The History of the Band
The history of Doozer goes back several years ago. It all started when two close friends who just wanted to play some rock and roll and get chicks decided to start their own band. They started as an unnamed band consisting of Seamus Kelly banging the strings of the guitar he'd just bought (which he had no clue of how to play) and singing (yes, he was singing, that was not a dying cat) and Evan Madden masterfully pounding away on his drum set. Their first performance, a little shindig at Evan's, took place on July 26, 1996. Over the summer of '96 they played two more "parties" to lukewarm acceptance, and then called it quits temporarily.
As the summer of '97 approached, Seamus and Evan, always ready to rock (and always desperate for girls), decided it was time to get started once more.... only this time, Seamus had found out there were six whole string on his guitar! They toyed with creating a full band and then decided, "Hey! Forget conformity! We're different!" Seamus started planning the show to end all shows, St. Vincent's Spring Band Night. They booked three other bands, including Evan's other band Erudite, to play with their two-piece now named Cynic.
As the show approached, the boys of Cynic began to fear their nonconformist decision, and within a few weeks of their ground breaking decision to remain a two-piece Cynic was a four-piece. Troy Herion, Seamus's neighbor with a great reputation for his guitar playing, agreed to join the band for the St. VIncent's show for a chance to show the world his talent (in other words, Troy wanted chicks, too). Nick DeSiato, who had just bought himself a bass, overheard Cynic's two guitarists discussing their inability to find a bass player and decided to say, "Hey! Over here! I have one of those bass thingys!" By practicing until their fingers bled (literally in one practice session), Cynic managed to put together an hour long set in time for the show. There was plenty of room for improvement, but they were just happy no one had a nervous breakdown on stage (right before their performance is arguable though, as Nick can attest). Everyone was excited for the band's future, Troy decided to have a more permanent tenure in the band, and they planned to practice and play throughout the summer. Instead they had a several month long hiatus.One fateful night in the summer of '97 however, Seamus heard an advertisement for a local radio station's unsigned band contest. It was time for Cynic's triumphant return.... only the name would have to go... it was too, well, cynical. As calls were made to set up practices, it became apparent that Evan was just too busy for the boys of Cynic. So, in a mutual decision, it was time for Evan to leave Whatever-We-Decide-to-Call-Ourselves. Ta-ta Evan.
Next came the trying dilemna of finding a drummer. To make a long story short, the boys called anyone with a trash can and a stick and asked them if they could devote the next few weeks of their life to a band trying to throw together a demo. The name Julie Verone, a junior who none of them had ever met, popped up from a friend of Nick's. Poor Julie was a bit flustered when she received a call out of the blue from some strange freshman boys inviting her to some kid named ShayMoose's garage, but as fate would have it, she was feeling quite adventurous. Julie and some friends came by one day and heard the boys play and was blown away by their incredible performance. By that night, she was the fourth member, and proved to be a valuable addition.
By practicing and recording until their fingers bled and Seamus's voice really did sound like a dying cat, DOOZER (as they had decided to call themselves) produced a little demo called "Blow Your Mind." They didn't win the contest, but the members of Doozer were just proud to make a decent recording in such a short period of time.
In September of '97 Doozer played a party (which they were never paid for, grrrrrrr). This was their first show together with Julie, and those in attendance lucky enough to previously see the St. Vincent's show (and even the 7/26 show) can tell you how drastic of an improvement the band had undergone.
There was a rough time for the band in which a member, who will remain unnamed (ok, I admit it was me), became frustrated with and said some not-so-nice things to Nick resulting in Nick quitting. They had a fruitless search for a new bassist, and had another several month hiatus. Finally, Seamus and Nick were able to put their past rocky past behind them, and a much wiser and talented Nicholas P. DeSiato joined Doozer. The band began practicing again, and sounded better than ever. A new sleeker Doozer had emerged.