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Mark Allender is a string player and percussionist who has performed with numerous classical, folk, and experimental groups both in the US and in Korea including North River, PUNT, Pointless Orchestra, and the Nuclear String Quartet. He is primarily interested in the relationship between music and language and much of his work explores this subject.

He also runs this here podcast.

This piece is a cover of a Larry Norman song, from his first album Upon This Rock. Larry Norman is considered by many to be the father of Christian Rock. He has historically had a very confusing relationship with the media - claiming a great number of attributes to himself that are just downright embarassing. Claims he was the one who inspired Pete Townshend to write Tommy, for example. He also purports to be the progenitor of punk rock. But for all that, he still has written some good and endearing music - even if you don't share in his apolcalyptic vision.

In 1996 or so, I got a call who was a friend of a friend of a friend of Larry Norman's - asking me to contribute a tune for a Larry Norman tribute album - specifically for a cover of "The Last Supper." Also rumored to be part of this project was Frank Black - frontman for the Pixies (The Pixies' song "Levitate Me" contains the line "Come on pilgrim, you know he loves you!" - a line from a Larry Norman song).

So I went out and recorded my song and turned it in -- and was apparently the only one to do so. Interesting to note - Frank Black recorded Norman's song "Six Sixty-Six" the following year for his album Frank Black and the Catholics.

Larry Norman passed away on February 24, 2008 after a long illness.

http://uu.cx/
http://www.larrynorman.com/