Arden Reign
All You Want
© 2004 Mark Gallo (format: CD-R)
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Arden Reign is a ground-breaking rock band whose EP "All You Want" soars effortlessly on hook-driven choruses.
tracks
- 1 All You Want
- 2 Of Love and Wine
- 3 Mountain
- 4 I'm Free
- 5 Fine As Rome
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Not long ago, when originality reigned over formula, before sensation had become a goal in itself and pop/rock composers metamorphosed into generic categories, music listeners looked to recording artists as a means to expand their consciousness, explore new ideas, escape the ordinary, learn how to dress, talk, behave, and seek an identity. Behold the music of Arden Reign, which takes the listener on an artistic journey back to a time when music was celebrated for its uniqueness, ambition, theatricality and literacy.
Through lush, immaculate production and subtle textures encompassing pop, alternative rock, rock, jazz and classical influences, New York native Mark Gallo is an explorer through time, crafting melodic, anthemic pop songs and wrapping them in atmospheric soundscapes. He writes, records, and produces all of his own material.
Conceived by Mark himself, the name Arden Reign is "a universal concept that all can embrace. The word 'Arden' is actually an Old English name meaning 'fiery' or 'passionate' derived from the Latin word ardens bearing the same meaning. The modern word is of course 'ardent'. I always believed that Arden Reign was the name that best defined my music and my overall artistic direction. For it is our very passions that manifest our talents and gifts from God that we all have", states Mark.
“I actually started on piano,” recalls Mark, “I successfully auditioned for a course at the Julliard School of Music.” Mark absorbed a myriad of influences. “I studied classical out of my love for the music and my fascination with how such beautiful, complex compositions were written. Then I briefly moved on to theory and jazz guitar. I concentrated on the various chord inversions and harmonies to fortify my overall knowledge. And of course, I also studied the music of the Beatles, which is a perfect marriage between just about every genre in the pantheon of popular music. I’m very inspired by the great rock artists from the 1960's to the present day. My goal is to write what I feel and develop it into a marketable song.”
In his lyrics, Mark conveys his thoughts and ideals with a distinct clarity that melds into the melodic framework of each track. “My ideas and images emerge as I’m playing. It all depends on my mood and the melody. The lyrical content centers on how I view the world around me and the feelings the music brings out. Often, the words will just pop into my head and I’ll develop it into a song. The text is rarely written first. I primarily draw from personal experience.”
Presenting his music to the world is another endeavor Mark relishes. He’s just as comfortable on stage as he is in the studio. “Yes, I am a stickler for sound” Mark emphasizes. “I know the medium for expression is not like it was a hundred years ago: the grand staff !” After several attempts to convey to engineers the sounds he was hearing in his head, Mark submerged himself into the science of recording. “I grew frustrated when engineers could not capture what I was hearing. My ideology is simple: the better your songs sound, the better your chances are of being heard. The technology is here, so I dived in head first. Over the years, I educated myself. But as much as you think you know, there’s always someone else who knows more. So I poured over trade magazines and contacted audio experts any chance I could.”
July, 2004, Mark's first release under Arden Reign was the EP entitled "All You Want" consisting of five songs. It was was he considers to be his first professional sounding release out his recording studio. Mark then went on to add those five songs to a full album entitled "Night Worlds". The album is scheduled to be released in August, 2005. With the exception of the song "Mountain", the only musician that appears on every track besides Mark is drummer Brad Lewis. All of the instruments (except drums) on the "Pictures of Sister", "Two Hearts in Paradise" and "If You Reap What You Sow" of the album were performed entirely by Mark himself.
The album cover artwork was also created by Mark through digital rendering, who many hale as the next new art form. "Digital rendering was a hobby I took up over some time in late 2004. I became fascinated with science fiction/fantasy artwork of the screen savers found throughout the web as well as the computer animation we see in movies and wanted to create my own renders. I was surprised to see how good they came out and decided to use one as my album cover. In this technological age that allows us complete musical and artistic independence, it just made sense to combine the two art forms."