An experienced guitarist, well-versed in a variety of styles & comfortable both on stage & in the studio, Marcus Rezak began playing guitar at the age of twelve. Initially influenced by progressive rock, upon reaching high school he was exposed to jazz through the school's jazz band, & began jamming with friends, experimenting with improvisational styles, & soaking in as much music listening as possible. After playing his first real gig at the Heartland Café, Marcus understood that music is his calling.
During his tenure at the Berklee College of Music, Marcus found himself enjoying the tutelage of John Thomas, Mark White, Bruce Saunders, & Norman Zocher, all highly respected jazz musicians. He's performed with Greg Rzab (Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Allman Brothers), Ray White (Frank Zappa), Joel Cummins (Umphrey’s McGee), and Tea Leaf Green, as well as having opened for Oteil Burbridge, U-Melt, & Fareed Haque.
After graduating the Berklee College of Music cum laude, Marcus returned to Chicago to pursue musical opportunities that had been offered to him with 56 Hope Road, John Wasem, and his own group, The Hue. He has since toured nationally with 56 Hope Road, and has cut albums with a variety of groups.
Marcus primarily plays a PRS Hollowbody II or a Fender Telecaster Highway One through either a Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier 1X12 or a Peavey Classic 30 with a Celestion speaker. For jazz, he uses either a Stromberg Montruex Custom model or a Gibson Tal Farlow Custom model. And, like many modern guitarists, Marcus is a big fan of effects, as evidenced by his pedal board:
Top Ten Albums:
- Wayne Krantz — Long To Be Loose
- Phish — Junta, Rift, & Picture of Nectar
- John Scofield — Still Warm
- Weather Report — 8:30
- Jaco Pastorius — Jaco
- Grateful Dead — American Beauty
- McCoy Tyner — The Real McCoy
- Aphex Twin — Come To Daddy
- Don Ross — Passion Sessions
- Jimi Hendrix — Are You Experienced