It began when a couple of kids approached Marc on the street and asked “Mister, do you wanna buy a harmonica?” He did, and never looked back. Taking a cue from a discography he found in Blues Harp, an instruction book by Tony “Little Sun” Glover, he immersed himself in the recordings of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Paul Butterfield, and Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band.

In 1976, Marc joined the rock & roll band Brick Alley, soon reborn as the Iron City Houserockers. From their home base at Pittsburgh’s legendary rock & roll bar The Decade, the Houserockers became hometown favorites and went on to cut several records for MCA Records, produced by the likes of Miami Steve Van Zandt, Steve Cropper and British glam rockers Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. The Houserockers shared stages with Patti Smith, Meatloaf, the J. Geils Band and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, among others. The band’s recordings and high-energy live performances received rave reviews, including this from Rolling Stone magazine: “The Iron City Houserockers’ new album, ‘Have A Good Time…But Get Out Alive,’ earns them a permanent place in the hallowed hall of the immortals.”

During this time, Marc was also the host Blue Midnight, a late night blues radio show on WYEP-FM, after the Little Walter instrumental of the same name. When fellow Houserocker Art Nardini joined the show, they switched to a punk rock/New Wave format and re-named the show Black & Blue Midnight. Marc and Art were radio hosts to a number of bands as they passed through Pittsburgh, including the Police and the Ramones.

After 7 years and 3 acclaimed albums, Marc left the Houserockers. For several years he worked as a manager and producer for several bands, notably The Core, a reggae group that enjoyed regional success. He also taught blues harmonica for Calliope, the Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, and for adult education classes at the University of Pittsburgh and the local Community College.

In the mid-80’s, Marc formed the Pep Boys, a high-energy rhythm & blues unit. When that band broke up in 1990, he continued to teach, and play and record with a number of Pittsburgh-based artists, including world renowned acoustic blues guitarist Ernie Hawkins, Jill West and Blues Attack, and guitarist/singer-songwriter Peter King.

Marc re-joined the Houserockers, by then known as Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, in 1999. He recorded 2 more records with the Houserockers and played throughout the United States and Europe with the band through 2006, sharing the stage on numerous occasions with Bruce Springsteen. The Houserockers also performed with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater for their production of Springsteen and Seger.

Marc ventured into the classical music realm when The Pittsburgh Opera invited him to perform with the Opera Orchestra in 2008 for their production of The Grapes of Wrath, based on the epic John Steinbeck novel. And in 2011, he recorded a song which was used in the Pittsburgh Conservatory Theater’s production of The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan.

In 2012, Marc released GIMME A BEAT! - a high-energy EP of blues and roots rock & roll featuring members of the Pep Boys.

In May of 2017, Marc released his first full-length album of original songs, STRONG WAY. The songs on the album, many of which were written in collaboration with guitarist Kurt Resch, his longtime friend from The Core, reflect the diverse styles of music Marc has played over the years – rock & roll, blues, rhythm & blues, pop and reggae. The album features some of the Pittsburgh area’s finest musicians, including Resch and Rick Witkowski (guitars), Tom Valentine and Paul Thompson (bass), B.C. Taylor (drums), Ben Opie (alto sax).

Currently, Marc performs with a number of Pittsburgh-based artists, including Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Ernie Hawkins, Melinda and the Night Sky, Jon Bindley, Wil Kondrich and Peter King. Marc has also recorded with several Spanish bands, including rock band Los Madison, and psych rock band Bubble Bones.

Former Houserocker Debuts with "Strong Way"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 18, 2017

"Reisman's first album of original material features a genre-defying mix of songs recorded with some of the area's best musicians"
Tribune Review, May 16, 2017

“Without [Marc Reisman] the rock and roll attorney, it just isn’t the Iron City Houserockers or any other Houserockers for me…he is the official soft drink, the straw that stirs the drink, and more importantly, the sound of the Decade-rockin’…Houserocker fans. That harp is like a time machine that sends you back to 1980 and wishing you still had that friggin Pinto that wouldn’t start when it rained. Wow…thank you Marc.”
Hank Spicer, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers Guest Book, March, 2009

“Finding a harmonica player who could play [composer Ricky Ian] Gordon’s demanding part proved challenging for the company. Marc Reisman, formerly with the Houserockers, was tapped to play both harmonica and bass harmonica.”
Pittsburgh Opera, “The Grapes of Wrath,” November, 2008

“Ernie Hawkins…was perfectly backed by another great of North American music, Marc Reisman, whose harmonica contributed to enhance the acoustic blues of Hawkins, just as it has done many times with musicians of Bruce Springsteen’s charisma.”
Diario de Avila (Spain), November, 2006

“Marc tailors his playing to beautifully fit the moods of Grushecky’s grownup blue collar themed songs. He finds just the right feel for each song. It’s a pleasure to hear harp in this context. Pick up a copy [of “True Companion”] if you want to hear how to make harp sound just right in a rock band.”
Rosco Selley (of Maybe August ) www.harp-l.com, April, 2004

