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.
Agencies TORONTO: Consul general Preeti Saran on Thursday opened the Indian visa office in Brampton. BLS International Ltd, which is the new company contracted by the Indian government to provide visa and consular services from March 1, will run this office. And the good news is that those seeking visa and other consular services will now pay just $7.40 as service fee as against $20 being charged previously. They will also enjoy other benefits such as on-site photo-copying and photo and internet services at a nominal charge. Further, they will have up-to-date tracking information about their documents if they use Purolator courier service. Till now, visa applications and other consular services were being provided by VFS Global whose contract expired on December 31. BLS International Ltd’s new visa and passport application centre, which is located at 10 Gillingham Drive (Unit 201), will accept applications for visa, passport, surrender certificate, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card and police clearance certificate (PCC) as usual. This centre will serve people from Brampton, Mississauga, Hamilton and the surrounding areas, the consul general said. The other visa centre by BLS International Ltd will now operate from 1448 Lawrence Avenue East (Unit 6). Both the visa centres will remain open from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday. In Winnipeg, the visa centre will be located at 1806, 201 Portage Ave, 18th Floor. The Brampton visa office covering about 3,000 sq. ft canaccommodate 80 to 100 people at a time, according to Girish Ojha of BLS International. And its Toronto office, covering about 2,000 square ft, will have the capacity to accommodate 70 people at a time. ``BLS International will answer all online queries within 48 hours,’’ said Ojha. He said his company has entered into an arrangement with Purolator to help applicants keep tack of their documents. But people are free to use any courier service provider, he added. Ojha said a staff of 30 people at both of their visa offices in the GTA will provide value-added services by charging reduced fee and operating on Saturdays as well. RELATED NEWS: OCI card in big demand among Indo-Canadians, says Indian Consul General Preeti Saran
evisa india: Waoow!!! really very cool site of blogs
evisa india: thanks you
evisa india: I’m wondering if anyone has any up to date information on this. Thanks!
Mike: I think it would be a great idea to open India visa offices around England and other countries to make it easier to obtain an Indian visa.
Oscar Vinson: I am so glad this Indian visa office is open in Brampton. I have friends in Hamilton -- a city within the area this new office serves -- and they feel so happy for this convenience! Thank you for posting this:)
Rambabu singh: How can I get job in Indian embassy in Toronto....
Mary: I just called the Indian Embassy Call centre as I need to go and submit my application. The lady was obviously very keen that I do a courier service for my applications. She says there is a long line, which is understandable, however, I did not like that she told me if I go there and take a number and I am not able to submit my application I will have to go back the next day. I do not appreciate this service as BSL knows when they should stop taking people and stop giving numbers to people. It is not good policy to give a person a number and then the applicant is not allowed to submit the application. You will appreciate we are also working people and if we take time off we should be told if we are given a number means the application should be accepted. It should be a game of come back tomorrow. We are in Canada and ethics is important like all the other visa embassies here. So I hope this is not the case when I get there. If I get there at a time that is not acceptable then I should be told, so I can leave and come again, but I should not be made to wait the entire morning and then told to go back.
moderator: This should not happen. We will follow it up tomorrow (Nov 13) and keep you posted. Please send us your local phone number.
VK: Thank-you I called them On Monday November 10th. I called them again today and they told me it was at the BLS center and I can pick it up. I went today and BLS told me they don't have it and it is still under process. The online tracking system still says 'in transit to the consulate' I told them I need to travel on Sunday to the US and they advised I go to the Consulate Friday morning to get my passport. Not sure what else I can do.
moderator: The Toronto consulate issues visas within 72 hours on receiving the application. When did you call the consulate? You should get your visa by Nov 12, if you applied on Nov 5. Please let us know if you don't get by then and we will help you.
VK: I applied for my Indian visa on November 5th and the application tracking system still says in transit to the Consulate General, however when I called they said it is processing at the consulate, but the site has not been updated. I am travelling to the US this Sunday (May 16th) and need my passport, I applied at the Toronto location. Does it normally take this long, how will I know if they have dispatched my passport to BLS if they have not updated the tracking system?
newsadmin: If your documents are OK, all visas are issued with 72 hours.
Waseem: I have Canadian passport and have applied for tourist visa for India on Oct 7 th. when can I expect it by as I wanted to book the air ticket asap due to j&k floods. Do I expect visa by end of oct?
newsadmin: Go to Toronto or Brampton office whichever is near to you. If you have a Permanent Residence Card, take an attested copy of it with you. It will take a month for your new passport to come. But with Tatkal service, you can have it in a week or so.
