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Long recognized locally for his original material -- a quirky, animated blend of the most challenging and catchy elements of prog, classic rock, fusion, and '80s pop - Matthew D. Guarnere (a.k.a. M.D.G.) has finally decided to let his hair down a little and form an exclusive cover band. As an artist who has always strived to maintain high musical standards over two decades' worth of self-recorded, self-produced material, Guarnere has now grown comfortable with the idea of devoting a project to playing another band's material. His focus? The legendary rock band and American radio staple, Cheap Trick.

So what separates M.D.G. and the No Clones from any of the other tribute bands that are already out there? As far as Guarnere is concerned, it's a simple love of the music. "This band is made up of some pretty hardcore original music peddlers -- we aren't really doing this to satisfy public demand," Guarnere explains. "Cheap Trick's music can be deceptively difficult to play and it's certainly some of the most challenging material I've ever had to sing -- you just can't fake your way through this stuff, and there's such an amazing feeling in the air when we get it right." If Guarnere and his bandmates had wanted to jump on a crowd-pleasing trend, surely they could have come up with a more in-vogue act than Cheap Trick. But Guarnere feels that the time is ripe to revisit and shed some light on this classic band's catalog. As any Cheap Trick aficionado will tell you, although a handful of the songs have become AOR radio staples, much of the band's back catalog remains under-appreciated to this day.

Even more compelling to the No Clones' delivery is that the band consists of Bill and Brian Eberts of the well-seasoned power pop quartet, The Meddling Kids. Both Eberts brothers were already longtime fanatics. "When I first met Bill, we started talking immediately about Cheap Trick bootlegs," enthuses Guarnere, "and of course, we became fast friends after that." The No Clones are rounded out by guitarist Dave Carroll formerly of the Rochester based band, Tempest. "It just feels so refreshing to get together with these guys and play music that's like a common language to us all," says Guarnere.

Common language indeed. Bassist, Brian Eberts is such an avid Cheap Trick nut that he once attended an in-store clinic given by original bandmember and 12-string bass inventor, Tom Petersson. Not long afterward, Brian bought the actual Hamer 12-string bass that Petersson played there in hopes that it might come in handy someday. "The sound of it is incredible," Brian explains. "It's so heavy and full-sounding because it doubles as a rhythm guitar and bass all in one."

M.D.G. and the No Clones dive deep into Cheap Trick's staggering 30-plus year catalog while focusing mainly on material written by the band. With the No Clones' love for Cheap Trick being ever so real, it is only natural to expect cult favorites and chart busting hits alike. And although Guarnere is proud to mention that the No Clones play all Cheap Trick's songs in their original keys, don't expect to see clones of any kind onstage -- no wigs, baseball caps, or knitted sweaters will be worn. No "tricked out" custom painted guitars (like a seven-necked model, for instance) will be strapped on just for the sake of looking like the band. No word-for-word stage raps. No silly role-playing. None of that. It's just four excited guys in a real band playing Cheap Trick songs purely by feel, not by the usual fanatical tribute band standards. It's about sharing the timeless music and enduring spirit of Cheap Trick. No more, no less, No Clones.