`Box Of Daylight' Fills Niche With Its Mellotron Sound

Who are they: Box of Daylight is:

Steve Milne, vocals

Max Campbell, drums

Gary Schmidt, guitars

Ric Kilmer, bass

Mark Atteberry, keyboards

Imagine if the Moody Blues teamed up with Rick Springfield. Imagine if the spacey, orchestral, produced sound of the Mellotron, mixed with catchy pop tunes and lyrics like:

You, all I really want is you.

Only you. All I really want is you. . .

I don't need no dream machine to make me see.

'Cause I know you know, baby, you're the one for me.

You're getting the gist of Box of Daylight.

This rock-pop quintet has only been around five months, but its two core members are longtime local musicians. You've probably heard their music, but not in clubs.

For years, Mark Atteberry and Gary Schmidt wrote television and radio soundtracks, writing spot music for the Northwest Home and Garden Show, the Seahawks and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. They won four Emmys for their TV work.

Then they got restless. In the '70s, Atteberry played with a local band. When it fell apart, he began producing music in a studio.

"All along, I was dying to play live. It's everything I've dreamed about," said Atteberry.

He and Schmidt decided to look for a singer. They auditioned 46 singers before finding Steve Milne.

"I had auditioned with quite a few bands," said Milne. "But I was told `You don't have enough hair or you're over 30. But I'm not into this for my looks. And I just clicked with these guys."

They say their music is distinctive because of the Mellotron, a precursor to synthesizers and associated with the Moody Blues, Yes, and King Crimson, which, not coincidentally, are influences on the band's music.

Schmidt had recently heard an old piece of music he had produced with the Mellotron and realized how much he missed the sound, the "vibes and the karma." He ended up buying the original Mellotron used by Michael Pinder of the Moody Blues.

"People always come up to us, and say, `You guys sound great. You're unlike anything we've heard before.' That's the Mellotron."

Also, the band hopes to fill the "adult alternative" niche offering music to "thirtysomethings who aren't into metal, rap, alternative or country," say the members, who are in their mid- to late-thirties.

"There seems to be a gap in music for people in their thirties, and we hope we can fill that spot," said Milne.

Where to hear them: Box of Daylight will open tonight for Valhalla, Jonas Grumby, Baskin Bone and Outcast at The New World, 1471 N.W. 85th St.; 789-8887. They will also play Sunday at the Off Ramp, 109 Eastlake Ave. E.; 628-0232, with Nash, Idol Minds and Majoun. Cover is $1.