Proto (band)

Proto is a six-members progressive rock band, originally from Memphis, moved to Chattanooga (Tennessee) early January 2003, after recording their first EP release with new label Torrent Records LLC. Shaun West (drummer now for over ten years) and J. Mark Crider (having played together for over 8 years) began Proto with Erik Berkes in 2002.

In the fall of 2003, the band began preparing for their first release to prelude the full-length album. PROTO asked violinist Krista Wroten (schooled in classical music training at Boston University) if she was interested in playing on the CD to fill out some of the songs. What began only as an addition to the record became an addition to the band. It was obvious that Krista belonged after hearing her play.

They quickly recruited lead guitarist Benjamin Mansfield (with Erik Berkes have been writing and playing now for over five years) and wrote their first song, The Backwards Waltz. The song embodied a mutual frustration within the band towards ignorance and the destruction of the human mind. It was from this collaboration that the band realized their potential and agreed to pursue a serious career in music. The music immediately took presidence over everything alse in their lives.

The band as a whole has been together just under three years, but the chemistry and direction are unshakable. Partnered in motivation and destination, PROTO continues to write new material for their first full-length album due out in 2004. After recording, the band left Memphis for Chattanooga. They started new lives and began writing the clearest music ever.

Other projects of members of Proto are "All Things Green" and "North American Royalty, this last formed by ultra melodic female vocal fueled Elise Berkes on lead vocals & guitar. Krista Wroten of Proto on violin and vocals, Jack Kirton of Proto on guitar , mandolin & steel guitar, Dennis Hubbard and Joey Berkley from All Things Green on bass & percussion. Real fresh pretty stuff backed by well seasoned local musicians.

Their first song "Monkey" of the self titled album was used in introduction of the movie Devour (2005), starring Jensen Ackles of Supernatural, and in the third season of Roswell.

Members

• Erik Matthew Berkes – Vocals, Guitar (1983-present)
• Shaun Shelton West – Drums, Percussion (1982-present)
• James Mark Crider – Bass Guitar (1979-present)
• Krista Lynn Wroten – Violin (1983-present)
• Benjamin Mansfield Christian Cowell – Lead Guitar (??-present)
• Jack Benjamin Kirton – Guitar, Mandolin, Steel Guitar (1980-present)

Discography

Proto have two full-length albums. Their first release Proto, self-titled, was released and distributed in digital and physical format copy in a special limited production, unlike then second album The Alchemist only in digital, via TuneCore, iTunes Store, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, etc.

Other songs not included in albums: "When Shall I Return"
Length: 00:30 | Year: 2010 | Genre: Film score, Electronic, New Age. | Moods: Dark, Suspenseful
Catalog/Publisher: Absurd Music(Ascap) / Bny Music(Ascap) / Evan Edward Publishing(Ascap).

• Proto (2003)

Additional and technical information
Release: June 1, 2003 (EP), September 23, 2003 (Album)
Recording Type: Studio (Stereo)
Label: Torrent Records, LLC (3649 W Road, Signal Mountain, Tennessee, 37377-3001)
Universal Product Code: 7158647 (Torrent Records JMS1-2)
Copyright Claimant: Threptos Music, LLC d.b.a. Baby New Year Music, Evan Edward Publishing
Lyrics 'Monkey': West, Berkes
Lyrics 'The Backwards Waltz': Crider, Berkes
Lyrics 'Breathe This Day': Berkes
Music and Production: Proto
Engineered, Recorded and Mixed: Willie Peaver (Chief Engineer)
Studio Crew: Brandon Sams (Engineering Assistant), Chuck Goin (Studio Assistant), Chris McCrudden (Instrument Tech)
Recorded in the U.S.A. at Young Avenue Sound Studio in Memphis, TN
Edited and Mastered by Roger Lian at Masterdisk Studios in New York, NY
Graphic Design: Eric Jackson
Art Concept: Proto
Thanks to PM Music and The Drum Shop. Proto thanks families, friends and all those who have pointed us in the right direction.
Artist Representation: Torrent Records, LLC (www.torrentrecords.com)
Barcode: 783707706627

• The Alchemist (2007)

Additional information
Release: April 9, 2007
Recording Type: Studio (Stereo)
Label: TuneCore/Proto

Ratings

It's not every day that you hear violin jamming with hard rock. But today you can! Meshed with their "angular rock" are sawing, edgy violin lines that both sing and sear, interwoven with desperately passionate vocals and propelling song writing.

If the bands Postman Syndrome, Mars Volta, Dredg, Floater and A Perfect Circle speed up your heart-rate even a little, this is a must have. With a smart and artistic melding of heavy-handed grind and more open, spacious atmospheres, their textural integrity along with an unusual ability to really listen to one another in their playing produces a clear and yet full-bodied, directed sound that is hard to come by these days. Dark *is* beautiful.

Moody, climatic, and sonic, Proto excels in creating a warm atmosphere. Dramatic violin passages give way to ambient explosions of angular rock.

—CD Universe, CD Baby

Music described as creepy, tense violin passages giving way to heavy explosions of angular rock." Recent review from DECOY MUSIC reads "...31 minutes of sheer beauty, brawn, and well, almost perfection... the musicianship is so tight, it's uncanny... The vocals are unparelleled... these guys are on a different level than their peers.

—Decoy Music, Local Band Network

"MUSICALLY BRILLIANT!"

"...these guys are going to be back by demand! They've got a secret ingredient that no one has yet."

—Biily Black. WRXR Rock 105.5 Clear Channel

Music featured on:
"Roswell: Second Season DVD (2003)". –From WB Television Network series.
"Devour (2005)". –Directed by David Winkler, this psychological thriller follows a group of online gamers whose virtual play land becomes a deadly real life nightmare. Starring Jensen Ackles (Smallville), William Sadler (Shawshank Redemption) and Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale).

References

• http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7158647
• http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/proto
• http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/proto-proto
• http://www.mysecretidentity.org/ArtFRONT/Radio%20Promotion%20One%20Sheets/NorthAmericanRoyalty.htm
• http://cherrylane.mseek.net/pop_detail.asp?id=410131441518403
• http://www.localbandnetwork.com/bands/banddetail.cfm?bandID=17894
• http://www.amazon.com/Proto/dp/product-description/B0000CGDDG
• http://www.artfront.com/BarkingLegsPressRelease.htm