View source for Mark Doyon

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'''Mark W. Doyon''' (born October 4, 1962) is an American author, recording artist, and creative director.  He has led the [[indie rock]] bands Arms of Kismet, Wampeters and Waterslide, and produced tribute albums to [[Jonathan Richman]], [[Lou Reed]] and [[Warren Zevon]].  He is the founder and principal of the record label and media company Wampus Multimedia.

==Life and career==
He was born in [[Washington, D.C.]], and grew up in northern [[Virginia]]. He began recording himself using [[double tracking]] by the age of 14, and formed high school bands playing the music of [[United Kingdom|British]] bands such as the [[Beatles]], [[the Who]] and [[the Clash]].<ref name=pressbox>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Entertainment/Arms_of_Kismet_--_Alchemist_of_Postmodern_Pop_11632.html |title=Press release: ''Arms of Kismet – Alchemist of Postmodern Pop'' |access-date=June 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924081504/http://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Entertainment/Arms_of_Kismet_--_Alchemist_of_Postmodern_Pop_11632.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He studied American literature at [[The College of William & Mary]], graduating in 1985,<ref name=linkedin>[http://www.linkedin.com/in/markdoyon  Mark Doyon CV at LinkedIn.com]</ref>  before forming the [[rock music|rock band]] '''Wampeters''', with Eamon Loftus and Scott Goodrick, in 1987.<ref>[http://www.wampus.com/artists/wampeters/ Wampeters at Wampus.com]</ref>  The band took its name from [[Bokononism|a fictional religious concept]] in the [[Kurt Vonnegut]] novel ''[[Cat's Cradle]]'',<ref name="interview">[http://www.oocities.org/hiphopinterview/aok.html  Todd E. Jones, Interview with Mark Doyon, Indie Music Reviews & Interviews, January 2004]</ref> and released seven albums between 1987 and 1999.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-doyon-p338163/credits  Allmusic.com: Mark Doyon credits]</ref><ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/look-whats-left-r351259/review Joe Viglione, Review of ''Look What's Left'' at Allmusic.com]</ref><ref>[http://communication.ca/soundbytes/archives/wampeters.html Review of ''Murder Your Darlings'' at SoundBytes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813214450/http://communication.ca/soundbytes/archives/wampeters.html |date=August 13, 2011 }}</ref>  He then set up '''Arms of Kismet''' as a solo project.  Described as "indie guitar rock with a slight psychedelic side," Arms of Kismet has released five albums—''Eponymous'' (2004), ''Cutting Room Rug'' (2005), and ''Play for Affection'' (2010), all recorded with engineer [[Jon Astley]],<ref name="interview" /> and ''The Helium Age'' (2016) and ''Ballast and Bromides'' (2018). ''Cutting Room Rug'' was described at [[Allmusic]].com as "not recommended for bipolar people."<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/cutting-room-rug-r741219/review  Joe Viglione, Review of ''Cutting Room Rug'' at Allmusic.com]</ref> ''Play for Affection'' won the title of Independent Album Of The Year at the ''Daily Vault'' review site, where it was described as "playful, literate, melodic, idiosyncratic, exotically memorable and memorably exotic."<ref>[http://www.dailyvault.com/article.php5?id=257 Jason Warburg, ''The Daily Vault'', 2010: Surprise!]</ref>  The album featured vocals, piano, organ, loops, guitar and bass by Doyon, with Evan Pollack on drums and percussion.<ref>[http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=7239  Arms of Kismet press kit]</ref>
[[File:Wampus logo.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Logo of Wampus Multimedia]]
In 1989 he launched a literary magazine, ''Friction Quasi-Quarterly'', which published 18 issues until 1994.  A collection of his own short stories, ''Bonneville Stories'', was published by Pocol Press in 2001. His tragicomic debut novel, ''Deep Fried,'' was published by Wampus in 2024. <ref>[http://www.culturecartel.com/review.php?rid=10003985 Review of ''Bonneville Stories'' at CultureCartel.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708213456/http://www.culturecartel.com/review.php?rid=10003985 |date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.absintheliteraryreview.com/book_reviews/doyon.htm Review of ''Bonneville Stories'' at The Absinthe Literary Review]</ref>

