Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here... Well, except the glimmer of hope I retain that you will enjoy this collection. However, I did abandon pretty much everything in my musical comfort zone to create this. I studied classical guitar as a teenager, and I even attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in my late teens/early 20s. There, I formally studied arranging to a certain degree, but this is the first time I decided to create a full project that was more or less completely instrumental "orchestral" music. I'm a rock guitarist for God's sake! My main performing band "Yacht Rock Revue" has built a very healthy career on accurately reproducing the sunny soft rock sounds of yesteryear to legions of fans across the US. I have, over the years, recorded a myriad of different styles, mostly guitar oriented things...As I usually go against the grain with most of my little creative whims, I thought it would be interesting that my first officially released "solo album" would have very little guitar on it. Although I have always been a fan of orchestral music ( I hesitate to use the word "classical" to describe this work...maybe 10 years from now it will be "classical" but I feel that description is a bit presumptuous so early on!), I have recently become more and more fixated on the works of certain composers, mostly from the early/mid 20th century, such as Igor Stravinsky and Bernard Herrmann. I also hold a deep appreciation for the electronic revolution led by such sonic pioneers such as Eno, Kraftwerk, and Trent Reznor. A few years ago, my friend and songwriting partner of the last 15 or so years Chris Cox suggested we write some material that elicits that late 60s orchestral pop vibe. Scott Walker, Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, etc...We collaborated on a great project called "Chick Halston" which we will release very soon. It also got me obsessed with arranging and writing orchestral music. Much like I spent hours on learning how to play guitar, I became obsessed with learning how to use programs such as Miroslav Philharmonik, and listening to everything from the original Twilight Zone Soundtrack, to Le Sacre du Printemps, to Pictures at an Exhibition. I admittedly do have a bit of fascination with things that are a bit on the dark side. As a child, I saw "The Exorcist", and "The Sound of Music" for the first time in the same week! I also remember reading "Inferno" as a teen, and how that and the works of Lovecraft created this whole phantasmagorical milieu that was equally terrifying, exhilarating, and enlightening. This is not to say I am some completely nihilstic misanthrope that rejects all social norms...I just found a certain beauty in something that most people find a little off putting. I thought the perfect subject for this orchestral experiment would be musically interpreting Dante's Inferno. Edward Gorey...You're next! (Although, if you look hard enough on YouTube, you might see my reading of "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" set to music!) If you have interest in an "official" bio, please read on. If not, join Alighieri, and Virgil as they descend into the pit of your collective fears. Born in Northern New Jersey, and further corrupted in the Billy Joel immortalized city of Allentown, PA, Composer/guitarist Mark Dannells was drawn to music as far back as he can remember. After playing in several local bands in high school, his quest to make this profession his life long career led him to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Post graduation, he joined several touring bands that performed thousands of dates over the next several years. His playing eventually received national attention and he was invited to audition for such acts as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Mark, along with his bandmates in Blacklight Posterboys and Fox 5 Creative Services director John Kukla, were presented with an EMMY in the spring of 2000. The award was for the song "Have A Nice May" that Mark co-wrote and produced that was used by the Atlanta Fox affiliate to promote their May sweeps week. In 2001, Dannells was asked to join Atlanta based Elektra Recording artists Brand New Immortals, a band that included former Black Crowes, Train and current Lynryd Skynyrd bassist Johnny Colt and singer/guitarist (now with John Mayer) David Ryan Harris. Dannells has also played with producer/singer/songwriter Butch Walker, GRAMMY® nominated singer/songwriter Angie Aparo, and multiplatinum rockers Skid Row. Currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Mark performs constantly with various incarnations of the the PleaseRock music collective, including the ever popular Yacht Rock Revue. In addition to their sold out headlining shows across the US, they have acted as a back up band for artists such as Eddie Money, Rick Derringer, Bobby Kimball (Toto), Mickey Thomas (Starship), Steve Augeri (Journey), Matthew "Break My Stride" Wilder, Gary "Dreamweaver" Wright, Robbie "Steal Away" Dupree, Peter Beckett and Ron Moss (Player) and Walter "Magnet and Steel" Egan. He is also involved with production and composition for various artists, and has worked with the companies Placement Music and Audiosocket to produce music for such shows as Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover' and Drop Dead Diva. In 2013 Mark and Matthew Chenoweth pooled their resources and purchased Boutique Guitar Exchange, an Atlanta based high end guitar store where they had both worked. As of January 2016, Matthew and Mark started co-hosting the "BGX Radio Hour" on AM 1690. This guitar centered radio show features live performances of local/national artists, gear demonstrations, and interviews. The show airs Thursdays at 5pm, and rebroadcasts the following Tuesday at 8 pm. Click on "BGX" in the navigation for more info or head over to our website Boutique Guitar Exchange. His first solo album "Inferno : Suite" is a musical interpretation of the classic poem "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, that showcases his growing interest in composing orchestral music. Credits: Dante Alighieri : Inspiration. Mark Dannells : Execution. Don Grossinger Mastering : Finalization.