Bio and Bands
Mark Ransom is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has helped define Bend, Oregon’s music scene since 1992. He has released nine original albums and is known for his work with the Bend Roots Revival, an annual celebration of music and art in Central Oregon. Ransom fronts The Mostest and plays lead guitar in GBots and the Journeymen. He is a founding member of Andy Armer’s Groove School, and one of the creative forces behind Trickster: A Community Band—a group devoted to honoring the American roots-music tradition. Mark also collaborates with his cousin Eric in The Ransom Cousins Band. Their new album offers up twelve fresh original songs and pays homage to the duo’s musical roots in the heartland of America.
For Music Booking inquires for Mark Ransom solo-acoustic, The Mostest, Gbots & The Journeymen, and Andy Armer’s Groove School please contact Ian Egan at Egan Entertainment: i_egan@hotmail.com
The Mostest
The Mostest is a collective of musicians from Bend, Oregon led by singer-songwriter Mark Ransom and bassist-producer, Patrick Pearsall. Cultivating guitar-driven, heavy Americana from seeds of southern rock, The Grateful Dead, classic R&B, and jazz, The Mostest’s sound emerged with the production of their self-titled debut in 2007 and has stood the test of time—through more than 1000 live shows and the release of four studio albums: The Mostest, Masala Mostest, Zara Dreams, and Telelport People. Joining Pearsall (bass) and Ransom (guitar) are Dylan Bernal (drums), Patrick Ondrozeck (keys), and Seren Slade (vocals & percussion).
G Bots & The Journeymen
Greg Botsford (a.k.a. “GBots”) is a powerful vocalist and songwriter with an ear for catchy melodies. Greg is a long-time Bend, Oregon favorite who performs solo-acoustic, as an acoustic duo/trio, and with his group, The Journeymen. The band is comprised of Botsford on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Justin Lebart on bass, Jon Swift on drums, and Mark Ransom on electric guitar. Blending bits of gypsy jazz with jam-band sensibilities, the group’s first album, Astrolabos, featured Jayson Bowerman (Pitchfork Revolution) on mandolin and fiddle and Jay Lane (Primus/Dead and Co.) as co-producer. Since the addition of Ransom as a full-time member in 2018 the group’s sound has become more electrified and improvisational. Learn more at the GBots and the Journeymen website.
Andy Armer’s Groove School
Members of Groove School have come together to study the blues. This eclectic quartet explores the origins, emotion, and multiple forms of this genre—a genre which underpins the birth of American music. Groove School is led by master composer-arranger Andy Armer, whose piano chops arguably outdo his recognition in the industry as a hit-making songwriter. Many know Armer as co-writer of the song “Rise” (Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass), which topped both the jazz and pop charts in the early 1980s. Joining Armer in this ensemble is drummer Casey Smiley (COCC Big Band/Michelle Van Handle), bassist Ben Woessner (Billy and the Box Kid), and guitarist Mark Ransom (The Mostest). Click here for Groove School’s Facebook page.
Trickster: A Community Band
The culmination of a long-time collaboration between bassist Mike Beaulieu (bass) and Mark Ransom (guitars and vocals), Trickster brings together a variety of talented players and singers including Mai Hyman (banjo, dobro, electric guitar, and vocals), Wendi Wampler (clarinet), Laura Fieberg & Jen Lande (vocals), Dylan Bernal (drums) and Kent Howes (percussion and vocals). Trickster embodies large-band, dance-and-sing-along vibes and plays original music alongside familiar classics from artists like Janis Joplin, John Prine, Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Cash, The Band, and Merle Haggard (to name a few). Honoring the evolving America roots-music tradition the group offers up a blend of danceable grooves, combining folky-blues with country, classic R&B, southern rock and some jam-band sensibilities.
