Band Profiles
Onset is an acoustic duo comprised of multi-talented musicians. We are mainly a cover band that likes to put our own spin on everything, and get everyone at our gig singing and dancing. We will have original music posted here in the near future so stay tuned. Until then you should definitely come check us out at our gigs in the area, we guarantee you a kick ass show.
Rob Wass
My love for music began while sitting in front of my $75 Casio keyboard, which I received as a Christmas gift from my parents at age 9. Steve Baker (the pianist for Beatle Juice) taught me how to further my skills and knowledge of the piano. While learning how to play, I developed an appreciation for singer/songwriter and pianist Billy Joel. This influence helped transform me into the musician who later ended up enrolling and graduating from Berklee College of Music.
I never intended on becoming a singer, in fact, while enrolled at Berklee, I assembled a group of talented musicians who later became known as the band "West Entrance". West Entrance intended someone else to be the lead singer but somehow I ended up with the responsibility. Steve Callan (awesome guitarist and web-designer) began co-writing songs with me. We recorded an album titled "Quarter Life Crisis" and began showing off the band in the college circuits around New England, and dominating the stages at popular clubs like "The House of Blues" in Boston and "The Down Town" in NY City. The band did alright, that was until we broke up. Jon Evans and Brian Novello moved on to a new project "New Hip Stereo" a.k.a. "The John Frederik Band" and Steve Callan married my wonderful sister and became my brother-in-law.
I met S.F.C. Rob Rayne and Keith Brackett at the Blue Shamrock in Lowell. Mr. Rayne and Keith played in an acoustic trio called Last Call. I remember, I was blown away by Keith and Robs musical ability and later joined forces with them to start our own acoustic trio, but what should we call ourselves. Sgt. Rayne suggested Denali, and it almost stuck, until one dark rainy night I was being driven around, lost in Cape Cod with Mark Ottariano, when we were forced to swerve on to the road by an immobile sign, ""Welcome to Onset"" it read. Mark turned to me and said ("Dude, Oh my GOD!") I then replied ("Dude, that is an awesome band name!") I know that this is not the greatest of stories, but this is how Onset was born, what do you want from me?
About a half a year passed before S.F.C Rob Rayne had to be deployed to Iraq. We support him and hope he gets home safely so we can all jam-out on stage again.
Another half a year passed when I decided to go white water rafting with a bunch of friends up in Maine. This is where I met Will Faust the man who was born with his right hand on his left side and his left hand on his right. Yep, Will is a lefty, its OK though, no one is perfect. Ha ha so I had the privilege that weekend of playing music with Will and I was amazed! I had zero doubt that Will needed to be involved with this Onset project.
Ok, so this is how Onset became as we know it today but here is something you don't know. Yeah we kick ass and rearrange hundreds of cover songs into acoustical ear candy, but we write as well. Onset is slowly becoming a cover band with its own original album. This thing is going to rock! We will keep you posted as we progress further, until then, see you at the show!
Will Faust
I, Will Faust, have always been around good music. My father, Dan, has been playing drums for over 40 years, and loved the music of the 1960's and 70's, so, when I began playing the guitar at the age of thirteen, my inspiration came from music of that era. Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Boston, Aerosmith, and so many others really inspired me to strive to become a great musician. It was a Jimi Hendrix album, however, that changed my view on what I wanted to do for the rest of his life.
I taught myself guitar for two years before getting lessons from Luigi Grasso, an amazingly talented musician and teacher, and he introduced me to the world of jazz. After 3 years of lessons I came to a turning point. I was thinking about going to college for music, but was not 100 percent sure that I really wanted to. Then, I got a chance to play on stage at my friend Eric Kapantis's annual Fourth of July party with Captain Morgan and The Rum Runners, a local cover band of unbelievable musicians, who were also Berklee Alumini...I was decided.
I enrolled at Berklee College of Music after High School, and I loved it. I was learning a lot, but I had such a desire to write, record, play, and start making a living off music that I left after three semesters to pursue many job opportunities. I started teaching guitar and bass and right away got offered a job teaching at Scotti Piano and Music in Peabody. I was also working for Edge Images, a DVD company, doing soundtrack work. It was when i got a job as a a stagehand for Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, though, that I got an itch to start performing agin. I was working setup and sound at a bunch of shows, and looking out into a crowd of thousands of people and it reminded me why I got into music in the first place...to entertain people and put on a kick ass show!
I was working on my own solo music and bouncing around between different bands looking for a great project to join when I met Rob Wass up in Maine at a rafting trip (that we all later got thrown out of and banned for life). Rob and I played music, entertaining a crowd of people gathered around a bonfire, all drunk and tired, for hours and hours, and it was awesome. I was amazed at Rob's voice...I was also amazed that someone who went to Berklee didn't know one bit of music theory...none the less, he talked and talked about this Onset thing and I was very interested. A couple weeks later Rob and I started rehearsing, and here we are today.
