The year was 1993.  The band that would become known as ANYONE had been founded by Riz Story, Taylor Hawkins and Jon Davison a few years earlier and after numerous line-up changes and various band names the group had settled into a state of balance and had made much progress in finding the sound that would eventually be known as MAXIMUM ACID.  

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The group had settled on the name SYLVIA in honor of poet Sylvia Plath.  The name wouldn't last long, but what was more important was that the band had found a clear direction.  The push and pull between Riz Story's extremely progressive/experimental direction had blended with Taylor Hawkin's primal rock n' roll influences, resulting in a new breed of progressive acid rock.  It was Taylor who insisted on the addition of guitarist Sean Murphy.  Taylor acknowledged that Riz was the premiere guitar virtuoso in the OC music scene, but he felt that Riz's playing was too technical and gave the band an almost fusion sound.  But it was Taylor's discovery of Riz's ability on the electric bass that tipped the scale.

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Story recalls the moment clearly:  "We'd been jamming in Taylor's garage and Juano (Jon Davison) had to leave rehearsal early.  On a whim I picked up the bass and began to play.  Taylor joined in and we became a rhythm section for the very first time.  Sparks began to fly immediately.  That afternoon we played for hours, discovering a chemistry that was as natural as it was inspired.  The thing was that I was able to follow Taylor anywhere he went.  I said, play anything you want...  I'll follow you there.  And I was able to stick to him like glue no matter how radically he would change it up.  He was totally free to go crazy and explore, and I would be right there with him."

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It would be some time before Jon Davison left the band leaving an opening in the bass position, but Taylor had already decided that he wanted Riz on bass.  It was Taylor who would use his job at the local music store to supply Riz with a bass guitar and amplifier.  Opportunity struck when Taylor had taken in a black Rickenbacker 4001 on trade and saw to it that the bass, a perfect replica of the model that RUSH's Geddy Lee had made famous, wound up in Riz's hands.  

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Sean Murphy's guitar style was much more rock n' roll than Riz's approach.  Drawing heavily from Hendrix, Murphy brought an atmospheric psychedelia to the sound that took the band closer to Hawkin's vision for the group.  Murphy also brought his songwriting abilities to the table, an aspect that Riz readily embraced.  Riz recalls, "It was Sean who brought in some of the most memorable riffs of the early material.  Songs that would become ANYONE favorites, like 'Giving Thrill's' and 'Real' were based on Murphy riffs."  The band lineup was solid and it was time to make a new demo recording.

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The band entered PlasticMeltdown Recording Studios in San Clemente, California and began working with Engineer/Producer Brent Hoffenberg.  The studio was far from state of the art but provided adequate sophistication to capture the budding bands sound.  Riz had amassed much studio experience and helmed the sessions competently enough to produce the music with a surprising level of sound quality.  

Taylor laid his tracks first.  There was no click track used, just the band playing live, following Taylor's fierce drum attack.  Next Riz would lay his distorted bass tracks, tightly merging with Taylor's playing in a way that few rhythm sections could.  The foundation was solid and fertile ground for Murphy to decorate with his atmospheric guitar stylings.  And finally came Riz's trademark lead vocals and Taylor's backing vocals.  The resulting music was a close replica of the bands live sound and stands the test of time to a surprising degree.  

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30 years later we can experience this forgotten sonic time capsule and marvel at the bands unique vision and raw power.  With both Murphy's and Hawkin's recent untimely deaths Riz Story has taken on this labor of love, meticulously restoring and remixing the 30 year old recording and offering it to the world as a loving tribute to his deceased band mates. 

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Riz Story sums up his feelings on 'The Sylvia Sessions' Thusly:

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"It was a miracle that the tapes didn't crumble in the machine after so many years and I'm thankful that Brent Hoffenberg was able to salvage them.  Tears began to flow the moment I heard Taylor's voice counting in 'Dear Sylvia' and Sean's voice teasing me between takes.  It was as if I was transported back in time to this moment when we were a brotherhood. 

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Taylor asked me many times over the years to release the music we had recorded, but I was reluctant, dismissing it as juvenilia.  To honor Taylor's wish I have painstakingly restored, remixed and remastered this album so that you, the millions of admirers of Taylors talents, can hear him at his youngest and most exuberant.  It was a labor of love.

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I present this album as a tribute to these two great artists that for a moment in time were my band, best friends and my brothers.  I love you guys and I hope that wherever you are you'll be proud of this music that we created together." 

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