The Dark (aka Valor)

Chris Mercer: Vocals, Randy Lotus: Guitars, Travis LeRoy: Bass, Junior: Drums

I joined Valor and we quickly changed our name to The Dark. I was in my last year of college in Colorado Springs. Unfortunately for me, the band practiced and played in Denver (about 60 miles away). I decided that my best option was to stay in Colorado Springs and commute to Denver until I finished my degree. At that point, I could reevaluate the situation (I ended up moving to Denver when I finished school).

The great thing about joining The Dark was that I was instantly part of an established and popular group. This was a time when there were a number of great original rock clubs (Bangles, Alibi's, After The Gold Rush) and amazing rock bands. Bangles was my favorite place to play. It held about 500 people and was always packed when we played. We were literally treated like rock stars there. We had a dressing room, we would sign autographs; it was great.

There were so many things that happened when I was in The Dark. It is hard to document it all. We got to play with a lot of world-famous bands. We were sponsored by Miller Genuine Draft (I was sponsored by Mesa Boogie amplifiers and Pedulla basses). We recorded at some of the best studios on the planet and so much more.

One of the best things that happened for The Dark was after I hooked us up with my friend Tony Patton. Tony had a lot of contacts in Los Angeles. Through Tony's connections, we signed with a manger (Rockwell Sheraton) in California and were flown out to LA to record at one the best studios in the world. It was called Goodnight LA. Bands that recorded there include Fleetwood Mac, The Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and many more. The guy that produced our demo was the guy who had engineered all that stuff. We were able to get into the studio because Bruce Dickenson (Iron Maiden) took a recording break for Christmas. One of the highpoints for me was when this noteworthy drummer named Jonathan Moffit told me I was a great bassist and that he liked my playing. (Jonathan has played drums for Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Elton John and George Michaels).

Another highlight for me while playing in The Dark was when we won the 'best band in Colorado' contest. For winning this, we were given the opportunity to open up for a very big band named Slaughter. We ended up playing in front of over 10,000 people that night!.

We came close, but The Dark never quite made it to the big time. We broke up around early 1994. I took a little time off. Shortly thereafter, I started what would become my most personal project. I called this new band Disintegration Factory.