*MARCH 12,
2005* Posted to the Texas '60's Music
Refugee eList: "There is a new book,
13th Floor
Elevators: A Photographic History of Easter
Everywhere being released at South by
Southwest next week. For those who are attending,
Roky will be signing the book on
Thursday, March 17 at 3:30 PM at the SXSW 2005 Tradeshow
at the Austin Convention Center. If you can't
attend the book signing, the book can be purchased online. This new
book contains never seen before photos of The 13th Floor Elevators.
Included are both live performance shots and photos
taken in the studio during the recording of the
legendary record, Easter
Everywhere. There are many rarities
such as a two-page color spread of the only known
photo of all five Elevators that recorded
Easter Everywhere photographed
together. Also included are new interviews with
Roky Erickson, Danny
Thomas, a never before published mini-interview
with Tommy Hall and a letter to
Elevators
fans from Clementine Hall. This
is a limited edition book was designed to provide the
highest quality reproduction of these amazing
photos. Most of the images are 8 1/2" X 11" in
size."
*MARCH 11,
2005* Before Edward James
Olmos (if you don't know the name, you know the
face - he's currently starring in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA)
became a popular actor, he was lead singer for
The Pacific
Ocean, a popular '60's rock band that
frequently played the famed Sunset Strip. Coming
June 1st is Walk Don't
Run, a new book written by Olmos' pal
(and Pacific
Ocean drummer) Rusty
Johnson on the successes and struggles of
the band in the 1960's. Check out the site for
photos, and a sample chapter. Looks like a very
interesting read...
*MARCH 11, 2005*
Here are the "Class of
2005" Hall of Fame inductees. In Iowa, The Last Chapter,
Jags,
Mustangs,
Senders,
Truth &
Janey, SOULution, Rhythm's Children,
Spartans,
Larry Dowd & The
Rock-A-Tones, and Roarin' Red Dogs (special
out of state inductees). The cermony is scheduled
for the weekend of September 3rd - 5th in Arnolds Park
on West Lake Okoboji...In Minnesota:
The
Fendermen, Marvelous Marauders,
Crow,
Canoise,
Castaways,
and Epicureans.
*MARCH 11, 2005*
A Tribute to
Steve Dodge
is scheduled on Sunday, March 20th, at the
Rhythm Room in Phoenix. Dodge,
who passed away last year, was a member of Phoenix band
The Vibratros (and
Frantics). In addition to performances by
three Vibratos, members of
Phil & The
Frantics, P-Nut Butter, Sonics, and The Unusual Us are all
expected to attend. And be on the lookout (via
eBay) of an upcoming CD, an Epiphany
release on the Mascot
label: Tonight Only: Battle of the
Bands between The Vibratos and
P-Nut Butter
(featuring the music of the two house bands
that played Jack Curtis' VIP Club on 7th Street).
All
profits on this release will be donated to The
Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in
Steve's name. You can check out the cover
in the Release Dates section.
*MARCH 10,
2005* It looks like the rumors
were true. The greatZakary Thaks have been
added to Ponderosa Stomp
#4!
Scene from recently discovered
Jim Morrison
film
*MARCH 10, 2005*
From a Brendan Farrington penned
article for the Associated Press:
"Before The
Doors'Jim Morrison
made it as a rock singer, he wanted to make films. Now,
34 years after his death, the state of Florida has found
and restored what it believes to be the earliest film of
Morrison, shot in the early '60s when
he attended Florida State University. It was discovered
when the Department of State went through 1,000 films in
its archive...The clip was discovered last year among
films WFSU, a PBS station operated by the university,
donated to the state in 1989 and was recently posted to
the state's film archive Web site after being digitally
converted. It will air on VH1 this Friday....'To see
that this may very well be the very first video footage
of Jim Morrison just shows you we have
such a rich history in our state,' said Secretary of
State Glenda Hood, who said she was a Doors fan. 'Isn't it
exciting to know that he is part of Florida State
University history and part of Florida history and now
people can experience this?'"
