Electronic Press Kit

Northern Canadian songwriter has a cool knack for connecting people & place

Contemporary Folk/Roots/Singer-Songwriter • FEATURED BAND INSTRUMENTS: Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Bass, Accordion, Violin, Percussion

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A Mark Perry concert is like a Canadian roadtrip…

Mark Perry takes us into rural Canada, the spirit of it’s people, the power of it’s landscapes. He is one of Northern Canada’s real storytellers, known for his relatable songwriting, and welcoming humour.

He connects us with the power of BC’s mountains and rivers, a young boy chasing a hockey dream, and a northern Dad who buys a project car for “two cords of wood and 24 beer”. He shares the excitement of Spring and the solitude of a remote, backroad drive. We meet people in Canada’s small towns who unite to survive when mother nature or failing resource industries threaten their demise. He draws us in to reflect and to laugh at ourselves, connecting us from coast to coast.

New Jersey has Springsteen, New York has Billy Joel, northern BC has Mark Perry. These are the storytellers of their times and places,” salutes music reviewer Frank Peebles in the Prince George Citizen.

While multiple generations in Northern BC have Perry’s music deeply engrained in their DNA, international audiences are now discovering him. Recent performances at Folk Alliance International in Montreal and New Orleans caused a surge of interest and airplay across Canada, the US, the UK and New Zealand.

In 2020 Mark was a featured performer at the FAI convention in New Orleans and was voted one of the top songwriters at the event. Now that the pandemic is loosening its lock hold, Perry is releasing his 14th album in 2024 and touring once again.

He’s been writing, recording and performing since the 1990s when he made his first album with Roy Forbes and toured with the legendary Connie Kaldor as her opening show. These days he draws an “encore-demanding” crowd at festivals and theatres and tours with a variety of talented accompanists including Mark Thibeault (Hungry Hill), Tobin Frank (Spirit of the West), Ian Olmstead (Alex Cuba) and Mip (Mip Power Trio). With over 200 songs recorded, he has a large repertoire of thought provoking and spirit lifting songs.

As a kid growing up in a small northern BC logging and railway town in the 70s, Mark Perry got his start when he tuned in to the scratchy, barely audible, late night AM radio waves from Vancouver and heard CCR, the Rolling Stones, Eric Burdon and Gordon Lightfoot. He traded an old lawnmower for what he calls an “electric(ish) guitar” and into the neighbour’s basement he went, guitar in hand, determined to play what he heard.

He earned his calluses playing consecutive 6-nighters with his road band, and started writing and crafting his own popular songs. In between raising a family and working for the Canadian railroad, he’s produced 13 albums and performs to a growing and loyal fan base.

These days Perry creates music in his home studio. He works on a small horse farm with his wife, Jane, in a beautiful mountain valley, outside of Smithers BC. He performs as a solo, a trio and with a 5 piece band.

Perry says “To me, songwriting parallels life. In the early stages you emulate your peers and then, you become who you are. To connect with people through a song, is an incredible human experience.”

Touring

Mark Perry performs 15-20 concerts/year & more with each album release. He tailors his program to the venue (seated vs. danceable spaces) & audience demographics, geography & topics of interest – from Revelstoke to Toronto. He performs as a trio or full band in soft-seat theatres of all sizes, festivals & community halls.

“Mark Perry had our audience captivated through the entire show. His heart shines through in his voice and his songs. Mark Perry`s performance is a ‘must-see’ and a ‘must-see again’.” ~ Bruce Champion, Terrace Concert Society

“Offers a real slice of life, sans saccharin. I recommend it.” ~ Rogue Folk Reviews, Vancouver, BC

“This singer/songwriter from Smithers is one of our finest, a guy whose songs are full of the telling little joys, frustrations and messy minutiae of real life. In a world of so much artifice, he’s one of the real things.” ~ J.P.M., The Province, Vancouver, BC

Discography

Mark Perry produced his 1^st album in the 1990s with his west coast hero Roy Forbes (Bim) and recorded the next 10 with acclaimed producers Steve Dawson, Hugh McMillan, Bob Hamilton, Joby Baker & Jordy Walker. In 2019, Perry released a collection album, “Recollections”, re-recorded his single “Queen of the North” and released a new single “Cold Road” which premiered nationally on Roots Music Canada. In 2020 he released a single and accompanying home video, ‘Flatten out the Curve’, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic which went slightly viral on Facebook with over 30,000 views and 1,000 shares in its first few days.

