Mark Ciani has spent over 25 years as a songwriter/producer in the New York City music scene.  Four years ago, Mark embarked on a solo project that has resulted in four albums.  Critically acclaimed, Mark has been called "a sure hand with misdirection and revealing detail; he knows exactly how to bring a character alive and how to fill a song to its corners with charisma and intrigue."

Starting off as a songwriter and keyboardist for punk ska band Freaks from the Apocalypse in the 1990s, Mark established himself as a dynamic performer and compelling writer.  In a scene infamous for its adherence to genre conventions, the Freaks were heralded for their capacity to push punk ska to new places, in no small part due to Mark's writing and performances.  In the 2000s, Mark started a career as a lawyer, but maintained a presence as a songwriter and producer.  Beginning in 2012, Mark played keyboards, and wrote and produced for various projects, each released under a different moniker, including Stone Mountain Station's Electric Silence, The Alternative Facts' Don't Worry, Babe, Model Citizen's The Next Life, and Crane Kick's Midlife Crisis.
 

In 2022, Mark wrote, produced, played keyboard and--new for him--assumed lead singer duties on his first project under his own name, the two albums titled King of Death and King of Death Returns.  Those albums feature a collective 20 tracks, ranging from Beatles-era pastiche, to Bowie-era art rock, to the guitar bands of 90s and 00s indie rock.  Linked by Mark's voice and the frequent use of string and horn quartets, the albums are cohesive, yet massive in scope and ambition.  

On perhaps the darkest, yet poppiest album of his career, Mark expanded the King of Death sound to new heights on his next album, 2023's Sad Robot.  Featuring 12 songs about the futility of ambition and free will, and about the surprising, tragic and dark aspects of love, Mark takes the band through a cycle of songs, both cinematic and intimate at the same time.  

In 2025, Mark released his newest album, The Catacombs.  The Catacombs is lyrical meditation, told through various character portraits, of various ways, both circumstantial and self-inflicting, that we sabotage the hope of a peaceful existence.  With trusted collaborator and three-time Grammy winning engineer and co-producer, Fernando Lodeiro, and a band largely comprised of long-time collaborators Kirk Schoenherr, Grant Zubritsky, Jon Smith, and Jeni Magana, the album is a gripping listen--sonically adventurous, lyrically moving, and a triumph of an album.

Itai Faierman: Guitars, Vox 
Erica Putis: Bass, Vox 
Neal Bociek: Drums

Press:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/apr/16/mashtis/

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/falling_into_place/9125/

http://sdmusik.blogspot.com/2010/03/limbs-and-treasure.html

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/the_great_demo_review_2010_part_two/9052/

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2009/oct/21/of-note-mashtis-itai-faierman/

If you love TWILIGHT (you know..the movie) so much that you scream out loud when you saw the “wolf” took off his clothes.. I’m pretty sure you will hate THIS MUSIC.
If you are not that kind of person and you still HATE this music… Please Lie!

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