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roark
Rock / Indie / Acoustic

		Official MySpace Page of: Roark POMPTON PLAINS United States Profile Views: 113229 Last Login: 8/28/2009
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MySpace URL:

www.myspace.com/roarknj

roark: General Info

Member Since	11/29/2004
Band Website	http://www.roarkmusic.com
Band Members	BOOKING INFORMATION Agency: Lucky Artist Booking Agent: contact Vincent Minervino Who is Roark? I'm a solo artist. When the mood is right, I rock all night, with these wonderful chaps... Chris Badami ==> drums Scott Hogan ==> bass Nick "The Professor" Pierro ==> guitars
Influences	These are the artistis i like or influenced me growing up: Duncan Shiek, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Jimmy Eat World, Pearl Jam, The Format, Stone Temple Pilots, James Taylor, Tonic, David Mead, Sarah McLachlan, old lite-FM music like the Bee-Gees, Marvin Gay, Stevie Wonder, also Nirvana, Aerosmith, U2, the Starting Line, Early November, Copeland, Fleetwood Mac, the Police, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Soundgarden, classical music like bach and chopin, Guster, Bob Dylan, Elliot Smith, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Collective Soul, the Eagles, Ramones, Cure, Dashboard, and tons and tons more from equally random genres and styles. It's all about a good mix.
Sounds Like	ear candy...
Record Label	love minus zero/drive-thru
Type of Label	Indie

roark's Latest Blog Entry [Subscribe to this Blog]

Ace Enders of The Early November (Drive-Thru) and Pete Nischt w/Roark @ 2.22.07 CD Release Show (view more)

PREVIEW NEW SONGS FROM "BREAK OF DAY"!!! (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

About roark

"Into Pieces" live acoustic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmRyq70MPrI

"Break of Day" Reviews: "More and more solo acts are coming to the mainstream and this is one with a true heart and a focused mind..."
-SkylinePress.net
"This is a collection of broken bonds and relationship setbacks that are transformed into ear-tingling pop-punk gems! The melodies are catchy, and keep the flow of the whole album more optimistic than intended. Pop sensibilities prevail, and you sure don't hear that every day - but it's more proof that Roark is an original."
-JerseyBeat.com

Text letters to 51927 to get a $1.99 ringtone for Roark's song "Letters." Click here to see if your phone is compatible and get more ringtones!

CLICK HERE to buy
"Break of Day" now at
the LMZ Merch Store

He isn’t sure who said it, but Roark likes to quote the critic who noted there really are only a few subjects artists tend to explore. "Love, death, fear" says the singer/songwriter.  "You can always tie everything back to these fundamental things. I strive to do it my own way."  And what is Roark’s way?  With his pitch perfect tenor and instinct for pure melody, Roark delves into those suspended, transitory moments between people.  Roark is for fans of John Mayer, Damien Rice, James Blunt and Chris Martin.  And though he’s too modest to say so, with his new album, Break Of Day, Roark just might usher in a new era of pop music that matters.

It is a solo album, but Roark didn't make Break Of Day alone. Chris Badami served as producer, engineer and – for old time's sake – drummer (they were band mates in the New Jersey-based Casual Blue). The pair teamed up at Badami's Portrait Recording Studios in Lincoln Park, NJ, to make the CD.  “It was invaluable having Chris,” says Roark. “We're great friends to begin with, and having a great personal relationship was a solid foundation for a great musical relationship.”

Break Of Day kicks off with the buoyant “Never Felt So Lucky,” based on a train ride through the Italian countryside.  “I typically write sad songs,” says Roark, “but I made a conscious effort to have some joyful songs on this record.”  The sarcastic funk of “Into Pieces” contrasts with gospel-flavored soul of “Movin’ On,” Roark’s take on a break-up song.  “This was pulled from the best of my break-ups,” he says.

Ballads like “Perfect (Today)” and “Broken Smile,” with their bittersweet acoustic flourishes, highlight Roark’s burnished songwriting skills.  But he can rock, too, as he shows on “Brighter Side,” “Song from T.V.,” and the Queen-like “Letters,” an ingenious song told from the perspective of two letter-writers through the mail.

Showing a poet’s feel for skewed perspective, in “All of the Riches,” Roark takes on the persona of a just-deceased man reflecting on a life just ended (“It’s a final resting place/At a quite unusual time/There’s a smile upon my face/Like it’s born of red wine”). Says Roark, “For some reason I'm obsessed with my own death. You can get caught up in it, wondering what you learn at that last moment.”

He ends the album with “Take It Slow,” an intimate acoustic-flavored song with a meter that lives up to its title yet still moves with inevitable propulsion. It’s an artful metaphor for Roark himself, a musician with a restless heart always a beat ahead of the world around him.

A native of Pompton Plains, NJ (about 30 miles from Manhattan), Roark grew up enamored of a wide variety of popular music, from James Taylor to Kurt Cobain to Toad the Wet Sprocket. “I was born to be a musician,” he says. “I always loved singing, theater, even Italian opera.  My parents were shocked when I didn't go to music school.”

“I worked for a Fortune 500 company,” he says. “It was terrible. I'd rather be a struggling musician.” Thanks to his friendship with Chris Badami and Ace Enders of The Early November, he was able to showcase for Love Minus Zero Recordings in 2005. It wasn’t long before he clinched a solo deal (the first artist signed to the LMZ label) and the making of Break Of Day was underway.

