I first met Joseph Vargo about 6 years ago.  We used to do a little thing called Savini-thon at the Frightvision conventions that were held in the Cleveland Ohio area.  They were great cons back in the day and one of the things that made them so great was meeting folks like Joseph.  We never knew he had anything to do with Midnight Syndicate, he never told us and we never asked.  It wasn’t till years later that I heard the story behind his involvement with the now very popular band.  Over the last few years it has been a well documented thing around this area that there was a good amount of bad blood between Joseph and his ex band mates.  It was talked about behind closed doors and it seemed that no one really ever knew the whole truth behind Vargo’s departure from the band. 

The fore mentioned website attempts to offer up that truth.  There is some pretty wild stuff posted there and it is if nothing else an entertaining read.  The site opens with the disclaimer that reads “This forum documents the truth about Joseph Vargo’s involvement with the band Midnight Syndicate.”  It proceeds to do just that.  Using a left margined menu you can click through a complete history of the band and Vargo’s involvement in it.  The site attempts to show how Midnight Syndicates Ed Douglas has been basically lying about Vargo’s involvement in the band.  They build a compelling case.  Kind of think of this site as a kind of Fahrenheit 911 type of documentary.  They just lay out the quotes and press releases from Ed Douglas and kind of let you make your own decision.  It is pretty damning evidence.

Click here to head on over and check it all out for yourselves.  I don’t think anyone will disagree that Joseph should get his due for what he brought to the band.  If Midnight Syndicate has proof to the contrary then they need to produce this evidence and end this once and for all.  If they have no evidence that what this site is saying is false then they need to own up to the truth and embrace Vargo’s contributions and make sure everyone knows the truth.

Vargo has since moved on in his professional life forming a band called Nox Arcana.  I have had several of the bands CD’s sitting here for several months now and really need to get them reviewed and posted.  I’ll work on making that happen.

I have a feeling we have just seen the beginning of all this so keep it here for the latest developments in this interesting situation.

Qoute from the website:

"I don't know if it's jealousy, greed, ego, feelings of inadequacy, or some other personal problem with Ed. I'm not a psychiatrist, but his behavior seems very irrational to me. In the music industry, there's nothing more despicable than someone who takes credit for another artist's work. (Remember Milli Vanilli?) It was bad enough when Ed Douglas didn't give me proper credit for molding and launching Midnight Syndicate, but when he began blatantly denying the work I did, it was time to let the truth be known. After Ed Douglas began his campaign of lies about my involvement with the band, I decided to set the record straight by presenting the undisputable facts. Yes, we're airing some very dirty laundry here, but it is simply the ugly truth of the matter."  --- Joseph Vargo