If A Tree Falls

Mark and Jennie met Bernie through a local open mic called "HOOT!" about five years ago and the rest is history. We have since played in all kinds of local venues, from front yards to bars to outdoor stages! We love playing together and sharing what we do with our community. Mark additionally owns a music shop in Berkeley called "Timbre Folk and Baroque" where he spends his days repairing and selling instruments and we rehearse in the evenings. Our music is a reflection of the ever-evolving landscape of modern life, rooted in emotion, exploration, and storytelling.

"The sound this trio makes isn’t heard, it’s felt — like a pang of love, or longing, or loss. And their alchemy not only carries you through such emotions, but leaves you in a place somewhere beyond them. This is sound that purifies." - Jxo

Very best,

Calliope: East Bay Music & Arts Board of Directors

Classically trained on guitar, Bernie found more in common with the singer/songwriters of the 60s & 70s. Inspired by the improvisation of the Grateful Dead, he taught himself electric bass and lead guitar. Moving to the Bay Area in the 90s, Bernie returned to his roots in acoustic guitar-driven Americana/folk/rock/pop, often covering other artists with fresh inventive arrangements. His latest tangent is learning dobro, inspired by its melodic expressiveness. Bernie considers his beloved dobro (“The Mighty Beard”) to be the fourth member of IATF.

Mark started playing guitar in High School (wow so long ago!) to spite his older sister and monopolize her instrument. When he was growing up his family moved around Wisconsin and Minnesota and he later spent two years working in northern Wisconsin cranberry bogs to earn his master’s in Botany. He then moved to Oregon where he worked in commercial plant propagation and joined an Irish music band. He worked at UC Berkeley as their plant collector for 20 years before retiring to open Timbre Folk and Baroque in Berkeley where he builds, repairs and sells musical instruments.

Mark’s daughter, Jennie has been singing with Mark since before she was old enough to understand what she was doing. Together, Mark and Jennie like to play and sing Swedish folk music. Mark taught Jennie how to play nyckelharpa (Swedish key fiddle) from the time she was in High School and now they play at local Swedish gatherings and festivals including Lucia Day and Midsommar. Like her father, Jennie is interested in science and plants as well as knitting and crafting. She is now a High School chemistry teacher at Holy Names High School in Rockridge. Her favorite lab demonstration is the exploding pumpkin.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Calliope: East Bay Music & Arts