Tom Staab and Ray DiStephan first teamed up in 1988 in the 4 man progressive rock band named Passages. After limited success writing originals, the band realized it was easier to stick to covers. But conflicting schedules made it difficult to rehearse and they eventually decided to disband.
     Then in 1992, with the popularity of MTV's Unplugged at its peak, the duo decided to scale down to a more organic setup; two voice, acoustic guitar and simple percussion. Later adding a full (drumKat) drum set sound, bass pedals and a vocal harmonizer, they began to sound like a full band again, albeit without the hassles of multiple schedules. The two soon had all the work they could handle in various clubs and bars in New York City and Long Island. Their catalog eventually included more than 150 titles that spanned The Beatles, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, Hootie & the Blowfish, Billy Joel, and the Eagles to name a few.
     In 1997, they began to write originals again and of talk of a CD emerged. But with little money, no recording expertise, and no management, the prospects of finishing one were dim. For many years tracks would be recorded, only to be put on the back burner over and over again. More info on that here. Still they were absolutely determined to complete it. Late in 2006, the track "Youth" was featured in the TV documentary "Ivy Dreams," thus sealing their resolve. And after one final effort, Painted Faces was released in July 2007; after 9 years, and between them 2 marriages, 4 children, 4 residence changes, 6 job changes, 2 other bands, and contributions to 7 other CDs.