Magik Markers

Experimental rockers the Magik Markers formed in Hartford, CT, in 2001, featuring guitarist/vocalist Elisa Ambrogio, drummer Pete Nolan, and bassist Leah Quimby. Inspired by no wave and hardcore, the trio crafted a free-rocking sound that made the most of their stream-of-consciousness approach. The band made CD-Rs available at their shows and eventually caught the ear of Thurston Moore, who invited the Magik Markers to play on Sonic Youth's 2004 American tour. Moore's Ecstatic Peace label co-released the band's album I Trust My Guitar, Etc. with Apostasy Recordings in 2005. The Magik Markers were prolific in 2006, releasing The Volodor Dance (an installment in Southern Records Latitudes series) and A Panegyric to the Things I Do Not Understand (on Gulcher Records). That year, Leah Quimby left the band, and after auditioning several replacements, Ambrogio and Nolan decided to continue as a duo. On 2007's Boss, the pair worked with Lee Ranaldo, who produced the album and chipped in guitar and glockenspiel parts.