Mile Marker Zero Talks New Music, Shares Single “Best is Yet to Come”

New Haven, CT-based progressive rockers Mile Marker Zero are back with a brand new single, “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

It is the first missive from the group’s forthcoming album Coming of Age, which comes out later this year, and will be their first new LP since 2018’s The Fifth Row. But where its predecessor served as a conceptual narrative about the looming dangers of Artificial Intelligence, the new single shimmers with the promise of a better tomorrow now that AI is a fabric of our daily lives. 

The sonic elements of the new tune, meanwhile, points to the band’s continued growth and drive to add different colors to the kinds of syncopation gleaned off their favorite Rush and Dream Theater albums. And through this well-balanced brew of complex instrumentation and informed storytelling, Mile Marker Zero continues to blaze a trail for a new generation of progressive rock artists to emulate.

Rock & Roll Globe caught up with keyboardist Mark Focarile to ask him about the group’s journey to Coming of Age and how nostalgia plays a role in the new material among other topics. 

MMZ is composed of Focarile, vocalist Dave Alley, guitarist John Tuohy, bassist Jaco Lindito and drummer Doug Alley. Keep up with them on Bandcamp. 

 

How did you guys come together?

Dave and I have been playing music together since we first met in high school. He and our original bass player Tim played all over the Northeast and began writing our first songs together. Mile Marker Zero really came together while we were music students at Western Connecticut State University. There we met John, and brought Doug into the band. We really began playing and writing as a five piece unit in 2005 before we released our first EP “The Haunted” the following year. We were friends with Jaco during our time at WCSU and from other bands that we played with in our local area. When Tim left the band, Jaco joined and began producing as well as playing bass. 

 

VIDEO: Mile Marker Zero performs at Progstock 2021

How has your reception been in the Prog community in the past?

The reception we have received from the Prog community has been incredible. We have formed strong relationships with fans that we met at festivals like Progstock and RosFest, and connect online with them regularly.  The progressive rock fanbase is a true world-wide community that loves music and is always looking to support new bands. We feel very lucky to be connected with a fanbase that is always hungry for new music, and wants to support you by either buying a piece of merchandise, or coming to see you play a show.  

 

How was the reaction to the new single at Progstock 2023?

We were blown away by the response to the new album at Progstock! We held a listening party at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning after everyone had been up late the night before seeing bands and going out for drinks. It would have been easier for many of them to stay in bed, but instead they came to listen to our entire new album. We had a great turnout! Many of them stayed to talk with us afterward, and shared some really heartfelt reactions to our music. After all the emotions of creating this album, feeling that it connected with them was extremely satisfying.  

 

Was this new material an intentional shift toward more commercial rock?

It wasn’t a shift towards commercial rock but we did want to be a little less dark and heavy this time. The Fifth Row is a concept album that deals with the heavy subject of Artificial Intelligence and its effects on the human race, so we used a somber mood and some frenetic playing at times to illustrate that story. While there are some darker and somber moments on this new album, we wanted to convey a brighter and more positive feel overall. We felt that even though the past few years have been extremely hard on us (with Covid and in our personal lives), we wanted to look towards the better things that are to come.

Is there an overarching theme to the new material?

The theme of nostalgia is very prevalent on the album. Looking back at your childhood growing up (the good and bad) and how that has shaped your current life. Then looking towards the future at the better things to come. 

 

Were there any artists that influenced the new material?

While are still connected to the artists that have influenced in the past that range from Rush and Dream Theater, all the way to bands like Soundgarden and Muse. But this time, we also decided to look deeper into the catalog of Peter Gabriel’s solo work and incorporate some of his world-beat percussion feels, as well as the brilliant way he uses broad expansive pads and emotive melodies. This brought a different and unique feel to the new music that we didn’t have before. 

 

What are you listening to these days?  Anything you’d like to recommend?

I’m listening to the new Caligula’s Horse album “Charcoal Grace” which I think is fantastic. They’re one of my favorites of the new Progressive bands. Last year I really liked the new Peter Gabriel, Tesseract, Voyager, and Exploring Birdsong albums. 

Our home state of Connecticut had some of the best albums of the year in 2023. John and Jaco’s side project Xerosync’s album, “4dot8” (which I got to play on) was an amazing album that brilliantly syncs up with an episode of “Game of Thrones”!  Also, our friends Earthside and Head With Wings released “Let the Truth Speak” and “Without Intervention”. They are both incredible albums that have made some top 10 lists around the globe. 

 

What is coming up for you in the future?

We’ll be releasing at least two more singles before the full album comes out in a few months. We are excited to play this music live and are looking forward to planning how we are going to tour this year, playing new cities and festivals in the future. 

 

VIDEO: Mile Marker Zero “Best Is Yet To Come”