MP3 Mark Sheibley - Keep Pressing On

An Independent Artist with a rock style that will hook you and groves that will keep you listening.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (63:16) !
Related styles: ROCK: Hard Rock, METAL/PUNK: Industrial Metal



Details:
"Mark Sheibley is a multi-instrumentalist out of California who creates, records, mixes, masters, and produces all of his own music. He has a rock style that will hook you and a groove that will keep you listening, with positive lyrics that will encourage you to KEEP PRESSING ON in life."

MY JOURNEY

I grew up in Mansfield, Ohio. After graduating high school, I bought my first guitar from an awesome musician named Frank Medley. I think I paid $25.00 for this guitar which had no brand name, however for the time being it served my purpose. After some time, I got a "Charvel by Jackson" guitar as a gift from my mother for Christmas of 1984. I started learning to play by ear as I listened to many various 80's metal bands. This became my life. You know.....eat, drink, and sleep guitar.

By 1985 I joined my first band named "Osiris". The members were, Tim Beaire (vocals), Mark Zellner (lead guitar), Mike Gatrell (bass), Scott Cain (drums), and myself (rhythm guitar). The band was quite successful as I was fortunate to get together with these guys that were more experienced and talented than myself. We continued over a year playing clubs and bars in the Mansfield and surrounding areas. Then for personal reasons, mainly because I was not satisfied with myself as a musician, I quit Osiris.

I later regretted quitting as I was burning to jam again and missed it terribly. I used the time then to advance my skills on guitar. I ended up playing in a few other bands throughout the following years that really didn't go anywhere mainly to the lack of finding a good, reliable vocalist. I was your basic rocker. Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Drinking and drugs started to take a toll on me as in one year I got three DUI's, and as a result, I lost my license, my car, my job, and eventually my apartment. I had no where to go!

Desperately, I called my mother, who was living in California, and she said I could come there to live with her for awhile until I got my life back together. So I got on a train with a suitcase and my guitar, thinking wow, this may be my big chance to make it big in some LA band. I thought , I have it all now. I have my guitar and the 80's metal look, now all I need is to find a band when I get there. *smiles*

After slowly getting established in CA with a job and a vehicle, I started looking for a band. I put an ad in the paper and got some responses and played in a few different bands over the years while my party life-style drastically increased. Many of my new fellow band mates also were hard partiers as well.

Then I ran into my worst nightmare. I met my new best friend called "methamphetamine" (crystal meth ; crank). This was a drug that literally began to destroy my life and any dreams of music that I had. I quit all the bands and even quit playing guitar to find myself eventually engaged in a world of depression and confusion. With many highs and extreme lows. I lived life as a blur from this drug for about three years.

Then something happened that changed my life forever. I encountered a relationship with God. I really can't explain how this happened, but it did. I later wrote about this new found faith in a song I have titled "Free To Believe". Like I said, I can't explain, but something happened within me. Then the desire to drink and party left. My mind started to become clear. Clearer than it had ever been. I started to see things differently. I was amazed at what was happening to me. I never knew what life was about until now. Now I felt I understood life and it's purpose and the reason for my existence.

Eventually, I picked my guitar back up and began to make songs I never thought of before. I began to form new chords I had never heard before. Playing guitar became brand new and exciting again but in a different way. I got in a couple bands again but it didn't feel the same. So I decided to go solo. Become a one man band. I bought a Roland 1680 digital recording studio and began to record. I used a keyboard for the drum tracks, bass lines, and any other fill parts, while guitar was still my main instrument. Then I got a crazy idea. I bought a mic and started to fill in the missing link to my music. I started singing and writing lyrics. My singing didn't sound the greatest, but it worked.

So here I am today. I am happily married to my beautiful wife from the Philippines who supports me and is my number one fan. Now, I love to keep God first in my life above everything, and by doing so, I have a daily peace within me that I can't explain or understand. With all this said, I hope my music can be an inspiration to others as I share my faith and artistic expression through the songs I have created and will create.

Thanks for your time.

-Mark Sheibley