Mile Marker Zero

News in today's Wall Street Journal that Soundgarden scored a platinum record through the "Guitar Hero" video game in advance of actually releasing the record couldn't come at a more perfect time for local band Mile Marker Zero: the New Haven hard-rock band today releases a second song through "Rock Band," a rival video game.

The group became the first Connecticut band to have a song available on "Rock Band" with the March release of "A Thousand Nights." Mile Marker Zero follows that up today with "Laceration," which lives up to its name with a knotty guitar riff, blinding fills and a pummeling rhythm.

The band, which is working on new material with local producer Vic Steffens, has also announced a Halloween show Oct. 29 at the Heirloom Arts Theatre in Danbury, featuring a multimedia presentation with various Halloween videos. The bill also includes Mark of Cain, Atom Strange, Forget Paris and Becoming the Reaper, and the show will feature a costume contest and a Tarot reader.
- Eric Danton- Hartford Courant

" Combining well-crafted songs with technical proficiency, and raw energy with sonic intensity, the band creates gritty hard rock that bristles with progressive rock influences."

Mile Marker Zero's eponymous release delivers on the above statement, in spades. The album sounds epic and grandiose while remaining very accessible and melodic. The band seems to have taken inspiration from older school progressive metal giants such as Queensryche, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater (Awake-era), yet have infused their own unique imprint on their music, and sound like anything but clones. Made up of musicians who all have backgrounds in music theory and classical performance, MMZ's music is extremely busy and intricate, yet flows with the type of coherence one expects from well-oiled veteran bands. Dave Alley's vocals may be the link to the above-mentionned bands. His style is reminiscent of Geoff Tate, Ray Alder, and James LaBrie, yet he avoids a lot of the over-the-top histrionics too often associated with progressive metal vocalists. His delivery, while dramatic, never becomes cringe-inducing. His voice is what leads the charge on the 10 tracks that make up this disc., but rest assured, there's a lot more to this band than his voice. Whether delivering epics like "Crimson Red" or pounding out gritty metal anthems like "Reaping Tide", every band member fires on all cylinders throughout. Most impressive is the work of guitarist John Tuohy. The band never abases itself to shred levels and I'd like to think it's because their guitar player is just so tasteful. His solos soars majestically over very intricate passages yet always remain very fluid and melodic. This isn't to say that the other members aren't equally proficient on their respective instruments, but merely to point out that "less-is-more" can still be prevalent in music that still seems to be very busy.

It would be hard to point out any particular song and claim it to be the best, and that's because the band approached this album as one cohesive entity, and not just a collection of disjointed material. To quote guitarist Tuohy: " We're very particular and a little bit anal about how things flow. We work hard on making every part fit and we exhaust the possibilities on any given song, so it usually takes a long time to write things and get them perfect. And we polish everything until everybody in the group is happy with everything." It's good to see such a democratic approach applied to a band and it becomes quite apparent when listening to this disc that a lot of time and effort went into producing it. However, there are some highlights on this album; songs that jump out at the listener more than others (of course this is subjective, but…). Personally, I like the grittier material such as "Reaping Tide" and "Laceration", but there's something to be said for the more elaborate pieces such as "Crimson Red" or " In Loving Memory Of…", which offer up more progressive pomp and showcase the entire band to their fullest advantage.

In a genre where bands feel like they need to sound exactly like somebody else in order to get any kind of recognition, it's very refreshing to listen to one that has the confidence to forge ahead on a sound uniquely their own. Mile Marker Zero's eponymous release is a strong musical statement, brimming over with myriad influences which have been forged into a powerful and unique alloy. Fans of progressive metal that has a slightly darker edge, superlative musicianship, and ambiguous lyrical content should seek this one out.
-Yves Dube - seaoftranquility.org

Mile Marker Zero is a New Haven, Connecticut-based quintet of hard rocking proggers. USA Progressive Music recently reviewed the latest album from the band, which can be found here , and also had the opportunity to interview keyboardists/pianist Mark Forcarile. Make sure to read on to find out more about this excellent new band and make sure to check out the newly released self-titled album.

USA Progressive Music: Mile Marker Zero was formed in 2003 and has been pretty productive from the start. Can you sort of provide a history to fill in the gap between then and where we find the band today?

