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Community
Community
CRYSTAL FALLS – Forest Park alums Mark Oliverius and Paul Sundquist team up to celebrate the songs of their high school days at Crystal Theatre June 3 at 7 p.m. Sundquist on guitar and Oliverius on keyboard join the Nashville Hitmen and featured singer Mia Brown in playing “That 70s Music.”
Graduating two years apart, both Crystal Falls natives had musical aspirations in high school but did not perform together. Now, nearly 50 years later, the time is right.
At Forest Park, Oliverius also played some football and was a proud starter on two state championship teams. After graduation, Mark attended Michigan State where he earned a BA in Music Education. In 1989, he started his own music and video production/publishing company in Nashville. Oliverius Music Group helps musical artists, singers and entertainers’ market themselves to record labels and radio stations.
Today, Oliverius’ resume lists music and video producer, band leader, arranger, songwriter, and keyboard player. As Lorrie Morgan’s music director for 18 years, he co-wrote Morgan’s hit CD “Walk Alone”. He has also worked and toured with major recording artists including Pam Tillis, Mickey Giley and Joe Diffie. He has had more than 40 songs recorded by major label artists including the Joe Diffie hit “Whole Lotta Gone,” and has produced more than 200 national recording projects. He’s also the producer of the Music of Nashville: A Magical Journey, one of the popular live attractions in Nashville. Mark was inducted into the first Forest Park Distinguished Alumni class in 2020.
Sundquist attended the Crystal Falls schools with a brief intermission to the Chicago, Illinois area for six years, returning to graduate from Forest Park in 1975. Coming from a very musical family, Paul was a consummate musician from an early age. He played piano, trumpet and French horn through most of his school years, migrating to the sounds and instruments of the exploding music scene of the ‘70s.
Throughout 37 years in the automobile parts, service and repair business, Sundquist played upwards of 70 performances annually. Over the past 50 years, he has performed with several local bands and countless ensembles and venues in the Upper Midwest. He continues to be an accomplished guitar and bass guitar player, singer, songwriter and a studio and live sound engineer for Crystal Theatre. He performs as an acoustic solo when able, with a clear and easy listening style of music and delivery. Now retired, he continues to write, record and perform guitar repair and maintenance in his shop.
Paul says, “I was fortunate to be contacted and enlisted as a bandmate for this gig, and I couldn’t be more excited. Who would have figured I would have to be this old to finally get a ‘tour date’ with a traveling group. I’ll take it.”
Advanced tickets for “That 70s Music” may be purchased online at the crystaltheatre.org, by phone at 906-875-3208, or in person at Stage Left (next to the theatre) 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.