Hello All,
Well if anyone has not heard at this point, I will fill you in. Mark has decided to no longer continue being a memeber of Centralia. After three years he no longer felt that it was in his best interest to continue with the band. Of course this SUCKS, but we will not let Centralia die because of it. We are pushing on and have been writing some of our best material EVER! This leaves us searching for a new singer, however. So please, if you think you are the man for the job, contact us ASAP or if you know someone you think would be a good fit either let us know or tell them to contact us. We will not let this bring us down!! We will be back very soon and trust me, it will only get heavier!!! Spread the word, we are auditioning new singers beginning today....good luck to mark, and we all hope he finds whatever it is he is looking for in his life...we'll miss ya man
Below is a statement from Mark concerning his decision:
There comes a time in every man's life where he needs to make decisions that will have a dramatic effect on those that surround him. For the past three years I've fronted Centralia and dedicated my heart and energy to that endeavor. For the last year of my tenure however, as my life has stabalized from the strife filled, ever changing, ever exciting monster it was, to a far more repetetive and comfortable existence; I've begun to lose my edge. I've noticed this slip in my ability to perform, write, and even think creatively. The inability to produce quality material in a timely fashion has slowed the progress of the band overall and I've grown tired of shouldering that responsibility.
My new life as it were, driven by a new state of mind, has led me away from any burning desire to be a high energy spot-lit rockstar. Any desire I now have to create music stems from an instensely personal well of emotion that has no place in the style of music we perform in Centralia. I'm too overworked and irritable to work well with others. I've lacked focus my entire life which let me float around in a daze and produce some off the wall stuff that really worked. Now that I've become more focused, I'm completely unwilling to compromise my Vision, and this does not work in a band situation. It especially doesn't work in a band without a principal songwriter where everyone's input is considered. While everyone get to own a piece of the music, it dilutes the integrity of every song by mixing 5 competing ideas or directions. Tieing these ideas together used to be a creative challenge for me. Now it's become a burdensome and daunting task. My patience is thin. I'm getting old. I'm feeling old. I no longer have a desire to use music for gain. I want to use it to give back and to explain myself in ways that conversation can't. This is something I must do alone. It may take years. It may never happen. But there's something very deep and profound that I've been exposed to and need to be a part of.
To all the members and fans of Centralia, I'm deeply sorry. Music is now a path I walk alone. I wish you all the best of luck.
