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Sometime September was formed in the Fall of 1996 by myself and two other friends, Jeff Calissi and Chris Underwood. We all attended Radford University in Virginia as undergraduate students, pursuing the music performance, education, and business majors respectively. Chris and I started practicing together in our admiration of the Dave Matthews Band. Upon learning a few songs in addition to some initial work on originals, we realized that a percussionist was just the right element to help drive and solidify the already “percussive” guitar stylings of Dave Matthews and the beginning stages of our own music. Jeff proved to be the element needed in his diversity on the djimbe and an assortment of other percussion instruments in addition to providing background vocal harmony. After gathering a number of cover songs together as well as original material, we were able to book our first show at a local coffee house called Mocha Joes. With two acoustic guitars and percussion we were an ideal match for the “coffee house” setting. This particular arrangement was so successful that the band continued to perform at Mocha Joes on a more regular basis and gained somewhat of a following.

Along with my interests in guitar and many other instruments, I also enjoyed playing the bass. I had formed the group with Chris and Jeff largely out of a desire to pursue my guitar playing abilities, but one day on a whim, I decided to try playing the bass with the group during a practice on a song or two.  Having the extra low end provided a fullness that was a nice departure from the two acoustic guitars. We soon added the bass for a couple of tunes a night. Having the bass for a couple of tunes a night, turned into playing the bass full time. Although I realized we sounded better with the addition of the bass, I always wanted to get back to the guitar for a few songs.

With a crowd that began with friends within the music department, Sometime September’s audience expanded to more local fans from other bands, departments on campus, and patrons of local college “hang outs.” In a matter of months, Sometime September began promoting within the community through bumper stickers, flyers, and ultimately a demo tape with recording time that was won by achieving second place in a “Battle of the Bands” contest. The recording process provided the band with a musical outlet for original songs rather than the cover tunes being played at each performance, as well as allowing me to arrange some trumpet parts from Chris and I to play on one song. The tape consisted of three very different styles of songs which captured the essence of the band from the beginning; a combination of different sounds and talents that Jeff, Chris and I possessed.

As the gigs continued, so did the strain on Chris, Jeff, and my personal time with friends and school responsibilities. Even though some forward momentum was beginning to show, two things presented a hurdle in the band’s future. One, the school year was going to end and with the lazy days of summer fast approaching, the student population was not going to be present for support. Two, I was graduating from college with a degree in music performance. Thus, I reluctantly moved back to the Washington DC area with a dimly-lit prospect of obtaining a job in rural southwestern Virginia upon graduating. Ultimately, the original Sometime September came to an untimely end. Chris and Jeff went on to pursue their own music studies and performance opportunities both in the classical and popular music worlds. Today we still remain good friends. Fast forward to 2006...