As a songwriter, Roark subscribes to the approach of poet Robert Frost, who once described his art as “freedom in harness.” Says Roark, “Most every lyric I write has to rhyme. I need the restraint; otherwise there are too many ways to say things.  Also, a lot of my guitar playing is rhythmic in nature. I'll never be a shredder, ripping out crazy solos.”

No one is likely to miss that once Break Of Day reaches fans. It’s a testament to Roark that he skirts the boundary lines of contemporary pop while remaining true to the singer/songwriter tradition that inspires him. He will no doubt inspire many in the months and years to come.

“I made the songs I heard,” he says of the new album, “and I gave it my best effort.  I hope it will connect with people, because everything came from the heart.”

roark's Friend Space (Top 12)

roark has 5264 friends.

Drive-Thru Records

Portrait Recording Studios

Pete Nischt

The Early November

I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business

Kevin Elliot and The Broken

SOUND THE ALARM

Love Minus Zero

LIMBECK

Driving East

chris badami

YOUR SWEET UNCERTAINTY

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roark's Friends Comments

Displaying 25 of 2055 comments ( View All | Add Comment )

shion	Nov 26 2008 11:57 AM Thanks for the add ;) love your music <3
lite<3brite	Oct 16 2008 4:41 PM well then thank God for kittens.
trf	Oct 26 2008 2:36 AM my photo says it all...... luv, ~trf~
PROPERTY SIX	Oct 8 2008 7:01 PM High from P6 and crew! Enjoy HELL-A-WEED Its not a TRICK Its a TREAT! 2pm-2am over 15 performances with P6 performing 2x during event!2000sqft HAUNTED HOUSE! EROTIC VIP room with private DJ & COMPLIMENTARY BEVERAGES! CONTEST & PRIZES! Presale General admission $12 all ages 21+BYOB Presale VIP 21+only $20 Limited to only 75 (they will go fast don't wait first come first serve) ON THE SCENE with LADIEBUG FOX10 Watch Friday night's/Saturday morning's 12:30am A must see! Set your TIVO/DVR DON'T MISS IT!!!Starts OCT.31st/NOV.1st
Kelsey	Sep 30 2008 12:44 AM yes! :] Obama rocks lol.
_~_MmMiRaAa_~_	Sep 19 2008 4:55 PM Yea Any-time! Love the Profile!! 8)
Harley Quinn	Sep 19 2008 5:50 PM haha. Aww, thanks :D I love your sound. It's great! ♥ Have a great day!
Springdown NEW SONG UP	Sep 20 2008 1:32 PM hi guys!! you guys kick ass!! Come in Italy, we love your tunes. Greetings from Springdown, please leave a comment and add us..we appreciate your support. diega_sd
Tora	Aug 25 2008 9:49 PM Hey thanks for the add and stop by sometimes! Love, Tora
BlackDogHat Online Now!	Aug 25 2008 11:36 PM Hi Roark Love "Take it Slow" great song! Cheers John BLACKDOGHAT London
trf	Aug 22 2008 1:16 AM tk tk tk tk...that's my clock...clicking off the ticks till you post a new show....hurry...it's driving me mad... luv, ~trf~
SHELLEY ♥ BELLA™	Jul 27 2008 10:56 PM come to floridaaaa....again haha this time when i am there :)
JODELLE	Jul 9 2008 7:46 PM Hey Roark! How's it going? I hope all is well. Drop me a line sometime. :)
Paul Cataldi (Country Vol. 2 out now!)	Jul 8 2008 6:39 AM Hey, hope everything's going alright. Check out my new song called "Maybe" when you get a chance! Lemme know what you think.
Kamikaze Kendra	Jul 4 2008 8:11 AM I haven't heard from you in ages... and that's sad. How've you been? I (and Michigan, I'm sure) miss you! Come see me soon?
Amy	Jun 30 2008 3:57 AM Thanks for the Add your music is Awesome!!!
SHELLEY ♥ BELLA™	Jun 26 2008 8:06 PM misss you!! hope tour went well!
Lauren.	Jun 27 2008 4:07 PM
Kate	Jun 26 2008 6:43 PM you did amazing yesterday, I hope your leg feels better. OH and what was the name of the True Life that had your song in it? I feel like watching it right now.
»Kelly Blick™«	Jun 26 2008 2:00 AM Heeyy sirr. do you happen to still have that octopus that me and my friend made you?? cuz we were making some more amazing sea creatures the other day and she was like "i wonder if he still has our octopus." so now i am here asking you if you still have it? ahah hope you have a great day =]
Catherine	Jun 17 2008 9:52 PM heh, thank you. :] i really enjoy your music, it's soothing. how's your day?
J O L I E ♥	Jun 18 2008 5:12 AM Of course! Your music is gorgeous :) keep it up! ♥Jolie
Lindsey Holland	Jun 15 2008 5:36 AM Oc? Anytime soon??? Show some California Love!!!!
Victoria	Jun 12 2008 1:44 AM Hey roark, I just bought you as my PET! Click here to find out how much I think you're WORTH! ------------------------------- This comment was sent by your friend via the Own Your Friends! application. To block comments sent via Apps. click here.
Barbara Barale	Jun 12 2008 7:53 PM hI !!! HOW ARE U? you were great!!! CHEERS BAR

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