by Tim Van Schmidt
photo credit: Tim Van Schmidt
When I saw the poster for last weekend's Celebration of Life Concert for Mark Van Ark, one of NOCO's longtime blues musicians who recently passed away, I was shocked. There, above all the names of the musicians that were participating, was a photo I took of Mark back in 2006.
I'm glad my photo has survived and found some meaning so many years later. I remember the night I took the photo. Mark called me up and invited me to his gig at JJ's Lounge, located in the southwestern edge of Fort Collins. I live nearby and it was an easy decision to make.
I arrived early and Mark and I shot the breeze before starting his first set. He seemed just a little reserved at the time. But once Mark got into his set, playing in a trio format, he caught fire and when we talked in between sets, he was animated and excited. I think that all had to do with the power of the music.
My relationship with Mark began many years before that 2006 gig- back to the late 1980s, when I first started writing about NOCO music for the local newspapers. That was when the coin of the realm for local musicians was cassettes. Mark was one of the first musicians in the area to make the jump from cassette to CDs- and with every step of the way, Mark kept me in the loop.
Over multiple interviews and articles over the years, I learned that Mark was a true road warrior- jumping on a train with his guitar to play gigs wherever he could. And he was a natural-born musician. He was dedicated to his art and not much could get in the way of that. And- as the long list of musicians playing at his Celebration of Life event testifies to- he was an essential player in the NOCO music scene.
The last time I photographed Mark was just an accident. It was 2014 and I was breezing through Old Town Square. And there was Mark, playing one of the free pianos in downtown. We talked for quite a while that afternoon and when it was time for me to move on, I took a few frames and Mark went back to playing for whoever would listen.
That's the true mark of a real musician- they just have to play no matter what. Mark was one of them.
Photo credit: Tim Van Schmidt