Episode 2: Flyers, Pizzerias & Fate
How friendship, flyers, and pure chance built a band that would define a moment in time.
Every great band story has that one “meant-to-be” moment — the instant where everything clicks into place, often by complete accident. For Ultra Violet Vinny, those moments came wrapped in flyers, pizzerias, and the hum of guitar strings at a Long Island Sam Ash.
The Pizzeria Connection
After his early jams with Chris Sana, Matt Lee’s passion for original music was burning hotter than ever. The two had already built a solid foundation, riffing on ideas that would eventually morph into the UVV sound. But bands don’t become bands until more players join the fire.
That’s where fate walked in — wearing a guitar strap.
Matt had met Scott Miller at a local pizzeria. They talked often — about life, about the scene, about everything except music. Then one day, Matt walked into Sam Ash in Huntington, NY, and there was Scott — standing in line, holding a guitar.
It was one of those wait, you play?! moments that can change everything.
Matt struck up a conversation, invited Scott to jam, and that first rehearsal was all it took. Scott loved the music, loved the chemistry, and joined up without hesitation. The lineup was starting to take shape.
Enter Jim Pergolizzi
Every good band needs texture — the kind of sound that fills the air and gives songs their soul. Scott happened to know just the guy.
He introduced Jim Pergolizzi, a local keyboard player from the same town. Matt and Scott invited him down for a jam, and once again, the energy was undeniable. Jim’s keys wrapped around the guitars like light over shadow. The songs instantly had new life — deeper, fuller, more cinematic.
Another puzzle piece locked in.
A Wild Party & a Fateful Voice
Then came Paul.
One night, Matt found himself at a wild Long Island party — the kind that felt more like a rock video than a social event. Somewhere between the noise and neon, Matt started talking with a guy who, as it turned out, was a singer.
That singer was Paul Stoddard.
Matt handed Paul a demo and told him to give it a listen. A few days later, Paul showed up at rehearsal, grabbed the mic, and owned it. His voice cut through the room with power and edge — the missing piece the band had been searching for.
Paul liked the music. The band liked Paul. Just like that, Ultra Violet Vinny’s frontman had arrived.
Bass, Grit, and the Final Member
With the core lineup forming, the band still needed one last element — the low-end thunder. Matt reached out to Steve Amend, a well-known Long Island producer he had been working with.
When Matt asked if Steve knew any bass players, Steve didn’t hesitate: “I’ve got your guy.”
That guy was Tony Carroccia (T.C.).
T.C. came down to rehearsal, plugged in, and instantly locked into the groove. His style meshed perfectly with the band’s evolving sound — heavy, melodic, and full of punch. After that first jam, everyone knew it: the lineup was complete.
Fate, Flyers & the Spark of Something Bigger
By the end of 1991, Ultra Violet Vinny wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was a living, breathing band — guitars, keys, drums, and a powerful voice ready to cut through the noise of the Long Island rock scene.
Each member had come through chance, timing, and a touch of divine orchestration. A flyer in a pizzeria. A random meeting in a music store. A wild party. A producer’s tip.
Sometimes fate doesn’t need to shout — it just needs to play the right chord.
⚡ Next Episode: The Name in Neon
The band had the players. Now they needed an identity — a name that would shine bright in club lights and echo through the halls of Long Island rock.
Ultra Violet Vinny Blog Episode 2: Flyers, Pizzerias & Fate
Episode 2: Flyers, Pizzerias & Fate
How friendship, flyers, and pure chance built a band that would define a moment in time.
Every great band story has that one “meant-to-be” moment — the instant where everything clicks into place, often by complete accident. For Ultra Violet Vinny, those moments came wrapped in flyers, pizzerias, and the hum of guitar strings at a Long Island Sam Ash.
The Pizzeria Connection
After his early jams with Chris Sana, Matt Lee’s passion for original music was burning hotter than ever. The two had already built a solid foundation, riffing on ideas that would eventually morph into the UVV sound. But bands don’t become bands until more players join the fire.
That’s where fate walked in — wearing a guitar strap.
Matt had met Scott Miller at a local pizzeria. They talked often — about life, about the scene, about everything except music. Then one day, Matt walked into Sam Ash in Huntington, NY, and there was Scott — standing in line, holding a guitar.
It was one of those wait, you play?! moments that can change everything.
Matt struck up a conversation, invited Scott to jam, and that first rehearsal was all it took. Scott loved the music, loved the chemistry, and joined up without hesitation. The lineup was starting to take shape.
Enter Jim Pergolizzi
Every good band needs texture — the kind of sound that fills the air and gives songs their soul. Scott happened to know just the guy.
He introduced Jim Pergolizzi, a local keyboard player from the same town. Matt and Scott invited him down for a jam, and once again, the energy was undeniable. Jim’s keys wrapped around the guitars like light over shadow. The songs instantly had new life — deeper, fuller, more cinematic.
Another puzzle piece locked in.
A Wild Party & a Fateful Voice
Then came Paul.
One night, Matt found himself at a wild Long Island party — the kind that felt more like a rock video than a social event. Somewhere between the noise and neon, Matt started talking with a guy who, as it turned out, was a singer.
