1999 • 2001
8th wonder
This band was quite an intense and enlightening portion of my life. The band already existed, but I wasn’t supposed to be in it. One day, fellow Berklee student, Eyal Levi (guitar), invited me to their rehearsal space to check them out and I was blown away…no, I was in love.
Daniel Damico (vocals/keyboards/guitar), Mike Van Dyne (drums), and Daniel Casale (bass). These fellow Berklee students had tapped into a very creative and unique sound and concept. They wanted to take over the world and I believed in them, wholeheartedly.
They were playing what they described as “Alien Dance Music”, but it was more akin to anthemic avant-metal mashed with theatrical hard rock. No one sounded like them. I had never heard music like them. I WANTED IN.
Somehow, and the details are fuzzy, I was requested to partially front the band and play keyboards when needed. I was immensely happy to oblige. It felt like a dream.
These guys were no joke. We rehearsed 5 days a week and with space heaters come summer. We were nuts. We were driven. We played shows around Boston. I thought we were gonna take over the world…
And then, just like that, the band was over. I was heartbroken. But, unbeknownst to me, there was a whole future of musical insanity ahead of me….
