I am putting this page together so that I can keep track of events - I am a vegetable - I cant remember anything!!

I ORIGIALLY started playing when I was 9 or 10, on a cheezy toy drum kit...I very specifically remember "playing" drums to the Kiss albums "Unmasked" and "Dynasty". From there, I got a guitar from my step-fathers nephew, David, and tried to learn how to play - and failed, and gave the guitar back to him...I was probably 11 or 12 at this point. Once I got into middle school, a kid that I knew got a guitar, and he knew someone who was selling a bass for $20, and he told me that if I bought it, we could learn how to play together. Thank you, Jason Cooper, for that suggestion.

Once I bought the bass, I started "playing" with Jason...he taught me how to tune it, and gave me a foundation... He also intoduced me to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and the like... I, of course, was learning all of the Kiss songs I could. Jason and I kind of strayed after a few months, and once we entered high school, I ended hooking up with the best guitarist in school, Aaron Mitler. We used to jam all the time, and we got his cousin, Anthony Aldi, to play drums. We even played at the high school talent show (We did "Say What you Will," by Fastway, "Rock and Roll All Nite," by Kiss, and "Talk Dirty to Me", by Poison). The audience went CrAzY!!!!, and we LOVED IT!....We got 3rd place behind, one girl who danced, and another who sang (and they did a duet together, of a song that they wrote, between us finishing, and the winners being announced -IT WAS FIXED!!).

Anyway, Aaron and I strayed somewhat, and I got involved with another guitarist, named Josh Mehigan. He introduced me to psycidelic music, and we really did nothing but jam a lot. This is when I also started to learn to play the six string. At a few different points, Aaron would come up and jam with us...Anyway, Josh graduated in 1987 (if I remember correctly), and I started looking around for other people to play with. It was around this point in time that I met 2 people who would be a very important in my life, for a VERY long time...Vince Ottalagano opened a variety/music store around the corner from my house in December '86/January '87(second very important person in my life later). It was at Vishnu Music that I met Kevin Lofstrum(guitarist), and his brother Brian(drummer). I played with them for a few months, and they introduced me to a lot of things, including Guinness Stout.

I had also started "working" at Vince's store. Basically, I hung out, and played, talked, and drank coffee, and did stuff with and for Vince. Vishnu was a family business, and being as such, Vince's family was always there...I eventually (sort of) became part of the family - I would even go over to grandma's house on Sunday!! Vince was a very positive role model in my life (but that is another story for when I am laying on the couch at my analyst's office).

Unfortunately, during this time, I became a real looser...I hung out at a local 24 hour "choke-n-puke" diner (and actually worked there). I signed up for the US Navy, and then, several months later told them to stuff it...I quit going to school, was out all night, coming home just in time to say goodbye to my mother going to work, etc. I was still playing, occasionally, and I actually met another person who would end up being in my life for a while...Skeeter. I started playing with Skeeter, and we were looking for a drummer. We "auditioned" several drummers (most notably, a guy with flaming red hair, who, everytime we looked at him, we couldnt stop laughing - decent drummer, though).

Anyway, near the end of summer of 1989, my mother, at the request of my step-father, told me that I had to get a job, or go back to school, or join the Navy, or just do something, other than "Rock and Roll all night, and party every day" (sorry, I couldnt resist!)...so I said "YOU WANT ME TO JOIN THE NAVY???YOU WANT ME TO JOIN???!!!!"(Explicatives deleted). I was SO PISSED OFF, I called the recruiter back (with my mother right next to me) and asked how quickly I could go...(my mother saying, "You dont have to go...you dont have to go" the whole time). he told me there was some paperwork to re-do, and waivers, yada yada, yada, but I could probably be gone in about a week. 3 days later I was on a plane to San Diego, CA, and so began my naval career.

I met a lot of really cool people in the Navy...Bill, Buck, Drew, Matt, Scott, Shawn....All kinds of cool musicians, and we played anywhere we could on my ship (USS Carl Vinson CVN-70, an Aircraft Carrier). We went on 1 West-Pac (Western Pacific)cruise, and I can say that I have played all over the world. Hawaii, Japan, Philipines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Tiajuana, even in the middle of the Indian Ocean (I have pictures to prove it!!!). Eventually, the ship went to overhaul in Bremerton (bummertown), Washington, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). Right across the bay from Seattle, it was a hot spot for music in 1990-1991. In Bremerton, Bill, Matt, and I got an appartment at 1022 Burwell St (somethings I dont forget!!), and we would play in the basement. Shawn, who was originally our drummer, quit the band, and we found Drew.

Let me first start by telling you about the people in the band.

Bill, was from California, and was wild. He spent more time with his hair than anyone I had ever met...yet, it was no more than 2 inches long - dont forget we were all in the Navy. Bill had a natural way with women - he was a pig, and they loved him for it...He was a great guitarist, and a good friend.

