Mark started playing the violin at the age of 12 in his middle school orchestra program. Once starting, Mark knew right away that he wanted to further his knowledge of the violin, so he began private lessons with Shanah Johnson. After studying with Shanah and a few other teachers, he met Kathy McCann- Gardner. Kathy, Paducah Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster, changed Marks technique, style and touch to a smoother, richer tone. He still attributes the qualities to his classical trainings that she provided. Mark later went on to Mark OConnors Fiddle Camp where he learned jazz, bluegrass, and country styles in one-on-one and group lessons with such names as Darol Anger, Matt Glaser, Randy Elmore, and Richard Greene.
At the age of 15, Mark started playing regularly with different local country bands. Mark has played with such artists as Mark Wills and Andrew Peterson. As well as performing, Mark shares his love of music through teaching people of all ages how to embrace their artistic abilities. Mark is a fan of all styles of music with his emphasis on jazz, contemporary bluegrass, and folk. He often listens to and is influenced by the fiddle stylings of Stuart Duncan, Mark OConnor, Darol Anger, and Aubrey Haynie.
Mark has had the opprotunity to play in many places from homeless shelters and yoga classes to the prestigious Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. He was recently on the 2005 DVD release of "Andrew Peterson: Behold the Lamb of God Live Concert"where he played on stage at the Ryman with Phil Keaggy, Andy Osenga, Matt Slocum, and Derek Webb. Mark has also released three albums with International Thumbpicking Champion, Kyle Reeder. Together they have played many venues as well as playing/writing the soundtrack for a short animation film, "The Potter"created by the brilliant Josh Burton.
Currently Mark is playing in a few different groups. Most of his time is spent with the Southern rock/country band, Scarlet Kings. Scarlet Kings is unique in that they are a "band" in the truest sense. The members include Nashville based songwriters, session players and touring musicians who have worked with a wide variety of artists such as Mark Wills, Boys Like Girls, Arrested Development, Charlotte Sometimes, Hi-Tek to name a few.
PlaidGrass is an acoustic band that plays a mixture of traditional Irish instrumentals with a Bluegrass improvisational blend. Gretchen Priest-May, Tim May, Tom Saffell, and Mark sits in from time to time playing mandolin.
He plays in a jazz swing band, Smokin Strings Quartet. This consists of Tim May (who recorded on Charlie Daniel’s grammy nominated gospel album) playing guitar and mandolin, Brad Leiter on bass, National Junior Flatpicking champion, Dillon Hodges on guitar, and Mark on fiddle.
Here’s some quotes about Mark’s music.
"Some fiddle players have the tone, some creativity, some speed, some play with soul, and some capture your soul with every note they play: Mark Evitts delivers all of the above! And THE most versatile fiddle player on the planet".
--Tim May, guitarist on Grammy nominated Charlie Daniels "Gospel Bluegrass Collection"
"From Kenny Baker to Vassar Clements to Stephane Grappelli, Mark Evitts has all the bases covered!"
--Dan Knowles, National Oldtime Banjo Champion
"Mark’s fiddle playing is lively and energetic. His musical thoughts are creative and you hardly hear him play the same theing twice. No doubt one of my favorites!"
--Kyle Reeder, International Contemporary style Thumbpicking Champion
"I’ve had the chance to play with a lot of great fiddlers and Mark is one of the most unique and talented among them. He has skills beyond his years in improvisation and has a great mind for composition of his own works."
--Dillon Hodges, Jr. National Champion Flat Top Guitarist
"When I was looking for a sound for The Potter, I had something in mind - Celtic Bluegrass. However, when my friend turned me on to Kyle and Mark’s music, I thought that their sound was perfect. They weren’t able to compose anything specific, but they allowed me to use any of the music off of one of their albums and we were able to put together a score that many people thought was scored specifically for the film. I’m a big fan of their music and I hope to work with them again someday. Keep the blue grass flowin’."
--Josh Burton, Animator and Creator of "The Potter"
