Chris Marolda
Chris comes from a family of singers and musicians, and some of his earliest memories were of watching his mother, aunts and uncles making music, and then eventually participating himself. Marolda family reunions often feature a band comprised of any number of musical cousins ranging from drums to saxophones. Chris’ father was a booking agent in the 1970s, which exposed Chris and his bassist brother, Joe to gigging rock bands at a very early age. These experiences would set the tone for the lives of both brothers as they matured into actively musical adults.
From elementary through high school, Chris was involved in chorus and theater workshop and eventually became the lead guitarist in the pit band used by Plainville High School for talent shows and musicals. That pit band featured members of Chris’ first band, Sparrow (1984), including his bassist brother and his good friend, Mike Sloane. After graduating, Chris went on to play in various Connecticut bands, including The Bottom Line (1986), Up In The Air (1987), The Other Band (1988) and The Ross Burba Band (1989).
In 1992, Chris teamed up with Ross Burba bassist, Rob Michell to form an acoustic duo called The Status Quo (they didn’t realize at the time that there already had been a British band by that name in the 1960’s). This project would be the most successful and long lived so far, resulting in a busy schedule of 50+ performances/year spanning a six-year partnership between Rob and Chris. In 1996, they changed the duo’s format by adding computer-controlled, synthesized backing tracks and a heavier, more electric sound. To mark these changes, the band was renamed Boondoggle.
It was during this period that Chris also participated in a recording project with songwriter, Scott Ligon from Northampton, MA. Scott had come to New England from Maryland after the break-up of his previous band, Panic Lions and had written new material for a solo album. After the recording sessions, Chris agreed to tour with Scott's new band in order to promote the album, Doctor Baby Head. The Scott Ligon Band, eventually renamed Tripp O'Dometer and his Band of Musicians that Play Instruments, wrote and recorded several CDs between 1992 and 1996 before splitting up.
In 1998, Rob Michell announced his retirement from Boondoggle. During the search for a replacement Chris’ wife, Annmarie met Jim Heetmann while assisting in the delivery of his son. Jim joined readily and Boondoggle forged ahead for another six years until Chris and Jim decided to pull the plug in favor of forming a band in 2004. Boondoggle played its last performance on 12/31/04, although the two formed the Chris & Jim Acoustic Duo late in 2005 in order to pick up occasional work when the new band was unavailable. Late in 2006 the duo added percussionist Mark Caps of Woof, but enthusiasm for the project gradually fizzled out and the trio played it's last performance in the summer of 2007.
In 2004 Chris and Jim had decided to hire a bassist and drummer to form a four-piece band devoted to funk covers, funked up classic rock, and possibly some funky socio-political original material. After auditioning 10 or 12 bassists and drummers, Chris and Jim selected Dennis O’Neil and Bob Sieracki to join the new project. Dennis and Bob had been making music together since they were kids, and the new partnership was seen as the merging of two duos. Rehearsals began in February of 2004 and Funk Brokers, Inc. (FBI) played its first performance the following June.
In 2006 Kimberly joined the band, and in 2007 we hooked up with Billy, Allan and Terrance of the Bad-Ass Brass horn section. Late in 2007 Kimberly was replaced by Lee-Ann Zarrella, and in 2008 we began working with horn players Cole Christie, Amory Lester and Charley Marenghi.
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