The Refrigerators

The Refrigerators (late 1995 lineup)

L-R Eddie Frank (bass guitar, vocals), Paul Zeh (keyboards, vocals), Dave Cerrone (trumpet, vocals), John Vatalaro (alto sax), Rob Istorico (lead guitar), Dan McDonald (drums), Jay Yager (lead vocals)

The Refrigerators were an idea I came up with in 1991 when my girlfriend and I went to The Metro in Saratoga Springs N.Y. and saw a band called The Out Of Control Rhythm & Blues Band. I had heard that the band was one of the most popular in the Capital District.

The band was six piece including a three piece brass horn section which was quite a novelty in itself. During their performance I could see that the band was very tight but I kept waiting for when they would "come alive" and get into it. Well, that never happened. The band lacked the element I feel is crucial to a live performance, stage presence.

I had recently dissolved my band Moxie because at that time (early 1990's) rock & roll had been recently labeled as 'Classic Rock" and the younger generation of the 90's was becoming more and more prominent with their "Alternative Rock" sound.

I noticed that the people at the Metro were mesmerized by the horn section of that band. I mentioned to my girlfriend "can you imagine what the crowd appeal would be if this band had some life in them?" That's when I said to her "I think I'm gonna make me one more band before I retire for good". So the idea of forming a kick-ass high energy rock & roll band incorporating a dynamic horn section and tearing up the stages of the Capital District was born in my head that night.

Within a few days I began contacting a few local musicians I knew and settled on ex-Maxi-Dyne drummer Steve Smith. Maxi-Dyne was one of my previous bands. I ran ads in the Metroland Newspaper reading: looking for horn players for "The Next Greatest Band in Capitaland".

A sax player named Tom Laniewski was the first to answer the ad. He said he knew of a trumpet player and soon after Dave Cerrone came aboard. He in turn knew a keyboard player, Paul Zeh and he became the replacement for the rhythm guitar spot.

One of the guys knew of a lead singer so we auditioned Rob McDonough and he became The Refrigerators' first lead singer. After several lead guitar player replacements I contacted my friend Bernie from The Stomplistics. He was unavailable due to his own band but he suggested I contact Rob Istorico. Rob worked at Drome Sound Music in Albany so I went down in person and introduced myself. Rob came to one of our practices and soon agreed to join the band.

Due to personal conflicts drummer Steve Smith left the band so Dave said he had a friend who was a drummer. He auditioned and Dave Hanson became The Refrigerators' second drummer.

For the third horn (Barritone sax) there were quite a few players who came and went. Most notably were Vince Barrone and Mike Dann. Tom Laniewski eventually left the band due to job demands so he was replaced on Alto sax by John Vatalaro.

The Refrigerators hit the stage in mid 1992. Throughout the first 2 years on the Capital Region's circuit most of the gigs were unpaid. I felt it was more important to get the band out on the stages to catch the attention of the people than it was to worry about how much money a gig would pay. I very often paid the band out of my own pocket during this period to accommodate my bandmates for gas money and travel expenses.

In time, I contacted Capital District talent agent Steve Silverman to come out and hear us. He eventually caught one of our shows and he immediately booked us into Sandy's Clam Bar in Glens Falls, N.Y. which was the premiere venue for live music in the Capital Region at that time.

From there, the rest is history. The Refrigerators had a few more personnel changes over the next few years, most notably in 1995 when Jay Yager replaced Rob McDonough as lead singer and Dan McDonald replaced Dave Hanson on drums.

By 1994 The Refrigerators were indisputably the most popular "Party Band" in upstate N.Y. We had become "the band" that I had imagined that night in The Metro in 1991. We were a powerhouse high energy rock & roll band incorporating a dynamic horn section and playing electrifying versions of cover tunes by Chicago, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Blood Sweat and Tears and thundering renditions of old Motown hits like Hold On, I'm Comin' and Midnight Hour.

Origin of the Name:

We used to hold rehearsals at my house in Galway, N.Y. Once I knew that I had the right bunch of fellows together, I knew we needed a name. It was late one night after practice and everyone was breaking down and packing their cars. I said to them that we needed to come up with a name before we all left. So we all began throwing off the cuff names out. I was on my way upstairs from the basement studio to my bathroom and I just started throwing out names that came to mind as I walked up the stairs to the bathroom.

"The Stairs", I yelled out, no response..."How about The Doors" as I opened the cellar door. Someone yelled out, "that name's already been taken". I chuckled. As I reached the bathroom I yelled out, "how about The Bathtubs"? "Noooo", they responded. "How about The Toilets"? A few laughs, but no.

On my way back downstairs I glanced into my kitchen and said, "how about The Refrigerators"....."YES"! That's a cool name, we all agreed. So we put the name "The Refrigerators" on a piece of paper and threw it into a hat along with a few other names we had conjured up and we drew out one name that we all agreed we'd live with. "The Refrigerators" name was drawn from the hat, and the band "The Refrigerators" was born that night!

I left the band in early 1996 and although there have been many personnel changes since then, The Refrigerators are still active and playing around the Capital District as of this writing, with two original members still aboard.

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