Bio:

What sets Mark Cool's music apart is the earthy, gritty, integrity in his voice, and the honesty and insight of his lyrics, laced at times with wry humor. These qualities have earned him frequent comparisons to Townes Van Zandt and Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen.

"...Honesty, integrity, simplicity, humour, understatement, restraint, a certain joire de vivre that can only be found in folk who know exactly where the bottom and the top can be found, catharsis, realisation..." says Paul Villers of Americana UK Magazine in describing the Durham, NC songwriter's August, 2007 release, "Introducing Mark Cool and the Folk Stars."

Cool is currently on tour in support of the album, combining traditional venues with his "100 house concerts tour."

Mark Cool (yes, that's his real name), formed the band "Mark Cool and the Folk Stars" in 2006 and started playing shows locally in Durham and surrounding areas. The cd was recorded over an 8 month period at Durham's Sound Scripture Studios, with special guests Dom Flemons (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Ben Palmer, and others. Americana UK Magazine picked the disc as one of the top 20 of 2007 alongside Wilco, Okkervil River, Peter Case and Crowded House, and the disc is receiving radio airplay in the US and in Europe, charting in multiple cities on the cmj charts in the u.s.

With a Feb. 08 solo tour of Scotland already under his belt, MC continues the "100 house concerts tour" alongside more conventional venues, and is playing shows in the Northeast US in July, another UK tour in August, with more Southeast regional shows peppered in.

A house concert attendee had this to say about his live show: "The house concert was fabulous! Mark Cool's music is sweet - and sometimes funny - it has a depth and power that taps into a tender appreciation for living- even when it's edges are hard - that makes us want to wake up and feel more alive. Mark's voice and presence take us to that place, along the trail he's traveled and come through singing." -Joanna H.

A new cd is expected to be released by early '09.