This as a Drawing

This story begins where another ends. It begins with the decision to dismantle what was a collection of individuals with one goal and that was to write music. This goal was no longer shared by all with the announcement from our band’s drummer that he was moving to the other side of the country. Bluechannel was formed under the pretense that all five individuals collectively reveled in the outcome of their musical ideas. This bond propelled them into lifelong friendships. Bluechannel was and always will be Jason Reo, Chris Bennett, Brian Cerullo, Chris Hand, and Jamie Cerullo. Jamie’s decision to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona to pursue a family terminated the band’s progression, but later proved to be only a minor setback.
In 2006 after over a year of no musical composition, I experienced a void in my own life. Conversations followed that prompted a decision to revive what felt completely natural to all of us. It started with the remaining four members of Bluechannel reuniting in a rehearsal studio to rekindle a relationship that once the music started needed no rekindling. It became apparent at that point that everyone had experienced that feeling of boredom like something important in life was missing. So the replacement process began. We needed to find someone to wear shoes that seemed impossible to fill. Jamie is an extraordinary percussionist that we were extremely grateful to have. The disappointment began with audition after audition and not one person coming even remotely close to the chemistry we have always known, that is until we met Steve Rufalo. Steve came in learning three songs that we sent to him in the matter of a week and flawlessly contributed to our sound. Along with his musical abilities and his extensive band resume was the fact that he fit in. It was a hard task to find someone who understood our collective sense of humor and our desire to write music just because we love what happens when we write together. So we started unsure of anything except that we had ideas that we wanted to share with others.
Arguments ensued over what to call ourselves, whether we would remain Bluechannel or not. We decided that without Jamie, it was a new project. We named ourselves This as a Drawing and prepared to record eight songs that we wrote over a period of six months. We recorded at Water Music in Hoboken with a wonderful engineer named James Frazee and released our first untitled LP as This as a Drawing.
This has never been about conforming to what the mass may appreciate musically driven by what the craze of the day is. This is about us being so inspired by the bands and artists we appreciate that we are motivated to contribute to the purest form of entertainment that we know-music. This is not about the hair style of the day, how many studs you have on your belt, or whether or not you peg your jeans. This is our interpretation, our expression, done simply because we despise the way it feels to not do it. It is personal and it comes from us. This as a Drawing has no intentions of stopping and we hope to inspire people in the same way we have been inspired. The mantra is this: Choose a voice because you can. We have chosen ours and it continues to evolve and remain unique. Until the day, we hope to make your acquaintance. Enjoy.