Charlie Labs Keyboards and Vocals

Charlie was born and raised in Bay Shore, New York.

At the age of three he began taking interest in playing piano. His mother played a little by ear and he would sit on the floor and listen as she played. When she would leave the room, he would sit at the piano and emulate her playing. Sometimes he would piece together and play what she had just played, other times he would rearrange the parts he had just heard. Sometimes he would play something of his own creation. She heard in him what he did not yet hear, she heard his music.

While still in grade school, Charlie began the formal study of Classical Music for the piano. At age 9 he was given an electronic keyboard (a Casio CT-310). At the time he played the instrument for what it was, a simple keyboard that had, for a 9 year old, some interesting non-piano-like sounds. At that time in his life he wasn’t yet aware of what he could do with such a device.

As the years went on he began to take less interest in formal piano music and more interest in Rock and Heavy Metal music. He had throughout the years been a member of his schools choir, and performed in his High Schools traveling choirs and musicals. It was during this time he found a voice within him. Sometime during those years he bought an electric guitar and began to teach himself how to play. It wasn’t until after he had started college that he felt the urge to start a band and play original music, and so he did.

Charlie formed an original rock band with some old friends from High School. Their songs were written and played, and they explored their potential. He put down his guitar and began to concentrate fully on singing, writing lyrics, and helping to arrange the bands parts into songs. They played a few shows during the bands six month life. Eventually he felt it was time to leave.

He spent the next few years as singing in a number of bands, each quite different from the last. Some Rock, some Metal, all he would sooner or later realize, weren’t for him.

He would eventually turn away from the styles he had been playing in favor of something not exactally new to the world, but new to him. Most folks who have heard of it term it Progressive Rock. It was in his early twenties that he began to really explore this type of music. Sure he had heard the radio friendly songs by Yes, Rush, Kanses, and the like, but those songs never really interested him, so those bands never caught his attention. As if it had happened overnight, he began to hear all of these, unheard of by the average radio listener, beautiful songs. He fully submerged himself in his newly found style of music, buying as many albums as he could afford.

He felt the need to become a keyboardist and lead vocalist.

He bought his first pro synth, (an Alesis QS7) and after a few months of playing and programming he set out to find others of like minds. He co-founded his first Progressive Rock band, bearing the new title of keyboardist/vocalist, and the odd times began. It wasn’t until some months later when Chris Merlo joined the band as bassist, that Charlie began to activly write music and lyrics in this setting. Eventually the band outgrew itself and the other members, one by one, each went their own ways.

Charlie and Chris decided to stay bandmates and writing partners, and under a new name, with new songs, and a new guitarless direction to explore, they searched for a drummer. They set their standards quite high and six years later they auditioned Rich Moscatelli, a collegue and aquaintance of Chris’, and the band was finally complete.

The Yellow Box where Charlie should be, and thats where he is.

Charlie’s Equipment

Amps

• Motion Sound Pro 145
• Musicman 210 HD 130
• Roland KC 350
• Roland KC 500

Keyboards

• Alesis A6 Andromeda
• Hammond XK3
• Moog Minimoog
• Wurlitzer 200
• Yamaha P90

Charlie’s Favorites

Beer

• Warsteiner

Food

• Chicken Cutlet
• Chicken Korma
• Pizza

Keyboard Players

• Chick Corea
• Jan Hammer
• Eddie Jobson
• Clefton Lewis
• Patrick Moraz
• Rick Wakeman

Light Source

• The Sun