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				CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
			"Mark plays an eclectic mix,he covers mostly classic rock tunes. It's just Mark and a guitar and an amplifier.He's really good with the customers and takes audience requests. He has a following, and when he plays,we have a big increase in customers." -- Renshaws Bar and Grill Clawson, Michigan 4/20/2005 As Promotions Coordinator for Menard’s Tavern, I asked Mark Martin “Gringo DuJour” to stop in to Menard’s Tavern, Windsor, Canada for an Audition. It was 7:00 pm on a Tuesday night and the bar was crowded with the after work crowd and the regular hockey teams who stop in. With all of the noise and the crowded bar of people, I thought Mark would hesitate, but he didn’t. He started playing one song on his guitar and the noise from the crowd came to a halt and all of their attention focused on him. After the first song the crowd requested another song and then another. Mark was an instant hit. John the owner of Menard’s and I looked at one another with a big smile on our face as we told Mark Martin I think you won the crowd over and you’re welcome to play here at Menard’s every Thursday night. Since Mark Martin has been playing for Menard’s Tavern every Thursday night, the place has been packed and more and more people have been coming in. Thanks Mark for the wonderful job you have been doing at Menard’s Tavern, you have started quite the fan club in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Sincerely, Annette Gasiorowski Promotions Coordinator, Menard’s Tavern 519-944-8090 --Annette Gasiorowski Windsor, Ontario 4/15/2005 Mark played at our surprise party and he was a smash hit! Lots of dancing and inquiries about how to book him in the future. Thanks for everything Mark! --Matt Jones Berkley, Michigan 8/22/2004 Gringo Dujour was what we were looking for to entertain our outdoor patio crowd.His song selection is the perfect fit for us. --The Wildwood Tavern Lake Orion, Michigan 6/28/2004 We hired Gringo for our daughter''s graduation party.His wide variety of songs caught everyone''s attention.He was better than we expected and got the crowd involved as well.We added some family musician''s to the Gringo show and danced until the police shut us down.What a great party. --Karen Young Clawson, Michigan 6/20/2004 Gringo Dujour was a pleasant surprise when he played at our Country Club. His wide variety of songs had everyone tapping their toes.We were most impressed by his vocal range and his "lets have fun" personality. --Dennis West Mount Dora, Florida 5/3/2004 Our dinner party was a big hit thanks to Gringo Dujour.He played so many favorites from the past and present.We play his CD of original songs so often our kids know all the lyrics.We will have him back to our place to entertain this summer. --Gregg Smith Clarkston, Michigan 5/3/2004
		Detroit News Article   12/19/2005
	Career Makeover Designer drafts new life with a career in music Overseas travel triggers Royal Oak man's switch from job as automobile draftsman to musician. Brian J. O'Connor / The Detroit News December 19, 2005 You know those old geezers at work who, in between gassing about the good old days and carping about how "this place" is irrevocably sliding town the tubes, offer all kinds of advice? Advice like the pros and cons of studded snow tires, the shotgun offense and what a young guy should really do with his money? You might want to start listening. Mark Martin did. After 25 years as a contract draftsman in the auto industry, the 47-year-old Royal Oak man found work drying up. But thanks to sage advice from some industry old-timers, a spark of insight from TV's Dr. Phil and his own nascent talent as a singer and guitar player, Martin has drawn himself a new career as a musician. "I worked with these very old guys in drafting who would just take their paychecks home and throw them in a drawer, and the accounting department would get very upset with them," Martin recalls. "I asked how they did that, and they said, 'You're a contract designer, you're not going to get a pension from anybody.' "They told me, don't buy a big car or a fancy house, buy a small house and try not to spend a lot of money. I took their advice, so I was able to put away quite a bit of money in 25 years of doing that drafting thing." Martin started "that drafting thing" in 1978. Born in Highland Park, he graduated from Royal Oak Kimball High School in 1976, then started drafting classes at Oakland Community College. His first job involved making detail drawings of automotive components, such as floor pan reinforcements and bumper brackets. "At the time, there were very many jobs available," he recalls. "There probably were three full pages of classified ads for draftsmen and designers. You could hop job to job just like you were a plumber. You could work for a place for six months then go to another place and get a raise of another dollar an hour easily." After about 10 years of various design gigs, Martin received training on computerized drafting applications, a skill that allowed him to take jobs overseas. Traveling with his wife, he took on drafting assignments in Australia for three years, as well as Istanbul, Turkey, and Torino, Italy. "My wife was working at a credit union, and she gave up her job to come travel with me. So for five years, she didn't work but she got to see the world and we did have a good time," he said. The couple, married in 1984, had paid off their small Royal Oak home in 10 years, and the lengthy overseas assignments provided some big tax advantages, as well as reducing expenses. Besides his wife, Martin took along his guitar on his foreign tour, often playing in pubs and other gathering places that hosted open-mic sessions. "When I was overseas, I would go to open-mic nights and play for an hour or even two hours a night. People would say, 'You should do this for a living,' and I thought, right, with all the money I make being a draftsman I should be a musician." By the time he returned to Michigan in 2001, though, that equation had started to change. "When I came back, there were very few jobs around town. The technology is a double-edged sword. With the quick turnaround time for design now, you don't need as many people, and you can do it with younger, faster, college-educated people. So I found myself getting laid off about 2003. "I was really unhappy because the last job I had, I didn't do much work. We just sat and waited for things that never showed up." At his wife's suggestion, he decided to retire early, since the couple's low household expenses meant they could get by on the income from her job with the city of Birmingham. One day, while watching "Dr. Phil," he drew inspiration from the self-help guru. "He said that if you're going to do something in your life, you should do something that you really want to do and that you have the talent to do." Soon, Martin was out, guitar in hand, knocking on tavern doors. He'd offer to play for free and, if he was received well, would work out something with the owner. Since then, he's landed more than 100 shows, and plays graduation parties and other events. The work gives him some income and financed a CD of original songs that he released in October. The album is on sale at his Web site, www.gringodujour.com, and some of his songs are broadcast on Internet sites, he said, including Radio GoldenFlash out of Belgium. So far, he's sold about half of the 200 discs he needs to move to make back his investment. In the meantime, the income from tavern gigs and a small tax preparation sideline give him enough to make early retirement a viable option. But the biggest reason is that over the years, Martin and his wife kept their expenses and lifestyle under control. "I had always thought about retiring early," said Martin, noting that his father died two years after retiring. "Everyone would say, 'Why don't you sell your house, it's such a little place.' And I would say, 'It's paid for, why would I move?' I think people lose focus on what they really want. When you're making good money, chances are you're spending good money, too." For anyone considering a new direction, Martin gives this advice: "If you've got a hobby, see if you can find a way to make money doing that. If you're a good mechanic or artist, there's always ways to make money." Besides money, though, the biggest change is in the quality of his life, Martin said. The worst part of his workday was commuting and never having enough time with his wife and friends. "I don't spend $350 a month on gasoline anymore; I have found the key to happiness is to simplify my life and spend quality time with friends and family," he said. "There's no stress, and I have a new attitude about why I am really here."