Chris and Bob Kardasz were still in grade school when they played one of their first gigs at the Grange Hall in Old Economy Village.
Approximately 3,800 shows later, the Beaver County natives are still performing. Kardaz, their long-running band, will release its first CD, "Collections: Volume I," on Saturday at Ruth & Herb's Hotel in Ross.
After more than three decades -- the Kardaszes are hesitant to reveal exactly how long they've been performing -- they still exhibit an enthusiasm for their craft that trickles into their workaday lives. Chris Kardasz is one of the resident experts at Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill. Bob Kardasz is the music director at St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Glenshaw.
"You have to look around and find something you're suited to," says Chris Kardasz, who admits the few jobs he had not connected to music didn't last. "I happened to gravitate to Jerry's Records, the world's greatest record store."
"My schooling helps with music in the church," says Bob Kardasz, who has a master's degree in music. "But that also helps in what we're doing as well in what we're doing with the arrangements. By the same token, playing in a rock band also translates to the church because I don't just play the pipe organ. I'll play in a contemporary-style ensemble in the church, so it works both ways."
Even though "Collections" is the first Kardaz CD, the band has released singles on vinyl and cassette, notably the Penguins tribute song, "The Mighty 'Guins" set to Bob Dylan's "The Mighty Quinn."
What might be most surprising is the number of original songs on the release from what is widely viewed as a cover band. Along with covers of songs such as "House of the Rising Sun" and Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," there are nine originals including "Too Old to Change My Ways" and "Live for the Night." They are songs that hearken back to the Kardasz brothers' formative years in the 1960s, and their affection for the Beatles and Beach Boys' vein of pop music.
"We concentrate on melody and harmony and the song structure, doing something original," Chris Kardasz says.
While its muse has always been pop music, it's not a band that has been locked into a routine. When disco was popular, Kardaz concentrated on dance-oriented songs. They've gone the Holiday Inn route, playing hotel lounges. Summers mean performing at outdoor festivals. There were times when the Kardasz brothers dreamed of being a national touring act, but those days have long passed. Chris and Bob Kardasz are just happy to be able to still be playing.
"Some people do it because they're trying to get rich or they're trying to impress girls," Chris Kardasz says. "We do it because we love the music, so we've never gotten tired of it."
The current lineup of Kardaz features Virginia Kardasz (Chris' wife) on vocals, with Art Myers on drums and vocals, and the Hoffman brothers: Mark on keyboards, percussion, sax, flute and vocals, and Jeff on vocals and bass.
Additional Information:Kardaz CD release party
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free
Where: Ruth & Herb's Hotel, 370 Rochester Road, Ross
Details: 412-366-8770
