Jazz trio formed by Carl Hupp (drums), and Jeff Avery (guitar), adding Angelo Cammarata (bass ex-Zebron). “XYZ started out as a side project to GTR (Great Train Robbery) for Jeff and me” recounts Carl. “We wanted to form an instrumental jazz fusion rock blues band and then we decided to add vocals since Jeff was the lead singer for GTR.”
Ben Sherman (guitar –Spectrum, Alloy, Hectic Red) joined the group later in 1993. The quartet played local clubs a couple nights a week and did studio recordings that were eventually released as Sherman’s first ‘solo’ album “First Light.”
Danny Grim (bass, keyboards –Hectic Red) joined the group in 1994, replacing Cammarata, and the trio of Sherman, Grim, and Hupp eventually became known as KGB (1996-97), although Hupp kept XYZ alive 1995-96 with new members Robert Feister (guitar, vocals), and Chris Clise (bass, keys, vocals ex-Alloy). XYZ could be seen regularly at the Ritz, (circa ’94-95), and XYZ then KGB at the Windsor Inn (’96-97)…
Hupp played concurrently with the Killing Floor, and Steam. He later joined Poison Whiskey, and led his Carl Hupp Project… Feister played concurrently with the Scrappy Harris Blues Band… Sherman and Grim were concurrent members of Hectic Red…
