Quarkspace

First a {psychedelic} collective in the 1980s, Quarkspace grew up to become one of America's best {space rock} outfits from the 1990s. The group's albums have all been released on drummer Paul Williams' Eternity's Jest label and can be split into two categories: the "real" albums and the Spacefolds series. The latter chronicles the group's evolution by quickly releasing {improvisations} played at rehearsals. Quarkspace stemmed from a number of spin-off projects, the main ones being National Steam, the Ashtabula County Spacerock Big Band, and Church of Hed.

Quarkspace was formed in 1984 in Columbus, OH, and was first called Quark! College classmates Jay Swanson (keyboards), Darren Gough (guitar), and Kevin Wherry (bass) began to jam together and cover tunes by Frank Zappa, Camel, and Neil Young. Soon {singer/songwriter} Chet Santia and drummer Paul Williams joined and the group began playing frat parties and bars in and around Columbus. The general interest of the members quickly centered on {psychedelic}/{space rock}. But in early 1986, Santia and Williams left to concentrate on school, and, after carrying on with new musicians, Quark! disbanded a year later.

Read More