Mark Zolezzi is a singer/songwriter & musician committed to fostering culture and community through live and recorded music. A multi-instrumentalist who grew up playing music, his heartfelt and guitar-centered songs are descendants of the folk rock and garage bands of the 1960s and 70s. He has performed in numerous venues and festivals: The Poetry in Parks program at the historic El Presidio State Park in Santa Barbara, CA; in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Public Library’s mobile branch; alongside community poets at Typewriter Poetry on State Street; The Goleta Lemon Festival; South by Southwest in Austin, Texas; and the Miami Book Fair, among many others. He has released albums with 3Z Records, Ant Lunch Musick and Hotown Records as The Kaptain and with bands such as The Gruntled, Baby Robots, Secret Me and Mr. Entertainment & the Pookiesmackers. Mark has also helped produce the Mission Poetry Series for 11 years in Santa Barbara. He has served as a community radio deejay at KCSB-91.9 FM with his program Sonic Zoo, an eclectic mix of singer/songwriters & psychedelic garage bands. Currently, you can find him solo busking on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara under his band moniker, The Gruntled. His current project, “Off Garden Street,” is developing as an analog recording of songs devoted to social justice and California’s landscapes and people. Listen to his original music at thegruntled.bandcamp.com