MILE AFTER MILE
2021 Western Album of the Year, Academy of Western Artists
Song Awards for: Dust of Palomas, Mile After Mile, Miner's Candle, On the Ridgeline
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REVIEWS OF MILE AFTER MILE
From: Country Music People Magazine and Roundup Magazine
From: Country Music People Magazine and Roundup Magazine
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Mile After Mile - Liner Notes
Acknowledgements
Deep gratitude to my co-producers, Seth Maynard and Merel Bregante, for their enthusiasm and commitment to making these songs the very best. Seth and I worked over months to refine my songwriting craft and shape the direction of this album. Merel really listened to my vision for this album and worked to help me accomplish my goals through his production and engineering. Some of the most accomplished musicians around added their talent to imbue the songs with mood and feeling. What a pleasure to share this journey with all who contributed to this finished product.
“Long on the road makes me think” so begins “Mile After Mile” that speaks to my musings while logging many hours driving from show to show. This collection of songs is my most personal and encompasses some truth with added fiction to stir the imagination. Geography, places, and the cycles of life are integral by offering context for the stories within the songs. These Western settings offer hope and healing, as well as places of escape. My hope is that the songs inspire and build connections between us. ~ Carol Markstrom, Tucson, Arizona
1. Dust of Palomas (Markstrom) This “in-the-moment” song came out of an afternoon in Puerto Palomas, Mexico watching the wind wreak havoc on the passersby. And, yes, I really wanted boots of Mexican leather but had no success that day except for breaking through my writer’s block with the emergence of these lyrics.
2. Devil’s Backbone (Williams/White/Peacock) My fans requested I include this song on my next album, and I love performing it too. This Gothic Western tune is the pleading prayer of a woman that the life of her imperfect man be spared.
3. Rollin’ in Time (Markstrom) I think of myself as somewhat of a nonconformist, but I sure follow the lines and signs when it comes to getting myself from one show to the next. No time for the scenic route, but it is all worth it when I am on stage singing the songs my fans and I love.
4. No Stone Unturned (Markstrom/Maynard) This story is about a returning soldier whose only escape from the trauma of war is to withdraw from society and hide in the mountains. The song is sung by the woman who loves him and tells of her determination to not give up on him leaving “no stone unturned.”
5. Mile After Mile (Markstrom) This song offers reflections on the Indigenous landscape and stories from across this land. Words from a well-known speech by Chief Seattle encapsulate the sentiment I wanted to bring to this song and are eloquently spoken by David Rose.
6. Best Time of the Day (Markstrom) I was one of the performers commissioned by the Durango Cowboy Gathering to write a song or poem based on that year’s event poster—a painting by Tim Cox, “Riding out to Meet the Day.” The lyrics unfolded as I contemplated the pastel colors of the morning light in the painting and imagined the contentment felt by the cowboys as they rode into the day toward the work they love.
7. Fooled Into Love (Markstrom/Maynard) The basic message of this song—” you cheated on me and I’m not falling for that again.” A fun theme for songs of any musical genre. Thanks to my fans who gave me suggestions of names for cheaters with “trifling man” being one of my favorites.
8. Miner’s Candle (Schneider/Markstrom) The stories of miners are largely untold in Western songs, so I was interested when my friend from Germany, Manuela Schneider, suggested this co-write. This is a “Highwayman” type song with the ghost telling his tale of sacrifice, greed, temptation, and ultimate death.
9. Seekers (Markstrom/Maynard) I visit petroglyph and pictograph sites across the West and conclude we are not so different from these ancient peoples as we also mark, in our ways, what is meaningful and significant to us. Did they know we would be at their sacred sites centuries later seeking insight and understanding?
10. I Now Understand (Markstrom) A man told me his story while I was performing at a saloon in Alaska. It is a story shared by many who left all behind to build a new life in the “last frontier.” It took a few Alaska tours before I understood the spell cast by the wilds of a faraway land—which can be anywhere.
11. On the Ridgeline (Markstrom) A personal journey about leaving the mundane and seeking restoration through connection to the Creator on the mountaintop. Anyone who finds solace in nature will relate to this song.