In 2002 he founded the independent media company Wampus Multimedia, which has published the [[rock music|rock]] and [[folk music|folk]] recordings of his own bands and other artists, including tvfordogs, Amateur God, Cafebar 401, and Kowtow Popof.<ref name=ohmart>[http://www.gremlinuk.com/gremlin/newgremlinsite/wampus.htm Ben Ohmart, ''In Tribute: Wampus Multimedia Sings Unsung Praises'', MusicDish.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721155849/http://www.gremlinuk.com/gremlin/newgremlinsite/wampus.htm |date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref>  Doyon has also produced three various artists [[tribute album]]s: ''If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of [[Jonathan Richman]]'' (2001),<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/if-i-were-a-richman-r528301/review  Joe Viglione, Review of ''If I Were a Richman'' at Allmusic.com]</ref> ''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of [[Lou Reed]]'' (2003), and ''Hurry Home Early: the Songs of [[Warren Zevon]]'' (2005).<ref name=productions>[http://wampus.com/studio/production.html Mark Doyon studio productions]</ref>  In 2005, Wampus established the reissue imprint Foldback Records.<ref name=linear>[http://linearreflections.com/index.php?detail=611   Naomi De Bruyn, interview with Mark Doyon, November 2008, LinearReflections.com]</ref>   Doyon has also produced records for folk songwriters Casey Abrams, Alice Despard and Johnny J. Blair, and for other artists using the [[pseudonym]] "Mitch Renault."<ref name=productions />

Between 1989 and 2002 he worked as a communications and marketing director for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (NARF), and the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA).  In 2008 he was named a Vice President of BoardSource, an organization that supports non-profit organizations.  He received a master's degree in arts administration from [[Shenandoah University]] in 2009.<ref name=linkedin />

==Discography==
===Wampeters===
* ''Screen Test'' (1987)
* ''Folk Medicine'' (1989)
* ''Pagan's Nest'' (1990)
* ''Bloodline'' (1993)
* ''Look What's Left'' (1994)
* ''Hey Judas'' (1997)
* ''Murder Your Darlings'' (1999)

===Arms of Kismet===
* ''Eponymous'' (2004)
* ''Cutting Room Rug'' (2005)
* ''Play for Affection'' (2010)
* ''The Helium Age'' (2016)
* ''Ballast and Bromides'' (2018)

===Waterslide===
* ''Lincoln Signal'' (2012)
* ''Flicker EP'' (2019)
* ''Ray EP'' (2022)

===As executive producer===
* ''If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman'' (2001)
* ''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed'' (2003)
* ''Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon'' (2005)
* ''Modern Rock & Modern Folk'' (2007)
* ''Poetic Licensing'' (2010)

===As producer===
* Casey Abrams, ''Like a Mirror'' (2005)
* Simone Stevens and [[Jordan Zevon]], ''Warm Rain'' (2005)
* [[Johnny J Blair]], ''Treadmarks'' (2005)
* Alice Despard, ''Vessel'' (2005)
* Rance Wolfrey, EP (2008)
<ref name=discobibliography>[http://www.wampus.com/doyon/discobibliography.html  Discobibliography at Wampus.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721161353/http://www.wampus.com/doyon/discobibliography.html |date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=productions />

==Bibliography==
* ''Bonneville Stories'' ({{ISBN|1-929763-09-3}}) (2001, ebook 2007, audiobook 2011)
* ''Deep Fried'' ({{ISBN|979-8-9850353-4-6}}) (2024)

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.markdoyon.com/ Mark Doyon official site]
* [http://www.armsofkismet.com/ Arms of Kismet official site]
* [http://www.wampus.com/ Wampus Multimedia official site]

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[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American music industry executives]]
[[Category:College of William & Mary alumni]]