Marc M. Cogman

Last week, #3 of the 4 "trailers" for Anthems went up.  This one features a snippet from track 2, "The Rest of My Life".  Now that we're less than two weeks away from the record's release, I'm getting very excited.  I've been waiting a long time to release this record to the world, and I hope it'll end up being worth the wait.  

There's one more trailer yet, which we'll see in a few days, but also be on the lookout for some new content related to Anthems to show up soon.  I'll try to get the lyrics for the new record posted up, as well as entries for the "Songs & Stories" section of the site.  Also, expect to see an "Anthems FAQ" to arrive  

Here's trailer #3 if you haven't caught it on YouTube or the Tumblr:

As promised, here is the second in a series of video trailers I've made to help promote the release of my third record, Anthems. While the first video featured some band footage and an instrumental recording of the new song "Oh Lily", this video features a bunch of the polaroids we used to snap of party-goers at Dangerland, our long-lost house in the hills above Los Angeles.  The music you're hearing in this video is from another song off the new record, entitled "Understudy".  

In addition to the new video, I'm happy to announce I've got a release date for you: Tuesday, March 6th, 2012.  There will be more videos, more news, and more information about the record release to come, but mark your calendars.  In a little over a month, it'll be yours for the listening.

Check back soon for more updates.

After much ado, and years and years and years of record industry crap, personal crises, financial troubles, neglect, and good old fashioned procrastination, I am extremely excited to announce that very soon, my third full-length record Anthems will finally be released. I know, I know, you've heard it before...but in truth, my longtime bass player, collaborator and good buddy Frogs is at work mixing the record at this very moment*, leaving only mastering before the record's arrival.

[* - note, Frogs might not actually be mixing "at this very moment".  There's actually a good chance that at this very moment he's doing something else, such as feeding his cats, trimming his mohawk, watching Battlestar Gallactica reruns, or eating Otter Pops.  The point is, he's mixing the record and soon it'll be done.]

As many of you know, the original plan WAAAY back in 2008 was to make my two follow-up records to Welcome to the Danger Show and release them more less together (as much as six months apart), those being my Americana record, Beneath a Balcony, and then its rock n roll cousin, Anthems.  It did not come to pass.  Some delays were my fault, and many others weren't, but suffice to say, once Beneath a Balcony arrived in 2009, it took two years for it to be widely available online, and Anthems never arrived at all.  This is why I'm so excited that you'll all soon be able to hear the record, which contains many of the best songs I've ever written (in my humble opinion.)  If you lived in Los Angeles between 2007 and 2009, and caught any of the Dead Messengers' live shows at Bordello, the Mint, Hotel Cafe, or elsewhere, there's a chance you know and love many of these songs.  "Typewriter" and "Song For E" especially were staples of the live set during those days with the band.  Both appear on Anthems as well as a slew of other songs which will be new to you, but which I'm sure you'll love.

Also, for the occasion of the record's release, I took the liberty of making several "Teaser-Trailer" style videos to spread the word about the release of the record.  There's a good chance that the release of one or more of these videos are what led you here to this post in the first place.  The first trailer, using the music from a new track off Anthems entitled "Oh Lily" hit the internet today. Enjoy, and stay tuned for news and updates, including but not limited to: the official release date of Anthems, more teaser-trailer videos, the debut of the first music video for a track off Anthems, and information on shows.  Thanks for listening.

Hello all.  If you haven't been down to the Youtube or the Tumblr lately, today's a good day. I've just posted the music video for "Bullet" off of Beneath a Balcony, and it's a beautiful little piece directed by Roham Rahmanian. This was shot on a 35mm Panavision relic in a soundstage near Downtown L.A.  The result is quite nice I think.  You should go have a look yourself, in any regard.

I'm not quite ready to reveal what is purportedly big news, but I will say that such news will be delivered soon, right here, as well as the Twitter, the Tumblr, the YouTube, etc.  Become a follower/subscriber to any or all, and you'll be the first to know.