That singer was Paul Stoddard.
Matt handed Paul a demo and told him to give it a listen. A few days later, Paul showed up at rehearsal, grabbed the mic, and owned it. His voice cut through the room with power and edge — the missing piece the band had been searching for.
Paul liked the music. The band liked Paul. Just like that, Ultra Violet Vinny’s frontman had arrived.
Bass, Grit, and the Final Member
With the core lineup forming, the band still needed one last element — the low-end thunder. Matt reached out to Steve Amend, a well-known Long Island producer he had been working with.
When Matt asked if Steve knew any bass players, Steve didn’t hesitate: “I’ve got your guy.”
That guy was Tony Carroccia (T.C.).
T.C. came down to rehearsal, plugged in, and instantly locked into the groove. His style meshed perfectly with the band’s evolving sound — heavy, melodic, and full of punch. After that first jam, everyone knew it: the lineup was complete.
Fate, Flyers & the Spark of Something Bigger
By the end of 1991, Ultra Violet Vinny wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was a living, breathing band — guitars, keys, drums, and a powerful voice ready to cut through the noise of the Long Island rock scene.
Each member had come through chance, timing, and a touch of divine orchestration. A flyer in a pizzeria. A random meeting in a music store. A wild party. A producer’s tip.
Sometimes fate doesn’t need to shout — it just needs to play the right chord.
⚡ Next Episode: The Name in Neon
The band had the players. Now they needed an identity — a name that would shine bright in club lights and echo through the halls of Long Island rock.
Ultra Violet Vinny Blog Episode 1: Before the Amp Was Plugged In
Episode 1: Before the Amp Was Plugged In
From garage dreams to early jams.
Every band has an origin story. For Ultra Violet Vinny, it didn’t start in a packed club, under neon lights, or in a recording studio. It started with air guitars, broomsticks, and the kind of wild imagination only kids with big dreams could have.
The First Stage: A Living Room Takeover
The seed was planted when a young Matthew Lee sat glued to the TV, watching KISS in all their pyrotechnic glory. The lights, the costumes, the riffs — it wasn’t just music, it was larger than life. Right then and there, Matt decided: this is what I want to do.
So he did what any future rock guitarist would do: he formed his first “band.” Armed with tennis rackets and broomsticks, Matt and his friends declared themselves the new KISS, ready to take over when the real one retired (lol). Matt took on Paul Stanley, Dan became Gene Simmons, Steven filled the role of Ace Frehley, and Rob — the only one with actual drumsticks — naturally stepped in as Peter Criss.
Every Saturday, their “rehearsals” turned a suburban living room into Madison Square Garden. And while it was make-believe, the passion was very real.
From Pretend to Plugged-In
At some point, Matt asked the question that would change everything: “Why don’t we actually learn how to play?”
The broomsticks were swapped for guitars. Tennis rackets went back in the closet. And slowly, through practice and persistence, those childhood friends began to actually make music. It wasn’t just KISS covers anymore — Matt’s curiosity started pulling him toward writing original songs.
Even then, Matt wasn’t imitating. He was creating.
Meeting Chris Sana
It wasn’t long before fate stepped in. One day, Chris spotted a “Guitarist Wanted” flyer. Answering that flyer led him to Matt Lee, a fellow guitarist with a style that locked in perfectly with his.
The two jammed, and instantly knew they had something worth chasing. Together, they began sketching out riffs, trading song ideas, and talking about the next big step: forming a full band. Their first working name? AzO (Absolute Zero) — a nod to the scientific term for the coldest possible temperature. A fitting start for a sound that was about to heat up.
The Chemistry That Birthed a Band
Matt’s sound was evolving fast. He was experimenting with different guitars, pedals, and tones — sculpting the foundations of what would eventually become Ultra Violet Vinny’s raw, gritty, and unmistakable voice. With Chris at his side, the sparks of something bigger were undeniable.
Long Island’s music scene in the early ’90s was alive with clubs, cafes, and bands pounding the pavement for a shot. Against that backdrop, the pieces of UVV began to align.
But that’s just the beginning….There’s a lot more to come.
Ultra Violet Vinny: The Band That Wouldn’t Fade
A Docu-Style Blog Series by NY Christian Rock Guitarist Matthew Lee
Before Christian Rock called his name, before faith became fuel for his fretboard, Matthew Lee was the driving force behind one of Long Island’s most electrifying underground rock bands: Ultra Violet Vinny.
This blog series is a backstage pass into a band that pounded the pavement before the internet, before streaming, before algorithms. A band that jammed with grit, hit the NYC club scene like a freight train, and dared to dream bigger than the dive bars and demo tapes they lived and breathed.
Through dusty flyers, scratched demos, and the fading memories of fluorescent-lit rehearsals, we’ll chronicle how a bunch of young dreamers nearly cracked the code — and maybe still will.
From garage jams to headlining for Superstars like Night Ranger. From Project Frenzy to whispers of a reunion. The legend lives on.
Let the tape roll…Episode 1: Before the Amp Was Plugged In
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