Sono Oto's History: the abridged version

Sono Oto's consistent member is Mark Phillips. Phillips has recently finished the Apple EP, a 6-song album about the most delicious fruit in the world. When asked why he made an album about apples Mark says, "I live in the 'big apple,' I use an apple computer, when I was a little kid the only liquid I drank was apple juice, and apples were huge part of American Frontier history." When pressed for a less pretentious answer he says, "Well, I wrote the song 'Pink Lady' [a variety of apple] because I liked the name, and then I wrote Northern Spy [another variety], and the others just kinda happened."
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Mark Henry Phillips was born on Sept 13, 1981 in Columbus, OH. He was almost called Hank after his deceased great-grandmother Helen, but instead was named after Captain Mark Phillips, master equestrian and member of British royalty. Mark began piano lessons with Lucy Chu at the budding age of 6. The versatile Chu taught Chinese cooking classes, sold her own line of very sharp knives and gave group piano lessons. Mark showed mild interest and talent but mostly enjoyed the briefcase he received to carry his various music books.

Six years later all that remained from the piano lessons was that briefcase which Mark now used to store pages cut out from Victoria's Secret catalogs. But that summer he made a mix tape taking a few songs from each of his dad's Beatles albums and he listened to it over and over while doing minor landscaping work on his grandparents' hilly lawn. By the end of the summer, at the age of 12, he bought his first guitar.

Though he wanted to play nothing but Beatles songs, he found them quite difficult and instead learned easier songs like "Big Gun" by AC/DC from "The Last Action Hero." By the age of 14 he could play many tunes by the Beatles and he bought a 4-track to imitate the songs with more psychedelic arrangements - his favorites of course.

After a couple bands, a couple solo albums and graduating high school early, Phillips moved to New York City in 1999. He immediately squeezed into various bands like Williamsburg noise-rock outfit Ghost Car Conductor. Mark continues to collaborate with various projects like the electronic musician Build Buildings and the folky Elvis Perkins.

In early 2004 Mark took some 4-track recordings into a studio with some friends like Brigham Brough and Nick Kinsey (of Elvis Perkins in Dearland), Anthony Pirog and Sam Champion's Jack Dolgen. The resulting album would be named I'm in August till July and was followed by tour in 2004 that brought Sono Oto to 12 cities. Highlights in Montreal, New York, and D.C. showed off the band's jazzy and psychedelic interpretation of their catchy pop tunes.

For the Apple E.P. Phillips begged Kinsey and Brough to step into the studio during a brief break of touring with Elvis Perkins, and the three headed upstate a ways to the Clubhouse. Phillips is already at work on another album about non-fruit. He works on music, scores films, and does public radio things from his Brooklyn studio/bachelor pad. He spends many hours alone so please contact him so he feels less lonely.