Ol' Paint - Ol' Paint (Reissue) (1971/2007)

Merging country-rock, power pop, psychedelia, and progressive rock, Ol' Paint were an obscure band from Central New York State who later won a cult following for their sole album. Formed in Syracuse, NY in the late '60s, Ol' Paint featured Tony Caputo on lead vocals, Andy Mendelson on lead guitar and keyboards, Phil Zeppetello on rhythm guitar, John Bujak on bass, and Richard Mendelson on drums. The group scored a recording contract with GWP Records, a subsidiary of RCA Victor, and they cut their one and only album in 1971 with the help of producer Rupert Holmes, several years before he scored a hit with the single "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." While the album was well-received, it fared poorly in the marketplace, and the band broke up without recording a follow-up. Andy Mendelson and Richard Mendelson later worked with Andy Pratt, best-known for the 1973 hit "Avenging Annie," and in 1980, Mendelson released a solo album, Maybe the Good Guy's Gonna Win, with Richard on drums. Andy and Richard Mendelson went on to a career as a recording engineer. Phil Zeppetello still lives and works in the Syracuse area, and Tony Caputo sadly died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1987. ~ Mark Deming