Mile Marker Zero

Mile Marker Zero was formed in 2005 when brothers, vocalist Dave Alley and drummer Doug Alley, alongside childhood friend keyboardist Mark Focarile, met guitarist John Tuohy and original bassist Tim Rykoski at Western Connecticut State University. They released their debut EP, The Haunted, in 2006, and began to captivate audiences as they were seen performing alongside the likes of Porcupine Tree, Underoath, Spock’s Beard, and Devil Wears Prada.

Having created a buzz on the Northeastern prog circuit, the band returned to the studio to record their debut full-length effort in 2009, and were the first-ever unsigned artist to be featured in the popular Harmonix/MTV Games videogame series, RockBand.
MMZ continued to make several live appearances, including gigs with Periphery, Scale the Summit, Nothing More, Adrenaline Mob, Fair to Midland, and more. In 2014, the band released their most acclaimed effort to date, the electrifying Young Rust EP, which was lauded as “a must-listen for fans of commercial progressive music” (Metal Insider) and saw the band receive the award for “Best Band (Connecticut)” at the New England Music Awards.
As to the overall scope of the new album, vocalist Dave Alley observes, “The Fifth Row is a reference to the legend of ‘rice and the chessboard,’ and is frequently used by futurists as a way to show exponential growth in technology. As a society, humanity is currently in the ‘fifth row’ of the chessboard, a time which changes in technology happen so fast that they are almost impossible to accurately forecast or predict. The role of artificial intelligence and technology in our lives is a pretty hot topic right now. When we decided that we were going to do a concept album, it just seemed like the perfect topic to dive into, given how we grew up and how technology influenced our lives.”

MMZ are supporting the Fifth Row with live shows including RosFest in Sarasota, FL alongside Martin Barre of of Jethro Tull and Riverside.