Oscar Rosende, their singer and guitarist, plays the guitar as good as the Mk from 1992 and he's very professional about his singing, taking English lessons to improve his pronunciation to perfection!
He is good, thumbs up for that, but let´s keep a sense of proportion. MK92 consider some people arguably among the world best guitarists. Also we should not forget that MK invented such a unique style that in the end only he can produce to perfection (until today, because thats not so much about speed, but about his fingers, soul, tone...). Also phrasing is of course a huge part and one major strength of MK playing, which is no issue for someone covering because they almost exclusively use all phrases already played/invented by MK.
That's what a tribute band do, don't they?
Indeed, thats why I just wanted to put a little bit into perspective the statement on Oscar Rosende plays same level as MK92, or MK whatever year. (I´d also doubt he would say that about himself).
Generally, I still just don´t get it, being a musician myself, how such talented guys "waste" nearly all their musical life in trying to copy someone else rather than putting all their efforts and creativity to create own stuff.
Well as "MK" in a trib band myself I'll answer that.
It's extraordinarily difficult to make it as an original artist. Mark was lucky in that a well connected dj picked him up, but despite his extraordinary talent he could just as easily have faded into nothing.
I've known plenty of bands who I thought were amazing who never made it because they never had that lucky break. The music business is a jungle.
I was in originals band who worked with Portishead and had a minor hit in France - we may not have be n good enough or we may not have been lucky, either way it didn't work out.
So I'm left with two options, give it all up and be in a shitty pub band for a hobby or play really high quality music in theatres as a tribute band - the only real option for live unsigned musicians.
I chose the latter, I have a ball, the audience enjoy it and I make some money.
It's nothing to do with artistic integrity and everything to do with economics of music these days. Personally, I think my own guitar playing is shit hot, but I can't make money with that. So I play like someone else to make money 😉