Happy Holidays,

Marc

Hey there folks:

After much hemming and hawing, my second record, Beneath a Balcony is finally available via the internet merchants such as CD Baby.  ITunes will have it soon as well.  As you may know, since Beneath a Balcony arrived in the summer of 2009, it has only been available off the stage at one of my shows.  I understand this has been a source of frustration for many of you, especially those who live outside the United States. 

Well the wait is over.  Please go HERE to get your copy.  

I hope to have a similar announcement soon for my third record, Anthems.  You'll be the first to know when that is available as well.

I've been taking some time off to spend with my girlfriend and our dog up in Buffalo, NY, and to remember how to be a somewhat functional human after my year of living like a nomad on the road.  But fear not, I plan on hitting the road again in support of Anthems, hopefully sometime this fall.

Thanks for listening.

Hi there folks, I've been decidedly under the radar the past few months, getting settled in my new home of Buffalo, NY, working on an old house, and generally decompressing from 25,000 miles of touring last year.  While I do hope to be back at there singing for you soon, the next few months are going to be for some writing and recording, mainly.  I still hope to release my third record Anthems sometime this year, and book a tour in support of it, but we're still a little ways off.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you all about two very special events coming in the next month.  On April 9th, I turn 30 years old, and I've decided to celebrate with a big show in New York City at The Living Room.  If you've never been to this venue, it's excellent - perhaps the single best venue to see me play a solo show in the whole country.  That's on Saturday, April 9th at 8pm, with complete info to to be found in the "TOUR" section.

Well once I posted the birthday show, I heard from a few disgruntled Los Angeles folks about how my big blow-out is in New York City and they haven't gotten a show since August and "WTF?".  So I decided I better throw a little West Coast shindig as well.  It's technically 20 days after my birthday, but what the hell, let's call it a (slightly belated) 30th Birthday Extravaganza. That will be Friday, April 29th at the Trip in Santa Monica. The show is at 9PM and more detailed info can be found in the "TOUR" section.

Aside from that, there have been a few new music videos posted on the You Tube page, for "This Won't Last" and "Run Like Hell".  A video for "Complete" will be up in the next few weeks as well.  

See you soon I hope, and thanks for listening,

Marc

Hello there.  Please start off by reading this blog post regarding my year of touring, including some heartfelt thanks:

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Every time anyone puts an album out, they always try to have a lengthy “Thanks” section to everyone who helped make an album possible.  Of course there is a huge cast of characters that help an album come to fruition, but I’d argue that even more love and generosity is needed for successful tours to happen - ESPECIALLY when they’re of the DIY variety.

I sincerely hope to get my third album, Anthems released in 2011, but I didn’t want 2010 to expire without giving some appreciation to some of the folks who helped me survive on tour for 4 of the 12 months this year.  So please take a moment and read my sincere TOUR thanks for the time I’ve spent on the road this past year:

Thanks to:

