BIO

 

Sharing the reins with Shuyler Jansen, Mark Davis guided the band Old Reliable through fifteen years and four recordings. He has appeared on no less than twenty different releases.

Mark released his third solo record, Eliminate the Toxins, in June 2011. His most recent 2 CD release - Don't You Think We Should Be Closer? and Mistakes I Meant To Make (2007) was praised as "a two album tour de force" (Exclaim, Penguin Eggs) and "the roots release of the year" (Eye); and was lauded internationally by an abundance of four- and five-star reviews. UNCUT magazine (London, UK) called the dual release "stunning" and Le Cri Du Coyote (France) called the song "By the Time" "one of the most beautiful songs of the century."

On the strength of his dual release, Mark became the most-played Canadian roots artist on the CBC's Galaxie satellite radio for 2007, spent several weeks atop the National Campus and Community Radio roots chart, and made the year's top 10 lists of both the NCCR and Exclaim magazine.

In the studio, Mark has collaborated with Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico, Giant Sand), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Corby Lund, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco, Freakwater), and Romi Mayes.  Mark has toured throughout North America and has performed in nearly every major urban centre in Canada. He has performed at myriad music festivals and key industry conferences. In the process he has shared billings or stages with such luminaries as Guy Clark, Alejandro Escovedo, K'naan, Fred Eaglesmith, Kathleen Edwards, The Great Lake Swimmers, Gurf Morlix, The Corb Lund Band, Ray Condo, Giant Sand, The Sadies, Richard Buckner, Patty Griffin, and Pieta Brown, to name a few.

All of Mark's and Old Reliable's recordings are part of the Saved By Radio catalogue.

Mark has contributed music to feature-length and short films as well as a popular television series.

Mark is an arts instructor at The Robin Hood Association, where he has recorded New Day Dawning, a CD of songs he has co-written with several adults with developmental disabilities. He is a recipient of the City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Committee Performance Award "for receiving significant recognition for furthering artistic practice."

Some of Mark's favourite musicians (and influences) are Townes Van Zandt, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Richard Thompson, Will Oldham, Motorhead, Husker Du, Guided By Voices, Pan American, The Screaming Trees, The Velvet Underground, Billy Joe Shaver, Sonic Youth, Red Red Meat, Giant Sand, Richard Buckner, Kris Kristofferson, The Band, Sebadoh, Big Star, and Lucinda Williams. John Lennon - The Plastic Ono Band, Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska, Pink Floyd - The Final Cut, Giant Sand – Glum.



ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS


  1. ✦  CBC Galaxie Satellite Radio, Most-Played High-Rotation Folk / Roots Artist (Canadian) 2007

  2. ✦  Exclaim Magazine, Top 10 Folk / Roots Releases 2007

  3. ✦  Earshot, National Campus and Community Radio Top 10 Folk / Roots Releases 2007

  4. ✦  Edmonton Journal, Top 10 Album Releases 2007

  5. ✦  Earshot, Number 1 Folk / Roots Release, May & June 2007

  6. ✦  Red Deer Advocate, Top 10 Folk / Roots Releases 2007

  7. ✦  Exclaim Magazine, Top 10 Folk / Roots Releases 2005 (w. Old Reliable)

  8. ✦  Earshot, NCCR Top 50, 6 weeks 2005 (w. Old Reliable)

