Short Bio
Perhaps there is something to say when music evokes a wide spectrum of emotion as does Lines & Circles. Ronnie Marquiss may have penetrated his past with a style composition very familiar with horror movies. The movie Lunicidal swells of Marquiss compositions and was nominated for Best Music Score at the Philadelphia Terror film festival in 2008.
Lines & Circles is Ron’s fourth album with instrumentals not including the music for Lunicidal. The flow and natural essence of his style are fluent throughout and a true testament toward an awesome listening experience. Marquiss draws inspiration from his son and it shows. Jordan lays the foundation and it is solid as it can be. No overplays and if you listen close enough all the fills shine through. “It’s as good as it gets right there” “Jordan is extremely talented,” Marquiss says.
The making of Lines and Circles is mostly a collaboration between friends. They have all crossed paths on the Friday Night Progressive internet radio show who Marquiss created and calls himself The King of Prog. The show has been entertaining Progressive, instrumental, and fusion listeners for over 10 years. (Nathan Ames – Sudler’s Row), (Adrianne Simioni – Astronomusic), (Astraea Antal – Monument Alley, Gentle Knife), (Bret Harold Hart – Moon Men), (Brent McDonald – Straight Light) and Joe Compagna can all be found in the FNP chat room or have been played on the show at one time or another.
This promo is not just for the listener but also aimed at the DJ next door that finds Prog interesting, will pass the torch, and keep it alive and well. All proceeds from the album, if it is not free at any time will go directly to any and all FNP promotions helping the artists gain exposure to a wonderful listenership.
Ronald Marquiss
Ron’s musical journey started at an early age with piano and then trumpet. As years went on he became interested in playing the bass, guitar, and drums. During his teen years, drums were the instrument of choice jamming as often as possible. His main interest was composition so back to guitar and he created the band M DESTINY. A three-piece band opening for the likes of Mastermind and headlining in the early ’90s out of New Jersey. Ron then moved to an acoustic duo called RavenSong who had quite a following on the east coast coffee houses. In 2008 Ron was approached to do a score for the movie Lunicidal which received a best movie score nomination at the Terror Film Festival in Philadelphia, an underground favorite that can be seen on Amazon. He now lives in Delaware hosting the Progrock Radio Show “Friday Night Progressive” and creating music to help support the show and the artists.
Brent McDonald
Multi-instrumentalist and engineer Brent McDonald expounds on his music/studio career: At 5, a parental ultimatum. The choices were dancing or piano lessons. Couldn’t see myself prancing around in a tutu, so piano it was. 13, heard a couple of schoolmates playing electric guitars and I was hooked. Lawn mowing money bought a Teisco Del Ray guitar and Silvertone amp. Piano lessons fell by the wayside, as I couldn’t put the guitar down. As kids with guitars do, joined a band and played from junior high through the first year of college, with this same unit. In college, I had an offer to work with some highly talented people and packed my bags. Lived out of a suitcase for the next 16 years, working in almost as many different types of bands. Had the opportunity to work with some great players, as well. Along the way, was kicked in and out of various studios. Studio life was total magic! Spent my first life’s savings, on a pile of synths and sequencer, in the day when not many knew much about MIDI. I dragged this rig around on the road to write and stumbled into arranging and producing, via that. One project was recorded at Future Sound in Columbus, OH. When done, the owner offered a goffer/programming/studio playing job, several days a week. That soon morphed into engineering there as well. Then got a call from a friend who was part owner in what was Masterview Recording, near Kalamazoo, MI. I became a partner there, sole owner 1989 and 30+ years later, still at it. Brent has worked both in-studio and as a musician with notables Bob Wilson (Bob Dylan, JJ Cale, Charlie Daniels) Michael Cologne (Michael On Fire), Gioia Bruno (Expose’), Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck, Scott Henderson), Ralphe Armstrong (Jean Luc Ponty, Mahavishnu Orchestra), Cheryl Jewel (Rachel, Rachel), Fergie Frederiksen (Toto, La Rue, Monsters of Rock), Tere Bertke (Black Hawk, Ralph Santola), Phil Garmyn (Shy Talk), Charlie Huhn (Ted Nugent, Foghat) Additionally, Brent has engineered/produced over 300 album projects, co-written and played on uncountable compositions and composed several award-winning jingles. He’s also currently a member of the progressive rock band Straight Light, with the sophomore release (Archaeology) pending.
Joe Compagna
Multi-instrumentalist showing masterful technique on guitar, deep-pocketed grooves on bass, and he’s not too shabby on a piano. He is equally adept at playing rock, metal, jazz, and fusion, and has graced many stages warming up audiences for Bobby Kimbal (Toto), the Bullet Boys, Jefferson Starship, and Edgar Winter, and he has worked with numerous bands covering many different genres. Here are just a few: Via, Terra-X, Slight Return, G3 New England, C-4, and the Summertime Jazz Band. His work can be heard on Friday Night Progressive radio, MuseBoat radio, Spotify, and all the usual outlets. Music is a journey, not a destination, and this is Joe’s journey.
