MARK BARANOWSKI - all (vocals, drum machines, keyboards, synths, etc.)
MARK'S DETAILS:
STATUS - Married
HERE FOR - Friends/Fans, Networking
ORIENTATION - Straight
HOMETOWN - Buffalo, NY
RELIGION - Christian
ZODIAC SIGN - Taurus
SMOKE/DRINK - No/No
CHILDREN - Proud Parent
EDUCATION - High School
OCCUPATION - writer, filmmaker, musician, locksmith (all serious artistes should have a day job)
MARK'S SCHOOLS:
Bennett Hs (1990-1992)
Buffalo, NY
Graduated: 1992
Student Status: Alumni
Degree: High School Diploma
Niagara-Wheatfield Shs (1987-1990)
Sanborn, NY
Buffalo Traditional School (1984-1987)
Buffalo, NY
St. Rose of Lima Catholic School (1980-1984)
Buffalo, NY
Influences
70's Prog Rock & Soul, 80's New Wave, Heavy Metal and horror film soundtracks... Most heavily influenced by Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel/Genesis, Marvin Gaye, Dave Gahan/Martin L. Gore/Depeche Mode, The Beloved, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Recoil, Bryan Ferry, The Fixx, Tears For Fears, Michael Hutchence/INXS, George Michael, Hall & Oates, Dead Can Dance, Enigma, Shriekback, Yello, Jan Hammer, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Goblin/Claudio Simonetti, Stefano Mainetti, Fabio Frizzi, Simon Boswell, Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter... and even The Monkees & Bee Gees!
Electronic-based rhythm floods your ears with songwriting brilliance as the music of Mark Baranowski takes to the air. Offering up music that infuses the listener with its own energy and mind elevation, Mark's songs offer crisp electronic textures working in sublime conjunction with pop, rock & hip-hop elements. The end result is inspired and original songcraft.
"Vital Therapy"
The world would never know healing if not for the power of music. Mark seeks to make its curative powers come alive with his emotionally charged songwriting. “Music is vital therapy, both for the artist and for the listener,” he declares. With his songs he reaches out to the listener, offering both solace and entertainment and finding a place beyond the physical in which musician and audience can coexist and energize through the power of rhythm. “As an artist, music has been a saving grace throughout my entire life, enabling me to therapeutically release otherwise hidden emotions and frustrations. As a listener, it’s pulled me through bouts of depression, set the mood for unforgettable experiences and continuously sparked my own creativity.”
"Fear"
Fear is a tremendous force for positive, driving us to improve our lot and seek out higher goals. "Fear may be my main inspiration – fear of harm befalling my family, fear of failure, fear of mediocrity and fear of poverty." Of course, with talent such as Mark's, some of these fears will surely prove to be hollow ones. But his willingness to face the darkness and find there motivation for his art has only enhanced and enriched his songwriting, making for music with depth.
"The Artist at Work"
As of early 2008, Mark has so far released 15 CDs in the course of his career (some under the pseudonyms The Marksman and MARQUIS [pronounced mar-KEE]). He has also scored his own independent films, as well as providing music for 1998’s horror opus 5 Dark Souls: Part 2. The online soundtrack for Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 also boasted a track by Mark (as MARQUIS). He's since put all this "shadowy" material behind him for awhile in order to focus on children's music, stating, "The birth of my son, Eryk, completely transformed me. I've decided it's time to use my creative talents in a more positive and uplifting way, and the children's market is just where I need to be." Although this path has so far led to considerably less success than that of his previous work, he couldn't be more satisfied with - or proud of - the results of his efforts (as he hopes Eryk will be when he's old enough to appreciate them).
Meet corrupt detectives Ron Fugate (Mark Baranowski) and Morris Brinson (Demond Reed)... the former obsessed by sex and drugs, the latter motivated solely by money. When a criminal they put behind bars is released from prison and puts a hit out on them, both their partnership and their very existence quickly begins to decay... Who will survive, and at what cost???
Repeat visits from an amoral sex fiend keep a heroin addict hooked… A desperate single mother seeking a father figure for her son sets her sights on a local gangster… An extra-marital affair leads to murder, suicide and sweet revenge… A lonely, short-tempered man faces retribution after assaulting an attractive neighbor… ILL TIMES is a small slice of city life, and an unfortunate reflection of our own society – where priorities are out of order… where morals are non-existent… where deceit and violence is second nature… where faith has been forgotten… Where the only hope is a parent’s love.
Butch and Angie are in love, but their relationship isn't progressing quickly enough for Angie. When Butch foolishly attempts to deceive her on account of a friend, whom she already dislikes, she decides to call it quits and dumps him. Meanwhile, screenwriter Donald – another of Butch's friends – is having his own problems in dealing with writer's block and a wife who's tired of being ignored. Struggling desperately to write the All-American comedy, Donald soon finds inspiration in Butch...
A devious ex-girlfriend, a pushy drug dealer, a blind date gone awry and a nagging mother (Lynn Lowry) turns Butch's weekend – and spirits – from bad to downright pathetic. As Angie tends to her ailing mother (Brinke Stevens) and begins to accept life without him, Butch races to make amends in an effort to win back her heart before it's too late.
