- history -
12/10
In December '10, the band announced the release of "Seattle Peace Concert". Their seventh album, it is the first release featuring Scott Jantzen on drums and Bruce Johnston on lead guitar, and marks the return of Steven Holmes on bass.
Sarvesh of Little Sense was running sound for the July performance and also captured a multi-track recording. He graciously provided that to the band, allowing them to mix it down in their studio and produce the best sounding live recording of the band to date!
7/10
In July '10, after a long slumber, the uVu beast arose once again! The band reunited with former bass player Steven Holmes and headlined a Seattle Peace Concert at Woodland Park in Seattle.
7/09
At the end of July '09, after playing four summer shows with Bruce and Ron, the band decided to go on a much needed hiatus - the first break in well over a decade - and recharge their creative batteries.
9/08
In September '08, the band was thrilled when Bruce Johnston announced that he would like to become the permanent lead guitar player! Ever since he filled in on a gig back in July '07, the band had been pursuing him to join full time. Every member finds him inspirational to play with, and loves how he takes the music to a whole new level. This month the band also welcomed aboard Ron "Lefty" Fargo as the new full-time bassist!
6/08
Around June '08, the decision was made to seek out a new bass player and part ways with Simon Conner due to some complicated reasons. The band is very grateful for the 2 1/2 years he contributed his talents, commitment, and enthusiasm, and wishes him well in all his future endeavors.
2/08
Around February '08, Simon switched to playing bass while the band began to seek out a different lead guitarist.
6/07
In June '07, the tough decision was made to part ways with Stephen Holmes due to his very demanding business travel schedule. The band really appreciates everything he contributed during his nearly three year stay, including playing on two albums and a lot of live shows! The band wishes him the very best.
3/07
In March '07, the band auditioned new drummers, and found an absolute perfect match with Scott Jantzen. Scott's presence adds a whole new chemistry, and his style is already taking the live uVu sound to a whole new level! The band can't wait to play out with him!
2/07
In late February '07, the tough decision was made to part ways with Conor Apperson as the band found themselves in need of a drummer from which they could demand more time. The band really liked playing with Conor, and appreciate everything he contributed during his six month stay. The band wishes him well in all his future endeavors.
8/06
In August '06, Conor Apperson came on board to fill the vacant drummer's throne.
5/06
In May '06, the band announced the release of "Shadow Of The Sun". Their six album, the third one containing all-original material, it is the second release featuring Richard Schneider on guitar and vocals, Rich Dadufalza on drums, and Steven Holmes on bass.
The rhythm tracks were recorded in October '05. Overdubbing was recorded over the following months, and mixing was completed in April '06.
May '06 also brought with it the departure of lead guitarist Richard Schneider, who moved to Missouri. The band really enjoyed their time with him, and are glad that they were able to record two albums with him as well as play many shows in the Summer of '05. The band can't thank him enough for his contribution, and are really going to miss him. They plan to keep in touch and collaborate together online, perhaps on the Ambient/Experimental Electronic side-project InfraRed Uforia.
In late May '06, Richard Dadufalza, uVu drummer of nearly two years, left the band to devote more time to his family. A bummer for the band, but obviously a great thing for his partner and newborn child :) The band is very grateful to have had him, and hope the opportunity arises in the future to play with him again. They wish he and his family all the best.
12/05
In December '05, the band found a great replacement for the lead guitar position - Simon Conner. Simon began actively practicing with the band, getting ready to take over upon Richard's departure. He is a great player, and the band is excited to have him on board and to hear how their music will evolve going forward, incorporating his unique styles into their mix. They are looking forward to playing out with him, and having him involved in their next recording projects!
11/05
In November '05, Richard Schneider let the band know that he would be moving to Missouri in the Spring. With his blessing, the band started auditioning new guitar players, so that they could find the right person to fill his shoes before he left.
2/05
In February '05, the band announced the release of the "2005 Promotional Sampler". Their fifth album, it contains the first studio recordings featuring Richard Schneider on guitar, percussion and vocals, Rich Dadufalza on drums, and Steven Holmes on bass.
The rhythm tracks were recorded in November and December '04. Overdubbing was recorded in January '05, and mixing was completed in February '05.
10/04
At the end of October '04, the band was extremely excited to announce that their year long search for a bassist was over, and they now had a full line-up. As with the other new members, they were looking for a perfect fit - and they found that with Steven Holmes! An extremely solid and versatile bassist, as well as a keyboard player, he provides the perfect foundation for the band to launch into their sonic adventures!
9/04
September '04 brought exciting developments for the band. Richard Schneider came on board as a bass player, but the band soon fell in love with his guitar skills so much they invited him to be a second guitarist. Filling in on bass for now until a permanent player is found, Richard will be ultimately grace the band with his dynamic guitar playing! He also sings, plays percussion, and keyboards. His contributions are destined to take the band to new musical horizons!
And no more than two weeks after finding Richard, the band found a drummer who fits like a glove! After searching for nearly a year, jamming with many extremely skilled drummers, but holding out for someone who would really spark something magical, they found Rich Dadufalza who does just that! The band is looking forward to a long and fruitful musical journey with both Rich and Richard!
11/03
In November '03, Marc Montagnino and Todd VanSelus each moved on to pursue their own musical directions. Although they were now longtime companions, they ended up having different individual goals in music, and so were given the freedom to pursue those goals.
Marc is currently active in two other bands, as well as his own hard rock cover band, Max Axle. Todd is currently active with Ian McFeron and has many projects including California Highway Patrol.
Michael and Steve cherished the time they had playing with each of them, and wish them all the best in their musical journeys. It's likely they will still get together to jam, record, or play out again in the future :-)
The band began auditioning musicians again, and looked to expand the lineup with the addition of a percussionist and a second guitarist.
