Waiting and Waiting is the title of John Mark Nelson’s sophomore album. But Nelson hasn’t been waiting very long for his musical talent to be recognized in the Twin Cities. While he’s only 18 years old, he is already an accomplished songwriter and performer. His music, an eclectic mix of acoustic folk, is dreamlike and mature but with a freshness that makes listeners quickly name him as a favorite new artist.
The Minnetonka High School (MHS) grad grew up surrounded by music; his dad plays piano and his mother sings. “I was 11 years old,” Nelson says, “when I heard a friend play guitar. I thought it was cool and I wanted to give it a shot. I also wanted to take after my dad so I played a little piano. Later, I picked up the drums, the accordion, whatever I could get my hands on. I had a ravenous appetite for learning music.”
MHS music teacher Miles Mortensen arrived at a similar conclusion after working with Nelson for three years. “John Mark came to us in the tenth grade,” says Mortensen. “By the end of that year, he was taking full advantage of all the musical opportunities available here. He was excited by every experience.”
Mortensen notes that professional clinicians are only a phone call away, allowing students at MHS the opportunity to work with many guest musicians. With such a wide variety of musical experiences, you might think any student could become as accomplished as Nelson. But Mortensen thinks Nelson is unusual. “If he didn’t know much about a certain music style, he’d ask me about that,” he says. “By our next rehearsal, he would have listened to it and already incorporated it into what he does. He has a gift for the immediate application of creativity.”
Nelson will tell you that what he’s accomplished is not exactly what he original thought he would do. Writing, composing and arranging music are hobbies, he says, and they prompted him in December 2011 to complete his first full-length CD, Still Here. “It was meant to be a keepsake,” says Nelson, “a sort of therapeutic snapshot of that time in my life. It was a fun experience, but at that point, I thought it was a one-shot deal. I had no plans for recording anything more.”
Then in the spring 2012, as Nelson was preparing to graduate from MHS, he was contacted by The Current, a Minnesota Public Radio station. Nelson’s profile had been discovered on bandcamp.com, an online publishing platform for musicians. “They wanted to know what my recording plans were,” says Nelson. “I told them I didn’t really have any and they asked me to email them when I did.”
After an overseas trip with MHS, Nelson was inspired and picked up his guitar when he got back. Within 48 hours, he’d finished and recorded a new song, and posted it to his Bandcamp page, he says. “The next morning, I remembered the offer from the Current. I emailed them the track,” Nelson says. “Within days it was playing on the radio. This sparked the idea to create another full-length CD.”
Nelson worked on his new Waiting and Waiting from April to August of last year. Afterward, he performed his new songs at live shows sponsored by The Current at First Avenue, the Minnesota State Fair and Fine Line Music Café.
Although scheduling live shows often required a rotation of backup musicians, Nelson’s core band comprises musical buddies from MHS. Cameron LeCrone is a drummer who’s been playing music since age six. “I grew up with John Mark,” LeCrone says. “The first time I played drums was at his house. It’s amazing to see someone I knew as a little kid, played football with in the yard, become such a fantastic musician.”
So what does the future hold for this budding musician? Nelson is enrolled at McNally Smith College of Music but is choosing to defer for now. “I want to see where my music goes from here,” he says. While Nelson may not have to wait for recognition on the music scene, once you hear Waiting and Waiting, you won’t want to wait long for more to come from this talented young artist.
