| Eyes | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Haven, Connecticut, United States |
| Genres | Rock, Hard rock, Pop rock, Progressive rock |
| Years active | 1977–1986 |
| Labels | Quiet Cannon Records |
| Associated acts | Jasper Wrath, L.A. Rocks, House of Lords, James Christian |
| Past members | |
| James Christian Phil Stone Jeff Batter Richie Catalano Jerry Green Michael Solak |
|
Eyes was a rock band from New Haven, Connecticut that was active throughout the 1980s. The band was founded by James Christian, who would later go on to front the notable hard rock band House of Lords.
Contents |
Eyes formed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1977. The band was a spinoff of the very popular Connecticut-based progressive rock band Jasper Wrath, which disbanded in 1976 due to commercial and non-commercial musical differences. Vocalist/guitarist James Christian, bassist Phil Stone, and keyboardist Jeff Batter decided to stick together and form a new project. The lineup was later completed with the addition of drummer Richie Catalano and keyboardist Jerry Green. Eyes released their first LP, We're In It Together, in 1978 through Quiet Cannon Records. Most of the keyboards on the album were done by Jerry Green; Jeff Batter was credited as a special guest rather than a member of the band.
Eyes developed quite a following during their first few years of existence. In addition to new original material at live shows, they continued to play the Jasper Wrath hit song "You" every night as the crowd demanded it. Sooner or later, the band started adding a few cover songs to their set, which increased the size of their audience. James Christian recalls, "We started doing Journey songs as well as Led Zeppelin's classics such as "Kashmir". I must say when we covered a song, it was amazing. We did as close as possible to the original."[1]
In the early '80s, bassist Phil Stone and keyboardist Jerry Green left the group. James Christian switched to bass and Michael Solak was brought in to fulfill the guitar duties. After a while the group got so popular that they never had to ask for any money from club owners. James Christian recalls, "We would just tell the club owner, just book us and we will charge a cover charge for people to get in. Whatever we collect will be ours, so you the club never had to guarantee us anything. We were cleaning up. We were making about $2500 per night and we worked 6- night a weeks. In 1985, that was a lot of money for a club act to make. There were literally lines around the club to get into an EYES performance."[1]
In the mid-'80s, James Christian was called to do some session work in Los Angeles. He originally intended it to be a one shot deal, but after doing some work and making contacts for a few weeks, Christian became addicted to the Los Angeles music scene. Christian later left Eyes after accepting an offer to become the lead singer of the group L.A. Rocks. Eyes broke up completely after Christian had left the band. About a year after joining L.A. Rocks, Christian accepted an offer to become the lead vocalist of the group House of Lords.
Former Members
James Christian - lead vocals, guitar, and bass (1977–1986)
Jeff Batter - keyboards and vocals (1977–1986)
Michael Solak - guitar and vocals (1982–1986)
Richie Catalano - drums and percussion (1977–1986)
Phil Stone - bass, flute, and vocals (1977–1982)
Jerry Green - keyboards (1977–1982)