Mark Kozelek

Mark Kozelek
Kozelek performing with Sun Kil Moon in 2014
Kozelek performing with Sun Kil Moon in 2014
Background information
Birth nameMark Edward Kozelek
Born (1967-01-24) January 24, 1967 (age 57)
Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • record label owner
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • piano
Years active1989–present
LabelsCaldo Verde
Member of
Formerly of
Websitesunkilmoon.com

Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1988 until 2001.

Upon meeting drummer Anthony Koutsos in Atlanta, Georgia, the pair moved to San Francisco, California and formed Red House Painters alongside guitarist Gorden Mack and bass guitarist Jerry Vessel. Signing with record label 4AD,[1] the band released four studio albums. In 1996, Kozelek recorded the band's fifth studio album, Songs for a Blue Guitar, mostly alone.[2] The release of the band's final studio album, Old Ramon (2001), was delayed for three years. In the interim, Kozelek recorded both an album and an EP of AC/DC cover songs.[3]

Reconvening with Koutsos and Vessel, the trio continued performing under the new name of Sun Kil Moon, releasing their debut album, Ghosts of the Great Highway, in 2003. Inspired by classical guitar music, Kozelek recorded Sun Kil Moon's fourth studio album, Admiral Fell Promises (2010),[4] as a solo act and continued to record mostly alone on its follow-up, Among the Leaves (2012), and later Perils from the Sea and Mark Kozelek & Desertshore, both released in 2013.[5] In 2014, Sun Kil Moon's sixth studio album, Benji, was released to widespread critical acclaim,[6] and increased exposure with its follow-up, 2015's Universal Themes,[7] featuring lengthy compositions and stream-of-consciousness lyrics.

Across his work in Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, and his own solo material, Kozelek has released 31 studio albums, with his most recent being All the Best, Isaac Hayes (2020).[8] A number of commentators have described Kozelek as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.[9]

  1. ^ "The official website for independent record label 4AD". 4AD. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Songs for a Blue Guitar by Red House Painters". Apple Music. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  3. ^ "Mark Kozelek: What's Next to the Moon". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Sun Kil Moon: "Admiral Fell Promises"". Uncut. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "Mark Kozelek / Desertshore: Mark Kozelek and Desertshore". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sun Kil Moon: Benji". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Pearis, Bill (December 12, 2019). "Mark Kozelek preps spoken word album (listen to "Los Angeles" ft. Petra Haden)". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  9. ^
    • Slaughter, Matthew. "Mark Kozelek". undertheradarmag.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019. One of the truly great and largely overlooked songwriters of our times, [...]
    • "Mark Kozelek, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down". Stereogum. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019. I was convinced he would be discovered posthumously, and eventually recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, maybe one of the greatest songwriters in the history of American rock music.
    • "Here's Five: Saddest Songs By Mark Kozelek aka Sun Kil Moon". UnderTheRadarNZ. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019. He is also responsible for some of the most deeply melancholy music ever recorded, and is, by my reckoning, one of the greatest living American songwriters.
    • Hawthorne, Marc (September 25, 2007). "Red House Painters: Red House Painters". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2020. "[...] a discography that has placed him alongside the greatest songwriters of all time."
    • Womack, Andrew (February 20, 2003). "Red House Painters, Retrospective". The Morning News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021. "Mark Kozelek is arguably one of the greatest songwriters of all time."