Fresh off closing the chapter on an era as a founding member of legendary Christian music staple act Third Day, Mark Lee is ready to dive into the next phase of his career as a solo artist.

In May 2018, Mark released his debut EP, Unshakeable Heart, and recently caught up with NRT to talk about the farewell tour, his favorite food stops, the new music and more.

What does it mean to you to have had so many shows sell out so quickly that you had to add extra shows in many locations?

When we decided to close this chapter on Third Day’s career, we weren’t sure whether we should just make an announcement and be done, or whether we should do a farewell tour. Doing this farewell tour and seeing the huge fan response to the shows just reminded me that Third Day was never just about us as the band. It’s about our amazing fans and the community that evolved around the music. Whenever I see our diehard fans out there in the crowd, I see family. But even beyond the fans, Third Day has always been about what God has done through this band. Even after that last show at Red Rocks, I stood around talking to fans for about an hour after that show, and people were sharing about what God has done through the band. It’s so humbling. I just feel honored to have been able to play a part in it.

Speaking of the tour, are there any plans to release a live recording or video for fans to enjoy?

Yes. We had a video crew out at most shows. They captured a lot of live footage of the band. The coolest thing though, and what I’m the most excited about, is that they interviewed many of our friends, family, and fans for the project. Our fans have so many great stories that go beyond the music. There are couples who met while waiting in line to get into a show who are now married. I think it’s going to be a fun piece.
Where is your favorite place to visit on tour apart from the scenery? What is the best place for food, and what is the best thing you've ever eaten?

Being a pizza lover, I always enjoy going to Chicago or St. Louis and trying the different regional varieties. Barbecue is that way too. It’s always fun to go somewhere like Austin, Kansas City or Memphis and trying the local BBQ. Everybody’s so passionate about food and everybody’s got a favorite place. It’s fun.

The hands down best thing I’ve ever eaten was the seafood at a place called Isabella’s in Monterey, California. The guy who ran the place is a well-known seafood chef. They used his recipe for the clam chowder at Disney’s California Adventure. He also happens to be a big music fan. We used to always eat there whenever we played in town. Great stuff.

Over the last three decades, Third Day has meant so much to so many people. What do you want the legacy to be when fans look back and remember the band in 10  years?

I hope people look back and remember what God did. There are so many stories of God using one of our songs in their life or one of our shows to bring us back to him. 

What will you miss most about performing as part of Third Day, and what will you miss the least?

I will definitely miss the camaraderie with the other guys on the road. It was fun making music on-stage, but I’ll always remember the times we had together off-stage. 

I will miss the grueling travel the least. I love going places and seeing new things and meeting new people. I’m just not a huge fan of the security lines and getting carsick in the back of a 15 passenger van.

You released your debut solo EP, Unshakable Heart, on May 25, 2018, fully funded through a crowdsourcing campaign. What drove your decision to fund it through fan support rather than through label support, and do you see that trend continuing to impact the industry beyond independent artists?

With Third Day, I recorded many albums with a label partner and it was great. I’m really proud of our recorded output. The other side of it, though, is it’s easy to start chasing after radio if you let yourself. Then you start second guessing yourself. Not saying I wouldn’t ever do a label project again, but for this project, I wanted to get back to writing and recording the songs that God placed on my heart during this season, and not worrying about radio formats.

I do see the trend towards crowd-funded independent project continuing. Right now, there is still a lot of great Christian music on the radio, but there is also a lot of great music being made that doesn't fall into the categories we’ve set up as an industry. I’m glad to see an outlet for some more adventurous music to get a fair shake.
What is your favorite moment musically, and lyrically on the EP?

Lyrically, it would definitely be the title track, [“Unshakable Heart”]. I wrote the song for my daughters. Abbie is 14 and Kitty is 9, and my wife and I are starting to realize that we don’t have a lot of time left with all of us home together. I wanted to write a song to encourage my girls as they get older. When I think about my daughters, I think about how precious their hearts are. As Christians, the idea of our heart means something different than it does to someone else. The Bible has said that God has written a new covenant on our hearts. And because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have been given a new heart. So when difficult times come our way, we always have that foundation of our faith to lean on.