Mark Focarile: In the beginning, Dave Alley, Tim Rykoski and I were playing as a band together, writing songs and playing wherever we could. Dave was actually playing drums and singing at the time. We knew we wanted to expand our sonic possibilities so we added John Tuohy, who we had become friends with in College. We also knew at that point that we needed a front man, so we brought in Dave’s brother Doug Alley to play drums so Dave could concentrate full time on singing. Doug had been hanging around with us for years, so it was very easy for him to transition into the band. His drumming fit the band like a glove.

With the five-piece lineup in place we started playing together constantly and began writing songs. We released a couple of independent records and toured around the East coast. We had started to develop a really unique chemistry, and we decided it was time to take our music to the next level. As we started putting together all the material for “Mile Marker Zero” late last year, we knew we had a great debut record that would establish who we are as a band, and give us a blueprint to build upon.

USAProgMusic: Every band has a purpose. What intentions did MMZ have at the beginning? Are those intentions different for MMZ today?

Mark: Even in the days when the band was just a three-piece we knew that we had an incredible chemistry and a unique way of writing our music. Our intention since the beginning was to always be unique and stand out in the music scene. We really stood out in our local scene, and turned heads in the club when we started playing. Now that we’ve built a solid base of songs to showcase, we want to challenge ourselves to keep improving and create something better with each new song we write.

USAProgMusic: MMZ has a refreshingly unique sound combining some retro with a more modern progressive rock approach. What influences does the band draw from?

Mark: The music in Mile Marker Zero is a huge melting pot of so many influences. We’ve tried to take modern hard rock and give it an injection of Progressive experimentation. The progressive side of the band comes from new and classic progressive bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, Opeth and Porcupine Tree. The hard rock sound of the band takes influence from bands like Soundgarden, Muse, Tool, and Silverchair, as well as classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. There is also a mellow side of the band inspired by artists like Ben Folds, Jeff Buckley and the acoustic Foo Fighters material. We love being able to draw upon so many different influences and not be pinned down to one specific approach every time we write a song.

USAProgMusic: Out Of the Ground, Into the Fire was released independently in 2008, and contained some of the songs on the new self-titled album. How did the new album, which contains a lot of additional material, come about?

Mark: We had released a few independent albums like Out of the Ground, Into the Fire but we knew it was time to come together, and be serious about our careers. We’ve always been interested in bands that have sustained long careers, and we wanted to do that for ourselves. We’ve built a strong team around us to help us move forward, wrote new songs, and remixed and remastered the best of our old material. This way, the album is new to everyone, even those who are familiar with our older stuff.

USAProgMusic: There is typically quite a bit going on in many songs on the album resulting from placing technical performances within the framework of complex arrangements. Can you describe the writing process? Do members bring in whole songs, bits and pieces, or is it an entirely collaborative effort?

Mark: Our writing process is a very lengthy but democratic process. All five of us work together sculpting the parts, trying out numerous ideas before collectively agreeing on an idea. The start of the writing process varies between songs. Dave and John like to bring in their ideas in bits for us to jam on, while I like to write out the whole song and then have the guys inject their ideas. As the song is taking shape, we try to approach things classically by bringing back parts of the song, and try them out with different instruments, sometimes over different parts. It creates a cool effect, and helps bring the song full circle.

USAProgMusic: The new self-titled album really has captured MMZ at its most ambitious in terms of the song lengths, individual performances, and arrangements. Was this progression intentional or just a byproduct of the band continuing to write more material together? Is there any song off the album you feel best represents MMZ?

Mark: The progression of the band has come naturally over time. By playing together a lot, and writing lots of songs, you start to learn what approaches work for the group, and which don’t. It’s fun (though sometimes embarrassing) to look back at some of the first songs you wrote and see how far you’ve come. “Reaping Tide” is probably the best example of everything we do in one song. It’s dynamic, melodic, heavy, and epic, but also has some mellow sections, thought provoking lyrics, and interesting instrumental sections. When we finished writing it, we knew right away that this was a perfect example of everything we do in one song.

USAProgMusic: Speaking specifically to the lyrics, there is some dire and tragic subject matter being expressed throughout. Was the album meant to carry any sort of theme or inspired by any specific event/imagery? What comes first for the band: music or lyrics?