Leading up to his 14th album release, Glimpses, Perry released two singles in 2024 – ‘Day Makes‘, and ‘Big Elevator (Nanton)‘

2024 Glimpses (Album/Jordy Walker)
2021 Northwest (Album/Jordy Walker)
2020 Flatten out the Curve (Single/Jordy Walker)
2019 Cold Road (Single/Jordy Walker)
2019 Recollections (Album/collection)
2018 Right Here (Album/Jordy Walker)
2016 Northern Waters (Album/Steve Dawson)
2013 People & Places (Album/Jordy Walker)
2011 West (Album/Joby Baker )
2008 RR7 (Album/Jordy Walker)
2005 In Every Town (Album/Bob Hamilton)
2002 Aldermere (Album/Mike Lent)
1999 View From The HighRoad (Album/R. Jenne/M. Perry)
1996 Vera’s Café (Album/Hugh Macmillan)
1993 Still Around (Album/Roy Forbes)
1990 Dreams of the Highway (Album/Roy Forbes)

Quotes & Reviews

Quotes

“Mark Perry had our audience captivated through the entire show. His heart shines through in his voice and his songs. Mark Perry`s performance is a ‘must-see’ and a ‘must-see again’.”

~ Bruce Champion, Terrace Concert Society

“Offers a real slice of life, sans saccharin. I recommend it.”

~ Rogue Folk Reviews, Vancouver, BC

“Mark Perry and his Trio wrapped up our 2022/2023 season in fine style. Great rapport with the audience and wonderful music and stories. Love to have him back and I would certainly recommend him to other presenters.”

~ Colleen Brines, Quesnel Live Arts

“This singer/songwriter from Smithers is one of our finest, a guy whose songs are full of the telling little joys, frustrations and messy minutiae of real life. In a world of so much artifice, he’s one of the real things.”

~ J.P.M., The Province, Vancouver, BC

“Geography may have shaped Perry’s character, but it hasn’t compromised his music’s universal appeal.”

~ The Georgia Straight, Vancouver, BC

“His song-writing, musical expression and stage presence emanates the very best, most magical qualities of life in a northern town. Perry’s music invites me in to sit by his fire and feel like a cherished neighbour for a while.”

~ Carolina DeRyk, Host, CBC Radio

“Mark is a northern phenomenon. His stories are universal and captivating, delivered with a down-home sense of humour that makes you feel like you’re swapping tales with your favourite cousin. As a bonus, Mark’s music is irresistibly danceable and he is surrounded by some of Canada’s finest musicians. A survey taken at the 2023 Midsummer Festival in Smithers showed that Mark was an audience favourite.”

~ Marian Rose, Midsummer Music Festival Performers Committee

“Mark Perry is to the Northwest what Gord Downie was to Canada – he captures our hearts by telling our stories in a way no one else does. His humility and humour join with an artist’s heart as he writes about the way we see ourselves.”

~ Nathan Cullen, MLA Stikine

“Mark writes the kinds of songs other writers wish they had written.”

~Shari Ulrich, musician & songwriter

Press

Bruce Swan WPKN / WRFR Review

June 2021 “Fish Boats” Single Release Review

“Another brilliant example of Mark Perry’s ability to weave a great story that has humor, social commentary, commercial observations and the perils of the failure to find balance. It’s the little added observations in Perry’s songs that make his contributions so important and significant. Have to hope that this song will find it’s way to a new record. SOON!”

Bruce Swan, Programmer & Producer
Music My Mother Would Not Like WPKN 89.5 fm Bridgeport, CT
Blue Highways Radio WRFR 93.3 fm Rockland, ME
Music My Mother Would Not Like Asheville FM 103.3 Asheville, NC
Late Night Groove WRFR 93.3 fm Rockland, ME

Roots Music Canada "Fish Boats" Review

June 24, 2021 FISH BOATS Single Release Review

“…showcasing his mature songcraft, his pleasing, jaunty baritone, and his ability to deliver a maritime-tinged song like this with all the character it demands. In the past few years, Mark has started touring and marketing himself farther afield from the northwest coast he calls home. Let’s hope the end of the pandemic – oh please let this be the end – will spell an opportunity for more of us to see him live.”

Roots Music Canada

Steve Ramm Amazon Review

Mark Perry was one of my “1”s and – LIVE – he lived up to my expectations – and exceeded them. I was able to get a copy of this CD (Recollections) and have listened to it at least a few times since I returned home. I like it – A LOT.

Read article…

Interior News

“At times, he was like a stand-up comedian and there were times he was more like a historian helping us remember some forgotten part of life in the area. …It was an entirely entertaining evening that was over too soon.”

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Prince George Citizen

“New Jersey has Springsteen, New York has Billy Joel, northern B.C. has Mark Perry. These are the storytellers of their times and places.”

Read article…

Blast! Toronto

“Toronto was really lucky to have received the rare appearance of British Columbia’s Mark Perry. He played a very intimate show at the Tranzac…Mark’s storytelling was truly heartfelt, honest and filled with humour and humility.”

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Roots Music Canada: Top 10 Reads of 2019

“A veteran artist from northern BC, Mark got attention from well beyond the Smithers area with this song inspired by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.”

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CBC

“‘I’d love to one day be as famous as he is in Smithers,’ says Juno-winning Alex Cuba of hometown music hero.

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Photos

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Driftwood Schoolhouse

The local one-room schoolhouse in Smithers where Mark hosts his annual “Songwriter’s Night” concert with other local songwriters. photo: Marty Clemens