Money Mark 'Demo or Demolition' album

Mark Ramos - Nishita aka, Keyboard Money Mark, was born in Detroit, the son of a Jazz loving Japanese mother and a Mexican aeronautical engineer father.

Marks interest in music grew in this household of eclectic musical tastes. The family moved to LA when Mark was six. Encouraged by his parents, Mark started playing the keyboards at 11 and found he had a natural skill and talent for writing music. Later in his teens, Mark drifted in and out of bands whose influences ranged from Jimmy Smith to the Beatles through to Brian Eno. Following in a creative vein Mark also became a skilled carpenter and artist.

Whilst applying his creative talent to building theatre sets Mark was also playing session keyboards for the original Dust Brothers and the influential Delicious Vinyl crews prior to his involvement with Grand Royal and Mo Wax.

It was, however, Mark’s carpentry skills that led to a chance meeting with The Beastie Boys. Called to repair a gate after one of the renowned Beasties parties, Mark was then asked to help build the studio for 1992's “Check Your Head” LP and ended up jamming on the album. “The Beasties knew me as a carpenter before they knew me as a musician. When they found out I could do both those things, I guess I was the person they needed. It was really cool that it happened that way”.

From 1994 Mark combined co-writing, playing keyboards and the mayhem of touring with the Beasties on the Worldwide “Ill Communication Tour” and found his own way of relaxing on his return home to LA with his own Lo Fi Recordings. Cutting his distinctive sounds and releasing them on his own home based label, Pinto Records. James Lavelle heard Mark’s material through a friend and immediately set about signing him to Mo Wax.

The EP “Cry/Insects Are All Around Us” was the first release for Mark on the label. Around this time, Mark was also collaborating on records with artists such as George Clinton and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion before delivering to James Lavelle, the highly acclaimed “Marks Keyboard Repair Album” a solo project bearing 19 tracks.

“Marks Keyboard Repair Album” released in September of 1995 marked a step forward in the history of Mo Wax as its first record to enter the UK national Top 40. Also credited as one of the best albums of the year in NME’s Top 25, Mark’s style was definitely one which crossed all musical boundaries and tastes.

A mini album entitled “Third Version” was then delivered in March 1996 reaching No 1 in the Independent chart. “Third Version” is formed from a series of 10 short tracks, like quick sketches which mixed different sounds and eras creating a richly fried fruition of 70's Hammond Organ, early Stevie Wonder, Prog-fusion psychedelia, seedy skin-flick funk, electro and Hip Hop, all steeped in the beautiful balladry of Mark’s lyrics.

Mark describes making “Keyboard Repair” and “Third Version” as the same process to his painting. You start something then add something else, and the addition becomes grander than it was at first, at some point you just feel like it’s finished.”

He views both albums as stages in his development providing the listener with “Seeds”. Mark goes on to explain “The tracks are short ‘cos they only bring you in touch with what I’m potentially going to come up with.” These seeds were set to bear the fruit of Mark’s progress.

This has come in the shape of his third album “Push The Button” featuring 18 self penned and self produced tracks. The first single from the album presented the perfect link between the Money Mark of old and new - the re-worked “Hand In Your Head” which was the outcome of a jam with Sean Lennon on bass and Russell Simins from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on drums, resulting in Mark’s debut Top 40 hit.

The rest of the album presents Mark as a true talent. Playing all instruments, he takes us through the superfunky quirky opener “Push The Button”, the soulful ballads “All The People” and “Rock In The Rain” and the wonderful 2nd single “Maybe I’m Dead” which will feature an outstanding set of remixes from the Dust Brothers and Mo Wax’s own turntablists the Psychonauts.

As it is easy to see when listening to the album, Money Mark is a man fascinated not only by music but by the sound of other peoples music and “Push The Button” is an exploration of these two fascinations, a trip on which Money Mark has, thankfully, allowed us all to be invited.

And so it falls to our man Money Mark to produce one of the greatest fusions of the mainstream and the underground to have emerged for many years.

And then in 2001 we received this ………

MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING?
Money Mark -- the man and the myth who single or rather doublehandedly transformed Beastie Boys from one hit wonders and one miss blunders into transcendent musicians with his textured keyboards and heavy yet light songscapes on their comeback LPs, Check Your Head and The In Sound From Way Out (not to mention all of their other recent LPs and tours) -- has returned with a brand new collection of 12 startling instrumentals which run the gamut from his trademark jazzy funk to traditional Hispanic...and of course everything in between. Yes, Money Mark, the stealthy hired gun of alt rock whose unique touch has sneaked into a host of well known numbers such as Beck's "Where It's At," the former Laker ball boy who prefers sneakers with not three but four stripes and the avant garde but accessible artist who already has two quirky but hardly gimmicky solo successes under his belt, is back. Back in the house. Back in the mix. Back in the saddle. And back in the news. Which is why he sat down with -- speaking of back! -- hairy shoulder-bladed former Phoenix Suns center Neal Walk for this detailed, ahem, walk through of the new record, Change Is Coming.

And now after 4 more years

He’s at it again with Demo or Demolition a collection of new songs by the ever changing Money Mark and on tour this year and next with his old pals the Beastie Boys, as well as new friends Jack Johnson and G Love and Donavon Frankenreiter

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Money Mark - Demo or Demolition