AboutMark Lavengood
Dobro player, songwriter, bandleader, producer — and one of roots music's most called-upon sidemen. Out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Mark won the dobro competition at RockyGrass in 2012 and has carried the resonator guitar to Celtic Connections, Telluride Bluegrass, IBMA's World of Bluegrass, Wheatland, Blissfest and a long list of folk and roots festivals since. Closer to home, he has played the Van Andel Arena stage alongside Billy Strings.
Sideman for the stars
Mark spent seven years on the road playing dobro with Lindsay Lou (formerly Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys), and he has been the guy other bands call ever since. He has sat in and recorded with Billy Strings and Lindsay Lou, and shared stages with Amy Helm, the Infamous Stringdusters, Anders Osborne, the Kitchen Dwellers, Greensky Bluegrass, Trout Steak Revival and Johnny Irion, among others. He learns the material on the drive in and makes the room feel bigger.
The Mark Lavengood Band
Mark on dobro and vocals, Dutcher Snedeker on keys, Justin Avdek on bass, Loren Kranz on drums. Upbeat, high-energy sets built on good songs, tight instrumentalism and tighter harmonies — festival main stages, listening rooms, PACs and private events. The band is booking 2027 now.
The Bear Den and Bear Mark Productions
Mark built The Bear Den out of an outbuilding on his homestead in West Michigan. Under his own banner, Bear Mark Productions, he produces his own music and records and produces other artists — tracking, production, remote dobro sessions, and custom songs and cues for film, television and advertising. Days in the studio, nights at a gig, and more often than not back in the studio after the show.
Teaching, festivals and the rest
Mark teaches dobro at musicwithmark.com, from first-note beginner through advanced. He co-founded the Smiling Acres Music Festival and now serves as its Ambassador, does artist-at-large work for FestivALL, and a few times a year fronts Prine Time, a John Prine tribute that has held an audience for a decade.
Due to his lovable nature, boundless optimism and warm embrace, Mark picked up the nickname "Huggy Bear" early in his career. Upon meeting him, one understands why.
"Mark Lavengood is truly a treasure in our lives and his music and positivity shine through the darkness like no other. A great songwriter and a master on the dobro, I am honored to call him my friend."
— Billy Strings