Skeletron: At what age did you first pick up a guitar?

Craig: I got my first guitar when I was 5.

Skeletron: Did you want to play guitar? Or, were your parents, or your Dad, trying to get you into playing music.

Craig: I was always drawn to guitars, as well as music as far back as I can remember.. But, guitar was definitely a choice that I made myself.

Skeletron: What kind of guitar was your 1st guitar?

Craig: It was a 3/4 size classical guitar that my grandparents got me for my 5th birthday

Skeletron: So then, it was a gift you were hoping for... like some kids want a skateboard?

Craig: Yeah... you could say that... but, that guitar didn't last too long...

Skeletron: Why? Did you wear it out, or use it as a skateboard?

Craig: (Laughs) Well, no. Once, after I mouthed off to my father, he cracked it over his knee. This actually helped me out in the long run because I began to play his left handed Stratocaster upside-down. When he saw that I still desired to play, he got me my first electric.

Skeletron: And what kind of electric did you get?

Craig: A red Charvel. It was very simple, just one pickup and a volume control.

Skeletron: How did you begin to play? Did you have a teacher get you started, or did you teach yourself by ear?

Craig: My father taught me the basic chords... From there on I pretty much taught myself. I learned mostly by listening to records and other guitar players.

Skeletron: What was the first song you learned to play?

Craig: The first song I learned was "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix.

Skeletron: Was guitar the first musical instrument you played or did you try piano, or any orchestral instrument in school before deciding on guitar?

Craig: No, guitar was my first instrument. But, I did play clarinet for a short time in elementary school.

Skeletron: You are confusing me (laugh) The very first instrument you played was...?

Craig: Guitar, guitar came first. I started clarinet when I was 10... and stopped when I was 12.

Skeletron: Did you try playing "Hey Joe" on the clarinet?

Craig: Nah... (laugh) but I think I remember learning some Beatles' songs.

Skeletron: So where does Rat Race Choir's music show up in your life? And HOW did it?

Craig: When I was about 10, I was into Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix. (I still am) Coincidentally, my father just happened to do Rat Race's repair work. So, he had a few tapes of RRC. As I was running down his collection trying to find something to listen to, I came across RRC, and so I put it on. Immediately, I fell in love with the music. I think the first song I heard was Pythagoras. It struck me as being different from anything else I've heard. And so, I listened on, and by the time I got through half of one side, I was hooked. What Led Zeppelin is for other people, RRC became for me.

Skeletron: Thanks!, That's nice to hear.

Skeletron: So... you were how old when you first attempted playing a Rat Race Choir song?

Craig: I think I attempted Pythagoras when I was about 13... Thinking back, I was playing it all wrong. I also learned RRC E, a more obscure RRC composition.

Skeletron: But how is it you didn't get discouraged, it must have taken a lot of time and patience to figure it out, most 12 year olds, want to go go go! Most of our tunes are progressive, and many of the parts are very difficult to learn, for anyone... why did you take on that challenge instead of learning easier songs at a faster pace?

Craig: Well, originally, I was attracted to the "heaviness" of RRC. As I began to discover Gentle Giant and King Crimson, RRC became even more appealing to me because I began to look at it as a standard. The odd time signatures and difficult riffs were a great challenge. I always would try to listen to stuff that was above my playing level. This way eventually, I would progress up to that level. For this reason, I like difficult music a lot more than simpler music.

Skeletron: You mentioned Gentle Giant and King Crimson... Were you learning their stuff as well at that time?

Craig: Yeah... I was into the first self titled Gentle Giant album and Three Friends. As for Crimson, I loved In The Court of the Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon and Larks Tongue and Aspic.

Skeletron: And you sat and figured out their music too?

Craig: Not every single piece... But a good portion of each album... I did play the entire self titled Gentle Giant album all the way through.

Skeletron: It seems that you know all the RRC songs, including some versions that we only did temporarily or experimentally, how did you get a hold of this stuff?

Craig: Mark Hitt came to my house to get some gear repaired and brought a tape of assorted RRC studio material as well as some live cuts. Eventually, Frank Porfidio, who did sound for RRC, began to bring RRC's gear to the house, he would also bring tapes. Some of the cuts on these tapes were experimental rehearsal takes. These were really interesting to hear, because it helped me to understand how RRC came up with the final product. Mark also came to my house for nine hours and showed me a lot of the subtleties (and there are many!) to RRC's music. He also showed me the basis to his playing style, and a lot of his "unique" riffs. Mark also taught me some really weird chords. This helped me pick up on the nuances that I wasn't aware of before.

Skeletron: So, basically, you are telling me you liked our music enough that you sat for hours, even months and years possessed with the idea to learn every RRC song?

Craig: Yeah. RRC took a special place in my heart. I enjoy playing RRC more than anything else. It took a while to learn the repertoire (learning it correctly took even longer!), but because of the connection I felt with the music, sitting down for hours and hours, and listening to every note was actually a lot of fun.

Skeletron: During the time that you were learning this music, you never got to actually see a live performance of this band you were so interested in...?

