The Marfa Jingles

Marfa (population 1,819) lies in a remote and quiet part of West Texas, but it is full of life and visitors year-round. Some are there to see the works of artist Donald Judd, who came to Marfa in the early 1970s. Others are drawn to the remarkable landscape of the area, with attractions such as Big Bend National Park, the McDonald Observatory, and the mysterious optical phenomenon known as the Marfa Lights.

I came to Marfa as a complete outsider. I knew nothing about this part of the country, had no family connections or friends there. Although I’ve made music even longer than I’ve made art, I have rarely crossed over these two creative practices, mostly because it’s rarely seemed relevant.

But I wanted my project to be a vehicle for getting to know the town, and there seemed to be more than a few musicians in Marfa—as well as a new recording studio. Texas has such a rich history of music, so music seemed the right medium for collaboration here.

I would write a free jingle for anyone who wanted one, I decided, and a combination of word of mouth and posters at places like the laundromat and the bookstore led me to my first “customers.” They told me what information to emphasize, and I took into account any musical preferences. In order to extend the song form beyond its role as pure advertising I also made a point of writing some jingles for a few things, like the Marfa Lights, that usually don’t get jingles.

In July 2008, the bulk of the songs were recorded at the tiny Marfa Recording Company with local musicians. Benevolent small-town nepotism meant that some band members (the town newspaper’s editor and the food truck’s chef and driver) were also jingle clients. The jingles aired for six months on KRTS, Marfa’s NPR- affiliate station, mixed into the regular programming.

You can download this album on Bandcamp.