bio

Doctor Dark took off where the Old Farts At Play ended.  Besides Beefheart material, they also perform a coupe of Zappa tunes. Doctor Dark started out as: Bill Saunders: vocals Joseph Nolan: guitar  (guitar player in Kimono Draggin') Travis Moody: guitar Larry Apuzzo: bass Stephen Chillemi: drums A couple of months later Larry Apuzzo was replaced by Bob DeMarchi. picture on the right:  ©2003 - john columbus www.johnmcolumbus.com

July 2003, the band performed at the Zappanale festival in Bad Doberan, Germany.

February 2004, Bob DeMarchi was replaced by Peter Brunelli.

The band's 2005 Zappanale concert got broadcast on the internet and was also made available in very limited quantities (22 copies) on DVDR by the Arf Society.

Shortly after the Zappanale concert, Peter Brunelli and Stephen Chillemi left the band. They were replaced by Eric Slick on drums and Warren Brelsford on bass.

Doctor Dark Bill Saunders: vocals Joe Nolan: guitar Travis Moody: guitar Warren Brelsford: bass Eric Slick: drums left to right in photo standing: Joe Nolan , Bill Saunders, Travis Moody sitting: Eric Slick, Warren Brelsford and special guest Chris Cretella
April 2011, after a couple of years of silence, Doctor Dark reformed. Bill Sanders: vocal Will Inauzzi: bass, keyboards Joseph Nolan: guitar Travis Moody: guitar Stephen Chillemi: drums
August 2012, Doctor Dark performed at Zappanale. Their concert featured Gary Lucas as special guest.

check their site at:  www.doctordark.org

discography

	doctor dark: sampler 1 - playing the music of captain beefheart     (2002, cdr, usa, private release) - most compositions by don van vliet, one by frank zappa
	doctor dark: live at toad's place     (2003, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet
	doctor dark: electricity     (2003, 2cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet and/or frank zappa
	various artists: zappanale 14 - 2003     (2004, 3cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	various artists: zappanale 14 - retrospective     (2004, dvd, ger, the arf society) - feat. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	various artists: zappanale # 14     (2004, cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	eugene chadbourne: live with doctor dark     (2005, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet
	doctor dark: live at toad's place     (2005, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet and/or frank zappa
	doctor dark: live at the 2005 zappanale     (2005, dvdr, ger, arf society) - all compositions by don van vliet or frank zappa, feat. napoleon murphy brock
	eugene chadbourne: duck chad     (2005, cdr, usa, chadbourne products) - incl. van vliet compositions, feat. doctor dark
	various artists: zappanale 16     (2006, 3cd, ger, arf society) - incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions, also incl. one van vliet composition
	various artists: zappanale 16 - retrospective     (2006, dvd, ger, the arf society) - feat. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	doctor dark: metal men     (2006, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet and/or frank zappa
	doctor dark: live at toad's place - april 19, 2006     (2006, cdr, usa, private release)  - all compositions by don van vliet and/or frank zappa
	various artists: zappanale # 16     (2006, cd, ger, arf society) – incl. various artists playing frank zappa compositions
	doctor dark: aft era rest     (2012, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet

concerts

• 2002/11/17    concert 'brass city records', in waterbury, ct., usa
• 2002/12/14    concert 'buttonwood tree', middletown, ct, usa

• 2002/12/21    concert 'the el 'n gee club', new london, ct, usa

• 2003/03/10 concert 'cafe 9', new haven, ctn usa

• 2003/04/13 concert 'bar', new haven, ctn usa

• 2003/04/30 concert 'alchemy', new haven, ct, usa

• 2003/05/03 concert 'billy's cafe', west haven, ct, usa

• 2003/??/?? concert 'pearl street night club', northampton, ma, usa

• 2003/05/15 concert 'kenny's castaways', nyc, ny, usa

• 2003/06/06 concert 'station 58', new london, ct, usa
• 2003/06/15 concert 'toad's place', new haven, ct, usa
  • part of this concert can be found on
    • doctor dark: live at toad's place
          (2003, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet
      
• 2003/06/25 concert 'the skybar', somerville, ma, usa
• 2003/07/10  concert 'iron horse', northampton, ma, usa
• 2003/07/13  concert 'as220', providence, ri, usa

• 2003/ 07/ 26 concert "zappanale 14", bad doberan, germany

• 2003/09/04 concert 'cafe 9', new haven, ct, usa

• 2003/09/28  concert at the 'bar', new haven, ct, usa, opening for the legendary John Sinclair.
• 2003/10/16  concert ‘higher ground’, winooski, vt, usa, opening for Project/Object

• 2003/11/14 concert 'billy's cafe', west haven, ct, usa

• 2003/11/20 concert 'cafe 9', new haven, ct, usa

• 2003/12/12  concert '50 fitch street', new haven, ct, usa

  • a registration of this concert can be found on
    • doctor dark: electricity
          (2003, cdr, usa, private release) - all compositions by don van vliet and/or frank zappa
      

• 2004/02/29 concert 'the knitting factory', nyc, ny, usa
    (with the paul green school of rock  and napoleon murphy brock)
  

• 2004/04/16 - 18  at The Zappa Festival, Philadelphia, PA, usa  (cancelled)

• 2004/06/18 concert 'cafe nine', new haven, ct, usa  (??)

