Nextime

In the latter half of 1988, bassist Rob Maher and drummer Chuck Fanelli had been trying to form a band that would play original music in the style of the Post Modern/Alternative Rock they loved. This was a time when Pop Metal was king, and cheezy hair bands abounded, and alternative really WAS alternative.
They had just graduated from different High Schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania that year and had been in a couple of various bands on their own. Rob, attending Lansdale Catholic was playing for a classic rock band called Farmer Vincent who was practicing for the High School talent show along with a couple of other kids in his class. When they were in need of a drummer, a mutual friend had recommended Chuck Fanelli, who'd also been in a couple of bands along with kids in his own High School, Pennridge. Chuck was a combination of both football jock and punk. Sporting a long mohawk, he was a very social extrovert, being friends with football team, cheeleaders, and punks alike. Chuck seemed to be able to stir up a conversation with someone of his similar interests almost anywhere he went, and wherever he went, he always knew someone.
The two developed a common bond in that they both were tired of the Classic Rock and Metal that was so pervasive, and when Farmer Vincent disbanded, they vowed to start a band of their own finding musicians and a singer who would play the type of Alternative music they enjoyed. After playing with a few different bands and several different musicians that didn’t quite share this vision, they eventually formed a band called QB Austin with a guitarist/singer Brent Quick. They practiced at Chuck’s mom’s house in Hilltown, PA. This band was a trio, and to fill out the sound it was decided to add a keyboardist. Chuck knew one from his class at Pennridge, named Dave Tobias.
Dave appeared to be a pretty conservative person at first meeting. Though a keyboardist, his musical interests were all things metal and guitar. Still, he was interested in this new band's alternative direction, and had a keyboard that could fill out the guitar melody and bass and drum rhythm's with a wide atmosphere. And, he had the most comfortable toilet seat anyone had ever used. The band was soon jamming with a couple of unfinished original songs one of which was an early version of “Die Laughing” then called “Boy I Am”. Soon after however, Brent departed the band and the three were soon looking for a singer and guitarist once again.
When attending Lansdale Catholic, Rob had known of a guitarist with a lot of talent named Matt Raber. He was impressed with Matt’s band at the talent show the previous year, and thought it would be worth a shot to give him a call out of the blue and see if he’d be interested in at least jamming with him, Chuck and Dave and see where things went from there. Matt was a quiet and reserved character, who when he wasn't playing a guitar, which was almost constantly, could be found outdoors smoking a cigarette. He seemed to be able to play almost anything he wanted to play on his guitar, and it always sounded good. He had become somewhat famous at parties being able to play a song from just about any band that anyone could think to shout out as a request. Matt showed up with his Fender Strat, and a bowling bag full of wires and effects pedals he called his “bag of tricks” and they had a productive jam session. As it turned out, Matt had been writing some original guitar pieces on his own and introduced some of it to the rest of the guys.
Around this same time, Chuck had posted an ad at a local music shop advertising for a singer in the Alt/Rock style. Soon after Matt joined the jam sessions, a singer came to check out this newly formed band. He was a Gothic style dresser who always wore black no matter the weather, had hair reminiscent of Robert Smith, and chain smoked. His name was Steve Terwilliger. Steve’s dark and Gothic style soon earned him the affectionate nickname “Batman”, with his car dubbed the accompanying “Batmobile”.
Steve liked the original music concepts he heard, and he started to record these jam sessions. He would go home, and while at the Laundromat waiting for his clothes, would write lyrics to the music he had on tape. He’d come back to the very next practice with finished lyrics to whatever he’d heard before. By the spring of 1989, the band had a few songs of their own including “Die Laughing”, “The Paper Factory”, and “Silent Rage”.
Chuck brought in a manager for the band, Arianne Terry. He’d worked with her at a local retirement home and she would help the band with photos, press packs and bookings. Now the band just needed a name, and Steve suggested the name “714 February”, and it was adopted by this newly formed band. They performed at a couple of parties under 714 February, but soon settled on a new name, “Nextime”.
Soon, they had some additional original songs, “Time 2 Times”, “Glass Eye” and “The Shell”. Steve’s lyrics offered a dark, yet unique and interesting perspective on life, relationships, and mysterious characters, while the music, heavily driven by Raber’s melodic riffs and Dave’s atmospheric textures offered a sort of neo-psychedelic type of sound.
Over two different recording sessions that summer, the band laid down the tracks for their first demo tapes. All six of their original songs were recorded. Also that summer the band started to play out anywhere and everywhere that they could get booked. They became familiar with clubs from Reading to Kutztown, to Bath. The band started to learn the art of playing out together and often could be seen at a place called BK Sports bar, which on weekends would have a large crowd from the nearby Albright College.
Late in 1989 however, the band had differences with Steve, and eventually parted ways with their singer/lyricist. The next few months were tumultuous for the band. Many singers were auditioned including a female singer who almost joined the band, but no one could be found who could fit the bill for what the band was looking for. Having not found a singer yet, the band had an opportunity to play out at a New Years Eve party on the last day of the ‘80s and Matt Raber proved a capable lead singer to take over on vocals while still playing all guitar parts. Still, the search for a singer continued.
Soon after that gig, the band introduced Richard Gerth as their new singer, and started practicing at his parents house with a new name, The Principles. A fateful decision was made early on to replace the lyrics Steve Terwilliger had written for some of the Nextime songs and start performing them with all new lyrics and titles. This proved later to be a point of bitterness and contention for the band, one of many in fact. Creative and personality differences became too much for the band to stay a cohesive unit, and soon after Richard Gerth was let go as a singer, the rest of the band split as well. Rob Maher and Chuck Fanelli did a short stint with a folk/rock band that summer. Matt Raber and Dave Tobias reformed the band with drummer Mike Yorty and bassist Mac McDermott, with Raber now singing lead vocals.
McDermott was not with the band very long, and soon after, Rob Maher re-joined his old bandmates. A new name was picked for this latest incarnation, “Age of Exposure”.
For the rest of the story, visit the Age of Exposure site here: