Home Gigs Tunes Bio page 1 Bio page 2 Bio page 4

Ron Barnes, a native Hoosier, become the Thunderboltz drummer and also played various percussion on the recordings that followed. He became an important contributor to the mission, helping to arrange the challenging rhythm parts essential to it. Ron, Klicker and Zeus continued to reherse the act. In late '97, Gus left the band moving with his family to Ohio a short time after. To replace him, Mark turned to a new colleague, Marlon St. John.

Zeus met Marlon at the Abbey Pub where MZ hosted the long-standing Tuesday night open mike. Also from Indiana, Marlon is a multi-talented musician who has had experience playing both percussion and guitar in a number of eclectic bands. He is also a fine singer and songwriter, who immediately fit into the Thunderboltz vocal harmony section. To complete that section, Mark searched for a compatible voice.

The Abbey open mike had attracted many of the best singer/songwriters in the area. One of those was Debe Welch, whose haunting voice seemed to fit the character of Zeus' music. She and Marlon joined Thunderboltz in late '97.

The band immediately began recording and performing live. Although the focus was on the studio, the live experience became an integral expression of the band's energy. As the band developed, several other musicians became significant contributing forces.

Ralph (Rico) Russell had been a long-time friend and collaborator of Zeus. They played in various jobbing situations together, and Rico, woodwinds, lent his talents performing on several cuts on "Now and Then" and "Bridging The Gap", also helping to arrange various section parts. He did the same for the early Thunderboltz tracks.

Tom O'Brien and Steve Wozny, A2Z cohorts, in addition to performing on the recording of "Top Shelf", consulted on the sessions at Crooked Door.

Al Joseph, fiddle and keys, fiddled on "Austin City Girls" and performed ocasionally with the live act.

Ken Arlen cotributed his diverse talents on saxes and recorder to complete the tracks for "Sweet", "All We Don't Know", and "Don't Know What It Means". He also joined the band on stage during the March "01 release party in Chicago.

Mark's travels through Texas, and eventual move to Houston, yielded new influences and energy upon his songwriting, solo show and the Thunderboltz project. This chapter of his life begins in January of '95.

Seeking to both approach another region in which to present his music and to get out of the snowy Midwest winter, Mark took off for Texas in mid Jan. '95. He chose Texas for many reasons. Most importantly, he saw it as a place which embraces the grassroots sensibility of the songwriter and storyteller, and he also had friends through music and neighborhood who had relocated, or returned, there. He drove his old Chevy Impala down the interstates. When he finally reached Texarkana at 4 AM he thought, "Ah, Texas. Can't be too long before I reach New Braunfels." His first destination was to reach his friend, Joey Pogue, a songwriter whom he had met while Joey was living in Chicago in the mid 90s.

9AM, somewhere on I-35, just North of Austin- Zeus, finally burning out from the seemingly endless drive, pushes on and catches mid-day traffic in Austin. He pulls over and passes out at a rest stop. Upon waking, he restarts the Chevy only to notice a grinding noise eminating from the AC compressor. At about 2PM the Chevy limps into Joey's driveway.

Joey had returned to the area where he had lived for many years, after landing a teaching position (theatre) at Texas Lutheran College in Seguin. He offered his hospitality to Zeus, putting him up for a couple of weeks so he could have a base from which to check out the San Antonio and Austin music scenes. Joey immediately introduced him to members of the newly formed San Antonio Songwriters Coalition. It became a mutally inspirational encounter.

San Antone has never been thought of as center for working musicians. However, its rich history and diversity has brought together many musical influences indigenous to the Hill Country and Guadalupe River basin. Mark marveled at the unique blends and original approaches. Blues and Country took on new life as interpreted by the locals. He had his first exposure to Tejano in its original form which sprung from the meeting of German and Mexican folk music.

Zeus also seemed to have an effect on the Coalition and other musicians in the area. His strong, yet poetic, lyrical approach offered something unique and fresh. His own mix of styles added to the exchanges that followed. In his subsequent trips, Mark frequented the Songwiters Nite at Landa's Station, New Braunfels (about 30 miles N. of San Antonio), where he met and connected with several of the San Antonio and Hill Country writers. Al Barlow was the regular host there. His songwriting wit spoke to the lighter side of Mark's lyrics. They seemed to affirm each other's ability to provide a message through humor.

Mark's first reactions to the Austin scene were mixed. When he first arrived, he contacted a Chicago colleague, Steve Hepler, who had moved there two months previous. An established acoustic music venue, The Chicago House, seemed to be an obvious destination for an open mike appearance. Steve said he had played there and the only way to get on the list was to call in at exactly 7PM. He also said it was helpful to have redial and speed calling because about 30 or 40 people would be calling in at the same time. After about 20 dialings, they finally got through and found that the only available spots were at 8PM (first) and 11:45 (almost last). Taking the late spot, they entered the near empty room at about 10:45 (it seemed that due to the strange sign up protocol, most performers would show up a few minutes before their slot and leave soon after). They performed to an uninspired audience of two or three bored songwriters. The demand for slots was so great there that they held open mikes in both the upstairs and downstairs rooms; both were equally uninspiring.

The Cactus, a great listening room located on the University of Texas campus, also provided an uninspiring open mike experience. On a Zeus trip in '97, Mark and Steve, decided to check it out. Slots were chosen by lottery. You wrote your name on a piece of paper and threw it in a bucket. However, you were not guaranteed to play- about 20 slots; 30 pieces of paper. Names were drawn as the night progressed. They decided to stick around for a while, see if either of them got called, possibly network and check out some of the acts. The atmosphere seemed tense. Although most of the performers were friendly, they sensed a somewhat competitive attitude in many ("MY three songs are better than YOUR three songs"). After about five folks had performed, the host decided to get up and do some tunes. After about 45 minutes of him, Zeus and Steve decided to get up and go to the Saxon Pub.

