Mark Vukas - Guitar

Personal Background:

Mark hails from Sudbury, Ontario - to the locals there, Rock City. Mark's calling to sling a guitar occurred in his early teens, when he first heard Brian May of Queen, playing Bohemian Rhapsody. From that day, he was on a mission to unlock the secrets of the electric guitar. It was during his Rock power trio days in high school that he was first exposed to Funk,  as his drummer's older brother maintained a large collection of records by the likes of the Isley Brothers, Parliament and the Ohio Players. Out of this exposure came a new appreciation for rhythm guitar, and the value of catchy hooks and grooves.

The 80s saw Mark move to Ottawa for university and then settle down. Over the last couple of decades, he has honed his chops in a variety of musical acts and genres, including the high energy R&B and funk of Soul Train, the acid jazz of NocTok (as bassist),  the fun and atmospheric 80's guitar sounds of Coconut Grove, and the melodic and pop-inspired indi project, The Jetsyns. When not laying down the groove with The Funktion, Mark feeds his old passion for great Roots Rock and slide guitar with The Attachments, also based in Ottawa.

Musical Influences:

Guitarists who inspire him to mix things up and tease out tasty instrumental storylines include Jimmy Page, Brian May, Brian Setzer, Nile Rogers, Danny Gatton, SRV, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Ry Cooder and  Sonny Landreth.

Mark's favourite musical artists include Sheryl Crow, Joni Mitchell (the first six albums), Earth Wind & Fire, Steely Dan, The Eagles, Maceo Parker, Bonnie Raitt, John Hiatt, K-OS, The Brand New Heavies, Led Zepplin, Sarah McLachlan and Meshell Ndegeocello . He could go on, but let's stop him at the 13 he couldn't part with.
 

The Funktion:

 Mark is enjoying a re-awakening of some dormant musical stomping grounds, albeit with a lot of new material. "I look forward to every opportunity to get on stage with them. The Funktion's calibre of musicianship is overshadowed only by their enthusiasm as performers and their generosity of spirit as band mates."