Abacus Jones met in a small club south of Pittsburgh about 10 years ago when the Materkowski brothers (Joe and Tony) went to check out a local Blues band that was all the rage. The air had a smell of Lambrusco and asbestos. Joe and Tony, who were teenagers at the time, fell in love with the vibe the band was throwin' down that night. The Chuck Ramsey Band, fronted by Chuck himself, was a complete anomaly. Chuck was a sixty-something Motown era session bassist who had played with everybody who was anybody. In his retirement, he decided to put together a Frankenstein group with a mysterious drummer and a bombastic guitar player named Shawn. Oh, and Jason Cursi played congas with them too. After a 10 year Spinal-Tappish quest for a drummer with their band Ahab and distractions such as college and solo projects, Joe and Tony learned of Chuck's passing and decided to put together a tribute concert in his memory. Yeah, Jason played that too. The boys had so much fun that they just had to carry on. Abacus Jones was born.