Markkordion

Mark's slightly older cousin was one of the last children of the 1960's to be forced to take accordion lessons as a young child. Mark, however, didn't take up the accordion until the late 1980's while attending graduate school. 

A friend purchased a small, old student model accordion at a garage sale. Mark borrowed the accordion to play with his basement band. (The band wasn't good enough for the garage.) After figuring out a bit of Beer Barrel Polka and playing the garage band classic Wipe Out, Mark returned the accordion to his friend. The friend said "Keep it, I'll never learn how to play it."

For the 25 or so years, the little accordion spent most of its time in the closet. Mark would take it out every year after Thanksgiving to relearn the same 6 holiday songs for the company party. The accordion also came out for an occasional party or campfire.

After moving from a log house in the woods at the edge of the suburbs to a maintenance free townhouse near the heart of the Twin Cities, Mark had time to improve and expand his accordion skills and repertoire.

Mark performs solo, with a violinist, and with the jazz trio Swing 6625. While he primarily performs in the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area, he often performs in other parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. He also sits in with various folk, Americana, and jazz groups in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Texas.