Image via Mark J. Soriano
Singer/songwriter Mark J. Soriano is a busy guy.
In addition to his daytime position as a drum instructor, the artist also plays in several Milwaukee-area acts, and releases his own solo material. His latest single and video, “Been Better,” is a catchy, upbeat tune about improving his personal life and relationships.
“Funny enough, the song was written right before the pandemic, about a week or two before everything went sour” said Soriano. “I was about to go to work one day, and I picked up my guitar before I drove off, and wrote the song really quick. It just kinda came out, and it seemed to take on a new meaning once the world went to hell.”
In the video from director Spencer Tate, we see Soriano journey through his day, taking knocks as he goes along, but staying upbeat. Much like the song’s ethos, no amount of bruises, physical or emotional seem to hold him back.
Creating is in Soriano’s DNA it seems, as he’s made music a priority, and been a fixture of the local music scene since forming Ako with singer/songwriter Gabby Powell while attending Marquette University. Both are now part of the Meltwater Pulse collaborative, a creative group that acts as session musicians for one another’s solo efforts. The collaborative also helps produce one another’s videos and acts as a hybrid between record label and arts community.
“It was kind of set up because we were all friends. We all play different things and we all had our own songs” said Soriano. “We just talked about music all the time, saying ‘it would be cool if this section came in here’ when we hear stuff. It’s kind of cool because we would be able to have in-house people to formulate our ideas with, and we wouldn’t have to go too far to find someone to play on the recordings.”
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In addition to the new single and video, Soriano is a major factor in the New Year’s Eve livestream event benefiting Arts @ Large, an arts program focused on youth in Milwaukee. The group is hosting an event called Music Under The Stars on Dec. 31, with Soriano playing in all four bands on the bill. The event will feature Complex Machine, Dropbear Collective, The Hatchets and Ellie Jackson, and will be streamed on Facebook, Instagram Live and Twitch.
Find out more about the Music Under The Stars event here.
