Mark’s bio

If Mt. Olive were a circus, Mark would be the ringmaster. As the lead singer of the band, Mark's main objective is to turn each show into an unforgettable party. And he does a great job of it too! Nevermind the fact that he's a great singer... for Mark, entertaining is job one.

And he's had plenty of practice at it. Mark has been the lead singer of a number of bands going all the way back to his high school days. Some of those bands include The Itch, Unchained, Street Teaser, Decameron, andAlliance. It was in these bands that Mark began to develop his voice and his ability to work a crowd. After a few years away from the music scene, Mark found his way to Mt. Olive, and has been entertaining crowds ever since. Over the years, Mark has helped to attract some very loyal fans to Mt. Olive shows, and says that his favorite thing about being in the band is "the friends I've made with the people who come out to see us week after week."

So what is it about Mark that keeps fans coming back for more? Well, always the showman, he makes the most of all his talents to spice things up whenever he can. Be that juggling peaches, spinning plates, or sharing the microphone with his pal the frog puppet, Mark always comes up with something interesting. Anyone remember the disappearing act, complete with pyrotechnics? He finally had to stop doing it because the "magic" cloth kept getting holes in it from Jim dropping it right on the flash pods. Doah!

When Mark's not on stage you might find him walking his dog, Levi, or hanging out at the bookstore. You may even find him kicking back with a beer at Rookies or fishing for walleye on some lake up north. Heck, you might even find him tap dancing for money downtown or feeding gumballs to the monkeys at the zoo. The fact is, we can't find him, and if you have any information as to his whereabouts, please call us immediately! Actually, he’s probably at home painting miniatures or dioramas for his game or writing new space combat rules for use on his 8 foot gaming table in his basement.

That’s right, Mark is a gaming geek. And not the kind you play on your computer or T.V. He has been playing Dungeons and Dragons since its creation and has even written and published his own role-playing game, Strange Frontiers, which he released to stores worldwide in 1999. Check out his game at www.strangefrontiers.com. Mark is also the Director of Sales and marketing for the new Staybridge Suites Hotel in Franklin Wisconsin opening in December of 2008. Learn more about it at www.stayfranklin.com

With all that, Mark still finds time to write. He is currently writing a science fiction novel and has finished a children’s story titled “Mr. Ribbitt joins the band”


Mark and his beautiful wife, Christa, have no kids yet (unless you count their three dogs), but do a lot with their free time. Mostly knitting, building space ships and pretending they’re retired folks. Still, you might see them out dancing, drinking or whooping it up at a festival or local bar. Ask them what their favorite thing to do together is and they’ll tell you it’s going to Mexico once a year with Doc and his wife Sonya.

Mark’s other hobbies are biking, snorkeling, camping, going to the Renaissance Faire, LARPing, gardening, watching football, walking his dogs and cooking. His recipe for happiness…”Have fun, be creative and take advantage of the life God gave you.”