“Special touches like the dual percussion and harmonica player Marc Reisman’s fantastic solos…give the Houserockers’ live shows a distinctive edge.”
Asbury Music, February, 2004

“Bruce’s [Springsteen] buddies, the Houserockers, rev up and turn ‘Light of Day’ into a wicked country stomp, with Marc Reisman’s harmonica sparring with Grushecky’s growl.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 2003

[On “Down The Road Apiece – Live,”], “Marc Reisman brings his torching harmonica to two vintage cuts, ‘Dance With Me’ and ‘Blood On The Bricks,’ and to the sinister grooves of ‘How Long.’”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October, 1999

“…Marc Reisman is one of the few essential harmonica players in Pittsburgh.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 1997

“As the charismatic and virtuosic harmonica player for the Iron City Houserockers, Marc Reisman locked in a reputation as one of the finest blues rockers in Pittsburgh, as well as the national scene.”
In Pittsburgh, September, 1990

“[On the Pep Boys’ recording of Bo Diddley’s ‘Roadrunner,’] the thunderous backbeat, propelling and funky guitar riff and Reisman’s powerful blues harp beg you to dance.”
The Daily Collegian, April, 1987

“[In the Pep Boys,] Reisman holds the spotlight with his singing, stage antics and Chicago-style harp solos.”
The Pittsburgh Press, December, 1986

“Reisman – bald head, shades, smoldering harp, the table-stomping showman of the Iron City Houserockers.”
In Pittsburgh, February, 1986

[In “Blood on the Bricks,”] “Grushecky tells the story of one young tough’s slip into the abyss, while Marc Reisman’s harmonica snarls and the group thrashes out gritty, barroom rock & roll.”
Rolling Stone, February, 1982

“The Iron City Houserockers’ new album, ‘Have A Good Time…But Get Out Alive,’ earns them a permanent place in the hallowed hall of the immortals.”
Creem, 1980

“Energetic harmonica player Marc Reisman generated sheer exuberance when he ventured boldly into the audience on [Chuck Berry’s] ‘Around & Around’…Throughout the show, Reisman was the spark that fueled the band to its best.”
The Pitt News, September, 1979

“One of the Houserockers’ more memorable covers was of the J. Geils Band’s ‘Whammer Jammer,’ led by Marc Reisman’s exciting harmonica blowing and stage theatrics.”
Cashbox, 1978

"Sure, there are traces of Marc's past influences in the blues/rock vein on this disc, but check out the tracks "House of a Hundred Souls," "Broken Glass" (a narrative that echoes Beat Poetry), "TV Eyes," and "Strong Way" for a portal into the eclectic mind of a true musical and lyrical craftsman."
Larry Germack, MVD Entertainment

With The Iron City Houserockers

Love's So Tough — MCA Records (1978)
Have A Good Time But Get Out Alive — MCA Records (1980)
Blood On The Bricks — MCA Records (1981)
Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers — Rhino Records (1992)

With Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers

Down The Road Apiece (Live) (1999)
5 Alive In Spain (DVD) (2004)
True Companion (2002)
"Light of Day" on Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2003)

Marc Reisman — Solo

Strong Way (2017)
Gimme A Beat! EP (2011)

With The Pep Boys

Live at the Decade: "Boom Boom Out Go The Lights" (1990)
"Bring It On Home" b/w "Roadrunner" 45rpm Single (1987)

With Bill Toms and Hard Rain

"Satan's On My Shoulder" on The West End Kid (2005)
"Piece Of The Good Life" on Chaos and a Troubadour's Soul (2008)
"Hold On" on Memphis (2011)

With Ernie Hawkins

"Bluesified" on Bluesified (2009)
"Mean Little Poodle" on Mean Little Poodle (2002)
"Texas Easy Street" and "Avalon" on Rags & Bones (2006)
"Vicksburg Blues" and "Shuffle Rag" on Whinin' Boy (2010)

With The Core

"World Citizenship" b/w "Cry Love" (On Alto Sax) 45rpm Single (1983)
The Core EP (On Alto Sax) Cassette (1984)

With Jill West & Blues Attack

"Rock You Down" and "Miss Celie's Blues" on Face Full of Blues (2001)

With Anthony Rankin

"Trusted" on Cages of Fire (2006)
"Since You've Been Gone" on The Distance (2007)
"Perfect Ten" on Blow This House Down (2010)

With Peter King

"Don't Play That Song", "Let's Go For a Ride", and "Somebody Else's July" on Dancing On A Long Leash (2009)

With Los Madison (Madrid, Spain)

"Recibi Un Disparo" on Vendeval (2009)

With Melinda and the Night Sky

"Say What You Mean" (2020)
"Say It's So" (2020)

With Bubble Bones (Madrid, Spain)

"Una Viejo Cancion" on Get Back to the Mojo (2024)
"Milky Way Blues" on Get Back to the Mojo (2024)

With Connor Parente and the Highway Mystics

"Martyrdom" (January 2026)
"Gold & Black" (January 2026)
"It Sets In The West" (January 2026)