Gear Guru Vodcast with Mark Pontin

mq2.jpg

Mark Pontin is a genuine triple threat. If he were solely a singer the new album from The Mark Pontin Group would stand head and shoulders above the pack on that strength alone. His effortless vocals can turn on a dime from gritty and raw to smooth and melodic, displaying enviable range without the strain and the kind of control and dynamics rarely seen in a blues/rock context. His abilities as a guitarist easily put him in the upper echelons of blues and rock players, in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. His beautifully nuanced playing, musicianly without over-indulgence, at times wrangles massive sounds from a Marshall amp, at others coaxes delicate harmonics from an acoustic guitar. As a songwriter, Mark displays the kind of versatility rarely seen within the often predictably rigid confines of the blues/rock scene and demonstrates how easily - when you know how - the genre can incorporate shades of jazz, funk, soul and pop music.