2003 UPDATE
n
the late 1960s and early 1970s, the boundaries of rock music
expanded significantly, when pioneering musicians integrated
elements of classical and jazz genres with rock. The Beatles’ late
1960s studio recordings demonstrated an infusion of these styles and
paved the way for what became known as progressive rock or art rock
by the early 1970s. European progressive-rock groups such as King
Crimson; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Yes; Genesis; Gentle Giant; and PFM
composed, recorded, and performed works that employed complex
rhythms, elaborate harmonies, counterpoint, symphonic textures, and
often imaginative lyrics and melodies. Musicians in these groups
sometimes displayed virtuosity and were featured in extended
instrumental excursions; many of their recorded works stretch far
beyond the three-and-a-half minute stereotypical rock-song formula.
Meanwhile, Miles Davis had infused jazz with elements of rock on his
ground-breaking recording Bitches Brew. Taking their cue from Miles,
instrumental electronic jazz-rock fusion groups formed, such as
Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return To Forever.
Like the progressive-rock bands, these fusion groups also preferred
extended works that featured musicians with virtuosity and great
improvisational skill. The 1970s progressive rock and fusion
movements were the primary genres in modern music that inspired the
members of However to embark on their musical journey.
Bobby Read and Peter Princiotto met in McLean, Virginia in 1972,
and during the years 1972-73 were members of the progressive rock
group Black Orchid, with Tim Tanner, Tom Grignon, Ken Hitchcock, and
Tom Scott (of The Muffins). Black Orchid played both original and
cover material.
Bill Kotapish and Pete met in McLean in 1974, and during the
years 1974-75 were members of Ancient Moon Orchestra (AMO), an
original/cover fusion group with Scott Martin and Tom Grignon. (Tom
Grignon, Tom Scott, and Pete formed AMO in 1973, and Scott Martin
joined the group later that year. Tom Scott then joined The Muffins,
and Ken Hitchcock then played with AMO through summer 1974.)
Meanwhile, Bobby was playing rock covers in the group Cherry Smash,
and sometimes sitting in with AMO during 1974-75.
Bobby, Pete, and other bandmates had also been in various
ensembles conducted by George J. Horan, including the Langley High
School Jazz Lab, and, in the summers of 1973 and 1974, the Wolf Trap
Jazz Ensemble. Horan's exhilarating musical direction and
sensibilities provided a strong foundation for many young musicians.
In 1975, Pete, Bobby, and Tom Grignon became students at the New
England Conservatory (NEC). In April of 1976, they performed a
concert at NEC of all original music entitled Dream Sequences, which
included music that would eventually make its way into However’s
repertoire. By autumn, the three lived in a group house in Brighton,
Massachusetts, where Bill later joined them. By 1977, they began to
work together with the intention of forming a new group playing all
original music. (Tom would eventually stay in the Boston area for a
few years to make a living as a musician.)
Bill had suggested the name “However” for the group at a
get-together in McLean at the home of Mark Stuart Holmes, a close
friend of the group who later created their LP photography and
design. One day in Brighton, a postcard for the group arrived from
Mark, addressed to “However”; from that point on the group was
called However.
In May 1977, Bill, Pete, and Bobby returned to McLean and However
gained two new members: Pete’s younger brother Joe (a.k.a.
“Stellar”) and, in autumn, Don Berkemeyer (a.k.a. “Whitz”). Stellar
had been playing in bands, including the Langley Jazz Lab, with Brad
Allen, who also would later play with However. (Don, Stellar, and
Brad had also been students of George Horan.) During 1977-80,
However rehearsed on a consistent basis for live performances. After
the summer of 1977, Bobby and Stellar took sabbaticals from the
group. Tim Valdes, from Alexandria, Virginia (whom However met at
NEC), joined the group from 1977 through spring 1978.
On May 14, 1978 (Bill’s birthday), Bill, Pete, Don, and Tim (with
Bobby sitting in) performed However’s debut concert at the McLean
Community Center. Gary McAleer from Annandale, Virginia, joined
However from autumn 1978 through summer 1979. (During 1978-80, Brad
and Stellar played together in the fusion group Etiquette.) In the
beginning of 1979, Bobby and Stellar rejoined However. However then
began to play shows in the Washington, D.C. area for a growing
community of progressive rock fans, established in large part by
WGTB FM radio, and cultivated with musician friends Happy The Man
and The Muffins. (Bill, and Stan Whitaker of Happy The Man, had
played together in a rock band in Germany in 1970-71.) However shows during 1979-80 were performed at
Georgetown University, the Metropolitan Arts & Music Association,
George Mason University, D.C. Space, the Washington Ethical Society
(two different shows), the Childe Harold (two different shows), and
the 9:30 Club. Between May 1978 and October 1980, However performed
ten live shows; the lineup was Bill, Pete, and Bobby in every show,
Stellar in eight shows, Don in the first seven, Gary in four, and
Tim in the debut. On October 23, 1980, Bill, Pete, Bobby, and
Stellar performed a “final” live However show at the 9:30 Club in
Washington, D.C., after which However, with this lineup, decided to
become exclusively a recording group.