8/03
In August '03, the band announced the release of "Event Horizon". Their fourth album, it contains the first studio recordings featuring Todd VanSelus on bass.
The rhythm tracks were recorded in October and November '02. Overdubbing was recorded over the following months, and mixing was completed in July '03.
8/02
In August '02, the band had to make the tough decision to part ways with Scott. He is a tremendously talented bass player, but his style just didn't turn out to be what the band was after. The band thanks him for all of his hard work, appreciates the great skill he brought to them, and wishes him success and happiness in his future musical journeys.
Also in August '02, the band asked Todd VanSelus to step into the bass player position. The band thinks his style could be just the thing to take the music to new uforic heights!
7/02
In July '02, after once again auditioning several excellent bassist, they asked the tremendously skilled Scott Syltebo to be the newest member of uVu.
By the end of July '02, the band announced the release of "waters under the bridge". Their third album, it contains the remaining studio recordings featuring Jim Kragh on bass. One track features a guest appearance by guitarist Paul Garinger.
The rhythm tracks were recorded from February through August '01. Some additional overdubbing was recorded over the following months, and mixing was completed in July '02.
The album includes four previously unreleased tracks from the "escape velocity" sessions.
5/02
In May '02, Stephen was lured back to his home state of Texas by a lucrative job offer. The band really enjoyed the time they had together with him. They recorded a lot of live material with him, and plan to release some of it exclusively on the web. As they quested for a new bass player, they continued to work on studio projects.
12/01
In December '01, after auditioning many fine bassist, they found Stephen Brueggerhoff, a great guy who should prove to be a tasty addition to the group. After getting up to speed, the band plans to turn their attention to gigging and recording again.
9/01
In September '01, Jim announced that he was leaving the uVu fold. In addition to bass, he plays guitar and keyboards, and wanted to pursue projects that provided more of an outlet for his varied talents.
The band will always be grateful for the 3 1/2 years he contributed his fine bass and guitar skills. Steve will always appreciate how Jim taught him his first barre chords, as well as his first Floyd covers, many years ago. The band wishes him well in all his future endeavors.
3/99
"escape velocity" was released in March '99. The album features guest appearances by saxophonist Scott Adams and percussionist Ric Bowen.
1/99
In January '99, they changed their name to UltraViolet Uforia. This change was made for a couple of reasons. Mainly because they discovered that their old name had already been used by a band in the 80's, and was also currently in use by a small record label. Besides, people always wondered about the "Catastrophe" part, and didn't think it really fit the band.
Also in January '99, they began a new recording project, once again at Megasound Studio.
10/98
In October '98 they finally found the person they'd been looking for to fill the long vacant drummer's throne. Marc Montagnino, who had last been playing in Souler Energy, was at Chris Sleight's one day and mentioned he was in search of a band. So Chris hooked them up and it turned out to be a great match!
3/98
In March '98, they were saddened to learn that Kent had suffered a fatal heart attack the previous month. He was a sweet guy with a generous spirit, and will be sorely missed by everyone.
2/98
With the help of bassist Perry Ryals from two a.m., drummer Monte Sandlin from Landshark, and engineer extraordinaire Chris Sleight, "unleashed" was released in February '98.
Later in February '98, Jim Kragh volunteered to fill the role of bass player. He's an old friend of Michael and Steve's, and has played guitar and bass for a long time. He was asked to join the band before, but has always had other things going on in his life that took a higher priority. When he told the band that he now wanted to join forces, he was welcomed with open arms.
12/97
In December '97, Matt made the decision to branch off in his own direction, and to pursue his passion for the blues. He went on to form the Blue James Band.
Kent was still on board, but was also involved with other projects that provided a more traditional platform for harmonica to be at the forefront.
Later in December '97, Michael and Steve began their first official recording project at Megasound Studio.
11/97
Wylie got along famously with Rufus, but the same could not be said for the rest of the band members. In November '97, the decision was made to part ways with Rufus, but by this time, he and Wylie were a package deal. So Wylie chose to part ways as well.
10/97
In October '97, Wylie met Rufus. He is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter with a lot of his own material, but he liked the UVC music so much that he was willing to be the bassist.
When they played a gig with this six person line-up at a party on Halloween, little did they know that big changes were coming their way soon.
9/97
In September '97, Rhonda accepted a job on a ship, and had to depart for several months, leaving the bass slot vacant.
8/97
In August '97, they were playing at a party, and a harmonica player named Kent Knapp jammed along with them. They were so impressed by his sound, they asked him to join the band.
6/97
They had always been keeping an eye out for a bassist, but never had any luck finding the right fit. In June '97 they met Rhonda Koski, and things gelled rather nicely.
4/97
In April '97, Matt was able to move back to Seattle and rejoin the band.
1996
They went back to using their original name, and began a quest for a drummer. In June '96 they found a great match with Wylie Walker. He was instrumental in getting the band off the ground. His drumming infused new life into the material and he started booking gigs and encouraging the band to play out.
1995
Unfortunately, Matt was forced to move to the east coast in '95, but he had helped build up the momentum, and they had come too far to turn back.
1994
Around '94 they started to get a bit more serious about this "band thing". They changed their name to the Woods, started talking about finding a drummer, and began acquiring the equipment necessary to play out.
1989-1993
In '89 they met a guitar player named Matt Hargett, who turned out to be quite a catalyst for the band. He's a great songwriter, and lots of new material was born by collaboration between all three members during this time.
1982-1988
Michael and Steve have known each other since they were juvenile delinquents, and have been jamming together in one form or another most of that time, having called themselves Ultraviolet Catastrophe since about 1982.