Adrianne Simioni
Born in Brazil, Adrianne got her first electric guitar when she was 14 years old and began playing the violin some years later. In college, while studying Physics, she put up a band called Aldebaran with a repertoire of original songs and covers having Astronomy as a theme. Later she participated in a jazz-rock fusion group making her mind on the music career. In 1991 Adrianne met her future husband and musical partner, guitarist and composer Zozimo Rech, in Orquestra Profana, an ensemble dedicated to performing classical music on electric instruments. Also by this time she was playing the violin in a chamber orchestra performing solo violin occasionally. In 1997 she moved to Hollywood to attend Musicians Institute – Guitar Institute of Technology. Back in Brazil she performed and recorded with artists and groups of various styles including blues, country, rock, and Brazilian music. Her solo album, The Intelligible Sky, was released in 2006 along with Zozimo’s albums The life of a Star and Pictures of a Solar System, and so the Astronomusic project was born. In 2015 Adrianne and Zozimo released their Astronomusical interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
Bret Harold Hart
Bret has been playing guitar since 1973 and brought what he’d learned in previous trombone and piano lessons to the instrument. Hart lived in five countries and 8 US states before settling down in Appalachian country to start a family in 1998. Since, he’s performed and recorded with The Cat’s Pants, Automatic Music, Porcupie, SnorkleTrunk, Diratz, Moon Men, Cloud Over Jupiter, Dave Newhouse, Red Ghouls, and is now performing in the post-Vax North Carolina with bassist Dennis James as The Bo Clevis Project, returning to his 1970’s coffeehouse and pub roots.
Astraea Antal
Astraea plays flutes and other woodwinds in the Norwegian symphonic folk-rock/prog duo Monument Alley with composer and keyboardist Erlend Engebretsen (Fatal Fusion). Monument Alley is currently recording a triple album with an international crowd of musicians. Astraea is also known for flutes in the Norwegian progressive rock collective Gentle Knife, who released two studio albums in 2015 (‘Gentle Knife’) and 2017 ‘(Clock Unwound’) and played at Night of the Prog in 2018. Guest musician on Fatal Fusion’s 4th album ‘Dissonant Minds’ (2020). Astraea had classical flute schooling in her teens, but after a break of 20 years before starting to play again at an adult age, her style is now improvisational and inspired by prog and jazz.
Photo of Astraea Antal by Bert Treep, IO Pages.
Nathan Ames
Nathan began his guitar journey at the age of 11 after hearing Randy Rhoads for the first time. He was instantly hooked and hounded his dad for weeks until he gave in and purchased Nate’s first guitar and signed him up for lessons. Pushing and excelling in his lessons the next few years, he went through several instructors and finally decided at the age of 17 to become a guitar instructor like his first guitar hero. Nate was in many bands early on playing heavy rock/metal and even traveled up and down the East coast in a speed metal band in his 20’s opening for National acts. Later in his 30’s, Nate discovered a love for classical guitar, but he enjoys and plays many genres of music. Today, Nate is a Professor of Music at the University of Delaware (teaching music history & music theory). He is also the head of the guitar department at Delaware State University (teaching applied guitar). Nathan teaches private instruction at his studio, “Nathan Ames Guitar Studio” as well. His current musical gig, “Sudler’s Row” began January 2020. Nate is the producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist for this project. This Progressive Instrumental project has elements of everything from Prog Rock, Classical interpretations – and now ProgMetal. Tracks for “instruMETAL” are coming very soon. He is also collaborating with a few artists at present and having a blast on his musical journey that has lead him to the “Drive In Movie Band!”
DRIVE IN MOVIE BAND
Ron Marquiss – Composition, Keys, Guitar, Bass
Jordan Marquiss – Drums
Joe Compagna – Bass
Nathan Ames – Guitar
Adrianne Simioni – Violin
Astraea Antal – Flute
Bret Harold Hart – Guitar and other instruments
Brent McDonald – Guitar and Keys
David Leiter – ELP sound FX
DRIVE IN MOVIE BAND ONLINE
Discography
Lines & Circles (2021) Digital Only
1. Two is Better Than One 4:44
2. Sorry We’re Closed 4:31
3. Lines and Circles 5:43
4. Lockups and Lockdowns 5:24
5. Patent Pending 3:34
6. China Rose 4:04
ADDITIONAL TRACK INFO:
Ron Marquiss – Composition, Keys, Guitar, Bass, Drum arrangement. All Tracks
Jordan Marquiss – Drums Tracks – 1,2,3,4,5
Joe Compagna – Bass Track – 5 and short Rhythm section on Track – 1
Nathan Ames – Guitar Track – 1
Adrianne Simioni – Violin Track – 3
Astraea Antal – Flute Track – 4
Bret Harold Hart – Guitar and other instruments Intro – Outro Track – 3
Brent McDonald – Guitar and Keys Track – 2
David Leiter – ELP sound FX intro to Track – 1
Recording Studios
HipWorks Mobile Tone-Magnet’ in Eden, NC.
The Hønehuset in Tofte, Norway
Resonance Transfer Studio Bear, Delaware USA
Mixed by Ronnie Marquiss at Resonance Transfer Studio Delaware USA
Mastered by Stephen Paine at Lyonesse Studios UK
Photography for Astrea Antal by (Bert Treep)
Album Design – Ronnie Marquiss
About Lines & Circles
Whimsical keys, dreamy and reflective guitars, fiery drums, edgy violin, energetic and propulsive flute leaves every passage in this six-track album a wonder to behold. Composer Ronnie Marquiss and his new team have created another masterpiece album. “Lines & Circles”
Independently Produced by DRIVE IN MOVIE BAND for Friday Night Progressive