Super creative Mark Halpern did the project a solid by writing and recording an original song that we absolutely love. I asked him to answer a few questions so people could learn more about him.
Look at this sexy stud
1. How did you get involved in music?
I got involved with music because my Mother and Grandfather (who played in the Army Field Band and the Redskins Band) both played the flute. They wanted me to pick up an instrument, so when I was nine I chose to play the trumpet. I wanted to play the drums, but my mom told me the neighbors would be angry with me because of the noise. So I picked what I thought was the next loudest instrument. I played my first solo, “We Three Kings,” in the Holiday Concert at my elementary school. Even though I officially started playing an instrument at the age of nine, legend has it I began beat-boxing before I could learn how to speak.
2. Are you currently with any bands? Have you released any CDs?
I am currently playing in two bands. I play bass in a folk-rock band called Pablonious Bill who is fronted by Paul Rosenfelder. I also co-front a band with my good friend and artistic partner Aaron Bliden. The band is called Little Justice. Currently, we are working on a musical and a concept album. Last summer we entered our first musical into the Capital Fringe Festival where it won the award for Best Musical. The musical was entitled Please Listen; A Musical Chaos. Neither Pablonious Bill or Little Justice have officially released any CDs.
Here is Mark with another loud instrument
3. What was the creative process behind recording “Smoochie Girl”?
The creative process started when J. W. requested that I write a cheesy pop song to be used in Young Adult. I asked J. W. to send me some words to help give me an idea of what he wanted the song to feel like. One word caught my eye and my heart strings: ’smooches’. The word smooches might be one of the most precious words in the English language, so from that word I derived the word ’smoochie’ as an adjective to describe one who enjoys giving one ’smooches’. Nothing sounded more perfect to me than a Smoochie Girl. I then thought of sock hops and old pop songs that had that head-bob feel. At this point I realized using a falsetto was absolutely necessary. I tried the first line of the song in a long car ride and was sold instantly on what this song was going to be. When the words “Hey Little Smoochie Girl!” rolled off of my tongue, nothing in the world seemed more perfect to me.
4. What are some of your favorite television shows?
Some of my favorite television shows are: Top Chef, Arrested Development, Modern Family, Summer Heights High, The Office (America and BBC), The Simpsons, Home Improvement, and Project Runway.
Rockin' out
5. How old is a ‘young adult’ and why?
I believe young adulthood begins when you are able to speak English fluently (or any other language). Between the ages of 2 and 4 sounds about right. This is when ‘old adults’ begin telling you that they will treat/speak to you like an ‘adult.’
Check out more of Mark by browsing his brand-new MySpace page.