THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROCK HAS ARRIVED:
MEET DAY OF INFAMY

DAY OF INFAMY is proof positive that rock and roll is still in raucous good standing among the young, despite the popularity of hip-hop and R&B. These proponents of the classic rock genre have their own unique sound, yet acknowledge being influenced by the greats, from Robert Johnson through Metallica. The surprise factor is that the oldest member is only 19, while the youngest is just 11.

The band recently played its first major gig at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida, where it received a rapturous reception from the strong crowd, and was mobbed by girls after the show. Now DAY OF INFAMY is planning to bring the noise to a much larger audience - worldwide.

Jeff McMahan (rhythm guitar; 15) joined brothers Michael van den Berg (lead guitar/ keyboards; 16) and King van den Berg (drums; 11) two years ago in their hometown of Orlando, Florida to form DAY OF INFAMY. After a few changes of bass guitarist, the trio found Jeremy Morris, a 19-year-old Wyoming native. When they decided they needed a different singer, the multi-talented Morris got the nod for that gig as well.

Michael began his classical piano training at age four, shortly before Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin took over his imagination. By 12, he was well into the Megadeth-Metallica -Anthrax canon. "I used to listen to metal; that's what got me into music, and where I got my speed chops," he says. "But now I listen to anything and everything. You have to open your mind, because the possibilities are endless."

Co-writer/rhythm guitarist McMahan became interested in music when he was 11, and is a student of Spanish classical and flamenco guitar. He cites the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, the Doors, and Phish as a few of his favorite bands. ("My dad raised me in a free-spirited environment"). His fondest musical fantasy involves someday playing with Victor Wooten and Paco de Lucia, and as for where he hopes to go with DAY OF INFAMY, McMahan firmly declares: "All the way!"

Morris, vocalist/studio bassist and "elder statesman," started out listening to a wide spectrum of music in his grandmother's home -"Everything from Pink Floyd to Barry Manilow"- and soon began asking his mother for a guitar, which he received for Christmas when he was thirteen. He switched to bass three years ago and was brought into DAY OF INFAMY as a player-for-hire before his "good ideas for the band" made him a full-fledged member; he later graduated to vocalist. Singers he admires include Ben Harper, two guys named Chris (Robinson and Cornell), Robert Plant and Thom York. As a bassist, he also looks up to Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. "This is my dream and passion," Morris says. "I dream about music and wake up thinking about it. As long as I can keep playing music for the rest of my life, that's all that matters to me."

Drummer King van den Berg, the youngest member of the band, got his enjoyment of opera and jazz from his mother, while his dad brought Iron Maiden and Zeppelin to the mix. He began playing drums in second grade, although he's been pounding on anything on hand for as long as he can recall, lists Metallica's Lars Ulrich and progressive rock master Mike Portnoy (of Dream Theatre and various projects) as two major inspirations. King also has a ready answer for anyone amazed at his precocity: "I could say, 'I'm 11 - you have a problem with that?' (But) age doesn't matter; it just matters that you can do it." And the fact is, he can.

Michael speaks for the entire DAY OF INFAMY line up when he says: "Music, to me, is just the most amazing thing in the world. It holds everyone on the planet together, and to make that connection is life-altering. It's most incredible experience you'll ever have. There's no group of musicians I'd rather be playing with, and I really hope I'll be able to do this for the rest of my life."

That attitude, combined with the undeniable talent of this lineup, is assurance of DAY OF INFAMY's eventual place in the history of rock - somewhere right alongside their heroes.