Singer-songwriter Marc Teamaker mines the influences of Steely Dan, the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac to celebrate the life of his late wife, Kathleen. New album, Teas n Seas is a collection of eleven blissful songs.
Release Date: 8th August 2025
Label: Self Release
Formats: Digital
MARK TEAMAKER
Born and raised in The Bronx, NYC, Marc Teamaker is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He was inspired to follow a career as a musician, firstly by The Beatles’ groundbreaking 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan show and, slightly more recently, by a jaw-dropping 1972 Humble Pie gig in Gaelic Park, The Bronx. Things started to get serious when he enrolled on a course at the Berklee College of Music in 1978.
Over the years, songwriting influences have come and gone but writers of the calibre of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Joni Mitchell and Burt Bacharach have all left lasting impressions upon Marc’s work. It’s also safe to suggest that fans of The Jayhawks, Fleetwood Mac, Wilco, REM and The Beatles will all find familiar ground in Marc Teamaker’s music.
Marc has been releasing records since the late 1990s and his hitherto most recent offering has been his 2022 album, Leaf Day Boys. He’s also shared stages with, amongst many others, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Graham Parker, Lindisfarne and Annie Haslam.
TEAS N SEAS
Thematically inspired by jaunts across America, and by Marc’s tragic loss of his wife, Teas n Seas takes a widescreen, cinematic perspective on life, travel and love. As Marc explains: “Teas n Seas is a series of love songs for my late wife, Kathleen. It’s a kind of conversation with her on various road trips. She’s gone, but I’m still batting around ideas with her and it’s been like we were writing the songs together.” The album is – virtually – all Marc’s own work. He composed all the songs, performs all the vocals and plays every instrument on the album with the exception of drums. He’s helped out in that particular department by Jared Nixon.
PLEASANTLY OBSERVATIONAL LYRICS
There’s a brash, urgent introduction to opening track, North Dakota. It’s a bright, poppy, jazzy song that recalls Steely Dan in one of that band’s lighter moods. Marc’s lyrics are pleasantly observational, making mundane daily activities seem like experiences to savour and the sound is full and rich.
Acoustic guitars are the main accompaniment to the jazzier Winterweed. Marc’s vocals are relaxed and the guitars often venture into territory they were never expected to grace. It’s warm and it’s dreamy, especially during the song’s extended “I wanna go…” coda. But it’s the soulier influences upon Marc’s songwriting that sit to the fore in the cool, laid-back, In and Out of This World. Synths and string effects complement the well-rationed guitar licks and the steady drumbeat and, with his solos, Marc demonstrates that he’s no slouch on the electric guitar.
BEATLES, STEELY DAN…
Precise, vivid, multi-tracked harmony vocals give Teas n Seas – the album’s title track – a mid-period Beach Boys feel, an impression that’s enhanced by occasional flurries of something that sounds like a glockenspiel. Then, a solid drumbeat introduces Dream 10, a song that could well be mistaken for a lost track from The Beatles’ White Album recording sessions. Lennon-ish vocals, Harrison-styled guitar fills and a loping McCartney-like bass all contribute to the Beatle flavourings and there’s a stirring mid-song guitar solo, punctuated by dreamy “ooohs” and “aaahs.”
We’re taken back into folkier territory for Green Coat, but the Steely Dan jazz trappings aren’t wholly abandoned. A subtle bossa-nova rhythm pervades throughout the song and Marc’s vocals – and his lyrics – exude comfort and security. And the folky mood is retained for Phantom, as acoustic guitars provide the main accompaniment to Marc’s soothing vocals. String effects add an orchestral touch, but they don’t detract from the pastoral folksiness of a pleasant song.
THAT SUNDAY FEELING
The chugging rhythm and the bright harmony vocals of Charlotte – an album highlight – create a mood that sits somewhere between Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The background swirls of organ complete the picture and the overall effect is fresh and uplifting. And, whilst we’re speaking of album highlights, Sunday Song is another outstanding track, as lazy and laid-back as every song dedicated to that special day should be. Everything required to create that Sunday mood is here: a slow, steady, rhythm, sparkling-yet-sleazy guitars and sleepy harmonized vocals. And, to round it all off, there’s a lengthy instrumental playout that allows Marc to cut loose on his guitar, whilst that Sunday feeling just drifts on… and on.
ELEVEN BLISSFUL SONGS
The voltage is ramped up a tad, but the lazy afternoon feeling isn’t quite lost, for the anthemic Sing Song. It’s another song with a Lennon feel, this time referencing the man’s #9 Dream period. It’s long and it’s relentless, with an uplifting chorus and a mood that shifts between lysergic and euphoric, especially during Marc’s guitar solos. To close the album, Marc ventures almost – but not quite – into prog rock-land. Pocket of Blue, the album’s longest track, oozes tranquility and contentment; the instrumentation is measured and harmonious, the guitar solos are fulfilling, yet controlled, and the overall sound evokes images of a warm, summery, beach scene. Teas n Seas is an enjoyable, well-produced and impeccably-performed album – a satisfying collection of eleven blissful songs.
Listen to Charlotte – one of the album’s several highlights – below:
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