Dave Kroeger had another great interview, this  time with Mark of Black Diamond! Here's the stuff!

Black Diamond. When you hear that name, you either think of the song title sung by KISS, or, if you are a fan of local country acts in Eastern Iowa, you think of Black Diamond as one of the most popular bands around. I had the chance to catch up with founding member and drummer Mark Postl to talk about the past, present and future of (the Diamonds) Black Diamond.

IMR:  Mark, Black Diamond has been around now 20 years. A lot of bands have come and gone. What's been the key to being around all this time?

Mark: The people, our clients, the "Black Diamond Lingerers". Most bands have fans, we have what we affectionately call "Lingerers"..........lol. Our fan base is what keeps us around. We change, we adapt, we listen to our people. Not everything we do musically in the band, is liked by all members of the band, but, the material we play is what the people want to hear and see. It is not about us, it is about them. We bring them into the performance. We have fun! We INCLUDE them.

We cater to a vast range in ages and in music tastes. Part of what made us so popular at the Iowa State Fair for those 10 years, or the North Liberty Fun Days for the last 11 years, or any show we do, is that we play different types of material at different times of the shows. Early on in a night, our crowd is much older AND much younger so we cater to them. Then as the night gets later, we change our music and actions to accomidate the crowd's wants and desires. We continue that philosophy with all our shows. Today we play to the children of the children of the people, and their parents, we played for 20 years ago. Seems to still work AND we get payed for what we LOVE to do? Winning!

IMR: Tell us the current the line up for Black Diamond. You just added a couple of female singers to the band recently and Robbie Young has been a veteran of the Cedar Rapids scene for many years.

Mark: First off, everyone in Black Diamond takes turns as featured vocalist and supporting vocalists. Part of what makes Black Diamond less boring on stage. You get to hear something different, all the time.

Looking at the stage, let's start from the left.

John Shockley came to Black Diamond about 11 years ago. John, a 40 year veteren of the Iowa music scene, lives outside of Ames Iowa near the town of Madrid. An excellent guitar player, saxophone, bass guitar and one of the best "Color" keyboard players I have come accross in my 50+ years at this music thing. John can disect and duplicate parts and instruments in a song that makes you think we have more members than we do. Awesome!

Jan Warwick, again a resident outside of Ames Iowa, was added about 2 years ago to fill an empty bass guitar spot we had. Unbeknown to us in Black Diamond, Jan had other talents as well. On any given night, not only will you see Jan behind the bass guitar, but also the acoustic guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Jan and his talents have been an awesome addition to Black Diamond.

Alexa Miller, our newest member of Black Diamond, joined the ranks in January of this year. Alexa comes to us from a very musical family in Ainsworth Iowa. A Kirkwood Community College nursing student, most of her stage training is in voice and dance, in addition she is featured on the acoustic guitar and percussion.(She holds a Phd. degree in Classical Maracas!)

Riley Vendela who hails from Ely Iowa, just outside of Cedar Rapids, jumped on board the Black Diamond train in June of 2010. A favorite of one of the nicest guys in the band, brings her vocal training to Black Diamond along with her keyboard and percussion talents.(She too hold a Phd..... in Early European Tamborine!) Did I mention she is really liked by one of the nicest guys in the band?

Robbie Young, Cedar Rapids native! A music scene icon in the Cedar Rapids area for years. Probably the most reconizable member of Black Diamond. Ask anyone in the country "Who is 5'3" tall and plays keyboard?" and you will get "Why Robbie Young, of course!" Robbie is back with Black Diamond after a long 13 year absence. Guitar player, bass guitar player, very active stage presence, and of course nationally reconized (Keyboard magazine, May 2010) keyboard player. Robbie originally joined Black Diamond for a short time in the mid 90's and went on his own, to persue other activities. Friday, February 13, 2009, Robbie rejoined Black Diamond on stage, and we are happy he is back. Not that we are keeping track of time.

Hmmm, that leaves me.......Mark Postl. Northern Illinois native, currently (last 20+ years) lives in Swisher Iowa, between Cedar Rapidsl and Iowa City. Co-founded Black Diamond in 1990. I play drums in the band, have also played, very little, guitar/keys. Most of my music work has been out of Northern Illinois area with local, regional and some national acts. I also am the voice of BD and run the day to day activities of the band. I guess my talent in Black Diamond is being able to pick the best talent available at the time and put together one of the most liked and seen acts in the Midwest. It is these members in Black Diamond that make or maked the band, the best in the past, present and one of the top bands in the future.

Back to the female singers. Alexa and Riley are great together and indiviually. They are hot sounding, hot looking, and hey, they keep the rest of us in the band looking like we are young and hot too! Ok, maybe not the last part.

IMR: Black Diamond plays The Dance Mor in Swisher quite often. Is that one of your favorite places to play?

Mark: Sure seems that way. Yes, Dance-mor is one of our favorite places. We have been performing there for over 20 years. The Davis family (owners) gave Black Diamond one of our first jobs in the Cedar Rapids area, and we have been back at least once a month now, for those 20 years. Some of what makes Dance-mor a favorite is that it is an "All Ages" venue. Young, old, we get them all, AND we get a lot of them. Not many venues around to hold the people. 15 years ago, there were 9, 10 places or dancehalls, we could play at, within 40 minutes of each other on any given Friday or Saturday night. Today there is just Dance-Mor in Swisher. Like most of the bands, the others are all gone. Hey, I guess us dinosaurs stick together?

IMR: The band has shared the stage with many national acts. Tell us who you have opened for over the years?

