Naming it after his home of twenty two years, Marcus created the East Denistone project to funnel ideas drawn from a long and intimate relationship with music. From early childhood, his parents enrolled him into piano lessons as part of a noble ambition to provide a well rounded upbringing, galvanizing the development of what he’d deem an integral part to his character. The two decades that followed saw music become a coping mechanism, a creative outlet, a search for validation to feed an overzealous ego, a learning tool, and even at times a reluctant obligation – pursuing it only because so much time and energy had already been invested.
His craft now reflects a life spent collecting influences from all aspects of the human experience, not just that of the storied history of sound. Marcus consciously chooses to dedicate time to writing about issues in which he feels affect not only himself, but the world around him, laced with a deeply rooted fascination with people’s motivations, their cultures, and the legacy they leave once their time is over. This is counterbalanced by songs focusing heavily on introspection, probing into the self doubt and discontentment that underpins his loftier dreams of grandeur and inner peace. The future is commonly explored with both a sense of excitement and a pervasive fear of the unknown, handled with an inquisitiveness that attempts to, not always successfully, reconcile the two emotions that define the outlook of so many people.
A lot of his earlier influences find their origins in songs his dad would put on the radio or play through the speakers at home, usually something geared towards classic icons such as The Eagles, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Crowded House or Pink Floyd, sprinkled with a healthy dose of classical music. On that front, Marcus was drawn heavily towards the Romantics, as many pianists are in their formative years – with Rachmaninov leaving an indelible mark on his approach to composition.
Nowadays, he’ll listen to most things. He adores the current landscape of Australian music; obsessing over Stella Donnelly, Julia Jacklin, Gang of Youths, Moreton, Camp Cope, The Smith Street Band, and a deluge of Sydney artists that he’s played with or seen over the last few years. More universally, his headphones will regularly be graced with Ben Howard, First Aid Kit, Of Monsters and Men, The National, Radiohead, Julien Baker, The Dear Hunter, PHOX and The Antlers.
