Mark Eitzel

Mark Eitzel's new record, Don't Be a Stranger, will be released by Merge Records on October 2 in North America, South America, and Asia. After a string of bad luck that included a heart attack that set him back several months and the implosion of his band American Music Club, Mark Eitzel fortuitously found himself in the studio with celebrated producer Sheldon Gomberg (Rickie Lee Jones, Ron Sexsmith, Ben Harper), thanks to the generosity of an old friend. The result is Eitzel's finest solo album in over a decade. Mark began writing and recording the songs that would become Don't Be a Stranger in early 2010. Initially planned as the next American Music Club album, it quickly became evident that the new songs would work better as a solo album. He visited the UK for a few months to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival and to help launch Marine Parade, the musical he co-wrote with Simon Stephens, which premiered at the Brighton Festival and has gone on to be produced in Germany. Then in May of 2011, Mark suffered a serious heart attack that kept him flat on his back and out of circulation until the following October. He had to seriously re-evaluate his lifestyle and habits... more...