Band OverviewBand Overview
Based in Philadelphia and Bucks County Pennsylvania, The Kharmacists are the latest musical incarnation of four musicians who began playing together in the mid-1980s as the second generation of the Tough Luck Band. With inspirational roots in American blues, funk, swing, jazz, folk and classic rock, the result is an eclectic mix of original high-energy, syncopated, introspective and soulful songs. Unabashed and unapologetic, The Kharmacists seek to express musically their social views, personal emotions and generally distorted view of reality. When their disparate worlds collide on stage, studio or Wawa parking lot, the result is an unpredictable but thoroughly enjoyable musical odyssey.
Mark Furman - Guitars
The Kharmacists derive much of their musical energy from Mark Furman, the awe-inspiring guitarist whose talent has earned him notoriety in Philadelphia and beyond. Nuclear powered and classically trained on piano, Mark turned to guitar playing at a early age as a means to express his improvisational talents. Mark formed the Tough Luck Band back in 1982, and focused on blues and early soul music, re-energized with hot guitar licks and aggressive percussion. In 1990, Mark later joined the Cross Sharp Harp Blues Review, and enjoyed a successful run of local and regional gigs as well as several album releases. Forming the Mark Furman Band in 1995, Mark took to front stage, providing a mix of high-energy blues and funk originals mixed with tasty arrangements of classic rock tunes. Mark frequently joins Philadelphia music veterans such as The Sister Blue Band on regular gigs in the area.
Frank Weiss - Drums, Congas,
Percussion and Vocals
Frank Weiss provides the rhythmical base of The Kharmacists. Classically trained in orchestral percussion, mallet percussion and jazz drumming, Frank derives his musical inspiration from a host of great jazz and swing drummers, as well as modern day marvels such as Dave Mattacks and Jim Keltner . As a result of a two-man gig with Mark Furman at a Drexel University fraternity eviction party in the summer of 1984, their powerful rhythmical synergy and counterpart playing formed the roots of the Tough Luck Band through the Fall of 1988. After leaving the Philadelphia area, Frank joined Live Bait in 1989, a State College PA based R&B band that enjoyed regional success in the then-active college club band circuit. Frank remained in musical contact with his former Tough Luck Colleagues, playing drums on the 1992 Libido Conscious release No Do. In 2004, Frank returned to the Philadelphia area to periodically support The Mark Furman Band and devote his musical efforts to the Kharmacists.
John Bishop - Bass Guitar and Vocals
John Bishop, leader of the early 1980's Skoal Brothers Plus Sid, joined the Tough Luck Band in the summer of 1985. Classically trained on trombone, John honed his acoustic and bass guitar skills in the mid 1980s. John also took the front stage position of the Tough Luck Band, lending his vocal talents to the show. John later supported The Sister Blue Band and the Mark Furman Band with both bass guitar playing and songwriting, and joined vocalist Doug Placek in Triple Play, a regional cover band. Together with Doug Placek, John has always been the passionate influence that continues to get this group into the recording studio. From the first Skoal Brothers Plus Sid sessions in 1981 through several Mark Furman Band, Sister Blue and Kharmacists sessions of today, John has lent his creative energy to find sounds that no one else can hear, resulting in a level of finished quality that stands out.
Doug Placek - Vocals and Percussion
Doug Placek, former lead singer of the Philadelphia-based Mantis, joined the Tough Luck Band in the Summer of 1986, after a Drexel University fraternity gig sit-in session. Doug brought his vocal talents and front-stage passion to the band and expanded the musical catalog to include classic blues-rock arrangements. In the 1990s, Doug formed Triple Play with bassist John Bishop. Doug initiated the musical reunion that would later become the Kharmacists, where Doug lent his strong song-writing, experimental percussion and impeccable production talents to the mix. No album credits can do justice to Doug's ability to generated percussive tones from bizarre inanimate objects.