Singer-songwriter Mark Winters left a career in engineering to pursue music. This is a fairly-new endeavor for the Sugarland, Texas-based artist, who has a background in aerospace engineering, applied physics, mathematics and computational fluid dynamics. However, he describes art as one of the greatest potentiators in his life, which always served to enhance a myriad of experiences.
“I was pretty occupied in things non-creative when I was a kid, with one teeny exception,” Winters told The Sopris Sun. “I was spending time with my grandmother when I was around 5. Somehow, I woke up in the middle of her sewing room, and we were writing poetry together about lilies of all things. She and I have been poetry pals and painting pals for my whole life. And that little bit of creativity walked along with me, as I grew up in this world of math and sports and science,” Winters shared with The Sopris Sun.
He continued, “I wasn’t doing anything that was purely out of artistic creation other than writing poetry with my grandma or writing a few poems for some friends, as I felt the need to do it. Music has always been the potentiator of my life. It enhanced all these experiences, whether I was surfing, rollerblading, playing tennis or studying. It didn’t matter. I always had some music cooking in the background.”
His journey as a professional musician began in 2011, when he decided to pursue a musical project. He landed on learning to play a guitar he bought from a local shop and sang a song for his wife on their anniversary that year, all with the help of the music shop’s owner, who agreed to teach him.
“Since I’d done nothing musical before, it was a yeoman’s effort for him to get me ready. I thought I’d allow plenty of time, like six weeks, to do the thing. Six weeks, I found, is not very much time in the world of learning something new. When I sat across the table from my wife in our favorite Italian restaurant, and I sang her a song, it lit me up,” he recalled. “I had never had anything like that in my life. I could feel this almost mystical connection flowing between us in the moment of this song. I felt like, ‘Wow, where has this been my whole life?’”
Since then, he has played with a number of different bands before diving fully into his solo career. He released his first album, “Slipstream,” in 2019 and began touring shortly thereafter. This stint was cut short due to COVID, but he adjusted and began hosting Zoom shows while awaiting the world to open back up.
Winters combines rock, blues, pop and poetry to create a sound that is both nostalgic and uplifting, cutting through the most existential questions we have all asked ourselves at one point or another.
He also makes nods to his love of science and how it ties into the human experience and condition. This is most apparent in his song “Fake Gravity,” which narrates the story of a lover who professes his love to his partner. Their bond, in the best way, makes him question everything he knows.
“You lift me up, you hold me down. It don’t make sense, but it’s truer now than any force on Earth, too strong to break, and if you’re really real, maybe gravity’s fake.” The chorus goes, accompanied by a sound that can be compared to tides changing with the moon phases.
Winters looks forward to his upcoming show at Steve’s Guitars on March 30 and hopes to connect with the audience and community while taking in the sights and activities Carbondale has to offer.
“I’ve never been to Carbondale, and I love coming into a new community to connect with my fellow positive energy people. There’s a lot of rich history there, and I’m fortunate to be part of such a great venue,” Winters said. “The chance to connect with people who love a bit of nerdy positive energy, and who want to walk away with a little extra positive energy, maybe from the show, that’s what I’m looking forward to most. And, if there’s a good spot to roller blade while I’m there, I’d love to check it out.”
Tickets for the show are available online at www.stevesguitars.net and at the door. To stay up to date with Mark Winters, visit www.markwintersmusic.com
In a nutshell
Who: Mark Winters
What: Positive-vibes music
Where: Steve’s Guitars
When: March 30, 8pm