Biography

Absence of Light is a musical group consisting of members Marc Ruocco (keyboards, writer, producer), Michael Walker (vocals, writer, producer) and Londra Webb (vocals, writer). Drawing on influences including progressive and alternative rock, pop, soul and jazz, Absence of Light has a unique melodic sound.

Absence of Light began in 1991 as a project by founder Marc Ruocco. Impatient with the frustrations of trying to get a band to work (varying levels of commitment and reliability, different musical tastes and goals, etc.), he decided to try to invent a band of one where all instruments were played on keyboards. This resulted in a few different recordings with mixed results. By the time he got to the 3rd recording (“Forgive & Forget”, 1996) he realized that though he was happy with the music, the vocals were not where they should be. Luckily in 1997 he went to jury duty...

A major turning point for Absence of Light occurred in 1997. During a particularly boring week at jury duty in his hometown of the Bronx (NY), Marc got to talking with Michael D. Walker who soon became the second member of the group. Michael is an extremely talented vocalist and songwriter. Coming from a more R&B and pop oriented background, he added a whole new dimension to Absence of Light. Together they put together the demo “Mystery”, the most commercially accessible disc up to that point. Michael and Marc currently are partners in NueWing Productions.

One more step was needed to complete the band. In 1999, Michael introduced another talented vocalist and songwriter to the band, Londra Webb. Londra’s diverse musical background included both alternative music and R&B, mixing perfectly with the rest of the group. Her emotional vocals added an alternative edge that the music needed. In 2003, the complete 3-piece band released its first demo, the self-titled “Absence of Light” CD. This six-song recording is by far the best representation of their music to date. Look for a full-length CD sometime in 2006.