Brine was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the major folk scenes, and got his first taste of Hank Williams from his uncle’s record collection and later learned about rock and roll through the Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley records his aunt played for him. Both of these exposures along with the exposure to the southern blues sounds of artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf would cement Brine’s interest in traditional American music. Though Brine’s professional music debut came as an electric guitar player, he ultimately unplugged his guitar and moved to Nashville to study traditional country and roots music. As a roster artist and staff writer for two record labels, he found instead an overwhelmingly commercialized music industry. Unable and unwilling to conform, Brine rather sought to create his own brand of Americana. In 1992, his song, “New Blue Yodel” produced by Tom Pomposello received two preliminary Grammy nominations and won Brine the attention of Hank Snow who invited Mark to perform as his guest on the Grand Ole Opry. When asked to describe his own sound, Brine uses the term “Americana” but is quick to explain. “When talking about my music, the term Americana is about taking the listener back to a more innocent time that no longer exists in America,” said Brine. “Norman Rockwell had an amazing ability to capture a moment in time. That’s what I’m doing with my music. I want to capture that moment in a song.“