In addition to his solo work, Mark plays acoustic & electric guitar, bass, bodhran, `ukulele, mandolin & dulcimer in a number of bands with ever-shifting personel. "Life is just one drummer after another..."
Influences
Bob Marley, Bob Wills, Bob Dylan & Baba O`Reilly; Duke Ellington, Duke Kahanamoku, King Sunny Ade, Prince Buster, Lord Buckley, Count Basie, Lady Day & Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey; Sonny Chillingworth, Sonnyland Slim, Sun House & Sun Ra; Blind Blake, Blind Blake Alphonso Higgs & Joe Higgs; Miles Davis, Jesse Davis, Jesse James & Skip James; old time music, good time music, old world music, nuage music & post-traditional party music; Charlie Christian, Charlie Paton, Ray Charles & Ray Kane; Gabby Pahinui & Gabby Hayes; B.B. King, Freddy King, Albert King & the King Sisters; Muddy & Ethel Waters; the Tex Pistols, the Polynesians, Planxty, the Sons of Hawaii & the Sons of the Pioneers.
"Every great once in a while a musician comes along who can make an instrument speak in tongues." - Deseret News.
In demand as a session musician, touring artist and workshop leader, Mark is an outstanding player of the Hawaiian slack key guitar. Co-authored with Keola Beamer, his "Learn To Play Hawaiian Slack Ley Guitar" (Mel Bay Publications) has introduced thousands to Ki Ho`alu – the sweet-sounding tropical guitar style of Hawai`i.
Mark co-produces the Aloha Music Camp in Hawai`i along with Hawaii's beloved Beamer Family. Aunty Nona gave him the name Kailana, which means "floating gently on the surface of the sea" - not a bad description of the sound of slack key guitar.
In the early 1970's Mark was one of a handful of free-spirited musicians who created a whole new vocabulary for the Appalachian dulcimer. He created a driving flatpicking style, playing the dulcimer with a force and passion seldom heard before. This led to a first place win at the National Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kansas in 1979, appearances at festivals, colleges and coffeehouses across North America and Europe, and a recording career spanning over 20 years.
Mark has performed just about anywhere – from Barrow to Boston; Sligo to San Diego. He's shared the stage with performers as diverse as Grover Washington, Jr.: Norton Buffalo; Doc Watson, and the Skagway Girls Jr. Varsity basketball team. He once worked as a banjo playing gorilla in Dublin, but that's another story...
Mark Visiting your MySpace provides me with a little vacation. I love listening to your music. Will you be coming back to SC Dulcimer Heritage any time soon?
