Dozens if not hundreds of shows were consumed by the quartet both before and after formation of their own band. They all frequented late 90's Phish tours and had archives of show tapes. Something in common to all four members, separate of each other, was a love for Phish. That first winter together was a crucial formative period for the yet unnamed band and a deep musical bond was cultivated that stands strong to this day. Schreiber immediately started practicing with the trio from Watertown, almost nightly. Around the same time, Planet One dissolved for unrelated reasons. In November of 1999, after a few casual jam sessions – it was very clear there was a strong chemistry between the quartet. Erik introduced O’Riley and Nestor and invited Schreiber to jam sometime. Erik had noticed both the drum gear and a “Steal Your Face” Grateful Dead sticker on Schreiber’s vehicle. Jay was outside Cosmic loading his equipment for a gig one night when he was approached by Erik Ward. The boys from Watertown stuck out to Schreiber’s ears immediately. Despite its name - Cosmic Jams was known as a haven for speed-core bands and doom metal more than anything else. Jay Schreiber, 19, was the drummer for Planet One and had overheard the trio playing. Meanwhile, one hall over at the same practice space. He would return later as the band’s sound-engineer once they started travelling with their own custom sound system. Geno, 22, decided to resign as rhythm guitarist. Early on it was clear that the band was headed away from a two-guitar sound to more of a Guitar/Piano centric sound. Both had played in numerous bands in the Watertown scene prior to moving. Erik (guitar) and Willy (keyboards) were 16 and 17 respectively, but not inexperienced despite their ages. Todd, 21 at the time, was freshly converted to bass from guitar and was learning his instrument. ![]() There they planned to sharpen their existing music and to craft new songs. They rented a practice studio at Cosmic Jams on Cairn Street in the city's industrial west end. They were in search of a wider market for their music and a drummer as their band was not yet complete. In the late summer of 1999 Erik Ward, Willy O’Riley, Todd Nestor and Geno Williams relocated from Watertown to Rochester, NY. The Niche - Rochester, NY based Progressive Jam Rock Band formed in 1999 active touring dates from 3.11.00 to 12.23.06
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