Mark has been involved with music since the age of 10, beginning with snare drum in the elementary school band in Aurora, Colorado; next, studying drum set and electric bass with Duke Ellington's nephew, William, throughout middle and high school in Hartsdale, NY; then, a variety of instruments while at Indiana University, as well as enrolling in the School of Music’s Audio Tech program. He played on his first recording session with Ellington's jazz ensemble at the age of 16, and was subsequently drawn to sound and the recording studio. By his sophomore year at I.U., Mark was engineering and performing on sessions and recording orchestras and jazz ensembles, at the same time gaining valuable real world experience doing live sound in the bars and clubs of Bloomington. After college Mark moved to Dallas, Texas, where he learned the true meaning of ‘freelance’: he simultaneously interned on a 48-track remote recording truck, engineered sessions at three studios, produced an album for a Dallas band, and played bass in local bands.
Mark moved to New York City in 1987 and began working with dance music legend Arthur Baker at his Shakedown Sound studio as an engineer, mixer, synthesizer programmer, and musician. Working with Baker was an instant immersion into the music industry of the 1980s: it was a trial-by-fire period that kept Mark busy not only in Baker’s domain, but quickly led to work elsewhere. Between 1987 and 1991 Mark worked with such diverse artists as Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, The Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac, Lou Reed, Oingo Boingo, Dream Academy, The Fat Boys, Grayson Hugh, Pete Wylie, Dennis Brown, and the Bee Gees. After working with Prince on the ‘Graffiti Bridge’ album he decided to leave the world of dance music and remixing, but to then incorporate those sensibilities as he made a move into more mainstream record production, a philospohy he still continues to embrace. During the 1990’s Mark worked with such diverse artists as Nina Hagen, New Order, Natalie Imbruglia, Suzanne Vega, Al Green, Big Audio Dynamite, Shawn Colvin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Deee-Lite. In 1991 he began a ten-year association with minimalist composer Philip Glass’ New York City recording complex, The Looking Glass, where he produced, engineered, mixed, or performed on albums by David Bowie, The Cure, Hooverphonic, Alisha’s Attic, Duncan Sheik, Dave Navarro, as well as Glass himself. In 1996 Mark co-produced David Bowie’s ‘Earthling’ album, which marked the beginning of a period where he produced, recorded, mixed, or performed on most of Bowie’s musical output until 2003.
In 1999 Mark switched gears and began a three year stint as Musical Director and guitarist/bassist with Bowie, performing with him in Europe and the U.S. at such shows as the Glastonbury Festival, NetAid, the Montreux Jazz Festival, VH-1 Storytellers, The Concert for New York, and the Area 2 Tour with Moby. He supervised the live execution of two complete Bowie albums - ‘Heathen,’ and the 1976 classic ‘Low.’
In 2005 Mark began a period of working in Paris, producing and mixing a number of iconic platinum artists including Louise Attaque, Les Rita Mitsuko, Emilie Simon, Alain Bashung, KYO, and Charlie Winston. Mark continues to work in New York as well as on the Continent, and is constantly looking for new musical adventures.