Mark Rogers

Mark’s first musical experience was studying trumpet, which taught him the importance and challenges of musical rhythm and gave him a good technical background.  When he was 15 he started teaching himself guitar and practiced every chance he could.  At 16 he auditioned for the trumpet job in the horn section of a funk style band where he learned that the band’s guitar player had quit.  He took his place on guitar and went on to play guitar in rock and funk bands through high school and college in clubs and venues around Michigan State University.  He also took jobs on the side playing bass guitar for local rock and funk groups and played the trumpet in funk and dance bands when he needed some extra cash. 

After too many years of on and off playing, he got serious about music again and took guitar lessons from Shane Regal, the guitarist and musical director for national Christian rock band ‘Viktor’.  This led to Mark stepping into the bass player spot in Shane’s instrumental rock group ‘Regal’ after Shane’s friend Jeff Abercrombie, the bassist for the rock band Fuel, needed to break from the project to do a new album and tour with Fuel.  Then on one of the many auditions Mark finds himself going on, he auditioned for and became friends with Dave Baboian.  Although that opportunity didn’t work out, a chance encounter between Dave and Mark at a local store a year later led to the first incarnation of Dave Baboian’s M80s band.  In the band’s first lineup Mark was the bass player, then the guitar player, and now after a year long hiatus he’s back with the new M80s as their bass player.  Mark says ‘It’s good to be home!’

Mark’s influences include Miles Davis, Pete Cetera, Terry Kath, & Lee Loughnane, Geddy Lee, Robin Trower, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Van Halen, Andy Summers, George Lynch, Eric Johnson, and Jeff Abercrombie.