LOCATIONS PLAYED

Appleton, Ashcroft, Austin, Bragg Creek, Burnaby, Calgary (The Broken Jug, The Night Gallery, Karma, The Ironwood, Broken City, The Hifi, Calgary Folk Fest, Marquee Room, The Ship and Anchor, A Bar Named Sue, Bowness Hall, The Engineered Air Theatre, McMahon Stadium), Camrose, Canmore, Cassidy, Comox, Courteney, Cranbrook, Dauphin, Dawson City, Dawson Creek (The Klondike Hotel), Deluth, Edmonton (Winspear Centre, The Rev, The Blue Chair, The Black Dog, Empress Ale House, Blackbyrd, The Haven Social Club, New City Likwid Lounge, Myer Horowitz, Dan and Jen's, The Suburbs, The Yard, Katie's, the Masonic Hall, Mickey Finn's, The Rosebowl, The Rosebowl South, The Sugarbowl, Fort Edmonton, The Dark Camel, The City Media Club, Sidetrack, Hilltop Pub, Edmonton Folk Festival, The Starlite Room, Bonnie Doon Hall, Riverdale Hall, The Velvet Underground, The Pawn Shop, The Full Moon Folk Club, The Power Plant, Stanley Milner Library Theatre, Flavours Bistro, The Nest), Enderby, Fernie (The Arts Station), Grand Prairie (BJ's), Guelph, Hamilton, Hope, Invermere (Bobby's), Jasper (The Downstream), Joussard, Kelowna (The Grateful Fed), Kingston (The Living Room), Kitchener (The Boathouse), Lacombe, Lethbridge (The Tongue ‘n Groove, The Slice, Henotic), London, Madison, Minneapolis, Montreal (Barfly, L'Hemisphere Gauche), Nanaimo, Nanton, Nelson (The Civic), Northfield, Ottawa (The Elmdale Tavern, Barrymore's, The Manx), Red Deer (Billy's, The Vat), Regina (The Club), Revelstoke, Salmo, Saskatoon (Lydia's, Amigo's), Sault St. Marie, Sherwood Park (Caffrey's, Festival Place), Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto (The Dakota Tavern, The Horseshoe, The Local, The Cadillac Lounge, The Communist's Daughter, 360 Club), Vancouver (The Sugar Refinery, The Backstage Lounge, The Railway Club, The Marine Club, The Main), Vermillion, Vernon, Victoria (Lucky Bar, Logan's, Solstice Cafe, Thursday's), Wakefield (Kaffe 1870, The Black Sheep Inn), Waterloo, Whistler, Whitehorse, Windsor, Winnipeg (Candor Books, Times Changed, The Pyramid), Yellowknife



FESTIVALS / SHOWCASES PLAYED

Edmonton Folk Festival, Dawson City Music Festival, Yellowknife Folk On the Rocks, Calgary Folk Festival, SXSW (Austin, TX), NXNE (Toronto), North Country Fair (N. Alberta), Ottawa Blues Fest, Calgary Blues and Roots, Waynefest (the Badlands), Bluebird North (Edmonton), New Music West (Vancouver), Juno Fest (Edmonton), Alberta Scene (Ottawa), Western Canadian Music Awards (Calgary, Edmonton), CKUA Alberta Sessions (Calgary), Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose, Alberta), North American Folk Alliance (The Beaver Suite, Austin, TX)



SHARED STAGES / BILLINGS

Guy Clark, Alejandro Escovedo, Fred Eaglesmith, Ray Condo, Giant Sand, Howe Gelb, The Sadies, K'naan, Richard Buckner, Kathleen Edwards, Pieta Brown, Bo Ramsey, John D. Graham, The Corb Lund Band, Gurf Morlix, Sam Baker, Chad van Gaalen, Tery Allen, Justin Rutledge, The Great Lake Swimmers, Deadbolt, Patty Griffin, Gord Downie (The Tragically Hip), Oh Susanna, Zubot and Dawson, Women, the smalls, The Wailin' Jennys, Romi Mayes, Po' Girl, Danny Michel, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco, Freakwater), Jim Bryson, The Fiftymen, Carolyn Mark, Mike Plume, Cuff the Duke, Rodney Decroo, Rae Spoon, The D Rangers, Matt Epp, Christine Fellows, Jay Crocker, Kevin Fox, Ghostkeeper, Shuyler Jansen, Ford Pier, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Gordie Tentrees, The Swiftys, Whitey Houston, John Carroll, Colleen Brown, Vail Halen, Sarah Wheeler, Lorrie Matheson, Chris Page, AA Soundsystem, Darrek Anderson and the Guaranteed, Ann Vriend, Field and Stream, Mike McDonald, Amy Seely, Ayla Brook, Carrie Catherine, The Great Outdoors, Samantha King