Alyosha was formed in late 2002. The band comprised of Josh Collins (drums), Dan Ettore (bass, guitar, vocals), Al Lancianesce (bass, guitar, backing vocals) and Joe Smiley (guitar, vocals). Al was the nucleus. He was friends with all of us and had been in bands with all of us before at one time or another. We all had similar tastes in music and all had previous bands coming to an end at the same time. It seemed only natural we come together for this.

The band was slow to get off the ground. We wrote and practiced for quite some time before we played a show. We wrote songs, we re-arranged them, we threw them out and wrote new ones. We refined our sound. Our (foolish) ambition of creating a modern day Pink Floyd proved to be a difficult one. We only played a handful of shows (for only about a handful of people at each one). We really only had 5 songs in our rotation.

By 2003 we had our first 3 song demo. Despite the excitement of hearing our songs come to life, some of us had already begun to have doubts about continuing as a band. Meanwhile, the numerous effects pedals engulfed our sound, hindered our setup time, and distracted us from the core basics of song writing. Our rehearsal time became more about discussing "who was really into being in this band and who wasn't". Who was into it and who wasn't changed from week to week. And just when it seemed like we would quit, something would come up to make us keep going (like being asked to play a show with Stephen Brodsky of Cave In or play live on the radio).

By summer of 2004 we were still going at it and it was decided that we would record a new demo featuring newer songs we had written since our last recording. We laid down basic tracks at Red Planet (which was at that time just a big open warehouse space). At some point during the following months, the demo still not finished, we all decided that it would be best if we break up. None of us wanted to be in the band half-way, which was the only way we could, so none of us wanted to be in the band at all. In the end, starting families, begining careers, and going to school all won our individual attentions in preference to continuing the band. The only problem was, we had some loose ends to tie up...

We had all decided that we wanted to finish the demo we had started, but after talking more, we decided we also wanted to re-record our older songs in their more evolved form and attack it on more of a grand scale. We didn't want to treat it as a demo anymore, but as the last thing we would ever say as a band, the last mark we would ever leave, no matter how small. The more we worked on it, the bigger it got. The record took more than a year from start to finish. All of the distractions that had torn us apart were still there, plus some of us had moved on to new musical endeavours. The project was pushed to the back burner several times. It was difficult to get together to work on things. We didn't see so much of each other anymore. When we did get together for recording, it was usually just two of us at a time (I can hardly remember the last time the four of us were all in the same room together...).

Ghosts didn't start out as a concept record. Like I said, it began as a demo. Somehow it evolved into this. The idea of ghosts was a fitting way to describe the band, both in sound and attitude. Our music was dark and at times atmospheric, drivin by guitar feedback and delay. The band members ourselves were all ghosts. We didn't see each other so much anymore and apparently never really communicated all that well with each other. The people who made up our city's fine music scene certainly didn't know who were were. Not to mention the fact that the record would be coming out after the band had broken up. This record would not be a sign of things to come, but instead was mearly an echo of what already was, and was no more. This was our ghost. The more we thought about it, the more right the idea seemed. It was even there in our songs, in our lyrics. From writing about haunting memories that inhibit sleep or a lover who's hurt you so badly you don't even feel like you know her anymore... the concept had been staring us in the face the whole time, we just didn't know it. All the pieces were there, we just had to put the puzzle together.

We played our final show on December 31st 2004, well before the release of Ghosts (March 2006). We made 200 CDR copies, hand numbered, and gave them to our friends and family. There are no plans to produce any more copies. If you didn't get one, search the internet. You might get lucky. If you did get a copy, please share.

Goodbye,

-Alyosha