In the summer of 2018, Richie Castellano and his band released a notable cover of Close to the Edge by Yes which in a short time was viewed more than half a million times. “I'm amazed by all the comments,” she wrote in response to the testimonies of affection received from prog fans. «We are not musicians who like to show off. With the video we wanted to demonstrate our love for Yes and their music. We are die-hard fans, we didn't want to appropriate the song or show that we knew how to do it better than anyone else, but to relive our adolescence with joy.”
For the past twenty years, Castellano has played with Blue Öyster Cult. For him and his group, videos like Close to the Edge they were just a fun way to pass the time between commitments. They certainly didn't expect that in the half million people who saw the video there would also be Jon Anderson, the historic singer of Yes, nor that they would see him when he needed a band to accompany him live. “They were fantastic, they seemed happy and having fun,” says Anderson. «I called Richie and said: “Let's go on tour”. And he: “What?!”».
The tour was postponed until 2023 due to Covid and Anderson's various commitments, but it was worth the wait. The new group, which tours under the name Yes – Epics & Classics Featuring Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks, perfectly plays a series of 70s prog masterpieces, from Heart of the Sunrise to Yours Is No Disgrace until Awaken. Once the tour was over, the group dedicated themselves to the production of a new album, Truewith plans to release it later this year.
“I can't understand what happened,” says Castellano. «For me, who went to see Jon in concert, it was a dream. And as a Yes fan, a unique opportunity. I say to myself: ok, we have been given the keys to the kingdom, there is Jon Anderson singing for us, how do we want it to go?”.
Castellano started listening to Yes at 14 when his Uncle Phil gave him a copy of Fragile. «He challenged me to learn Heart of the Sunrise. I thought it was way beyond my capabilities. Once I learned to play it, I became a fan.”
He first saw Yes in concert on September 7, 1994 at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. It was the tour of Talk. «Trevor Rabin drove me crazy. After that I must have seen them seven or eight times. I converted all my friends.”
Once he finished his studies, Castellano found work as a sound engineer for Blue Öyster Cult, which allowed him to occasionally participate in their concerts. When bassist Danny Miranda left the band in 2004, he was offered the position. Three years later, when bassist Rudy Sarzo joined the group, Castellano took on the new role of keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist.
Castellano was in awe of Sarzo, someone who has played with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche via Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Guess Who. One day they were in the van on tour and Sarzo asked him if he had a YouTube channel. No, he didn't have it. «He explained to me that I was making a big mistake», recalls Castellano. «Like: if a kid your age doesn't have a YouTube channel, it doesn't exist. I'll never forget it”.
With Sarzo's help, Castellano opened his own channel and began posting YouTube videos, including his performance of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, which immediately went viral. He also started a podcast with his musician friends and called it Band Geeks. It didn't take him long to realize that people were more interested in hearing them play than hearing them speak. «We eliminated the podcast and became Band Geek, the musical group».
Working with various musicians on a rotating basis, Castellano did it again Here I Go Again, In the Cage, Working for the Weekend And Heaven and Hell. When Yes played, soprano Ann Marie Nacchio joined them.
One day Jon Anderson's webmaster accidentally saw theirs Close to the Edge and put them in touch with Anderson. “On the phone I looked like a complete idiot, I was babbling,” says Castellano. «How many times does your hero, the person you have idolized since childhood, call you on your cell phone? Anderson told me that I looked like a Yes guy from the 70s and that everything was perfect. He spoke and I flew. In the end he said we should do something together.”
There was a factional war going on within Yes at the time. On the one hand there was guitarist Steve Howe leading Yes with drummer Alan White and keyboardist Geoff Downes, on the other the singer with the spinoff group Yes featuring Jon Anderson including Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman. For reasons that have never been fully understood, the Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman lineup broke up in 2018. “It was a fun band,” Anderson says. “There is a story behind it, but now is not the time to tell it.”
Whatever happened, Anderson was left without a band. When he saw Castellano and the Band Geeks play Close to the Edge, saw a path to follow. “I told Richie I wanted to go on tour,” she says. «He says to me: “Jon, are you serious?”. “Yes, I want to play Gates of Delirium, Close to the Edge, Awaken and all the hits of the 70s. If we were to do something like Owner of a Lonely Heartwe'll do it at the end of the concert because above all I want to do the Yes of the 70s, the best.”
It took some time to sort out the logistics, wait out Covid and find a hole in Blue Öyster Cult's plans. Not to mention the fact that Castellano, keyboardist Chris Clark, keyboardist Andy Ascolese, guitarist Robert Kipp and guitarist-bassist Andy Graziano had to learn every little nuance of very complicated pieces to play.
«We did 48 rehearsals for the first tour», says Castellano, «and that was just to fine-tune the parts. Jon eventually started rehearsing via Zoom. He would tell us to change this or that or sing a part with him. He also sang there, on Zoom. Fantastic”.
For Castellano, the hardest part was figuring out how to play the 22 minutes of Gates of Delirium. “There's a pattern of kick and bass that never repeats,” she says. «It's a very long sentence to memorize. If any of your readers know if there is a repeat, please send it to me because I couldn't find it. I looked for it in every way, but nothing. In the end, to learn it I had to invent small mnemonic devices.”
Yes have been playing most of these songs for decades, a further complication. «The point is that over time the pieces change, the tempos change, the sections are cut», explains Castellano. «What is the right version of Close to the Edge? The one they played on the live album Yessongs from 1973? Is it foese the way they did it in the late 70s? Or is it the one on the live album Keys to Ascension of 1996 or on the tour Masterworks from 2000? In the end I told the boys: every way is correct, the 2004 version is just as valid as the 1974 version.”
Anderson insisted they use two keyboard players to add textures that Yes could never reproduce live. “During Close to the Edgejust before the band enters and after the organ solo (during the beginning of the section Seasons of Maned), there is an organ under the Moog,” explains Castellano. «Before we couldn't reproduce both live, now we have another pair of hands to help us».
The 2023 tour was just 12 dates on the East Coast. For Anderson, every night was a revelation. “Very emotional. I remember thinking: I can't believe it, they're all amazing, let's take this thing around the world!
Before starting the tour, Anderson wanted to record new music with Castellano and the Band Geeks, without revisiting the past. The singer lives in California, the Band Geeks in New York and Blue Öyster Cult spend a lot of time on tour, so Anderson would send demos via email, the band would work them out and then they would compare over Zoom. “It was like being back in the '70s, when I suggested ideas to the kids and they, being musicians, developed them,” recalls Anderson. «I just need to play four chords and that's it» (in other cases the opposite happened, it was the Band Geeks who sent Anderson original music).
On May 30th Anderson and the Band Geeks began their new tour at the State Theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It will be longer than the 2023 one, there is already talk of adding shows. Anderson told us shortly before rehearsals began that she envisions a set very similar to last year's, but she plans to scrap Gates of Delirium to make room for two songs from the new album.
«I don't want to displace those who follow us and want to listen to Yes' music», says Anderson. «My dream is to be able to do another tour next year with an hour of new music and an hour of Yes songs. Or maybe we'll mix them all together, who knows».
Whatever happens, Anderson says he will remain with the Band Geeks for the foreseeable future. Castellano still struggles to process the matter. “If someone had said when we started the podcast that we would end up being the band that plays with Jon Anderson, I would have told them to fuck off. I have no idea how we got there.”
From Rolling Stone US.