The Story So Far...
We have all our TPEG historians (one) working 'round the clock to uncover many unknown episodes in the band's history! Check back often for new happenings in the world of TPEG.
This is a long story, so be sure to put that scroll wheel/touchscreen to good use!
Part 1: The Beginning
Ian Furelli, Ellen Blinstone and Brian O’Feeny were born around the early 1990’s in different parts of the Tri-state area: Ian from Montauk on the tip of Long Island, New York; Ellen (a straight girl in an otherwise LGBT-heavy family) from the Highlands in New Jersey and Brian (whose adopted sister is actually a leprechaun) from Connecticut. Each were self-taught in the instruments they would grow up to be known for playing. Ian was home-schooled until First Grade, at around the same time Brian and Ellen’s families coincidently moved to Montauk for First Grade as well. Ellen was–literally–the first girl Ian ever met (besides his mother). The three became fast friends, and would often be seen at each other’s houses for playdates.
The three started out acting in school plays together, then school musicals, and then it was decided they form a rock band together. Ian already had a notepad of songs going, and was always writing new ones when he wasn’t at school or working at his mother’s used mattress store (Pajama Sam's) during the summer. But being a boy-girl-boy trio meant that there was room for conflict and jealousy; in this case, as the years passed, Ian and Ellen grew closer and closer to each other–romantically–while poor Brian was left hanging.
By the end of high school, the playdates evolved into jam sessions in Ian’s garage, which often annoyed the hell out of Mama Furelli. During college, which the trio studied similar majors, they would come back to the garage during vacation periods to put together a demo tape to send to local record companies. Many said no, but one said yes.
Chic Enroll, representing A.Y. Records in Hampton Bays, signed the band. Taking on the position of music supervisor, he invited them to the studio to record professional-quality remakes of their demos. This became the backbone for their first EP, fittingly titled Introducing the Plastic E-Gulls. The record, particularly the kickoff track “Renaissance Man”, became a local smash hit.
There was a problem, though: TPEG had no bass player. A clause in A.Y.’s contract required the band to hire one should they continue to record material for the label.
Auditions on both the band and the label’s part proved to be terrible, futile and pointless. Ian turned to his scientist friend, “E-Gor”, who needed volunteers to beta test his new cloning machine. The resulting clone was far from perfect—particularly in the fields of intelligence and sex/gender—but could play a bass effortlessly. Ian named the new clone Tina, and the now-four piece band returned to the studio to cut their second EP, Elevator Bingo.
Reception of Tina was mixed, with fans speculating something sexual going on between her and Ian, but these rumors were quickly squashed. Brian himself voiced his own lack of sexual interest in Tina, stating if he did fall in love with her, one thing would lead to another and he would suddenly find himself in love with Ian. It’s weird how love works.
While TPEG were a local success, they were yet to be noticed elsewhere. Enter Todd Zeppelin, a student at CalRis (The Land O’ CalRissians) in Brooklyn, who saw the band play at local venues one summer. He brought copies of the EPs with him back to his university’s radio station, giving them regular rotation to boot. Zeppelin returned the following summer to interview TPEG and related parties for what would eventually become his senior project at CalRis, One More for the Road.
At the same time, A.Y. Records was under fire, thanks in no part to Chic Enroll being outed for doing something very horrendous and prosecutable, and filed for bankruptcy—bringing TPEG back to square one. It was a blessing in disguise, however, because Todd Zeppelin was able to negotiate a label transfer for the band to the more mainstream-by-comparison Tom: Records, based in New York City.
Todd’s One More for the Road film was revised, expanded and released to the public, as was a companion LP—containing the two EPs plus previously unreleased material provided by the band. The success allowed TPEG themselves to move to more prestigious digs…in a disused factory loft near Queens Plaza, where they live to this day.
It was not long after they settled in to their new surroundings that TPEG set to work on their second LP, Air, Fire, Water. Unfortunately, for most of the album’s recording, Tina was not present, leaving once again only Ian, Ellen and Brian at the helm; Ian playing bass in her place as if she was there all along.
The reason behind Tina’s sudden reluctance to participate can be attributed to the “goth phase” she was going through at the time; what sparked this phase is unknown, but fellow TPEG experts believe a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show did the trick. Indeed, one of the few times Tina was in the studio during this period was a cover of the opening song, “Science Fiction Double Feature”.
Tina snapped out of it shortly after the album’s release. Curiously, subsequent screenings of Rocky Horror had no effect on her. All are advised to never speak of her “goth phase” again. Returning to the studio, the band added instrumentation to one of the album’s tracks, “A Dime and a Quarter” for single release—with Tina on bass and an uncredited session musician on accordion. The flip side of that record, “Exemplary Boyfriend (Right Away)” was started by Ellen and finished by Ian. The “will you marry me?” line that closed the song was ad-libbed by Ian in the studio—it was a genuine proposal. Ellen’s ‘yes’ on the record was also genuine.
Ian and Ellen married, then head down south to D***** World for their honeymoon. They also recorded some music together at the hotel, borrowing some drum loops that Brian made.
Slim Guy, the band’s new music supervisor, commissioned his ghetto-savvy, camera-shy brother Tough Guy to produce their next album, Out and About. Recording began shortly after the newlyweds’ return to the loft. Tough Guy was good at writing rap, but not actually performing it—those duties were turned over to Ian. With Tough Guy at the helm, the album featured a lot of sampling, filters and keyboard settings that TPEG wouldn’t normally think about using, but it seemed to work in the end. Two of their greatest hits up to that point were also remade for the album: “Ode” and “Renaissance Man”, the latter featuring fan-submitted poetry.
Part 2: On the Road
(Check back later)