Ben De La Cour, Mika Revell, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Amza Moglan, Jason Krangel, Shay Godwin, Thai Long Ly, Larry Cohen, Misty & David in Oklahoma, Marc Nuttle, Sylvia (& Chacho) in San Antonio, Chet & Cindy Harum, Jeff & Judy Harum, Rob & Sarah Leifer and Justin Siegel (who housed me for my 6 weeks back in L.A. with nowhere to live), Bert DiViterbo, Ryan Dishen, Michelle Martello & Joe Galanek, Mike & Michelle Schoenholtz, Michael & Rachel King, Anne, Tracy, The entire Olsen Family (of Logan,UT and beyond), Amelia (for the bgv), Brock DeShane, Driftwood, Emerick, Mimi & Harold, Roni Page, Colleen Doherty, Kristin Flammio, Gina Flammio (& esteemed roommates), Madani, Al Hubbard, Mitch Daniels, Luke Hanlin, Cheryl & Benny, Jonathan Bender, The Royce Family (of Cincinnati), Patrick Wilson, Pat Hanlin (for always making Boston great), Jugghead Band, The Shills, Sidehatch Entertainment, Ben Maitland-Lewis, Chris at Spice Street, Casey Stone, Val & Gary Basciano Sr., Clay & Ashley, Gary Jr., Alecia, Bill Villany, Shawn Sugrue, Brian Moskin, Giulio Carmassi & the rest of the NYC/CT gang,  Stacy, Vito Basciano (& esteemed roommates), The Ethnographers, my faithful booking agent Alanna McKeever, my manager Adham Hunt, Morgan & Jeff Zuehlke, The Bell Family, The Vincent Family, Phil Schrieber, Fox Ellipsis, Eddie Simon & Christina Ballstaedt, Tyler Hicks (for coming through again and again as booking agent, promoter and friend), the whole Shreveport family, Caroline, my dad, and my mom (who personally designed AND silk-screened the handsome t-shirts I sold on tour.)

A special thanks to Mandy, who saw more shows than anyone while I was on my fall tour (4 in all) and Alexis, who traveled to shows in MD, PA, and TN, Kate & Britton Carr for hosting a house concert in MD, and Abby for keeping me alive & mostly sane through an inspiring but often difficult September/October/November of touring.

Of course thanks to EVERYONE who saw the shows, bought CDs, books, and T-shirts, and filled tip jars and made this year possible.

Lastly, to the fans - many friends but many strangers - who made a point to come up to me at shows, share their stories and their scars and tell me how important my music is to them: I cannot say you are all the reason why I got into this business, but I can promise that YOU are the reason I don’t quit.  Your support means everything and I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Okay, still with me?  Great!

In 2011, I'm hoping to keep the momentum of 2010 going.  On January 9th, I'm planning to kick off another tour across the country with dates in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.  A bit later in the year, I hope to FINALLY release the album I've been wanting to unleash for nearly 3 years now, Anthems.  I've been able to get involved with some projects recently that will earn me enough cash to make this happen sometime in 2010.  Of course I'll let everyone know when that will occur, and a big national tour all over the country will no doubt follow.

In the meantime, here's another little treat.  Now, many of you who've followed my career further back than 2007 and Welcome to the Danger Show know that before I rasped out songs on acoustic guitar, I made music of the louder variety.  While I feel 100% about the changes I made to my musical life, I do like to make some noise every now and again.  So, in September, i got together with a few close friends and formed a side-project with a VERY different musical flavor than my solo records.  With Rob Leifer (The Neon Calm, Thomas Nicholas Band), Frogs (The Neon Calm, City (Comma) State, the L33T STR33T Boys, The Dead Messengers) and Drew Langan (City (Comma) State, Betawolf), I formed a band called Love Song at the Apocalypse.  Our debut EP, entitled Martyrs with Megaphones will be available on iTunes in the coming weeks, but for a preview, you can stream all four tracks here: (www.lovesongattheapocalypse.com).

To any of my fans who like my records but decidedly do NOT enjoy loud, fast, abrasive music, I'll give a warning that this band may not be for you.  And don't worry, I'm still committed to doing what I've done the last 4 years, including getting Anthems released, working on a new record, and of course continuing to tour in support of my first two records, Welcome to the Danger Show and Beneath a Balcony.

I hope to see you all soon!

-Marc

Hi there. I realized I'd blogged a bit and tweeted a lot, but not actually given a News update in quite some time. 

TOUR

I spent the summer on the road, opening at first for the Thomas Ian Nicholas Band on dates all the way from L.A. to Traverse City, Michigan and back again. After those three weeks, I didn't even make it home before my own tour began with Ben De La Cour supporting.  That went through the south, with dates as far east as Shreveport and New Orleans.  All in all it was a great summer full of shows, new friends and a ton of highway miles.

