Martin Clarke -Those Men- 20/1/25

Somewhere still in my 1970s memory, there are moments of clarity that I can track back to and identify as to when my childhood ended and the after trek began. Moments when ‘the adult world’ came into focus. Moments when the toys were put away and responsibility and reality were the name of the game. Opening a bank account, buying my own shoes, my first holiday without the parents, the end of the Christmas stocking…….seeing water for sale in a plastic bottle in a shop!

The confusion!  Surely water was just there. Water wasn’t like chocolate or football cards or comics or sweets. Water wasn’t for sale!

Out of the mists of this nascent remnant, I have recently chanced upon Madmen and Dreamers who ‘write, record, and perform rock musicals about current issues……’ Their most recent production, Water Inc, is a masterful piece of musical theatre delving into the force of the corporate against the ‘little man’. The water companies are now all-powerful conglomerates that wield their muscles whenever they need too. Money is the name of their game, and they always get what they want.

Mark A. Durstewitz and Christine Hull use this template as a way into writing about the ever-intriguing power plays in human existence. The interaction between the characters and the carefully constructed plot in Water Inc demonstrates how there is a continual conflict, an unresolved drama, a battle between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’ things to do.

The acting throughout is emotive and beguiling and enables the audience to become involved in the developing web of the narrative. The musical input is impeccable. The musicianship is excellent, and the variety and tightness of the songwriting is a benchmark of the production. Slow ballads, prog sensibilities, assorted rhythmical marvels, strong melodies, great singing, assorted dynamics and just good old fashioned catchy songs.

You are left at the end of Water Inc holding onto a feeling of anger, desperation, sadness and hope. We are in a new time. We are in a time of action. A time of change. As one of the characters says: ‘The industrial age gave way to the corporate age.’

Water Inc paints a perceptive and disturbing picture of the new world in which we are all now living. It also points to the responsibility we have, to try to make this world a better more balanced place for ourselves and our children. 

Gary Lee, Starship Overflow

What an ambitious production! I applaud you creativity and patience needed to pull off something of this magnitude. A well-written score, an imaginative and timely take on a pressing subject and I doubt you get any money from Nestle! Good on you and the performers for making this happen. Well done.

Gregg Cockrell (iykyk) 

Water, Inc. is an epic story that addresses the critical issue of climate change, and plays out the effects that crisis will eventually have on human beings. Oh, and it’s a kick-ass rock opera.

 Created by Mark Durstewitz and Christine Hull, it is performed by the creative team known as Madmen and Dreamers. It has a cast of characters who are easy to imagine coming right out of today’s headlines, including the evil corporate plunderer, the omni-present media personality, and even an AI presence that is guaranteed to chill your soul. 

 Water, Inc has all the elements of a hit, including sharp, intelligent dialogue, a great story told by compelling actors, and a magnificent soundtrack.

 The musicianship is top notch. Produced and mixed by Mark Durstewitz, mastered by Wolf Entertainment, the result is a stunning soundscape.

Email interview : Mark A. Durstewitz-Producer/Keyboards/Composer/Lyricist of Madmen and Dreamers, November 2024. Interviewed by: Laura Williams from Vinyl Lollipops (https://vinyllollipops.com/)

Laura: What genre of music do you consider Madmen and Dreamers to be? 

Madmen and Dreamers: Theatrical progressive rock also known as art rock. We sit right on the dividing line between progressive rock and musical theater.

Laura: What’s the ultimate direction for your band? 

Madmen and Dreamers: We have a saying, “Artists are Society’s Immune System.” We write stories about things that need attention. In this case, climate change. The ultimate and existential problem we all face. If we can get more people motivated and moving in defense of our future, that’s a success. We also use the show to raise money for environmental groups through ticket sales. We have two more stories planned at the moment. 

Laura: How would you describe your music-making process? 

Madmen and Dreamers: Since we write stories, the first step is to create a story board. Each scene is a song and visa versa. Once we get that framework of the entire project on paper, we begin to draft lyrics. The reason I use “draft” is because I grind out the first pass on the lyrics because I’m more prolific than Chris. Then she starts the “fine tuning’ process. Like any artist, this causes me a great deal of pain and we joke about it. We rarely argue, which is probably why we’ve been together for 29 years. And while all this is going on, I start to work on the music. Often I already have pieces that might work on the computer, so I’ll start by looking in there for themes and stuff, and once I start getting pieces ready for recording, Chris will have to change the lyrics to fit the rhythms in the song. She’s really good at it, but I agonize over it because there are shades of meaning in English that make the words rich in meaning. We settle on something that we both can live with. 

Laura: Why call the band “Madmen and Dreamers?” 

Madmen and Dreamers: In our first project, The Children of Children, there is a song called Madmen and Dreamers, which is the father’s anthem in the story. During recording for that song someone in the band said it would make a great band name. I’m sure one can find all sorts of hidden meanings in it. My initials are MAD, so maybe we can start there. 

Laura: What should fans expect to experience at a show? 

Madmen and Dreamers: We get a lot of “I’ve never seen anything like it” but, what they’ll experience is kind of a movie or a novel set to music. The singer/actors create the scene against the canvas provided by the band. 

Laura: Typical question here. Who has influenced you the most via music? 

Madmen and Dreamers: You may laugh at this, but the two big influences for me were Elton John’s early albums and Pink Floyd from DSOM to The Division Bell. I haven’t heard most of David Gilmore’s recent stuff. Both Bands/Artists told really good stories. Their lyrics were amazing as was the music. I have to add that I went to many musical theater performances as a kid as well as classical concerts and listened to a wide range of genres. I love the romantic period through 20th century composers. There are so many others I could list as well… 

Laura: How can fans and future fans locate, listen to and buy your music? 

Madmen and Dreamers: https://www.madmen-and-dreamers.com/water-inc   Scroll down past the green section and you'll see a link to streaming and purchasing sites. 

Laura: Is there anything else you would like your fans to know? 

Madmen and Dreamers: It’s very important to us to accomplish something with our live shows. That, in some way, our work helps to bend the current trajectory away from this rapidly unfolding disaster. We can’t just play the show and leave. The stakes are too high. 

Laura: What is coming up next for Madmen and Dreamers? 

Madmen and Dreamers: We have recently signed with a growing, international label based in Germany, Wolf Entertainment Group, who really gets what we’re trying to do. We’re in the process of expanding the reach of the project with an eye on touring. 

Laura Williams ©️Vinyl Lollipops All Rights Reserved.