At first, they didn't know what to call themslves. They said, "We have to have a name. At this point, we're just persons unknown." So that stuck and they kept it. Anyway, they'd been playing around, working up

Paul Lawton drums/percussion

a pretty good following cause they were like this underground sorta cult kind of act. Acoustic guitar, drums and bongos, and Kevin with a treebranch for a microphone stand, wearing weird hats and goggles and everything. He would belt out this poetry to this music. It was very unusual.

They actually had a bass player for awhile, but he got married or something, and kinda drifted out. So it was a three piece and Amanda calls me up and she says they're doing this show out in the San Fernando Valley at the Reseda Country Club. Played there many times with bands like Three Dog Night and Night Ranger and it was a great place to play. Had a nice big stage, great dressing rooms, and it was a HUGE venue back in the day to see rock bands play. Anyway, they were playing out there on the weekend and Amanda wanted me to come out to see them. She's followed me from the time I played with Night Ranger and she heard a whole bunch of my stuff and she thought I'd be able to help them create something radio-playable. So I went out to the Country Club and these guys usually played last at these places. So the bands prior had been really bad and the place had emptied out. So when I got there, the place

Richard Lawton guitar/backing vocals

was almost empty. There was a like a dozen people in this venue that holds like 1,500 people. That was it. So I preceeded to go to the bar to get a drink. The owner almost didn't want to let them play cause he was losing money just by keeping the place open with no one in it. But Amanda knew I had come out specifically to see them play so they let them go on to play like 1/2 a set. By this time, they were pissed. Not only were they mad, but piss drunk. Believe me, these English guys can drink! So they got up there, and these guys whenever they're drinking, they seem to have a lot more spirit. And I tell you what, I was just blown away. I thought, "These guys are really entertaining." I'd never seen anything like that in my life. They had no bass player. Rich was beating on his guitar trying to get some kind of sound out of it cause the soundguy was doing an awful job. Kevin was belting out this neat poetry and I knew something was going on with this thing. I knew immediately after I met them, I'd fallen in love with them. So, it was Saturday night, and I said to them, "I'll see you Tuesday night at the studio."

So I came in that Tuesday and at that point, I was just coming in as a producer. Didn't think I'd be the bass player. So I came in and I realized they really needed some bottom end, no doubt about it. But the old bass player wouldn't come back and I figured until we found a bass player, I'd just fill in and play. So I listened to just about everything they had. And they were stories -- like 20 minute epics -- and I had the job to get 'em down to five minutes at the max. And with poetry that's really hard to do. But there was a lot of music that I could trim and form, so I came down on a Thursday with bass in hand and jammed with

Kevin Drinkwater vocals/harmonica

these guys. It was like magic. I'd never dreamed that without knowing the songs, I'd be able to jump in and improvise. It just clicked. Anything I played, worked! A lot of stuff in Moonsparks, I could play bass on, being a songwriter, I could play chords, harmonics, lines and stuff, and with these guys, it was essentially the same thing. I could play traditional groove stuff, or melodies and it all worked.

So after that, I decided we should get a violin player. While we were working on shortening the epics down to a suitable radio length, we interviewed violinists. We also were thinking about another guitar player and maybe a flute player or someone on diggeredo. Thinking world-music kind of stuff. They had a friend in Topanga Canyon who built Native American flutes, played the diggeredo and he had like this 200 year old tuba that he'd customized. When he's onstage, it's pretty unusual! Johna. He wears robes and sashes, he really is a show all by himself. Then we got Betsy on violin. She was someone who had answered one of our ads. She's a lifeguard and teaches piano and she came in. She'd been working with a couple other groups, floating around, like some kinda of nomad girl. She really liked us. Three crazy english guys and a rock dude, are you kidding me?! Definitely interesting!

Gary Moon bass/backing vocals

So we got enough songs in the new format to start going out and playing here and there -- it took us about a year. So we recorded some and we had a chance to do a video, a really slick video on "Warrior's Message." So we started going out and playing. And you gotta remember they already had a following, so when we went out to all the same clubs (the Roxy and the Whisky and such), some of the fans were like, "This is WAY different." It was different! It was organized, the songs actually ended. But the industry started taking a little notice and they had a few offers but I decided I'd just stick with it. No one can play bass with these guys like I can anyway. Maybe down the line we'll get someone else since I still want to keep working with Brad Gillis and doing my solo stuff, but these guys are so unique it would probably be hard to find someone else.

I remember when I decided to join and work with them, they were really happy. Kevin, the singer, goes, "Gazz" -- that's what they call me, Gazz. Don't think they can even say Gary -- but anyway, they're really into the spiritualtiy of the thing, with the messages and all that. The music is like warriors trying to bring peace to the world. It sounds aggressive, but if you listen to the lyrics, it's all a positive message. Like unity and peace. So anyway, the three of them were earth, air, and water signs. I came in and I'm a fire sign. So Kevin goes, "Gazz, at last NOW we are complete!" It was kind of a neat moment. You know, in a metaphysical kinda way (laughs).

I think they really deserve a slot. They are genuinely down-to-earth guys. They always looked up to me cause I'd been out there and I'd done some things, told them some road stories, but they're great and very talented. I really think something's going to happen with these guys. And it's been a labor of love for me and it's so different that it keeps me interested. And I'll probably stick it out. Might not ever get a deal, but it's a way of life. It's so much fun, I'd do it just because.