Who is Marklyn?

I’m Marklyn Retzer. I’ve been playing music and performing most of my life. Music connects me with joy and wonder, and provides the opportunity to experience, and express, real emotion and deep human feeling. It’s this play between ecstatic transcendence and gritty humanity that attracts me to songwriting. 

Writing music has become a way for me to dig deeper into what’s going on in my life and my world, as well as a way to reflect on stories and experiences that impacted me. 

Performing music, whether that’s for a few people in a living room or a crowd in a public venue, feels like a natural extension of feeling that joy and wonder, and I seek to connect with those listening to bring that through the music. 

I’ve been most focused in the last bunch of years as a solo performing singer songwriter, although I cherish the opportunities when I bring out the band and totally dive in to the immersive power of music created with other people. 

This past year has been unusual for many of us, and, for me, not as musically productive as I hoped. I felt stuck and didn’t feel like playing, writing or making music. One night I sat on the couch by myself and got out my guitar and started singing. I sang my songs and just dove in and had fun with the music. I’m working to keep connecting with that fun part. I’ve embarked on project to release a song a month this year to keep in touch with the feelings music brings me, making sure to connect with the joyful part of music. 

Tutu is the first song from this project and shines out with sparkly, optimistic playfulness, sprinkled with harmonies. It’s a grooving, acoustic guitar based pop-rock reminder to dive in to the joy and bliss of living life, and shining light anywhere you choose.