Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
Ashok Bhargava (left) with his family.[/caption]
Q: Did you ever think of going back because of initial struggles?
A: I was fed up with my life just in few months. All my dreams seem crashed into millions of pieces. I was missing my Punjab, friends, family and the easy-go-lucky life. I felt depressed and often cried all by myself. I wanted to go back but I did not want to return as a person who failed. I wondered where are those people who used to flaunt their money and show off whenever they visited India. It was already November and I felt very cold both inside in heart and outside. I felt I made the biggest mistake of my life by moving to Canada.
Then one day I ran into Hare Krishna people dancing at the busy intersection of Pembina and Main Street in Winnipeg. I was happy to see them because it reminded me of my hometown. I purposely missed my bus so that I could talk with them after they finish their dance session. They invited me to their centre and offered me food. It was first time in three months I ate a vegetarian meal. It was so delicious and its aroma was mesmerizing. I met few Indian people in the centre too. It was a turning point of my life in Winnipeg.
Q: What did you do first after coming to Canada? How difficult was it find a job?
A: I was running short on cash and wanted to get a job fast but there were no jobs without Canadian experience. So to get by I took job as a dish washer where no Canadian experience was needed. Hours were long and just minimum wage. After a month I got job as a cleaner – mopping floors. Now I had some money and was getting more confident and progressed to become stream-presser in a garment factory. But still no office job in my own profession.
My degrees were not recognized in Canada and it was extremely demoralizing to do menial jobs where you are stripped of your Self and treated as a dumb sheep. The only way out was to go back to school and start all over again.
Q: Did you face any racism or have you ever faced racism?
A: Initially I thought there was no racism and people were very humble and civilized. But as you get to know your environment, you realize subtle ways the racism was practised either consciously or unconsciously. For example people pressing their nose in the elevators or no one sit next to you in the bus. Once when I phoned for rental place I was told it was taken. I asked my Caucasian friend to call same place after half an hour to find out that that place was available for him. Other forms of racism I found in the job market was the statement like “you are over qualified this job.”
Q: How long did it took for you to feel settled in Canada?
A: It was almost after a span of five years in Canada, I started feeling alright. I had a decent job in my area of expertise and have many family friends from diverse backgrounds. I think the main factor that made me feel like a part of the community was when I volunteered to help “boat people” i.e. refugees from Vietnam. I enjoyed helping them with shopping, taking bus, paper work and assisting with English. I was happy to be a director of Open Door Society to assist immigrants and refugees.
Once settled I visited Thunder Bay Ontario to enjoy the beautiful sights of Lake Superior as described by my pen pal. My childhood curiosity came back to me in no time. After that I visited most of USA, Canada and Europe every year during my vacation time. Kathy is still my friend and we write to each other.
8: Looking back, do you think you could have made different choices?
A: Life is a journey and curiosity and hope is organic food for us to keep going on. If I have to live through my past once again the only thing I will do differently would be to prepare myself better. First I will try to find out if there is daal and roti available there. I will also learn cooking. But nonetheless my choice to come to Canada will not change at all.
Q: As a long-time immigrant now, how would you describe Canada?
A: Canada is a wonderful place to live. We are blessed with natural beauty, fresh air and water, prairies and mountains and three oceans. It is a peaceful country where democracy and multi-culturalism is deeply rooted. Over the last 45 years I have witnessed tremendous changes in this country. We have lots of immigrants who are elected to Canadian parliament and provincial legislatures. I have seen it grow economically and mature politically. I would not like to live in any other place than Canada. I am very proud of my Punjabi / Indian heritage but I love my adopted homeland too.
Q: What would be your advice to someone thinking of immigrating to Canada or now immigrants?
A: I will advise people to leave their conflicts and cultural baggage behind when they chose Canada to be their home. It’s alright to bring positive aspects of their culture and tradition to Canada to enrich multiculturalism here. They must come with open mind to adopt positive aspects of Canadian society too. Keep the sense of humour and contribute to make their adopted home a better place to live for all Canadians.
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John Frankie: STAY AWAY PEOPLE.. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!! THIS COUNTRY IS NO GOOD
Manu: R u in Canada
Sir....I am thinking about to immediate Canada....I nees help sir.... Needed ur contact numbers sir...thanking u sir ..with respect
Bhatti: No company is going to provide you food and accommodation. That is Indian concept and you need to forget it ASAP. You have to do everything on your own including job search.
Kamryn: Was meinen Sie, werte Silke, wie es um die Altersarmut bestellt ist, wenn die schlechter bezahlten Menschen weiterhin in der Arbeitslosigkeit verharren?Wen ich, von mir bekannten Sozialarbeitern höre, dass mit Laszieitarbegtnlosenerst mal das pünktliche erscheinen eingeübt werden muß, so denke ich, dassdie Chancen sich erheblich verbessern, wenn man sich aus einem schlecht bezahlten Job auf eine bessere Stelle bewirbt , als aus der Arbeitslosigkeit.
MP: If you missed home so much, you should have gone home... And you should have married a woman from your country. You sound like a hypocrite.
Divya: Hi,
We are planning to migrate to Canada this year end. Is there scope for HR category jobs over there.
preeti: Hi,
I read your story and I am also little curious to know if there are good job available for people who are working in Mnc in India. Also, does companies provide food and accommodation there along with jobs.
Thanks
Preeti
Stanisław: Na ile twoje doswiadczenia przydadzą się teraz Europejczykom wobec masowej migracji .?? 