Matt had a voice that was incredable. He could sing like you would not believe - not bad for someone who never sang before. Matt also knew after a point, that he could sing, and as much as I would love to have a reunion with my navy friends, I dont know that Matt would show, as he and I were not on speaking terms when I got out of the Navy. Matt's most famous quote was "You guys practice, I know I can sing...."

Buck (Rodney) was probably the most level headed of the bunch. Buck definitely had his prioities in the right place, but was not afraid to have fun, either. Buck was our keyboardist, and he was a great friend. Buck said to me, one night, during one of our infamous parties - "Don't worry....It will burn out someday," to which I replied, "I know." This is one of those things that you "just had to be there"....but that night is one that I will never forget.

Drew was our drummer, and he was great...he was the best friend you could ask for...he was also about 10 years older than us kids (I was 19 and 20 during this time), and had been in the music business a long time. He was a great influence for me, musically, as he opened me up to a lot of classic rock. He was also a GREAT story teller (especially after a rough night of partying in the basement!!!)

After Matt quit the band, we changed the name from "Intruder" (which was actually already taken), to "The Bar Flies". We used to go to the LakeShore Inn, and play in Sunday nights for the open jam. There we met a lot of great musicians, like Louie (singer), and Mike(Drummer), and the other Mike (Bassist). Louie played with us a few times, and Bill and I kind of started our own side project. We played at some parties, and jammed alot. We kind of stopped playing on Burwell St., as Matt moved out (Buck moved in)I had moved out (and Chris-non musician-moved in), and Bill moved out (and Drew moved in). It was this during this time that I fell into a deep depression, and got heavilly in to drugs and alcohol. There was one night in the basement, I spent alone, higher than...well, pretty high, that I listened to the Kiss CD "Revenge", and I realized that I had a purpose, that there was a reason for me being on this earth...I just had to find it. I was also UA(AWOL) from the Navy and when I turned myself in, I went to courtmartial, and got brig time, and I hate to say this, but I loved it...I was the same as everone else there....not the lowest guy on the pole, as I was in my division on the ship. Anyway, I did my time (including the 3 days bread and water), and the day that I got out of the brig, I got in a nasty motorcycle accident. I almost died that night - for real, and that was enough to get me off the drugs and alcohol. Shortly therafter, I got out of the navy, and moved in with Evan(Guitarist), and his girlfriend, Hazel. I met them through Bill, and stayed with them for about 2 months or so until I got some money to come home. Evan had the SR-16 drum machine and the 4-track, that I would use to record the final version of "Wonder Why" (available as an MP3 on my site), as well as record some other stuff of Evan's, Bill's, and even Buck's (after he got out of the navy, and before he left for home(Texas)). I packed all of my stuff that I hadn't sold in one big box (that was ounces under the limit for UPS) and sent it home, and stayed with friends (neighbors on Burwell St. actually)for my last couple days in Washington. I left Washington on Sunday, May 28, 1992.

First thing Monday morning, I went down to see Vince, and while I was there, in walks Skeeter, who was looking for a bassist for his current band, "The Electra Glides". Typical biker band, with a girl singer, Colleen Ricciardi (What a set of.....pipes on her!!).

Basically, I started working for Vince again. I was talking with Skeeter and Colleen. The bassist they had, they were not happy with, so I came in, and actually John (the bassist) seemed almost relieved to get out of the band. Shortly after I joined, the drummer (Joel) decided to call it quits, as he was going through a nasty divorce. We asked around, and Vince suggested Gary Fuller, the drummer from his previous band, Flashback (Vince, Gary and Kathy Fuller, Aaron Mitler (my friend from high school), and Jim Malantino). So we called Gary, and he agreed to join us, and he started on August 30, 1992, when we performed at Vrooman's in Caroga Lake. I remember this weekend very vividly, as Vince's daughters, Nicole and Colleen, had driven up to Vroomans to see us perform...Nicole and I started dating on September 1st....

We stayed together as "The Electra Glides" for about a year or so, up to about November of 1993. Our singer, Colleen, got pregnant, and was begining her career as a mom. Durring her pregnancy, it was hard for her to continue to perform, so she ended up quitting the band. At this point, Skeeter, Gary, and I decided to go 3 piece (temporarily), and changed the name of the band to "RoadKill"...(God, what where we thinking?!!). After a couple of months, we found Steve Bahr, a guitarist that Skeeter had played with before. And so began the FIRST incarnation of Cold Fire, in the begining of 1994

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We played with Steve for a while, and at this point, there was(to me, anyway) always a certain "tension" with Steve. I think that Steve simply was not as happy as he thought he would be playing with us. We did a lot of top 40 modern rock...I think that Steve wanted to do more southern rock than the rest of of cared for....Now I dont remember the timeframe, but I believe that Steve was with us for a little over a year (which now puts us at early to mid-1995). It was around this time that Steve decided that he wanted to do something else, so, when he quit, we looked for another guitarist, and we found him....in Andy Cordone.

