Sabattis

Sabattis formed in 1968, and were 19 and 20-year-olds that had been playing in bands in their high school years. Jim Marvin (guitars and lead vocalist), Gary Culotta (keyboards and vocals) and Larry Wegman (drums) had played in a previous band called The Image. They did only covers, and when that ended they decided to write and play their own music.
They needed a bass player and were fortunate to meet Rocky Kaler (bass guitar) through a friend. They had composed a few originals, “The Devils in you” and “Green Glass” and they had developed ideas for more stuff. They spent many months rehearsing in basements and attics, composing new songs.
They were influenced by a lot of music. Rock bands like Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple to name a few, as well as blues, and even jazz artists. Most of the clubs in the area (Rochester, NY), were dance clubs, but they were not a “dance” band. They definitely preferred an audience that listened and became part of the song. So they did mostly college venues and concerts. In 1970, the band had the opportunity to record with Mick Guzauski at his small studio. Mick recorded and engineered seven songs that they hoped might land them a good contract with a major label.