Biography

After the playful rhythms of “Barnyard Funk” and a contemplative instrumental version of bluegrass gospel classic, “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map,” mandolin master Mark Stoffel is back with a straight-ahead breakdown that’s as fast and flashy as a chef’s knife in the hands of a master — and that comparison, he confesses, is no accident.

Explaining the origins of his new Mountain Home Music Company single, “Slice and Dice,” the longest-tenured member of Chris Jones’ acclaimed Night Drivers recalls that “the tune came to me at a hotel room in Raleigh during the 2022 IBMA Fan Fest, and it immediately reminded me of ….. chopping veggies! So, from one hobby chef to all my hobby chef friends out there: This tune will inspire you to slice and dice fruit and vegetables much faster and more efficiently.”

“Seriously,” Stoffel adds, “it’s a fast and fun piece and what made it so special is Marc Pruett’s driving banjo, Malia Furtado’s fiery fiddle, and the pumping bass by Marshall Wilborn.” And indeed, “Slice and Dice”’s solos offer an almost breathless feeling, while the irresistible forward motion of its rhythm section — Wilborn, drummer Tony Creasman and guitarist Josh Morrison — infuses them with still more energy.

Noted among his friends and bandmates as a skilled and enthusiastic home baker and cook, Stoffel concludes with a confidence that “Slice and Dice” justifies, “I’ll be waiting for a call from The Food Channel .”

About Mark Stoffel
Originally from Munich, Germany, Mark Stoffel spent literally decades traversing between two continents before finally settling down in Southern Illinois in 2001 with his wife Mary and his children, Finn and Oliver. Sealing his decision to make the United States his permanent home, he became a citizen in 2016.

A self-described bluegrass music “addict,” he was introduced to the music in 1979, when as a teenager, he wanted a ukulele for Christmas and was mistakenly given a mandolin instead. The flub turned into a virtue, as he parlayed a classic mandolin instructional book; occasional exposure to bluegrass through radio and concerts by touring American musicians; and accumulated experience in folk, rock and bluegrass bands into a lifelong artistic pursuit. During this time, he began to connect with American artists, helping to arrange tour dates and providing hospitality—including to the artist who would become his future employer, Chris Jones. As he spent more time in the United States, his tasteful approach to playing, growing expertise in sound engineering and supportive harmony vocal abilities earned him increased attention — first in regional acts, then with Jones’ singer/songwriter wife, Sally Jones, and finally with Jones himself, whose Night Drivers Mark joined around the time of the band’s 2009 recording, Cloud Of Dust.

Today his tasteful mandolin performances can be heard on countless recordings, including his first solo release, One-O-Five, and a string of Chris Jones and the Night Drivers projects, including Run Away Tonight (2015), Made To Move (2017) and the most recent, The Choosing Road (2019). “Mark is one of the most musical mandolin players I’ve ever played with,” says Jones. “ Mandolin players are really impressed with his playing everywhere we go.” Yet despite his passion for bluegrass, Stoffel confesses ironically that he is highly allergic to — yes, really — Kentucky Bluegrass.