Profiles
Lyrics
Mark Laurenson
I started playing the fiddle at
the age of 8 when I got it for a birthday present from my grand parents.
I was very lucky at the beginning to get lessons from the Late
Willie Hunter. After he
passed away I had lessons from Margaret Scollay and Eunice Groat. 
I
was still scraping away on the
fiddle when I went to secondary school. By now cd players were becoming more available.
Almost at the same time, I discovered rock and indie music, and
instrument called the guitar. I started listening to the popular bands of the time, Oasis,
Blur, Cast, Green Day, etc. I
was really keen on the electric guitar.
I was playing it more than the fiddle.
Then at
about the age of 14, two things happened.
I met musical genius Davie Keith.
And I discovered that if you played the fiddle you
could go to a pub and you were offered beer! Davie Keith
was a huge influence. He
taught me a huge amount about playing.
Taught me hundreds of tunes. And
most importantly, he inspired me to play.
Trad music has inspired me pretty much ever since.
At the age
of 15, I won Shetland’s Young Fiddler of the Year competition. In
2003 I was a finalist in The Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the
Year. In Shetland I have
played with a few school groups and ceilidh bands. I have guested with Scottish Dance Band, Da Fustra.
I’ve mainly been playing solo and kicking around the sessions.
I’ve done
a couple of Scottish tours as part of a group of trad soloists. 
Played solo
at Celtic Connections and a few folk festivals though Scotland. Some
of the most memorable moments in my musical life have been on the sail
training vessel “Swan” during the Tall Ships Race in 2004.
To cut a long story short - Good Tunes.
Good Craick. And Good
Foreign Beer.
I Joined
Drop the Box in June 2004. I
really enjoy playing with this outfit of hooligans.
I’ve done a few of tours now and it’s a brawly good fun.
Recently
I’ve started a few new projects. I’ve
formed a trio consisting of fiddle, guitar and double bass.
Grant Nicol plays guitar and John Hutchison plays double bass.
We have captured a very fresh sound with this trio.
Don’t really know what it is but it feels really good.
I’ve
also helped form a new band in Shetland called Fullsceildh Spelemanslag.
This is a huge band with fiddles, guitars, bass, percussion, drums
and piano. The members are – on fiddle – Maurice Henderson, Kevin
Henderson, Ross Couper, Linda Anderson, Ewen Thomson and myself.
On Guitars – Grant Nicol, Ross Couper and Ewen Thomson.
B
ass –
Andrew Gifford. Percussion
– Patrick Ross-Smith. Drums
– David Jamieson.
So far,
special guests have included Johnathan Ritch from Drop the Box on bass.
A couple of members from Croft No. Five.
Annlaug Borsheim and Linda Gyrti from Norway.
This band is a huge sound. Fired
up and powerful. It’s great
fun.
I’m
still a bit of a trad Junkie. Currently
I’m really in too a couple of Scandinavian supergroups, Vasen and Frigg.
I’m very keen on Lunasa, Liz Carroll and North Cregg.
Inge
Thomson
James Henry
Jonathan Ritch
Russell "Sagar" Gair
Mark Laurenson