Year : 1992
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 135 mb
Bio:
Mara was in the beginning a melodic hard rock with prog elements style original music band that was based out the “Pill Hill” Clifton, Ohio area.Taking cue from their musical hero's and influences such as Genesis, ELP, Yes, King Crimson and others, Mara was a pretentious and creative group of accomplished musicians with plenty of money to buy whatever musical device they desired. One such member played something Chris would whimsically name the "Nutty Octave Device" - an electronic clarinet if you will. It was the most bazaar musical instrument that I had ever seen at the time, and it became the focus of many jokes and stories over the years (including a mention on Mara's first commercial release).Upon my arrival as Mara's new keyboardist, the band started to take more of a turn towards a harder edge (a trait that would follow me pretty much wherever I headed). Popular music in 1984 was right in the middle of the Glam Rock MTV era where big hair, make-up and 3 chord rock songs were the big sellers. In typical fashion, Mara borrowed a taste of this and a pinch of that to their progressive styling’s to create original music that was accessible to the 3 chord rockers, but acceptable to the prog-rock snobs (like myself of course). Mara brought on singer Marty Farris about the same time Dream Theater released their single "Pull Me Under", putting Mara on a similar prog-rock track producing powerful rock songs with intricate rhythms and big vocals."Breaking The Silence" was Mara's first release. We recorded it on an 8 track reel-to-reel recorder syncing the keyboards to SYMPE time code (not really an exact science for a bunch of 20 something year old kids), but it sounded simply incredible. Our close friends all became a part of the process taking photographs, designing the cassette jackets (yes, audio cassette – look it up), printing them, cutting, folding, inserting the mass produced tapes – EVERYTHING! At the end of the day we had a package that people could purchase at our live shows. You could take Mara home with you.Over the next few years we would play clubs, open for national acts such as Andy Summers, Marillion, Shooting Star, and “3” (Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer, and Robert Barry). We even did a show in Dayton, OH with Donnie Iris and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in front of an estimated 18,000 people (WOW what a rush!), all the while writing more and more material. We upgraded to a 16 track recorder and added a bunch of outboard gear to record “Poetry & Motion” – Mara’s first full CD released that included select cuts from our first cassette.By this time Mara had a “posy” of managers, agents, and a road crew – even our own step van (the “Taco Queeb” van – don’t ask…) to go from local gig to local gig. By the time we started the writing process for “America”, we were well on our way – so we thought…Unfortunately as time went on, the struggles of life and the unrealistic expectations of men who refuse to grow up started to have an adverse effect on the band. Half of us wanted to hit the road and start making more of a name for ourselves. The other half wanted to stay local and "do it like Allen Parsons," breaking into the music business from the recording studio. While we continued to play in local clubs to rave reviews, I had to make a personal, professional decision.In 1990 and after much soul searching trying to figure out if the Mara thing was all it was cracked up to be, I received a call from Danny Morgan. Danny was (and still is) a singer songwriter originally from Cincinnati Ohio who has carved out a great musical life for himself in and around the Gulf Coast of Florida. This was an opportunity to play music full time and make it a profession instead of a sideline.
Album:
Here’s the fantastic “Poetry & Motion“, 1992’s album from MARA, a Cincinnati based outfit formed in the Eighties. A cult band and album – they recorded at least two more – musically this recording has everything a fan of quality 80 / 90s rock music needs; from Hard Rock to AOR and Melodic Rock plus a pinch of progressive.And if we speak of quality that also encompasses intelligent songwriting, second-to-none musicianship, and a sumptuous production sound. At places the music bring to mind excellent act C.I.T.A, however MARA are much more melodic and genre-blending.This is commercial melodic / hard with a very accessible sound but composed, arranged & executed with substance. “Sentimental Warning” and “Justify” are an instant rocking favorites, if you need classic American AOR “Voices In The Rain” is just a wonderful, “Second Best” is a strong clever ballad, and for another blast of uptempo AOR push play on “September Rain”.You can’t get wrong with MARA’s ”Poetry & Motion”, a must in your collection not matter your specific Rock music preference.
Line-Up:
Marty Farris – lead vocals
Jason Aronoff – guitars
Mike Tekulve, Jim Questa – keyboards
Chris Mundy – bass
Todd Farler – drums, percussion
Tracklist:
01. Sentimental Warning
02. Justify
03. 1/2 Way ‘Till Tomorrow
04. Second Best
05. Voices In The Rain
06. Crimes Of The Heart
07. Breaking The Silence
08. Meet Me In The Mirror
09. September Rain
10. Heaven Never Knows...
11. Nightmare
12. Alone Here Beside You
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
