|
Mark
Dodge
 Long ago, Mark spent the better
part of a decade as a full-time professional musician, on the road with several
country, top-40, and rock bands, playing bars, lounges, and taverns 5-6 nights a
week (and driving on the off days). It was actually a lot of hard work for
something that sounds like so much fun, but it was punctuated with little
milestones like opening the show for Mel Tillis the week that Mount Saint Helens
blew up. (Mark was also working as a graphic designer at the time and created a
bumper sticker that said "Ashington, the Evergray State" - another million
dollar idea. Mel put one on his bus, which was still covered with ash after
driving through
 the
plume to get to the show.) In the late 80s, Mark diverted his energies to the
computer industry, where he made a living writing and editing books and various
forms of documentation. For the past ten years, Mark has spent prodigious
amounts of time and energy in his own recording studios, making records and
honing his engineering, production, and songwriting skills. In some of his other
lives, Mark is a fine art photographer, and a desperate Texas hold-em
aficionado.
Roger
Ludwick
 Roger has been working the
Northwestern Washington rock & roll band scene for over 40 years (hey, he
started young). A veteran of numerous pro and semi-pro bands, including the
inimitable Say Ahh band, and the legendary Trash Train, Roger has had his ore
smelted in the crucible of rock. He has an excellent ear for lyric and writes
great songs, as evidenced by the Big Quack recording, Time Heals. Roger and Mark
were 2/3 of the band Giza, who recorded the Time Heals CD in 2002, Here';s what
Bellinghams' What's Up magazine had to say about it (and Roger's vocals, in
particular): "Time Heals is a mellow, great-sounding CD, full of jangling
guitars, snaky leads, and well-considered percussive effects. The level of
musicianship is top-notch, and the singing is heartfelt." Roger sings and plays
guitar and the occasional keyboard.
Patrick
Donicht
 Besides playing bass and keyboards
in One Ton of Ducks, Patrick is a multifaceted audio professional, working as a
producer, arranger, composer, engineer, mixer, acoustical consultant, and
drummer. Patrick has his own pro production facility,
The Audio Vortex, located on Camano
Island. Patrick is a native of Washington
state and has been involved with music his entire life. A veteran of several
area bands and numerous studio sessions, Patrick is a founding member of the
progressive jazz-rock band Pocket Monkey, with long time ally Thomas Kemper. For
the past 20 years he has been working on projects ranging from musical
theatre/dance productions, commercial spots, Foley sound, movies, pop, rock,
jazz, R&B, and classical music. In his spare time he likes to ride his mountain
bike, travel, or drive his car as fast as possible at Pacific Raceway.
Thomas
Kemper
 Thomas was a veteran session
drummer and orchestral performer during the early '70's, and then went a few
rounds on the road playing funk and disco! Over the years he managed to assimilate
a wide variety of musical
experiences to become the precision rock jazz funk machine he is today. Equally at
home on a motorcycle, he was among the Top 5 in his class nationally for many
years in observed motorcycle trials. He also spent years in the broadcast industry as a videographer, field recordist,
and motorcycle stunt
performer. (Think: crashing through plate glass windows on fire.)
NOTE: Previous (and simultaneous)
to their tenure in both Steve Harris & Friends and One Ton of Ducks, Thomas
Kemper and Patrick Donicht have worked together on a multitude of recording
projects as musicians, and as recordists. Their progressive jazz-rock band, Pocket Monkey,
has been recording and performing in various forms for almost 20 years. Together,
Thomas and Patrick comprise the human element of The
Audio Vortex.
Wende
Hilyard
 Wende has been involved with music
all her life, but didn't begin to perform until sometime around the dreaded Y2K.
She
has been a member of the locally-legendary South End String Band, whose wit,
front porch wisdom, and fiddle tunes are heralded far and wide throughout the land. Wende
came into Mark's studio with the South Enders to record their first CD. When it came time to record Steve Harris'
first CD, Northwestern Sky, Mark asked Wende to add
her crystal clear
voice to the recording. She joined Steve Harris & Friends,
which later molted and became One Ton of Ducks. Wende's beautiful voice and
tasteful percussion skills are in evidence on five Big Quack recordings (and
counting): all three South End String Band CDs, and both Steve Harris CDs. Wende
Hilyard. Teacher by day, Rocker (and/or Bluegrasser) by night ...
"One Ton of Ducks is a wonderful band that performed for us at
our event last November. Highly recommended."
~ CJ Thomas
Camano Chamber of Commerce
"We sure will have you back! We enjoyed it even more than last time, and we
had several customers comment the same. We all like it a little more 'rocky!' Us
baby boomers will never get old!"
~ Annie Austin
Espresso Americano, Everett
 One
Ton of Ducks is a coffeehouse rock and roots band with scorching guitars and
soaring harmonies. The band performs crafty "front room concert" style
singer/songwriter rock and roots music. Songwriters all, the band performs their
own original music, as well as a select few great underexposed songs by others.
Mark Dodge sings and plays guitar,
keys, & the occasional ukulele; Roger Ludwick sings and plays guitar & keys; Wende Hilyard sings and plays
percussion & a cute little keyboard; Patrick Donicht plays bass, percussion &
fake marimba (real marimba, space permitting);
while Thomas Kemper keeps all four limbs busy full time playing the living crap out of
his drums.
For booking information:
mark@bigquack.com.
From Whence We Came
 Steve Harris & Friends
last played in public on 9/8/07, after which the four "Friends" officially
became One Ton of Ducks (OTOD).
(Snowbird Steve may reappear as a featured performer on occasion.) Roger Ludwick
of the Big Quack Records band Giza joined OTOD in mid-2007,
bringing his tunes into the repertoire,
including
most of the songs on Giza's "Time Heals" CD. In 2008, the band is
working on a CD of new material, and Mark has also stared recording his own a CD
(with the band's help).
The "new" band is: dynamic but not obtuse, melodic
but not cloying, topical but not didactic, sentimental but not morose, clever
but not flashy, rocky with a rootsy overtone,
keyboardy, guitary, and harmony-vocaly.
Come "get down" with
the Ducks
|
