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MZ finally returned to the studio in '06 and, by Feb '07, work was completed on his new acoustic album. The early fruits of that project had resulted in the '04 release of The Single: two songs on CD. "Cried Enough" is an uplifting, countryesque piece with a poignant message ( It was eventually voted the '08 Song of the Year by the Texas Music Academy). The cover of "Ring of Fire" has been recorded as a ballad- reflecting the version often heard at Zeus acoustic shows. Zeus and Ernie finished mixing and mastering all the tracks for One Magic Moment in March of '07. The album also includes some favorite selections from live shows such as the groovy trash song,"Hole", and a re-recording of an old classic, "Sarah Says" which opens the album. Some seldom heard tunes such as" One God," "Invisible Bus" and "The Test" were beautifully recorded and included as well. Kristen Jensen (fiddle and harmony) appeared on several tracks. Other friends who contributed were Kim Carson (harmonica and harmony) , Anthony Klonaris (guitars), Jim Kam (Chapman stick) and Patti Sullivan (harmony) . Zeus proceeded to organize and execute a blow out release party at Blanco's in April. Great music, food and friendship was enjoyed.
For several years, beginning in early 2002, Mark has hosted The Bayou City Showcase, a Tues. evening open format for singer/songwriters and other various performers. Its first location was the upstairs room of a 24-hour restaurant on W. Gray called The West Gray Cafe. It was a nice comfortable venue. Players and audience began to attend regularly. MZ even set up a couple weekend shows featuring some the best in Houston talent. It was looking like another quality acoustic venue was developing in the area. However, the venue changed ownership soon thereafter. A deal could not be struck to continue use of the space, so the event needed to find a new home.
MZ began his 5 yr.+ relationship with Cosmos Cafe when he moved The Bayou City Showcase there in May of '02. He knew of the "Cosmos" from his attendance at Swing Kings shows on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Wayne Wilkerson, Ken Gaines' (among others) guitarist sideman, was a member, along with legendary Peddle Steel man, Herb Remington and a fun cast of great swing and country musicians. (Wayne has since become a Thunderbolt and regular sideman on a quantity of Zeus acoustic gigs). Realizing that Cosmos did not have a regular event on Tuesdays, Mark approached ownership and made the move. Again, soon thereafter in Sept '02, the venue hosting the BCS changed ownership. This time the new owner, Peter Pallas, agreed to continue Tuesday nights as is. It lasted for 5 more years at Cosmos, until Peter decided to sell the business. During that stretch, Mark was a staple performer at the club, as well as a sound consultant (MZ assembled and installed the house PA there) and hosted many other events besides the BCS. This time Cosmos was to be no more as it closed it's doors on Nov 30, '07, giving way to a newly-remodeled Yuppie Sports Bar.
The closing of Cosmos Cafe came in the midst of a very trying period for Zeus. For a very long time he suffered from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease. Due to many years of sports, jogging, roadie work and more, the cartilage in his hips wore out and basically began to lock up. Mark's hips needed to be replaced. He underwent 2 surgeries on Oct 9 and 30 of '07. The second resulted in complications yielding a much longer rehab period than expected. As a result of his pending lay-off, the Houston music community and his friends organized 2 separate benefit concerts. Both featured stellar lineups and were well attended and enjoyed. The one at Cosmos Cafe was initially organized by a long-time Houston area songwriting colleague and friend, Willie Atkinson. The second at JP Hops House, where Zeus has continued to be a regular performer since his move to Houston, was a brainchild of his good friend, Beverly Shirkey. In addition to providing much needed help to MZ, these events brought the Houston music scene, and it's fans, together like few had before.
Thunderboltz had to be put on hold as a result of the lay-off. Although Mark had been able to return to "sit-down" acoustic shows, the energy and mobility it takes to execute band gigs had not yet been recovered.
After Cosmos closed, Zeus began checking out venues in order to find a suitable new home for The Bayou City Showcase. In the interim, a friend of Clay Farmer's opened up a little club near the Galleria area on the near West side of Houston. The owner, a big fan of Texas music, wanted to start up an open mike and Clay sent him Zeus' way. They agreed to begin The Richmond Chill Open Mike, held every Wed. night. Soon thereafter, Mark came upon a well-established and comfortable venue in the Heights, not far from the old Cosmos, which seemed to be the place to establish a new home for The BCS. The Bayou City Showcase, still every Tues, moved to 6th St. Bar and Grill at Studewood and White Oak in Houston. So, in Jan of '08, MZ began hosting events in two new venues.
