As a bassist, Mark Conrad Steele is a unique singer-songwriter. Over the first two decades of his career with several hard working jamband funk bands, his expressive and melodic playing style was the driver of songs and took center stage. Today he performs with nothing but the bass, voice, and looping pedal. With the evolution toward folk/alt-Americana, this 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 usually flows from creating the bass line, then rhythm and textures, followed by the melody 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 profound, other times quirky or emotional. He is a wordsmith and story teller, and his clever, poetic songs easily engage any audience.
Conrad’s music is probably best compared to Leo Kotke and Mike Gordon, Keller Williams, or a cross between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sarah Jarosz, with his 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.
