At 9 years old, he was among a dancing crowd of 10,000 watching the late South African pop star Brenda Fassie at Somhlolo Soccer Stadium, Swaziland, Africa. With apartheid still strong next door in South Africa, this concert reverberated on many levels: musically, socially, and politically. Mix this life-defining experience with Manitoban-Qu?b?cois roots, a stylistically diverse musical repertoire that eagerly lends itself to his modern-indie folk sound, the piano, accordian, guitar, and a voice that disarms his audiences, and you have the multi-faceted sound of Mark Berube.