Mark W. Doyon (born October 4, 1962) is an American author, recording artist, and creative director. He has led the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

bands Arms of Kismet, Wampeters and Waterslide, and produced tribute albums to

Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic a ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

and

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...

. He is the founder and principal of the record label and media company Wampus Multimedia.

Life and career

He was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and grew up in northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He began recording himself using

double tracking Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

by the age of 14, and formed high school bands playing the music of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

bands such as the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

and

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

. He studied American literature at

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, graduating in 1985, Mark Doyon CV at LinkedIn.com
/ref> before forming the

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

Wampeters, with Eamon Loftus and Scott Goodrick, in 1987. The band took its name from a fictional religious concept in the

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

novel ''

Cat's Cradle Cat's cradle is a game involving the creation of various string figures between the fingers, either individually or by passing a loop of string back and forth between two or more players. The true origin of the name is debated, though the fi ...

'', Todd E. Jones, Interview with Mark Doyon, Indie Music Reviews & Interviews, January 2004
/ref> and released seven albums between 1987 and 1999. He then set up Arms of Kismet as a solo project. Described as "indie guitar rock with a slight psychedelic side," Arms of Kismet has released five albums -- ''Eponymous'' (2004), ''Cutting Room Rug'' (2005), and ''Play for Affection'' (2010), all recorded with engineer

Jon Astley Jon Astley is a British record producer who has also recorded and released two albums as a singer-songwriter in the late 1980s. His most commercially successful song was "Jane's Getting Serious", later popularized by a Heinz ketchup television ...

, and ''The Helium Age'' (2016) and ''Ballast and Bromides'' (2018). ''Cutting Room Rug'' was described at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

.com as "not recommended for bipolar people." ''Play for Affection'' won the title of Independent Album Of The Year at the ''Daily Vault'' review site, where it was described as "playful, literate, melodic, idiosyncratic, exotically memorable and memorably exotic." The album featured vocals, piano, organ, loops, guitar and bass by Doyon, with Evan Pollack on drums and percussion. Wampus logo

In 1989 he launched a literary magazine, ''Friction Quasi-Quarterly'', which published 18 issues until 1994. A collection of his own short stories, ''Bonneville Stories'', was published by Pocol Press in 2001. In 2002 he founded the independent media company Wampus Multimedia, which has published the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

recordings of his own bands and other artists, including tvfordogs, Amateur God, Cafebar 401, and Kowtow Popof.Ben Ohmart, ''In Tribute: Wampus Multimedia Sings Unsung Praises'', MusicDish.com
Doyon has also produced three various artists

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

s: ''If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of

'' (2001), Joe Viglione, Review of ''If I Were a Richman'' at Allmusic.com
/ref> ''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of

'' (2003), and ''Hurry Home Early: the Songs of

'' (2005).Mark Doyon studio productions
/ref> In 2005, Wampus established the reissue imprint Foldback Records. Naomi De Bruyn, interview with Mark Doyon, November 2008, LinearReflections.com
/ref> Doyon has also produced records for folk songwriters Casey Abrams, Alice Despard and Johnny J. Blair, and for other artists using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"Mitch Renault." Between 1989 and 2002 he worked as a communications and marketing director for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (NARF), and the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA). In 2008 he was named a Vice President of BoardSource, an organization that supports non-profit organizations. He received a master's degree in arts administration from

Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and Le ...

in 2009.

Discography

Wampeters

* ''Screen Test'' (1987) * ''Folk Medicine'' (1989) * ''Pagan's Nest'' (1990) * ''Bloodline'' (1993) * ''Look What's Left'' (1994) * ''Hey Judas'' (1997) * ''Murder Your Darlings'' (1999)

Arms of Kismet

* ''Eponymous'' (2004) * ''Cutting Room Rug'' (2005) * ''Play for Affection'' (2010) * ''The Helium Age'' (2016) * ''Ballast and Bromides'' (2018)

Waterslide

* ''Lincoln Signal'' (2012) * ''Flicker EP'' (2019) * ''Ray EP'' (2022)

As executive producer

* ''If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman'' (2001) * ''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed'' (2003) * ''Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon'' (2005) * ''Modern Rock & Modern Folk'' (2007) * ''Poetic Licensing'' (2010)

As producer

* Casey Abrams, ''Like a Mirror'' (2005) * Simone Stevens & Jordan Zevon, ''Warm Rain'' (2005) * Johnny J Blair, ''Treadmarks'' (2005) * Alice Despard, ''Vessel'' (2005) * Rance Wolfrey, EP (2008) Discobibliography at Wampus.com

Bibliography

* ''Bonneville Stories'' () (2001, ebook 2007, audiobook 2011)

References

External links

Mark Doyon official site

Arms of Kismet official site

Wampus Multimedia official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyon, Mark 1962 births Living people American indie rock musicians American rock singers American music industry executives College of William & Mary alumni