Marshmellow Overcoat frontman Tyler Calkins has released his most recent solo album, "Shelterwood," available September 6th on all music platforms as well as on CD.  The album showcases all of his influences and styles ranging from The Beatles to the nineties, and today's Indie/Alternative Rock and Folk music.
 
The album is half acoustic and half played with full instrumental backing.  A few songs feature friends, including one song written with the other members of Marshmellow Overcoat detailing a bad record deal the band once signed ("Castles They Live In").
 
The album also features three singles that have been released over the past year and a half - "Live For You," "Take a Deeper Look" and "It Isn't Hard to Imagine a Place," the latter of which was recorded at GCR Audio in Buffalo with Alan Hancock and Dan Comes.  Longtime MMOC engineer Brad Lauchert helped out on two tracks, and engineers Jay Zubricky and Michael Bridges contributed as well.
 
The song "Taking Music On The Road" shows a bit of a Country influence, and was added to the album at the last minute at the suggestion of Tyler's wife Samantha.  She also took the album cover photo.  Tyler is getting ready for a busy fall to promote the album, including shows with Marshmellow Overcoat.
 
Visit  tylercalkins.bandcamp.com to download the album or purchase the CD.  An EP version is also available with several of the album's songs featured on solo piano.
​ 

We've kicked off one of our busiest summers yet with several concerts these past few weeks.  All scheduled gigs and upcoming releases will be announced on the EVENTS and MMOC NEWS tabs.  

Stay tuned and hope to see you at the upcoming shows!  Be sure to check out our new single "Castles They Live In" at marshmellowovercoat.hearnow.com
 

Our performance on "WPSU's The Local Groove Presents" airs on PBS on Saturday, May 18th at 10pm.  It will feature all original material, and will also be available to stream at video.wpsu.org
 
UPDATE:  The new single "Castles They Live In" will be released on all digital platforms on Friday, June 7th!
And watch the full WPSU performance at CONCERT 
​ 
Track Lineup:  
Stop You Now, Visiting My Dreams, Peace Of Mind, I Can Still Remember, The Best Thing, What I Love, Smoke Screen, Ghost In The Doorway, You've Just Got To Believe Me, We've Got To Roll, Castles They Live In, At The End Of The Day
​ 

It hit me that we haven't posted the lyrics to the "Ghost In The Doorway" album on the website, so here they are!  "Jumping Sharks" and many others are featured in previous blogs as well.
 
You’ve Just Got to Believe Me
 
You’ve just gotta believe me, 
I had a smile upon my face
You’ve just gotta believe me, 
I was in an awful place 
(another phase, another place)

Ooh, to put it all behind (on the line)
You wanna sleep, 
and leave the world a while
Don’t wanna see 
That once again you’re just wasting time
Don’t wanna see you’re just wasting time

Ghost In The Doorway

Woke up alone to find 
a ghost in the doorway of mine
Leapt to the floor to leave but he 
disappeared before I could see

Woke up alone to find 
a ghost in the doorway of mine   
This time there was rage in his eyes and he 
started fire to my surprise

Woke up alone to find 
a ghost in the doorway of mine
Took me down and out by the knees, 
told him twice to spare me please

Woke up alone to find 
the ghost in the doorway of mine
Looked in the mirror and I found 
my white sheet thrown on the ground

Visiting My Dreams

I don’t care about reasons
Give it to me or let it be
I’m here waiting for you to say something
You won’t be sad for too long
Remember what you did to me
I’m here waiting for you to say something

It’s been on my mind for weeks
To the point I can’t sleep
You’ve been visiting my dreams
Oh, how sweet

I’ve been here far too long
Just let me know how it will be
I’m here waiting for you to say something
Had I known, I’d let go
I don’t want to wait here and see
I’m here waiting for you to say something

Cried At The Rain

Right after dark’s when you found me
Right after dark’s when you came
Hustlin’ along, alone in the shadows

Waiting there still, it hurts just the same
Cried at the moon, laughed at the rain

Who knows where they’ll find you?
You’re still out waiting, and again that day
Following the story of some idiot’s son

Right after dark through the meadow
A robber who’d come back with anything that day
You’ve got to be ready for that woman to find you

Realize 

Realize what is under your control
And then you’ll find, gather what the future holds
Realize what you have to vizualize
And maybe soon the morning sun will…
            
