I was first introduced to the music of The Mark of Cain when they opened for the Rollins Band in Adelaide 1992. I remember liking them and watching them when I should have been warming up and getting ready to play myself. I spoke to the Scott brothers - Kim and John - after the show and thought they were cool people.

I do not remember how I got a copy of their first album “Battlesick”. Either Kim sent one to me or gave me one when I was there. But, several weeks later when the shows had finished for the year, all 182 of them, I had time to play some of the records that I had accumulated over the year of touring. I remember picking up “Battlesick” and remembering that I liked them and I put the record on to see if it was any good. Three songs in I took it off but only so I could make a phone call to a friend in Australia to try to get a number for the band.

Kim and I kept in touch after I made contact with them. I expressed my interest in getting their stuff out here in America. Ever since I first came to Australia I have heard so many great bands, I could never figure out why all these bands had not taken off stateside. My band mates and I returned to Australia in 1994 for shows and The Mark of Cain were on some of the dates. It was a tremendous double bill. They were great every night. Pulverising. The new songs, ones which are featured on the album III At Ease, were their best songs yet.

Around this time I think, I started talking to the band about the sound of their records, namely the “Tell Me” single. The band’s sound was amazing, the songs, great, but the mix I thought could be better as well as the sounds going to tape. I thought the vocals were way too low - I couldn’t hear what John was saying. II was told that the band does the mixing themselves. I told them that they needed some objectivity in the mixing room, some work on the guitars, all the stuff that’s easy to say after the fact. At some point I probably shot off my mouth and said that I could make their music sound great. One thing led to another and I ended up picking up their back catalogue for release on my label 213CD and working with them on their new record.

I told the band that I didn’t have time to be there for the tracking of the songs. I figured that since they had gotten great takes on their own in the past they could do fine without me. I would come in and mix and perhaps come up with some overdub vocal ideas. The band was cool with that and they got together with engineer Tony Nesci and started work at Tony’s studio. I got there a couple of weeks later. The sounds that Tony got on tape and the takes he got out of the band were brilliant. I didn’t know what to expect and was hoping for the best. I got mix heaven - slammin’ songs with unreal sound. Now all I had to do was try to make it sound as good as the band was.

My plan was to create movement and dynamic inside the sometimes linear nature of the band’s work. I wanted to make the songs breathe and swing while keeping the precise attack that the band is known for intact. I did this with a lot of active mixing with the guitars and vocals; though subtle, this gave the music a dynamic that the band might not have noticed they had if they were mixing themselves. Tony had a ton of great ideas that we used. He dialled up some great sounds.

Tony and I would work on the mix all day and the band would come in at night when they got off work and listen, then approve or make suggestions. We never moved into another song until all three band members were happy with the way the song sounded. We worked every day with no days off. Little over a week later we were done. Tony and I sat and listened to the DAT of the record all the way through and were ecstatic. The band and record company dug it as well - I guess we did alright.

I wanted to come through for these guys in a big way. I respect the band for sticking to their guns all these years, keeping it together in a small town and not compromising the music. I am very honoured to be a small part of such a great album. What is also great is the fact that the newer material on the record is their strongest and that the song writing is progressing. Doesn’t always work out that way. Songs like “Contender” and “L.M.A.” show the band is moving in a great direction, not losing any of the velocity of its sound but using dynamics and arrangement to have greater impact rather than just turning up louder. The lyrical imagery has never been better.

I reckon you have a serious world-class touring band on your hands here. I would love to see them come out and demolish all these silly little bands that my homeland is so choked with. I cannot wait for the day that “III At Ease” is released over here. A whole bunch of mothherf*ckers are going to have to move over.