• 2004/06/25 concert 'cafe nine', new haven, ct, usa 

• 2004/08/05 concert 'rudy's', new have, ct, usa

  • blimptro * veteran's day poppy * lo yo you stuff * electricity * big dig * doctor dark * moonlight on vermont * sun zoom spark * sugar 'n spikes * the torture never stops (frank zappa) * the past sure is tense * safe as milk * big eyed beans from venus

• 2004/10/30 concert 'cafe nine', new haven, ct, usa
   

• 2004/12/05 concert 'the cafe nine', new haven, ct, usa  (backing Eugene Chadbourne)

  • plastic factory * click clack * moonlight on vermont * they died for bread * everyone knows it's lindy * pursuance * riverman * sandy lynn's blues * ring of fire (phillipino labor mix) * backwardstown * up against the wall, redneck mother * i talk to the wind * girl from al-quaida * beat it * steal softly through snow * dust blows forward * orange claw hammer * booglarize ya, baby * veterans day poppy * doctor dark * pachuco cadaver * smithsonian institute blues

  • a 52-minute audience video recording of this concert circulates
    

• 2005/04/05 Doctor Dark  &  Project/Object - concert 'Toad's Place', New Haven, CT, usa
   

• 2005/05/07 Doctor Dark & The Voice Of Cheez - concert 'Nitzche's', Buffalo, NY, usa
   

• 2005/07/22 Doctor Dark - concert 'the monkey bar', danbury, ct, usa

Travis Moody: guitar
Warren Brelsford: bass
Eric Slick: drums
Bill Saunders: vocals
Joseph Nolan: guitar

• 2005/10/16 concert ’toad’s place’, new haven, ct, usa  - special guest: Steve Aceta on saxophone  /  - opening for Project/Object
  
• 2006/04/01 concert 'Cafe Nine', New Haven, CT, usa
  
• 2006/04/19 Doctor Dark & Project/Object - New Haven, CT, 'Toad's Place'

• 2012/07/03 Doctor Dark - 'Cafe Nine', New Haven, CT
• 2012/07/14 Doctor Dark - 'Mr. Beery's Pub', Bethpage Long Island, NY
•  

random notes

here's a picture out of the a German Newspaper the day after the Zappanale festival, August 2005:

2006/03/20
a message from Bill Saunders:

After a much needed winter break, I'm happy to announce that Doctor Dark is back with some new performance dates, and an expanded line-up.  Granted, you need to come to New Haven to see us, but its a nice little trip....

Last October we opened for Project/Object with a new line-up that included Eric Slick on drums and Warren Brelsford on bass.  There are several selections from that performance on line at http://doctordark1.tripod.com/audio.html.  Steve Aceta also joined us on saxophone on 'Torture Never Stops".

Eric's big gig is as the new touring drummer for Project/Object, so he will be pulling double duty on April 19th, when we open for P/O at Toad's Place, here in New Haven.  This kid's been making quite a stir in the music world since graduating from the Paul Green School of Rock.  Read this wild on-line review,

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A26EW6FJ4L941G/ref=cm_cr_auth/103-6430162-7001410?%5Fencoding=UTF8

This time around, we also have special guest, Chris Cretela on Guitar.  Chris and Joe are working hard to unravel some  clattering troutmask gems to unleash on an unsuspecting public(Ella Guru, When Big Joan Sets Up, Sweet Bulbs, ...)  Will Ianuzzi will also be joining us on accordion for a fun version of HarryIrene. And Steve Aceta will be back with some crazy sax. 

Chris, Warren, and Steve also play together in this awesome jazz band, Goose Lane Check it out here.  Good  stuff.  http://www.gooselane.org/.

In addition to the April 19th show with Project/Object, will be playing on April 1st, at Cafe Nine, here in New Haven.

Also on this April Fool's Day bill is The Fighting Cocks, featuring Philo Kramer fromt the seminal punk band FEAR (who, incidentally shared rehearsal space with Captain Beefheart in the early eighties), and Baboon Nature (http://www.myspace.com/baboonnature), an experimental free improv featuring Chris Cretela on Guitar.

Cheers!

-- Bill

2006/04/14

Bill Saunders, better know to you as the Doctor Dark vocalist wrote a nice piece in a local paper on Eugene Chadbourne’s December gig in New Haven.

You can find it at:

http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/archives/index?searchPhrase=chadbourne&submit.x=26&submit.y=8

Bill told me that the April 1^st gig of Doctor Dark was good, and that it had Steve Chillemi sitting in on the drums because Eric Slick couldn’t make it. He will be behind the kit on April 19 though, where Doctor Dark will be sharing the bill with Project/Object.