Album Notes

Tampa: burgeoning Cultural Scene or Desolate Wasteland? -A Question still to be answered, perhaps by the four men who came together in 2002 to become Life of Pi. Stephen Hammill had been gone from his native New York for two years, working as a bookseller trying to start a small record label somewhere warm and inviting. Eventually he started compiling songs he had recorded for a demo, with the idea of starting a new band. The search brought him to Ben Coia, another recent refugee from the North. Ben, former guitarist and front man for Rotating Leslie, was also looking to get back in the saddle. The two met via the Internet (strange days indeed) and things were off to a running start. The search for a rhythm section began, and after a few unsuccessful try-outs, Ben remembered a name from his past. Sheldon Courtney had been playing bass in various bands but when contacted hadn't been active for a while. He in fact had sold his Rig - but the demo was enough to convince him to get on board. The three started practicing in earnest, looking for a drummer to complete the circle. Bri Pi arrived from the Chicago punk scene in the nick of time. A drummer with uncanny instincts and lightening-quick chops, Bri-Pi (aka "thunder hands") brought a last, polished piece to the puzzle. A Name was all that was left to find. That, and an audience, which brings us back to the first question... Tampa, what will it be?