In 1980-81, Bill, Pete, Bobby, and Stellar recorded and produced
Sudden Dusk, However’s debut LP. It was released on December
18, 1981, on Random Radar Records (guests include Don, Tim, and
Gary). Bobby had been concentrating on recording and engineering
since 1972, and made it possible for However to record in his home
studio. In spring 1992, Sudden Dusk was remixed by Bobby and
Pete and remastered with Dave Glasser; on March 1, 1994, it was
released by Kinesis on CD with an additional track. Soon after
Sudden Dusk’s release as an LP, Mike Joyce of the Washington
Post wrote a review entitled However Inventive. During
1982-84, Bill, Pete, Bobby, Stellar, Don, and Terresa Gayle recorded
and produced However’s second LP Calling. It was released on
April 22, 1985, on Cuneiform Records (guests include Tim, Gary, and
Kit Watkins). In 1994-95, Calling was revised by Pete,
remixed by Pete and Bobby, and remastered with Dave Glasser; on July
21, 1995, it was released by Kinesis on CD with ten additional
tracks. Brad Allen contributed to two of these additional tracks.
On January 3, 1988, Pete, Don, Tim, and Terresa (with Bill,
Bobby, and Brad sitting in), performed a concert at the Washington
Ethical Society. In December 1992, Pete, Stellar, and Brad joined
Richard Sinclair, a prog-rock luminary from Canterbury, England, for
a performance of Richard’s music in Baltimore, Maryland.
Tim Valdes, an eclectic and versatile musician who performed,
recorded, composed, and played over fifteen instruments, including
tuned and varied percussion, tabla, drum set, banjo, and several
other stringed instruments, died of cancer in November 1990;
Sudden Dusk is dedicated to him. Calling is dedicated to
Mark Stuart Holmes, an artist who possessed an extraordinary
imagination and created works in various media; he died in February
1990.
Bill Kotapish (guitars, bass guitar, drum set, synths, voice) is
married and received his J.D. in law in 1987 from Catholic
University; he is presently practicing law in Washington, D.C. Bill
has been engaged in a recording project with Michael Terpak, a
long-time collaborator. He also has been working with various local
musicians, in addition to focusing on solo projects with acoustic
and electric guitars, incorporating digital audio and MIDI software
and percussion.
Peter Princiotto (voice, bass guitars and pedals, piano, synths,
guitars, stick) has been an established music instructor in Northern
Virginia since 1979. In the 1980s, Pete led the folk-rock group
Stitch In Time, which included Terresa, Don, and Tim. In 1990, he
earned a masters degree in music composition from the Peabody
Conservatory. Pete continues to compose, record, and perform, and
has worked with his brothers Rob and Stellar, Steve Mullaney, Paul
Reisler, Trapezoid (led by Reisler), and Frank Wyatt of Happy The
Man. He also has been commissioned to compose for film and has been
published as a writer and transcriber in Bass Player. Pete
has built an extensive archive of printed and recorded music
(including music under the direction of George Horan), and has
revamped a solo debut planned for CD release in 2004, which includes
recordings with However members. (In 2002, he changed his last name
from Prince back to his given last name of Princiotto.)
Bobby Read (voice, saxophones, synths, piano, percussion,
clarinet, flute) is married and based in Charlottesville, Virginia,
as an established performer, recording engineer, and producer. He
has been touring and recording with ModeReko and Bruce Hornsby, and
has worked with numerous artists including Paul Reisler, Trapezoid,
John McCutcheon, Michael Manring, and Bonnie Raitt. He also has been
commissioned to compose works for The Kennedy Center, National
Geographic, and various dance and theater productions. Paul Reisler
and Bobby collaborated on the recording Birth Of A River,
which was released in 1998. ModeReko’s debut CD was also released in
1998, and their second CD is planned for release in 2003.
Joe “Stellar” Princiotto (drums, cymbals, and percussion) has
been an established performer in the D.C. metropolitan area and has
played live and recorded with more than twenty-five groups including
High Idle, The New Potato Caboose, Nothing Sacred, Jason Bear,
Happle, and Interface. He also has taught drum set. In addition to
However, he has played live and recorded on other projects with
However members.
Don “Whitz” Berkemeyer (voice, flute, recorder, bassoon,
WX11-wind synth, bass guitar) is married and now a professional
photographer based in Washington, D.C. He had been working as a
preschool teacher. Don’s musical endeavors have included extensive
projects with However members including Stitch In Time (with Terresa,
Pete, and Tim) and various projects with other local artists. He
occasionally plays with an improvisational ensemble.
Terresa Gayle (voice), who debuted with However on Calling,
is based in Northern Virginia. She enjoys vocal performance and
writing. Her musical endeavors have included projects with However
members including Stitch In Time (with Don, Pete, and Tim) and various
projects with other local artists.
Brad Allen (voice, guitar, and synths) has composed, recorded,
and played live with many groups based in the Washington D.C. area,
including Etiquette and Nothing Sacred (with Stellar), and the
acclaimed contemporary jazz group Double Digit. He also has worked
with Kit Watkins, Paris (with Oteil and Kofi Burbridge), Joanne
Juskus, Kit Watkins and John Tlusty in the improvisational trio Tone
Ghost Ether, and However members (in addition to However Calling).
He has made extensive contributions to numerous projects as a
recording engineer and producer, and composed for film. Brad
currently leads the alternative rock group Near Oblivion, and gigs
with Double Digit and Joanne Juskus.
Members of However remain open to the possibility of working on
music together. We hope you enjoy our remastered CD releases of
Sudden Dusk and Calling.
Peter Mark Princiotto, Feb. 1996, updated Sept. 2003
