It's not often that the terms "church music" and "lounge lizard" intersect.

Welcome to a world where two seemingly disparate concepts become one.

It all started back in 1993 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Dennis Paul, a young man about to be ordained a Roman Catholic priest, called upon some friends to form a small combo and provide dinner music for the reception following his ordination mass. It was assumed that the standard dinner music would be performed- classics such as "Girl from Ipanema" and "Satin Doll". But the musicians took it a step further. Because of the ecclesial nature of the occasion, it seemed more than appropriate to include several church songs as well, arranged, of course, in the same "Holiday Inn lounge" style of the rest of the set.

"There were a lot of strait-laced church folks out there," recalls pianist X. Cathedra. "I wasn't sure if they were going to dig us or throw silverware at us". The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and thus the genre of liturgical lounge music was born. A friend of the group came up with the name "The Sy Sperling Experience" for no particular reason and it stuck. The SSE began playing their new sound wherever they were welcome: wedding receptions, Catholic social functions, and the like. The members consisted of X. Cathedra on piano, Trent Ephesus on drums, Konstantin Noble on bass guitar, and Chalcedon Florence on guitar.

After guitarist Florence moved to downstate Decatur, the remaining three continued to play as a trio. Legal concerns regarding being named after the founder of Hair Club for Men made it necessary to consider changing the name of the group. Hence the current moniker "The Vatican III".

When bassist Konstantin Noble moved to Nova Scotia in 1999, the group went through a period of dormancy for several years and it looked as though their one-of-a-kind sound would be but a pleasant memory. Drummer Trent Ephesus never gave up on the idea of a recording, however, and in the fall of 2002, The Vatican III made it into the studio and recorded "The Spirit is a-Groovin", a full length album featuring 11 beloved church songs and hymns done in the group's signature lounge style.

Along with the basic trio, 2 of the tracks featured the guitar stylings of Chalcedon Florence.  X. Cathedra contributed clarinet tracks on two songs as well. The repertoire varied from ancient hymns to the popular neo-folk songs of the 70s and beyond.

The sheer love of the music and the enjoyment of playing together comes shining through on every track. What does the future hold for The Vatican III?

"The sky's the limit," says bassist Noble.

"Wherever there's a hotel lobby, airport lounge, or Bishops' conference in need of a mother of a groove, we'll be there."