BIO…

The Ram is an American indie songwriter from Carlsbad, California. His nickname came from local surfers and serves as the recording and performing stage name moniker of Mark Thornton ODonnell (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, sound engineer, producer). His influences are described as classic rock, country blues, folk, Americana, roots, rhythm & blues, hip hop, and old-school Philly soul. He’s self-released 1 solo album (2020), 3 singles (2021), and a 6 song EP ( New Years Eve 2021).

He began as a visual artist and music naturally progressed. He collaborates with the local music, film, tech, and performance community. His music is more akin to theater, so artists like Beck, Tom Waits, the Grateful Dead, and Neil Young, are huge inspirations. The Robert Hunter quote that compares songwriting to capturing and releasing a wild animal may shed light on why the artists chose the Ram as a stage name.

All songs are written, produced, and tracked by the Ram in his home studio, inviting local musicians and sound engineers to collaborate when and where the song demands it. Musicians like David Ondrick, Marco Savoia, Dean Smith, Mike Pritchard, Jay Phillips, Mike Hunt, and Daniel Nielsen have contributed to releases, along with seasoned engineers like James Page, Lee Knight, Mike Butler, and Bill Skibbe. 

In my own words…

“The human voice needs little more than itself to evoke emotion. As a singer, one has to be a student of music history. You need to be able to trace contemporary storytelling back through to the early oral tradition. You need to be able to see the seeds in cinema and theater, which came from the rich history of jazz and classical music. Anything that has a groove, is gold to a singer. Even now, I’m just starting to understand how to use my voice.”

The art we make needs to mean something.  I try to better understand the world around me by making soulful originals that mix Americana, Country & Blues.  Performing live, maintaining a connection to the creative process & geeking out to tech and recording is what I live for.  I spent my youth in rural Pennsylvania and where New York borders Vermont.  I took up figural drawing & painting at a young age and earned two visual arts degrees which bookmarked my time in living in NYC being an artist/playing jazz.

My writing process leverages notebooks, film, photography, and the mobile devices for getting ideas hashed out on paper and in demos.  Once the ideas are mature enough, I’ll mix them into a demo using Logic Pro.  Typically I’ll play everything except the drums, then later hand select the accompanying musicians for live shows or recording sessions.

The cast is always changing.  Each time an original song is played it’s different.