12. Perfect (Markstrom)This song draws from personal experiences about opportunities that have come my way and places where I have performed. Upon reflection, I can say that life is perfect—a perfect song of personal completion.
Acknowledgements
Deep gratitude to my co-producers, Seth Maynard and Merel Bregante, for their enthusiasm and commitment to making these songs the very best. Seth and I worked over months to refine my songwriting craft and shape the direction of this album. Merel really listened to my vision for this album and worked to help me accomplish my goals through his production and engineering. Some of the most accomplished musicians around added their talent to imbue the songs with mood and feeling. What a pleasure to share this journey with all who contributed to this finished product.
“Long on the road makes me think” so begins “Mile After Mile” that speaks to my musings while logging many hours driving from show to show. This collection of songs is my most personal and encompasses some truth with added fiction to stir the imagination. Geography, places, and the cycles of life are integral by offering context for the stories within the songs. These Western settings offer hope and healing, as well as places of escape. My hope is that the songs inspire and build connections between us. ~ Carol Markstrom, Tucson, Arizona
1. Dust of Palomas (Markstrom) This “in-the-moment” song came out of an afternoon in Puerto Palomas, Mexico watching the wind wreak havoc on the passersby. And, yes, I really wanted boots of Mexican leather but had no success that day except for breaking through my writer’s block with the emergence of these lyrics.
2. Devil’s Backbone (Williams/White/Peacock) My fans requested I include this song on my next album, and I love performing it too. This Gothic Western tune is the pleading prayer of a woman that the life of her imperfect man be spared.
3. Rollin’ in Time (Markstrom) I think of myself as somewhat of a nonconformist, but I sure follow the lines and signs when it comes to getting myself from one show to the next. No time for the scenic route, but it is all worth it when I am on stage singing the songs my fans and I love.
4. No Stone Unturned (Markstrom/Maynard) This story is about a returning soldier whose only escape from the trauma of war is to withdraw from society and hide in the mountains. The song is sung by the woman who loves him and tells of her determination to not give up on him leaving “no stone unturned.”
5. Mile After Mile (Markstrom) This song offers reflections on the Indigenous landscape and stories from across this land. Words from a well-known speech by Chief Seattle encapsulate the sentiment I wanted to bring to this song and are eloquently spoken by David Rose.
6. Best Time of the Day (Markstrom) I was one of the performers commissioned by the Durango Cowboy Gathering to write a song or poem based on that year’s event poster—a painting by Tim Cox, “Riding out to Meet the Day.” The lyrics unfolded as I contemplated the pastel colors of the morning light in the painting and imagined the contentment felt by the cowboys as they rode into the day toward the work they love.
7. Fooled Into Love (Markstrom/Maynard) The basic message of this song—” you cheated on me and I’m not falling for that again.” A fun theme for songs of any musical genre. Thanks to my fans who gave me suggestions of names for cheaters with “trifling man” being one of my favorites.
8. Miner’s Candle (Schneider/Markstrom) The stories of miners are largely untold in Western songs, so I was interested when my friend from Germany, Manuela Schneider, suggested this co-write. This is a “Highwayman” type song with the ghost telling his tale of sacrifice, greed, temptation, and ultimate death.
9. Seekers (Markstrom/Maynard) I visit petroglyph and pictograph sites across the West and conclude we are not so different from these ancient peoples as we also mark, in our ways, what is meaningful and significant to us. Did they know we would be at their sacred sites centuries later seeking insight and understanding?
10. I Now Understand (Markstrom) A man told me his story while I was performing at a saloon in Alaska. It is a story shared by many who left all behind to build a new life in the “last frontier.” It took a few Alaska tours before I understood the spell cast by the wilds of a faraway land—which can be anywhere.
11. On the Ridgeline (Markstrom) A personal journey about leaving the mundane and seeking restoration through connection to the Creator on the mountaintop. Anyone who finds solace in nature will relate to this song.
12. Perfect (Markstrom)This song draws from personal experiences about opportunities that have come my way and places where I have performed. Upon reflection, I can say that life is perfect—a perfect song of personal completion.