TAZ began to form when Karl Peck and George Dimitri felt their current band SNOW WHITE was stagnating. Mutual management acquaintances brought them together with drummer Mike DelBorello and guitarists Karen Kreutzer and Lori Price. The group practiced at Mike's house in Clinton, MD, writing original songs while learning several covers of several current metal bands to help fill their live set. In April of 1988, the band headed into LSP Studios in Edgemere, MD, to record a five-song EP, engineered, mixed and mastered by Les Lentz. Four original songs and a cover of the band HAWAII's version of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love". Kreutzer was good friends with Marty Friedman (HAWAII, CACOPHONY, MEGADETH), so he would give TAZ his blessing to record HAWAII's version of the 1967 rock classic. Late 1988 saw Kreutzer, Price and DelBorello move on from TAZ. Kreutzer would join a local band called WICKED LESTER and played for a short while in the all-female LA-based band PHANTOM BLUE. Price and DelBorello would go on to other endeavours. Left with no band, the duo of Dimitri and Peck once again started from scratch. Their management would introduce them to a guitarist whose time with the group would be brief. Guitarist Ed Avella would answer an ad posted in the local Maryland Musician Monthly and join the band. Within this time, Dimitri would meet drummer John Sennett and guitarist JR Kelly through an ad they placed looking for players for their project. Sennett would end up joining TAZ as the band's new drummer. Not long after, Kelly would step in to fill the rhythm guitar vacancy, having only one week to learn the entire setlist and be ready for a show at the Paragon in College Park, MD. The newly solidified TAZ line-up got to work writing more original music. In November of 1989, the group entered Basement Floor Productions in Sparrows Point, MD and recorded six more original songs with engineer Tim Miskimon. TAZ continued to play clubs like The Rage, Paragon and Network around the Baltimore/DC area. The band disbanded in 1990.
