The Titans! 1986-1988, Ramp-up

The Titans! -1986 (Sound influenced by Austin, TX pop-metal groups)

Members: 

Ken Geraci - guitar, songwriter, vocals

Daniel Geraci-bass, songwriter, vocals

Marc Geraci-drums

Glen Barnes-vocals

Brent Preace-keyboards vocals (Daniel Geraci's friend from Taco Bell)

Events: 

• Raymond Goda became our manager (Ken Geraci's friend from HEB)
• Recorded in the studio again, John Viehweg engineered
• Daniel Geraci became more involved in songwriting
• Had a regular gig on 6th street (Austin, TX) at Sunrise Subs & Deli
• Raymond Goda organized the infamous McNeil party event 
• This was supposed to be the next Lago Party- the band printed up tickets with Marc Geraci and friend John Blankenship selling them for $7 each 
• Two or three other bands were on the billing, but the party was busted by Williamson County Sheriff's Department and the Titans only got to play a few tunes   
• Does one still contact Marc Geraci for a full refund to that busted party?

Memorable Shows: 

• Sunrise Subs & Deli 6th St, Austin, TX (Band Photos)
• Ritz Theater 6th St, Austin, TX
• McNeil mega party, Austin, TX
• Anderson Mill‘s 4th of July Festival (played with Eric Billingsley’s band The Ponies), Austin, TX

The Titans! -1987 (The band went through a Beatles phase, the band's sound reflected this)

Members: 

Ken Geraci- guitar, songwriter, vocals

Daniel Geraci-bass, songwriter, vocals

Marc Geraci-drums

Steve Snyder-vocals

Glen Barnes-vocals

Mike Deleon-vocals

Events: 

• Steve Snyder rejoins the group
• Glen Barnes leaves the band
• Mike Deleon joins the group
• The band starts wearing suits
• November: Brothers Ken, Dan, and Marc Geraci went to New York City to shop demo around  

Memorable Shows: 

• We played our fist TV appearance at Austin Access Station TV Show. We played about 6 songs. 
• The Back Room, Austin, TX 
• Steamboat, Austin, TX

The Titans! -1988 (Our sound became heavier again)

Members: 

Ken Geraci- guitar, songwriter, vocals

Daniel Geraci-bass, songwriter, vocals

Marc Geraci-drums

Steve Snyder-vocals

Mike Deleon-vocals

Events: 

• Recorded new demo in the studio to submit to various record companies
• “Do it Right” was featured on Austin's Glitch Sampler (This one is a compilation of local, Austin TX groups in 1986) and we received favorable reviews 
• Ken and Dan Geraci went to Los Angeles to shop demo around

Memorable Shows: 

• Backroom, Austin, TX (Band Photos) 
• Steamboat, Austin, TX (Band Photos)
• Joe’s Generic Bar, Austin, TX 

Courtesy Marc Geraci. Visit Marc's Soundcloud page for a selection of original music.

Pilgrimage Park

Creating and implementing a good system would be the key to success of my new start-up cleaning company, Prime Concern, Inc.  Keeping expenses low, I rented a 10'x10' windowless laundry closet in the prominently located Century Building (San Antonio,TX) and away I went. 

My favorite cleaning project involved the 1987 Papal visit to San Antonio, Texas. 


The head of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church was coming to my neck of the woods.  You could have even called me a fallen away Catholic but I was still elated.  I was selected to provide the cleaning services to the nearby RV park known as Pilgrimage Park.  Somehow I was inspired by Pope John Paul, II getting out and making the beat, and I was honored to serve travelers and pilgrims coming to see this man, the successor of St. Peter, although I didn't quite make that connection back then.


When it was all said and done, I had front row access to the packed papal mass although the RV camper turnout to Pilgrimage Park was just mediocre.  My staff and I kept the facility spic-n-span as agreed.   Regrettably, the check the promoter (Pilgrimage Park) wrote for payment bounced - I was able to scramble and get everyone paid anyway.

I charged a fair price and paid an above average hourly rate.  Within two years my accountant was congratulating me for being one of his youngest clients to have net sales receipts exceeding $250,000. 

Although I believed in taking care of the customer and employee alike,  at times, either the customer or the employee didn't always take care of me.  Clients would sometimes hire trained staff out from under me and the staff wouldn't always show up when they were scheduled for duty.  This left me to clean the house or lose the client and so I cleaned the house.  If I had understood "offering up" one's suffering I might have persevered a bit a longer but I was getting frustrated and burned-out.

The Titans! 1983-1985, Formative

The Titans! -1983 (Sound influenced by Austin, Texas punk/new wave rock scene)

Members:

Ken Geraci- guitar, songwriter, vocals

Dan Geraci-bass, harmonies

Marc Geraci-drums

Kevin Farmer- lead vocals (Daniel Geraci's friend from Westwood high school)

Joel Ziener-rytham guitar

Tony Lovaglia-Keyboards, vocal

Events: 

• Kevin Farmer and Joel Zeiner join the band
• Tony Lovaglia joins the band during the summer (Vince Polombi’s friend from Binghamton, New York)
• TheTitans! made our first club appearance at the Data Gallery 
• opened up for Ty Gavin  (comments from both Ty Gavin and Ken Geraci regarding the band The Next)

Memorable Shows: 