Rise, gonna make ‘em rise
Realize the pain I see that’s in your eyes
I’m gonna make ‘em
Shine, gonna make ‘em shine (get you by)
Realize the pain I see that’s in your eyes
Bring it together

Realize you can’t forsee everything
Come up with something new to bring
It doesn’t help the whole world’s down, 
it’s no surprse
That maybe soon, the people all will rise

Peace of Mind

Can I get some peace of mind?  
Come back through, sooner or later
We’ll get some peace of mind.  
Come back through to the other side

And I think that I’ve been blind.  
What to do?  Baby once again
I’m going to find my desire 
But I’m not too far behind

Get It All Out

You tell me that you want more
Than I could ever be now baby, I’m down
And I don’t know if you can see
Just what it’s done but it is killing me somehow

You ain’t kiddin’ nobody babe,
Now that I’m down
Take your love, take your things
and get it all out now

Take me down but I won’t stay long
I’ll be back and I’ll be better than you’ve seen
When I leave you’ll know I know that you were never really down, down for me

I Can Still Remember

Walking down these broken castle 
walls within my mind
Spacing out to drift along 
the foggy ruins of time
Nobody can bother me, 
my thoughts have gathered still
Haven’t heard the voices speak, 
I guess they never will

I can still remember
Feels I’m on a one way train
I can still remember, 
and promise to never forget again

In a land that’s faced an 
endless world of misery
I realize I’ve spent way 
too much time away to see
We must forgive but not forget 
these attics of our lives
Or basements if we’d rather call them 
Things that we despise

Never Wanted It To Be This Way

As I walk away from 
everything it seemed was real
The avenue at night is 
something to find solace in, but I
Should’ve been more
Should’ve been

I never wanted to be this way
Can’t think of something right to say
I never wanted it to be this way

As I came to my senses 
away from everyone else
There’s never any reason to want 
sympathy for myself, but I
Should’ve been more
Should’ve been

I never wanted someone who
Can’t be there, that applies to you
I never wanted it to be this way

Tide’s High 

All the time, 
we fought about nothing
Just to see what the truth 
really meant to us
All the time, 
accomplished nothing
Just to find the way 
to scrape on by.  
Appreciate the time

But I could never show you
And I could never be this way, 
and I’ll prove it to you someday

Learned to care, 
and yearned to be there
Reciprocate, once you know 
where you’re coming from

But I could never show you
And I could never be this way, 
but I’ll prove it to you someday
​ 

Keep up with us on the Events and News Tabs, as well as on your favorite social media platform.  
​We're excited for a busy 2024, including many shows, a video concert recording and a new single!
Much more to come.

We'll be getting back to the grind this December with a couple of hometown shows (Bradford Brew Station on Dec. 10th and Glendorn on NYE).  If you haven't had the Toasted Marshmellow Overcoat Porter yet, stop down to the Bradford Brew Station and try it on tap or in one of the limited edition cans.
​ 
Live at Quaker Amphitheater, Allegany State Park
 
Tyler used a few weeks off from performing to release a live solo album and record a new single.  The live album is out November 18th on all streaming platforms.  It features solo piano and acoustic guitar renditions of Tyler's original songs from many MMOC and solo albums over the years.  A new song and a cover of Elton John's "Madman Across the Water" are also included.  The show was recorded this past July in front of a receptive crowd of about 150 people at Quaker Amphitheater in Allegany State Park, NY.
​ 
Take a Deeper Look
 
Tyler's new single is a brand new studio recording entitled "Take a Deeper Look," and will release on all streaming platforms on December 2nd.  The song is a bit of a throwback tribute to the Beach Boys' "Wild Honey."

We had a busy and productive Summer season promoting the Ghost In The Doorway album.  Here's a few of our favorite photos from our travels, including at the Austin Dam Show and Southern Tier Brewing:

Here is the complete Ghost In The Doorway Documentary featuring the interview and album release concert.  Thanks to the Bradford Brew Station and our buddy Michael Miller for helping to make it happen.  Speaking of the Brew Station, we were grateful to be a part of this year's Hops of Hope campaign - The Toasted Marshmellow Overcoat Porter might be Anthony's favorite beer.
 
And of course we have also been thrilled with the response to the new album.  It's all thanks to the many people who have supported us over the years.  We will be posting our Spring and Summer tour schedule soon, so stay tuned!
 
