..In the late 90's, Roman Marisak and Jeff Schartoff - formerly of the L.A. rock act Human Waste Project (Marisak a frequent guitar player for HWP) came together to form something that would inspire emotion in a genre that was long overdue for inspiration of any kind. Schartoff and Marisak soon recruited drummer Justin Bennett and guitarist Brian Harrah (Tura Satana) and adopted the name Professional Murder Music. Within months the bands arrival on the L.A. music scene, PMM had signed with Geffen Records and began recording their self-titled debut. Wasting no time, PMM teamed up with renowned rock producer Josh Abraham (Korn, Staind, Velvet Revolver) and invited such guests as Dave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy) and Troy Van Leeuwen (A Perfect Circle) to assist with the record. With this major release, PMM were put on the road to support it with like-minded acts as Marilyn Manson, Staind, Cold, Powerman 5000 and Kid Rock. PMM also played to an onslaught of die-hard fans at the Tattoo the Earth Festival with the likes of Slipknot, Sevendust and Slayer. The video for their first single "Slow" went into rotation on MTV, MTV2 and MTVX and inspired MTV to use the song as a music bed for a behind the scenes bit on Eminem. "Slow", "Fall Again", and The Cure remake "A Night Like This" were used on several soundtracks including Ginger Snaps, Valentine and the platinum selling End of Days. "All Lost Things" and "Start Again" from PMMs 2003 release Looking Through have been featured on several productions including MTVs The Real World. PMM's music continues to be a soundtrack favorite and is also frequently used by The Howard Stern Show in advertising and promotional spots.
After the release of Professional Murder Music in 2001, the bands creators began to feel increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of their career at the hands of management and label personnel who no longer seemed to share the same vision. During the recording process of what was to become Looking Through, the band also saw the departure of guitarist Brian Harrah and (subsequently) drummer Justin Bennett who left the band to pursue other personal interests. Meanwhile, Roman Marisak simply assumed all guitar duties and continued work on the recording. Looking Through features 10 songs, each with a specific message and a carefully mastered sound. Like their debut record, Looking Through features a few good friends such as Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) on drums on Disconnect, Jason Miller of Godhead doing backing vocals on Dont Stop and Buzz McCoy of Thrill Kill Kult performing remix duties on Something New.
Rather than going down the road of major label disaster again, the band decided to release Looking Through independently, leaving them with more control. PMM created Wormhole Records and acquired national distribution through Underground, Inc./Caroline.
In support of their new release, Professional Murder Music joined 2003s United II Tour featuring Dope and Pigface. In 2004, PMM embarked on its first ever headlining U.S. Tour, This time featuring new guitarist Tom Hatziemanouel (Graves) and temporarily enlisting drummer Josh Memolo of The Union Underground.
Upon returning home from the All Lost Things tour in 2004, the members of PMM were eager to use their downtime wisely. Long-time fans of artists such as Radiohead, U2, The Cure, and Oasis and inspired by the timeless quality of a great song, the band wanted to present a more stripped down interpretation of their material and highlight the melodic nature of their own songs sometimes overlooked by the high production values of the bands recordings and performances. The concept was to record an acoustic EP. Further development led the band to record a dual-sided EP of 5 cover songs and 5 acoustic revisions of previous material, now titled De Profundis.
The closing of 2004 also brought to the band new drummer Chris Olivas (Berlin, Crisis/Skullsick Nation), a long time friend of Marisak's.
Professional Murder Music continue to evolve and develop their unique sound, incorporating all of their eclectic influences with a sharp focus on what matters most a great song.
PMM message forum "The Wormhole" click here.
Professional Murder Music - "Fall Again" (Live, 2004)Professional Murder Music - "Clear" (Live, 2004)Professional Murder Music - "Slow" (Live, 2003)
Filmed and edited by: George Lawhorn Professional Murder Music - "Slow"
Director: Marc Webb
Professional Murder Music - "Something New"
Produced By: Roman Marisak & Tom HatziemanouelTHE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY OUR FAN'S COMMENTS DO NOT REFLECT THOSE OF PROFESSIONAL MURDER MUSIC, INC. AND/OR IT'S AFFILIATES. WE ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMENTS POSTED ON THIS PROFILE:
