the"Mark Elmer Band"

Less than 9 months ago Mark Elmer and Jesse white met for the first time in person,Via an open mic in Gladstone oregon. Hearing what they could each do on their own, fueled them to form this blending of styles and music, that one moment makes you want to dance and sing along with all the joy of life. The next moment you are grabbing the hand of your partner and holding on tight while you fight back the tears.
Back up twenty years and you would have found a very young Mark Elmer fronting a rock band here in portland called "Stepmother". Their 4 song EP made it on the nation wide playlist of Z-rock radio station out of Dallas TX. Mark's songwriting efforts to this project won them awards from the Portland Music Association two years in a row ('91 and '92) in the "rock" songwriter category.
Right about that time Jesse White was a young kid growing up in Brazil and various other countries in South America, soaking up the music and rhythms of his location until they were ingrained. at the same time studying the music of blues greats like "Lead belly", Freddie King,Tom Waits and muddy waters to name a few. With that blending of latin and blues, overlay the storytelling and roots rock/americana rhythms, you get a blending of styles like no other.
Providing the beats is a well seasoned drummer of R&B band "Return flight" named John Parman. Rounding out the rhythm section and adding harmony vocals is Rex Baker a well known bassist and session player from right here in Portland.
This combination of styles only could have come together at an open mic! where players from all backgrounds are there to show what they can do, and then they are many times thrown together at the end of the night to jam a song that they all have in common. This was the seedbed of the "Mark Elmer Band" with a mixture of so many styles, the outcome is like no other! and it personifies the eclectic musical pallet of Portland.