Conrad Steele

Bassist Singer-Songwriter

As a bassist, Mark Conrad Steele is a unique signer-songwriter. After a couple decades pushing his expressive and melodic style of playing to the center stage with past bands, he today performs with nothing but the bass, his voice, and a looping pedal. The unconventional instrumentation gives his songs a fresh, raw and earthy feel, ranging from expressive rubato phrasing to hypnotic, loop-based grooves. His song writing approach is usually flows from creating the bass line, then rhythm and textures, followed by the melody before which he performs as instrumentals until the words reveal themselves. His songs ask philosophical and political questions and usually point to nature for answers, sometimes poetic, other times quirky or emotional.

The results are probably best compared to Leo Kotke and Mike Gordon, Keller Williams, or a cross between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sarah Jarosz, with Mark’s style of bass playing a mix between Flea and David Gilmore. He is strongly influenced by all those folk as well as Victor Wooton, Les Claypool and John Entwistle.

ALBUMS  •  EPS  •  SINGLES

Phat Noodles

EP of bass and drums looped based ambient grooves and alt-funk.

If I Could Fly

Upcoming album of the studio version singer-songwriter style songs usually performed live with bass, drums and vocals.

Nuttin Buddah Bass

Upcoming album of solo bass instrumentals.

Feel

LP album from 2003 of improvisational ambient and world groove alt-electronica.

Laws Of Physics

The first single from upcoming If I Could Fly.

Kiss Me In The Mud

The second single from upcoming If I Could Fly.

Unravel

The third single from upcoming If I Could Fly.

Leave This Place Behind

The fourth single from upcoming If I Could Fly.

Steele is currently working on a 3-album collection (or a 3-sided album) which will consist of Nottin Buddah Bass – the loop based instrumentals, If I Could Fly – bass and voice version, and Lasso Chariot – the full band production, all with the same collection of 12-16 songs.

He is an artist, musician, father and explorer of nature and beauty. After studying piano, trumpet and tuba he began playing the bass at age 12. Studying primarily jazz improvisation, he quickly took to providing the groove and bottom end for his schools’ jazz bands as well as his own bands middle school thru college, performing professionally the whole time. In the ’90s he fronted art rock-jam funk power trio Schwagg in Telluride, CO. He developed a playing style putting the bass front and center with the melody and groove. After almost a decade of playing late night clubs in Colorado, he moved to Portland, ME and started playing with a singer-songwriter styled trio called Thyngs (unsaid). With the birth of his daughter Emily, he stopped playing with bands but kept playing and writing by himself. Now that Emily is off to college, his passion has reignited and he is focussed and dedicated to performing again.

LISTEN

VIDEOS

Back On The One  |  solo bass & looper

Bassetude  |  solo bass & looper

Sleep Tonight  |  solo bass & looper

Running For Water  |  original score