The Gathering Field
Encyclopedia
The Gathering Field were an American
rock quartet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, who recorded five album
s from 1994 until 2001 before going on an "infinite hiatus" in 2002.
The Gathering Field legacy began in a burned-out third floor in Grove City, Pennsylvania
, when Bill Deasy
, Dave Brown and Rusted Root
percussionist Jim DiSpirito "isolated themselves for the weekend with guitars, tequila, microphones and recording gear". An obscure, rare recording was born out of that weekend, appropriately titled "The Lost Weekend", which was never made commercially available.
, began playing a song called, "Lost in America". The song remained in rotation for over seven months. Based on the success of the self-titled CD, the group garnered a major label deal with Atlantic Records
, who re-released the CD.
Soon after they signed to Atlantic Records and "Lost in America" was re-released, there was turmoil at the label. The album charted on the Billboard
Top 100 album chart, Radio and Records and various other industry publications but ultimately the CD and group got lost in the shuffle and they attempted to be released from their contract. When they finally succeeded, they released two more CDs; Reliance and So Close to Home, the latter consisting of songs the band had played live for several years but never recorded. During that time Deasy also released a semi-acoustic solo album called Spring Lies Waiting, produced by Brown.
Deasy now records as a solo artist and continues to be a prolific songwriter. His song "Good Things Are Happening" was the theme for ABC
's Good Morning America
from 2001 to 2004. Since his departure from The Gathering Field, he has recorded with artists such as Bob Dylan
, Bruce Springsteen
, John Mellencamp
and Patty Griffin
. His music has been recorded by Martina McBride
, Billy Ray Cyrus
, Howard Jones
, Kim Richey and The Clarks
.
Zelek formed the Joe Zelek Band. They had their music used by television stations such as WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
, WFTV
in Orlando, Florida
, and Fox Sports West in Los Angeles
, California
. The band has also played the main stage at the Jamboree in the Hills
since 2007.
Riebling continues to record music, and has emerged as a web designer for several artists and groups that he has been associated with.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock quartet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, who recorded five album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s from 1994 until 2001 before going on an "infinite hiatus" in 2002.
Formation
The Gathering Field legacy began in a burned-out third floor in Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, approximately north of Pittsburgh. It is the home of Grove City College, a private conservative Christian liberal arts college; General Electric; Instron; USIS; George G. Howe Co.; and a number of small businesses. It is also the home to...
, when Bill Deasy
Bill Deasy
Bill Deasy is a singer-songwriter, recording artist and author born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the late 1980s Deasy's musical start blossomed at open stages in and around Pittsburgh. Within a few years Deasy and his band, Shiloh, outscored Rusted Root to win the 1991 Graffiti Rock...
, Dave Brown and Rusted Root
Rusted Root
Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, Native American, and Indian influences...
percussionist Jim DiSpirito "isolated themselves for the weekend with guitars, tequila, microphones and recording gear". An obscure, rare recording was born out of that weekend, appropriately titled "The Lost Weekend", which was never made commercially available.
Career
The Gathering Field line-up ultimately became Deasy on vocals and acoustic guitar, Brown on lead guitar, Eric Riebling on bass and Ray DeFade as drummer. DeFade left the group and was replaced with Joe Zelek. Their first independent release, the self-titled "The Gathering Field", was met with great reception around the region and they started playing to packed clubs. However, the band's popularity really skyrocketed when one of the region's most powerful rock radio stations, WDVEWDVE
WDVE is a mainstream rock music formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE." WDVE's transmitter is located on Pittsburgh's North Side...
, began playing a song called, "Lost in America". The song remained in rotation for over seven months. Based on the success of the self-titled CD, the group garnered a major label deal with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, who re-released the CD.
Soon after they signed to Atlantic Records and "Lost in America" was re-released, there was turmoil at the label. The album charted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top 100 album chart, Radio and Records and various other industry publications but ultimately the CD and group got lost in the shuffle and they attempted to be released from their contract. When they finally succeeded, they released two more CDs; Reliance and So Close to Home, the latter consisting of songs the band had played live for several years but never recorded. During that time Deasy also released a semi-acoustic solo album called Spring Lies Waiting, produced by Brown.
Hiatus
Refusing to use the words "break-up" when describing their status, The Gathering Field went on an "infinite hiatus" in 2002.Deasy now records as a solo artist and continues to be a prolific songwriter. His song "Good Things Are Happening" was the theme for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
from 2001 to 2004. Since his departure from The Gathering Field, he has recorded with artists such as Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
and Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
. His music has been recorded by Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
, Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
, Kim Richey and The Clarks
The Clarks
The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of twenty years, they have produced a total of 12 studio, live and solo releases, selling near a quarter of a million copies....
.
Zelek formed the Joe Zelek Band. They had their music used by television stations such as WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, WFTV
WFTV
WFTV, channel 9, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Florida that is licensed to Orlando. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter between Bithlo and Christmas. Owned by Cox Enterprises, WFTV is sister to Independent WRDQ. The two stations...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, and Fox Sports West in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The band has also played the main stage at the Jamboree in the Hills
Jamboree in the Hills
Jamboree in the Hills, also known as the "Super Bowl of Country Music," is an annual four-day-festival of country music in the rolling hills of Morristown, Ohio in Belmont County...
since 2007.
Riebling continues to record music, and has emerged as a web designer for several artists and groups that he has been associated with.
Discography
- The Gathering Field (self-released, 1994)
- Lost in America (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1996) - Reliance (Onoma Records, 1999)
- So Close to Home (Mudpuppy Records, 2001)