Life and Work with Mark Ramirez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Ramirez.

Hi Mark, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the Philippines and grew up in the suburbs of Manila, where I enjoyed a happy, middle-class childhood.

At the age of 17, I moved to the United States with my family. I’d spend the next 18 years or so of my life in the Northeast.

I completed a journalism degree in Massachusetts. Worked in newspapers there as well as in New Jersey, Vermont, and upstate New York, where I met and married my wife. It’s also where I joined my first band, playing drums and guitar in Albumen.

After leaving the news business to work in higher education just north of the Bronx, we had a child. A couple of years later, in 2015, we decided to move to Colorado, where my wife grew up.

I’d taken a bit of a break from music but eventually joined a band as a drummer. That dissolved, but to be honest, I hadn’t been that happy just sitting behind the kit. So I got back to writing songs and started going around to local open mics. Met (and continue to meet) so many cool and kind folks who encouraged me to continue performing. I even got a slot as the featured performer at a now-defunct open mic.

Then COVID hit. To make the most of my time at home, I started recording the songs that would become “The Great Plains are an Ocean,” released in June 2021. It got featured on Indie 102.3, which was awesome. Met more folks, played a few shows, with the most recent highlight has been playing TEDxMileHigh.

Now I’ve put together an actual band and would love to play out even more and eventually record another album.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Well, moving to the U.S. was a big change in so many ways. I had to adjust to the climate, the culture, being away from all my friends and most of the people I’d even known. I did bring my cheap guitar, though, and finally got myself an honest-to-goodness amp.

Moving to the New York City area was another challenge. The music scene was huge and overwhelming. It seemed hard to find collaborators–I’d been spoiled by my experience upstate. I also had a young child, which gave me less time to write songs or just play.

Here in Denver, I can’t really complain (although sometimes I still do). I’m really grateful for all I’ve managed to achieve, but a little “success” breeds the desire for more. I’ve played a few shows; now I want to play even more. I got some radio airplay, now I want big streaming numbers. I’m trying to strike a balance between just pushing myself to be better and not being caught up in the need for external validation.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write, perform, and record songs under the name Desert Atlas. For a time, I pretentiously described my work as “lowercase songs.” I meant to say that I wasn’t trying to make any grand statements or convey mind-blowing ideas, just write small songs about things that might seem insignificant but held importance for me.

Anyway, I try to put a lot of thought into my lyrics–that’s probably what people notice. I am not a particularly skilled musician but put in the effort to reach beyond common chord progressions while keeping melodies catchy and memorable. And I have a not-bad voice, so long as I stay in my range.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I don’t listen to podcasts, and I don’t have any music-related apps on my phone. I did have GarageBand on an iPad, and that was helpful for recording ideas, and seeing how songs work with drums, bass, and other instruments. I don’t have a deep background in music theory, so there’s a couple of sites I check for which chords belong in which keys.

I do watch quite a few movies–mostly terrible action films that I put in the background while working. Everything you consume can serve as inspiration. There’s a Samuel L. Jackson film, for example, where his character says something like “the past is never where you left it,” and some version of that idea made it into one of my songs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://desertatlasmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desertatlasmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desertatlas
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/desertatlas303
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9yFgk7ClObO1geZn-MY7Q
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/desert-atlas
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/05YM1oXGEXpeKzRwdCfF9o