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.^[1] The band's music is currently distributed by Syn-Phonic.^[2]

The 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.^[3] In the Russian language "yezda" (ездá) is a noun meaning a "ride" or "drive",^[4] however this is apparently incidental.

The sound

Described as a blend of Yes and Gentle Giant, Yezda Urfa was known for playing high-energy progressive rock.^{[citation needed]} Break-neck tempos, changing time signatures, and diverse instrumentation were hallmarks of their sound.^[5]

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

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