After Surreal pressed a major pause, Ian and I were looking to find a way make sense of this more-than-peripheral interest in jam music/jam scene sound. I mean...we always loved Moon Boot Lover, Soulive, The Other Half, The Authority along with The Spins and Blues Traveler and the other bands who were able to crack the ceiling of pop, but Surreal was, as stated before, too alternative and indie for hippie jam folks and not musical enough for the astute listener (read: too sloppy and noisy). While we sat and waited for what's next, my friendship with Matt Iselin (whom I met through the old school beauty Mike Bloom) was growing as was my relationship with Sasquatch, who was now a neighbor in Huntington, Long Island. Here we go into Milquetoast.

The stars seemed to align a bit, and we threw together rehearsals in Manhattan thanks to Ian (though I remember maybe that Milquetoast germinated in the Walt Whitman Birthplace like so many other plans) with regular gigs at the infamous Izzy Bar, run by my Armo fam Haik and Khach (love you guys). Izzy had a drum and bass thing for a while in the late 90s with serious notable names and folks we knew coming through, so we figured it served our experimental purposes well. What fun we had downstairs! How many muscle tears did Matt suffer bringing that Rhodes down and up a flight each gig! That closet! What sessions! Mike Katz! How long were the songs, which were still songs even though we tried to extend every last bit of them! The nights never ended.

We played a bunch of Long Island shows too during our short run, which culminated in this little three song EP recorded at Bobby and Taryn's amazing Munchaba Lounge (another Milquetoast haunt as well) in Levittown (soooo many memories there as well) and mixed it at Eddie Camiolo's place in Sea Cliff with Paulie D on board yet again. Milquetoast 3 was born and emblazoned in that short window of who am I time.

It's basically garage jam rock dedicated to our friend Mike Bloom. Mike co-wrote two of the songs ("Alamo" with Matt during their Buffalo college and gig days and "Designs on a Mirror" with me in our adolescent funky and abstract inclinations), and it's really he who brought Matt and I together and created a partnership that would last through my solo records. I can never be Mike on the guitar. He is and always will be one of the most remarkable players you will have come across after you hear him play. Trust me. I'm sort of tipping my raggedy old Neil Young-esque dirty old hat to his beautiful playing all over this. Meanwhile, Matt is amazing as usual (listen to his solo on "Bridha," which is about the Irish goddess of poetry in an obtuse way), and Ian and Sasquatch locked in. Their rhythm glue is wonderful, and we loved it when Keith Lombardozzi (also from Finally balanced fame) sat in to complete the section. Speaking of sitting in, Nick GIanni scorches on this recording and did so more than a few times on the live sets. Who else sat in? Milquetoast was all about the synergy and collaboration and vibe in the room. Gone too soon.

Enjoy.