Take a full throttled blast of vocal urgency, soaring melodies, a neck snapping rhythm section, coupled with an introspective lyrical outpouring and you've got the core of what the Lakeland, Florida based Denison Marrs has been cranking out since their inception in 1995. Since then, the group has consistently evolved into one of the most distinctive and innovative purveyors of the indie rock and roll sound, with dashes of emo outcries and nods to the alternative era.
Citing influences of everyone from The Cure to The Smashing Pumpkins to Starflyer 59, the group has carved out their own place in today's scene, breaking out of the over commercialized, contrived, and hype-driven automatic pilot that many of their contemporaries have fallen prey to.
"We've seen the trends come and go but we've wanted to be one of those bands bringing more definitive rock and roll sounds back over pop," notes Collins. "We're not striving for a harder sound, instead it's full of more energy that's raw and honest, more of what we're able to capture live." The sounds Collins describes are best demonstrated on Then is the New Now, the group's debut release with Floodgate Records (distributed via Word / Warner Brothers).
"We're really excited that all the details finally unfolded and we have this incredible opportunity to move forward," confides Collins. "Having such strong label support and such a huge distribution outlet will allow our music to be easily accessible. We work hard on tour and when people hear about us or check us out, now getting their hands on the music is easy."
Upon the disc's August 20th release date, there's no doubt that longtime fans will clamor for a copy of Then is the New Now. Chances are they'll immediately notice the increased continuity between each song's lyrical construction and the musical backdrops that encompass them.
"On this CD, we've found that most of the words came after the music was written," recalls Collins. "I was able to write the words with the rhythm and mood of each tune in my mind." In the case of "What Life Has" from the album, the band's unyielding rock and roll thunder, complete with captivating rhythms, is the soundscape to Collins' hopeful message of living life to the fullest. Such chemistry continues on "The Real Ones" and "This Must By Love," both of which cross the group's sure fire blaze of rollicking intensity and their lyrical analysis of day to day relationships.
"I have faith in what I'm doing and I try to write what God wants me to write about," Collins adds. "Hopefully, whether you're a Christian or not, something I sing about will plant a seed that will blossom and eventually be watered by God."
Denison Marrs will have no problem bringing such thematic compositions to life as they continue on their endless trek of tour dates throughout the remainder of the year. The band's feverish pace includes at least 140 dates a year, and thus far they've got six national tours under their belts, along with dates at The Purple Door Festival, Vapor Festival, and Cornerstone.
"Getting on stage and performing these songs makes the experience come full circle for us and our fans," offers Collins. "Honestly, it does get hard sometimes to keep going and going, but there will always be someone that comes up to us after a show to talk about how our music touched them. That gives us the jumpstart we need to keep at it. We've continually progressed, and that's definitely a cool feeling."
Source: http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/denisonmarrs.html