I've only been back in Venice since the end of July, and I'm only here another 3-4 weeks before my fall tour starts - a tour which, by comparison, makes the summer of touring look small.  Starting with September 17th in San Francisco and ending with November 20th in New Orleans, I'll be out there on the road for over two solid months.  We're talking 60+ shows in 40 states, and I'm doing it all alone.  But then again, I won't ever be TRULY alone, because I'll be seeing so many friendly faces, old and new, while I'm out there.  I want yours to be one of them, so be sure to check the TOUR page and see when I'm coming to your area.  Odds are, I'll be there at some point in September, October, or November.  Folks in Alaska and Hawaii and North Dakota and a few other places will just have to wait.

MERCH

The STORE page of the website is in the midst of undergoing some changes.  The main reason?  I've got merch!  Finally.   Those of you who caught one my shows on the summer tours knows that I'm now selling a copy of my book, Dangerous Music off the merch table as well as some Beneath a Balcony t-shirts.  Those both sold out mid-tour, and I'll have more for the fall tours - but I'm also going to start offering the book, the t-shirts and some brand-new Welcome to the Danger Show t-shirts for sale right HERE at cogman.com. 

All the shirts are home-made silk-screened jobs.  Think LIMITED EDITION, because it's the truth.  And both t-shirts were designed by my mom.  So that's cool too.  In fact, I loved the new logo for the Danger Show shirt so much, I had it tattoed on my forearm last week (sorry, Mom). 

I'm hoping to have even more goodies up there for sale later, but expect the shirts and the books to be ready for shipping by next week.  Again: that's on the STORE page.

L.A. "FAREWELL (FOR NOW)" SHOW

Finally, I wanted to make special mention of the show coming up in just a few days at The Mint in Los Angeles on Monday, August 23rd at 9pm.  As the tour will take me out of town until the end of 2010, this is a farewell of sorts.  The truth is, I'm on the road so much now, that I no longer keep a place to live in L.A.  I've spent the break between the summer & fall tours couching it at friends' places.  So, in short, I'm leaving L.A. for quite a while and I can't say for certain when I'll be back.  Maybe December.  Maybe 2011.  Maybe later?  I don't know. 

This show at the Mint was planned, in part to be a sort of "end of an era" celebration.  There's a couple guys, namely Steve McDonald and Frogs, who've been members of my backing band, the Dead Messengers, for over 3 years now.  I'd love to take them on tour with me, but it's just not in the realm of possibility right now.  So this is a bit of a goodbye.  At the Mint on Monday, they'll join me with two other Dead Messengers, Justin Siegel on drums (who's logged many hours as a member of the band), and a gorgeous fresh face on keys and background vocals, Heather Fogarty. 

If you want to see me with the band, be there!  Because it'll be solo shows for quite a while from here on out.

Monday, 8/23/10 @ The Mint - Pico & Crescent Heights in L.A. - 9pm.  I hope to see you.

That's all for now.  Thanks for listening.

A quick note to promote a charity event I'm playing this Friday night, June 4th in West Hollywood.  A good friend of mine took a trip to Kenya that changed her life.  By the time she'd returned, she'd started a great organization for girls in one of the many AIDS orphanages.  There's more info on the Tour page.  It's a short set, but it'll be my last in Los Angeles for awhile.  If you're available, come on down!

The West Coast tour was awesome. Thanks to all who made it so.  With the new album in a bit of a holding pattern for the time being, the focus for the summer of 2010 is on shows, shows, shows.

First off, there's a unique show coming up in a few days at Trip in Santa Monica.  This is a "songwriters in the round" show on Sunday, April 25th at 8:15pm.  This show is a "Storytellers" event, so you'll not only get to hear a bunch of great songs, but also the STORIES behind them (here's hint: they're about girls).

Then on May 5th, I'll be performing full-band with the Dead Messengers in support of my good friend Thom Nicholas.  This is the CD Release event for Thom's band.  Come down for Cinco-De-Drinko at Molly Malone's on Fairfax.  That's Wednesday, May 5th, with more details on the Shows page.

