Part Time Cowboy, Full Time Rockstar

May 5, 2009 by GradingGirl
Filed under Music, Reviews

What makes a person true to himself, truly authentic, is when he takes his passion and acts on it. It’s when he isn’t trying to be who he thinks others may want him to be but, rather, he expresses himself creatively and freely. Furthermore, he takes great fulfillment in sharing that expression. There is an up-and-coming musician who is that person. With his searing lyrics, soaring vocals, and driving rhythms, the passion is evident. Strums of an acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums, and piano all stream seamlessly together. Harmonies lift hairs and bring up gooseflesh. Unexpected chord changes cause you to stop and LISTEN. Creative accompaniments such as loose change or leg slapping add unique, dimensional elements. This is what you hear when you listen to the music of Darryl Markette.

Darryl Markette

Darryl’s first release, “Rain on Thee,” on iTunes. Check out all of his releases!

I can’t help but listen to his latest release, “She Wants Love,” over and over. His sound has a part rock, part country, even part bluesy feel that projects what Darryl does best – take a bad situation and pour it out for the world to absorb and commiserate. His songs tell real tales of love and loss, but they’re sung with such passion and commitment that the message becomes more about learning and living than losing. The songs leave you with something to ponder over rather than something to pine over.

Singers and songwriters are expected to be deep in a cliched caricature of anguish. Somehow, Darryl goes beyond that to a deeper place. Each song is musically individual enough so that he escapes a cookie-cutter oh-woe-is-me sound. “Never Said Goodbye” is a jaunty tribute to his beloved dog, Hunter. “Lost in Time” is an alternative ballad with piano and harmonica tracks that crescendos gradually until it pierces the heart. Completely opposite, “Rockstar” has that sing-along, nothing can stop me now mood everyone can relate to. You hear a crack in his voice in the haunting “Have Faith” as he sings “How do you forget your biggest regret when all you can do is weep.” What makes his music not just good but perfect for soothing the soul is during moments, such as in the “I Keep on Waiting” finale, when the toe-tapping whistling will have you humming for hours afterward. DMarkette’s music makes your heart sing.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Darryl is tenaciously taking his musical message across the country. He recently performed at Gold Pan Saloon in Colorado and made his much anticipated Los Angeles debut at Hollywood’s Whisky A Go-Go. See GG’s post “Part Time Cowboy Full Time Rockstar Rides to L.A. Better yet, visit Darryl Markette’s website, dmarkette.com, to experience his original music firsthand, sample his covers that include a handful arguably better than the originals, view past concert videos, and find out about upcoming performances. Example performances include Darryl’s annual event on his birthday, May 5th. But rather than a birthday celebration, Darryl raises funds to fight breast cancer. Pinko-de-Mayo, as he cleverly termed it, has proven a ravingly popular success over the past four years. [See GG’s press releases for details for Pinko de Mayo : Chicago’s Most Promising Rocker, Darryl Markette, Holds Pinko de Mayo and Chicago’s Hottest Rocker Paints ChiTown Pink for Pinko de Mayo and Darryl Markette Paints ChiTown Pink.] (2012 was his best Pinko yet, with 500+ guests. His efforts just keep growing!) Darryl’s very last Pinko, Pinko V of 2013, was a very different yet just as successful fest – an outdoor fest – with all proceeds generously going to his countless contributions to the Susan G. Komen foundation.