Steven Wright Clarkson
Music for Steven Wright Clarkson, the brain child behind When Mountains Speak, has always been a part of his life. Mesmerized by his dads reel to reel tapes of such artists as the Beatles and Herb Albert, Steven found a magic in music that would span the following decades.
He began playing alto saxophone for 8 years in his grade school jazz and concert bands, Steven continually pushed musical boundaries which led to his first chair status in High School. Almost every weekend, Steven and his gang of friends cruised out to the Hollywood Sportitorium in Florida, catching almost every touring act — Rush’s “Moving Pictures” tour, AC/DC’s “Flick of the Switch”, and Def Leppard’s “Pyromania” were just three of the dozens of concerts Steven attended. He also began playing guitar in High School.
College really opened a lot of doors for Steven. He immersed himself in alternative rock such as R.E.M, XTC, 10,000 Maniacs, etc. He also saw his first of many Grateful Dead shows and felt a kinship to Jerry Garcia’s freedom of playing style. He also began listening to and absorbing 100s of jazz records, both old and new.
After 5 years in active duty following college, Steven picked up his first mandolin. He immediately feel in love. He would spend the next 10 years playing solely the acoustic mandolin — in restaurants, coffee shops, and weddings. He also began to patiently volunteer at Alzheimer Clinics, Hospice Centers, Retirement Homes, etc.
At the end of the 2010s, Steven read about how Robert Fripp tuned his guitar to “New Standard Tuning” — just happens to be just tuning your instrument in fifths like the mandolin family. With the added depth of possibilities the electric guitar brought to the table, When Mountains Speak was born.
Since When Mountains Speak’s first release in 2020, Steven has enrolled in Music College (Berklee Online), won 5 international film festivals for his long play music videos (really short films) and continues to learn new and exciting ways to produce his sound. And his sound is truly unique which led to his forming Zen Rock Records in 2024.
Steven’s faith is at the center of his efforts. Music is a way he can express feelings and ideas he would not be able to share otherwise (Steven suffers from PTSD). Music is a healing force and Steven finds his style of music takes the listener on a journey of sorts — enjoy the ride.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/38DDghXBla3F9mSMPOuGgB
