Founding members of Ralph's Kind... Running With Sally... Purple Buddha... PHIX...
all now for The Higher Good.
In the autumn of 1997, drummer Chris Sheldon and singer/songwriter Trevor Clendenin met in Boulder, CO. Chris' Vail-based project at the time had decided to move to Boulder to tap into the local scene, and Trevor was just returning from his tour in Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer. Within months, the two had formed 'Running With Sally,' and proceeded to play just about every club along Colorado's Front Range region and in its mountain ski towns over the course of the next 7 years.
Some time in 2001, Chris answered an ad from two musicians seeking to start a 'Phish' tribute band. Shortly thereafter, he and Brad Wilbur, RWS' bassist, founded 'PHIX' with guitarist Paul Murin and Derek Berg of Chicago's 'Ralph's Kind.' As PHIX's following grew, the two bands shared many stages and eventually began playing a series of private parties on Yegge Mountain together with Denver's Purple Buddha. This marked the beginning of a long friendship with keyboardist, Ted Tilton.
Early in 2007, after PHIX announced the end of their 5 year run, Chris and Paul talked about starting a new original band, and asked Trevor (who was playing on the beach in St. Croix) if he would be interested in coming back to CO to be a part of it. Given their long history of friendship and shared musical appetites, it was only natural that Ted was asked to play keys and share his voice after the announcement of Purple Buddha's retirement. All four friends, songwriters, singers, and spiritual pirates believed they had the beginnings of a worthwhile and long-term vision. Then was Stork. Buddha's bassist, his indomitable charm, leadership, and talent were the perfect fit to round out the core of what the group hoped to be a significant part of Colorado's musical landscape for years to come. All five band members hit the woodshed in September 2007 and played their first show to rave reviews at the historic Boulder Theater on April 4, 2008.
