Matthew Kenneth Gray is born in Watsonville, CA on June, 11th. Matt was born at the old Watsonville Community Hospital over on Brennan St., which is now a senior community, where Phil's grandmother resides. Matt's family lives in Santa Cruz in the same neighborhood where Phil's future wife would live in later years. Coincidence?
1974
Phillip Stafford Harrington is born in Little Rock, AR on August, 26th. Phil spends his formative years growing up in Albany, CA while his mother earns her M.B.A. in Business. Way to go, Mom!
1978
Matt takes drum lessons. Can't keep a beat to save his life. Later the same year, Matt would take up the cornet in the Westlake School band. Eventually, he would set that aside as well.
1979
Matt's family moves from Santa Cruz to Watsonville.
1981
Phil's family moves from Albany to Watsonville.
1983
Phil takes up saxophone in fourth grade school band. He is horribly bad and switches to drums in two weeks time, the same instrument Matt had started out on. Coincidence?
1985
Chris Harrington, Phil's older brother and Matt meet in high school. Chris is friendly with a gal named Nicole who shares Ms. Goodwin's English class with Matt. Nicole introduces Matt to Chris. Later, Matt and Chris would both be on staff with the school news paper, Catztales. Chris would draw cartoons for Matt's column. Their friendship blossomed.
1986
Matt solos as Jimmy Durante in the musical production of "Standing Room Only." "That moment was key in my development as a performer. That was like returning to the mantle at my Grandma's house." Matt reflects.
Chris Harrington sees Jonathan and Anthony Fesmire perform a Heart song at the Mexican Americans Taking Action talent show and introduces himself saying, "You need a drummer!" Chris offers Phil's drum set and his own services as a drummer. Chris, Jonathan, and Anthony form a group with Chris' lady friend, Nicole on bass. The foursome begin jamming together. Names for the group are suggested, including Jabberwocky, but it is eventually decided to name the band Prior Engagement.
1987
Matt and Jonathan Fesmire take creative writing together. Matt is impressed that Jonathan is writing his own original novel, "Open Your Eyes," dedicated to his lady friend, Danielle. Matt is inspired to give Jonathan a copy of a poem, "Dreaming Duet," for Jonathan to put to music. Matt, Jonathan, and Chris Harrington meet at Jonathan's house to collaborate on the song. Phil is in attendance and meets Matt for the first time.
Matt graduates from high school.
Phil attends Summer Music Monterey Jazz camp alone.
The idea of forming a group including Matt, Jonathan, and Chris is broached. The name Affirmative is suggested, based on a lyric from "Dreaming Duet," "Our love is affirmative, I'm without doubt". The group never forms, but Matt would later go on to join Prior Engagement (uh, same thing?).
Songs include: "Dreaming Duet" written by Matt, Chris, and Jonathan.
1988, A crucial year.
Chris Harrington and Jonathan Fesmire collaborate on "Love Means Nothing" and play the song for Matt. Because of this, Chris Harrington and Matt collaborate on several songs, including the duet, "Right Now" and "Bonding Sea" which was written for a Rotary Club exchange convention. Matt performs "Bonding Sea" with exchange students for the Rotarians. This collaboration would lead to Matt's involvement in the original rock musical, "Stop Running Away."
Matt joins the ill fated Prior Engagement on vocals, who's current line-up also included Jonathan Fesmire (vocals), Chris (bass, bgv's), Anthony Fesmire (guitar, producer), and Phil (drums). The original rock musical "Stop Running Away" is written by Prior Engagement and produced at Watsonville High School. "Stop Running Away" is the only original musical ever produced at WHS which was stricken from the Centennial Record. The following year the drama department will get a new teacher and the main building will fall over. Coincidence?
"Stop Running Away" incorporated the song "Right Now" and was also written during an extreme Van Halen phase for everyone in the band. Van Halen would go on write their own song titled "Right Now," and so would David Wilcox. Coincidence?
Chris Harrington graduates from high school.
Phil fails to earn the required credits to graduate from middle school, yet, is passed on to Watsonville High School anyway.
Matt goes to Belgium for a month as part of an exchange program. He returns with an exchange student, Olivier Collard.
Jonathan, Chris, Anthony, and Phil unanimously decide that Matt is holding them back, and kick him out of Prior Engagement. The band will go on to record a Christmas Album and three separate demos all the while playing to uninterested crowds at WHS, the Capitola Art and Wine Festival (first annual?), and The Omni in Berkeley, CA.
Chris Harrington and Phil attend Summer Music Monterey Jazz camp together.
Chris and Matt songs include: "Bonding Sea" "Thinking Of You (On A Rainy Day)" "Right Now"
1989
Matt performs "The Marriage" at his brother Russ's (Rock n' Roll Russ!) wedding ceremony celebrating Russ' marriage to Lori. Chris Harrington does sound.
