By Kimberly Gasuras, Freelance Journalist
A former Bucyrus High School band director recently won the trademark of the Xband that he formed at Bucyrus High School several years ago and is now in the process of forming a new band. Mark Fiske said he is putting a call out to all area high school musicians from Crawford County and neighboring counties to form the Next Xband.
After a lengthy struggle, Fiske said Xband and its trademark now belong to him. “I had always planned to share the trademark concept of the band with the school, even if I no longer worked there,” said Fiske. Things changed, though, after Fiske left his position as band director in 2021 at Bucyrus High School. An agreement was finally reached in October of 2024, and Fiske now has exclusive rights to the Xband trademark.
According to Fiske, an idea that he had in 2006 produced a band that has changed the lives of many and is still making music today. “I had overheard a conversation between a student and her mother that made me think outside the box to get more students interested in jazz band,” said Fiske. He said that he used to have the jazz band play after the fifth-grade band concert. “I heard a student tell their mother they wanted to stay for the performance, but the mother said that jazz music was not their thing,” Fiske said. He felt there was a declining interest in jazz music at the high school level and he set out to change that.
One night, he took to the task of writing down tons of potential names for his new band then went to bed, frustrated he had not settled on one. “The next morning, I looked at the list and the name jazz was crossed out, leaving X Band and that became the name,” said Fiske. From 2006 to 2021, the Xband became extremely popular with students and audiences alike. “We performed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and did shows in Cleveland and Columbus. There were invitations to play on live TV and the band recorded a few times in the studio. Students were able to be exposed to so many things they otherwise would not have been,” said Fiske.
Former Xband member Ashlee Cooper said that being a part of the Xband was a fun, eclectic experience that broke the mold of what most people typically expect when they think of a high school band. “Playing music post-secondary has been a joyful and rewarding experience. It’s very gratifying to have a goal to work towards individually and as together as a team within the band,” said Cooper. “It’s been more than a hobby; it’s a skill and experience I hope to continue throughout my life.”
A few years ago, Fiske and his wife, Katie, created Sonic Spotlight Productions, LLC, to continue their work in promoting live music by local high school musicians. They are currently working on assembling the Next Xband which Cooper is excited about. “It’s important to keep it going in order to continue to foster a meaningful creative outlet as well as abundant opportunities for friendship and collaboration among peers,” said Cooper.
For local high school musicians who are interested in participating, information is available by visiting https://sonicspotlight.com/
