Member Profile

Mark Schatz was born April 23, 1955 into a musical family. He began his formal musical training with cello at age ten and later switched over to string bass. His first performance was in 1971 on electric bass in a high school rock band. Inspired by a love for folk and traditional music, he took up the guitar, mandolin, and clawhammer banjo. He received his Degree in Music Theory and Composition from Haverford College, and studied for a year at Berklee College of Music.

Twice named International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bass Player of  the Year, Mark has toured and recorded with a stellar array of artists including Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, John Hartford, Tim O'Brien, acoustic innovators Nickel Creek, Claire Lynch, and Sarah Jarosz. Mark is the Musical Director for internationally acclaimed Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble which showcases other talents such as clawhammer banjo and Southern Appalachian clog dancing. This versatile multi-instrumentalist has two of his own solo recordings, Brand New Old Tyme Way and Steppin’ in the Boiler House on Rounder Records, which feature his own eclectic blend of original compositions on the banjo. 

Grit & Polish, his most recent release with former Claire Lynch bandmate, Bryan McDowell, is a pared down burst of everything from old time to Bob Dylan, and there will be dates booked to support this project. Mark will also be touring in the fall of  2021 with his old friend and colleague, Bela Fleck, to support his new release, My Bluegrass Heart. His ongoing activities include recording, instructional camps, private instruction, and his own solo show, Mark Schatz-The Solo Concert! 

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Professional Profile

  Mark is a prominent figure in the contemporary acoustic music world. His recording credits include projects with Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Nickel Creek, John Hartford, and The Claire Lynch Band. Though best known for his work on acoustic bass, Mark has released two of his own solo recordings on Rounder Records which feature his original compositions and clawhammer banjo playing.

Awards  

-1986, 1987 Frets Readers Poll Award as best Bluegrass Bass Player

-1991 IBMA’s Album of the Year for Bluegrass Album Band-Vol V

-1992 IBMA's Instrumental Recording of the Year for Jerry Douglas's Slide Rule                                                                                                                                           -1994, 1995 IBMA's Bass Player of the Year 

- 2005, Annie Award, Anne Arundel County Arts Council

- 2014, Individual Artist Award, Maryland State Arts Council

Work Experience

-Spectrum (bass, dancer) 1980-81 

-Freelance work in Nashville TN 1982-84 

-The Tony Rice Unit (bass, harmony vocals, road manager) 1985-89

-Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble (musician, dancer, Musical Dir) 1989 to present

-Tim O'Brien and The O'Boys (bass, harmony vocals, banjo, dancer) 1990-97

-Freelance work including John Hartford, Tim O'Brien, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Llnda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg 1997-2002

- Nickel Creek 2003-2007

- The Claire Lynch Band 2008 to 2016

- Nickel Creek Reunion Tour 2014

- Bela Fleck – My Bluegrass Heart 2021 to 2024

- Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell 2021 to 2024

- Solo show: Mark Schatz – The Solo Concert  2020 to 2024

Significant Recording Projects

-Bela Fleck: Crossing the Tracks, Natural Bridge, Double Time, Inroads, Drive, The Bluegrass Sessions, My Bluegrass Heart,   

  Rhapsody in Blue

-Jerry Douglas: Fluxedo, Slide Rule, The Great Dobro Sessions (Grammy winner) 

-Tony Rice: Me and My Guitar, Native American, The Bluegrass Album Band-Volume V, Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass

-Tim O'Brien: Odd Man In, Oh Boy, O'Boy, Rock in My Shoe, Red On Blond, 

- John Hartford: Good Old Boys

-Mark Schatz: Brand New Old Tyme Way, Steppin’ in the Boiler House

-Nickel Creek: Why Should the Fire Die, Dotted Line

- Claire Lynch: Whatcha Gonna Do, Dear Sister, Holiday, North By South (Grammy nominated)

- Sara Jarosz: Song Up in Her Head, Follow Me Down, Undercurrent (Grammy winner)

- Mark Schatz and Bryan McDowell: Grit and Polish

Teaching Experience

-Has two instructional bass videos on Homespun Tapes and Videos

-Taught bass and/or banjo at Augusta Heritage Arts Festival, Elkins, WV 1990-95; California Coast Music Camp 1992, Telluride Bluegrass Academy 1993, '94; Youth Seminar at IBMA Convention 1995; NashCamp, Nashville, TN '97, '98, 2008; Rockygrass academy '97, '98, 2000, 2007, 2009; Kluane Bluegrass Camp ’10, ’11, Common Ground on the Hill 2006, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2020

Producer for the following recording projects

-Slavek Hanzlik: Spring in the Old Country, Summer Solstice, Fall of My Dreams

-Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble: Lift up Your Wings, Footworks Live

-Special Consensus: Roads and Rails, Strong Enough to Bend, Our Little Town

-Scruj MacDuhk: The Road to Canso

-The Duhks: Your Daughters and Your Sons

-Kristin Andreasson: Kiss Me Hello (engineered & produced)

- Jeff Scroggins and Colorado: Over The Line

Education

-BA in Music Theory and Composition from Haverford College

-One year of study at Berklee College of Music in Boston