Andy Cordone is a very friendly guy....with some people, it takes a little time to warm up to them....not Andy....Andy was fun, right out of the box....no assembly required....however, Andy had his demons....there was one night, at Jim's Irish Harbor, in St. Johnsville, that we had a big problem. Andy had hurt his back at work, and his doctor prescribed some medicine for the pain....Andy added some of his own medicine, and was on stage, asleep....literally sleeping...eyes closed, snoring for all I know....and this was the begining of the second set!! Luckily, there was another guitarist in the house, Billy Dobson, who came up and filled in for the remaining 2 sets...Andy was in the band for about a year or so...which now puts us up to about late 1996.

We were now back to being a 3-piece band...and this did not go over well with the three of us. I mean, it was very comfortable, and we all got along very well, and all of that, but Gary was doing occasional gigs with other bands, and he also did all of our bookings, which were few and far between. But that was our fault....we all got lazy, and change was a'comin'....

It didnt take long, but Cold Fire broke up, when Gary was asked to permanently join the band he was filling in with. Skeeter and I started looking for a replacement for Gary, but it did not go well, and it was at this point that I decided to take time off, and go to school to get my degree. I figured it would be way too hard to go to school, and work 45+ hours a week at a job, be a father and a husband, AND be in a band...boy was I right!! I started school in January of 1997.

I ended up taking off about a year or so from playing. I had gone to see Gary's band, Blue Neon, a couple of times, and had even filled in with them once or twice, when their bassist had conflicting dates (he had a solo gig going, if I remember correctly). Sometime in early 1998, Gary called me, and asked me if I was interested in playing and getting a band together because Blue Neon was done...Gary and I jammed with the guitarist from Blue Neon - I dont remember his name...Joe or Joel I think - and it went very well, except for the fact that he only wanted to do what he wanted to do....when I played him a song I wanted to do (Far Behind by Candlebox), he said, "...my son listens to this kind of crap..."...and so ended that project.

I dont remember exactly how it happened, but I believe that we called Skeeter, and had started practicing, when Gary got a call from a couple of guys looking for a drummer and a bassist. Gary asked me to join these guitarists that were doing a country/50's-60's gig....I hated to just dump Skeeter, but we had already been Cold Fire...I knew what that band was, and how we sounded, and how we worked....this was a possibility for a new band, new people, and new environments...only it was country music(YUK!!!!)...after much deliberation, I said yes, and we essentially "fired" Skeeter (that is what Skeeter called it), and Stage Crew was born...

Stage Crew was a strange band...like I said, it was a country/50's-60's/classic rock band... We very slowly introduced new songs to the lineup that were more in my vein of music...songs like "Far Behind" (Candlebox), "Crazy Train"(Ozzy), and "Domino"(Kiss), all eventually made their way into our set list...The 2 guitarists, Jeff and John were a strange mix...Jeff was eager to just play, but was not as well versed at playing as I would have liked, while John was pretty good at playing, but always seemed to have some alterior(??sp) motive. John also has a famous quote..."Distortion is only used by people to cover mistakes". John was young, and had a little bit of an ego that he needed stroked. Anyway, this went on for a while, but there were problem (aren't there always??). There was an "incident" allegedly between the 2 guitarists, and one wanted the other out of the band...Gary and I felt that we could replace the 2nd guitarist (with Skeeter perhaps??), so we called him, and sure enough, Cold Fire was resurected...now with John as the 2nd guitarist.

This version of Cold Fire lasted until about the end of 1998 or the begining 1999. John was rather unhappy being in Cold Fire....can you imagine sticking a country guitarist into a rock band??? If I remember correctly, John used his new girlfriend as an excuse to not show up to practice....and eventually, we kicked him out, and once again, we were 3 piece. We started to look for a new 2nd guitarist to replace John, when Gary (once again) received a call....Gran Slam, another local band had (sort of) broken up, and they needed a drummer, and possibly a bassist...so, once again, Gary put it to me....should we join this new band, or continue with Cold Fire?? Once again, it was decided that Cold Fire was dead and should be buried, and unfortunately, once again, Skeeter was fired.

So we started practicing with this new, as yet unnamed band. The members of this band were Jeff Baldwin, Steve Bahr (from 1st version of Cold Fire), Denny something, Gary, and myself. We started practicing in the early part of 1999....we finally decided on the name "Phaze-5", and we performed our first gig in June of 1999. The guitarist (Denny) was a good player, and had a good voice, but he called it quits long before our first gig...so once again, we called upon the one person that we knew could get the job done, and would fit in very well in this band....Skeeter

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