Mark Bram
When asked to describe his band, lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Bram said: 'We have the glam and theatrics of Cooper and Bowie, the harmonic glitz of Queen, the power and urgency of early Zeppelin with the melodic prowess of early Beatles'. Ruby Topaz has tasted success on both the national and international scenes for their 1982 independent single 'Why.'
Steve D'Andrea
The 45 was co-produced by local guru Phil Greene and Bram, was recorded at Soundtrack Studios in Massachusetts, and then was touched up at RI's Normandy Studios
Kerrang Magazine's David Sinclair wrote: 'They show a lot of promise and some genuine excitement on this record.' Soon after the article, the band's management was flooded with requests for the record. Later on they received letters from all around the world voicing support of the band.
In 1984 they cut a four-song demo at AAA Studios, which featured 'The Unicorn Song' and 'Keep Out.' This demo received a favorable review in Metal Forces Magazine. Ruby Topaz was ready for their first full-length album.
And with this positive write-up, several offers came rolling in. They accepted a deal with California based Azra Records in 1985. Their debut album, 'All Brand New', included most of their previously released tunes as well as several new cuts. The set was highlighted by 'D's Song,' 'Jealousy,' 'Get Your Face Off My Head' and the title track, which was mastered by George Marino (Queen, Billy Idol, Foreigner, etc.), and was all set to go in early 1986. Unfortunately, due to financial and marketing differences, the album was never released. Accepting that fate had dealt them a bad card, the band persisted in the face of misfortune.
About a year later, when the world was throwing support behind the Africa famine-relief funds, a musical project called Bandwagon was put together by Big NOISE's Al Gomes. The proceeds from the record went to help the homeless and hungry of Rhode Island. Having worked well together in the past, Gomes, who wrote the lyrics, approached Mark Bram to compose a pretty pop song to support his lyrics. Bram did so without hesitation. The result, 'A Piece of Our Hearts' was truly amazing and inspiring, as hundreds of RI musicians and public officials joined together to sing the song. The song received massive airplay and won numerous awards.
In 1987, Bram expanded his musical horizons by producing and arranging a demo for local R&B performer David Parham (Owens) in which Ruby Topaz played most of the music. After this session, the band took the opportunity to lay down the basic tracks for their next album. This effort yielded six songs, highlighted by 'Straight Ahead,' 'Magic Moments' and 'Blue Moon.'
In 1989, Ruby Topaz explored the realm of music video for the first time with the song 'Magic.Moments.' The video was both humorous and sexy, showing the band performing and having a good time, as they always did.
Later in 1989, Ruby Topaz laid down the final six tracks which comprise what was to be their second full length album, named 'Change of Face'. Songs that stand out include 'Your Love,' 'Change of Face' and 'Save Me.'
Although Ruby Topaz shines in the studio, the true power of this band is the live show. Many people who see Ruby Topaz perform are impressed by their musicianship and are intrigued by their showmanship. The music is very important to this band, but Bram feels the audience deserves more than 'a bunch of guys standing up there in jeans playing music.'
On occasion the band was labeled 'Rush-clones' because of Bram's vocal similarity to Rush vocalist Geddy Lee. 'Rush never influenced us. My voice is the way it is because, vocally, I was heavily into Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury (Queen),' said Bram. 'I got the power from Mercury and the highness from Plant.' Bram's high-pitched vocals, which have on occasion made dogs squirm, is very different from every other vocalist on the RI scene.
In addition to Bram, the early Ruby Topaz consisted of bassist Jimmy Zisiades and percussionist Jamie Rizzo. Bram and Zisiades had played together since 1974. Rizzo joined up in 1979 replacing original drummer Steve D' Andrea, who occasionally sat in and performed with the band.
From 1992 to 1994 Mark went through a very messy divorce and custody battle for his son (he was awarded physical custody in 1994). During that time the band drifted apart. Jimmy and Jamie, because of obligations to wife and kids, pursued careers that actually made money. For self-therapy during that time, he recorded instrumental music at night when he couldn't sleep, on a 4-track cassette recorder.
For money, to live and support himself, Mark teaches Tai Chi Chuan. He studied for twelve years with Lee Wah Yook, president of The Eastern United States Kung Fu Federation, and when Sifu Lee passed away, Mark inherited the Lee Wah Yook Qi Quan system of Chinese martial arts. One of Mark's students, who was an exporter, heard the tapes, and convinced Mark that he could sell a toned down new age version overseas. He said the tie-in to Tai Chi Chuan was a big selling point (although Mark teaches it as a very deadly martial art and a way of life, not as a new age 'old men in the park' form).
Since Mark had been using a polished agate pick (agate is a crystal) for almost twenty years, he named the album 'Crystal Pick', as a kind of a new age joke. It was a total improvisation from beginning to end, painting pictures with sound and then soloing over it, not caring where it went. When the exporter disappeared, another one of his students released the album.URI Radio personality Russell Redmond discovered Crystal Pick among some tapes from defunct Newport jazz radio station WOTB. Saying that it was some of the most amazing guitar playing he'd ever heard, he tracked Mark down over the internet, and featured him in an hour long interview on his show 'The Best Jazz You've Never Heard'.
A short time after that, Mark was approached by a producer to do a solo album in which Mark would play all the instruments. They recorded three songs, including 'Knife In My Back' for the Big NOISE collection 'Digital Mystery Tour,' which was distributed globally. Then the producer went through some personal changes, and that was the end of that. Determined to finish the project Mark went into debt and purchased a digital 8-track recorder and with the help of Steve D'Andrea (the drummer from his live band who, coincidentally, was the original drummer of the pre-recording RUBY TOPAZ) he finished the project, now available as 'Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz'.
At the same time, Mark's 1982 45 rpm single, 'Why/The Sack', that was popular in England, France, Belgium Germany, and Switzerland, had been selling for $50 in collectors mags, as well as bootlegs of 'All Brand New,' which were selling for $100...without a cover !
In 1998, Mark decided to redo Crystal Pick the way it was originally intended. The result is his newest jazz/fusion release, 'Sountrack of Life: Crystal Pick II', a giant collage of sounds and genres, an unadulterated, musically and technically fascinating CD.
In 2000, Mark put together a 16 track digital studio. He decided that he wanted to do justice to some of the songs on Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz and re-recorded most of the tracks, as well as some new version, including a remake of 1982s The Sack (the b side of Why) done as a Led Zeppelin/Janis Joplin homage. Mark took Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz off the market and replaced it with Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz Again.
2002 and 2003 saw Ruby Topaz gain a following at Rhode Island School of Design (a very prestigious, well known Art and Design college) with the 2004 graduating class.
What a lot of record companies don't realize is that there are a lot of young people out there who are listening to Queen, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Alice Cooper. Mark was told by the RISD students that they felt like there wasn't any good music around anymore. No musicianship. They felt that Ruby Topaz was a throw back to a time when musicianship and showmanship mattered.
In 2004 Mark bought a house and decided to redo the studio and all through 2005 and part of 2006 Mark has been on a quest for vintage style gear (Soundelux 251 microphone, Universal Audio LA-610 Channel Strip, vintage guitars and effects, etc.) to record the next CD. This CD will include many new songs, as well as the songs from "Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz" that never made it on "Mark Bram/Ruby Topaz Again. Steve and Mark have already started work on the first new song, "Thanks for Nothing".
Mark has also just completed a new version of A Piece of Our Hearts, in which he played all the instruments and did all the vocals, for the 20th anniversary celebration of RI Bandwagon
[Mark Bram][Crystal Pick II][SoundClips][Parker Fly][Photos]
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