The band is a new venture among keyboard player Steve Mossberg, drummer Duncan Arsenault and singer-guitarist Craig Rawding. Mossberg and Arsenault put Collapsible Three together after their previous joint project Giraffe called it a day. Mossberg, who is busy with a solo project, and Arsenault, who is a member of The Curtain Society, jammed as a duo at Tammany Hall's open mike for a couple of months before recruiting Vibrotica frontman Craig Rawding.

photo: Dickie Cummings

The three worked on developing their improvisational chops and figuring out ways to mix Rawding's live impressionistic vocals with samples triggered and looped by Arsenault from his drum kit. Mossberg worked at crafting the heady organ melodies and deep-groove bass lines, also handled via keys, to create a framework for the more adaptable elements of the music. Mossberg described the learning curve for the band as akin to creating a group painting.

After playing out of the limelight now for a couple of months, Collapsible Three is ready to hit the masses.