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| "An inventive, melodic guitarist with a warm and expressive singing voice" Rock'n'Reel |
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| Born in Glasgow, Mark Mulholland has been travelling and playing music around Europe and North America for more than two decades, both solo and with bands such as Two Dollar Bash, Impure Thoughts, the Oul' Bogwarriors, the Purple Rizla Experience and Black Affronted. |  |
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A versatile musician and songwriter, Mark Mulholland's extensive repertoire spans a wide range of styles and influences, including Celtic folk, country, reggae, blues, jazz and rock. His assured and inventive guitar playing encompasses delicate fingerpicking, fine slide playing and a powerful sense of rhythm, combined with a subtle and distinctive voice which is instantly recognisable. Mark has developed a unique and individual style which is unmistakably his own. His finely crafted songs include haunting and emotive works, perceptive reflections on the experiences of life, exuberant celebrations of travel, love, friendship and drink, and entertaining parodies of different musical styles, all delivered with a confidence that commands the attention of audiences everywhere. Born in Glasgow in 1968, Mark has been travelling and making his living from playing music for almost 20 years. He started playing in bands while at university in Edinburgh, then spent a year studying philosophy in France before leaving his studies to concentrate solely on music. For a couple of years he toured Europe with the band The Purple Rizla Experience, then settled in Prague in 1992, becoming a key figure in The Oul’ Bogwarriors, a loose configuration boasting many great musicians and songwriters within its ranks. For several years he split his time largely between Prague and Ireland, where he also had a band and a solo career. In 1995, Mark
formed the band Impure Thoughts with a couple of other Prague
musicians, spending a year in Ireland writing songs and playing
around the country. In 1996 they set off on an open-ended tour
taking in 10 European countries. On reaching Berlin, the van
died, leaving the band stranded there. Mark and another member
decided to stay, and the band recorded two albums, "Life
and How to Ignore it", and "Lights Ahead". Mark
now plays in the acoustic folk/country/blues band Two Dollar
Bash, who have released three albums, "Two Dollar Bash",
"On the Road", and "Lost River". The band
tours extensively around Europe and North America, and was invited
for the third successive year to the prestigious SXSW festival
in Austin, Texas in March 2009, as well as to the Folk Alliance
Annual Conference in Memphis in February. Mark also plays regular
solo concerts which have built up a dedicated following both
in Berlin and around Europe, and is also in demand as a session
musician, having made recordings over the years with Nikki Sudden,
Captain Sensible, Phil Shoenfelt and many other artists. For
many years he hosted a weekly session which was one of the main
meeting points for musicians in Berlin, and together with a
friend he opened an international second-hand bookshop, East
of Eden, in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, which is
a venue for many concerts and readings and a favourite haunt
of musicians, writers and artists. Mark is also a partner in
the Berlin record label Cannery Row Records, |
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© 2009 Mark Mulholland