Markasu - Demo 2000
When I graduated high school in 1997 I wanted to start a REAL band of Metal and be Death Metal. At the time, my family just got the internet and being new and all I found a message board to post on. I posted on there that I wanted to start a Death Metal band with Black Metal elements to it from NY/NJ. A few days later I get an email from a female bassist from Brooklyn, NY that wanted to do the same. Another guitarist was in the picture but they wanted a 2nd one. After a few weeks (or months) of talking online, we traded numbers, talked music and was asked to try out. After a full afternoon of showing off to one and another I get the gig and writting began. After a couple of weeks the other guitarist disappeared and we hunted for a new one. We got ahold of this VERY talented guitarist from John IM from Linden, NJ and Canella and I were happier than a pig in mud. We landed a drummer that Canella knew and did a show in Wallingford, CT (my 1st gig even). Shit went over well but during a heated argument (from what I heard) between Canella and the drummer, he quit never to be heard again. Months later found another dude but he then disappeared suddenly. John then got a drum machine and started playing around with 3 of our songs for a demo. We recorded 3 songs in John's basement with Harvey the Drum Machine in 2000. That got this other drummer to wanna do the band and got hired that day he auditioned. A few weeks or months later we played our next, and last show, at the infamous CBGB's in NYC. That went WRONG!! The drummer got all the changes wrong (but yet nailed them solidly in practice) and made us look HORRID!! I even slammed my guitar down on the stage after the set. He was fired immediatly and within a few months time the band disbanded. Two gigs and a 3 song demo amounted out of it all. Learning experience for me I'll tell ya! But in the end, I'd STILL jam with those cats if it ever arose! GREAT musicians!!!!
Dislimb - Bleeding Anxiety MCD
This story is kinda long so I'll TRY to make it short! After the demise of Markasu in 2000 I took time in trying to find a new band to start or join in order to set the world afire with Metal. After a long search and no emails this dude replys to a post on a message board I posted on. Turned out to be this band Dripping (NJ) and Seb Russo emailed me to check thier shit out and see if I was up for it. Went to a jam one night, watched them play, showed them what I can do and got hired. For two vigorous weeks I learned thier songs (and it wasn't easy) and practiced with them weekly. Played one show, they disbanded and I was asked to not record thier CD with them cuz they felt I couldn't do it. I respected thier wishes and didn't. During a break in the recording, Seb was in contact with some dudes in Ohio that liked Dripping and asked him and me to join thier band. So Seb and I agreed to go out for a week and attempt to write some songs. We partied more than anything but got to know eachother well! Turned out Rob Lesniak and Ryan Inman were part of a brutal band called Dislimb from Cleveland, OH and they loved Dripping so that's why they asked us to join! After that week trip, Seb and I returned to shitty NJ and Seb decided he didn't wanna do it anymore due to personal reasons. I, on the other hand, stuck with it and glad I did cuz it was a new challenge in song writting for me. I passed tapes back and forth on riffs and they liked them so much they asked me to stay in Dislimb. I agreed and made some trips back and forth. Then the drummer they had to do it was ready to start rehearsing (Chad Walls) and was planning to travel up, get all straight with the jams and POSSIBLY record a couple. Well, in the 2 weeks we locked ourselves in Ryan's basement we wrote 5 songs and recorded them all in those two weeks! That became the "Bleeding Anxiety" MCD and it is one record I recorded and STILL enjoy listening to cuz it was a challenge and I did good (even with some struggles). I was, and still am, proud to have my name on that MCD!
Warspawn - First Offensive MCD
This is were it gets abit interesting for me musically and the reasons behind it. In mid-late 2002 I moved to Ohio to do Dislimb full time. We did a show when I got out there, started writting, had internal probs and shit just fell apart. While out there, an old friend calls me up and needs somewhere to crash while passing through. She comes into town and we became an item. She left back for NJ, I stayed behind for abit to do what I needed to do. During that time, do I NOT only come back cuz: 1) job market sucked out there and 2) I missed my girl, but a close friend killed himself and I wanted to be there to say good-bye (to this day I STILL haven't properly and HATE it!!!). I come home, days later, and after some months with the chick (and finding a good job) we split and was crushed! My buddy at the time Gabe Abatangelo was hounding me to join his new band (knew Gabe since Dripping) or check them out to consider joining. Eventually I agree to atleast meet up with him and the other bandmates b4 commiting to Warspawn. It turned out that I knew Jeff (DeSouza - guitars) from going to shows around NJ/NY and we all hit it all off GREAT! Anyway, I agree to showing for a practice and picked Gabe up that day. Met the other members (Brian Jimeniz - Drums and Tom - guitars) and we hit it off good. I listened to 2 of thier songs and was BLOWN away!!!! Old-school Death Metal in the vein of Obituary, Entomed and Grave!! I started salivating and picked up the bass I was gunna use for the band and picked up 3 songs that day! That day I also decided to use a "moniker" for a name cuz I didn't wanna use my real name. So I created the persona of "M-16" because not only that those who know me will know it's me up there in a mask, but I didn't wanna be known as "Mike Connors - Journeyman musician cuz he can't stay in one band!" There for I created the persona of M-16 and somewhat tied it to Sgt. D from M.O.D. for shits and giggles. After our 1st show, we, unfortunatly, fired Tom from the band due to exessive drug use and just went on as a 4 piece.
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