The ODNT Story

Old Dogs New Tricks is husband-and-husband duo Mark Davis and James Howe. With Mark on acoustic guitar and Jim on cello, they trade off lead and harmony vocals. Their lyric-driven songs ask what it means to be human and how, in the words of the poet Mary Oliver, we can make the most of our “one wild and precious life.” Writing and performing as Old Dogs New Tricks is one answer they came up with for themselves.

Their debut CD, “When It Goes,” was released in March 2020, and was followed by the release of their second album, “Forever,” in February 2024. 

The title song of their first album, “When It Goes,” celebrates the everyday life of a couple grateful for the small moments, aware that each moment passes and is gone. All we have is this moment and the mystery of whatever lies ahead. As with all their songs, they write first and foremost the words they themselves need to hear and hope others will find meaning in them as well. Their music explores such themes as the passage of time, gratitude, being true to oneself, and living life to its fullest, and their sound has been described as part folk, part art song, and very much their own.

Originally from Austin, Texas (Mark) and upstate New York (Jim), the couple live just outside New York City with their hound dog Lily.  When not performing and writing songs as one-half of Old Dogs New Tricks, James Howe is the well-known author of the classic Bunnicula and over ninety other children’s books. He has written across the ages, from picture books for his youngest readers, to The Misfits for middle school age readers. The Misfits was the inspiration for the national anti-bullying initiative No Name-Calling Week and is widely read in middle schools nationwide.  To learn more, visit www.jameshowe.com.  

To see their video of “When It Goes,” visit the Video page. You’ll see them walking Lily in Lenoir Nature Preserve, one of their favorite spots along the Hudson River near where they live.

As a gay male married couple, Mark and Jim represent something rare in the world of folk music.  They say about being a married couple who is also a musical duo, “What a gift it is that we get to create out of the love we have for each other and combine our individual talents and views into a vision that is ours together.”

They are frequently joined in performance and recording by flutist Paul Harris. 

ODNT has performed in many music venues along the Hudson River Valley as well as such far-flung spots as the Music Box in Craftsbury, VT; the Box Car Brew Pub outside Philadelphia; the Duplex in New York City, and most recently at a CD release concert in Austin, TX.