“Certain Sparks Music Foundation recently provided tickets for a student and teacher to attend a concert at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, thanks to their Live Music Inspiration Program. Through this program venues donate tickets to underserved kids. The goal in creating this program was to get students excited about music, wanting to play more, and maybe even inspired to do music as a career. Thanks to this program, many students are able to expand their music experiences. CSMF would like to thank the Fremont Theater in SLO for providing the tickets!
Interested in helping us to bring music education to kids here in Lompoc?
Here’s 3 easy ways you can help: 1) Donate an old instrument – we’ll sell it in store or online so we can get a brand new, size-appropriate instrument into the hands of a CSM student.
2) Donate clothes for our thrift rack – we’ll sell them on our popular thrift rack with all proceeds benefiting the CSM Foundation’s scholarships programs.
3) Donate your old Vinyl Records/CD’s – we’ll sell them on our record rack with all proceeds benefiting the CSM Foundation.
Cash, check, and online donation are also gladly accepted!”
Certain Sparks Music Foundation is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, April 21st — and we’re honored to bring Mark Kozelek to the stage at Lompoc Wine Factory.
Since the 1990s, he’s made waves as a prolific songwriter in Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon and under his own name.
His latest pair of albums, 2018’s This is My Dinner and 2019’s I Also Want to Die in New Orleans, push his style into a stream-of-consciousness, autobiographical realm like never before.
Read on for an interview with Kozelek conducted by Morgan Enos, a Billboard journalist and friend of Certain Sparks Music Foundation. We’ll see you at the show! BUY TICKETS!
Mark, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. How would your life be different today if you weren’t exposed to music? What if you weren’t curious about music at a young age?
My pleasure as well. I had a drug problem as a kid, so without a doubt it would have been death or prison or a terrible life had I not gone to rehab at 14. I had no interest in anything other than music from the very beginning. I never had a plan B.
Last year, you stopped by Lompoc while traveling with the band Xylouris White. Not the most well-known place, but you thought to mention it in your songs “L-48” and “Couch Potato.” How did the vibe of Lompoc strike you?
I liked the vibe there. There was a girl who sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” with her father accompanying her on guitar in another room just before Xylouris White went on. That blew me away. Then, her and her mother were selling cookies for a fundraiser during the Xylouris White show.
I don’t see this kind of thing every day in rock n’ roll. That was a special night. The crowd was attentive and respectful. The town was peaceful. Everyone I met was nice.
The Certain Sparks Music Foundation aims to enrich local youth through music. It’s strange how many kids aren’t exposed to music at all. Are people who don’t really care about music missing out?
I got to be honest, I don’t know what people are into anymore other than Instagram, hating the president, and watching TV. Music saved my life. It gave me a direction other than the robotic work choices I saw as a kid in Ohio. I’ve seen parents trying to steer their kids away from music and push them towards toolbox lives and it annoys me.
If your kid can sing, let them sing. Music has taken me all over the world. I’ve made a lot of friends through playing music. My parents never interfered with my choice to pursue music. They saw that music was in my blood and they let me run with it.
How would you explain your music to a child? It’s very personal and long-winded and doesn’t resemble much else out there.
It wouldn’t be on a smartphone because I don’t own one. I’d play CDs on a stereo and see if it catches their attention. I wouldn’t explain it, I’d just play it. Maybe I’d pick up a guitar and play my own music for them. That’s what got me started. Seeing a woman play John Denver songs on someone’s lawn in Ohio.
Many of your songs are based less on verses and choruses than monologues. Do you tend to sing straight from your journal?
It’s not as black-and-white as that. I’ve got maybe 52 albums or something, so we’d have to break things down album by album, which I don’t have time for. There are many verses and choruses. Even in my newer music, there are verses and choruses. Maybe not in a traditional way, but they’re in there.
Some singer/songwriters need a specific band, but it seems like you can jump in and play with nearly anyone, adjusting to their style. What gave you that flexibility?
Playing music since I was a kid and then turning 40 10 years ago. Henry Miller said that real artists don’t really find their voice until 45 and I agree. I wasn’t able to relax until about 40, the album Among the Leaves being the turning point.
Once I hit 40, I became more confident through experience. Studios don’t intimidate me anymore and I’m relaxed around great musicians. I can learn from them, finding rhythms and stretching into ranges that I wouldn’t find being on my own.
Your latest albums This is My Dinner and I Also Want to Die in New Orleans take a new direction that’s closer to freeform jazz. You’re known for your voice and lyrics, but are you influenced by instrumental music as well?