Mark: Usually the music comes first. We all have strong instrument backgrounds, including Dave who will always be a drummer at heart. There is no overall concept or story to this album, with the exception of “The Burning Ground” which is a conceptual piece about Dave’s family members in World War II. “Reaping Tide” is about consequences brought upon decisions some people have made, but it’s not based on any specific event, so the listener can interpret the lyrics any way they want. Sometimes like in the case of “Peril Aerial”, we create fictional characters to fit into a story we were inspired to create. Growing up in New England, there is a lot of haunted lore, and I wanted to create a “haunted house” story like in the vein of “The Amityville Horror” (even though that’s in New York). I’ve always felt that the where you live can affect the imagery in the music you create, and the atmosphere around us definitely makes its way into our music.

USAProgMusic: What does MMZ have planned for the remainder of the year? Where can everybody purchase the album?

Mark: Right now we’re in the midst of putting together our plans for the rest of the year. We’re looking at different tours and showcases later in the summer and the fall. The goal is to reach as many people as possible and continue to build our fan base. You can buy the album on our website and on iTunes shortly.

USAProgMusic: Thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions. Is there anything else the band would like to say?

Mark: You’re welcome. Please visit our website or myspace where you can read more about us and see where we’re playing.

-Jacob Brown - USA Progressive Music

Mile Marker Zero is a New Haven, Connecticut-based quintet. After releasing a couple EPs, the band independently released the full-length Out Of the Ground, Into the Fire. The latest album, a self-titled effort, includes the strongest tracks from the previous album in addition to almost 30 minutes of new material. While the previous album was solid on its own, the new material builds off of the original release and captures the band at its best.
Rather than rephrase or rehash what has already been succinctly and, more importantly, accurately provided by the band, Mile Marker Zero has the following sound: "[Mile Marker Zero's] songs are epic and ambitious, filled with unconventional arrangements and challenging rhythms yet they also flow with powerful melodies and memorable choruses." To provide some additional perspective, take the hard rock and catchiness of Nickelback, the arrangements and atmosphere of Tool and Pink Floyd, and a pinch of Hammers of Misfortune. Still Mile Marker Zero remains distinctly unique.
While progressive music has always leaned heavily on technical musicianship, it seems current trends have many bands constantly bombarding the listener with gobs of complex melodies from every instrument all at once, all the time. Comprised of members with a strong background in music theory and classical performance, Mile Marker Zero has the ability to produce such an assault of instrumental wankery. However, where other bands place musicianship ahead of composition, the instrumental proficiency and collective education here brings a certain amount of class to the performances and tastefulness to the arrangements.
In what comes across as a huge breath of fresh air, Mile Marker Zero takes the "less-is-more" approach by crafting surprisingly spacey arrangements while giving each instrument its proper space and spotlight yet never losing focus of the direction of the music. This is not to suggest the album lacks moments where the whole band comes together in stunning fashion, as portions of every song perfectly weave each instrument together for very powerful results. This is to suggest, however, that clearly the band has no intention of following the popular approach to progressive music.
The album starts out as one might expect with a couple modern hard rock tunes in "A Thousand Nights" and "Laceration". The former is relatively short and serves as a nice introduction to the band while the latter greater explores the depths of the band by spacing things out and building to a nice climax in the middle with a couple of groovy passages thrown into the mix. These tracks, like so many on the album, ebb and flow as the presence of certain instruments become more pronounced or diminished. "A Kiss to Fix" is simply a well-written song starting with one thought and reaching an entirely different place by its conclusion. Guitarist John Touhy, who regularly steals the show, shreds on the front half of this track and shines on the back half as his gorgeous solos continue as the song slowly fades out.
"Passive" and "Hush" compete for the most beautiful tracks on the album with the former slowly building throughout its duration and the latter an acoustic number. Both are the epitome of "less-is-more" executed to perfection! The epic and personal favorites, "Crimson Red" and "Peril Aerial" combine for nearly 20 minutes of proggy excellence as both seamlessly combine heavier sections with pomp and more majestic passages. A serious nod must also be given to the subtle piano lines and atmospheres Mark Forcarile provides throughout the album. These add so much weight to the material without ever dominating another instrument. This is partly due to the arrangement and partly due to the superb production. The absolute showstopper, however, is "The Reaping Tide" with the perfect combination of metal-tinged rock, dramatic atmospheres, and lyrical thoughtfulness.
Overall, Mile Marker Zero simply knows how to write great music - a skill that is on full display throughout the album. Whether it is radio friendly modern rock or 10 minute epics, the album is largely successful start to finish. Those fortunate enough to have obtained a copy of the previous album would be strongly advised to pick up the latest album. Mile Marker Zero has clearly used the time between albums to solidify and expand on its strengths while diminishing its flaws. Make sure to check out the official Mile Marker Zero website or iTunes to pick up a copy of the album.
- USA Progressive Music

