the long answer : 1980, berlin nh (half-hour from the canadian border) - A six year-old child walks down the hallway of his elementary school, sits down on the cold tile of the gymnasium floor, and while the room resounds with the drums and other instrumentation of the junior high band, he experiences music and himself in a way he never had before. 1989 - With the drumset his parents bought him for Christmas, he plays his first show in the garage of a neighborhood friend. 1990 - 1993 - Aside from avoiding homework, in high school he spends his free time with his first girlfriend and making 4-track recordings. He begins a vibrant pen-pal relationship with his mother's youngest brother, Rich Goyette, who dramatically expands his perspectives on music, art, and life. In August of 1993, he picks up and moves to Boston with the dream of being in a band and releasing a CD. 1994 - 1996 - In a large 2-floor apartment, complete with rehearsal space, he learns osmotically how to write songs through living with great musicians such as Chris Trapper, Phil Broikos, and G-Love. He forms the group ThirteenEven, along with Rich and his cousin Jason Raffi (also Rich's nephew). The Boston Globe features the band in their "On The Rise" section in November of 1995, calling them "a strange family affair" that plays "emotional, MTV-bound rock." After recording their second demo at Fort Apache and gigging throughout New England, the band implodes. - In 1996, he joins The Dorian Scott Syndrome, a beautiful, dark, glam rock creation of Scott Cedro, puncuated by the imaginative guitarwork of Greg Campagna. He also joins the avant-goth group, Sabot, where he meets long-time friend and collaborator, Glenn Hughes, as well as vocalist Christine Zufferey; whom he later is married to on Christmas Eve night in 1997. Sabot releases its first record in '96 to much acclaim. 1997 - 2001 - Aside from performing with Sabot, he joins the band January, led by Christine Zufferey and Jeff Caglarcan. The group plays a handful of shows and records an EP, produced by his long-time musical hero, Peter Moore (Think Tree, Count Zero). Jeff leaves the band during the recording process and the group dissolves soon thereafter. Sabot also disbands upon the departure of vocalist / saxophonist of Monika Baenninger, headed back to her home country of Switzerland. - In September of 2000, he attends a level one Guitar Craft course in Lebanon, New Jersey, led by another of his long-time musical heroes, Robert Fripp. After working with the New England Guitar Circle for a short time, he attends a second Guitar Craft course in Sassoferrato, Italy for two weeks in January of 2001. - Re-connecting with his old bandmates from ThirteenEven, the group Blastique forms along with another former bandmate, DSS guitarist Greg Campagna. To date, this proves to be the most explosive group he has worked with, both musically and in terms of interpersonal dynamics. These fireworks brought the group to a quick end. - In September of 2001, he meets Jake Zuckerman, John Paul Powell, Eliot Hunt, and Jon Bistline, a.k.a. Chauncey. He records a number of drumtracks for their debut record and in October joins as a member of the band, minutes before performing at their record release party at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. 2002 - 2003 - Chauncey bolts out of the gates strong, receiving the "Best Local Record of 2001" award by Boston Magazine, two Boston Music Awards nominations, and tours with both Guster and Midnight Oil. The band tours the eastern U.S. numerous times, performing in venues such as the Michigan State Theater, the Fleet Boston Pavilion, and Irving Plaza in NYC. - In 2002 he performs as drummer / percussionist / vocalist / and right-hand man to local rock icon T-Max in their presentation of an evening of Brian Eno's early rock music. - Despite disbanding in 1999, Sabot releases it's second record "The Winding Up." - In 2003, he forms the improvisation group "Walkie-Talkie" around his use of electronic percussion. The band includes Chauncey members Eliot Hunt and Jp Powell. The trio performs twice, at Lesley College and the Lizard Lounge, both in Cambridge MA. 2004 - 2005 - In 2004 he turns 30, his relationship with Christine dissolves, and Chauncey disbands. Heavy-hearted and seemingly in the midst of his Saturn return, he releases 100 handmade copies of his first solo record "everyone needs a friend in outer space" to friends and family. - As a means of closure and completion, Chauncey releases their final record "My Radio (Everything I Know)" and plays their last show. 2006 - 2007 - In 2006, at the close of a five-year commitment to annually organize the long-standing series of family reunions that have taken place on his mother's side, he creates a film with Rich Goyette entitled "Together Again In Body And Spirit: Forty Years of the Goyette Family Reunion." The hour-long documentary culls together family photos, film, and music to explain the history of the family, as well as the origins and nature of these reunions. As a part of the film, the musical project "LogJam" is born around a parody of "Sweet Home Alabama" adapted to the boys' hometown, Berlin NH. The song is uploaded to MySpace and receives over 3,000 plays in 3 months. In 2007, LogJam holds a concert of the same name, showcasing local musicians in tandem with an art show entitled "Now/Then/When," curated by Rachelle Beaudoin. The project is funded via a grant provided by the NH Arts Council. - Glenn dubs the duo project "The Church of Flying Dreams" and the two begin playing house concerts, backyard parties and small gigs in the area. They record two pieces for the DVD "Live at the Midway, Unplugged" and perform with the Guitar Circle New England as a part of the show "Caravan," created by Mary Beth Hughes. - After running into T-Max in the parking lot of his local grocery store, he learns about "Dreamers Wanted," an anti-war project T was considering putting together. In the Spring of '07, he sings, drums, and co-leads a group of 40+ Boston musicians (including Roger Miller from Mission of Burma, and Dana Colley of Morphine) in recording T's song "End War Now." The song climbs to #4 out of 1000+ songs on Neil Young's "Living With War" site. - Presently, work is underway on writing the second _afriendinouterspace_ record, The Church of Flying Dreams is performing live, amongst other creative projects. |
