Durante began playing guitar in 1966 after being inspired by the fretwork of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Merle Travis.
It was during this time Mark started using the "durantula" moniker given to him by Blue Watusis drummer Marcus David,[5] later to be trademarked.
Although a third album by the Watusis was produced by Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, it was not released when Sony bought the label and dropped the band.
[6] During that tour, RevCo recorded the live tracks for their Beers, Steers and Queers Remixes EP, on which Durante provided guitar.
[13] Their last album, Waco Express: Live & Kickin' at Schuba's Tavern, is a concert recording which Ken Tucker, the pop music critic for NPR's Fresh Air and editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, described as "country as it should be written and played, with a long memory for roadhouse honky-tonks rather than TV-ready music videos.