In early August 2008, it was announced (via his record label) that Ford's new record would be available online and in stores on September 23, 2008. Entitled Marc Ford and the Neptune Blues Club the record features entirely new material performed by the newest incarnation of Ford's band (himself on guitars and vocals, Mike Malone on keyboards and vocals, Anthony Arvisu on drums, Bill Barrett on harmonica and John Bazz on upright bass).
Most recently Marc Ford has been playing lead guitar at the Vineyard Community Church in Laguna Niguel, California for Chris Lizotte, worship pastor and accomplished Christian recording artist. He is currently in post production of a Vineyard Music album.
As a musician, learning when to lay back always came naturally for Ford; his deliberate touch with a guitar is a trademark. His muted demeanor and detached gaze belie his tenacity, however, and Ford's searing licks and soul-jarring solos are often compared to those of Hendrix, Clapton, Allman, and Page. Few guitarists radiate such composure and dexterity on stage as Ford, and presumably it was that combination that caught the attention of Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes when Ford's former band, Burning Tree, opened for them in 1990.
"All I knew was, they made a big, loud sound, they were on the move, and the singer was badass!" Ford says. Soon Robinson was inviting Ford out to jam during the Crowes' sets. "Looking back, it was just a long courting," Ford remembers. "We were fans of each other's records." He recalls his first time hearing $hake Your Money Maker. "When I first put that CD in, I was driving, and I actually stopped the car! I was like, 'Oh my God, listen to that guy sing! He sings like I play guitar!'" Ford says. It wasn't long before he was asked to join the band, and the impact was immediate.
Ford and the Crowes would go on to tour the globe and sell millions of albums as arguably the most potent and relevant rock n roll band of the last two decades with such landmark releases as The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, Amorica, and Three Snakes and One Charm. Ford was heralded by fans and critics alike as a catalyst for the Crowes' emergence on the jamband scene of the mid 90's, a scene that garnered the band, and Ford, a cult-like following that still exists to this day.
Inevitably, the atmospheric highs of rock n roll stardom began to give way to a haze of indifference during his last couple of years in the band. "I wasn't there anymore spiritually or mentally," Ford says. "It had to be pretty obvious that I just didn't care. I didn't even feel like playing guitar anymore." Immediately after headlining the Furthur Festival in 1997, Ford left the Black Crowes after six years in a split that seemed irrevocable.
He emerged less than two years later with a new project in hand called Federale, but their deal with Interscope fell through after the label downsized. "We were the last band without a contract," Ford recalls. "They said, 'Great songs, guys, but we need a new Limp Bizkit!'" As Ford puts it, "That was the end of that."
In 2000, Ford formed Blue Floyd with the late Allen Woody of Gov't Mule, a project that initially started as a way for two friends to get together and play music. "In '96 we [the Crowes] did a tour with Gov't Mule, and Woody and I became pretty tight," Ford says. "He always wanted to play guitar with me, so we thought we'd come up with some Pink Floyd songs and put 'em in a blues situation. That was the whole reason we put that band together."
What started out as an excuse to jam escalated quickly with the addition of drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Johnny Neel, and bassist Berry Oakley, Jr. Blue Floyd's shows became notorious for their spontaneity, epic length and psychedelic jams, often melting minds with gigs well in excess of three hours. After nearly two years and the death of Allen Woody, however, Blue Floyd had run its course. "It was a cover band," Ford admits, "but it ended up being some pretty heavy cats. Allen Woody was such a great guy."
In the five years since leaving the Crowes, Ford wrote the songs that would eventually become his first solo album, 2002's It's About Time. It found him somewhat at a crossroads, however, as Ford made an attempt to downplay his celebrated guitarist persona for the first time ever in his career. "At that time, I figured everybody knew who I was and that I could play the guitar," he says. "I had done that for six years [in the Crowes], so after I left I had these songs I was working on, and all I really wanted to do was focus on them."
The result was a spirited but still grounded effort that showcased Ford's surprising depth and diversity as an organic songwriter, allowing influences such as country-rock pioneers Neil Young and the Band to shine through. The album included guest spots by many of Ford's friends, including Allen Woody and Matt Abts of Gov't Mule, Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, Lenny Kravitz's guitarist Craig Ross, and Ben Harper, among others.
Harper would prove to be an important friendship, and Ford decided to shelve his touring band, the Sinners, in order to accept an offer as lead guitarist in Harper's band, the Innocent Criminals, for their worldwide tour in 2003. The tour was an overwhelming success, as documented on the DVD Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and Ford soon found himself collaborating in the studio with Ben Harper and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama on the gospel-blues project There Will Be a Light. The album won a Grammy in 2005 for "Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album," as well as an NAACP award, an irony not lost on Ford. "Not too many white folks have one of those!" he chuckles proudly.
What happened next shocked both Ford and his fans. "It was the last thing, the very last thing on my mind," Ford says of the call he got to rejoin the Black Crowes, who had been on indefinite hiatus. "We had a meeting, all the right things were said, apologies were made," he offers. "The music was always fantastic, so I figured why not? If it's no good, then it's no good, but if it's great, then it's GREAT!" And with that, the Black Crowes were back.
