ABOUT SETH ZOWADER
THE BEGINNING
Born with music in his blood, Seth's journey began at age three when he attended an orchestra performance. After the concert, he met the conductor who asked what he wanted to be when he grew up.
"A conductor!" Seth replied.
"A train conductor?" the maestro asked with a smile.
"No! A conductor like you!"
The conductor told young Seth that to become a conductor, he must first learn to play the piano. It can play all the notes of the orchestra. Seth took those words to heart, beginning his piano studies immediately. By age seven, he had composed his first solo piece, setting the foundation for a lifetime devoted to music.
MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Seth immersed himself in diverse musical styles, listening intently and emulating the sounds on his piano. His influences span the spectrum of musical greatness: from classical masters Bach, Mahler, and Mozart to jazz legends Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie.
His tastes expanded to include soul innovators Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and James Brown; contemporary icons The Beatles, Prince, Sting, and Peter Gabriel; and countless others including Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Booker T. Jones, Les Paul, Paul Shaffer, and Elvis Costello. These diverse influences shaped Seth's playing, which is passionate, soulful, and distinctly his own.
EDUCATION & EARLY CAREER
At Berklee College of Music, Seth met singer/songwriter David Marks in the Music Production and Engineering department. The two became inseparable, working on projects together and letting their sound evolve naturally.
Inspired by David's songwriting, Seth took on the role of producer while also playing keyboards. Along with their roommate Brendan Scanlan on drums, they formed the David Marks Band. The band would later perform frequently at The Bitter End in New York City, as well as at CBGB's and The Elbow Room.
These early production experiences shaped Seth's collaborative approach to bringing an artist's vision to life which would be a philosophy that would define his entire career. David's music continues at davidmarksmusic.com.
Seth Zowader, Neil Cavanagh, David Marks, Byron Isaacs performing at The Bitter End
Listen to a live performance of The David Marks Band at The Bitter End performing “Without Your Love” featuring David Marks (lead vocal and guitar), Neil Cavanagh (guitar) and Seth Zowader (piano)
Select the play arrow below!
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Seth joined MPL Communications, Inc. as an audio archivist. His expertise quickly elevated him to in-house engineer and mastering engineer for promotional and commercial releases. At MPL, he designed the company website and was named U.S. Chief Technical Advisor. As part of a production team, he contributed to a Grammy®-nominated album “Flaming Pie”.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Throughout his 30+ year career, Seth has worked with legendary artists and organizations including Sir Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, Pixar, J.T. Taylor, the J. Geils Band (Seth Justman, Magic Dick, and J. Geils), Al Kooper, Meli'sa Morgan, Frank Gambale, John Abercrombie, Vinnie Moore, Rick Emmett, the United States Navy, and the United States Coast Guard.
He has produced and engineered recordings, commercials, and radio programming, and is a published author of music instruction books.
Want to Read the Stories Behind the Credits?
From presenting the first music publishing website to Paul McCartney, to performing
with guitar legends at the National Guitar Workshop, to creating Aerosmith's world
tour video open in four hours—read the stories behind three decades of musical
collaborations.