Boston area singer-songwriter Mark Stepakoff is widely admired on the local folk and roots music scene for his trademark mix of wry humorous material and poignant ballads, in the vein of songwriters such as Loudon Wainwright III and John Prine, to whom he has often been compared. He has won numerous songwriting awards and his songs have reached as high as Number 3 on the national folk radio airplay chart.
Mark performs frequently in the Boston area. He has headlined on a number of occasions at Cambridge's legendary Club Passim, and has also headlined or been featured at (among many other venues) Johnny D's, the Burren, Tupelo Music Hall, Nashville's Bluebird Cafe and Listening Room, and the Center for Arts in Natick, where he hosts the monthly folk open mike. Mark has appeared on WCVB/Channel 5's "Chronicle" program and New England Cable News' "Coffeehouse" program, and his music has been featured in the HBO series "Made For Love", the Netflix series "Bodkin", and the motion picture "Americana" starring Sydney Sweeney and Halsey. Among the artists he has opened for are Bill Morrissey, Steve Forbert, Buskin & Batteau, Christine Lavin, Cheryl Wheeler, Don White, Kevin So, Geoff Bartley, Claudia Schmidt, Susie Burke & David Surrette, and the James Montgomery Band.
Awards:
-- Falcon Ridge Folk Festival: Emerging Artist selection
-- American Songwriter Magazine: Thirteen-time award winner, including 1st Prize (twice), 2nd Prize, and "lyric spotlight" feature.
-- USA Songwriting Competition: First Prize, seventeen-time finalist, Honorable Mention.
-- Great American Song Contest: Five-time 1st Prize winner, twenty-one time top 5 winner, twenty-two time finalist. Only songwriter to win 1st Prize for lyrics four times.
-- John Lennon Songwriting Contest: Honorable Mention (Folk Music category)
-- Connecticut Folk Festival Songwriting Competition: Finalist
-- Telluride Troubadour Competition: Honorable Mention
-- Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase: Three-time Honorable Mention
-- Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition: Finalist
-- New England Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA): Folk-DJ Showcase Selection
-- International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA): Finalist (Folk/Americana/Roots category)
-- Nashville Songwriters Association International Song Contest: Runner-up; Honorable Mention
-- Smoky Mountains Songwriting Festival Songwriting Contest: Two First Prizes (Folk and Lyrics categories); also Honorable Mention
-- New Orleans Songwriters Festival Songwriting Contest: First Prize
-- Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge: Winner (also Finalist)
-- Linden Tree Coffeehouse Potpourri: Top 3 Audience Selection
-- New England Songwriting Competition: Two 1st Prizes (Country & Blues categories); Judge's Award
-- Metronome Magazine: One of Boston's top 20 musical artists -- 2018
-- Great Lakes Songwriting Contest: Two-time Top Ten Selection; also Honorable Mention
-- Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest: Honorable Mention (Folk category)
-- International Songwriting Competition: Five-time Semi-Finalist
-- UK Songwriting Contest: Finalist, Three-time Semi-Finalist (Acoustic & Folk Category)
-- Australian Songwriting Contest: Semi-Finalist
-- Tennessee Song Contest: Runner-Up
-- Dallas Songwriters Association: 3rd Prize, Four-time Semi-Finalist (Folk/Americana category)
-- Plowshares Songwriting Contest: Finalist
-- WUMB's "To Kill A Mockingbird" songwriting contest (honoring songs inspired by the Harper Lee novel): 2nd Prize. Song included on WUMB-released CD compilation featuring Mockingbird inspired songs by artists including Brooks Williams, Kate Campbell, Chris Smither, Vance Gilbert, Erin McKeown and Pete Kennedy.
-- Great Waters Folk Festival Songwriting Contest: Alternate Finalist
-- West Coast Songwriters Songwriting Contest: 2 Honorable Mentions (Folk and General categories)
-- New Release of the Week - "The Philly Folk Scene", WPPM (9-12-24)
-- Album of The Month (September 2013) - Colin Fielding, Folk & Roots, 3INR, Melbourne, AUS
-- WMBR's Lost Highway's Song of the Week 10-18-08 (selected by listeners of the long-running roots music program)