Austin has declared itself "The Live Music Capital of the World". Zeus seemed to agree after checking out the total scene. Steve had been performing fairly regulary at The Saxon, an intimate club featuring a steady quality line-up of Texas singer/songwriters and Blues-Rock. Zeus frequented the club during his travels, getting acquainted with the "Austin sound". A number of quality music venues can be found throughout Austin- The Continental Club, LaZona Rosa, The Broken Spoke, Antone's, and many other large and small venues that present a steady diet of quality live music of various genres. Zeus discovered two factors contributing to the development of this "phenomenon". 1.) The local music media has continued to recognize it, embrace it, and organize scheduling and reports on the performers and venues within the scene; and 2.) Austin has become a "Mecca" for singer-songwriters - a place where many successful ones call home, and/or relocate to.

Steve turned Zeus on to a great open mike at Gino's Italian Grill on Stassney in South Austin. A bunch of friendly performers and hosts welcomed him and his music. The management also offers a plate of pasta to each performer. A great benefit for the hungry road warrior. It became a regular stop of subsequent Zeus tours.

Houston was the final destination on Mark's initial exploratory tour. An old neighborhood friend and friend of the family, Tom Gaseor, and his wife, Susan, had relocated there (for a second time) a few years earlier. Tom and Mark have also collaborated on a number of songs including the TumbleWeed epic, "Westbound Odyssey", and the environmental parody, "Poof!", which is included on the new Thunderboltz album. Tom and Susan, at that time, were actually living in Friendswood, a suburban community near Houston's Clear Lake (far Southeast side) where NASA and water related industries dominate. From this location Zeus found himself becoming interested in Galveston, a city and island 50 miles further down I-45.

Tom Gaseor introduced Mark to an ex-co-worker and musician, Tom Rodgers. Tom R. had been a regular performer on the Houston area scene, but at that time had been away from performing for a couple years. However, he did get out to several jams in Pasedena and Clear Lake, and found out about a unique location in Galveston, The Acoustic Cafe (which eventually became The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe after it was taken over by Rex Bell, an established Texas singer-songwriter). Mark and Tom R. hooked up and began gigging at the Cafe and several other clubs and coffeehouses in the area whenever Zeus came through Texas. They still do and are still regulars at "The Old Quarter".

Upon returning home, Zeus decided to make Texas a regular destination and began planning periodic swings through the Eastern half of the state. In the Winter of '97, he executed a four night tour through Dallas; landed a couple small gigs in Austin; and began exploring the wide open music scene in Central Houston. In late Spring of '97, he met a talented, aspiring singer-songwiter, Clay Farmer, at the popular open mike at Houston's McGonigel's Mucky Duck, an established acoutic venue.

Clay, at that time, was considering a career in music - singing at jams and putting together his own band. Zeus was impressed by his energy and original approach to his lyrics. Clay also became a fan of Zeus and they quickly became friends. They kicked around at various open mikes together and jammed often. In Spring of '98, Clay came up to visit Zeus in Chicago, where the crowds at The Abbey, Lyons Den, and Circle Inn were energized by the combination of talent. They then drove down to Houston together winding up at Mary Jane's, where Clay's new band had a regular Monday night gig opening for The Good Luck Band (Zeus, with his mandolin, had sat in with, and eventually became a member of, The Good luck Band, who performed a steady diet of traditional Country standards).

While staying at Tom Gaseor's in Winter of '96, Mark found an old, beat up mandolin sitting around the house. He began playing it, teaching himself chords and figuring out the nuances of the instrument. He decided to pick up a mandolin of his own and began jamming with it at the song circle that followed each open mike at the Abbey. The circle was a loose ensamble headed by Zeus and his old buddy, singer-songwriter, Tony Callaghan.He and Mark had met at the popular Chicago folk venue, Earl's Pub on Lincoln Ave. (at the time- the new location of the legendary Earl of Old Town). Tony's music, which has been influenced by his experience in traditional Irish and Chicago Folk, lent itself well to the mandolin. It wasn't long before many other performers were asking MZ up on stage to play with them. His experiences with his new instrument led him into several projects to follow.

As Mark continued his swings through Texas, he began to focus on Houston as a market where his talents could thrive. In Spring of '97, he also met Ron Perry, another fine singer and writer, who was an established performer in Houston and had been organizing songwriter showcases. Ron asked MZ to be a part of the series' at Ovation's and The Mystery Manor. Co-hosting the Mystery Manor events was Ken Gaines. Zeus quickly recognized Ken as a leader of the music community and an extremely talented singer, writer and performer. Ken would become instrumental in helping Zeus network into the Texas region.

Another reason for Mark's lean toward Houston was the presence of his colleague, mentor and friend, Gloria Monroe, who returned to Texas City (Galveston County), after spending many years in Chicago via Nashville. Gloria had been an original member of the Chicago Songwriters Collective, contributing heavily to workshops and organizational meetings. Zeus had found her to be a good sounding board for his works in progress- pulling no punches, and speaking from a seasoned writer's point-of-view. Gloria passed in the Winter of '02 after a long illness.

It was in mid '99 that Zeus began to see a move to Houston as a real possibility. He recognized a need to get his music heard in various markets. He also recognized that touring throughout the country without management was not an attractive option at that point. He had also approached Central Florida, having performed several gigs there while networking with The Friends of Florida Folk, a well organized and pervasive group of grass-root musicians and supporters. However, Southeast Texas seemed to be a place that might respond to the scope of Mark's music and talents.

Bio page 4