News
News
“Ain’t No Joke” is No Joke
Mark Hauptschein serves up the conflicting emotions of loss and hope in “Ain’t No Joke”, a haunting electric folk song featuring guest vocalist Kenny Hass. The unanswered prayers of a person longing for romantic redemption hit deep in a swirl of beautiful music. Hauptschein’s evocative fingerpicked guitar, Rich Rankin’s otherworldly electric guitar played with an Ebow, and angelic background vocals by Beth Rankin and Beverly Gibson fill the soundscape. Stream it now on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or Amazon Music.
Soulful Folk Song Featuring Vocalist Nick James
“No Matter What Goes Down” is a modern folk song brought to life by featured vocalist Nick James.
Nick is an accomplished singer songwriter from metro Detroit who delivers a blend of Motown soul with acoustic folk sensibilities. Here he declares an unbreakable commitment in a love song for the ages. Check it out.
Nick is a premier performer who is in great demand in Southeast Michigan. He is also a teacher, author and visual artist. A man of many talents!
Follow, hire or contact Nick at https://linktr.ee/nfugedi.
Beautiful and Heartbreaking “Until Your Goodbye”
“I saw your new video — what a beautiful and heartbreaking song. Between the goosebumps on my arms and the tears running down my face, I’m a mess!!!”
That’s how one fan described her reaction to “Until Your Goodbye”, a folk-rock song released April 3, 2023 by Mark Hauptschein.
Feel the angst brought on when long-held assumptions about life and love crumble unexpectedly before your eyes.
Paul William Brennan’s exquisite lyric video delivers a profound visual punch. It’s a must see here.
Finger-picked electric guitar themes wrap around Hauptschein’s pleading vocals. World-class Chicago area drummer Tom Hipskind adds a sublime heartbeat that ebbs and flows with the story arc. Rich Rankin’s B3 shimmers. A new classic!
Vocalist Kenny Hass Featured on Touch of Grace
The multitalented Kenny Hass brings emotional and soaring vocals to Mark Hauptschein’s “Touch of Grace”. Check out the lyric video here.
Based in Nashville, Hass is an accomplished singer songwriter and producer whose vocals deliver heart-forward performances. You’ll be hearing more of him in an upcoming release by Hauptschein on Striking Note.
Kenny’s debut was in 2013 with the EP “Hey Girl”, written and produced with Dean Sams (Lonestar), Megan Conner, Shane Hines, Jason Davis (OneOne7 Entertainment), and many others, featuring Rachael Lampa, and Jessica Harp (The Wreckers). In 2018 he released a full-length project entitled “On Somethig”,with the help of Jeff Pardo, Ben Calhoun, Zach Kranz, Chad Sowards, and many others; featuring Alyssa Hochstatter (Guy Meets Girl) and Kaya May. Follow him on IG: @kennyhassmusic.
Killer Ghost Music Video Semi-Finalist in Couch Film Festival
Paul Brennan’s “Killer Ghost” was a semi-finalist in the music video category of the Winter 2020 Couch Film Festival. The video portrays the angst of living in the pandemic with an unexpected light touch that seemlessly ties in to Mark Hauptschein’s driving funk-rock song. Check it out at https://youtu.be/I6y9tEXIkHQ.
Hauptschein a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Finalist
Striking Note’s Mark Hauptschein was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Country Category) for his composition, “Another Good Mistake” http://jlsc.com/winners/2016a/finalists.php. The song is the title track on Camila Ballario’s album released in 2015.
“It’s great to be recognized by such a prestigious organization dedicated to the craft of songwriting”, Hauptschein said. “I was fooling around with some syncopated guitar licks with the vague notion of writing an Americana Soul song with a Steely Dan vibe. The melody and lyrical hook came to me with unusual ease and the song took shape with the help of several very talented studio musicians. I’m thrilled to earn an award from a contest bearing the name of one of the greatest songwriters ever.”
A Marriage of Love and Music
Beth and Rich Rankin are a couple that thrives on creativity and music. Longtime collaborators with Mark Hauptschein, they bring wonderful musical touches to many Striking Note recordings. “They’re a wellspring of good ideas”, says Hauptschein, “and I keep tapping them to fulfill my vision for new songs”.
Soaring, emotional background vocals are Beth Rankin’s hallmark.
From an early age Beth has simply loved to sing. As a youth she could often be found singing along with her favorite artists into a pretend microphone hairbrush. While in school, she learned how to blend with other voices singing alto in choirs.
Beth has performed as a background vocalist with a number of Chicago area artists and has had a Singer Spotlight performance at Chicago coffee house Uncommon Ground. In addition to performing on select projects for Striking Note, she works for other artists produced by her husband. She also enjoys casual singing at gatherings with musicians and friends.
Rich Rankin is a Chicago based music producer, engineer, writer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. He collaborates with Striking Note as a multi-instrumentalist, as well as co-producer and co-arranger. Rich adds warmth, shimmer, and movement to songs with unusual tools such as the Ebow, frame drum and unique synth colors.
Separately, he’s involved with a diverse collection of other artists including Laura Doherty, Charming Axe, Curious Grace and Black Rabbit, Bryan Lubeck, Linda Marie Smith, Jimmi Steinkraus, Gayle Bisesi, John Joyce, Alewife, Wendy and DB (Grammy nominated album “Into The Little Blue House”), and Reggio McLaughlin (NEA National Heritage Fellow). He brings decades of professional experience in writing, playing, recording, mixing and producing music.
Find him at https://www.richrankinmusic.com/