Chris Harrington quits Prior Engagement in disgust because, "It's not fun anymore." Phil agrees and Prior Engagement splits up (for now).
Chris, Anthony, and Phil regroup to form Affirmative. The trio writes original music and has "fun" doing it. They play once at Phil's birthday party with Chris on vocals. Jonathan Fesmire is in attendance and is critical the sloppy performance. Affirmative marks the first band experience where Phil contributes original lyrics on the song "Emotion Explosion."
Matt and Chris Harrington begin writing the first Harrington and Gray collaborations.Talk of forming a group called Shades of Gray (based on Matt's name and Chris' prescription Ray Bans) is thrown around.
Chris and Matt songs include: "Weekend Song"
1990
Phil attains his G.E.D. by passing the proficiency examination.
Chris and Matt songs include: "Portrait" "Wild". "World Without War" written by Matt and Anthony Fesmire.
1991
Matt and Chris Harrington move in together to the house on 129 Mountain View with Wendy and Beth.
Phil begins to study music theory, musicianship, arranging, and songwriting at Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA.
Phil acquires an open exuberant ulcer that will take three years, four operations, and hours of whirlpool therapy to fix.
The infamous La Porte trip takes place. Arranged by Matt, the trip is a three day weekend at the Gray Area cabin. In attendance are Anthony Fesmire, his lady friend, Connie, a bass playing friend Mike, and Phil. Chris and Jennifer show up later in the weekend.
Anthony Fesmire and Phil join forces with local bass player John Bettencourt to form The Blue. The Blue performs original progressive rock once at the Burrito Bash to the Baby Derby set-up crew and an audience of confused mothers and happy babies. The burritos were good.
Chris and Matt songs include: "What's In" "Bubbles" "It's Done" "Does It Show" "Walla Walla Wa" "The Telephone Song" "What I Really Want To Do"
"Cabin Fever" a collaboration with Chris, Jennifer, Matt, and Phil written at La Porte.
"Joey The Dog" was a collaboration with Anthony, Mike, Chris, Matt, and Phil written at La Porte.
Also, 1991, saw the first song written by Phil and Matt, "Encore."
1992
Jonathan, Anthony, Chris, and Phil regroup as Ageless Stranger and record and perform Prior Engagement material. The episode becomes ruefully known as Ageless Engagement. Chris eventually splits again for the same reasons as before.
Matt attends Trebas Institute of Recording Arts. After two terms, he experiences a brief psychotic episode and returns home. Eventually, Matt is his old self.
Anthony and John Bettencourt eventually have a falling out and never speak to one another again. The Blue disbands after this dispute as well as tension caused by John dating Phil's old girlfriend from sophomore year.
Inspired by Dale Cooper from the television series Twin Peaks, Phil investigates employment opportunities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is counseled by an F.B.I. recruiter in San Francisco to continue his music studies.
1993
Anthony Fesmire begins a successful career at Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. He will go on to graduate with honors in guitar performance.
Matt signs up for the Navy and suffers from a vertigo spell at Severino's while working his morning shift. Later, in '94, a friend of the Gray family, Michael Flynn, would call Matt's navy recruiter, and inform the recruiter that Matt was no longer a "dep". The Navy cooperated with Matt's request to withdraw.
1994, Matt's Shadiest Year So Far
Matt goes to C.E.S.in Las Vegas with two friends and meets adult video stars in person for the first time. One such star gives Matt an autograph which reads, "Eat me, and your vertigo will go away." While in Vegas, Matt writes poem for a woman he meets which makes her cry. Matt comments, "When I wrote that poem, I knew that I was a writer. I knew that I had something to give. It was an intense poem. And I don't have a copy. I'm so pissed about that."
Matt wrecks his car the day after returning from Vegas, thus he loses his license to drive, and is forced to bum rides from his mom and friends, and take the bus.
From the Santa Cruz Sentinel Local section, February 1st: "A 24 year old Watsonville man fell asleep Friday night with a candle lit next to his bed. At 5:51 a.m. Saturday morning, he woke up to a wall of flames." Matt accidentally sets his Mattress on fire. He escapes shaken suffering second degree burns and smoke inhalation. Matt comments, "This got me to focus more on the present. I mean, a fire will do that to you."
Matt loses job at Valley Heights Senior Community because of his problems with the supervisor. The supervisor claimed that he had left the front desk without having it covered to play the piano. Matt applies for unemployment and Valley Heights disputes the Matter, to their shame. Without enough evidence to prove Matt's incompetence, Matt would go on to collect unemployment.
