Door of the Empress

We have been writing, recording, and performing socially and spiritually conscious music for years. Mark is the writer and plays all guitars. Nancy does most of the vocals and contributes her keyboarding talents as well. We are a team of two, and although we've both been in many bands/groups, we have always preferred the simplicity of our work together. We met in 1978 in Athens, OH. It was evident from the very first weeks that we had a musical connection, although we each come from very different backgrounds. Nancy was classically trained in piano and voice through college, and I'm a self-taught guitar player. Writing became my niche and is where I spend most of my time. Nancy interprets my songs with her angelic voice. Her technical training ensures that the songs stay centered and well-tempered. Our material is a lifetime work. Some of the songs are old, some of them are recent. The songs have matured, evolved, and crystallized over many years of experimentation and performance. But throughout, except for a few love songs written to Nancy, all my writing concerns thought-evoking lyrics concerning environmental, social, and spiritual consciousness. We, and others, have a difficult time defining our genre. I've always thought it as folk music because that's who it's for. But, that label really doesn't encompass where we go with our music. It's often very spiritual, but never locked into any dogma. It can rock; it can soothe; we hope it will move you, both inside and out.