Biography
How To Build A Rocketship was a Tucson, Arizona-based band that existed from the summer of 1997 to the fall of 2000. The band consisted of three core members - Jason Garthwait (lead vocals and guitar), Mario Cordova (bass, 12-string guitar, keyboards), and John Matzek (drums and backing vocals), with a rotation of bassists (founding member Ernie Natiello, Matt Calabresi, and Brandon Gonzales). HTBAR, according to a press release, "was built on the idea of playing honest music with emotion and expression, and thrived on always finding something new to explore within each song." The band garnered comparisons to Radiohead, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Spaceman 3, The Church, and Built To Spill.
The band released a self-produced EP called Masonic Blueprint in early 1998. Thank You Easter Bunny was released independently in the summer of 1999. It was produced by Jim Waters (Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Pixies) and remains their only proper full-length release, though a second full-length exists in unmastered form. The four original members of HTBAR have recently reconnected from opposite coasts, and are discussing the possibility of mastering and releasing the album.
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