Marks parents divorced when he was 14 and he went to live with his dad,high tech weapons engineer for the U.S. navy, in Washington.His father's work took the family to various places in the U.S., rarely staying anywhere for more than two years. Mark said the constant moving was the only consistent feature of his childhood.His dad gave him his first bass and amp as a present when he was 15, for helping paint the house. He originally wanted to be a highschool english teacher. Mark has the least number of tatoos/piercings in the band, with just a nipple ring and his left ear pierced.He used to smoke, but doesn't anymore. He got married to Skye Everly in December 2nd 2000 and in August 5th 2002 they had their son Jack.