A singer, songwriter, filmmaker, former U.S. Marine, and nature conservationist, folk-rock devotee Mark Blacknell began performing in bands in the mid-'90s after military service in the Gulf War. Starting out in Pennsylvania and Australia, where he attended universities, he eventually fronted Philadelphia's Asperilla Mint, formed in 1996 with guitarist Kevin Timothy. With time off in the early aughts for graduate studies and work as a state park ranger, he formed Blacknell Band in 2005. Soon after, he left Pennsylvania to direct and produce the 2009 documentary Woke Up Alive, ...