Who is Mark Hole?

A hyperactive and erratic boy, Mark struggled to find an outlet for his restless energy and natural exuberance. School was never easy and Mark was diagnosed with heavy dyslexia – adding further to his frustration. This, combined with frequent clashes with teachers over his refusal to conform, young Hole was regularly suspended. He was never expelled though, perhaps because of that winning smile, but certainly because his fiery little heart was always in the right place. So it went on, until on one school day the saviour of Mark’s soul presented itself…Music! Suddenly Mark Hole, impossible little wretch, was getting excellent reports – “Mark’s great! He is well behaved and focused.’ And a new direction emerged…

Mark began to find his way as a musician in his teens, beginning with his voice and his innate ability as a showman. At Eddington & Shapwick dyslexic school in Somerset, Mark discovered that there were no outlets for dramatic or musical talent. As is his nature, he decided to set up his own creative ventures at the school - if there was any opportunity to be the centre of attention then Mark was there! Soon though, his hunger for a move on to a bigger stage was ferocious and it led him to Hurtwood House – a theatre and stage school in Dorking with an impressive reputation. Mark quickly grasped the chance to shine and played leading roles in several productions, including the complex task of embodying the eponymous anti-hero in Woyzeck.

Aged 16, a promising and talented young performer, Mark hadn’t actually written any songs. Then came a major turning point. He met Rob Castell. Rob was a fellow pupil at Hurtwood House and on their first encounter Rob was playing the piano singing a song that he had written about a friendship gone wrong. It blew Mark away and opened his eyes to a new world that invited him in. From that point on Mark tinkered away on a piano every day - self-taught, one finger at first, then two, and so on - trying to write songs…

Mark has never understood why there has to be a set of rules for song-writing, and this independent style is evident in F-Sharp, the debut album. In Mark’s own words he says, “There was no God that laid down the rules on how to write a song. A song can do whatever it likes. If it wants to be twenty minutes long or two minutes long then that’s fine. I am not saying it should be but it could be. The important thing is whether you like it or not.”

On finishing school, Mark gained a place at Webber-Douglas drama school in London. Although gifted as an actor, even his peers remarked on his clear ambitions for a career in music, “this guy clearly just wants to play the piano and sing”. They were right – and happily for the listening world, that is what Mark does, all day every day. It may have turned out slightly differently though, as Mark was for a number of years involved in The Seed, a kind of English Red Hot Chilli Peppers that gathered a huge amount of momentum. As frontman and co-writer, Mark’s charisma and talent contributed to the band’s success on the London scene and things were looking promising. However in truly spectacular style the group had a rather ignominious ending on the eve of their EP launch, courtesy of an intra-band bust-up. It was a blessing in disguise though, as the band’s loss was Mark’s gain, meaning he could focus on his solo work. Within six months, F Sharp was completed. The first album finished, the career only beginning…

Mark Hole on MySpace: www.myspace.com/markhole

Official site: http://www.markhole.com

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.