MANTRA SUNRISE
John Miner was a co-founder of the California based art rock band Mantra Sunrise in 1992 with singer-bassist Joel Bissing and drummer Wayne Garabedian. The band produced the self titled album "Mantra Sunrise" in 1994. The band cut its teeth as a live band with frequent performances in California.
MANTRA SUNSET
The MANTRA SUNSET album was generated with un-released hard-edged MANTRA SUNRISE recordings combined with new studio session recordings. However, the band went on hiatus to meet the live performance demands for ART ROCK CIRCUS to perform HEAVEN's CAFE' in Las Vegas.
HEAVEN's CAFE'
John Miner assembled tracks from his work on MANTRA SUNRISE and along with tracks recorded HEAVENS CAFE - A ROCK OPERA n 1995.
HEAVEN's CAFE' LIVE
Working with producer Mike Lewis, composer John Miner produced and recorded HEAVENS CAFE - A ROCK OPERA in 1996 and 1997. The Live in Las Vegas performances included the band, singers and dancers as part of the ongoing live presentations. The new stage band was now called ART ROCK CIRCUS. In addition to the talent of the singers and actors, investor Mike Lewis was instrumental in financing and staging Heavens Cafe'. The Tributary Music Label released a live CD of Heavens Cafe' to the progressive rock community in 2000.
ART ROCK CIRCUS
In 2001 "A Passage to Clear" was released by Miner's Art Rock Circus, also being conceptual in nature. The album featured two female vocalists, Karyn Anderson, and Karen Marquart.
Collaborating with drummer and composer Nolan Stolz, Miner rebuilt the Art Rock Circus from the ground up, and in 2005 released a double CD called TELL A VISION. The extensive keyboard palate in addition to Miner's eclectic guitar stylings found an accepting progressive rock audience. These projects were followed-up with a more experimental release called VARIATIONS ON A DREAM. A new ART ROCK CIRCUS Album, CONSEQUENCES OF INFINITY is scheduled for release in Spring 2018.
ART ROCK ENSEMBLE
Composer John Miner may be best known for his rock opera Heavens Cafe, which was staged at the Flamingo Theater in Las Vegas 1996, the Charleston Performing Arts Center in 1997, and later at Insurgo Theater in Los Angeles in 2004. After VARIATIONS OF A DREAM, Miner moved to the SF Bay Area in 2014 and was commissioned to compose new music for the Department of Interior for event called Visions of the Wild. He created a new band called ART ROCK ENSEMBLE with new musicians that followed to the theme. The band recorded 3 Live Albums documenting those performances in Norther California, which will be released in 2018.
BiNDI's WILD ADVENTURE
Miner decided to expand the musicianship he developed as a studio drummer into a weekly live improvisational jazz band. The band established a musical residency at Sparticle Space a popular North Bay venue exploring progressive jazz and avant-garde. Drawing upon the community of Professional Bay Area jazz musicians, the team included: guitarist David El; Marc Levine, Marc Dixon and Dayln Barnes on Bass; J.R. Collier on saxophone; Peter Eisenberg on vibraphone; Richard Marriott on trombone; and Don Osborne on Fender Rhodes. Miner produced 4 albums for Tributary capturing the improvisational energy of these live music performances.