​=Tyler

MMOC's seventh studio album "Ghost In The Doorway" is finally ready for release - 
Available October 29th on all major streaming services and on CD/Vinyl at marshmellowovercoat.bandcamp.com.
 
The new LP features the recently released singles Peace of Mind and I Can Still Remember, as well as the brand new title track with its memorable ominous riff (available Oct. 22nd on Bandcamp).  Tyler, Dave, Alan and Anthony recorded all of the songs with Brad Lauchert at the mixing board at GCR Audio in Buffalo, NY.  Stay tuned to marshmellowovercoat.com for pre-add links, videos and much more!
 
From first dreaming up our Classic Rock For Today in 2008 to perhaps MMOC's best album yet in Ghost In The Doorway, thanks for taking this journey with us!

Click on a song title for a link to listen on Spotify.  MMOC's singles and EPs from 2008 to 2021:
 
​Burn the Memory/Turn the Light On (EP) - Released Feb. '09
 
Faces On The Floor - July '10
 
In All Certainty - Aug. '11
 
She's Got Revolution - April '12 & Oct. '15
 
Wait For Me - May '16
 
Marshmellow Overcoat - Jan. '17
 
See The Plan - June '17
 
Smoke Screen - Feb. '19
 
We've Got To Roll (EP) - May '19
 
Peace Of Mind - Dec. '20
 
I Can Still Remember - April '21

Visit marshmellowovercoat.hearnow.com to listen to our latest single on your favorite streaming service.  This one is among our favorites so far.  It's a Classic Rock-inspired song with influences ranging from Elton John to My Morning Jacket.   Our Anthony put the official music video together using footage from our February session at GCR Audio in Buffalo, NY.
  
We can't wait to start playing frequently again, and we're kicking things off May 1st at Table 105 in Kane.  Be on the lookout for many more show announcements soon on our Events tab.  The next single and full album will follow this Fall.
  
Any being our 64th blog, you'd think it's time to mention our favorite Nintendo 64 games.  And of course it is.  Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 and Goldeneye are all must-plays if you haven't taken the time.  Truly classics!
​ 

We've been hard at work on the next album, and while it won't be completed until late this year, we have the second single ready.  The song is called "I Can Still Remember," and will be released on all streaming/downloading platforms on Friday, April 16th (and available April 9th on our website and YouTube Channel)!  We'll keep you posted on this site and on our social media pages.
 
Our Summer schedule is rounding into focus as well.  We're scheduling as many outdoor and festival shows as we can in order to move forward in an exciting way.  There will be some shows in our hometown as well.  The full slate will be posted by May!  

We'll be seeing you soon.
​-Tyler

7.  Dominique's Garden  (2009) - The band's debut featured only Tyler Calkins and Dave Verbocy and their first batch of songs recorded at home.  A handful of tunes still stand out (Hey Hey Lila), and Not Coming Down is still one of the band's strongest songs.  But this is probably only worth seeking out for fans wanting more and more MMOC.
 
6.  Wait For Me  (2016) - Self-recording an album has its advantages and disadvantages.  The songwriting on this album deserves a higher ranking, but the lo-fi production doesn't elevate most of the songs.  The title track and Miracle are nonetheless still part of the band's repertoire, and Emily is worth a listen.
 
5.  Marshmellow Overcoat  (2017) - MMOC's Pittsburgh album was a step in the right direction.  With more than half of the songs written with Danny Glassmire, there's a different poetic and jam band feel surrounding this album.  A bit of a black sheep in the band's catalogue, but at the same time more than worth having with tracks like See the Plan, Snow Lights and the title track.
 
4.  She's Got Revolution/MMOC 3  (2012) - Perhaps MMOC's most underrated album, and one that has grown in stature in recent years thanks to a deluxe edition.  Both songwriters delivered one of their better outings, and while a bad record deal and band member changes led to the album not being promoted as much as others, Dienna, In All Certainty and the title track are among the band's more successful songs.
 
3.  On Safari  (2010) - The old classic that helped fuel the band for years to come.  While it's not the band's finest album as far as performance, the songs rank as highly as any Calkins/Verbocy have written.  More than half of the album is still in the band's live set today.  Faces On The Floor, Goin' To Williamsport, Nothing's Ever Been The Same, Another Way to Hide, Life is Complicated...  This might be the first MMOC album to own, and was also the band's first working with Anthony Cavallaro and Marc Frigo.
 
