RI Music Hall of Famer Mark Cutler Inspires All at Inclusive Songwriting Workshop
By Ken Abrams
“It’s the hive mind thing. We become one big mind, the synapses start firing, and a song is formed” says Cutler, pictured with guitar at left.
Mark Cutler has been a mainstay on the local music scene for over 40 years. He’s best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist for The Schemers, the legendary RI-based band that barnstormed around the Northeast in the late 1970s and 1980s. Considered by many to be one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever to come out of the Ocean State, they never quite made it nationally, but their sound still resonates with longtime fans. “Back then I thought we were going to be, not necessarily rock stars, but touring musicians for the rest of our lives,” said Cutler in a recent interview. “It didn’t turn out that way and that’s cool; this is where I ended up and it’s a mighty fine place to end up.”
Cutler and the band were inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2015 and he still records as a solo artist. He can be found playing around the state on any given Saturday night with his current band, Men of Great Courage. So what’s a Rhody rock star like Cutler doing every Tuesday morning at the Outsider Collective in Pawtucket’s Hope Artiste Village? He’s leading The Same Thing Project, a songwriting workshop he developed several years ago. The project brings together people from all walks of life, including some with special needs, and that’s been the goal from the very beginning.
Backtrack to a few years ago: Cutler was approached to compose a soundtrack for a film about the Ladd School, a former state-run facility for youth and adults with developmental disabilities. That was the first time the musician collaborated with people with developmental challenges. That experience gave him the idea to start the songwriting workshop.
“When I was hanging out with my friends who had Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities, I realized it was so great to be able to work with these folks, and more people need to know that we have so many similar qualities,” explains Cutler.
There’s an egalitarian spirit in the room where he works his magic. The creative process is a shared experience; everyone present has songwriting duties. It’s inspiring to watch Cutler work with his collective cast of contributors, some who are clients of Avatar Residential in Warwick, a licensed provider of residential and day services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
By Ken Abrams
Mark Cutler has been a mainstay on the local music scene for over 40 years. He’s best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist for The Schemers, the legendary RI-based band that barnstormed around the Northeast in the late 1970s and 1980s. Considered by many to be one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever to come out of the Ocean State, they never quite made it nationally, but their sound still resonates with longtime fans. “Back then I thought we were going to be, not necessarily rock stars, but touring musicians for the rest of our lives,” said Cutler in a recent interview. “It didn’t turn out that way and that’s cool; this is where I ended up and it’s a mighty fine place to end up.”
Cutler and the band were inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2015 and he still records as a solo artist. He can be found playing around the state on any given Saturday night with his current band, Men of Great Courage. So what’s a Rhody rock star like Cutler doing every Tuesday morning at the Outsider Collective in Pawtucket’s Hope Artiste Village? He’s leading The Same Thing Project, a songwriting workshop he developed several years ago. The project brings together people from all walks of life, including some with special needs, and that’s been the goal from the very beginning.
Backtrack to a few years ago: Cutler was approached to compose a soundtrack for a film about the Ladd School, a former state-run facility for youth and adults with developmental disabilities. That was the first time the musician collaborated with people with developmental challenges. That experience gave him the idea to start the songwriting workshop.
“When I was hanging out with my friends who had Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities, I realized it was so great to be able to work with these folks, and more people need to know that we have so many similar qualities,” explains Cutler.
There’s an egalitarian spirit in the room where he works his magic. The creative process is a shared experience; everyone present has songwriting duties. It’s inspiring to watch Cutler work with his collective cast of contributors, some who are clients of Avatar Residential in Warwick, a licensed provider of residential and day services to individuals with developmental disabilities.