Craig: Right... Unfortunately, I was too young to get into clubs to see RRC. So I had to settle for tapes and videos. I did finally get to see RRC play live, but not the Hitt, Chmela, McGowan, Luongo line-up. The first time I saw (and met) RRC was at the 30th Anniversary Show. Billy Mathews was the drummer. That was a night that I'll remember forever. Not only was I fortunate enough to meet the band. I actually got to play with them for a bit.

Skeletron: What did you play?

Craig: After I was introduced to the band, Mark put his 355 around me and asked me to play him something. So I played him RRC E. The next thing I know, I'm playing "Beside You", a Rat Race original with Dave, Larry and Billy up on stage. Then at the end of the night, we played "What Is and What Should Never Be", "You Really Got Me" and "Fire."

Skeletron: You had your own band going last year, when you played your friends all this RRC music you had learned what was their response to you?

Craig: I was in a band at that time called Epic Prequel. Actually we played "Pythagoras and RRC E". The guys in Epic Prequel liked RRC very much. Even the people in school who have absolutely no progressive background at all could appreciate RRC. Although most of the stuff was recorded almost 20 years ago, it still sounds current. Skeletron and Pythagoras got people in my school to raise an eyebrow, because those songs are every bit as heavy (if not more) as today's music.

Skeletron: Is Epic Prequel still playing?

Craig: No, we split up last fall. We are still good friends, it seems we just couldn't all agree on one musical direction.

Skeletron: It is hard to keep 4 or 5 different personalities moving in the same direction, especially if success doesn't come right away. Just curious, since you mention different musical directions. Give me a list of your top 10 favorite bands, bands that have influenced you.

Craig: Rat Race Choir, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Gentle Giant, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Cream, Procol Harum, Bill Bruford (U.K., King Crimson). I got into Bruford a bit later. Bill Bruford is till this day my favorite drummer. I was not introduced to Procol Harum until about two years ago... although they were not an influence to me as I was first learning, they quickly became one of my favorite bands. 

Skeletron: How many RRC songs do you know at this point?

Craig: After years and years of listening, I've actually got all of them down. I even went so far as to learn the alternate rehearsal takes and riffs that never got finished.

Skeletron: After you played with them the first time, you and your Dad went up to visit some of the guys in RRC for a BBQ and some jamming... what did you play?

Craig: We ran through a lot of stuff. I remember doing Pythagoras, Skeletron, Night Road, Maggots (an unknown, but amazing RRC song), RRC E, Mike Nelson, Thick as a Brick, The Seven Rays. It never occurred to me when I first started learning the songs that I would get close to the band. When that happened it was very special to me. It was a chance for me to play the music that I'd been listening to for so long with the guys that wrote it. It really was a great night.

Skeletron: Lets move on to the present. What is your current guitar set-up?

Craig: I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard, as well as a Fender '57 Reissue Stratocaster. These go through a Hughes and Kettner Attax 200 Amp. I also use a Cry-baby Wah, Uni-Vibe, custom made Phaser and Flanger and a Deltalab Effectron Delay, but never all at once! This all goes through a Marshall 4x12 speaker cabinet.

Skeletron: You had a project in school you were telling me about?

Craig: For a project in MIDI class, I sequenced RRC E. WHICH WAS A LONG TASK.. but it came out great.

Skeletron: You might have to explain exactly what you mean to people who don't understand computer sequencing... You have a special guitar that allows you to record it into a computer, right?

Craig: I installed a MIDI Pickup on my Strat which allows me to play the same sounds as a keyboard. I also use this to sequence music and write original compositions. As an exercise to learn how to use the sequencer, I recorded Pythagoras... That was difficult.

Skeletron: The computing end or the playing of the parts?

Craig: Playing the other parts was really tough. I already knew the guitar parts... but I had to learn Larry's Piano and Mellotron parts... But that still wasn't the most difficult part... I sequenced Steve's drum part... Exactly as it was on the recording... every snare drum... every hi-hat.

Skeletron: Did you get graded for this?

Craig: Yeah... it was 100.

Skeletron: You mention Larry's Mellotron, you know about Mellotrons?

Craig: The first time I heard a "tron" was King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King. It quickly became one my favorite sounds. The mellotron has such a unique, morbid sound. 

Skeletron: So, what's next for Craig? You will be graduating later this year... what then?

Craig: On to Five Towns College.

Skeletron: A music school?

Craig: Yeah... I want to major in recording engineering... I'm also going to take courses in composition and composing through MIDI.

Skeletron: Sounds good!

Craig: Yeah... I'm looking forward to it.

Skeletron: Are you going to try to get another band going?

Craig: Yeah... I'm currently working on some new songs... They're still in that progressive spirit, but with a sort of modern edge.

Skeletron: I'd like to hear some of your tunes when you are finished. And, one last thing before I say goodbye, I know you get kidded a lot about being young, "the kid" and all that... so tell me do you still wear diapers?

Craig: Yeah... But I can change them myself now.

Skeletron: (Laughs) OK Craig, thanks for your time!

Craig: Thank You, and I hope to see RRC play again soon.

Skeletron: Well, so do I!