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THE UNSEEN
By Lisa Sharer
Photos courtesy of The Unseen and live photos by Cindy Frey
From the March 2008 issue of PRICK Magazine
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"With The Unseen what you see is what you
get," simply put lead singer Mark Unseen.
No frills, no fools, this quintet tells it like it
is. Hailing from the suburbs of Boston, Mass., The
Unseen was formed from a group of adolescent boys
with some extra time on their hands. Unbeknownst to
them, their after school antics would become an enduring
endeavor. After fifteen years, these grown boys have
become a household name in the punk/hardcore scene.
Recognizable by their old school punk appearance, particularly
Mark Unseen's gigantic mohawk, The Unseen has
gathered up a following of kids from all sorts of backgrounds.
From their own suburban upbringing to the
kids that rolled out of the gutter, The Unseen has
become seen.
Influenced mainly by the punk bands that were
around when they started, The Unseen draws their
music from an original source. "Sick of It All,
AC/DC, Motorhead, Bad Religion, The Varukers—
those are bands that have been going strong for a
long time and never changed their style or image
to fit in," says Unseen. "Other influences for us
would be current events in the world that fuel
song topics. I mainly write about what I see is
wrong with the world." His honesty about the
world is what, he says, makes The Unseen different
from all those other bands out there. Unseen
candidly states that this band does not preach for
album sales, and the lyrics he writes, not matter
how harsh, are true.
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Unseen has some serious experience with the
harshness of the world. "I've had a gun pulled and
pointed in my face on more than one occasion.
We have been stranded in the middle of nowhere,
broken down in snowstorms and deserts, and
waited hours to get
help. We slept at
people's houses in the
old days where you
would not want to
stay. Us and our buddies
The Casualties
slept on a front porch
outside in Virgina because
when we arrived at the
house everyone was
shooting heroin. Both
bands broke with nowhere to go, so we made the
porch our place for the night." Just like many bands
before, the road can be a tough thing to conquer.
“For any band that decides to actually go out and
tour for a living [the] challenge is leaving behind your
friends and family, and wondering if you will be able to
pay your bills when you get home. Money has become
less of an issue for us, but still if we are home for more
than two months the wallets become empty. Basically, no job
security or benefits such as medical insurance, so adulthood in
one word I guess is the biggest challenge.”
With any punk musician there comes the obligation of
body art. Okay, maybe not an obligation, but he might be a little
less punk without them. Mark Unseen is a confessed lover
of the art, and an advocate of his favorite artist. “I love tattoos.
I think when done with thought they show who a person is or
what they are about.” All Unseen’s tattoos have a special
meaning for him. Whether it’s a little joke logo, or an entire
arm full of dedications to the Twilight Zone, Unseen has chosen
his tattoos to represent himself.
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“I figured if I have loved it for over twenty years, why not
put it on my body?” Not a bad philosophy on choosing tattoos.
Unseen has filled a lot of his canvas with pieces related to scifi
and horror. He also has tattoos attributing other bands, and a pizza man. While he doesn’t
really regret any tattoos, Unseen has had some tattoos worked on to enhance them in
quality, and others he would like to get touched up.
When asked if he had any favorite artists, Unseen replied, “Honestly, my artist Joe
Bastek [that] works at redemption tattoo in Cambridge, Mass. He is a great, and I get
along with him real well. It’s always good to be comfortable with whoever is working on
you. Once I found him, I have not let anyone else ink me. Anyone interested in an amazing
shop check out Redemptiontattoo.com.” The tattoo collection that Unseen has come
up with is pretty extensive, but what about the nose piercings and eyebrow rings that all
rockers are supposed to have? “I actually have zero piercings. I can’t stand wearing any
jewelry, necklaces, or rings. I also can’t stand the thought of something metal or plastic
attached to my skin.” This may even qualify him as a freak to some of you out there.
Out on tour on the thirteenth of this month, these tattooed punk rockers will be hitting
towns all over the country before taking off over seas. The Unseen are looking forward
to seeing all those wonderful fan faces shining up at or dancing around them.
Hopefully with less sleepless nights on the porch of some party, these boys are going for
that grown-up type tour.
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