Ranjit: Hi
My indian passport is expiring in June2014, I was wondering whats the process to renew it and what office to go to... what supporting documents are needed for the renewal? Any help will be greatly appreciated....
Regards
Dipti Patel: Hello,
I have heard many great things about this Indian visa office in Brampton. I am from Markham but will be traveling to do my paperwork with the Brampton office. I have been informed that your office works efficiently and is dedicated. The visa can be done within 3 days given there are no issues with the application and all documents are there, correct?
Look forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you for opening up an amazing office to serve people. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks,
Dipti Patel
Sunny: worst office ever. unprofessional people who want to harras and not do the job
newsadmin: Brampton - 10 Gillingham Drive , Unit 201 , ON, L6X5A5
Mandeep: Thanks for the information . what is address for visa office.
newsadmin: At the most, the visa will take seven days. But you can get it within three to four days. Yes, you can apply online, but you have pay the fee by money order or bank draft. But if you go to visa office, you can pay in cash also.You can also go personally as the visa office is in your city Brampton and get it done quickly.
mandeep: hi, my son is born here in Canada , but we are citizen of india , we are planning to go india in November. For how many days can he get visa , Can we apply online or we have to come to the visa office.
newsadmin: Credit card is not allowed. If you submit application by hand, you can pay by debit card or cash. If you send your application by post, you have to send the fee by money order or bank draft. if there is rush, it may take 4-5 days for you to get your visa. There are clear instructions on the application form. Hope it clarifies everything for you.
newsadmin: You will get reply all your questions tomorrow when the consulate opens.But you have to send your passport because visa can be stamped only on passport.
hasina: thanks from your quick reply, what if i send the application along with my passport, how long wil it take? and i really dont know how to pay the amount? if im sending the application, is there a form that i need to fill if im paying by cridit card, can you please provide me that, i would realy appreciate ur help! thanks and have a great night!
newsadmin: Within three days unless there are problems with your application or some documents are missing.
hasina: hello, im a canadian citizan and want to apply for india visa, they have asked to drop the passport and application at the brampton location, how long do they take to give the visa, please let me know soon! thanks alot
newsadmin: Yes, your children are eligible for OCI cards.
Maria: My children were all born in Dubai. They have now obtained canadian citizenship. Birth certificates are from Dubai.
Both parents still hold Indian passports and are Permanent residents in Canada. Are my children eligible for OCI
Please advise .
Maria Pires
Tom, Ottawa: What is the website to look the OCI application status?
newsadmin: Mr Nagpaul,
You have not clarified what nationality your wife holds. If she holds Canadian passport, the Indian high commission or consulate cannot attest it. They can only `endorse' it. You have to clarify your wife's status.
Thanks
Sam , Elsie's Kitchen: Welcome to Brampton BLS, and congratulations on your new contract.
newsadmin: The Indian consulate in Toronto (365 Bloor St. E, unit 700) says if your papers are in order, it takes just a couple of days to issue visa. So you have to submit passport with the application. It is a quick process.
S. Nagpaul: My wife has applied for a PAN Card in India for her ancestral property. The Income Tax department in India has asked her National ID to be attested from Indian Embassy/High Commission/Consulate/Apostille. How can I get more info on this?
Jay Rand: Hi,
I am applying for Indian student visa. Do I have to submit my passport at the same time as my application? And, do they hold on to the passport during the entire time?
Jennifer: "CONGRATULATIONS" to Madme. Preeti Saran ji, The Consular General of The Consulate of India & BLS Intl.!
We look forward to using the services of BLS & appreciate all the effort by the CGI,Toronto, for bringing us, Indo-Canadians an alternate to having to drive down to Toronto in peak traffic hours especially.
Hope that BLS International will succeed in keeping up to the demands of the 'season'..With best wishes always, Jennifer Gopinath- a Travel Agent!
newsadmin: Yes, there is provision for emergency visa services for which you have to go to the Indian consulate (365 Bloor St, E #700, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4). Their phone number is 416-960-0751.
Anne McNeilly: My son is an 18-year-old Canadian student in Toronto who has been invited to India to visit by his classmate, Sia, when she returns home to New Delhi for the March break.
Is it realistic/possible for him to get a visa to go by Saturday. He has a Canadian passport. Thank you for your help.
Anne McNeilly
Narain Bhatia: It is wonderful to learn the facilities provided by Indian authorities to Canadian residents. This is from a place where only increase in service charges is order of the day. 
