The WDVX Blue Plate Special — 9/8 — Mark Winters / Toria Richings
September 8 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Texas-based rock singer-songwriter Mark Winters is many things; a witty poet, passionate musician, entrepreneur, optimist, family man, and a bonafide rocket scientist. He first picked up a guitar to play a song for his wife on their anniversary. That’s when he discovered the joy of connecting with people through music. Mark combines music, poetry, a science background, and love for his community to form his signature sound, “rock with a positive vibe.”
His musical roots are in rock, blues rock, and pop, and John Mayer, Tom Petty, and Jason Mraz are significant influences. “My music starts from a place of poetry and creative inspiration, and I use my ‘rocket-scientist brain’ to find structures that help me explore that initial burst of inspiration and feeling – like writing haikus, my favorite! My grandmother taught me to express myself through poetry and I’m thankful to her for setting me on this creative and expressive path.”
Mark has a degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering, and his math and science background guides his musical explorations. He likes taking complex things such as emotions and expressing them in a way that’s easy to understand. Balancing his right-brained creativity with his analytical left-brain is part of a life-long journey; music is one more place where he can explore this balance.
Since his debut album “Slipstream” in 2019 he’s garnered numerous positive reviews, has been placed on hundreds of playlists, and racked up over a million streams worldwide. He’s poised to continue this success with his sophomore album, “Boundary Layer.” Boundary Layer showcases the intersection of Mark’s scientific mind and his passion for positivity and good works. This album is a tribute to those who have helped Mark break out of life’s “normal” boundaries and pursue the person he was meant to be. His goal with this new record is to inspire others to break through barriers in their lives and to use emotional connections and energy to move in the direction they were meant to go. Scientifically, a boundary layer is the place on an object in a moving fluid where things can either start moving or stand still.
He and his beloved wife have always had compassion for people in the world and believe it’s important to give back to your community. Mark enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs like himself, and donates a lot of his time to philanthropic organizations throughout the Houston area.
Each song on his first album is an emotional story about his life’s journey’s. Slipstream is the stream of air behind any moving object, usually in the context of making the effort of moving behind someone easier for everyone, like birds flying in a v-formation flock. This is the feeling Mark experienced while working with the incredible musicians and producers who helped create the album. “Musically, the songs on SlipStream run the gamut from straight guitar-based classic rock to bluesier jams, pop metal, Beach Boys-type ballads, and psychedelia. There’s even a mini-rap in one number.” – The Houston Press
Inspired by the raw honesty of Neil Young’s Harvest and the timeless voice of Joan Baez, Toria Richings picked up a guitar at 11 and never put it down. What began as learning chords quickly became songwriting using music as a way to tell stories, process emotion, and connect with others.
Born in the north of England, raised in the Cotswolds before making her home in Sydney, Australia, Toria honed her craft playing pubs and intimate rooms, developing a signature storytelling style rooted in honesty and lived experience. A pivotal turning point came following the loss of her mother, when a gifted studio session became a form of healing, leading to her debut EP and the beginning of her journey as a country-roots artist.
Now an award-winning Americana songwriter, Toria has built a growing international presence, showcasing at major industry events and forging deep creative ties within the Nashville community. Known for songs that balance resilience with vulnerability, she writes music that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
With each release, Toria invites listeners into stories shaped by heart, grit, and the belief that music has the power to carry us through life’s most meaningful moments.