2.  Jumping Sharks  (2019) - This was the album where MMOC reached the potential hinted at on earlier releases.  Recording with GCR Audio and Mammoth Recording Studios was the spark the band needed.  Smoke Screen, We've Got To Roll, At The End of The Day, The Best Thing, Reason to Stay, Stop You Now...  Pretty much the entire album ranks among MMOC's best work.  Alan Hancock (guitar) and Brad Lauchert (engineering) helped take the record to the next level.  
 
1.  Ghost In The Doorway  (2021) - The ranking may be a bit biased being MMOC's latest release, and on the heels of Jumping Sharks the two albums could be interchangeable.  But with the singles Peace of Mind and I Can Still Remember, along with You've Just Gotta Believe Me, Visiting My Dreams, Tide's High and the title track - There is little argument Ghost is one of the band's best efforts.  Recorded with Brad Lauchert at GCR Audio, it marks a high point and along with Jumping Sharks is a big part of MMOC's live set.

If you missed our Christmas Special, here it is in its entirety!  
 
​Be sure to follow us on YouTube at youtube.com/marshmellowovercoat and check out the new single Peace of Mind at marshmellowovercoat.hearnow.com.

Cover artwork by Anthony Cavallaro.

We hope you have been doing well during this difficult time.  We've been keeping busy finishing up our new Live Picks collection (available May 1st) and working on a new lyric video.  But first we're happy to share a free full live concert from late last year!  Visit our BandCamp page to listen at marshmellowovercoat.bandcamp.com.   This one was recorded at our friends' wedding in Allegany, NY, and we had an awesome time as always.
 
We did a livestream from the home studio last week featuring this version of the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.  Subscribe to our YouTube page for more videos!

We're all stuck inside for at least a couple of weeks, and most importantly we hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  Along with getting the new live album ready, it seems like a good time to reflect on some things.
We're also using this time to write some new material, so let's look back on the songs on "Jumping Sharks," and I'll try to think of what was going through our minds on each song before I forget!
 
Smoke Screen - This was as close to a political song as we've gotten.  I was comparing current political personalities to the Wizard of Oz, and commenting that there is a smoke screen of mirrors clouding what's really going on.  This idea has aged well already, and I think we were only hitting the tip of the iceberg.  Whenever I meet someone who thinks they know what's really going on I want to slap them.  Most people probably have no idea why we're here.  I sure as hell don't want to pretend to know what's going on.  There's a smoke screen clouding many peoples' minds.  The fact this was our top song yet as far as streams made me happy.  We said something with this one.
 
Stop You Now - We needed another song or two for the album and this was one of the last ones I showed to the guys and we finished it quickly.  The main riff is taken from something Alan added to an old song of ours, "Girl With The Red Hair."  We sometimes call the song Bow Bow Bow in reference to the riff.  It's a bit derivative of some of our other songs but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
 
Reason To Stay - Reason To Stay was a co-write between Dave and I.  We reused and old hook we've had for years, and did our relative minor thing by putting a part in the key of C with Bridge/Middle 8 in the key of A minor (my part in this one).  We managed to really rock out on the recorded version.  We layered several instruments on, and kept most of them.
 
Through The Night - This was another rocker that I'd had in my head for a while.  It was one of the first tracks we recorded at GCR in Buffalo with Brad Lauchert engineering.  It sounds like a bit of a teenage angst song by the lyric, and has some comedic elements.  I can hear some '90s punk/grunge in this one as well.
 
The Best Thing - One of Dave's, and this one gave us some great space to jam.  Anthony put together a lyric video for this one too.  I wanted to add some Kinks-inspired harmonies and I think we pulled it off.
  
Really Coming Home - This song is a little older and originally appeared on my solo album Late to Fly.  It's a solid acoustic-based track that reminds me a bit of something off Every Picture Tells a Story.  All the guys played great again on this one, and Al even added some mandolin!
 
I Hope You'll Understand - I wrote this song for Lisa Platko Auteri to sing with Second Act, and while she didn't end up singing this one (She went with Smoke Screen, a better choice), it was one of the last songs to make the cut for the album.  It sounds almost like something that could be on a soap opera it's so sappy for one of mine, so it's perhaps my least favorite on the album.  But it sounds professional and I'm still proud of it and the way everyone played.  Brad, our engineer for the GCR sessions, helped find spots for harmonies and organ fills that rounded out the song well.
 
