Get to Know Mark Lanoue’s Inspirational Story and Amazing Music

Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?

My name is Mark Allen Lanoue, born 6666 in Elizabeth New Jersey. I am a musician, entertainer, scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, PhD candidate, instructor, and family man. I am a Voting member for the Recording Academy and a regular in the Grammys over the past 3 years.

I am the co-founder of the bands Fiction Syxx and Kick The Wicked, and the indie record label Gemini Rising Records. I am an inductee to the NASA “Space Technology Hall of Fame” and inventor of high technology that has been used worldwide and was on manifest for the International Space Station. I have been a writing, recording and touring artist for over 30 years and have been on releases with Rock Stars from the 80’s to the present.

My musical journey began when I was 13 via my picking up the Tenor Saxophone. After being part of a nationally recognized marching, concert, and Jazz band; I picked up the guitar when I was 17. My passion, on my quest to stardom, started there.

In the 80’s, I began recording with musicians from Volcano Management/Atlantic Records and frequented the clubs throughout the NJ, NY, and tri state area with several bands. I ended up in the same circles and management of bands like Bon Jovi, Heaven, Kiss, Trixter, and many others. I have recorded with members of those circles via the bands Message, BILOXI, and Chasing Karma.

In 1988, I finished up at Musicians Institute in Hollywood California and headed back to New Jersey. While in LA, I had the pleasure of recording with a member of Frank Zappa’s live band, which was an awesome experience. I returned to New Jersey where my band Portrait recorded with the vocalist from the Mercy/Message with Richie Sambora, Prophet, and Vinnie Moore, Dean Fasano (RIP). I wrote and recorded two songs with that band and Dean in Elmwood Park NJ. One of those songs ended up as the title track for the 1998 album by Message called FINE LINE that was released on Escape Music, Ltd. Record Label. Dean and I would work together over the years. He worked with me on the BILOXI III “In the Wake of the Storm” that I recorded before my performance with BILOXI at ROCKLAHOMA 2008. That same record brought another close New Jersey friend, Bruce Stephen Foster, who played on the first KISS album and has written with Richie Sambora on songs on all three of Richie’s solo albums. Bruce played keys on my BILOXI release in 2007 and Chasing Karma release in 2011. The BILOXI album was finished, after a brief delay that was caused by the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I was living on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi at that time and had a house to rebuild. Kind of hard to record an album, when living in a FEMA trailer. But I must get back to the timeline.

In 1991, I was asked to sit in for a really excellent guitarist for a band called Societies Child. They were parting ways with the guitarist and they were having a time finding someone that could play his parts and perform at their upcoming festival gig in Louisiana. So I accepted. I was supposed to sit in on a couple of songs for them to introduce me as their new guitarist. Well, a disagreement arouse and I was told that, after a month of rehearsal, I was the guitarist for the entire night. LOL … Thrown into the fire of improve. That is where I met my now FICTION SYXX drummer, Rory Faciane.

In 1992, I headed to Orlando Florida where I joined a band with the former vocalist for the bands , The Geezer Butler Band (Black Sabbath Bassist), GHOST with Paul Chapman of UFO & Waysted fame, and Persian Risk with Phil Campbell of Motorhead fame. The band was named PERSIAN RISK (USA). I wrote, recorded and toured with Persian Risk from 1992-1995. We showcased with Atlantic Records, Chrysalis, SBK, and Sony International. The band would later fall victim to bad management. While I was a part of the band, I started taking vocal lessons with Ron Feldman (RIP) who taught talent like Jani Lane (Warrant) and a couple of the Back Street Boys, as well as many others in the industry. Ron helped me to find my voice and step out from behind the guitar to lay the ground work for my career since then.

I would return to Mississippi with my then girlfriend, now wife, Lisa. Although, I stayed in Music in the backgroud; I started to focus on Family and Schooling. We started a family, which we now have 3 wonderful Children and a beautiful grandson. I started college and was then referred to NASA where I was for 9 years.

