Yellowfly can be best described as "Singer/songwriter with attitude." Lead singer Erich Glaubitz's powerful but passionate voice and bluesy guitaring mixed with the driving force of Pat Castania on Bass and Mike Ratti on Drums, make for a unique and addicting experience. Their CD's, "Portraits from a yellowed mind," "Yellowfly" and "Mystic Chords of Memory" are real life with a hook. Powerful, honest lyrics are embraced by catchy music that is a mix of rock, blues, funk and folk. After scoring a radio hit with their song "Family Photographs" in 2001 & 2002, Yellowfly’s song “Fall into you” surged to #1 on the STS nationwide radio charts in December 2005. Their ability to sell thousands of CD's without a record deal has afforded them the luxury to musically do whatever they please, instead of chasing that "flavor of the month" sound. Writing great songs and having fun on stage is all that concerns Yellowfly--which has struck a deep resonant chord with their loyal, ever growing following. Their song "Sensation" was one of the winners of the prestigious 2003 John Lennon Songwriting contest, and two of their songs, "Change" and "Sadistic" were in the award winning movie "First Person."
YELLOWFLY history 101:
Singer/songwriter Erich Glaubitz had been in two signed bands, Zone patrol and Liquid, but was yearning for more self expression. He decided to try it on his own, releasing a CD titled "Twisted" in late 1999. He began performing the songs solo, building a strong and enthusiastic following. Feeling it was time to create a band around his music and his vision, he turned to accomplished drummer, Mike Ratti, with whom Erich had done many R&B gigs. Mike's recommended Rod Monti to play acoustic guitar and sing backing vocals. Then after a six month quest for the right bassist, Erich turned to a former student with an f-load of untapped talent, Pat Castania. The newly formed "Erich Glaubitz band" quickly began to develop their own unique sound and immediately started working on a new CD, "Mystic chords of memory." Upon releasing this new CD in August 2001, their following began multiplying. Over 400 radio stations put the CD on their playlist, and on 35 of them, The Erich Glaubitz band made the top ten. In the summer of 2002, the band began writing songs for a new CD. They wanted this CD to more closely represent their live sound, which was a bit more aggressive, raw and jamming. With the new CD would come a new band name. The biggest problem the Erich Glaubitz band faced over it's two years was that no one could pronounce it's name. TV anchors, announcers and DJ's couldn't say and the press couldn't spell it. It was a tough decision, seeing all the great press and publicity the band had been receiving since "Mystic chords of Memory," but they all felt it would be a benefit in the long run. Thus, in February 2003, the Erich Glaubitz band shed it's former skin a became Yellowfly. In 2004 Rod Monti moved to London and Yellowfly began the long search for a replacement. They found it in a young session guitarist, Hedge. In 2005, with their new line up, Yellowfly began recording their CD, "Portraits from a yellowed mind." This CD is a perfect mixture of their singer/songwriter roots from the "Erich Glaubitz band" days with the edge of "Yellowfly." Hedge left the band in 2006 and instead of replacing him Yellowfly became a power trio. On their new CD “Somewhere between tranquility and turmoil,” Yellowfly decided to shed the heavy guitars and focus totally on the songs. The fun “Train wreck” and the powerful “The one” have become instant Yellowfly classics.
The Band:
Erich is the introspective, sarcastic, force behind the band, livening up every show with his stand up comedy wit and his musical essence. He grew up absorbing songs by bands such as The Police, U2 and the Beatles, and taught himself guitar figuring out Jimi Hendrix songs. Alumni of Ithaca College, Erich studied jazz and classical music by day, but by night was performing in all the local rock and R&B clubs (the real school). He has done session work for such producers as Nile Rodgers, Keith Diamond, Mike Appel, The Horsemen, and Terminator X, to name but a few. Two of Erich's bands, Zone Patrol and Liquid, were signed by Ear Candy/BMG and Saturn records respectively. Both bands were short lived, but Erich learned a lot from those two experiences. Most importantly that he needed to surround himself with musicians that shared the same vision, passion, and drive. Erich has also written music for TV and movies including Academy Award winning "Bowling for Colombine."
Pat Castania is the amusing, yet determined bass player for the band. From his playing to his performing, he is pure energy. His style combines elements of funk and classic rock. Flea, Paul McCartney and R&B great James Jamerson heavily influence Castania. He focuses the majority of his time on mastering and reinventing his solid backbone bass lines.
Mike Ratti is the talkative, energetic drummer for the band. Mike is a veteran of the Rock and R&B scene, playing with such bands as The Mudmen. He is an extremely versatile drummer who loves playing Rock, Jazz, R&B and Hip Hop. He studied with Jethro Tull drummer, Doanne Perry.
Rod Monti is the lovable, cuddly acoustic guitarist and backing vocalist for the band. He is a student of R&B, loving the use of rhythm and syncopation in music. Having perfect pitch, his vocal harmonies impeccably compliment Erich's voice. Rod studied music at Brockport State College and has written music for ABC sports and PBS news.
For further information, go to www.yellowfly.net
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