roark-2007

Who is Roark?
.... I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'m a solo artist. When the mood is right, I rock all night, with these wonderful chaps...

No one is likely to miss that once Break Of Day reaches fans. ItΓΓé¼Γäós a testament to Roark that he skirts the boundary lines of contemporary pop while remaining true to the singer/songwriter tradition that inspires him. He will no doubt inspire many in the months and years to come.

ΓΓé¼┼ôI made the songs I heard,ΓΓé¼┬¥ he says of the new album, ΓΓé¼┼ôand I gave it my best effort. I hope it will connect with people, because everything came from the heart.ΓΓé¼┬¥

As a songwriter, Roark subscribes to the approach of poet Robert Frost, who once described his art as ΓΓé¼┼ôfreedom in harness.ΓΓé¼┬¥ Says Roark, ΓΓé¼┼ôMost every lyric I write has to rhyme. I need the restraint; otherwise there are too many ways to say things. Also, a lot of my guitar playing is rhythmic in nature. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ll never be a shredder, ripping out crazy solos.ΓΓé¼┬¥

ΓΓé¼┼ôI worked for a Fortune 500 company,ΓΓé¼┬¥ he says. ΓΓé¼┼ôIt was terrible. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'d rather be a struggling musician.ΓΓé¼┬¥ Thanks to his friendship with Chris Badami and Ace Enders of The Early November, he was able to showcase for Love Minus Zero Recordings in 2005. It wasnΓΓé¼Γäót long before he clinched a solo deal (the first artist signed to the LMZ label) and the making of Break Of Day was underway.

Influences:
These are the artistis i like or influenced me growing up:

Duncan Shiek, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Jimmy Eat World, Pearl Jam, The Format, Stone Temple Pilots, James Taylor, Tonic, David Mead, Sarah McLachlan, old lite-FM music like the Bee-Gees, Marvin Gay, Stevie Wonder, also Nirvana, Aerosmith, U2, the Starting Line, Early November, Copeland, Fleetwood Mac, the Police, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Soundgarden, classical music like bach and chopin, Guster, Bob Dylan, Elliot Smith, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Collective Soul, the Eagles, Ramones, Cure, Dashboard, and tons and tons more from equally random genres and styles. It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s all about a good mix.