I don’t listen to much jazz but like playing with jazz musicians. I can mix things up with them and jump into different time changes. It’s fun and challenging and keeps me on my toes. The only instrumental music I listen to is classical music.
You’ve made acclaimed albums and others that rankle people who don’t get it. Would you tell a young musician to follow their muse and ignore the critics?
Led Zeppelin’s first three albums got ran into the ground. Nobody cared. Music either grabs you or it doesn’t. Doesn’t matter what Joe Blow from X, Y, Z magazine says. Music speaks to you or it doesn’t. Some of my favorite books, albums and movies were bashed when first released, and in some cases banned, but they went on to become classics.
Most writers aren’t as sensual as you. You elaborate at length on interesting cities, delicious meals and memorable conversations. Are you trying to stress in your music that life is precious?
Not at all. I think there are many writers who sing about cities, meals and conversations. Here are a few examples:
“We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva Shoreline.”
—Deep Purple, “Smoke on the Water”
“She said you’re strange, and don’t change, and I let her.”
—Neil Young, “Mr. Soul”
“So, Mom, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you
please, on a kaiser bun.”
—Ween, “Pork Roll Egg and Cheese”
I could go on and on. Johnny Cash wrote about cities, Bon Scott wrote about caviar, Cibo Matto wrote about chicken, Bob Dylan wrote about conversations.
The Certain Sparks Music Foundation was started with the goal of bringing musical instruments and instruction to students who could not otherwise afford them. In keeping with our mission, we were able to donate a drum kit to a music program in need!
Los Berros Elementary School were the lucky recipients of a beautiful Pearl drum kit.
Our special thanks to the following sponsors for making this happen:
Youths from the Chumash Learning Center recently held a gift-wrapping fundraiser at the Santa Ynez Tribal Hall to benefit the Lompoc-based Certain Sparks Music Foundation.
The young people raised $500, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians provided a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to create a $1,000 donation to the nonprofit organization.
With assistance from parents, the youths wrapped holiday gifts and encouraged donations to the organization that has taught them how to play musical instruments over the past year.
Education Director Niki Sandoval said the Certain Sparks Music Foundation has provided “hands-on music and character education” to more than 35 Chumash students with ongoing lessons.
“Our youth at the Learning Center have enjoyed exploring and playing different forms of music,” Sandoval said.
Mic Singh, director of youth music programs for Certain Sparks, has taught the Learning Center students the basics of guitar, drums and ukulele while promoting the values of acceptance, courtesy and respect, Sandoval said.
“It’s been a pleasure to come to the Learning Center to help the kids learn music,” Singh said. “The Certain Sparks Music Foundation is dedicated to bringing music into the lives of all children.
“This donation will help pay for music lessons for kids who can’t afford them and will also help with developing other music programs to better serve the community,” he added.
Sandoval said she has seen marked improvement in student behavior as a result of the music lessons.
“I have witnessed the power of music education to bring hope,” she said. “One student who has struggled with attention, focus and behavioral challenges now practices positive social and scholarly skills.
“(Singh) sees the potential in each student, modeling dignity and self-respect,” Sandoval continued. “This student has responded by demonstrating kindness, diligence and care for others.”
In past years, children from the Chumash Learning Center have raised funds for Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People, Care4Paws and Love on a Leash.
“Our goal is to foster a culture of service and giving,” Sandoval said.
Our mission is to provide music education, mentoring, & opportunities for enrichment to the under-served in our community.
The Certain Sparks Music Foundation (CSMF) is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization founded in Lompoc, CA.
Certain Sparks Music currently provides music lessons to 100+ students of all ages per week. We’ve also created & implemented music programs for schools & other organizations on the Central Coast including The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians,
Santa Bonita School District, & Dunn School.
Certain Sparks Music students learn why music matters, & how they can have a role in creating it. Our music lessons also teach teamwork, hard work, & leadership. Did we mention they’re a ton of fun?!?
How you can help
Some projects require funding above & beyond what Certain Sparks Music can earn through sales donations alone. Grants & private support fill the gaps some, but ultimately, we need your help too!
You can help to support an organization that is committed to improving the quality of life in Lompoc through the arts for generations to come with small in-kind donations, instrument donations, and even donating your time.
When you support our organization and our teachers, the funds raised ultimately return to the local economy.
Where exactly do donations go?
Student Scholarships
Instrument Sponsorship
Music Centered Community Events
Recording Studio Sponsorship
Books, & Teaching Supplies
Teacher Time / Wages
Your tax deductible donation will help us expand our music programs further into our community! Music changes lives.
Additional Certain Sparks Music Foundation Opportunities
