Mark
Pendolino

The Full Story

From his earliest memories, Mark Pendolino was always drumming on something. To the chagrin of his parents – and anyone else in the household – all objects were fair game: Pots, pans, tables, books, you name it. And at some point, he found his way to an actual drum and never looked back.

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Mark’s approach to music was never technical. It was passionate. To avoid the chaos of an often-troubled childhood, he sought anything that emoted, delivered a ‘feel’. That was where he attached, felt safe. Music wasn’t a hobby or an outlet. It was an immersion. There was never a drum lesson, or a class, or orchestra. Just endless hours in a dark basement, alone, barefoot, thrashing on his drum kit, content.

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His early drum heroes included Keith Moon, Neil Peart, Dave Weckl, Jeff Porcaro and Simon Phillips. He also gravitated toward singer/songwriters that pushed musical boundaries: Pete Townshend, Thom Yorke, and most notably, Jeff Buckley. All major influences that shaped his style.

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Moving around a lot as a young man, Mark played many styles of music in many different environments. From raucous rock bands in 1980’s Denver (Chilliwhip, Mad Hatter), to progressive jazz in Germany, to pop in San Francisco (The Heathrows), to Punk Rock (Area 51) - and even Country - in Las Vegas, he never stopped performing.

Ending up in Seattle, after playing with numerous original bands, he eventually found his way into Point of Sail, a Yacht Rock tribute band. But he never lost his desire to write original music.

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Unearthing older material has proven the spark needed to find that creative outlet once again. As he might often say, “the journey never ends.”