Ruby Isle

Long before becoming rock and dance icons, Mark Mallman and Dan Geller met each other in a high school sex education class in the small town of Waukesha, WI. Geller was a “skater” and Mallman was a “smoker”. The two began swapping mix tapes in the high school parking lot. Graduation came, (with honors for Dan, and just barely for Mallman) and the two parted ways, Mallman to Minneapolis, and Geller to Athens, GA. After finishing art school, MARK MALLMAN quickly developed a successful career as a solo artist, touring the US and Europe. Meanwhile, Geller went on to start the indiepop label Kindercore Records and in 1999 created the band I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. As time changed technologies, Dan and Mark both found themselves attempting to combine styles. When drummer Aaron Lemay, a tattooed punk/prog rocker with a distain for electronic music, heard the demos, he is quoted as saying “I can’t let you two fools attempt this madness alone.” He immediately joined the band. This final element merged Mallman’s arena rock ridiculousness with Geller’s electronic meticulousness. The result is the merging of the alcohol and sweat drenched Mallman glam, with the dance pop production Geller became known for in IATWTC, and the up-tempo punk rhythm of Lemay. These combined musical backgrounds overlap delightfully in an off-center cover of Sonic Youth’s “Teenage Riot”. The glue that holds Ruby Isle together goes beyond hooks that don’t let go – this is a three-way pact of friendship till the bitter end. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.