Mark Lassiter has been describe by James Taylor, Phil Collins, and Toto’s bass player Leland Sklar as an “edgy…Rod Stewart.” Mark has worked with some of the world’s best musicians on his new album Living Past which is set for release in July 2009. Members of Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers, Collective Soul, and Blind Melon know Mark on a first name basis. More importantly, they know his music well. They have all played on this new alternative pop record. Mark first met Collective Soul drummer Ryan Hoyle in the Summer of 2008. They immediately hit it off and Mark met Ryan at a Collective Soul, Live, and Blue’s Travelers concert where they forged a professional musical collaboration. It was decided that Ryan would play percussion on 9 songs for the album Living Past. And thus, the journey to make fundamentally great music began.
Mark also elicited the help of pop cellist Stevie Blacke who referred him to a keyboardist who just happened to be The Wallflowers founding member and current Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee. Rami was so excited about Mark’s original song, Living Past, he chose it for the backing song in a Grammy Museum video about session players. This was before the first song was even completed! But it didn’t end there…
Rami gave Mark the option of several heavy hitting modern rock bass players. This began the relationship between Mark and Blind Melon bassist Brad Smith. Brad tracked bass and backing vocals on Mark’s original track 10,000 Years which he referred to as a “killer song!”
Critics agree with the rock star’s assessment of Mark’s music. Creative Loafing says it all: “No fancy tricks here. Lassiter’s nicely written pop songs jump out of the boombox toned with guitars, piano touches and a tightly woven rhythm section. The North Carolinian writes acoustically-tinged songs the old-fashioned way – wrapped in melody, stuffed with rhythm and sung with sweet vocals and chorus.” (Shukla) Mark’s cites Phil Collins, Collective Soul, Rod Stewart, The Wallflowers, and Nirvana as some of his big influences. He has been recognized by having his song The Color Blue chosen as the credit track in the film “Baggage” and he has won an award for his song Leave the Darkness at American Idol Underground (now Artist Underground). He remained at the #1 position at the CTG music site in Rock for an entire year. Lassiter has just begun to scratch the surface and he is setting his sites high. Listen for his melodic morsels on a radio, the internet, television, and a theatre near you!
Website: http://www.myspace.com/marklassiterband