"Clever writing anchors the script...
also features a decent soundtrack by the multi-talented Mark Baranowski."
--Unnoticed Films (click to read entire review) York, PA
The Powerful Play begins with a collection of seven music videos which accompany the jazzy-funky instrumentals off Mark Baranowski's 2002 CD, "The FLESH & BLOOD Show" (performed under his MARQUIS pseudonym): CAN I HAVE A KISS?
....
BORN TO DIE
....
VICTIMS
MONEY
....
THE PAIN HELPS
LIVE TO CREATE
....
THE POWERFUL PLAY (2003 reprise)
....
The videos feature an assortment of his closest friends and family (such as Ryli Morgan, Tracy Ellis, Brinke Stevens and Rachelle Williams), and present Mark's own visions of love, life, lust, death, and the afterlife.
"Living and Re-living The Powerful Play" is a short film that includes an in-depth interview with Mark himself, along with home video segments and behind-the-scenes footage.
On the night of their tenth anniversary, corporate lawyer Michael Barnes's wife is brutally murdered. Labeled the prime suspect by Detectives Jack Burns and Amy Cobb, Barnes must try to clear his name before it's too late...
Along the way, Barnes's closest friends begin to show their true colors, and with no one left to trust, he finds himself with nothing to lose as he's faced with the toughest decision of his life.
Shot on location in St. Augustine, FL and Charlotte, NC
"One of those films that gets under your skin long after you have watched it.... A perfect example of what an erotic thriller should be." --Douglas A. Waltz,Blogcritics.org (click to read entire review)
(Click images to buy DVDs @ Amazon.com,
OR, download from Amazon Unbox!)
David (Mark Baranowski) is a newly sold-out drug dealer who decides to pay his ex-wife Nicole (Ryli Morgan) a surprise visit before leaving town with his new girlfriend (Brinke Stevens)... only to discover that Nicole isn't the same person he knew when he left her, a year earlier. She now has a girlfriend of her own (Rachelle Williams), and David soon realizes that some things are better left in the past...
"[Mark's] best film to date. It's got everything: boy loses girl, boy gets girl, girl gets girl. How can you not love lesbian vampires? Great shower scenes. In the words of a horny Aussie, "Great bloody nipples, Mate!" Dream sequence with Brinke was a nice touch..." --Don Donovan,
Buffalo, NY
"Yet another example of micro budget film making done correctly... Ryli Morgan’s performance as Nicole is incredible to watch." --Douglas A. Waltz,CultCuts Magazine/Divine Exploitation Portage, MI
"Fans of indie movies where the hard work is evident on the screen will not be disappointed..." --Mike Watt, FILM THREAT
"Very David Lynch-esque erotic bloodbath... The lesbian vampire scenes (basting each other in blood) could very well be a fetish-building complex!!!! Two fangs in for Expendable..." --Tracy Crockett, UNSPEAKABLE Magazine Gainesville, TX
CAST:
Vanessa/Lydia Slowik - RYLI MORGAN
Jill Sullivan - MELANIE MURDOCK
Adam Hill - JAMI HARRELSON
Detective Luke Brennan - MARK BARANOWSKI
Adam's Girl - MICHELLE MARTIN
Tanya Abrams - VICTORIA BRIGMAN
Tim Abrams - JASON HARRELSON
Keri Miller - PHYLLIS BARNETTE
A shady producer begins losing his actresses to a knife-wielding, masked killer. A detective teams up with the twin sister of the first victim to search for the culprit, as both the list of suspects and the body count grows...
"Absolutely AWESOME! From the opening shower scene, it keeps you guessing. What a great mix of a murder/suspense film!" --Amy Kelly,
Charlotte, NC
"There are certain things a slasher flick must do. We need the traditional creepy music and a masked or at least hidden killer, and we need blood. There must be blood. Not buckets of it, although that's acceptable. And we need naked girls. Preferably pretty naked girls. Hooray for Mark Baranowski! He gets it all right..." --Douglas Waltz,CULTCUTS Magazine Seattle, WA
"Takes the slasher formula and works with it in the right way. I've seen tons of big budget slasher flicks that are far worse than this..." --Jonathon Berry, HORROR-DOMAIN.com Langley, B.C. CANADA
"It wasn't bad at all! The mask looked like movies from the 60's, kinda cool. It seemed kinda retro to me... Retro and me get along fine."
--Contessa Oblivian, Flint, MI
Mark Baranowski's solemn and haunting directorial debut, Despair is the first release from Mark's own ON MARK PRODUCTIONS. Starring only model-actress Ryli Morgan and Mark himself, the film contains very little dialogue. However, its dark and stunning visuals more than make up for it!
The film depicts a married couple's final hours, before each commits suicide. Christopher no longer wishes to live a life in which his artistic talents continue to go unrecognized and unappreciated...Yvette has no desire to live without him, and her depression drives her to both insanity and self-destruction. Mark also provides the film's soundtrack, which is a perfect match to its dark premise.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE:
On 5/28/02, the original version of Despair was released on Seduction Cinema's "Roxanna" DVD.
Online Now!
