Evolutionary Biologist Mark Erelli Turns To Music | Radio Boston http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/03/17/mark-erelli Evolutionary Biologist Mark Erelli Turns To Music By JESSICA ALPERT (@jessprk) Mar 17, 2011, 3:40 PM Mark Erelli admits that MTV was his introduction to popular music. Growing up in Reading, he quickly gravitated towards Bob Dylan and James Taylor and eventually discovered WBOS, a station that played the likes of Patty Larkin and Chris Smither. Tune after tune, the small radio station opened up a new world for Erelli. It was the first time he connected with music on a profound level and the simplicity of the voice intertwined with guitar made him believe that maybe he could make some of that music himself. And he did. After enrolling at Bates College in Maine, Erelli started playing open-mic nights and eventually worked to get major folk artists to perform on-campus. Somehow, he also managed to open for them. 1 of 3 4/21/11 11:34 AM Evolutionary Biologist Mark Erelli Turns To Music | Radio Boston http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/03/17/mark-erelli Erelli corned them after gigs and asked them for advice. “They were very generous with their time and wisdom,” he laughs. He majored in biology but couldn’t leave music behind. His undergraduate advisor convinced him that he needed a day job to fuel his music dreams and he enrolled in a master’s program in evolutionary biology at UMass Amherst. In-between labs and studying, he kept on showing up at those open-mic nights. His first major gig in the Boston-area was at Cambridge’s Club Passim — since then, he hasn’t put the guitar down. While he appreciates the grounding biology gave him, he’s proud to say that making music is now his primary occupation — not that it’s easy. He also provides childcare for his two young sons while his wife works full-time. Mark Erelli (Nancy Giroux/Courtesy) While Erelli gets a lot of support from his family, he also gets a lot of help from his music community. He’s the recipient of an Iguana Music Fund Fellowship from Club Passim. Created by an anonymous donor, the fund awards small grants between $500 and $2,000 to individual artists with an affiliation to New England. Erelli put his grant money to work by setting up a home studio in his basement. Erelli sat down with Radio Boston’s Anthony Brooks to sing a few songs and chat about his circuitous, yet successful path towards singer-songwriter. Guest: Mark Erelli, musician More: Mark Erelli at Club Passim, March 17 Other stories from this show: Crashes Highlight Commercial Busing Concerns 8 Million Disks Of Fecal Bacteria Littering Mass. Beaches Your Boston Arts Weekend: Top Picks Add New Comment Type your comment here. Image 2 of 3 4/21/11 11:34 AM Evolutionary Biologist Mark Erelli Turns To Music | Radio Boston http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/03/17/mark-erelli Showing 0 comments Post as … Sort by Newest first Subscribe by email Subscribe by RSS Real-time updating is enabled. (Pause) Reactions radioboston 1 month ago From Twitter RT @DougTribou: Terrific show by Mark Erelli at @ClubPassim in Harvard Sq. last night. Hear his @RadioBoston interview. http://is.gd/AzhLgO DougTribou 1 month ago From Twitter Terrific show by Mark Erelli at @ClubPassim in Harvard Sq. last night. Hear his @RadioBoston interview. http://is.gd /AzhLgO clubpassim 1 month ago From Twitter Tune in to WBUR today between 3 and 4 pm to listen to Passim favorite and Iguana Fund grant winner Mark Erelli!... http://fb.me/G0aV6yLA jessprk 1 month ago From Twitter Evolutionary Biologist Mark Erelli Turns to Music http://t.co/MPn91Lo via @WBUR blog comments powered by DISQUS 3 of 3 4/21/11 11:34 AM.