• The Data Gallery, Austin, Texas  USA, (Band Photos) 
• Westwood High School, class of 1983, Melanie Barr’s graduation party
• Westwood graduation party
• Smitty’s Arcade on Lake Creek Parkway, Austin TX (Band Photos)

The Titans! -1984 (Sound became more influenced by pop-metal groups)

Members:

Ken Geraci- guitar, songwriter, vocals

Daniel Geraci-bass, harmonies

Marc Geraci-drums

Steve Snyder-vocals

Leslie Bockoven-vocals 

Events: 

• Kevin Farmer and Joel Ziener both quit the band on the same day
• Leslie Bockhoven brought in (Ken Geraci worked with her at HEB, Austin, Texas)
• Steve Snyder worked with Ken Geraci at Reale’s Pizza  
• Ken was impressed with Steve’s singing along with Frank Sinatra records

Memorable Shows: 

• Smitty’s Arcade on Lake Creek Parkway, Austin TX 
• High school party in Leander, TX

The Titans! -1985 (Sound continued to be influenced by pop-metal groups)

Members:

Ken Geraci- guitar, songwriter, vocals

Daniel Geraci-bass, harmonies

Marc Geraci-drums

Steve Snyder-vocals

Glen Barnes-vocals

Ricky Trevino-keyboards

Events: 

• Recorded first demo tape in a semi professional studio- “Think About our Love Again”
• Added keyboardist Ricky Trevino (Ken Geraci worked with him at HEB)
• Titans ran an ad in the Austin Chronicle and found vocalist Glen Barnes

Memorable Shows: 
 (all in Austin, TX)

• Various high school parties
• 4th of July Anderson Mill Picnic
• Sunrise Subs 

Courtesy Marc Geraci. Visit Marc's Soundcloud page for a selection of original music.

First Gold Record

Four years later, at the age of 23, taking my best friends to a George Thorogood concert in my brand new Jaguar XJ6 sedan was certainly a high point for me.  This was 1987, I had received my first gold record in sales, I was making $50,000 a year and I had fully absorbed American materialism, the "Think and Grow Rich" mentality and the "you can (and should) have it all" attitude.   

Gary Geraci with his first Gold record, 1987

I was investing in cassette programs to the likes of Zig Ziglar and other Nightingale Conant "self help" guru programs - for self improvement purposes; to learn how to reign in even greater amounts of material wealth and success for "me, me, me."  I had even hired a certified financial planner at the time whom incidentally, had been thoroughly against the Jaguar acquisition.

Having moved to San Antonio, TX just a year few years earlier, I rented my first apartment next to Churchhill High School, and started buying guitars, amps, and effect pedals again - all on a "door-to-door" salesman's commission income.

I was doing sales training in the field one day with a deeply religious guy name Moses (his real name) and we came across this distraught older gentleman, tearful and obviously overcome by grief having just lost his wife to a terminal illness.  Rather than do our sales pitch, Moses led us to our knees and commenced to offer a prayer to God for the healing of this man's heart and for the well being of his wife's soul.  As strange and awkward as this was for me, I never forgot it nor the look of momentary peace and gratitude that came across this man's face.

Amidst the Catholic sex abuse scandal, the Jimmy Swaggart scandals, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker debacle of the 80's, etc., I had become thoroughly disgusted and indifferent towards any sort of organized religion whatsoever.  In my ignorance and selfishness I was of the opinion that it was all just one great big money making scam and perhaps even a method of controlling the masses.  "They" weren't going to get any of my money.  Besides, I totally subscribed to doing good for others as one wants them to do onto oneself and I had always "loved my neighbor."  I really thought of myself a good person, loved everyone, and worked hard to make sure everyone loved me. 

Meanwhile, the feeling of invincibility continued to grow within me; I could do most ANYTHING if I just set my mind to it and kept a positive mental attitude while pursuing it.  I even envisioned a way to get back to Austin and rejoin my brothers who were taking it up a notch now with the band, The Titans!  I would do it by starting my own company, a house cleaning company called Prime Concern Maid Services. 

The ID badge that I would wear on customer visits and inspections.

Record Labels and Contracts

With the success of the '82 Lago show, brothers Ken and Daniel Geraci were now hard at work writing original music and honing their playing and singing talents.   Inspiration was flowing and a sense that this was no longer a hobby prevailed.  The major record labels still signed bands back then and to get signed, a band needed both talent and great "original" material.

Marc Geraci was now 12; the fire for drums burned ever brighter feeding a certain gift and talent for the kit.  He would take it up a notch, drumming twice a week in living room jam sessions that followed.  The vacancy of the rhythm guitar spot I had occupied was filled by several great musicians; mostly high school friends, work mates, etc.

After graduating 13 weeks of grueling military basic training, I too was on top of the world, for a short time anyway.  I found out that I could skip church, listen to what my mother called "devil" music (Black Sabbath), smoke cigarettes, swear with the guys and all sorts of other "fun" things and not be struck by lightning or immediately cursed, so to speak. This new found freedom felt good but, looking back, I was both a product of the American pop culture of the day, impatient for acquiring what amounted to shallow happiness after short-lived happiness and a kid whom had developed a clouded vision of where true freedom really existed.

By the grace of God, my military career was cut short and I was honorably separated from my contract after just seven months of service, unharmed and with my whole life ahead of me.