Following the release of Places in 2017 and Interconnected in 2020, composer/guitarist Mark Vickness announces the release of In The Rain Shadow with a newly expanded group, MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) comprising two time Grammy winning violinist, Mads Tolling, Matt Renzi on oboe/English horn and saxophone, cellist Joseph Hebert, Dan Feiszli on upright and electric bass and a percussion section featuring tabla virtuoso, Ty Burhoe and Grammy winning percussionist, MB Gordy in addition to Mark’s acoustic and electric guitars.

Says Mark, “Most of the music on In The Rain Shadow takes its inspiration from moving to the high desert (California’s Owens Valley) in late 2020. We live literally in the rain shadow, which is a meteorological term meaning on the sheltered side of a mountain range where there is less precipitation because of the wind patterns. Most of the titles on this recording are taken from geological or meteorological features we experience daily.”

“Composed throughout the years of the pandemic, the compositions on this album are, in some sense, a musical response to the isolation we all experienced as a result of the pandemic. They are also intended to reflect a new appreciation for the opportunity to absorb the wonders of living in the rain shadow. It is humbling, awesome, peaceful, thrilling, tranquil and beautiful.”

1. High Desert
2. The Gorge
3. Alluvial Fans
4. Stillness (for Will)
5. Roadrunner
6. Rupak (for Ty)
7. Cloud Shadows
8. On the Cliffs of Mohr
9. In The Rain Shadow

This beautifully sculpted, and simply divinely-hued recording opens on the quietly fervent, veritably spirited High Desert and then brings us the yearnfully melodic The Gorge and both the joyfully flirtacious Alluvial Fans and the ethereally-emboldened Stillness (for Will).

Up next is the flourishing Roadrunner and the rhythmically melodious Rupak (for Ty) and they are in turned followed by the more dedicated, stringently-culled notes within Cloud Shadows, the recording music rounding out on the stirring On the Cliffs of Mohr, closing on the delicately textured, titular In The Rain Shadow.

Says Mark, “This is my dream ensemble. Each musician is an accomplished soloist adept at many different types of music. They all bring an astounding breadth and depth of musical understanding and experience. There is almost no style of music we cannot draw from. From a classical trio to a jazz quartet, from funk to raga style improvisation, from interwoven counterpoint to rock power chords, from a fast Irish 12/8 romp to an ambient textural tapestry and more – these virtuoso players bring an infectious energy that is palpable on every track.”

MVI - In The Rain Shadow (Official Audio)

MVI - The Gorge (Official Audio)