Marko 72
Encyclopedia
Marko DeSantis is a music professional best known as the lead guitarist for American modern rock band Sugarcult
; he grew up in Santa Barbara, California.
With Sugarcult he has made 3 studio records, 2 DVDs, 1 live record, and toured internationally since 2001. Sugarcult have headlined tours, played many notable festivals (Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, Summersonic, Warped Tour, Voodoo Fest, Soundwaves, etc.), and were the opening act on Green Day
’s “American Idiot” USA/Japan tours, and Blink 182’s final tour before reforming to name a few. Tim Pagnotta asked him to join Sugarcult after meeting him at a Superdrag
concert in 1999.
Currently, each member of Sugarcult is involved with other projects: bassist Airin with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Pagnotta produced the major label debut by Neon Trees
and drummer Kenny Livingston bikes across America for charity www.kennydoit.org and started Americana band Good Man Down.
DeSantis has had two side-projects with Lagwagon singer Joey Cape
; Bad Astronaut
and The Playing Favorites
whose debut release "I Remember When I was Pretty..." features Marko singing lead vocals on 2 tracks he wrote ("Futuring" and "Whole Lotta Nothin"). He has also played in Nerf Herder
, Swingin' Utters, The Lapdancers, The Ataris
, Popsicko, Lost Kittenz.
Bad Astronaut
recently did a Southern California tour (their first ever live performances as a band); now, the band plans to occasional play live in different territories worldwide.
He has used various guitar
s on Sugarcult's records, but his main instrument is an Epiphone Elitist '65 Dot ES-335 guitar. He uses Bogner Shiva Amplifiers.
As a DJ, DeSantis has performed at special events, parties and nightclubs in Japan, Russia, New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Salt Lake City, Austin (at SXSW), St. Louis and more. In the late 1990s he produced and hosted a weekly specialty show on Santa Barbara modern rock station KJEE FM. In the summer of 2009 he became the host/producer of weekly internet music television show Raw Rhythms on http://www.thestream.tv showcasing upcoming bands. He currently hosts a weekly radio show called Endless Party! on Moheak Radio.
As an educator/mentor, DeSantis has appeared as a guest speaker/panelist at several music conventions and academic programs: SXSW, MI (Musician's Institute), Taxi, Citrus College, Kenshu (Japanese exchange), and Rock Shop Academy. In the summer of 2009, he was the director of the Washington DC branch of the rock fantasy camp for teens called Power Chord Academy; returning in the summer of 2010 as the director for PCA's Chicago, IL sessions.
As a writer, DeSantis contributes to various print and online publications such as Punk Rock Confidential Magazine, Substream and The Independent; he also contributes a regular column called "Can You Hear Me Now?" to the UK
independent rock magazine, Black Velvet. He has recently blogged for OC Weekly and Clear Channel's Modern Rock Station 98.7FM Los Angeles.
Marko DeSantis lives in Los Angeles, California.
Sugarcult
Sugarcult is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California formed in 1998. The band currently consists of Tim Pagnotta , Airin Older , Marko DeSantis , and Kenny Livingston .-Formation :Tim Pagnotta met ex-drummer Ben Davis during a cigarette break at school...
; he grew up in Santa Barbara, California.
With Sugarcult he has made 3 studio records, 2 DVDs, 1 live record, and toured internationally since 2001. Sugarcult have headlined tours, played many notable festivals (Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, Summersonic, Warped Tour, Voodoo Fest, Soundwaves, etc.), and were the opening act on Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
’s “American Idiot” USA/Japan tours, and Blink 182’s final tour before reforming to name a few. Tim Pagnotta asked him to join Sugarcult after meeting him at a Superdrag
Superdrag
Superdrag is an alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band had a hit with its 1996 single "Sucked Out" off their album Regretfully Yours, for which a video clip was broadcast regularly on MTV...
concert in 1999.
Currently, each member of Sugarcult is involved with other projects: bassist Airin with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Pagnotta produced the major label debut by Neon Trees
Neon Trees
Neon Trees is an American alternative rock band from Provo, Utah, with origins in Murrieta, California. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the rock band The Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records and...
and drummer Kenny Livingston bikes across America for charity www.kennydoit.org and started Americana band Good Man Down.
DeSantis has had two side-projects with Lagwagon singer Joey Cape
Joey Cape
Randal "Joey" Cape is an American singer, songwriter and producer. Active since 1989, Cape is best known as the frontman of the seminal California punk rock band Lagwagon....
; Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut is an American indie/punk rock band founded in 2000 by Joey Cape, singer from Lagwagon. In Bad Astronaut, Joey Cape explores a new style of pop, with lyrics often about deep and intricate personal matters....
and The Playing Favorites
The Playing Favorites
The Playing Favorites is an American indie rock band, working as a side project of several punk rock band members. The band members are Joey Cape , Luke Tierney , Tim Cullen , Marko DeSantis and Mick Flowers...
whose debut release "I Remember When I was Pretty..." features Marko singing lead vocals on 2 tracks he wrote ("Futuring" and "Whole Lotta Nothin"). He has also played in Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder is a punk rock band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp , Charlie Dennis and Steve Sherlock . They describe themselves as a "geek rock" band, and are known for simplistic modern punk-style songs with frequently humorous, juvenile and pop-culture-referencing lyrics...
, Swingin' Utters, The Lapdancers, The Ataris
The Ataris
The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"...
, Popsicko, Lost Kittenz.
Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut is an American indie/punk rock band founded in 2000 by Joey Cape, singer from Lagwagon. In Bad Astronaut, Joey Cape explores a new style of pop, with lyrics often about deep and intricate personal matters....
recently did a Southern California tour (their first ever live performances as a band); now, the band plans to occasional play live in different territories worldwide.
He has used various guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s on Sugarcult's records, but his main instrument is an Epiphone Elitist '65 Dot ES-335 guitar. He uses Bogner Shiva Amplifiers.
As a DJ, DeSantis has performed at special events, parties and nightclubs in Japan, Russia, New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Salt Lake City, Austin (at SXSW), St. Louis and more. In the late 1990s he produced and hosted a weekly specialty show on Santa Barbara modern rock station KJEE FM. In the summer of 2009 he became the host/producer of weekly internet music television show Raw Rhythms on http://www.thestream.tv showcasing upcoming bands. He currently hosts a weekly radio show called Endless Party! on Moheak Radio.
As an educator/mentor, DeSantis has appeared as a guest speaker/panelist at several music conventions and academic programs: SXSW, MI (Musician's Institute), Taxi, Citrus College, Kenshu (Japanese exchange), and Rock Shop Academy. In the summer of 2009, he was the director of the Washington DC branch of the rock fantasy camp for teens called Power Chord Academy; returning in the summer of 2010 as the director for PCA's Chicago, IL sessions.
As a writer, DeSantis contributes to various print and online publications such as Punk Rock Confidential Magazine, Substream and The Independent; he also contributes a regular column called "Can You Hear Me Now?" to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent rock magazine, Black Velvet. He has recently blogged for OC Weekly and Clear Channel's Modern Rock Station 98.7FM Los Angeles.
Marko DeSantis lives in Los Angeles, California.