To be sure, so many musicians have been through Yes since the band was founded by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire back in the late ‘60s that you really need a computer to keep track of them all. In the case of YOSO, the Yes heritage comes from the band’s original keyboardist Tony Kaye and guitarist / keyboardist Billy Sherwood who briefly entered the Yes dimension during the late ‘80s, recording demos with the band as well as one track that ended up on the Union album.

Tony Kaye’s Yes credentials are a little more extensive. As the band’s original keyboardist, Kaye played on the first three Yes albums – Yes, Time And A Word and The Yes Album – before exiting the position that would be filled by Rick Wakeman. Kaye rejoined in the early ‘80s during a time when Yes did not officially exist, working with then-former Yes members Chris Squire and Alan White on a new band to be called Cinema, which also included guitarist Trevor Rabin.

But when Jon Anderson became involved with Cinema, label execs pushed for the band to revive the Yes moniker, leading to the band’s 1983 album 90125 and the hit “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.”

YOSO’s Toto legacy hales from that band’s original lead singer, Bobby Kimball, the voice you’ve heard throughout the last 30-plus years on songs such as “Hold The Line,” “Africa” and “Rosanna.” Kimball left Toto in 1984 only to return in 1998.

“YOSO was started when I suggested to Bobby Kimball we should write some new music and form a band,” Sherwood said. “We had been working together on various tribute projects that I was producing and one thing led to another. Before too long we had five songs in the can and were well on our way to making a record. That is when we started thinking seriously about taking it to the next level. Once there was a few songs underway the concept grew into the band we have now have, ‘YOSO.’”

Along with Kaye, Sherwood and Kimball, YOSO also boasts the talents of Johnny Bruhns on guitar and background vocals and Scott Conner on drums, percussion and background vocals.

Which brings us to YOSO’s debut album and tour. The album, Elements, debuts July 2 in Europe and July 23 in the U.S. and features a bonus live CD that includes a “Yes Medley” as well as a few Toto tunes.

The tour begins Aug. 11 in Glenside, Penn., at Keswick Theatre Aug. 11, plays Falls Church, Va., at the State Theatre Aug. 12 and lands in Annapolis for a gig at Rams Head On Stage Aug. 15. Other stops include New York City, Kent, Ohio, Newport, Ky., and Rancho Murieta, Calif.

For more information about YOSO, click here for the band’s MySpace page and here for the Frontiers Records website.