Yezda Urfa was an American progressive rock band founded in the fall of 1973. The band recorded two albums before breaking up in the spring of 1981. The band's music is currently distributed by Syn-Phonic.
Name The name Yezda Urfa comes from Yazd, Iran and Urfa, Turkey. The band came across these names while leafing through the dictionary, looking for a band name. Yazd was changed to Yezda to ease pronunciation. In the Russian language "yezda" (ездá) is a noun meaning a "ride" or "drive", however this is apparently incidental.
Sound Described as a blend of Yes and Gentle Giant, Yezda Urfa was known for playing high-energy progressive rock. Break-neck tempos, changing time signatures, and diverse instrumentation were hallmarks of their sound.
Members The original members:
Rick Rodenbaugh – vocals Phil Kimbrough – keyboards, mandolin, wind, vocals Mark Tippins – guitar, vocals Marc Miller – bass, cello, marimba, vibes, vocals Brad Christoff – drums, percussion
Members during the live concert:
Ronnie Platt — vocals Michael Barry — keyboards Mark Tippins — guitar, vocals Marc Miller — bass, vocals Brad Christoff — drums, percussion
Discography Boris - Demo album 1975 (CD re-releases 2004, 2009, 2010 & 2012) Sacred Baboon (recorded 1976, released 1989) CD re-releases 1992 & 2010) YEZDAURFALIVE - NEARfest 2004 (2010) CD and MP3 release recorded live at NEARfest 2004 Yezda Urfa discography, album releases & credits at Discogs.com
References
External links Band's website: www.yezdaurfa.com The Best Prog Bands You’ve Never Heard Of (Part Two): Yezda Urfa on Progarchy Yezda Urfa | The Forgotten American Prog Rock Band Set for ‘Boris’ Reissue on It´s Psychedelic baby Magazine Ground and Sky Review Yezda Urfa biography, discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic Yezda Urfa discography, album releases & credits at Discogs.com Yezda Urfa albums to be listened as stream at Spotify.com