Former members, and other stuff:
At the beginning of the 80's the successful and extremely original German band MARQUIS DE SADE was founded by guitarist Herby Hacker. The sensational tours with MARQUIS DE SADE included various scandals due to the highly erotic content of the show and as a result had the press laughing at the other side of their face. Todays MARQUIS is the logical continuation of the highly potent force already existing in those days. As commonly known, various major record companies thwarted the conceptional purity and the idealistic plans. Under the name PRIVATE MEMBER the team Mike Callyway/Herby Hacker released the Maxi-Single "Computer Deal/Tears In Your Eyes", recorded a video-clip of it and a compilation album, which sold 30.000 units. At the same time, MR. HACKER and solo artist Mike Callyway (PRE MAGIC TOY, GRANDE FILOU) produced a very costly rock/pop-version of the old GOLDEN EARRING classic "Buddy Joe" in the MUSICLAND-Studios in Munich under the supervision of Herby Hacker. Soon, having been fed up with working only on projects, it was planned already in 1989 to remember "our own roots" and through the gathered experiences and impressions of the last decade, to now realize the consequences: MARQUIS - the new formation. Guitarist Herby Hacker and singer Mike Callyway met for intensive talks about their common musical futures. With an extensive concept they soon came to the conclusion that: "THE MARQUIS MAY DO EVERYTHING, CAN DO EVERYTHING AND EVENTUALLY WILL DO EVERYTHING!" The mascot was born and spontaneously set down on to paper as a comic-character. "IT'S NOT ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL - IT'S A RELIGION!" MARQUIS sees itself as sophisticated, aristocratic and decadent. Inevitably the line-up had to be completed by ... ... the former guitarist of the local-hero-band FORTRESS, Michel Monique, who discovered that only MARQUIS could create the realization of his dreams, became a member of the band. ... Marty West - the bassman - formerly a member of the bands MORNING DEW and RAVAGE, joined the band, and gave the line-up the right touch by becoming a solid musical and organizational mainstay of MARQUIS. ... the band has some experience with keyboarders - e.g. Tommy Schmidt (SUPERMAX, NEKTAR), Pete Floss (HARALD FALTERMAYER, JAN HAMMER) -, however, one keyboarder the Ex-STORMBRINGER Marco Frumento gave MARQUIS the right colour and stylistic feel. MARQUIS played with various drummers at first. According to its own incentive, MARQUIS withdrew to its native practising-exile and intensively worked on its "Alive And Proud In Exile" - programm. Soon MARQUIS could be found in the recording studio, where 15 songs were performed live. In addition, the band went on an extensive German tour from May to October 1992, which proved to be very successful. From gig to gig the rock theatrics, which had been planned for a long time, were more and more developed as they were integrated into the show. Therefore, MARQUIS on stage, now requires a lavish stage set, expensive lighting, special effects and extra actors as well. In the same year, a video-clip - shot in cooperation with the European textile giant C&A/Young Collections - was broadcast 14 times on the SUPER CHANNEL and MTV/Europe within the period of January to March 1993. The title used in this video-clip was the original MARQUIS song "Twist Of Fate". In 1993, during some national gigs, members of the band found themselves in various renowned radio stations for quite funny interviews as well as lots of airplay. In March of the same year MARQUIS decided on a sixth permanent member. Carsten Bald (Ex-ACID) has joined MARQUIS as drummer. With the release of the limited edition CD "Alive And Proud In Exile" in April of 1993, the crowned metal-flagship MARQUIS attracted the management and publishing company Limb Music Products & Publishing (L.M.P.) to man the helm for the future. However, that was not the only concrete offer made to the band in 1993. Shorty after, MARQUIS signed with the Japanese record company APOLLON Inc. in August 1993. As a result of this signing, MARQUIS proceeded to go back into the recording studio for the production of their new 10 song album "Alive In A Crystal Age" to be released in Japan in December 1993. In addition to the recording of the new studio album, MARQUIS performed at several major open-air shows in Germany, and at times in front of as many as 7.000 people. The biggest and most successful of which was the "Biker Meeting '93" in Schleiz, Germany. This huge event captured live will be released as a double live album in the near future. Concerning the live performances, it would not be possible to give the full particulars of the many show parts, especially, because the show is created intuitively and spontaneously. A real, alive MARQUIS (actor) - like the comic-logo - is always in on the live performances. However, the usage of this show element is generally flexible and is often not always known even to the musicians of MARQUIS. Some firm components of the MARQUIS-Show are: Le Marquis, Hotel Woman, PinUp-Girl, Death Angel (limited edition-cover motive), Harlequin, Sleepwalker, Mistress Dominique, Mafiosi Lord O'Riot, Captain Inferno's "Fire and No Smoking-Show", Mr. Al Capone, Lolita's Dream Destruction, Monsieur Bellamy Prown and many more. Live, MARQUIS is never restricted and always includes numerous light-, pyro- and fog-effects as well as with other large-scale optical and visual attractions. These components simply belong to MARQUIS and they reflect the interests, imaginations and fantasies of the members of the band. The mixture of slapstick, entertainment and Hollywood-like melodrama is linked to the surrealistic lyrics and is chronologically woven into the musical performances. See Ya ... Your MARQUIS
