Totem is an original rock trio based in Madison, Wisconsin. The members of Totem bring to the world a new kind of sound, blending progressive and alternative melodic rock to drive powerful lyrics. Totem experiments with both vocal and instrumental music, sometimes foregoing lyrics and letting the music push the emotion. We believe that rock is the music of change, not of hate and violence. We strive to give live shows that empower the people through positive rhythm, music and feeling. Totem features Rob as an outstanding guitar soloist who is able to carry the trio sound. Phillip Haven sets the tone with hard hitting and yet delicate percussion. Marto brings bass to the forefront and adds dimension by playing bass and floor pedal keys while also singing in his signature vocal style. When you hear Totem live, you won’t believe that this much sound can be made by three guys. See www.totemrocks.com Band Bios: Marto: Bass, keyboards and vocals Marto began playing blues guitar which progressed into rock and metal and finally bass. “I found that when singing, the guitar has just a couple too many strings. The bass fit my persona and my fingers like a glove. My first bass was a Rickenbacker 4001 and playing it for the first time was an epiphany.” Marto’s musical influences include the likes of Rush, the Beatles, the Police, Tool, Dishwalla and System of a Down. A graduate of the Minneapolis music scene, Marto came to Madison with a musical vision in mind. Says Marto, “There’s a high energy rhythmic structure to music today. For this album I wanted to bring some different vocal melodies and to that table. Rob and Phil have their own ideas, so we run at each other at high speed and smash our thoughts together like a musical supercollider. The subatomic particles that result are the music of Totem.” Marto plays Ibanez basses, likes to commune with nature and thinks a lot about traveling to other planets on fact-finding missions. Phillip Haven: Drums and percussion Even though he’d always wanted to play the drums, his grade school asked him to play trumpet instead. It wasn’t until Philip was in college that he finally got his first drumset â€" and has since loved every minute of it. "I've always felt that music, and drumming in particular should be both a personal experience and a sharing between myself and my audience... there really isn't anything better than connecting with people through your music." Some of his favorite “pros” are Carter Beauford, Tim Alexander, Alex Van Halen and Ray Luzier. To keep it interesting for himself, Philip has been working lately on his stick tricks â€" hoping to become more interesting to watch as well as listen to. "Of the group, I'm probably the one whose the most driven towards writing straight up music - stuff you could almost dance to. It works out well - in the end, we acheive a great balance between more complicated, 'musician's music', and simplier, plain old fun rock 'n roll." An avid skier, Philip also dabbles in programming and has plans to eventually take over the world. Rob Schredder: Guitars Rob brings a unique guitar style born of progressive metal influences but recently transformed. Says Rob, “Marto came to me with this idea for a trio. I saw it as an interesting challenge and have definitely had to tweak my playing style. The trio format allows us to use silence as a fourth member of the band, which gives us an extra dimension. When one of us drops out, everybody notices.” Influenced by Joe Satriani, Vivian Campbell, Alex Lifeson, and John Petrucci, Rob is a graduate of the Guitar Institute in Hollywood. Rob is a veteran of the New York metal scene, having played with Alchemy X for 8 years in the Big Apple. Rob is back in his home state and looks forward to the road ahead. “I’m definitely wiser now, maybe more wary of motivations. Whearas before I was trying to get somewhere, now I know that making music is about satisfying yourself first, your inner soul.” Rob plays Ibanez 6 and 7-string guitars and has an unhealthy obsession with snowmobiles.