The Striders

During the summer of 2003 the striders formed. I was registering my new 1983 Toyota Cressida when I bumped into this burly looking fellow with enormous side burns wearing a blue microphones T-shirt. I said to “hey, I didn’t know anyone else listened to the microphones. Who are you” he said “that’s cause your an idiot. And i'm Travis with a U” so we ended up talking about playing music and how I wasn’t an idiot. We talked about how I made this solo album thing that year, and Travus explained he just started making music only a year ago. He then invited me to play a small set at this music festival he was having at the local college. I accepted, and went off to put the plates on my 1983 Toyota Cressida.

I drove my parent’s mini van back to my house and put the plates on the car. Impatiently I left and made my way down to new haven where I was playing a show with my band at the time Noisette (broke up a little bit after that summer). We were playing at this dive called Rudy’s with a band called Strike the colors. Just about three quarters of the way there, I was coasting down the fairly large hill when I had to slam on my breaks. It was strange... I saw someone walking in front of my car... I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. It had long curly hair in front of its face and was pushing a mower across the road very slowly, as if he was pushing a child in a carriage. It turned and stared at me, I then realized it was a dude. He then screamed, “GET ON IT!” So I opened my door (since the windows didn’t roll down) to find out what his deal was. Dave (I eventually found this out later) begins to tell me that he was in the landscaping business, and was on his way to his final house. I told him about my band playing at Rudy’s. He asked who we sounded like and I replied “I’m not really sure, we are instrumental and sound kind of spacey” he then away and said he only listens to Dream Theater. But I still let him know how to get there.

Later on Dave and his landscaping friend (Matt) showed up to our show. We began talking, and I let him know I was trying to put together a small band to play Travis with a U’s festival. Neither of them were really into the music description I gave them (Psychedelic Dream Pop), but they said they would. Over the next couple weeks we started playing together trying to learn the few songs we were going to play. Eventually they got it and we played during the day under a maple tree at the music festival. People dug it but matt still didn’t feel it so after that show he decided he couldn’t do it anymore. Travus however was very interested in playing, so Dave and I invited him to come rehearse with us.

Travus came over and played bass for us. We played for about 6 or so months with that line up. We set up shows at local teen centers, VFWs and other small all ages venues. Eventually (the next summer) we got offered to play a show at Hat city ale house which was pretty much where all the good local bands played. We weren’t really sure if we should since the sound was kind of thin and Travus had been playing guitar during rehearsal. we ended up saying yes and asked the booking guy (Chris Cistari) if he wanted to play bass for us. He said he would on one condition... we found what he asked to be very peculiar, but we complied. He asked us if we would buy him about 20 lbs of dried pasta, but since the 3 of us had jobs we got it for him.

Chris played with us for the summer into the fall. Unfortunately Chris couldn’t really grasp the idea of playing bass for our music. So he left and we asked Dave’s Brother Matt Corsac to play with us. He did and we played a Halloween show at a house party. Since we begun playing this was probably the first time we ever sounded good… But that was the last show Matt Corsac played with us. He had to leave since his other band was getting a little jealous he was getting involved with us. So we went off looking for another bassist.

After about a month of searching Travus came across this character in New Milford, he was doing the robot on top of a bank drive thru to the sounds of Merzbo. Travus asked him if he played bass, he said no but we let him play with us anyways. Rick was his name and he was a dancing machine, he had found a bass in a dumpster out side of a New Milford teen center. It was silver with sparkles and a big red heart sticker on the bent neck. Rick didn’t have his own amp so he played out of a spare peavey guitar amp. It sounded like pure shit but his playing was fantastic and added an interesting feel to the music.

We built up a pretty decent following during the few months of playing with Rick. Unfortunately Rick had to leave the band to move to Portland, OR to persue things... What we never found out, I don’t think he even knew. He did find a replacement for him, a kid named Jeremy. Jeremy moved his fingers so fast that I swore he wasn’t a person. He also had his own amp and his ow