Mark's bio

The Outliers

Mark Daniels

Hometown: Hammond, WI (that’s right a cheese head through and through)
Favorite Foods: Salmon at Ray’s in Seattle, oh yeah and homemade spumoni ice cream
Favorite Movies: Lord of the Rings, The Fisher King, Logan’s Run, Harold and Maude, Shawshank Redemption
Songs I wish I could convince the other Outliers we should cover: MORE IGGY POP!
Favorite Musical Moment: Playing in this club in central Minnesota, crammed onto a stage that was too small to hold all of our equipment and playing in the “Zone” for the whole show (I actually had goose bumps the whole night). We were doing this song where during the verse I only played the bass drum. For some reason the bass player came over to stand by me I started playing his guitar with my drumsticks sticks, it was just too cool.
Famous celebrity I'd like to invite to dinner: Albert Einstein
If I wasn't an Outlier, I'd like to be playing with: The Minnesota Twins. Oh you mean a band...Faith No More, Bela Fleck, some random jazz combo...

I was born when I was real young. I grew up with music in my house. We had this double keyboard Thomas pedal organ that, I think we got from my Grandma Rose. Mom and Dad had these old records we used to listen all the time like Tennessee Ernie Ford, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and some old gospel singers, anyway I would sit at the organ and play along. I remember always singing, no matter where I was I would either be whistling or singing. I was a soloist in the school choir, back in those days I had one heck of a good voice, that is until it changed, damned puberty! Most of my life I have wanted to play drums. In my grade school they took you aside in the 4th grade, after we learned the recorder and asked the kids that showed some promise (at least that is my version of the story) if they wanted to be in band. I told them I wanted to play drums, Dad said no I had to learn the sax instead. I didn’t like it much at the time but I have developed a much deeper appreciation of melody and music theory as a result. Back when I was in junior high or so, I had this little portable AM radio and at night, when the “skip” was up, you could hear stations from all over the country. There was this station from Little Rock Arkansas and they had this radio show....Beaker Street (I think) ...late at night that played this music that literally blew me away, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, MC5, David Bowie, the Kinks, Cat Stevens, if it was cutting edge and cool it was on Beaker St. I will never forget the day, after hearing them the night before on Beaker St, I went out and bought Led Zeppelin II. I sat in amazement after listening to side 2, Heartbreaker, Livin’ Lovin’ Maid, Ramble On, Moby Dick and Bring it on Home, I knew I wanted to be a rock and roll drummer. I would practice and play my sax but I always took the time to play on the tympanis or chimes or whatever other percussion instruments I could get my hands on. I kidded myself for a while. I played guitar for a band or two, sang for a band or two, was in a student movie about music, worked at a radio station..... but nothing has ever felt as much like home as sitting behind my kit grooving on some rhythm while bangin’ out a tune. I have been in more bands than I can remember. Some more famous than others, some more talented than others. Now with the Outliers, I am just getting back into playing after spending some time away and it is great. Don’t get me wrong, I love my day job, performing cutting edge research in immunology and all, but there is nothing like walking up on stage with a group of musicians that you love and respect and cranking out a bit of rock and roll.

peace,
mark

E-mail: outliers@theoutliers.net

Outlier n. Extreme deviation from the mean