Chris Merlo Bass and Chapman Stick

Two things happened during my sophomore year of high school which would change my life forever. I bought my first bass (a Harmony), and heard my first Rush song (“The Spirit of Radio”). It’s all been uphill from there.

I was in and out of a few original bands in high school and college, and joined my first truly progressive band while a graduate student at the University of Vermont. Nine Miles was a trio, which provided me some useful experience in playing melodically and filling up a wide swath of sound with only my bass.

Around the same time I met Charlie in 1999, I discovered King Crimson and the unique sound of tapping instruments like Tony Levin and Trey Gunn’s Sticks. Our time together in the band Mind Control, and our exploration together of lesser-known, less radio-friendly progressive music led to the formation of this band.

The Yellow Box affords me the opportunity to try new things and make them work. We encourage each other to break the rules; where else would new ideas come from? This band has been a wonderful experiment so far. Stay tuned; we have only just started to explore our boundaries.

Chris’ Gear

Amps

• Avatar 1×15 Cabinet
• Avatar 2×10 Cabinet
• Ampeg SVT 3 Pro Head
• Rane SP 13 Stick Preamp
• Roland KC 500 Keyboard Amp

Basses

• Ibanez SoundGear 5-String
• Ibanez Soundgear SR1206TK 6-String Fretless
• Mid 80s Fender Precision 4-String, stock except for Badass II bridge

Chapman Stick

• 10-String Rosewood #1538 w/ Stickup and GRID MIDI Pickup

Effects Processors

• Roland GK 30 MIDI Processor

Chris’ Favorites

Beverages

• Black Coffee
• Guinness

Movies

• The Jay and Silent Bob series
• War Games
• Falling Down
• A Few Good Men
• Fletch

Sports Teams

• New York Mets
• New York Giants