Born Mark Charles Perry in Detroit Michigan on August 15 1967
Started interest in performing musically while
joining with my brothers in moon boots, sweats, make-up, and air guitars
on top of our air hockey table. Guess who we were pretending to be? You
guessed it – The hottest band in the land – KISS!
Entered gong show in 6th grade with my buddies……Again with
the moon boots, sweats, make up and this time real guitars as………you
guessed it......KISS again! We
got GONGED! Started a band in grade school….but none of us knew how to
play instruments. I was going to be the rhythm guitarist I think. I
forget the name we had.
As you
can see I always had the desire to BE a rocker, but never took the time
to BECOME one. Until high school senior year when one of my buddies
showed me a little bit about playing guitar. Then another buddy, who
always heard me singing to the radio asked me to be in his band. So I
started out a singer, but with no instrument in hand. I didn't get good
enough on guitar until well into my college years.
In
college, I had several different bands/musicians that I tried getting
something going with, but eventually settled into a pretty successful
classic rock band; WHEELS. We enjoyed typical college band success at
frat parties, school functions, and the local bar that would let us open up for the major
acts that came in. We were the opening act for Foghat, Marshal Tucker
Band, and BTO! After college....SOLD EVERYTHING...that chapter in my
life was over. Marriage and six kids later my beautiful wife Anne talked
me into taking up rockin' again, because she knew I would recover the
passion again as my life was maybe a bit stale at that point. Here we
are rockin' as NEW FOSSILS!
I sing
into a SHURE SM-58. That particular model microphone has been around for
YEARS but is still the all around best for live performing. I own a few
guitars. I still have my Ibanez from the Wheels days, but keep that in
my bedroom for practicing late at night without an amp. In 'New Fossils'
I play my recently acquired Fender Stratocaster and my also recently
acquired Ibanez Roadstar II. Both guitars are SSH set up. There are a
few songs that I play my Sigma, (made by Martin), 12 string acoustic
guitar. I have two guitar amps, a Fender Princeton Chorus 2-10 and a
Marshall head with Marshall 4-12 cabinet. But, quite honestly, I don't
even need them since acquiring a digital modeling guitar processor. It
is a digital effects unit and virtual amplifier all in one, plugs right
into the mixer.
That
ought to do it. See you out on the front lines rockin'......
