Mark Bryan On New LP "Popped," Hootie & The Blowfish's Future Plans & More - "Paltrocast" Exclusive

Photo byHootie & The Blowfish's Mark Bryan

As co-founded by Mark Bryan in 1986, Hootie & The Blowfish is one of the most beloved bands of all time, with sales of over 26 million in the U.S. alone. That statistic includessuch record-setting releases as 1994’s 2x RIAA Diamond-certified blockbuster, Cracked Rear View, and classic top 10 hit singles like “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry,” and #1 pop smash “Only Wanna Be With You,” all co-written by Bryan. In 2019, the band reconvened after a decade-plus hiatus, uniting for a sixth studio album and a series of sold-out tours which have seen them performing to a legion of devoted fans that now encompasses multiple generations. Recently, Hootie & The Blowfish was out on the road playing arenas and stadiums alongside Collective Soul and Edwin McCain on the 45+ city Summer Camp With Trucks Tour, as co-promoted by Live Nation.

Last month, Mark Bryan released a new original song, “Big Bright,” which will be part of his forthcoming album, the musically diverse Popped. The compelling and notably lush psychedelia of “Big Bright" follows the previously-released and well-received tracks "Ain’t Nothing Better," "Don't Change A Thing," the upbeat, ska-influenced tribute to the loss of the musician’s best friend "To You, My Friend," and the Beach Boys-inspired tune called "Coastin’." Popped is due out in late October via the Vere Music label.

Solo career and Hootie aside, Mark Bryan remains active with Carolina Studios, a nonprofit helping educate the next generation of recording engineers, and the College Of Charleston, having served as a professor and artist-in-residence.

In October 2024, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Bryan again via Zoom, as embedded above and set to air via the Long Beach, New York-based Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz television series; our prior conversation from July is embedded abive. Beyond Popped, we talked about Van Halen, career goals and future plans for Bryan. A Paltrocast review of a recent fantastic Hootie & The Blowfish concert on Long Island can be read here.