Mark is a Singer/Songwriter based out of Burlington, Ontario, and has been performing in a variety of original acts and cover bands since the early 90’s.
His influences range from melodic acoustic compositions to aggressive metal and everything in between. As a solo artist, he has original music posted on many streaming platforms worldwide.
In 2003, he met with versatile musician Shawn ‘Bush’ Hanneson who shares common musical influences as well as a similar passion for performing. They formed a cover band performing upbeat / feel good music with the intent of entertaining multiple generations of audiences. This band evolved over the years and would ultimately form into the present lineup of The Rewynds.
Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Leylan has been enjoying and performing music since they were little and singing Raffi to their stuffed animals on the stage of their bed. Growing up in a very musical household meant gaining an appreciation for all types of music, from classical to jazz, country, rock, folk and musical theatre, and nearly everything in-between.
Leylan has performed many times over the years with their dad, The Rewynds' bassist Mark, on small stages throughout the Burlington and Hamilton area, as well as performed on larger stages such as Japan Festival in Mississauga and at Carnegie Hall in New York City in a 400-person performance of Eric Whitacre's choral compositions.
Joining The Rewynds, with their varied song list and local spirit, was a no-brainer when the call was made for a new treble-range vocalist, and they look forward to all the band adventures to come!
When not rocking out with the band, they can be found playing a lot of video games, recording for voice over projects, or working on cosplay.
Hailing from the Ottawa Valley, Shawn started off with classical music training at a young age, then fell under the spell of the 90’s indie rock scene, playing drums in a variety of original acts throughout high school and university.
After relocating to the Hamilton area in 1995, he continued drumming in various indie rock and tribute bands until joining forces with Mark Michlik in 2003; they have been entertaining crowds ever since.
Shawn brought out the acoustic guitar 10 years ago to enable the band to bring down the volume for smaller venues, then keyboards in recent years to fill out The Rewynds’ sound. This versatility has opened up the band's repertoire to include songs with signature piano and synth sounds of the 80’s, always a crowd pleaser.
Mark was born in Hamilton, and has been living in Burlington for a long time now.
His musical influences are wide and varied. It started with Dave Brubeck (one of his dad's favs), but includes all the usuals such as Yes, Black Sabbath, ELP, Heart, Rush (of course), AC/DC, Steely Dan, Super Tramp, Kansas, Jethro Tull and many others from the heart of the progressive hard rock era.
However, he also loves jazz (Jaco, Weather Report, Flim & the BB's, Diana Krall), Canadiana (Stan Rogers, Stompin' Tom Connors, Great Big Sea, Spirit of the West, Gordon Lightfoot, Dave Gunning), folk, Americana and classical.
The Rewynds are not his only project. He plays a cajon (percussion) with "Not For Hire", mostly performing at local retirement homes. He has also played bass with his buddy Chris in the band Riversong (Celtic inspired songs), a few singer/songwriters (Doug Alcock and Paul Stulberg), as well as a few "URGENTLY NEEDED: Bass Player" type fill in gigs.
He admits to owning far too many instruments and is sure his long-suffering wife would love him to clear up some room in the middle bedroom.
Cory Snider is a Burlington-based drummer and middle-school music teacher, blending versatility with a deep respect for the groove. Equally at home in Trip-Hop, Big Band Swing, and everything in between,. He has performed with The C’Mons, Toronto Megacity Big Band, The Top Hat Marching Orchestra, and the Mississauga Big Band.