About Me
Gold, Glory, GirlsCirca early 2001- America was rocking and rolling in a pre-9/11 euphoria. Pot was still legal, people thought The Matrix was cool, and Coming Up Short was blasting out of every CD player in Westchester.In late 2000, CUpS had completed crafting a solid lineup after years of struggling to put together what would become the greatest and most rediculous live band New York had ever seen. For many pain staking months, in and out went the bands' singers, bass players, and horn players. CUpS was even forced to overcome its loss of its first and original drummer, Tommy Nissen, as well as one if its only female members, a bassist/human tuner. Also, the names Baron Von Dumbski and Mystery Mark still resonate throughout the heads of CUpS's original members to this very day. In October of 2000, CUpS had played its first show at Holy Name of Mary, launching a year long phenomenon of musical glory, incredible amounts of money and fortune, and an A-list celebrity status with multiple love affairs with many young women.A year later, in October 2001, Coming Up Short had done the impossible. Under their belt, CUpS had recorded the critically acclaimed "Live From Ray's Grocery Mart," a startling masterpiece of groundbreaking ska and punk music in its most precious and personal forms. To support the classic, the band had embarked on what seemed like a never ending slue of tours accross NYC and Westchester including the triumphant victory at the once in a lifetime and epic "Battle of the Bands" in Manhattan's world renowned Knitting Factor.Perhaps the most brilliant move in their career was Coming Up Short's decision to enter into the realm of the business aspect of the Musical Industry where they had made an obsene amount of money producing and marketing their music and concert series. A band by the name of "Double Standard" had become so green with envy and jealousy towards Coming Up Short's success that they had actually bitched and moaned to CUpS about being blessed with the privelage of being the opening act at a concert instead of being the headlining act. At a point, the band had a reputation of tossing money left and right for the most extravagant luxuries. However the band had always used smart and cut throat business tactics to ensure their success and their musical fortune.In that autumn month of October, Coming Up Short would play their final, highly anticipated, and greatest live performance of all time. The band would use its fortune to finance an extravagant performance of lights, machines, set decorations, props, costumes, and even food for its audience. Simply put, Coming Up Short would go out with a bang so grande, repercussions would be heard in the music industry for years later, and perhaps even decades from now. CUpS would play every song that they had ever performed live including all written songs and all covers ever performed. Fans still remember the event years later in vivid and explicit detail as the single most fantastic and historical event in the music industry at that time. Coming Up Short had made its mark not only in music, but also in culture as a reflection of people and lives at that time.However, of course along with all that success, fame, and fortune, came the affinity and appetite for women. Many. Women. Many. Younger. Women. Each member of the band had at some point found himself immersed in the incredible highs and lows of ecstasy and depression in the affection and desire of Coming Up Short's women and dedicated fans. Perhaps this immersion had become an overwhelming drug for the band. Perhaps this immersion had either contributed to or resulted in the complete destruction and collapse of the band itself. Or, perhaps Pete biking through Europe in the summer like a damn hippie when the band was supposed to tour and record led to the break up. In any event, little is known about what actually happened to CUpS and its members. Should somebody take the time to investigate and travel through the foothills of Cortlandt Manor, Cruegers, and Croton in search of CUpS's members, perhaps the answers and truths behind Coming Up Short will be discovered. Or perhaps, the fragments to an era.
