Marina Bio:

Marina was born, and lived most of her life, in Lipetsk, Russia – an industrial city of 500,000 located about 275 miles southeast of Moscow. Her father served in the Soviet Army during WWII and was severely wounded in battle. [Peter]

I was born and grew up in the very industrial city of Lipetsk. I have degrees in Music Theory and Russian History.
Poetry has been my passion since I was little. I’ve read and enjoyed many different poets - thanks mostly to my sister Natasha, who had been teacher of literature and a very romantic soul.
Rhymes, word figurations, and poetic images captivated me like magic. I tried to create my own, but never thought that it was as good as what I read in books. That is why all my early samples were discarded with the rest of the junk from growing up. Little by little my hobby was pushed away by more important (I thought so) problems and business. For a long time I could not realize that creating poems was my happiest condition. Time after time I was dipping into it for a moment, only to return to my daily routine. Now I feel a need to catch up with my rhymes and tunes which modestly followed me down my bumpy road.
So many things have happened in my life: discoveries and loses, dead ends and epiphanies. To put it briefly, everything that happened was supposed to happen and I appreciate all of it – even the pain. Without pain you cannot value adequately anything and many of my poems would not have been born.
At the end of 1997 marriage brought me to America. I never thought that it will be so painful for me regardless of my very thoughtful and loving husband. I was looking for relief in my poetry giving away my pain to helpful rhymes. It helped.
Now I’m in a different and strange chapter of my life: I’m an alien here and a guest in my homeland. However, my “kazak” blood sometimes kicks in and I start having arguments with myself. And again rhyme, like an experienced midwife comes to help me give birth to new poem - beginning from an unexpected sight, familiar smell, or God knows from what else.

Peter Bio:

I was born and raised in upstate New York – Coxsackie, to be exact. While we moved a couple of times to different towns, we ultimately returned to Coxsackie when I was a senior in high school. Interestingly I entered my senior class not as a “new kid,” which could be difficult, but as one who had simply been away for a while – like 10 years. I immediately fell in with most of my friends from second grade – amazing!

After graduating high school I entered Albany College of Pharmacy on a full scholarship with the intention of becoming a research pharmacist. After a year and a half I decided that pharmacy was not for me and left, not knowing what to do. This was a very trying time as my parents were understandably upset and I was immersed in the hippie musician culture of the time. Our constant bickering led me to take a factory job and move in with some of my friends. I quickly decided that factory work held no future for me so I went back to college for a degree in electronics. During the ‘70s and ‘80s I married (twice) and had two girls – Maureen & Amie. While I established a career in television engineering I continued to play music in a number of bands. If I thought for one second that I could make a living playing music, I would have done it.

In 1994 I moved to Mt. Jackson, Virginia to start a video production business with a partner and eventual band mate. The business never really got off the ground and after 2 years I took a job at a local TV station. I disliked this job intensely and went on a jihad to find another. (I have not watched local TV news since working in a TV station - does that tell you how I feel about it?) In a stroke of fantastic luck (late 1999), I found a field engineer position with a company in Jacksonville where I reunited with my Mom and brother Will. I was on the road about 60 - 70 percent of the time commissioning automation systems at TV stations all over the US and Canada. In 2004 our division was sold to a huge multinational electronics company. After spending a good deal of eight years on the road, I'm now mostly in the office (and at home). I used to love traveling but after 9/11 it got progressively worse – now it’s impossible.

In 1996 I was browsing the internet and discovered Marina. To make a long story short, I visited her in Russia then brought her to Virginia. We married in January, 1998 and it has really been wonderful. We moved to Jacksonville in 1999 and I really don’t ever want to leave here – it’s about as good as it gets.

I have always been interested in music, especially playing it. I played trumpet in the school band and have had a guitar since I was fourteen. At age 15 I joined a band as a keyboard player and ended up playing drums which I’ve played throughout my musical career. Since then I have been in many bands of different musical styles. I was always driven to play music and when one band split up, I would immediately find another. Some were good, some not so good and a few were GREAT. I really need to mention a few of the most influential groups and musicians with whom I have been associated. Some of the people I’ve played with have made a huge impact on my life and career as a musician. I am blessed to have played with these people.

Bands:
The Jarrett Cooper Band (1972 – 1977): Top 40 bar band that was locally popular and constantly working. This was my first “real” band and a great experience. My association with these people continued long after the band split.

The Dialtones (1979 – 1980): The first Punk band in the Albany, NY area working mostly as an opening act for famous and not-so-famous recording acts. I didn’t really like the music but the experience was awesome, if not surreal at times. I got my first studio recording experience and our songs were played on several local radio stations (a HUGE thrill). We were just about to sign a contract with a major NY talent agency when the band broke up – go figure. Listen to The Dialtones HERE.

The Empty Hats (1980 – 1981): Turn on a dime from Punk to Southern Rock. A hard working roadhouse band with excellent musicians, we played a mix of covers and a few original songs. Though we lost touch over the years, we got back together in 2004 for a reunion and did another in 2006. Listen to The Empty Hats HERE.

The Jets (1982 – 1984): This was an 8 piece Chicago Blues band with a “fat” sound. Loaded with talented musicians, this band was just plain fun to play in. We played up to 5 nights a week and practiced almost every night we didn’t play. We had a huge song list that covered Blues, Soul, R&B, Funk, and Jazz.

The Healers (1994 – 1997): We played an eclectic mix of Soul, R&B, Funk, Oldies, and original tunes. What I really liked about The Healers is that we played tunes that no other band was playing – until they heard us play them, that is. Songs like Wooly Booly, Polk Salad Annie, Lawyers Guns and Money, and Them Changes were crowd favorites and very fun to play. We also did a few very good original songs that we ultimately recorded. Listen to The Healers HERE.

Musicians:
Ken and Polly Tyrrell (from Jarrett Cooper). Great musicians and fine people. I worked with them on a recording project in 1987.

Kenny Albright – I played with Kenny in several bands including Jarrett Cooper and the Empty Hats. He’s a fine guitar player and singer who continues to play professionally. Kenny has hosted our Empty Hats reunions on his hacienda in Stillwater, NY and I visit him whenever I’m in that area.

Greg Metzler and Ron Lane from the Empty Hats. Good musicians with whom I’ve had lots of fun.

Greg Rosano, Barb Norton, and Otto Gardner from The Jets. Greg and Barb were the driving force behind the band and the primary reason for our success. Otto was probably the best bass player I’ve ever played with.

Pete McCoy from The Healers. Pete is a very good song writer and was a good front man for the band. He was also our business and booking manager. He has an incredible personality and I can’t think of another person with whom I have had so much fun.

Norman Jenkins from The Healers. Norman is quite simply the best musician I have ever played with – period. An outstanding keyboard player and vocalist, he can play just about any song after listening to it. One night Norman visited us and played a few tunes on our old, beat up, out of tune piano. His rendition of Amazing Grace literally brought tears to our eyes.

Dennis Klee, owner of Harmonious Monks in Jacksonville, FL. Dennis is an outstanding and tireless host, not to mention a very talented guitar/keyboard player and singer. Harmonious Monks is a popular restaurant/nightclub with an interesting twist - the wait staff is the band. I occasionally get to sit in when he needs a drummer and always have a great time. If you're in the Jacksonville area, it's well worth a visit!

Marina Mecabe, love and inspiration of my life. Musically adept and a great song writer, Marina is also a great teacher. She has taught me so many things about life – especially how to appreciate what most people take for granted. She has enriched my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to work with her making music!

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