Just three days later, I'll be playing a solo acoustic date in Huntington Beach at Gallagher's Pub, again in support of the Thomas Nicholas Band.  I'll be kicking the show off at 9, and if you come for my set (or anytime before 10pm, you'll get in FREE OF CHARGE.  Again, more details on the SHOWS page.

In mid May, there's talk of a couple of Portland, Oregon area shows being booked.  This trip may or may not happen, but if it does, you'll find the details here at www.cogman.com  The dates would most likely be the weekend of May 15th-17th.

In June, I'll be heading up to the Bay area again with my favorite touring buddy, Ben De La Cour.  We'll be playing three dates.  Friday June 11, at Last Stage West in Atascadero, Saturday, June 12 at the Velo Rouge in San Francisco and finally Sunday, June 13 at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival.  This will be a lot of fun, so if you're a Bay-Area local, be sure to come down.  And yes there's more info at......the Shows page!

Finally, I'm most excited to announce my first comprehensive tour of the great Southwest.  Ben De La Cour and I will be hitting the road for two weeks, and stops are planned in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.  I'll be posting the dates as they're confirmed, but they'll more than likely occur between July 9 - July 24th.  We're really excited, and you should be too.

More news soon!

Hello everyone: 

Thanks to everyone who supported at the Bordello, Cafe Muse, and surprise Bloomingdales shows.  With those out of the way, I'd like to make another announcement about my upcoming tour with Ben De La Cour.  In less than a week, we'll head up the coast for shows in California, Oregon and Washington, and we'd love to see you there.  Info at the shows page, and below:

2010 WEST COAST TOUR (w/ Ben De La Cour)

Wed. 3/24/10 - Cafe Cordiale - Sherman Oaks, CA - 9:30pm (Marc only)

Fri. 3/26/10 - The Red Vic Peace Cafe - San Francisco, CA - 7pm (Ben only)

Sat. 3/27/10 - Velo Rouge Cafe - San Francisco, CA - 7pm

Mon. 3/29/10 - The Inn Between - Welches, OR - 5pm

Tue. 3/30/10 - Tost Lounge - Seattle, WA - 10pm

Thurs. 4/1/10 - Mama Buzz Cafe - Oakland, CA - 6:30pm

Fri. 4/2/10 - The Red Vic Peace Cafe - San Francisco, CA - 7pm (Marc only)

Sat. 4/3/10 - Last Stage West BBQ - Atascadero, CA - 6pm

COME CHECK OUT THE TOUR AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS TOO!!!

Thanks to everyone who made Feb. 21st at Good Hurt a special night.  It was great to have the Dead Messengers on stage together again.  We'll look to do some more full band shows later in the year.  In the meantime, there are tons of new dates on the calendar all along the west coast. 

First, I'm doing two events in early March you should know about.  March 7th I'm playing a fundraiser for my alma mater, the Masters of Professional Writing Program at USC.  The show is at one of my favorite venues in town, Bordello in Downtown LA.  My good friend Ben De La Cour will be opening. 

Then on Friday evening, March 12, I'm playing the most intimate of shows with another great friend, Elena, at Cafe Muse in Hollywood.  If you came to the Feb. 21st show you'll remember Elena singing a few songs with Giulio just prior to my set.  This is my first time playing down at Cafe Muse and I'm looking forward to it.

Later in the month, I'll be teaming up with the good folks at Hollowbody L.A. to a do a show at Cafe Cordiale in Sherman Oaks on March 24th.  This is a famed musician hangout and jam spot right on Ventura Blvd. with free parking and NO COVER.  Definitely come check this show out.