Musically, I love “Glorious One.” I wrote that with Steve and Marc from The Choir. I’m a huge fan of those guys, and I like to think that it’s in the same vein as something they would have done. 

You had the opportunity to play a few of your songs live on the recent Third Day Farewell tour. Which song was your favorite to play live?

I really enjoyed playing “Hurt Road.” It’s the most autobiographical song I’ve ever written, and definitely the hardest lyric for me to finish. I shared my story from stage before we played it. I genuinely believe God can use the lowest moments of our lives for his good. I hope from sharing my story and playing that song that some people were encouraged to trust God with their lives and their futures.

You've written and performed a lot of songs, from worship to southern rock, grunge, and folk. What is your go-to style of music?

Being from the South, we in Third Day have always gravitated to the Southern rock, from The Black Crowes to the Allman Brothers. We’ve especially played up that style in our live shows. But for me personally, I gravitate to the more alternative side of Southern music like R.E.M. and Kings of Leon. It was refreshing on my solo project to tap into that side a little more.

Hurt Road is your recent book, which was released last fall. The book is your story about how God planned your career, and in turn how Third Day started. Tell us about the process of writing that book, and are there any future plans for the author side of Mark Lee?

I’ve always been a bookworm. My mom was a school librarian and she used to bring me books home to read. For many years I talked about writing a book. About 4 years ago we had a break in our touring schedule, and my kids were starting school. It felt like the perfect window to write a book. I went to my wife and told her my plans, and that I wanted to write a fiction book. She said, as only spouses can, “You’re stupid.” Not that writing a book was stupid, but that I really needed to share my story instead of writing fiction. I took her advice, and I’m so glad I did. So many people have shared how Hurt Road has encouraged them.

As far as future plans go, I definitely will do a second book, and have begun the outlining process. I have also been writing and posting daily devotions to my website and Facebook page. I plan to continue that as well.

Any plans to head out on the road to support the new tunes and new book? If so, what kind of venues will you be targeting?

Yes, I have several shows already booked for this fall. I have mostly been playing in churches and I’ve really enjoyed that. Being able to connect not just with the people attending the shows but with the ministry staff of the churches. I look forward to doing a whole lot more of that in the near future.

With the industry shifting to more singles and EPs rather than full length studio albums, what can we expect as next chapter for Mark Lee as a solo artist?

I enjoyed making Unshakable Heart. There was something refreshing about recording five songs and making sure that they were all as great as they can be. On a longer project sometimes you end up with songs that don’t fully realize the potential. That being said, I’m a huge fan of [full-length] albums. I love how you can listen to a record and immerse yourself in it. I will probably do another EP next and put it out early next year, but I hope to do a full-length project in the near future as well.

When you're not on stage, writing music or books, what do you like to do for fun?

I love hiking. There are a few great trails near my house, and I only live about an hour away from the North Georgia mountains. I love to take my family with me, but it’s also fun to go by myself. It’s a great way to reconnect with God and to think through everything I’ve got going on.

Being a musician and traveling, how do you ensure that you are keeping your priorities right?

I’ve found that if I make my relationship with God the most important thing in my life, then all the other relationships in my life will fall into place. I usually take my kids to school, then come home and have a time of Bible reading, prayer, and journaling. 

One thing being a dad has taught me is that there isn’t such a thing as quality time when it comes to family. It just doesn’t work that way. So I focus on spending as much time with my wife and kids as possible. We end up having special moments together because there are a lot of opportunities for them to happen. We have a thing in my family called Daddy Daughter Date Night. I’ll take the kids to a movie or bowling or whatever. In doing those things, the important talks and important moments together end up happening organically.

Finally, what is something God is teaching you right now?

Ephesians 3:20 has been really important to me over the last year or two. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God has bigger dreams for us that we do for ourselves. I know that’s been the case for me, with everything he’s done through Third Day. So during this new season, I am trusting God with my plans and my future, knowing that he’s got some big dreams out there for me.