BUDDY MONDLOCK
Buddy Mondlock writes songs. He does it so well that some great songwriters have recorded his songs on their own albums. Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith and Janis Ian, to name just a few. But there's nothing like hearing the guy who wrote em’ sing em’. He’s not going to pin your ears back with those songs. He's going to draw you into his world. Where a single snowflake follows the trajectory of a relationship, where you get your pocket picked by a Roman cat, where you might swim over the edge of the world if you’re not careful and where dreams that don’t come true still count. And it can all be happening in a little folk club or on a stage by a grassy hill or in someone's’ living room or in the Royal Albert Hall.
His new album, The Edge of the World, is his most personal recording to date. The song cycle is an introspective journey from childhood through to the disintegration of a marriage and beyond. And while always a wry observer of the social interactions of human beings, the song Big Fish, Shallow Water takes on a political edge as well. Buddy did most of the playing and singing himself, with a little help from longtime friend, bassist Mike Lindauer. Then co-producer Jim Tullio added just the right sonic touches of percussion and atmospheric guitar to glue it all together.
When Buddy's not on the road you can find him in Nashville but he grew up in Park Forest Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He didn’t have a troubled childhood. His parents were nice to him. They paid for guitar lessons when he was ten and they never said, when are you going to get a real job? He sang Crosby, Stills and Nash songs with his sisters and answered his little brothers questions from the top bunk. A few years away at college puzzling over Homer and Plato and then he was back. Living in the big city this time and playing open mics at Chicago’s crucible for songwriters in those days, the famed Earl of Old town. He once opened for the amazing Steve Goodman there on New Years Eve. Buddy was 21. Says he could have walked out of there that night and gotten hit by a bus and he wouldn’t have felt like life cheated him at all.
In 2000 Buddy was approached by producer Billy Mann who had a unique project in mind. Buddy collaborated with the legendary Art Garfunkel and the wonderfully musical Maia Sharp. The three of them wrote and recorded an album together called Everything Waits To Be Noticed, released on Manhattan/EMI in late 2002 to critical acclaim. The trio toured all over America and Europe in support, singing together like feathers in a wing.
Now Buddy’s back with a new solo recording, hitting the road performing and leading songwriting workshops, and of course, writing songs for “The Girl in the Red Dress.” Cause that’s what he does and that’s who he is. Lean in and listen, you won’t be sorry.