Great
music, films, literature, art, food & drink, family,
wilderness, spirituality, purity, honesty, church, debauchery,
Ancient Rome and beautiful women. And anything else you
enjoy. Within reason, of course.
California-based
Guitarist and band leader Chris Shryack and bassist Kurt Barabas met
back in 1989 and began to write original progressive compositions.
The next four years was an amorphous time for the band, going through
a few permutations including one with a violinist and at least a few
designated vocalists. On New Year's Day 1993 keyboardist Matt Evidon
strode into his first audition, boldly proclaimed "Look no further!",
and was a fixture until Sept 2001. By the time the original plethora
of vocalists had departed, Shryack had developed enough confidence
to take on the vocal role himself. In early 1997 drummer Paul Shkut
auditioned to record a demo that featured some of the songs on the
debut album, and was immediately incorporated into the band. The lineup
of Under the Sun that recorded and toured the Magna Carta debut released
in 2000 was cemented with Shkut's addition. The debut disc was self-produced
by the band and mixed by Terry Brown. In 2001 the band went their
seperate ways, with Shryack and Barabas left holding the remnants.
After a gigging and demo-recording stint with drummer Jim Hardiman
that lasted a couple of years, Barabas and Shkut got back into contact
and Shkut has since rejoined, assisting in recording commercial spots
with the band and also playing drums on the upcoming, long-threatened
sophomore studio release. Within recent months a new live disc entitled
Schematism - Onstage With Under The Sun has been released by Progrock
Records.
This CD chronicles the one-take NEARfest performance of 2001, one
of the very last with the Magna Carta line-up, and has been mixed
by Brad Aaron. Things are definitely looking up for the band, and
it appears UTS has finally resurfaced. Fingers crossed...
To live long enough to enjoy all this great big wonderful orb called
Earth has to offer. Also, to avoid at all costs pop-culture's insipid,
destructive and vacuous preoccupation with celebrity and gangsta-rap.
And to do more fishin'...
The debut album "Under The Sun" was released by Magna Records
in 2000. Produced by UTS. Mixed by Terry Brown.
"Schematism ~ Onstage With Under The Sun" was released by
Progrock Records in 2005. Produced by Brad Aaron, Kurt Barabas &
Chris Shryack. Mixed by Brad Aaron.
