Marc Von Em

As a child, Marc Von Em spent a good portion of his time living in England. It was there that Marc was introduced to London's exploding music scene. At the tender age of 5, after seeing a British TV show "Top of the Pops", Marc was hooked on Rock & Roll. After moving back to New York and wearing out his father's ukulele, Marc's parents rented him a guitar, and he learned to squeeze what music he could out of a Sears six string. Finally, after proving his dedication by years of practicing, they bought him a Martin guitar of his own. By his early teens, Marc became strongly influenced by his older brothers record collection. CSNY, Bob Marley and Janis Joplin were just some of the artists that inspired him. This, coupled with his father's passion for the blues, quickly motivated Marc to begin writing songs of his own. In fact, you will still find one of his first songs, Sunshine Kid, on his set list today. Throughout High School, College, and beyond, Marc continued to write music, and perform in many original projects.
In 1999, Marc produced & released his first solo recording entitled Von Em. Driven by his acoustic guitar playing & soulful voice, this album was well received by critics & fans alike, and created quite a buzz on the local music scene. Living in New York's Hudson Valley, Marc was in perfect proximity to many great venues. The Bottom Line and The Living Room in New York City took a special liking to Marc, and he played both venues regularly. Marc continued to deliver his brand of groove oriented folk from Massachusetts to Philadelphia, appearing at well known venues such as the Iron Horse Music Hall, Club Passim, Cafe Lena, The Tin Angel and The Acoustic Cafe. Touring these clubs, as well as other small bars and coffee houses, Marc has independently sold over 8,000 copies of his debut CD. One of these CD's ended up in the hands of New York City jingle house McHale Barone, and Marc was soon singing and co-producing "This Bud's for you" on Budweiser's 2000-2002 TV and radio ad campaign.
Marc Von Em released his second studio recording entitled Free in 2002. Mixed by Crit Harmon, (Martin Sexton, Catie Curtis, Mary Gauthier) this album captures Marc's strong, sincere voice, which complements his lyrically rich and expressive song writing. His unique finger picking and guitar style round out this album beautifully. To date, Free has sold more than 6,000 copies. In early 2005, Marc's career took an unexpected turn when he was asked to be part of the Rob Thomas Band (Matchbox Twenty). Marc began circling the globe with Rob as a backing vocalist and guitarist, playing theaters and stadiums throughout Europe, Australia and the United States. With Rob Thomas, Marc has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Today Show. Marc also appeared on the 2005 "Fashion Rocks" at Radio City Music Hall, and was honored to perform for over a million people at Live 8 in Philadelphia. His live energy and song writing won him opening slots for several Rob Thomas shows, playing to packed houses. "I asked Marc Von Em to open up for me at a 10,000 seat gig. Just him and his guitar. He killed it!" remarked Rob Thomas.
Since the end of the RT tour in 2006, Marc has continued his solo career. With a collection of songs that he wrote on the road and some time tested classics, Marc Von Em immediately resumed playing theaters and clubs from New York to Seattle, sharing bills with artists such as Martin Sexton and Lucy Kaplansky. Theaters like The Egg Center for the Performing Arts in Albany and The Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill NY where some of the venues that took a liking to Marc's talents. Other venues like Valentines in Albany and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia also became part of Marc's roster list. The Rockwood Music Hall in NYC became a regular stop for Marc's solo show, and is where he recorded his first live CD "Marc Von Em Live from Rockwood Music Hall". Released in late 2006, this recording, without question, captures the essence of Marcs live show. Soulful, funky, sometimes bluesy sometimes haunting, always sincere. As one reviewer writes "... I can genuinely say if you haven't heard or seen him live, you're only cheating yourself."
As Marc Von Em reviews his i-calendar, prepares for more touring, his next studio release and a well deserved 10 day vacation, he observes "I like where I am and I like where I'm going". ..
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