A Brief Recent History of Heart of Cygnus...

As some of you may know, last year we were looking high and low for the right players to join the band and, perhaps not unexpectedly so, it wasn't easy. Jim and I had recorded as a duo for the first three CDs, and we were really comfortable with our working relationship. We had high standards. There are plenty of good musicians out there, but when you're building a band, you need not only someone who is a great player, but someone who is a great fit personally. Not only do you have to live with someone's playing when you're on the road, you have to live with them!

So, after months of searching under nook and cranny, after auditioning a lot of great people who weren't quite a fit musically, in walked Aldo Galatioto.

Aldo at KIT

I remember he came in, set up, and played his best rendition of "Lost at Sea". His playing was amazing off the bat. Even his "noodling" was awesome. Plus his angry Carl's Jr. tattoo (ala Idiocracy) was right up our alley. We knew right then that this guy would fit in. Jim and I, as founders of the band, have equal veto rights... Jim preempted our post-discussion of the audition with a pre-veto; he said regardless of what I thought, Aldo is our new guitarist. He was right!

Next came Rusty. He had initially tried out on New Years day, 2010. In fact, I think we might've had a BBQ that day, then the audition (or vise versa). He was a friend of Aldo's; they had been playing together in another band for a year or so. While we liked him, and he rehearsed with us for a month or so, we weren't sure he was a fit. Correction: I (Jeff) wasn't sure. Not that I had anything against him. I just wasn't feeling certain that HOC was the band he wanted to be in because he's so diverse in his abilities (I tend to over analyze). So I talked with Jim and we decided to let him go!

Well... I would later be corrected by Providence (and Rusty).

Rusty rocking the Rickenbacker

We spent the next month and a half trying to find a bass player. While we had some fantastic people try out, we still couldn't find a fit. But we were up against a big wall. We had committed to play at the Keep It True XIII festival in Germany at the end of April. Yeah, we like living on the edge! Looking back, it seems like insanity that we committed to play a metal festival in April 2010 and yet in February 2010 we had no bass player!!!

Nearing panic mode, we decided to hire a bass player for the festival. We put out advertisements for a professional bass player for hire. We ended up hiring a bass player of renown (a pro, an awesome guy). But as I rehearsed with him, I realized he wasn't a fit... this was three weeks before we were to fly to Germany!!!

By then, the wall seemed insurmountable. We had about three weeks to find a bass player and no clue as to whom it would be. Jim and I had several worried conversations as to what we should do. We thought of canceling. But somehow, it seemed wrong. We knew we had to play the show.

Then Aldo suggested we ask Rusty. Aldo is brilliant. He's never forceful; he states his opinion then leaves it for you to consider. After we agreed, with about two and a half weeks before we were scheduled to fly, Aldo helped Rusty cram for the test. Rusty was graciously on board for the show.

We scheduled a gig as a dress rehearsal in a small club in Long Beach, California. With about three or four rehearsals, we performed our set. Rusty not only remembered the songs, he played them with great finesse. We breathed a sigh of great relief.

That was short lived.

Eyjafjallajokull: our archenemy

Now that we felt confident we could fulfill our commitment, another threat arose... A volcano in Iceland - Eyjafjallajokull... say that three times, fast - had shut down all flights to Europe! It was laughable. After all the hoops we'd jumped through, here we were, on the cusp of our international debut, sabotaged by an act of nature. It felt as if we couldn't "win for losing." Actually, I remember thinking that if so many odds were against us, it must be meant to be!

We flew to Dulles airport in Washington D.C. not knowing if the connecting flight to Frankfurt would happen. All flights had been canceled for the past week or so.

Well, as you may know, the flight went through. That not only cemented our performance at Keep It True XIII, but also the induction of Rusty, our bass player. He did a fantastic job, and proved himself the most gregarious member of our band!  He wins the prize for the most photos at KIT. Not a surprise; his enthusiasm for music (and bass guitar) is second to none.

Fast forward a few months.

We're working on our new CD. It's coming together. We rehearsed a new tune the other night. I can't wait to hear the final result.

I couldn't be happier with our band. I'm surrounded by incredible musicians. Jim is my hero and my favorite drummer. Aldo is not only a great person, but my favorite guitarist who makes me rehearse to try to keep up with him. Rusty... an incredible musician who, in my opinion, seems to grow greater by the day.  His playing has grown exponentially since we first met.  I can't wait to hear what we come up with.