In February of 1999, Chris Merlo answered an ad in the Island Ear that read something like this:

Original progressive rock band seeks bass player. Influences include Yes, Rush, and Dream Theater. Must have gear and transportation. No drugs.

Chris couldn’t get to a phone fast enough. During his thirty-minute audition, the band jammed a couple of Rush tunes, and then Chris made up a bass line to one of the band’s original songs. At the end of the audition, the band’s keyboardist/vocalist, Charlie Labs, told him, “Look, we have another bass player coming tonight, but come back Monday, ’cause you’re in the band.” Five weeks later, the band played three originals, Rush’s “Natural Science”, and Dream Theater’s “To Live Forever” in their first — and only — gig. Charlie, Chris, and the drummer removed the guitarist that summer; actually, Chris wound up doing the dirty work, instituting a “new guy” policy that has been in effect ever since. Of course, in a long-standing duet, the new guy never changes. Charlie and Chris have had about a dozen drummers since, and Chris has delivered the bad news about the end of each one’s tenure with the band.

The music that inspires the two songwriters — Yes, Rush, Genesis, ELP, Kansas, and King Crimson, just to hit the tip of the iceberg — is often exceedingly difficult to write, play, and remember. Charlie and Chris searched for a long, long time for the right drummer, until, in the fall of 2005, Chris realized that the solution was under his nose. Enter Rich Moscatelli, a colleague of Chris’ in the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Information Technology department at Nassau Community College. Chris gave Rich some charts, and some mp3s of rehearsals with past drummers of varying skill levels, and Rich’s audition with the pair went as well as, if not better than, Chris’ audition with Charlie six years previous. Rich’s devotion to his craft, and his appreciation for drummers like Bonham and Portnoy, has helped him develop not just a big fat groove, but also a solid foundation for all of Chris and Charlie’s twists and turns through various time signatures.

Together, the three musicians are creating compositions that evoke the classic early-1970s era of progressive rock, while defining their own sound and style in the process. Download some demo recordings, or check them out live. The Yellow Box invites you to experience the new generation of art rock.

About Charlie | About Chris | About Rich