Fifty Feet Tall (or “50 Feet Tall,†the preferred handle) was a ’90s outfit that held together a motley band of starry-eyed man-children to rock New England and the Tri-State Area. They formed in Hartford, Connecticut, then migrated to New York City, where they remained until their split (more on that later). Although there was one long-time originator (John Thudium) and a few on-again/off-again sidemen (Chris Tino, Tim Lagosh, Darren, etc.), the definitive lineup was Chris Wiedemann (vocals and guitar), Mike Mongillo (bass), and Bobby Judkins (drums). These somewhat ill-fitted cogs were compelled mostly by artistic integrity and partially by brushes with fame and fortune to disseminate their own special brand of vanillay musical goodness upon the masses and, most of the time, had fun doing it. For a time there was something great that worked like crazy but this too is a story of tragic youth, wasted and spent, and living up to the title of their only full-length CD, 50 Feet Tall did indeed “Crash†and slow-burned as it shambled into an atmosphere of dissimilar ambitions, artistic differences, and life in general. Last time they checked in with each other, though, everyone said that they look back on it all fondly. So there’s that, right. That and the music that remains. Enjoy!
“So-called Career†Highlights:
Deep Elm Records 7-inch Release
Top-30 College Radio Airplay
Opening for the Smithereens
Sharing the Bill with Nada Surf
Sharing the Bill with Papas Fritas
Sharing the Bill with New Radiant Storm King
Being, More or Less, the “House Band†at Under Acme
Painting Themselves Silver
Dating Supermodels