Mark: Wow, this is tough......... We have had so many wonderful opportunities to work with some of the best this country has to offer in live entertainment. We started off our support activities with a real class act called "Highway 101". Great bunch of people. (Still keep in touch with Cactus Mosier on Facebook)  "Pirates of the Mississippi", "Kevin Sharp", "Brad Paisley", "Sawyer Brown", "Loretta Lyn", "Glenn Campbell", "Asleep At The Wheel", "Chris Cagle", "Blake Shelton", "Tracy Byrd", "Tracy Lawrence", "Andy Griggs", "Gary Allan", blah, blah, blah and too many more. Let's just say we have been blessed with opportunities!!

IMR: What kind of gear are you using for your drum kit these days Mark?

Mark: I still use the same drum set made for me by Pearl, back in the very early 70's. I do own and use others, including my FIRST drum set from the 40's and an electronic set, but mostly I am known for my Pro-9, double-bass rig I have used for over 40 years. It is an all fiberglass, no wood, shell,  capped with Aquarian drum heads top and bottom. I was turned on to the Aquarian heads a number of years back by our, then present, sound man, Doug Johnson of Sound Guy Studios in Cedar Rapids. I liked the tone I got live and recorded. I have stayed with them ever since.

I use the Tama line of hardware. I have tried others, but the Tama's seem to hold up to our travel conditions best.

Cymbals...........Zildgian only baby! I have some cymbals I aquired back in the 50's and still use today. They are great.

Sticks.......currently, I have sticks custom made for me by Nick Fetzer at Custom Drum StiX in Georgia. He is the best. I also occasionaly use some Trueline and Vic Firth models. I have been known to use many different models in one night. It depends on what we are playing at the time. I started out in Drum & Bugle Corps using what seemed like a two by four for sticks, so I can work with just about anything.

IMR: You also fill in sometimes for CC and the Regulators. Tell us about that.

Mark: Boy oh boy that was fun. Just one night, so far. Up until recently, I have not had a chance to work with others, people-bands-etc. Black Diamond and my recording projects have not allowed me to participate with other bands or people much. CC got into a bind, needed a drummer for one night and I was available, so I thought, why not? Great people, great time, great crowd, GREAT band!!!  Would I do it again...............oh yeah! Give me a call. If I can, I would love to sit in.

IMR: Any chance that Black Diamond could be back at the State Fair again? You really drew in big numbers nightly at Diamond Jacks.

Mark: That was a ride and a half. Not sure about going back to Diamond Jacks, but would love to be at the fair again. 10 years is a long time and maybe long enough at Diamond Jacks. New owners, new ideas, new band, much luck to them. The hard part with not being at the fair, is all the friends Black Diamond made in those 10 years. Not just those who work the fair, but the hundreds of thousands we befriended each year we played there. We had people build family reunions around our performances. We saw many proposals and eventually we performed at their weddings. Ya, the FAIR FAMILY we built over the years, we will miss the most.

IMR: I know what to expect at a Black Diamond show, but for those who havent, what can they expect?

Mark: I like to think we provide a WIDE selection of material for the eyes and ears. A total entertainment package. We all take turns as lead vocals, harmonizing and featuring our instrumental talents. Old country and rock, new country and rock, tunes you can dance to. All the way from Alabama to ZZ Top. Remenisent of "The Judds", "Dixie Chicks", "JaneDear Girls" and all those awesome female acts, we have two gals that will make you melt with their looks and voices. Close you eyes and you will swear Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson are there performing. A nationally reconized keyboard player that will knock your socks off. What can they expect? More fun than you should be allowed to have!!!                              

IMR: Black Diamond has a race car. Tell us about that?

Mark: Ah, the Pratt Racing - Black Diamond 4D Cheverolet. Yes this is our 2nd year sponsoring this race team. Well, Black Diamond has been associated with racing for most of the 20+ years we have been around. We have performed at Hawkeye Downs Raceway in Cedar Rapids numerous times with many national acts and at many races. We performed at the inageral Nationwide Series race at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa and other tracks.  Doug and Jo Pratt of Pratt Racing, have been avid fans of Black Diamond for years and we would see them at most every show, accept in the summer months. One night, I inquired as to why just the winter months. They explained their racing team, the car and racing schedule and asked if we had any interest in sponsorship. These are great people, great fans, and we love that we are able to help them out some, and love that they are part of Black Diamond's family too. Last year, 2010, Doug placed seventh (7) in points for the season at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction Iowa and second (2) in points for the season at the West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty Iowa. What a great way to start out a sponsorship!!

IMR: What's the future of Black Diamond currently? Looks like another busy summer of shows for you.

Mark:Nose to the grind wheel, keep plugging along. Let's not fool ourselves, times are tough, but we will continue to perform for the people, when they want us. There are a lot of good bands out there, competition they call it, and then not so good ones too. We are established, have a solid record of performing, and are well liked.

With the extensive travel we have done with the band, we are considered one of the "Top Draws" not in just the Cedar Rapids area. Not just in Iowa, but in the Midwest and we plan on building on that. We have never settled with what we have. We have always strived to make Black Diamond better, more entertaining with, new songs, new experiences, new crowds.

I was asked once by some of our younger "Lingerers" as to when I would give this up. I told them that when they stop coming to the "Black Diamond Entertainment Experience" we will retire. Does not look like I get to lay around much, very soon.....!

Thanks Mark for taking the time to talk to us. You can check out upcoming Black Diamond dates at their web page, 

www.theblackdiamondband.com Tell them Dave from Iowa Music Review sent you!