For those of you who may have noticed an apathy and lack of creativity in certain genres of music today and are wondering if Rock ‘n’ roll is dead, have no fear, a local band called the Marbles are proving just the opposite with their latest album, “Seduction.” Seduction is 10 tracks of 80s inspired power-pop glory. There are many people in Columbus born in the late ’70s or early ’80s that have completely nullified the ’80s era of music, forgetting there was a large number of great bands and musicians making good pop music.The Marbles have managed to take the best of the ’80s and with elements of the early ’90s, they have added their own flare and style to make an album people will find themselves pulling out of their CD collection and playing repeatedly. On their 1999 debut, appropriately titled, “Rock`s Not Dead,” the threesome showed what they had to offer to the Columbus music scene, with a little bit of punk, a lot of pop and a hefty side of good-time rock ‘n’ roll.On “Seduction,” the Marbles have marked their territory in the underground pop scene, showing their dazzling potential. Whether you are a fan of the GoGo`s, Guns N’ Roses, Holly and the Italians, the Ramones or Black Sabbath, you`ll hear a bit of these bands influencing the three diverse members of this group. The Marbles are Manda Cookie, on bass and vocals; Joe Mertz, on guitar; and Mark Slak on drums. Slak was in the hardcore punk band Slak that released three seven-inch records and opened such bands as the Drop Kick Murphys, Blanks 77 and Chelsea.Before that stop, Slak was also in the band Initiative. “Both bands were notorious for their wild shows,” Slak said, “it wasn`t uncommon for the walls of the club to be kicked down or for the band to get thrown out by the club owners – never to be asked back again.”Manda and Hertz are ex-members of Dick, Jane and Sally, a short-lived band that broke up while playing at a fraternity party. Manda said she got kicked out of the band and Mertz followed, both having the same ideas for music. According to Mertz, the Marbles were formed when he and Manda walked home from that party and stopped at a friend’s house who was throwing a punk-rock party. As they walked in, a bottle was thrown and a piece of glass hit Mertz. “Mark lived at the house, came to my aid and the rest is history,” Mertz said.Any Marbles fan can tell the band has grown and matured musically since their last album. “This album is tighter because we spent more time on it and it’s more reflective of our live show,” Manda said. The band members said they like to perform live more than recording albums. They said the recording process is time consuming and frustrating. Although, they did say Dan Boyd at Moo Pigface Recording Studio had many creative ideas and made the process fun filled.”Working with Dan made recording easy. He is always full of great ideas and helped out a lot with both of our albums,” Manda said. “He is a talented musician in his own right and has a lot of experience in the music business.”Boyd has worked with about 200 local bands and said the Marbles are one of his favorites. “The Marbles are a joy for me to work with,” Boyd said. “They have a real fresh sound that is very melody oriented. The band came in really prepared. Mark and Joe had all of their parts ready to go when it came time to lay down the tracks.””The Marbles have great songs, Manda has a fantastic voice, the band has a great look and most of all, they really seem driven to succeed,” Boyd said.Boyd didn’t exaggerate about Manda’s vocals. They are rich, emotionally driven, almost dewy and totally new wave. Slak`s drumming is right on the money, providing the energy to propel the band onward, keeping the kids dancing, bopping their heads and tapping their toes. Mertz`s guitar-strumming and hooking melodies are enough to please the Brit-pop crowd, the punk-rockers and the new wavers, a feat almost impossible today.The Marbles will be hosting their CD release party for “Seduction” tomorrow, at Bernie`s Distillery, 1896 N. High St. Twin Cam and The Peabodys will join the lineup for an action-packed, power-pop evening of glorious music. For more information on the Marbles, go to their website at www.geocities.com/mandaandthemarbles.