Press & Reviews

When you first listen to Mark Brown, you might find yourself wondering where he’s been and why it took him so long to get here. Combining a sharp eye with a sly sense of humor reminiscent of John Prine, Mark makes songs that hail from everywhere, incorporating ballads, cowboy songs, jigs, sideshow melodies, and field hollers. His songs give voice to craftsmen, broken-hearted mechanics, heavy equipment operators, squatters and girls with their dirt bikes. Like many of his characters, Mark’s been around: after growing up in Maryland, he’s done some farming, worked as a mechanic, spent years as a commercial fisherman in the northern Pacific and worked as a carpenter in the northeastern US. These experiences have influenced his music the way an oak cask influences good whiskey. In his latest album ‘Happy Hour’, Mark's distinctive voice is accompanied by his band of longtime friends: Ken McGloin joining in on guitar, Mark Murphy on bass, Dean Sharp on drums and the versatile talents of Dean Jones.