Much of the promotion, marketing and stuff for One Magic Moment had, of course, also been put on hold. Although, the few stations who have it have played it often; and the few critics who have mentioned it, liked it.
Originally, A2Z had planned for a reunion in Nov. of '07. The surgeries, of course, put that temporarily on hold. However, on Apr 26 of '08, Mark was able to return to the Chicago area and reunite with his old cohorts. Bobby Apollo (original TumbleWeed and A2Z) also was able to join in the festivities. Bob had a long bout with liver disease resulting in a liver replacement. Finally ,after various complications and close calls, he has been well on the road to recovery. His presence made the night that much more special.
Also in Apr. '08, The Bayou City Showcase again moved to a new location, The Luling Lounge. It quickly became the ultimate gathering place for songwriters and performers that the Cosmos had once been. However, it was a fledgling business and couldn't endure the mounting initial costs and debt that all new businesses must incur. Luling BBQ, along with the Luling Lounge, closed abruptly in July '08. As of this writing, The BCS is again searching for a home.
The Spring of '08 also saw Zeus receive another significant songwriting award. The Texas Music Academy in conjunction with the online public, voted "Cried Enough" Song of the Year. MZ accepted the Texas Music Award at the annual awards ceremony held in Palestine TX. Mark's good buddy, Big John Mills, joined him onstage to perform the song for a packed house at the Palestine Civic Center. The Academy continues to be an important vehicle for the promotion and recognition of Texas music artists.
In November of '09, in his continuing attempt to promote new events and venues, found out about and attended a new open mike at small dive bar near his home, RJ's. After playing a short set, one of the audience members approached him about starting up a Monday night open mike/showcase at Lynn's Longbranch Saloon. That audience member happened to be the relatively new owner of the the long-standing establishment at Pinemont and Antoine on Houston's Northwest side. MZ began hosting the Monday night event, as well as performing there on occasional weekend nights with Thunderboltz. It was quickly becoming his new "home" venue.
As 2010 began, tough times befell MZ and several of his friends, although Springfest, a Celebration of Houston Music, held in the back yard of Lynn's Longbranch, was a huge success. However, the open mike there folded. A2Z did reunite again in July. This time with Bob once again at full strength. In general Mark has needed to move in a new direction. The trip to Chicago for the reunion presented Mark an opportunity to re-center and rediscover his roots. Musically, he still performs regularly in and around Houston, although, due to some personal issues, his presence on the scene has been curtailed. That year marked a definite crossroads for MZ, both on a personal and professional level.
Annie Benjamin is a Dallas born and bred singer/songwriter/flutist. She and Mark met in '00 at the Kerville Folk Fest. They quickly became krindred spirits and connected on several musical planes. Over the years they have performed together in various situations and venues, both in the Houston and DFW areas. In '09, they began recording tracks toward a collaborative album. Most notably, a recording of Annie's classic, "Glory", was recorded as a duet and has been recently offered as a free download on the homepage of this site. They again have begun performing regularly as a duet having recently completed a tour of the Gulf Coast and Florida in Jan. '11. Annie and Mark were the first to appear at MZ's Bare Bones Yard Concert Series in Sept. of '10. In the Spring of '11 they headlined several shows in Dallas and Houston, were showcased at Houston's songwriter's "Mecca", Anderson Fair, and opened for Teaxs legend, Joe Ely, at the famous Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston. Look for a lot more from them.
Thunderboltz added a new member over the winter of 2010-11. In an effort to improve the vocal harmonies of the band, Zeus became aware of a seasoned vocalist who fit the sound and direction of the band. Upon checking her out at a low-keyed gig in Katy, he asked her if she was interested in joining on. Kristi Heaton soon officially became a member of Thunderboltz, adding a strong lead and harmony vocal to the band.
Throughout the years, Mark has taught music- one on one, all levels. Since his surgeries, he has more fully embraced a much larger student base. He no longer teaches at Humble Music Center, nor any other public studio, music store or school. In order to set up lessons, he can be reached directly by emailing this website, and/or go to the lessons page on this site for more info.
2011 promises to bring new beginnings for Zeus- both musically and personally. Plans are to finally begin work on a new album and break out into new markets and venues. Look for more presence on I-Tunes, You Tube and the internet in general. Two more Bare Bones Yard Concerts are scheduled in the Fall, as well as another trip to Illinois and, hopefully, the Gulf Coast. For up-to-date info you can always check in back here at www.markzeus.com
If you are one of those who read through this entire bio, you get an "A+" in Zeusology.....
MORE TO COME.........
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