In 2005, I was inducted to the NASA “Space Technology Hall of Fame” for my part as an inventor of a technology that I spun out into the international market via the NASA Spin-off program. I found myself as a CEO/CTO that was traveling the world.

In 2002, I joined the band BILOXI that had 2 albums and was known for some MTV and MTV Japan fame for their remake of Mountain’s Mississippi Queen. Shortly after joining, the band signed to a large international label, MTM International. The band TNT had signed to them shortly after BILOXI. In 2005, hurricane Katrina hit and destroyed the Mississippi Gulf Coast and our studio. Our rehearsal hall survived. We started recording the 3 album again in 2006. I was the lead guitarist for BILOXI and backed up the then vocalist Clyde Holly. Clyde passed away in Sept. 2006, while we were about to move into recording vocals. We decided to finish the album with me singing and pay tribute to our fallen member. That album would become BILOXI III “In the Wake of the Storm”. We supported the album at ROCKLAHOMA 2008 under the record label Retrospect Records.

After the show, we changed our name to Chasing Karma and began writing and recording the album COSMOCRACY. While with Chasing Karma, we were on the bill for the WCPR fest with Halestorm, Chavele, Evanescence, and CAVO. We then split ways and I started the band FICTION SYXX with JK Northrup (King Kobra/XYZ) and Rory Faciane (BILOXI/Society’s Child). We were joined by Eric Ragno (The Babys/Joe Lynne Turner) and Tony “The Fretless Monster” Franklin (THE FIRM (with Jimmy Page & Paul Rogers)/Blue Murder (with Carmine Appice & John Sykes (Whitesnake)).

Fiction syxx released our debut, ‘Tall Dark Secrets’, with guest appearances by Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Jimi Bell (Autograph/House of Lords), Carl Sentance (Nazareth/Don Airey Band/Geezer Butler Band), Lee Small (Shy/Lionheart/The Sweet), And many others.

In 2018, Fiction Syxx, had one member change. Tony Franklin was replaced by Larry Hart (Montrose/King Kobra). We then commenced in writing and recording our second album, The Alternate Me’.

In 2021, we released our 3rd album, ‘Ghost of My Fathers Past’. All of our releases are available worldwide both in physical and digital format.

In 2020, at the beginning of the lock downs, I was asked to join some other musicians to create tributes to many of the greats from the 1970’s to present. That ended up turning into over 40 tributes and with guests like Ronny Munroe (x-Metal Church), Lyia Meta, Mark Smith (Change to Eden), and Kitt Wakeley (Saints & Sinners). This tribute group spawned a new band called ‘Kick The Wicked’ (KTW). We have released the first single and we are working on an EP that we plan to submit for Grammy contention next year.

In recent years, I joined the staff of the University of Arkansas in working with students and departments to improve the music and entertainment industry. We are working on several angles related to digital technology, protection and equity, and analytics. It has been really great working with these groups and individuals. We just made an appearance at the recent SXSW conference. In line with the educational component and giving back, I am mentoring an awesome young pop artist from Belmont University. Her name is Olivia Webb. This is through the Grammy U program, via the Recording Academy. Really excellent program. I am also a PhD Candidate at the University of Arkansas under the Environmental Dynamics Interdisciplinary program (ENDY).

In recent years, I was asked by my ole friend Steve Blaze of the Rock band Lillian Axe to join him and his ghost hunting team, The Veil. We are currently working on a documentary related to Fort Jackson near New Orleans. It has a component related to Music, as well. The cat putting it together is doing an excellent job. Mr Todd Schmidt.

Now I find myself working on the 4th Fiction Syxx record and the Kick the Wicked release. The future looks bright.

What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?

Well. I was born on 6666, in Elizabeth New Jersey to an immigrant Mother. I was the first born in the USA to my Mother’s family. My grandmother was a World War II nurse, and my grandfather was from Indonesia, where he was a major part of an underground movement in WWII.