Finally the biggest news is my west coast tour with the aformentioned Ben De La Cour.  Ben and I met at our show at Trip in Santa Monica on January 3rd, and we immediately clicked.  We decided to throw together a week's worth of west coast dates, and I'm happy to say it's been booked.  There will no doubt be lots of promotion of the tour itself that will pop up over the next month, but I'll go ahead and give you the official schedule now as well:

Saturday, March 27 - Velo Rouge Cafe - San Francisco, CA

Monday, March 29 - Muddywaters - Portland, OR

Tuesday, March 30 - Tost Lounge - Seattle, WA

Thursday, April 1 - Mama Buzz Cafe - Oakland, CA

Friday, April 2 - The Red Vic Peace Cafe - San Francisco, CA

Saturday, April 3 - Last Stage West - Atascadero, CA

We hope to see you in one of these cities!  I'll keep you posted on all the events as they come closer, as well as more tour news. 

One night only!  My old keyboardist and original Dead Messenger Giulio Carmassi will be back in town from Brooklyn and we've decided to throw a big show for his 29th birthday on Sunday, Feb. 21.  Another band lamenting the loss of Giulio these past few months is Vermouth, so naturally they'll get things rocking in the 9pm slot.  (for those of you who aren't familiar with Vermouth's unique music, we've often shared the stage, and share ANOTHER member as well, guitarist Steve McDonald.)  I'll take the stage with my reunited Dead Messengers in the 10pm slot.  They'll be other special guests as well.

Who knows when we'll have Giulio around again so come down and join the fun and wish him a happy birthday.

Also, lots more shows have been posted for L.A., including a great event coming up in March with my good friend Elena, a show for my alma mater USC for the benefit of their poetry publication, a free show at Cafe Cordiale, a special STORYTELLERS night at Trip, plus COMING SOON - dates for SXSW, a West Coast tour with Ben De La Cour, and even my first shows in New York City and Boston in over two years.

Lookout!  It's 2010! It's rolling along! And it can't be STOPPED!

Thursday, Jan 28th, I'm performing alongside four terrific artists in the “Green Room”, the downstairs lounge at the world famous Viper Room on the strip in W. Hollywood.
These shows are incredibly intimate. They are ideal for taking in every note and lyric.The Green Room bar offers serious drink specials for its guests. Jim Beam, Tanqueray Gin, all flavors of Sky Vodka, Wine and many other premium brands are only $5. Pabst cans are only $4. These amazing drink specials are only good for those who ASK for the happy hour specials (proving you've caught wind of our promo efforts, otherwise it's full price!)  Free street parking is easy for the early shows.  Yellow, loading zones are safe parking after 6pm, as are any green curbs. Otherwise there's a lot on property, which is only $5 after 11pm. 21+, $8 w/ flyer.

Guests will have access to the entire venue. Come early and find a good spot
(parking and seating). 8852 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069

8:00 Marc Cogman          www.cogman.com
8:45 Mike Srour        
9:30  Ryan Shields           www.myspace.com/ryanshieldsandthejanks 
10:15 Petrina Foley          www.petrnafoley.bandcamp.com
11:00 Sam Hooper Group  www.myspace.com/samhoopergroup

Hi there, two new shows have been added to the calendar, one at Green Room, the small downstairs room at Viper Room, on Thursday January 28th at 8pm sharp, and one at Cafe Muse in Hollywood on Friday, March 12th at 10:30pm.  

The Viper Room show will have a discount flyer, which I'll post right here as soon as I get it.

There may be some February events as well, but for now there's these two events.  Check back for more updates including SXSW dates.

Hey kids, download a flyer here and get reduced admission for my Sunday, January 3rd show at Trip in Santa Monica.  In fact, if you have a blackberry or iphone and actually just download the jpeg, you can flash the picture to the girl (or guy) working the door and get your discount that way too.  

I hope to see you all there tomorrow night!

Happy New Year!

I've booked a solo acoustic show on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at 8PM.  The show is at The TRIP in Santa Monica.  More info in the SHOWS section.

The brand new website is still....well...brand new. We apologize for the dust. Hopefully we'll get more and more content going here as time goes on. Stay tuned!