Hell, this is a long and complex piece of history for so young a band. I’ll try to trim the verbal fat as best I can…

Two years back, I got a call from Jon Vogel, an old friend from the Paper Bag: days. It seemed that a mutual comrade, Zoogz Rift, was having a rough time surviving after major heart surgery and the inevitable debt that followed. A benefit was being organized for him, and Jon wanted to know if Paper Bag: would be willing to re-assemble and perform. Both the cause and the notion seemed worth dealing with, so I promised to call back within a few days with an answer.

Greg Segal, my genius brother, lives in Portland, OR, and obviously couldn’t make it. George Radai was going to a reunion that had been planned for months, so he too was out. Kenny Ryman disappeared years ago. It was to my luck and benefit that I had to formulate anew, and come up with players that would be able to grasp ‘The Paper Bag: Theory of Spontaneous Composing & Controlled Chaos’. If I could manage that, I’d be able to give Jon a band different but equal to P.B., based on the same ‘rules’ used in the past.

Anthony Cossa was my first choice for cohort and guitarist. We were good friends, and had worked very hard together on the project Fried To A Crisp. He is a seemingly endless well of brilliant ideas, and his approach to guitar is both unique and dangerous. With one call he was on board. This was excellent, because if he’d been unable to do the show, I’d have called Jon back with a ‘thumbs down’ on the whole idea.

My next call was to Tom Shannon, master bassist and Chapman Stick player, old friend, past room mate, band-mate from The Strange MF’s days. He had been a part of the P.B. family, and already understood the basic function of the Theory. Not only skilled but downright visionary, he was the first and only bassist I thought of when I drew up my list for a new improv band. Tom became a co-conspirator immediately.

Poet Dave McIntire was the only other ‘original’ Paper Bag: member I involved. He had replaced Kenny as 4th wheel for the band’s final string of gigs and recording sessions. His ability to improvise incredible words live is mind-blowing, and he’s an impressive front man. I figured he’d really be appreciated by the Zoogz Rift crowd, so I conscripted him.

At Anthony’s behest, saxophone/flute/synth master Mike Sirkin was invited to the first rehearsal. He had toured Europe with Anthony in the band Bottom 12, and I was guaranteed he was an absolutely monstrous player. This turned out to be an understatement, as Mike’s improvisational instinct was truly astounding.

I called Jon back and told him Paper Bag: was unavailable, but a new band based on the same strictures was ready to play. Although I asked him to advertise us as Bag: Theory, he still presented it as P.B.

We managed one long rehearsal. It was really, really good. So was the ensuing gig. The house was packed, and the audience was more appreciative than I dreamed would occur. When I got home that night, I sat restless and awake for many hours.

The fact was it was so damn superb a performance that I had trouble letting go of the project. Too much energy and art had transpired to just walk away. I called Anthony the next day and he agreed. At that point, we started to discuss what move should be next, and how realistic it was to take a chance on a music form so unaccepted and traditionally misunderstood.

Our first decision was that this ensemble could not be ‘Paper Bag: Part II’. It had to exist as its own entity, tied to past accomplishments only by the Theory. New players, new sound, new band- this was how it had to be. Too much comparison often ensures failure. There would be no other link to the glorious, bygone Bag:, for this child’s was named Bag: Theory, and it was to have a mind of its own. This was our sole motivation in not continuing with Dave as a poet/front-man; part of the P.B. sound was the inclusion of spoken word, mostly out of Kenny Ryman and myself. Rest assured, Dave McIntire fans, his presence will be requested as ‘guest artist’ at many an upcoming gig.

I then called Tom, who said he would be proud and honored to participate. His only pressing question was when the next rehearsal might be. Mike was contacted next, and he loved the idea of continuing with a band that had so few artistic/musical limitations.

Our next rehearsal truly marked the official birth of Bag: Theory as a serious band undertaking.

We foraged for a few gigs and performed around L.A. at places like The Raven Theatre and Mister T’s Bowl. We rehearsed diligently, adding to the Theory as we went along, tailoring and inventing as we did.

As the journey continued, the focus became more intense and far-reaching. A future was envisioned, and an air of seriousness fell over the group. Anthony and I realized that we had to get to Europe if we were to go beyond the status of ‘interesting local band’. His recent tour with Bottom 12, and the history of Paper Bag:’s record sales only proved to us that unconventional music had a wider audience over there.

