Mark Pickerel

LATEST NEWS :(3rd Update) Fall 2006 will find us slaving away again for Bloodshot Records in attempt to move another Hundred Thousand Units ! Mark will be performing solo shows in support of Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 as well as playing the Bloodshot CMJ showcase in Brooklyn on Nov 4th. Summer 2006 was a long hot haul for Pickerel who took his one man band all the way to New Orleans and back , highlights included two shows with Johnny Dowd , losing all hearing in his left ear during Jucifer's soundcheck in Birmingham and having the privilege of having Tom Heyman and his band back him up in San Francisco.(2nd Update)Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands have just inked a deal with Bloodshot Records who are famous for exporting goods by Neko Case , Ryan Adams , Trailer Bride , Bobby Bare Jr.,Wayne Hancock and more. This spring we'll be traveling the globe with our electric medicine show , doing whatever it takes to sell our potions and dry goods ! Upcoming shows include the SXSW(Austin Tx) Bloodshot showcase on March 16 , performing with Waco's,Deadstring's,Bottlerockets,Cordero and more. A tour of the USA with Holly GoLightly this spring or summer is currently being negotiated , hopefully with positive results. In May we'll be playing the ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES show in England! We can't wait to hear (and watch) THE FLEASHEATERS -AND- THE SCIENTISTS ! MORE SOON ! ORIGINAL BIO: After years of playing second fiddle and even worse , drums for several noteworthy bands ( Screaming Trees , Neko Case , Nirvana side project ) I decided to finally pick up a guitar and start my own band . My first venture in to such intimidating waters was a band I fronted called 'The Dark fantastic' (UP RECORDS) This project opened more doors than I had originally imagined ! In 2003 I opened for Ben Harper in Austin , toured Spain and England and met and coloborated with the musicians who now make up my 'Praying Hands Band' In 2004 the new line up opened for some of my favorite artists : John Doe , Steve Forbert , Grant Lee Phillips and Stone Gossard . We are currently finishing a new CD with Steve Fisk at the controls . We'll also be busy this fall and winter with performances in our hometown of Seattle . To find out more about my current projects please visit my "other" web site where I've tried to compile a complete discography of everything from early Screaming Trees rarities to the latest by Brandi Carlile , The Hope and a new release by Trentalange .