In 1996 13th Floor created one of the first enhanced CD's ever produced by an indie group/record company! Given a "B+" in both Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly the groundbreaking CD+ helped the band bring their pop rock music and quirky/unique vibe to people around the world. For more info on the band which is in an indefinite hiatus, email 13thfloor@blaze.net.

For the sake of posterity we include some of the promo for the album below.

Many thanks to all our fans and friends over the years!

New Jersey pop rock group 13th Floor recently completed it's debut "Enhanced CD" entitled Circus Under the Sky. When played in a regular CD player, the CD runs like any other. But, when the same disc is loaded into a multimedia computer, the user interacts with the band, viewing video footage from the recording studio, photographs original artwork, etc.

"The concept is brand new and has only been done a few times by the big record companies," explains Michael Kardos, the band's drummer and co-writer. "We had access to the same technology and knew that we could create something even more fun, more interactive."

"This is a grassroots, independent operation." says Kardos. "Josh Kutchai, (the band's lead singer and pianist) and I were hands-on in every aspect of the project, from production of the music to the design and artwork of the multimedia.

Bo Blaze, the project's executive producer, and band's manager, adds, "Rather than what most record companies do, which is creating computerized liner notes, the band has used the medium as a true art form in itself, which supplements the musical portion of the CD. Most of the enhanced CD you see out there are just some interviews and video clips thrown on a regular CD. This project is multimedia truly living up to it's potential.  Josh & Mike were involved in every aspect of the disc, allowing the viewer/participant/listener to find out more about the band and be part of a cohesive experience. All the artwork and consequentially the "vibe" of the packaging were designed to work with the multimedia portion of the disc to give you a total experience!

The bands hope is that their use of new technology, combined with their original songwriting will set them apart from other new bands.

"I'ts the perfect technology for 13th Floor. These guys are quirky characters, not the typical rock and roll types. Through the multimedia , the user can get a glimpse into the bands personality that they otherwise might not get from a debut CD. Josh's hair is a mess, he and Mike are neurotic and very bright absent minded professor types. I want the world to see that, because it's an important part of their identity and their appeal."

The Enhanced CD also breaks down the wall between entertainment and reality! One video clip shows Kutchai at work arranging string quartet parts for the song "Rhymes and Reasons" The clip was filmed by Kardos on the eve of the recording session while both worked late into the night in his dimly lit apartment. "The starkness of the video coupled with the artwork on the screen creates a real mood," observes Kardos.

"Circus Under the Sky" has been released on "Very Independent Records" and the project is being overseen by Bo Blaze  President of the "Blaze Group" located in Upper Saddle River NJ which includes Blaze Productions a music management /production company, Blaze Interactive, a multimedia company, and BLAZE inter.NET, an Internet consulting firm. Phil Pfisterer, the C.E.O. of Blaze Interactive produced and programmed the 13th Floor multimedia presentation. Pfisterer's other credits include Time Warner's adaptations "The Essential Frankenstein," "Slaughterhouse Five," and the Phillip Marlowe detective series,, "Trouble is  My Business."

The musical portion of the 13th Floor CD is produced by John Wall of New York City. Michael Kardos and Josh Kutchai founded 13th Floor while attending Princeton University where Kardos studied music composition and Kutchai studied theoretical mathematics. The current band lineup also includes bassist John Ross and guitarist Bruce Gatewood, both of NJ.