a Christian child? Ma'am, I am tonight, right? I knew that was a good line when I wrote it. Oh, yeah, that is excellent. It's just a timeless song. It really is. Catch us up. Are you doing anything? Are you doing any things in the studio? Maybe some new projects that you're working on and working the tour dates in the middle of? Well, the last few years, I've basically been writing for other people. My friend John Leventhal and I, he produced... Well, John Leventhal is sort of the connecting factor, along with David Crosby, actually. He's a big fan of all three of us on stage. John Leventhal produced all three of us. And it just has been remarkable. You know, I did want to just go back and mention, because we talked about Sarah Jerome. Sure. Just to also say, Sean Colvin is a Class A world-loving talent. So she's been around a long time. It still sounds as great as ever. So I didn't want to give her a short shrift in lieu of Sarah. Right, right. With the three of you, you've got three really just A-list entertainers who are going to be on the stage coming up on the 24th. Anything social media, Facebook, Twitter? You want people to follow you on, Mark, nowadays? I'm on Instagram. I'm on Twitter. I do... The only thing I do personally is Instagram and social media. People kind of get it from there. But I'm on Instagram almost every day. Not with a new post, but I'm there looking at what people are saying. And sometimes, you know, giving news about what I'm doing. Did you ask me something else that I didn't answer? But if I... Let me know. Oh, no, that's okay. No, that's really great. So again, the show mailarts.org if you want to get some tickets for the show coming up. February 24th at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. It's going to be just a great night of just some really, really awesome entertainment. And I want to thank Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mark Cohn. Thank you for the time this morning and good luck with the rest of the tour. And I'm looking forward to catching you in New Jersey coming up in a couple weeks. And I really, really appreciate the time today. So thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate your interest.