Bio

Some things are just meant to be. Birds are born to fly, politicians were born to lie, big fat guys with giant beards were born to ride their machines without getting hassled by the man, and Carolyn Mark was born to make music.

Carolyn formed her first band in the early 90’s, all-girl surfy twang popsters, The Vinaigrettes. After The Vinaigrettes, Carolyn played brief stints with The Metronome Cowboys, The Fixin’s, Hat Head, The Show Business Giants, Monster Tweety, Klugman and played as The Corn Sisters with label mate Neko Case before making Mint Records her label home and releasing Party Girl in 2000.

Since Party Girl, Carolyn has recorded with Tolan McNeil, Garth Johnson, Ford Pier, Nathan Tinkham, Corb Lund, NQ Arbuckle, Luke Doucet, Amy Honey, Greg MacDonald, Neko Case, and Carey Mercer releasing Terrible Hostess (2003), Nothing Is Free (2007), Let’s Just Stay Here (2009) with N.Q. Arbuckle, The Sound of The Tone – Echoes From The Last Resort (2009) with Tolan McNeil and her most recent release The Queen of Vancouver Island (2012).

From upbeat country ballads of being the other woman, drinking, lounging and scrounging in Party Girl and Terrible Hostess to the woodsy, introspective Nothing Is Free, to the pastoral songs of travel across Canada in Let’s Just Stay Here, to the songs of love in hindsight and (of course) partying in The Sound of the Tone – Echoes From The Last Resort, The Queen of Vancouver Island is Carolyn’s most humorous and mature releases to date.

After all of the toe tapping, darker themes can be heard on The Queen of Vancouver Island.  In “Nobody’s Perfect,” “Nobody” makes the ideal partner and in “Not Like The Movies,” expectations greet doubt again and again. These are placed between numbers such as “Baby Goats” (entirely as sweet as it sounds) and “You’re Not A Whore (If No One’s Paying)” (exactly as clever as it sounds).  Never missing an opportunity for a party, even the songs that deal with loneliness are delivered through upbeat country and swing tunes that turn the more serious themes into stories that aren’t sad at all- they become songs to grab a partner and dance to.

Carolyn Mark has toured endlessly, entertaining intimate hootenany’s of 4 to crowds of 4,000 across Canada, the United States, the UK, Norway, and Italy, sharing the stage with the likes of Jenny Whitely, Hank & Lily, Luther Wright, Sarah Harmer, Kelly Hogan, Lederhosen Lucil, Geoff Berner, Joel Plaskett, The Handsome Family, Neil Hamburger, JT and The Clouds, The Shiftless Rounders, NQ Arbuckle, Wanda Jackson, The Waco Brothers, The Sadies and Blue Rodeo.

Whether Carolyn Mark is touring solo with her black guitar or with any size of band equipped with accordions, mouth trumpet and occasional gargling , Carolyn Mark is an entertainer through & through.