Phil attends Berklee School of Music for one semester but returns home early due problems and pain caused by the wound in his ankle. While in Boston, his wound is treated at Boston University Dermatology Clinic, where Phil takes part in an experimental study and receives $100.00 plus cab ride expenses. Because of his ankle wound, Phil becomes a topic for dermatologists nation wide. Phil receives operations and treatment at Stanford University upon returning to California.
May 19th, 1994. During one of the lowest points in both Phil and Matt's lives, Matt writes the lyrics to "When You're Demented" and reads them over the phone to Phil that same day. The song is completed within the week. The first song that would become part of the rapidly expanding Matt and Phil's band catalog. Most songs written in this early period were written in the context of long, deep telephone conversations.
Phil receives Christ as his personal savior on July, 7th.
Matt gets a job as a Hospitality Guide on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. He is later promoted to Hospitality Guide Supervisor. Loves the job. End of slump, or so it would seem.
Songs include: "When You're Demented" "Rock n' Roll Russ" "Whoa! Hey, Marci" "New Dog Song" "Institutionalize All Insomniacs" "Johnny Came Early" and "The Wonderbra Song"
Songs include: "Waste Of Time" "For Good" "There's An Ace"
1996
Matt books a flight to Los Angeles to attend a seminars on Children's Music and Co-Publishing. Stays with Don Thomas, the man who had previously hired him on as an intern at Epic Records. This was Matt's triumphant return to the music business.
Matt meets Shawn Jackson, whose invitation to Phil's wedding become a major point of contention between Phil and Matt. Phil is concerned that she will not know anyone and be uncomfortable. Matt is offended by Phil's comments and implication regarding the expense, per person, of the event. Matt then declines to attend. Christin then insists that money is not an issue and "she can come if she wants to." Matt gets invitation to bachelor party, decides to go at last minute, and tells Phil at the table, "I guess we're gonna have fun, huh?" Later, during the party, Matt coaxes Phil to play the song he had written for Christin when the two first were courting.
Phil marries Christin Lynn Colwell on May 25th in a church ceremony attended by one hundred and twenty five people. The reception is held at Chaminade. The food is excellent. The cake is delicious and scarce. A good time is had by all. Alcohol is not served.
Matt, in utter disgust, steps down from his position as the Pacific Avenue Hospitality Guide Supervisor.
1997
Phil and Christin move to Redding, CA to help plant a Four Square Church. They are there for eight months. In this time, River Valley Central Redding Foursquare is planted, Phil and Christin welcome the first addition to their family, Bailey the puppy, and Phil makes many great music contacts. They will be forced to move home by the end of the year due to money problems.
Whoa! Matt and Phil's band go online.
Songs include: "Stronger Alone" "Yard Sale" "Put On Your Shades" "How To Love"
1998
Matt and Phil perform "Stronger Along" and "Rock 'n' Roll Russ" at an NCSA open mic.
Madelynn Sue Harrington is born on May 27th, weighing in at 7lbs, 14oz, 19" long, and in perfect health. Band activities grind to a halt, except for a few new songs for the loyal fans.
Songs include: "Origins" "Burn The Tapes" "Nostalgic" "Book Report" and tons of unfinished, in progress stuff.
1999
Matt and Phil's band fails a Y2K check-up. Matt's Hundai goes kaput. Recommendations are made. Phil changes his guitar strings and buys a new computer. Slow year for the band.
The Year 2000
1999 was a year of change for Matt and Phil. Matt had been working for Chaminade for a year, and Phil was working for Cisco Systems. They both were striving to better themselves and their experiences. Matt got a call from his brother, Russ from Rockford, IL. Russ had just been given an ultimatum from his wife to leave his business or else. Russ asked Matt if he would come out and learn the business, and being the good younger brother, accepted the challenge. He became an Expeditor for Tri-State Expedited, a company based out of Perrysville, OH. After a few months of hard work just getting the application finished, and ride-along work, he started the job.
Russ trained Matt the ins and outs of the Expediting business, and Matt would be attentive to the details of the job. Matt learned terms he had never heard before: loads, lot lizards, etc., and saw places that he had only dreamed of seeing. The week before training, Matt had the opportunity to drive to Cleveland, OH to see the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. As Matt walked the halls, he thought maybe one day he and his friends would be honored by this fine museum. Who knows, stranger things have happened. Matt was inspired enough by that trip to write a poem there, and the poetry kept coming. He would spend his time waiting for loads by writing in his journal- poetry and song lyrics. When he got home, he would send the lyrics to Phil. Phil then took them, and due to the hectic schedule of having a family, set most of it aside, and would eventually get back to it.
Phil and Christin, his lovely wife, would have a similar change in their life. Phil was offered a job as a Web Programmer for PAX in West Palm Beach, FL. He accepted the challenge, and moved the family across the country, which is quite an adventure if you think about it.
Matt ended up assisting Men's Wearhouse with opening their store in Rockford, part time- and working for his brother during the week.