Sad to say, it was that decision that prompted Mike Sirkin, sax murderer supreme, to take leave of Bag: Theory. He’d been on too many tours, spent way too much time worrying about things like rent and bills, and finally had a day job that paid well. It was with great trepidation that the remaining three of us sought out Mike’s replacement.

Enter a young keyboard player named Matt Brown. He worked with Tom in a Genesis ‘tribute’ band now called Cinema Show. While keys had never been mentioned as a replacement for woodwinds, Tom’s words of praise meant that Matt was worth inviting to the next rehearsal. To say I was startled and amazed would only belittle the occasion. By the next rehearsal Matt joined the band, bringing along a head full of visions and the musicianship to make them reality.

We ventured forward, through many gigs and into the studio.

Recording was an amazing experience. Each of us came up with $125.00 for the first day of digital recording, and our new, official Executive Producer, Cina Motter, financed the mix-down. When the process was complete, we had 13 glorious tracks mastered and ready for duplication. Culled from Frank Rosato’s Woodcliff Studios, a live performance at KXLU and a track recorded at a noisy nightclub, Bag: Theory now had a product. I began calling overseas agents, out-of-state venues and CD manufacturers. All was going well before the crash.

I won’t labor this next part of the Bag: Theory history, except to say that it was totally awful. During the time we were naming the tunes and arranging them in a meaningful order, illness forced both Matt Brown and Tom Shannon to make a sad, hasty exit. Their respective situations were both catastrophic and life threatening. Not only was I worried that I would lose my good brothers, I also had to bear witness to the death of Bag: Theory. Sickness, anger and loss piled together, and I put the CD Master on a dusty shelf, forcing myself to walk away. The European record labels I’d hooked up with were not interested in a band that could not tour to back up a commercial release and airplay. Hell, it was a band that no longer existed anyway.

Anthony felt differently, that is to say, the complete opposite. He insisted that the band and CD were still viable, and that there had to be a way to re-formulate or re-invent the band in a way that would ultimately save the project. We had our thinking caps firmly in place, the wheels of necessity grinding away.

Our first move was to find another bassist. George Radai was the first consideration. I had to think long and hard on this one, initially fearing that having two ex-P.B. members would blur the distinction between old and new. We called a trio rehearsal at Anthony’s Downtown L.A. studio, and the worry was quickly dispelled. George had all new ideas, vastly improved technique, and absolutely no desire to re-trace or re-live the past. He firmly agreed that the Theory alone should acknowledge our tie to Paper Bag:. The band sound soon changed to accommodate George’s talent and approach, as it was decided by all that he was to be a permanent participant.

I took a short vacation to Oregon to visit family, and the day I got home and weeded through my ton of phone messages, two things dropped on me like a ton of gold. First was a call from one of the European tour agents that had bailed on Bag: theory after Tom and Matt’s departure. Her advice was that Anthony and I cut new tracks with a host of other musicians, work them into the CD, and call it not a band, but a ‘duo plus guest artists’, a move that might help dispel the ‘product without a live act’ notion. The next bomb was a message from George. At the time, he was teaching sound engineering at The Los Angeles Recording Workshop, and had somehow nailed us a full day’s recording, and a string of graveyard-shift nights to mix.

Anthony and I decided we’d round out the new material by including our old friend and past band-mate Richie Hass and is magic vibraphone, who had recently started working with Saccharine Trust. His ability to improvise had always been astounding, and a five-minute call assured his participation at the session, which was only three days away. While the illustrious Mister Hass did not continue into the band’s final line-up, his addition to what would be finished product was both ingenious and indispensable.

My next call was to Marc Mylar, a great person, and among the best saxophonists I’d ever worked with. I was skeptical as to his availability because of his many projects as musician, producer and engineer. With lots of apprehension but otherwise fearless, Mylar took up the challenge. His presence continues still, as one-fourth of all that is Bag: Theory.

The session yielded an hour of killer improv, of which five incredible compositions were used. These replaced the same number of tracks from the original work done with Tom and Matt. The finished CD was wonderful, living up to all of the standards of quality that the Theory demanded. The release was called, ‘A Good Ass-Kicking Wears Many Faces’, coming from the title of the artwork used for the cover.

Our next stroke of good luck came in the form of one Eileen O’Mara, a brilliant woman crazy enough to consider managing Bag: Theory. Her knowledge, savvy,

common sense and guts has moved the band along at a sure and rapid pace. She is truly a ‘fifth Bag:person’, visionary and irreplaceable.

What comes next? Come by and visit us when you can, here on our web-site or at the next gig you can make it to. We’ll fill you in…