Mark Rossmore: Guitar, Bass, Programming, Drums, and occasional attempts at vocals.
I want to start working with some vocalists who have their own gear (i.e. I send you the song, and you record over it). If you're interested, drop me a message.
Influences
Rock: NIN, Stabbing Westward, VAST, KidneyThieves, Lacuna Coil, KMFDM, Rasputina, 30 Seconds to Mars, A Perfect Circle. Basically, anything that's heavy yet intelligently done.
World Music: Rachid Taha, Asian Dub Foundation, Raquy and the Cavemen, Yoshida Brothers, various Taiko drum artists such as Bonten Wadaiko, Native American flute music, Soviet folk songs (seriously)
Hip-Hop: Spearhead, K'naan, Nujabes, Mos Def, Saul Williams Reggae: Marleys (Bob, Damian, and Stephen), Gentleman, Burning Spear
Pop: Garbage, Shakira, Sting
Electronic: Golden Palominos, Recoil, Paul Oakenfold, DJ Rap, William Orbit
Soundtracks: Cirque du Soleil (La Nouba, Drallion), Blue Man Group, Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Unreal Tournament
Sounds Like
Music with an identity crisis. Maybe it sounds like Stabbing Westward meets reggaeton. Maybe it's what Trent Reznor would write when he's vacationing in the Caribbean. I don't know. I throw various ingredients into a pot, let them stew, and hope it tastes good.
Listen to "Radar Down". An ethnic drum pattern, overlaid with electronics... that bursts into a chorus of pounding drums and distorted guitars coming down in a dancehall riddim... that flows into a bouncy Latin bridge.
A Bit of History
I've been involved with music since the mid-90's. I started out as a bass player in a local 3-piece alternative band called Triptamine. Later on, I taught myself guitar and drum/synth programming, forming a 2-man band called Level with a college friend. By the time the year 2000 rolled in, both bands had dissolved and the members gone their separate ways. Around 2003, I started playing out again as bass player with a group of friends in a rock band called Musidora. It dissolved a few years later due to career pressures for all members.
All throughout my time with the other bands, I was always working on my solo music. I can't sing for the life of me, but I enjoy writing songs and lyrics. I'm influenced by many things and listen to a great deal of music. In one sitting I'll listen to NIN, Stephen Marley, Cirque Du Soleil, Paul Oakenfold, K'naan, and Russian propaganda music from the 1920's. Yeah, really. It's like that.
Bring the World Inside
I always find it interesting to work odd instruments into my music. While I play the traditional guitar, bass, and (attempt) drums, I'm fascinated by ethnic instruments. Everywhere I travel, I collect instruments. In my collection so far I have:
A Native American buckskin drum from New Mexico
A talking drum from the Netherlands Antilles
Maracas from Venezuela
A guiro from the Cayman Islands
A steel pan drum from the Bahamas
A Turkish darbuka
A Native American courtship flute
A Turkish flute
Latin Percussion Bongos
A Native American bone shaker
Whenever I can afford them, I'm looking to get:
A Bouzouki (A long-necked 8 string lute tuned like a guitar)