Mile Marker Zero - Mile Marker Zero
2009, Mile Marker Zero

New Haven, Connecticut's Mile Marker Zero have been building to this moment since they formed in 2003. June 16, 2009 saw the release of a CD also entitled Mile Marker Zero. It's a mix of favorite tracks from their first 3 releases as well as newly written material. The new CD finds Mile Marker Zero riding a crest of creative depth and popularity that has been a slow-but-steady build over the last six years. Mile Marker Zero trolls the depths of Progressive Rock and Metal; everything from Rush and Dream Theater to Tool, Metallica and even Porcupine Tree. Vocalist Dave Alley is the ideal hard rock front man, able to shred the vocals when appropriate and sing almost lyrically at the other end of the spectrum. This is the album the makes Mile Marker Zero a name you'll remember.

Mile Marker Zero opens with the heavy, rhythmic guitar riff that announces A Thousand Nights. The song is constructed of free-wheeling verses that explode into a soaring chorus full of layered guitars and strong harmonies. Guitarist John Tuohy gives this song its heavy edge, while keyboardist Mark Focarile provides a swirling steadiness that holds the song on check. The rhythm section of Tim Rykoski (bass) and Doug Alley (drums) provides a solid and energetic base for the rest of the band to play off, both here and throughout the album. Laceration recalls some of the heavier rock that piggy-backed on Seattle's Grunge movement. The bass line to this song is killer, and Alley gives a vocal performance that's dynamic and alive. Alley reminded me a bit of the Tragically Hip's Gordon Downey on A Kiss To Fix. The sound here is a bit darker than on the first two tunes and perhaps a bit less accessible to the casual fan, but it's an intriguing piece of writing.

Passive shows a softer side to the band, a contemplative ballad for the first two minutes that slowly crescendos into a mournful power ballad. Crimson Red finds Mile Marker Zero in full-on Prog mode in the most dynamic song on the CD. The song examines war from a personal perspective, detailing the costs in human terms. The guitar work here in particular is notable, with Tuohy giving a performance that would make Malmsteen blush with pride. Maree is a more traditional power ballad, sure to make it to the mix-tape crowd, whereas In Loving Memory Of... is more of an epic ballad, with the sort of soaring grandeur that you used to find from groups like Styx in their heyday. Peril Aerial is a true epic, coming in at over 10 minutes and featuring some of the most inventive Prog work this side of King Crimson. Reaping Ride throws all caution to the wind; the guitar opening has the melodic metal sound practically patented by James "JY" Young of Styx but in a heavier setting than that band usually managed. The song itself is urgently driven in content but plays on the edge between classic and modern rock. Musically this is the most fun composition on the disc. Mile Marker Zero closes out with Hush, an acoustic composition that's quite beautiful and quite out of character with the rest of the album sonically. What is not out of character is the compositional depth, drawing on classical themes to construct a composition that could be played as easily in a concert hall as in a stadium. Hush is a true gift to fans, letting them see the depth of the talent Mile Marker Zero possesses both individually and as a group.

This sort of Prog Rock isn't going to find a lot of room on the radio dial, but there's a very hungry community of fans out there who love it, and if you're part of that community, then Mile Marker Zero is just what you've been waiting for. Fire up that CD, Maestro, I want to listen again.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
- blogpost.wildysworld.com

GRADE: A+
Official Site
Progressive rockers Mile Marker Zero began in 2003 slowly but steadily gaining a following behind their complex arrangements and heavily comparable style. Their newest release is a hodgepodge of their formula brought together once again with a few new twists.

The progressive rock category has always been the nerdy cousin to angst riddled punk and metal and just a bit to cool to be lumped in with everything else. It’s a place where learned musicians go to create much like an artist would paint a complex but telling picture. The music of this category is acutely designed to be perfect in every regard and accompanied by narrative lyrics that carry a socio-political message that is meant to insight deep thought. This pretty much describes Mile Marker Zero and their newest effort.

