Mark Audio Ash has been part of Vancouver’s music scene since the early ‘80s. He studied bass with jazz legend René Worst, toured Canada and the US throughout the ‘90s, recorded a number of albums and has opened for bands including Mr. Big and Blue Oyster Cult. From ‘91 to ‘97 Mark owned and ran the New York Theatre on Commercial Drive, Vancouver. In 2001 a brain injury left him partly paralyzed. Mark had to learn to talk and walk. Describing this period, he says “Music has been my doctor, and I listen to my doctor.” Now, Mark plays keyboards in a number of bands and uses music as therapy to help others – for which he received the Courage to Come Back Award in May 2010.