BIO

 

2012 Polaris Prize nominee Mark Davis has been called “one of the most underrated songwriters in the world” (Michael Barclay, Radio Free Canuckistan). His most recent release, Eliminate the Toxins, was met with high critical praise:


    “Davis’ songs are innovative, energetic and challenge everything you know about folkies, augmented with fuzzed-out
    guitar, surging riffs and even fragmented dub. Eliminate the Toxins is the one record every Canadian music fan should
    hear.” (Herohill)


    “(Davis’) inscrutability deepens with these new songs. Grandiose...blissful and hypnotic...heartbreaking.” (Exclaim)


    “Immediately affecting songs, with a melodic gift worthy of any of the greats; every song here sounds like a modern
    classic.” (The Record)


The success of Eliminate the Toxins has triggered several career advancements for Mark. A European publishing deal with Hemifran (Sweden) has led to significant European airplay and media coverage; Mark was asked to record tracks for Herohill’s Gordon Lightfoot tribute Turning Back the Pages Of My Sweet Shattered Dreams and for Michael Barclay’s Have Not Been the Same (Mark’s track – “Too Cool To Live, Too Smart To Die” by Deja Voodoo was chosen as the compilation’s title track).


Mark's dual 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.


Sharing the reins with Shuyler Jansen, Mark has guided the band Old Reliable through eighteen years and four recordings. Old Reliable recently resurfaced for two sold-out Alberta shows. The media attention generated by these two successful shows has resulted in additional offers to perform across the country. With Old Reliable, Mark is a recipient of the City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Committee Performance Award "for receiving significant recognition for furthering artistic practice."


Mark is also the musical force behind gothic-country-dance-rock duo Concealer, whose debut album Fêted:Fetid will be released in 2013. 


Mark is a mentor to a group of songwriters with developmental disabilities - The Robin Hood Ensemble, with whom he collaborated on the album New Day Dawning (2010). He was also employed as Instructor at the 2011 EPCOR Centre's Young Songwriter’s Intensive Workshop.


Through regular touring and festival appearances, Mark has shared stages with the likes of K’Naan, Alejandro Escovedo, Guy Clark, Kathleen Edwards, Fred Eaglesmith, and Great Lake Swimmers.


In the studio, Mark has collaborated with Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico, Giant Sand), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Corb Lund, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco, Freakwater), and Romi Mayes.


Mark has contributed music to feature-length and short films as well as a popular television series. Edmonton-based filmmaker Hans Olsen featured Mark’s music in his short film, “Baby Boots”, as well as his forthcoming NFB documentary, “The Auctioneer”. Mark was recently contacted by Toronto author Bryan Acker to create a soundtrack for his forthcoming novel.


Mark is currently recording his fourth solo album (his tenth overall).


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/LOCATIONS 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