We've Got To Roll - The song that pretty much started the rest of the album "rolling" for me.  I'd had the bulk of this one for a while, and one day the lyrics and arrangement poured out quickly on the piano.  It was originally titled "We've Got To Row" and was much slower (there's an early version on Spotify etc.), but when we all played it together we managed to turn it into a rocker.  Now it's a highlight at most shows and was the second single from the album.  John Tomerlin made us a very cool video for the song as well.
 
What I Love - One of Dave's that I really didn't want to make many changes to - It was pretty much ready when he showed it to me.  Al and I took solos and Anthony laid down a nice 2/4 drumbeat.  The harmonies were what we worked on mostly, and they were simple, fun and catchy on this track too.  We recorded this one with Mike and Jason and Mammoth Recording Studio.
 
At The End of The Day - This was another song I finished at the last minute for our final session on the album.  Samantha convinced me to make it the last track, and I remember the last 25 seconds of the song really sticking with me.  I'd had the chorus for a while and needed verses to finish it off, and that little descending pattern tied everything together.  It ended up being one of my favorites.  Al's guitar through a Leslie speaker was one of the more memorable elements to the song.

Hope you'll enjoy hearing new live versions of all the songs when Live Picks Vol. 7 comes out in May.
 
​-Tyler

Marshmellow Overcoat's Live Picks Series will continue this Spring with the release of Live Picks Volume 7.  This time the entire "Jumping Sharks" record will be featured in addition to ten other songs played during the band's Summer shows in 2019.  The collection will be available on all streaming and downloading platforms as well as CD, and also at the usual place to download MMOC's live recordings:  marshmellowovercoat.bandcamp.com.
 
The release date is Friday, May 1st, and you can add the album and one of the songs on Friday, April 3rd at marshmellowovercoat.fanlink.to/livepicks7.  This live album will be a great way to keep Jumping Sharks rolling, present some new full band recordings in a live setting, and also set the stage for our next studio sessions.  And Samantha made some awesome artwork again for the cover.
 
I enjoyed listening to River of Dreams on vinyl today.  Took me back to '93.
 
-Tyler
​ 

In the summer of 1992 my parents hired Eddie Vedder to be my babysitter for a night.  They had to go out for the evening at the last minute and Eddie happened to be in the area.  I was approaching five years old and was already somewhat aware of popular music, but I was not a Pearl Jam fan yet.  This was about to change.  
 
​Maybe I technically wasn't a baby, but I sure as hell needed to be supervised.  I was known for drawing Zorro Zs all over the walls after all.  Eddie must have been around 27 at the time.  This was between the Ten and Vs. albums.  He must have needed a little extra cash as Pearl Jam was just beginning to take off nationally.
 
He arrived prompty around 6:30 PM.  He said “Heyoooo Tyler,” and proceeded to sing half of the things he said.  His hair was down to his back and he had his famous Doc Marten boots on the entire time.  We ordered some Dominos, played Atari and even played some pool on my Fisher Price pool table.
 
He sat down at our piano and played a bit of Better Man, which wouldn’t appear on an album until 1994’s Vitalogy.  His girlfriend at the time wanted to come over as well, but Eddie was way too professional and appropriate to do such a thing.  Of course he let me stay up and watch Beavis and Butthead.
 
I didn’t even realize who this strange and wonderful man was, but after my parents had gotten home I vowed I would research it.  Being the early ‘90s I knew it might take some time.  But lo and behold, the following week I was swimming at Callahan pool and heard my babysitter’s voice blaring on the radio through the park speakers: “Oh oh ohhh I ah, ohhhhhh oh I’m still alive.” ​

Here are a couple of our favorite newspaper articles written about the new album, featuring interviews, reviews and more.
 
Also an update on CDs and vinyl:  Our first run of vinyl is in and already sold out, so contact us if you'd like a copy on the second run.  CDs are available online at CD Baby as well as at all of our shows.  Visit the Events tab for upcoming shows!
 
Bradford Era Article by Joellen Wankel
 
St. Mary's/Kane/Ridgway Article by Bob Parana
​