Full Name: Mark Christopher Slater
( Not Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch or A.C. Slater, lol )
Born: October 13, 1977 in Leeds , England
Grew Up: Chatham , ON
High School: C.K.S.S ( Go Hawks )
Moved to Canada when I was 2 years old (not on a boat) and became a Canadian Citizen when I was in grade 3. And in the words of Loverboy (Canadian), lovin every minute of it!!!! EH!!!!
Music is my salvation!
I've been playing drums since I was 15 years old (thanks mom for allowing the racket), and did my first live gig in a band called Divided Loyalties @ The Aberdeen in Chatham when I was 18. Scary place, but it was a dream come true. It put my focus and drive into wanting to pursue music in my life a reality. Any musician will tell you that there is nothing like the feeling of being on stage, it actually becomes an addiction.you just can't get enough of it! In the words of Billy Joel "why waste you time in life doing something you don't love". And that's why I do what I do today! The feeling of giving an individual, or a couple, or a group of friends an unwinding escape from the everyday through music, really is more of an honour to help contribute to that! So to anyone who has seen us play and have thanked us or commented on having a good time with us, I just want to say thank you back for enjoying what makes my dream a reality!!!
The name "JAM"
Not sure why I got the nickname "Jam", but it is one thing that always makes me laugh when we are asked "who's toast and who's jam"? Just seems like 98% of the people who ask put me in that spot, so that's really my claim to the name. It really sticks even after we reveal the actual secret behind the name Toast and Jam, but if you don't know what that is, then you will have to come check us out at a show near you! Find out why toast and jam in NOT just for breakfast anymore, LOL!
Fun Facts
I find one of the hardest questions that I'm asked is "what is your favourite song to play or to listen to, or artist"? So hard when you are a musician to break that down because they all, in someway or another, offer so many different things, its really hard to pick a favourite. So I made a list of my top 10 ( in no specific order ) of favourite songs to listen to, to play, musicians and bands. But really the list is only a very small fraction of what it could be, but here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Drummers
| Bands: | Individuals: |
|---|---|
| Rush | Phil Collins |
| Barenaked Ladies | Michael Jackson |
| Fleetwood Mac | Elton John |
| Pink Floyd | Billy Joel |
| Blue Rodeo | Madonna |
| Our Lady Peace | Don Henley |
| Collective Soul | Bryan Adams |
| The Police | David Gilmore |
| Huey Lewis & The News | Sammy Hagar |
| The Beatles | Sting |
| Songs (Not played by us) : | Favourites to Play: |
| Take the long way home ( Supertramp ) | Changes ( David Bowie ) |
| One Night Love Affair ( Bryan Adams ) | Brian Wilson ( Barenaked Ladies ) |
| Nothin But a Good Time (Poison ) | Here For a Good Time ( Trooper ) |
| Innocent ( Our Lady Peace ) | Black Water ( The Doobie Brothers ) |
| Spirit of Radio ( Rush ) | Only the Good Die Young ( Billy Joel ) |
| Panama ( Van Halen ) | Walking In Memphis ( Marc Cohen ) |
| Take Me Home ( Phil Collins ) | Lonely Ol’ Night ( John Mellencamp ) |
| Forever Young ( Rod Stewart ) | Mrs. Robinson ( Simon & Garfunkle ) |
| Thriller ( Michael Jackson ) | Have You Seen The Rain ( C. C. R. ) |
| Hungry Like A Wolf ( Duran Duran ) | 3 AM ( Matchbox 20 ) |
Goofy Favourites:
Here are some band names that sit close to my heart, as they are the bands that I've been part of over the years with some really great musicians and talent.
Toast and Jam ( our plan is to play any request... even if we don't know it )
