Tim Lacy left the "cushy"confines of New York City and retreated 100 miles north in Woodstock. A good portion of his career was spent working as a session guitarist and vocalist. "I worked with bands like Thief (w/ Lee Crystal of Joan Jetts Blackhearts), Man Size Habit (W/ Pete Marshall of Iggy Pop), Messenger (W/ Paul Pesco of Madonna, Steve Winwood) and with Producer Paul O'Neill (Trans Siberian Orchestra, Aerosmith) on several recordings. I was in a baby band then, we were signed to Leber-Krebs mgt. Paul was an up and coming Producer. Other than my own band,"Thief",I really didn't have too much going on, so Paul asked if I would assist him on this record he was producing for Atlantic Records. The band was called "Savatage" and the record was "Hall of the Mountain King." It worked out so well we did the follow up "Gutter Ballet" and finally the First "Badlands" record with Jake E. Lee and Ray Gillen. It never really dawned on me how much production exposure I was getting back then." He also worked as an In-House sound engineer for SIR studios in New York from 1991 to 1994. "If you are a musician looking to get ahead, you gotta pay your dues at SIR. Every great musician rehearses there, from Sonny Rollins to Roberta Flack, and from Radiohead to White Zombie. That was quite an experience! I was constantly honing my chops. When I wasn't mixing sound for bands like "INXS" or "David Sanborn" I was sitting in with whoever was crazy or desperate enough to let me jam with them."
"I wasn't really satisfied with what I was hearing on records or the radio or MTV at that time.I was really restless and felt like Rock N Roll was moving away from it's roots. I remember when Stevie Ray passed away. It was so tragic and music really needed what he had to offer back then. I remember thinking what's left? I needed to get back to what it was that made me fall in love with Rock N Roll in the first place......Rhythm and Blues and Jimi Hendrix." He listened again to Robert Johnson and Skip James. He also rediscovered Rory Gallagher. "It was that kind of playing...Jimi's, Stevie's and Rory"s.. that was missing in my life. That fluid, organic ,bluesy sound, the sound of the soul. The sound of a Strat." He "shedded" for about two years and finally got to work on putting together a project studio.
THE MAMBO ROOM was finally completed in early 2001. Danny Cartwright and Colin Almquist both signed on after a brief but dynamic jam session. "I knew about Danny and Colin from word of mouth and got to jam with both of them at one of Danny's house party jams, and there it was...that intangible magical element." Both Dan and Colin had been playing around locally in a Band called "Spin Cycle Lava" as well as doing some road and studio work. "When the three of us got in a room together it was where we truly wanted to be...making GREAT music. That's how the "CHERUBS" came to be. The collaboration of Tim, Dan and Colin resulted in 2 studio CD's, "HYPNOTICA DEL SOL" and "AUTODIVE" and the psuedo live CD "THIS CAN'T BE! LIVE IN OSLO".
With Dan Cartwright on a brief hiatus, Mike Sciotto stepped in taking the drum slot along with Guitar Virtuoso Nicky Moroch helping out on guitar chores for 2008's "BLISTERENE" "I went back into my past to see who would be best suited to achieve the intense sonic quality that has been a signature of "The Monochrome Cherubs". I contacted Mike Sciotto, a long time friend who goes back to when we were teens. Mike has been living and breathing drums for as long as I can remember. Same with Nicky. Nicky, Mike and I have circled around each over the years in the New York music scene and this was a golden opportunity for us to collaborate. We all have the same tastes and a high regard for production value. It was a great experience working with both of them".
A now a new chapter is emerging.the "Rubs" are back in the studio tearing it up. Dan Cartwright is back on the drum throne and Colin Almquist thumpin' the bass again. "YOU ARE HERE" is the title of the new CD and the boys are feverishly working on some of the hottest material to date. "We're pushing for a Spring/Summer 2012 release date" says Lacy. "This one is gonna turn some heads" Keep checking back for updates, there will be plenty of them! |
