D.D. Lemar is no ordinary band, performing exciting classic rock'n'roll that "dovetails" their excellent original songs with cover tunes. The end results of their music is fabulous. The music of D.D. Lemar is timeless, featuring good, solid rock'n'roll influenced by the blues.

This foursome has been described as "old guys who play real good." These dedicated musicians are: Mark Gensman, the band's leader, on keyboards and saxophone; Eddy Campy on bass guitar; Bill "Bongo" Schlansky on drums; and Lee Abbott on lead guitar.

The four members of D.D. Lamar are some of the most talented musicians around the Portland area. All of them sing, which makes the band strong in the vocal department. Abbott is the main lead singer.

The personnel is rooted in Northwest rock'n'roll. All of its members have "paid their dues," performing music for a variety of audiences. This includes on the road and around the Portland metropolitan area.

One band member who has entertained more diverse audiences than most musicians is Gensman. He grew up being neighbors with the now legendary Kingsmen. He performed with notable bands that are now part of the musical history of the Northwest such as Jokers Wild, The Jackasses, Midnight Sons and Little Curtis and the Blues.

In the late '60s, Gensman achieved local popularity and a loyal following performing with the Midnight Sons. People packed the local dance clubs like the Chase, Headless Horseman, D-Street and armories to hear them. They were one of the featured bands at KISN Radio's Teenage Fair and made the hit 45 called Draft Time Blues. The song earned them the privilege to open for the Dave Clark Five, Sonny and Cher, The Rascals, Van Morrison and Paul Revere and the Raiders. They even spent four months on the road with Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Unfortunately, however, all good things had to come to an end. As the popularity of their song Draft Time Blues continued to soar, so did the desirability of Uncle Sam's Army. All its members found themselves drafted. Gensman, however, was able to do with a stint with Little Curtis and The Blues before he received his notice to report. However, he was still involved with music, performing in a military jazz band in the states and on foreign soil.

When Gensman had served out his military time, he returned to Portland and performed with Tentative Agreement. By the late-'70s, this band became the popular Woogie. And then, in 1977, he joined North Shore, a traveling six-piece showband, where he met up with future drummer Schlansky, better known as "Bongo."

In 1980, Gensman returned to Portland. He was tired of traveling, tired of the hotel rooms and wanted to settle down for a spell. Music was still in his soul, but not in his heart at this time. He needed a change.

A few years later, Gensman was back with a band called Ground Zero. Today, for the past four years, he's been the leader of D.D. Lemar.

The songwriters in D.D. Lemar are Abbott and Gensman. They have the unique ability to write songs that people believe they've heard before and love. "I love standing up on stage and watching people sing the words of a song that they've never, ever heard before," explains Gensman. "And, they definitely love it! The people find out that they can dance to our own originals, like they can the cover tunes we perform."

Abbott and Gensman's song-writing abilities are definitely unique, and D.D. Lemar is promoting their special songwriting talent in its performances. However, as Gensman explains, they are being very careful how and when they introduce their original tunes. "We never tell the audience in advance that we're gonna play an original because they will stop dancing," says Gensman. "So we'll just play the song and let them dance and enjoy it before we tell them. It works best this way and the songs we write are accepted."

The songs of Abbott and Gensman are either jointly written or written individually. They are dynamic tunes that are featured in the audio tape called Loose As A Goose, that has been out for about a year now. To get this masterpiece, however, you need to go to their performances and buy it directly from the stage.

The music at D.D. Lemar fits the occasion they're performing. Because they are extremely professional musicians, they can go from tux to bluejeans in a heartbeat. This band is comfortable playing in any venue, whether it's a club, an outdoor festival, wedding reception, private party, corporate function or whatever. It's familiar turf. "We're pretty comfortable performing music before a crowd," says Gensman. "We're at home on a stage."