Sombrance

Rick Mester
(Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Programming, Synth's and Noises)

Instruments Played:
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synth, and Programming.

Gear:
Fender Strat's and Tele's, Martin Acoustic, Vox, Fender and Ampeg Amps, Boss Pedals, AKG Mics, Fender and Ibanez basses, Korg Synths, E-Mu Proteus and Planet Earth synths, Apple Powermac G5!! And lots of other hardware and software.

Musical History:

"I started out in a metal band called Grievance Honor. We played around the midwest for about five years. Many of my 'firsts' were experienced during the GH years. The first time you hear one of your songs on the radio, the first time you get to play out live, the first time you get to be on TV - all of these were first experienced in GH. After about five years, I outgrew the GH sound and began yearning to create more emotional music.

"So I left the band and started a small folk band called "Porch of an Angry Grasshopper". We wrote a few songs and fell apart pretty quickly. I was really into the Goth/post punk scene (especially Fields of the Nephilim and Bauhaus) and wanted to explore that style.

"It was then that I started Sombrance (around 1997) and we began the evolution to where we are now. Much of the goth sound has fallen off, yet I am still a big fan of goth music. I am very pleased with the personality that Sombrance has turned into. I think we continue to evolve and develop our sound and our friends and fans have let us know that they like what they hear. And to answer the next question for you who are reading this and wondering what to expect when listening to us, four of our biggest influences are Pink Floyd, StarFlyer 59, the Cure, and the Violet Burning. Hope that helps!

"I have also kept busy with an ambient side project called Ishur Ninku. I think that I listen to trance/world beat/new age music more than anything else and this is a chance to express that side of myself.

"I am very happy to be playing with the talented guys in Sombrance. They are all very diverse in their musical tastes and expressions. So here's to the continual evolution! For more information about me, go to http://www.rickmester.com"

Peace,
Rick

Favorite Musicians:
Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Tangerine Dream, The Violet Burning, The Gravity Show, Michael Pritzl, Kitaro, ELO, the Cure, Journey, Steve Perry, Beethoven, Larry Norman, Fred Eaglesmith, Enigma, Arcanta, Fields of the Nephilim, Govinda, John Denver, Queensryche, U2, Chopin, Queen, Fleming and John, Jeff Johnson, Autumn's Child, Spy Glass Blue, Bauhaus, Duran Duran, Wumpscut, And One, Area, Meshuggah, Peter Murphy, Tears for Fears, the Cranberries, Mozart, Jan Krist, Dream Theater, Saigon Kick, the Waterboys, Michael Hedges, Celldweller/Circle of Dust, LSU, Kill Hannah, Loreena McKennitt, Scaterd Few, Coyote Oldman, Stryper, Atticus Fault, and many many more...

Pastimes:
Hockey, Baseball, role playing video games :-) reading and writing, used CD/DVD shopping, watching movies at home, watching Court TV, and recording.

Favorite Authors/Books:
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), Dante's Inferno, the Bible, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (including the book of Enoch), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde), Alien Encounters (Missler/Eastman), Edgar Allen Poe, The Adept Series (Piers Anthony), The Paradise War Trilogy (Stephen Lawhead), books on ancient civilizations, true crime books, and many conspiracy books! Oh yeah... and CS Lewis (anything the genius writes!)

Favorite Films:
Immortal Beloved, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Pink Floyd the Wall, The Godfather Trilogy, Se7en, Tommy Boy, Wuthering Heights (1939), Desperado, Muppets From Space, Sling Blade, the Prophecy, Star Wars Trilogy, Erik the Viking, the Serpent and the Rainbow, the Crow, AngelHeart, Strong Bad eMails, the Matrix, and those Lord of the Rings films weren't too shabby! But there are too many more to count!

Check me out at myspace.com