forever changed the music industry . After graduating from high school , he attended the University at Albany in New York as a theater major . But a chance meeting with his roommate ’ s girlfriend led to Fenichel being cast as an extra in a film . That movie ended up being “ The Way We Were ” directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford . “ It was like a dream for a few days ,” he said .

by Kelly Barbazette , photos by gmhTODAY and and Mark Fenichel

Mark Fenichel has blazed through California , harmonica in hand , performing with hundreds of bands while building a career as a media marketing executive .

Fenichel ’ s love for music and film , and a dash of serendipity , guided his circuitous route from New York to California and atop hundreds of stages performing in and emceeing concerts and festivals throughout the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas . “ I ’ ve had a lot of lucky , great experiences in my life , I have to admit ,” Fenichel , 70 , said .

Born and raised in Long Island , NY , Fenichel ’ s desire to be a drummer at age 9 led to lessons and playing with a band in junior high school . Then he discovered the harmonica and immediately fell in love with the sound and portability of the instrument .

“ The harmonica you just put it in your pocket and go . That ’ s what got ( people ) interested in it . It became a passion for me for most of my life ,” he said .

Fenichel , or “ Fenny ” as his friends call him , went to Woodstock , in 1969 , when he was 16 . It was a moment , he said , that

That experience being a stand-in for actor James Woods spurred him to change his major to radio , TV , and film . Upon graduation , he worked for a friend who was a film animator in upstate New York . After the summer , he landed a job with a film distributor , which brought him to Culver City , CA on a bus with only a hundred dollars in his pocket . Ultimately , it wasn ’ t the right fit and while Fenichel pursued other work , he met the woman who would become his wife through a mutual friend . They eventually moved to Chico where she attended college . Fenichel got odd jobs including delivering for a bakery where he learned about local businesses . Despite not having any experience , he landed a job selling advertising for the radio station at Chico State University . “ It turned out that I sold more airtime than any other sales person before that ,” he said .

That job catapulted him , in 1979 , to Bay Area radio station KOME selling airtime , where he worked for five years . During that time he started shooting concerts and album covers with a Nikon camera . Then he moved to radio station KEZR for three years before switching to ad sales in TV for KNTV , where he stayed for nine years .

“ But I missed radio ,” Fenichel said . “ And I was still playing a lot of music and doing the music thing .”

He played back-up for Bay Area musicians , including Oakland-based the Elmer Lee Thomas Blues Revue , folkblues musicians Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry , and singer Eddie Money . Around the same time , he started working at Bay Area radio station KFOX , selling air time and playing harmonica on air with musicians .

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