If your new to prog rock, welcome, and yes the vocals are a bit 80’s but what can you do, that’s just the way it is here. Their not terrible but chances are you’ll have some explaining to do in almost every other crowd that doesn’t subscribe to prog rock. Undeniable though is the orchestration of each track breaking off into their own little worlds perfectly. Much like powerhouses like Rush and Dream Theater the music rocks but then again. The Vocals? Regardless this album signifies a lot of hardwork and effort that comes out of your speakers calculated and finely tuned not just for the satisfaction of the artist but for the ears of the fans as well. Look for these guys to be big later on. As usual judge for yourself and enjoy.
- shakefire.com

Rating: 9 Out Of 10
Reviewed by: Bam-Bam

Prog-Rock is a lot of give and take for the fans. Sometimes, in order to get the best musical Progressive Rock band, you have to give up something. Sometimes it’s giving up lyrical content that keeps it relevant while being force-fed tunes about aliens, pirates, wizards and witches. Sometimes it’s being bowled over by every facet of a band’s music, only to have to put up with shitty vocals that always seem out of tune and unfitting…RUSH comes to mind! Sometimes you find the perfect band only to find that they think they also have production skills and refuse to hire a professional to keep their great music from sounding like shit…this decade’s DREAM THEATER comes to mind! While I could go on and on about what fans have to put up with in order to enjoy a nice experience with Prog-Rock, I’d like to offer a solution; a band that doesn’t sing about fucking aliens and pirates, a band that has great chops both vocally and musically and either has a proficient producer in their ranks or paid the price to make sure one was behind the mixing board when they were recording. That band, MILE MARKER ZERO, is Progressive Rock with a twist of Modern Rock influence, and it sounds PERFECT. Some of the tunes you could actually listen to alongside bands like TOOL on the radio! It’s really kind of amazing. Subject matter covers life in general and not the fantasy bullshit that we’ve heard a million times before. Tunes like “Laceration” squeak out fragments of QUEENSRYCHE, TOOL, PORCUPINE TREE and even a bit of sludgy, early BLACK SABBATH. Tracks like [i] “A Kiss To Fix[/b] feel like you’re listening to one of the first three DREAM THEATER albums. In other words, the guys cover all the bases and leave no stone unturned in their quest to impress.

Overall, an incredible stab at the flesh, piercing only what’s necessary to let you know it’s there, but not bleeding you dry with unnecessary stuff. Every song part has its place and every place is rooted in the human psyche, so it is uncannily relevant and poised to take hold for a long time after the initial listen. This is one you’ll come back to, for sure. Head over to their site for all the band information and details on how to pick this one up on its release date June 16th. Very Highly Recommended!!!
10 Jun 2009 by Bam-Bam - antimusic.com

Singled Out: Mile Marker Zero

06/15/2009
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(antiMusic) Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Mark Focarile from prog rockers Mile Marker Zero tells us about "The Reaping Tide" from their brand new self-titled album. We now turn it over to Mark for the story:
Dave first brought the opening riff into rehearsal and we immediately started jamming on it to try out different feels and permutations. Rather than write the whole song at once, Dave likes to write a lot of little bits and then expand on them with the whole band. He gets an idea in his head of where he might want the song to go, but leaves it open to everyone's input.

We were going for a Tool vibe in the first verse so I wrote a real minimalist keyboard part and Doug layed down some Danny Carey-esque tribal drums. The vocals floated nicely over everything as we built up to the frantic transition to the chorus. We also wanted to throw the listener for a loop by slipping in a small key change in the chorus.

We always treat our verses differently, and we were able to use the frantic transition riff as the main section of the second verse where John and I play intertwining guitar/key duet. In rehearsal, Dave first tried the long high note before the bridge, in a funny, Bruce Dickinson epic kind of way. We tend to come up with ridiculous working titles for our songs, and we called this one "Pumpin Iron Dave" combining Dave's Iron Maiden moment with his love for lifting weights.

After playing around with different rhythms and feels, we wanted to really slam through a heavy bridge section and propel the song into its second half. We had a really cool sequence at the end where we layered the first verse keyboard part over several key changes and we couldn't find a good ending. We tried a bunch of things, but nothing seemed to work. About a week before we headed into the studio, we still didn't have an ending. By chance, we were hanging out in Dave's bedroom, when we tried the chord progression from the first verse on a really huge string sound. It sounded amazing, and we knew we finally had an ending.

The lyrics deal with a lot of the uncertainties going on in the world right now, and fit perfectly with the roller coaster ride of emotions within the song. It has a real apocalyptic sound, which is what inspired the title "The Reaping Tide".

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here! - antimusic.com