My father was an affiliate for a famous crime family in New York. This made for quite the interesting upbringing. LOL My father was gunned down in 1977, I was 10 nearly 11. These events are what had this then Yankee uprooted and living in the deep south of Mississippi for a number of years,

I am an inductee of the NASA “Space Technology Hall of Fame”. I was a member of an export council for the United States. I studied and researched national treasures throughout China, and have been published as an expert for my analysis of a painting that is thought to be that of the famous painter, Diego Velazquez.

I have recorded with the keyboardist that played on the first KISS album, with the keyboardist that played with Elvis Presley and recorded movies scores such as the one for the movie Legend with Tom Cruise.

I built research and imaging labs for the FBI in Quantico VA and for King Abdullah’s City of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

I worked on the Terracotta warrior collection in Xian China and the wall of a 1000 hands in Dazu China.

Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do. 

Even though I knew early on that I wanted to be in the public eye and in the arts, it wasn’t until I picked up the guitar that I felt that almost prophetic moment that I would be a creative musician. That journey has been enlightening. As I feel that every meeting, every crowd, every session is that of a learning and enlightening experience. I utilize my dream to live through others and our combined experiences. It is part of my motto, my philosophy, that I established many years ago. “Reality was once the tapestry of the dreamer”. What we dream and what we do has a direct impact on all around us in the present and in the future. So dream big and push harder to make that dream come alive for all.

I must say, the first time I took the stage is when I really felt that overwhelming thrill that lives inside of me always.

The journey will continue, until my last breath. And depending on circumstance and dimensional relativity; beyond that. The heavens and the stars are a testament to the art around us. May it consume our souls that we may vibrate and transcend the beauty of Art. It soothes humankind and beast and it is certainly both fire and peace for me.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?


I have had many mountains to climb and many diverse and transcending times to over come in life. As many of us have. However, the way I moved past these, at times almost overwhelming moments, was my traveling around the country and around the world. I received a taste of how bad things can get and no matter how bad it is for me; it has been so much worse for many of our brothers and sister throughout time. It made me appreciate the good and the bad that I have had to endure. No matter how bad things have been for me, there are comparatives that make my circumstance so trivial. These moments in time have also given me the premise for some excellent stories to share through song. Art stimulates us all in many ways. And those feelings are often connected to our own circumstances in the past and in the now. I hope that my experiences can touch the souls of others in a way that helps them find a place that brings them some peace, if only for a time.

I cannot find an exact moment that defined this epiphany. it started long ago, as a boy, where I lost my father and found peace in my faith. I continue to Dream and I continue to hope.

Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?

Elon Musk – I find him to be an intriguing individual. I would love to ask him questions and divulge some of my theories, to invoke his opinions.

Paul McCartney – I would love to ask him about the chemistry between him and the Beatles. Love them or hate them, they were revolutionary in their art and chemistry.

Bruno Mars – That cat is full of talent, pop, and soul. I really dig his writing and find him immensely talented. The first I have felt that way about since Prince and Michael Jackson. I would definitely ask him who the Squirrel is that he is referring too on the beginning of Treasure. LOL

Drop your social media links.

instagram: lanouemusic, fictionsyxx, kickthewicked , farmerbob
YouTube: fictionsyxx
Twitter: musicalmarkus, fictionsyxx, kickthewicked, farmerbobrocks
Facebook: markallenlanoue , marklanoue, fictionsyxxrocks , kickthewicked
Linkedin: lanouemusic , marklanoue , fictionsyxx

Staff Writer
Staff Writerhttps://thelanote.com
The LA Note and our team of talent networkers, writers, social media managers, and management are excited to present you with unique stories of amazing individuals following their dreams.

1 COMMENT

  1. I would say your music career began long before you picked up the saxophone. Your father’s early influence had a lot to do with it. He was a prolific music collector and talented musician himself.

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