Ford and the Crowes connected on stage as if in a dream, immediately embarking on the 'All Join Hands' tour in the spring of 2005. The shows were universally regarded as a triumphant return to form, and five electrifying nights at the Fillmore in San Francisco were recorded that summer and released as the Crowes' first live concert DVD Freak 'n' Roll... Into the Fog. As the band toured almost continuously for the next year, Ford realized his newly found sobriety, an issue for the guitarist his entire career, was slowly being jeopardized by the incessant touring. And, just like a dream, one must eventually wake up, and Ford played his last show with the Crowes at awe-inspiring Red Rocks Amphiteater in the summer of 2006.
With clean mind and body intact, Ford recruited former Burning Tree bandmates Mark "Muddy" Dutton and Doni Gray to begin work on Weary and Wired, his long overdue follow-up to 2002's It's About Time. While his first release focused more on his emergence as a songwriter, Weary and Wired solidifies Ford's status as one of rock n roll's premier guitarists, in case anyone had forgotten. "It swings a little like the Crowes," he says, but the ragged and jagged riffs that pepper the album like a shotgun blast are signature Marc Ford. The country nuances of It's About Time are nowhere to be found, and Ford certainly sounds more wired than he does weary. "It definitely has a spirit to it," he admits. "It feels like a band playing live in a room," which is exactly how most of the album was recorded, he points out.
"I've been sober for a while now and playing my ass off, totally focused, and stronger than ever," Ford reveals. "I came to the realization not too long ago that every bit of my identity was wrapped up in being a guitar player, so my identity went up and down with the gigs that I got," Ford notes. "Finally I realized, I don't even have to play guitar if I don't want to, because then that way, it's not trapping me and I'm not a slave to it - it's just something I do. I can take that energy I put into music and put it anywhere I want to!"
Part of that energy went into producing, another talent for which he is quickly becoming known. Ford recently produced albums for the Pawnshop Kings and Ryan Bingham, and has generated quite a waiting list if he decides to devote more time behind the board. Fortunately for his fans, though, Weary and Wired is where his energy is focused these days.
Ford returns to a definitive theme in our conversations. "I don't play rock music. It's rock and roll," he clarifies. "The roll is where the blues is at, the gospel, the swing. It's the feel."
Call it what you will, it's distinctly Marc Ford.
The Other Side
Marc Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man tries to get me down
I just can't see your face
I'm blinded by the sun, living on the run
And I can't remember this place
Take me to the other side
Wind, won't you let me ride?
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
'Cause every time I turn around
A man's trying to get me down
I just can't see your face
I'm driving on the river, tires on my Mercedes gone
Now it's time to put the hammer down
Won't you take me to the other side?
Let me go when I'm high
Well, take me to the other side, oh pretty mama
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
Cowboy's your given name
Nothing ever stays the same
'Cept the rain falling down
You can't keep from goin'
No, the wind is always damn cold
It's time to put the hammer down
Won't you take me to the other side?
And let me go when I'm high
Well, take me to the other side, oh pretty mama
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
Well, won't you take me to the other side?
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
The lyrics of Marc Ford's song The Other Side are introspective and reflective, specifically about trying to escape from a difficult situation. The first verse talks about feeling pursued and blinded by the sun, with a need to escape to a place that is not known. The chorus is a plea for the wind to carry the singer to the other side, away from the difficulties and towards something better. The second verse talks about driving and feeling like the situation is out of control, trying to escape the cold and the rain. The bridge references the singer's name (Cowboy) and the fact that change is constant, except for the rain. The song ends with another plea to be taken to the other side and to ride the wind.
Overall, the song presents a theme of restlessness and a desire for escape, with the singer feeling trapped and needing to move on to something better. However, there is also a sense of uncertainty and fear in the lyrics, with the singer unsure of what lies ahead and feeling pursued by others.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I turn around
No matter where he looks, someone is trying to bring him down
A man tries to get me down
Some man is trying to make his life difficult
I just can't see your face
He can't focus on anything else because he is blinded by the sun and is living a life on the run
I'm blinded by the sun, living on the run
He can't remember where he came from or the way back
And I can't remember this place
He needs to go to the other side where he can be himself without troubled by anyone
Take me to the other side
He wants to go to a better place where he can start afresh
Wind, won't you let me ride?
He wants the wind to carry him and just take him wherever it leads
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
He is pleading for the wind to take him to the other side
I'm driving on the river, tires on my Mercedes gone
He is struggling and his life is losing control
Now it's time to put the hammer down
It's time for him to take charge and do something to change his situation
Cowboy's your given name
He identifies himself as a cowboy - someone who always keeps moving and never settles down
Nothing ever stays the same
Change is the only constant in his life
'Cept the rain falling down
The only thing he can count on is rain
You can't keep from goin'
He can't help but keep moving and looking for something better
No, the wind is always damn cold
He acknowledges that the journey is hard and that he is always facing obstacles
Won't you take me to the other side?
He repeats his plea for someone to take him to the other side
Let me go when I'm high
He wants to be free to be himself
Well, take me to the other side, oh pretty mama
He addresses someone close to him, probably a lover or confidant, to help him find his way
Well, won't you take me to the other side?
He stresses that he needs to go to the other side
And on the wind won't you let me ride?
He again pleads with the wind to take him to the other side
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIM A BINGHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind