MTV's Bio
Coming together in the same Central Valley breeding ground that spawned bands like Korn and Videodrone, Adema is one of the most buzzed-about heavy rock bands of the year. After months of major label bidding warfare, Adema signed with Arista Records and began not only a series of high-profile gigs, but also started one of the most anticipated debut albums of 2001.
The band's proximity to one of the most vital music scenes of the last decade helped shape its sound, which has evolved into a hard-driving, yet emotional fusion of heavy rock foundations, street sensibilities, and melodic modern rock flourishes. Growing up in Bakersfield, California--where he worked as a day care supervisor and flirted with becoming a teacher--the then-teenaged Mark "Marky" Chavez, lead singer and frontman, was well acquainted with many of the popular local acts, such as Juice and SexArt. Out of these bands came the musicians who would form Adema, guitarist Mike Ransom being the first. Bassist Dave DeRoo and guitarist Tim Fluckey were in Juice, the band that grew out of the ashes of SexArt. But Chavez had another connection as well: His older half-brother was Jonathan Davis, lead singer for Bakersfield�s most successful export, Korn.
�His biggest influence on me, and absolutely the best thing he could have done for me, was telling me when I wasn�t good enough,� confides Chavez about his brother. �I�m the type--and this is something that�s instilled in our family--that when I want something, I go for it; there�s no way you�re gonna deny me or tell me I can�t have it. But as far as being there and being supportive and stuff, he was awesome.�
The band had been rehearsing and demoing material for a year before drummer Kris Kohls joined, but the demos they did with him earned the attention of the record industry before Adema had set foot on a single stage. After clinching the deal with Arista, the band members retreated to a cabin in northern California for the intensive writing sessions that yielded the material for their debut album.
Adema got together in L.A. with producers Bill Appleberry (7th House) and Tobias Miller (guitarist with the Wallflowers) to record their self-titled debut. Next, this five-man powerhouse will take their act on the road and prove that no matter whom anyone is related to, it still comes down to the music and the musicians who play it.