Alameda All Stars

1995-2019

In the Summer of 1995 while attending an event in his hometown of Alameda, Ca, Mark was invited on stage to sit in with local hotshots the Alameda All Stars. As a respected band in the Bay Area they had hosted a revolving door of respected players and their reputation was strong as well as notorious. Occasional jams led to Mark filling in on shows and the fill-in gigs quickly morphed into a new, consistent line-up. Together with keyboardist Tommy Thompson, bassist Tom Miller and drummer Preston Thrall the quartet performed frequently around the Bay Area and the vibe was fresh and lively. With their special blend of blues, rock and funk with extended jams, there was a fast developing musical chemistry and while Mark didn't envision this as a long term project, the light hearted, easy going nature of the situation facilitated an exciting new found energy within the band.

For a few years the members had been working with southern bluesman Gregg Allman. and when a guitar slot came available, Mark was invited to audition. In Fall of 1995, he secured the position with Gregg Allman & Friends and on Dec 26th, 1995 performed his debut show with the band.

As Mark was always an original music artist, he'd expressed desire to collaborate on original songs with the All Stars but the same interest and commitment amongst his band mates didn't seem to reveal itself. To capture the talent and chemistry that was happening truly would have resulted in a very special musical outing and world have documented the incredible energy of the band, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

As the All Stars were always involved community based events and causes, they'd often donate their talents and time and were often called upon to be the backup band for various big name artists. Leslie West, Denny Laine (Moody Blues, Wings), David and Linda LaFlamme (It's A Beautiful Day) and Brian Auger to name a few.

In summer of 2019, as some members were departing and returning, Mark's activities with his longtime original band was demanding his full attention and then surprisingly after 24 years, the All Stars asked him to choose between Luvplanet and the All Stars. Wishing them well, Mark moved forward to focus all his energy on his original music and vision created by he and his wife and songwriting partner Nicole Sutton, a path firmly in place to this day!