The Band: A Brief History

Center of the Earth began in the late 1990s. Jon Day, Chris McCarthy, and Jim Reed gathered together to create rock music with a drummer and singer whose names this historian does not recall, playing about the Southeastern Massachusetts area. In Lowell during 1999, the trio enlisted the talents of their old friend Matthew Mittelstadt (better known to most as Duct Tape Boy, or just Tape) on the drums, and soon after recruited Ryan Hagen, former singer for The Brass Monkeys. This group embarked upon a path of composition and live performance unparalleled in the annals of Lowell rock, recording its first album, cleverly titled Center of the Earth in 2001. Many shows were played in venues small and slightly less small, with bands varying from Piebald and Harris to They Might Be Giants and one hit wonders Nine Days. In January of 2002, Ryan decided to leave the band in favor of otherworldly pursuits. The other four clamored long and hard about how to best rebound from his departure, toying with the idea of finding a replacement, but ultimately decided to remain as a quartet, assuming vocal duties themselves.

After much hard work and perserverance, Center of the Earth is back with a vengeance. Plans are in the works to do some recordings of new material, and shows will be played at any venue at any time. Brace yourself, Jason.

Jon

Name: Jonathan Thomas Day
Hometown: Freetown, MA
Current Residence: Brighton, MA
Title: Minister of the Telecaster

Chris

Name: Christopher Thomas McCarthy
Hometown: Mattapoisett, MA
Current Residence: Mattapoisett, MA
Title: President of Bass Operations

Tape

Name: Matthew Adam Mittelstadt
Hometown: Beaver Dam, WI
Current Residence: Lowell, MA
Title: Secretary of the Drums

Jim

Name: James Michael Reed
Hometown: Mattapoisett, MA
Current Residence: Mattapoisett, MA
Title: Chairman of the Les Paul