InVettagating Mark McCRite @ Vettaville.nl

Vettaville.nl

InVettagating: Mark McCrite - October 2004 page 1

Hi, I did an interview with Mark McCrite, a professional Singer / Songwiter and working for Line 6 as the Product Line Manager for POD & Guitarport. I'll be touching the highlights of his professional career. What does he do for a living, how 's a day at work and who's he working with. During the InVettagation I also had a chance to meet some other great people like Erik Norlander, Lana Lane and Peter Verschuren. They also contributed to getting the whole picture. This is quite a read, but an interesting one and covering multiple pages. First of all I'd like to thank Mark McCrite for the time taken and his friends for filling in some background. Thank you Mark & Family, Lana, Erik, and Peter for giving me full access. You'll find appropriate links that'll add to the content when you want to know more about something particular.

Hi Mark, for InVettagation purposes let's start by backing up your musical life chronologically?

1981-1983 (high school): Prophet - mostly covers with a few originals. Southern Rock meets Pink Floyd - played at a lot of high school dances & parties.
1984 (high school): In Motion - mostly originals. First band with Erik Norlander on keyboards. Duran Duran meets 80's Yes.
1985 (college): Relayer - first attempt at a "real" original band with a progressive bent
1989 - present: Rocket Scientists
1991-1992: Icebreaker - Sunset Strip "hair metal" band I'm a bit embarrassed to talk about
1993-1995: River - sounded like Pearl Jam meets Toad the Wet Sprocket (I still miss this band). It was primarily myself with a gifted singer/songwriter who lost interest in music.

Lana Lane

2001: played guitar solos and/or sang lead vocals on several GuitarPort tracks (including most of the Pink Floyd songs) with Simon Phillips, Tony Franklin, Erik Norlander, Neal Morse (formerly of Spock's Beard), Lana Lane, Carmine Appice, and other great musicians

What where your main influences in music?

Mark: Growing up I was strongly influenced by my dad's taste in music. He was into 50's music and took me to see Elvis 3 times. My dad was also a big fan of the musical scores to James Bond movies and when we moved to Atlanta in the 70's, he would play a lot of Southern rock (primarily the Allman Brothers) in our house. Some of his other favorites were the Beatles and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I soaked *all* of this in as a child. I'd have to say that Paul McCartney is my biggest musical influence, but I still have an intense appreciation for progressive rock music and jazz standards. In adult life, by far my biggest influence was a friend of mine named Kevin Gilbert who sadly passed away in 1996.

Mark, I'm Sorry to hear about your friend but you honour him with his memory. Aah the Beatles, who wasn't influenced by them? Paul McCartney as a bassist, do you play other instruments besides guitar?

Mark: Bass - without a doubt a result of my McCartney fixation and keyboards - at least enough to get me in trouble. I love Mellotron & Wurlitzer in particular.

Been strummin' your guitar a long time then?

Mark: Since 1978 - so I guess that's 26 years at this point. Am I really that old?

Well you think you're old, my existence on this planet is already a long stay and nothing compared to you, youngster. Every guitarist has a favorite or extra value guitar(s). How's that for you?

Mark: My current favorite for playing live is the Variax acoustic - I would still say that if I didn't work for Line 6. I have a one-off tobacco sunburst prototype that I use with PODxt Live to cycle through standard to strange sounds with a variety of tunings. As a performer, I'm definitely an acoustic singer/songwriter type and I am amazed at the sound, playability and flexibility this combination gives me. I also have a Martin D-35 and a Guild Jumbo 12 String that I will never get rid of.


Variax Acoustic	Martin D-35	Guild Jumbo 12

Mark continous: My sentimental favorite electric is a Jerry Jones, but I also have a sunburst Variax 500 which has a prototype neck for the 700 series that I quite enjoy as well. I also have an SG '61 reissue and a Strat. My sentimental favorite acoustic is a little Silvertone that my mother-in-law bought in a pawn shop for $8 in the 1950's.


Jerry Jones	Variax 500 w/ 700 series neck	Silvertone

Why do you feel guitar is your instrument?

Mark: Because my parents didn't have a piano when I was growing up and I thought the Beatles & Jimmy Page looked cool with guitars.

Speaking of parents. I can see there's a strong connection to guitars. So how's the home situation..?

Mark: Well I'm happily married and have two kids, a 6 year old daughter, and a two year old son that I love dearly. Since you InVettagate exclusively for Vettaville in Holland Vinny, I should tell you I have a special love for Holland. My wife studied in Leiden (Holland) and speaks great Dutch (with no accent or so I'm told). We've visited many times and have lots of friends in Holland. Vinny, I LOVE the country! I really enjoy Apeheul (a park where monkeys roam freely) - I have some great pictures of my daughter playing with monkeys and lemurs from the last time we visited in 2000. I miss the food in particular - I wish they had soft ijs, shoarma, pannekoeken (dinner pancakes) and saucijzebroodjes in the USA like they have in Holland. I also have a soft spot for Kaassouffle, Bami, Nasi and Kroketten (Febo stuff). We can get stroopwafels now in a local deli, so that's a good start...

So what's happening inside Line 6, any fun there?

Mark: I love working at a company that's always way ahead of the curve. It's exciting watching this stuff come together and the team of people is first class - everyone is really talented in their particular area. I think it would blow people's minds to know the variety of skills and the depth of talent we have here at Line 6. I can't talk about specific things that are upcoming, but while we're working, we do have bi-monthly jam nights in our break room and we go all out for our Holiday party & Summer picnic.


Marcus Ryle	Mark McCrite	George van Wagner

There are an astounding number of talented musicians who love to show off at these parties and they're always fun. We see everything performed at these parties from R&B jams to "O Brother Where Art Thou" country, SRV blues to 80's synthpop, Metal to Progressive Rock. The most memorable songs I participated in at these parties were ELP's "Karn Evil 9" (with guys from Engineering and the co-founder of the company) and a spot-on performance of the Schoolhouse Rock song "Conjunction Junction" with real horns & female backup vocals.

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Click here for the Vinny's InVettagation homepage

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