In high school, Levoir and childhood friend Geoff Bennett (bass/guitar/vocals) teamed up with Geordie Dynes (drums) and Gus Harris (guitar/bass). After ditching their own two bands, the guys decided to make The Mark Inside official.

The group began practicing in Dynes parents’ basement, mostly “just having fun” at the expense of, as Levoir describes, the “forgiving” parents of the drummer.

The band members spent the first three years following Mark’s formation playing a various shows at The Dungeon in Oshawa and the former club Chameleon in Pickering as a way to simply “fill up the afternoons and weekends.”

When asked how it feels to be able to express himself on stage, Levoir enthusiastically replies, “It feels awesome!” He continues by explaining, “We’re all pretty quiet individuals, but we can let go of what we want to when on stage. It feels good, gets all your emotions out there.”

Levoir’s interest in music was sparked when his dad bought an acoustic guitar to quench some unexplainable urges during his “mid-life crisis.” It was by watching his dad that he quickly learned to play himself.

The four members found it difficult to juggle the responsibilities of going to school and being in a band, and thus shortly after finishing high school, the guys decided to close the academic doors and put their full attention on the uprising stardom of The Mark Inside. Levoir describes it as an “investment period,” but aside from occasional attempts to sound professional, the guys typically coined the phrase to settle the anxious nerves of their parents.

The unique name of the band was extracted from an inspirational quote from William S. Burroughs’s classic novel, Naked Lunch. Levoir explains that everyone has a mark inside of them at which point they “you can’t kid yourself anymore. It’s knowing how far you will go, how far you will let an addiction go.”

On stage, the band enjoys using noise as an integral part of its sets. “Big rising crescendos of noise, cymbal crashes. We just like to be abrasive.”

Levoir adds that the band loves using feedback as an attempt to put on more exciting performances for fans at every new show. “We’re willing to make fools of ourselves so people feel comfortable enough to dance.” To Levoir, this is Mark’s strongest asset: “We’re a live band, first and foremost!”

While the band is usually classified as indie-rock, Levoir notes that it does not make a point of staying within any specific categorization. Its sound is inspired by ’60s garage rock and ’70s pop, creating a sound that Levoir affectionately refers to as a “natural amalgamation of what we’ve been listening to.”

Maple Music Records recently picked up the band’s first album Static/Crash and has begun remixing it to get it prepared for widespread sale. Never one to slack around, the band recently took off on a national tour that took the guys to Vancouver and Whistler, then back to Toronto.

For February, the guys anticipate a whopping 12 shows. In March, they are preparing a tour of the maritime provinces. As well, The Mark Inside’s first music video should be hitting MuchMusic airwaves soon. Levoir was also excited to add that one of the band’s songs was picked to be on the new Global TV series Falcon Beach.

With its jammed-packed schedule for the next few months, amidst the hype surrounding it, The Mark Inside promises to treat its fans to an enthusiastic, awesome show.
The Mark Inside will be playing at The Embassy on Saturday, Feb. 19.