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Folk counseling: LBCC's Mark Weiss sings

Ryan Henson
The Commuter

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

photo of Mark Weiss by Ryan Henson

There are two moments in Mark Weiss’s life that makes him the person he is today.

In 1964, 14 year-old Mark Weiss stood in the crowd at the Ash Grove, a legendary folk music club in his hometown of Los Angeles, and was mesmerized watching a charismatic folk musician named Blind Doc Watson finger pick piano, fiddle, and banjo songs on his guitar — something that no one had done before Watson. It was an experience that would stay with Weiss.

“I just thought, oh god, I’ve got to do something like that one day,” Weiss said.

Today, Weiss, a counselor at LBCC, is standing in front of a small crowd at the Benton Center’s Acoustic Showcase with his folk band “MC2” and is playing “Alabama Jubilee,” a song that was played by the man who gave him his musical aspirations 45 years ago. Weiss’s fingers run effortlessly up and down the neck of his guitar— the result of a whole life of practice. He has been with MC2 for nearly 25 years, playing local benefits around Corvallis—including a fundraiser to help raise the money to build the Majestic Theatre.

“MC2” band members Cliff and Cheri Pereira, both faculty members at OSU, say they are unbelievably lucky to have Weiss as a friend and fellow band mate.

“He is the real musician of the group,” Cliff Pereira said.


In addition to the “MC2” project, Weiss also plays guitar with a group of bluegrass musicians in the area. The name of the band changes before every show and is decided by the member of the band who did the booking. Also, in 1981, Weiss recorded an album of children’s songs entitled “The Moving, Counting, Rhyming, Up, Down, Left, Right, look what I got album.” Weiss is planning to re-release it in the future.

The other defining moment in Weiss’s life occurred years ago. According to Weiss, he was a college dropout and was doing nothing. One night, he attended a therapy group of a psychiatrist he had met. Those at the session agreed that Weiss should go to college to become a therapist of some sort. Weiss took their advice.

Years later, Weiss finds his work here at LBCC in the career center, helping undecided students choose their major or by helping grief stricken students cope with the trauma in their lives. Folk music is said to be the music of the people and when Weiss is at his day job he helps those people.

“I grew up in a family where there was a strong value around helping other people in the world and that was one of the greatest callings you could have was to be a service to others. As a counselor, I get to do that…it feels good.” said Weiss.

Students in Weiss’s office see a mish-mash of the two main passions in his life. A poster displaying a woody Guthrie quote shares the walls with his various licenses and diplomas. A guitar sits in the background. A pin with a treble clef and music notes shines on his vest.

“Music is the same as any art form and It is interesting about the parallels between art and counseling… It really is something that allows for great personal expression…and there is something in that personal transformative state that you go in when your playing well and really concentrating that is that is very therapeutic,” Weiss said.

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