“Dwelling in the cave (of the heart), the mind, without form, wanders far and alone. Those who subdue this mind are liberated from the bonds of Mara.”
– The Dhammapada

Mara, the demon who tempted the Buddha, is associated with death, rebirth, and desire. Broadly speaking, Mara is anti-enlightenment, working to keep seekers from pushing forward. To break the “bonds of Mara” requires focus and determination.

BONDS OF MARA, the band, is the perfect soundtrack for that struggle.

The collective resume shared by Sal Costa, Dave Benedict, Bryan Crouch reads like a well-curated playlist of dark modern rock melody. Individually, they’ve spent years learning the ropes, perfecting their craft, and surviving the perils of the music industry as members of Canadian rock fixtures My Darkest Days, Default, and Hail The Villian. Now they have come together as BONDS OF MARA to forge an organic new sound, propelled by intensity, groove, raw punk energy, and honest, confessional lyrics.
Since coming together less than a year ago, the group has made a serious splash within the rock community with the release of their debut single, ‘Lights Out’, which is an aptly titled, compelling icebreaker for the band, giving audiences a sense of what to expect in the future.
“Before getting together, we were all doing different things after being a little frustrated with our previous experiences in the music industry. We were all in the same headspace wondering if we even wanted to be in a band again, but as we talked more and more about music, we realized that the drive was there. It sounds like a cliché, but it happened very organically,” said Costa.
Building a band from the ground up is a thrilling prospect, as it means they have a blank slate in which to create the musical aesthetic and style for the band and develop their own creative processes.
Production chores for ‘Lights Out’ and the music Bonds of Mara continues to work on is being handled by Benedict’s Default bandmate, Danny Craig, who also laid down the drum tracks for the material. He has acted as a great collaborator and facilitator as they bring together their collective talents, experiences and influences into their new songs.
As ‘Lights Out’ continues to climb the rock radio charts in Canada (currently in the Top 20), the band heads back into the studio to record their next single, ‘Killed The Love’, as well as several other tracks which will make up the balance of a 7 song EP to be released in 2020.