The advancement of man is not based solely on his technological achievements, but his common sense and compassion.
For every album sold, Mark Graham will donate 10% to "Wildlife Warriors", an organization founded by Steve Irwin. They are dedicated to the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife.
For more information on Wildlife Warriors click on the picture of Steve Irwin.
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All Roads lead to rock
When growing up, the radio was always tuned to my favorite rock stations. It was around all the time. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Yes, Neil Young, Jethro Tull; So many great artists and bands. Thats what I heard, that was my life . For me rock had the ability to create so many different moods. With its ass kickin power chords, hard hitting drums, and grooving bass lines youd want to party through the night. But it also had its sophisticated classical side that would settle the soul and encourage insight. It seemed like rock had something for everyone. It crossed all barriers regardless of generation, color and nationality. It brought people together. Music has that ability. When hearing Led Zepplin for the first time, everything changed for me. Its explosive drumming just blew me away. I wanted to play drums and play them like that! As a drummer first, rhythm has always been the driving force behind my music. John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, Bill Bruford and Jazz legend Buddy Rich have been my biggest influences.
I was a drummer for various bands playing shows in the New York/New Jersey Club circuit while writing songs on the side. I had always kept songwriting to myself, because it was kind of personal for me, until finally meeting up with Joe Hollow, of Rockland Countys Legendary Metal Band Hollow (he is presently the owner of Hollow Recording Studios and an executive of one of the worlds largest Heavy Metal Clubs) Joe loved my music and recorded me. He helped put together Absolute Zero and Soul Crisis. I wrote, arranged and produced songs for both Absolute Zero and Soul Crisis. AZ was a hard rock band with a lot of soul and talent heading for greatness. Soul Crisis also had a lot of talent but it was more of an experience for me. It taught me that songwriting is really about self-expression that comes from personal feelings.
I have always been passionate about my songwriting, especially the lyrics. Music is and has always been a form of entertainment. As all entertainment, music creates happiness and a sense of freedom to the listener. But music can also be a platform, a message center for the writers own personal views. Song writers such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney brought such depth to music. Their lyrics alone stirred up the pot of social issues. It is very hard to not let your beliefs affect your writing in some way or another, but I do my best not to let it happen all the time.
The advancement of man is not based solely on his technological achievements, but his common sense and compassion. ~ Mark Graham
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