In 1973 Bruce and his friend Brian Phraner started writing progressive rock music. They added Don Freeborn on drums and dubbed themselves "Medusa". After playing as a trio for a bit with compositions that became increasingly complex, they realized that they needed keyboards to fully realize their symphonic vision. Gordon Raphael was recruited and completed the group. They spent the next few years recording and performing around the Pacific Northwest. One local agent described it as "Like having YES in your back yard". Despite some near misses, the band was never signed to a record label and Bruce was forced to leave for "family reasons" in 1978.
