In this episode of 'Exposition: An Arts and Culture Podcast', we speak with Mark Stoffel, a bluegrass musician, about his performance with Shad Cobb, his collaborator. He previews their show at Old Town Cape's 'Tunes at Twilight', at Ivers Square Gazebo, in Downtown Cape Girardeau. Their performance is on Friday, June 5th, at 7 p.m. The rain-out location is Gospel Life Church, 817 Broadway St. in Cape Girardeau.
Mark, originally from Germany, shares how he was introduced to Bluegrass music in the United States and later formed a group, Shady Mix. It was formed in 1989 in Carbondale, Illinois, when, one evening, German native Mark Stoffel and musical partner Wil Maring received a call from a music club on the shores of the Mississippi River in nearby Missouri, asking them to play regularly.
The original 'Shady Mixers', in addition to Wil and Mark, included Kelley Sims on lead guitar and vocals and Geoff Maring on standup bass. Doug Knecht came from Peoria, Illinois, to play banjo at many of the shows.
A note on Bear Family Records' website says, "from humble beginnings as the house bluegrass band of Port Cape, 'Shady Mix' moved on to perform at regional music festivals and on local radio and television stations, soon becoming one of the most well-known bluegrass groups in their area".
Their first CD, "Made in the Shade", was released in late 1991 with the original members. In 1992, Shady Mix toured Europe for the first time to play before enthusiastic audiences.