*MARCH 9,
2005*Alec Palao
kindly provided some information on his latest
projects. Coming real soon from Big
Beat are the two newest Nuggets
From The Golden State titles:
"THE PEANUT BUTTER
CONSPIRACY - SPREADING FROM THE
ASHES due on Big Beat for
April...Traces the development of this consummate West
Coast group from their folk rock roots as The Ashes in 1965, through
to a remarkably prolific peak in 1967, when the band's
songwriting team was producing far more material than
could fit onto their regular releases. 26 tracks
recorded 1965-1967 and all new to CD, including 19
previously unissued....THE
CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND - MELTS IN YOUR BRAIN,
NOT ON YOUR WRIST due on Big
Beat for May...Comprehensive 2-CD survey of the
San Jose garage kings career 1965-1967, featuring every
track the band released/recorded in upgraded sound
quality and with several alternate/unissued versions.
The 2-CD compilation is neatly divided between the
'real' Watchband
and the 'studio' Watchband, to finally
explain the mystery behind those later album cuts.
Deluxe booklet with mostly unseen photos and comments
from all the band members and producer Ed
Cobb....Finally...THE BEAU BRUMMELS - MAGIC HOLLOW
release probably in April or May (not on
Ace/Big Beat, rather Rhino
Handmade). Magic
Hollow's producers - and major
Brummels fans
- Alec Palao and Andrew Sandoval have left
no stone unturned in making this lavish and exhaustive
4-CD anthology the last word on the Beau Brummels' legacy.
Across 113 tracks, it traces the original group's career
via hit singles, album tracks, B-sides and other
rarities, from their very first studio demos, pre-Autumn
Records, in 1964, to outtakes from the acts final
acclaimed long-player, 1968's Bradley's Barn.
Indeed, a full 42 cuts are unissued, many from the later
Warner Brothers era, when the Brummels recorded a
tremendous amount of stellar material that never saw the
light of day. The music is accompanied by an extensive
chronology and music guide by Alec
Palao, assembled with the full co-operation of
the band and their associates, in addition to many rare
and unpublished photos from the archive."
*MARCH 5,
2005*Oldies.com is advertising a
Cameo Parkway Story
(1957-1967) 4-CD Box Set scheduled
for release on May 3rd by ABCKO.
Artists of interest include The GTOs, Terry Knight & The
Pack, ? &
The Mysterians, Ohio Express, Bob Seger & The Last
Heard, and The Rationals.
Hopefully this opens the doors to complete
retrospectives on the above (and other) groups.
*MARCH 4,
2005* The online edition of the
Albuquerque Tribune features
an excellent interview with the Lance Monthly's
Dick Stewart, King Richard & The
Knights, and the '60's Albuquerque scene
in general. Written by Ollie Reed, Jr., the article is great reading...
*FEBRUARY 28,
2005*Sundazed's
April reissues include the promised CD reissues, with
bonus tracks, of three Davie
Allan & The Arrows LPs:
Apache '65, Blues
Theme, and The Cycle-Delic
Sounds Of. All three are mastered
from the original Tower label mono masters, and include
comprehensive liner notes, rare photos, and interviews
with Davie. Also slated for April
is The Byrds: Another
Dimension, a collection of "unheard recordings
and alternate versions of recordings from the legendary
5D sessions." Available
on limited edition deluxe gatefold double 10" 33
1/3 vinyl, the release will contain photos from the
transcription of The
Byrds press conference circa 1966,
featuring Roger McGuinn, David
Crosby and Byrds publicist
Derek Taylor.
*FEBRUARY 28,
2005*Michael Greisman of Cicadelic
Records provided additional
information on the in-development Blue Things boxed set: "I
count about thirty plus previously unreleased
masters/songs/takes, which would include source masters
for previous material that was on acetate only.
That includes all eight Damon acetate sides of the band
as The
Blueboys, the previously
unreleased 1965-1966 Audio House session masters ,
I Can't Have Yesterday Audio House rehearsal
tape, etc. There (will) also be many previously
unseen photos."
*FEBRUARY 27,
2005* Some independent CD releases
to look foward to and coming in the next few
months - and all being assembled by members of the
bands - include: Four
More (Jerry Chandler
and the group responsible for the classic Problem
Child has several unreleased recordings from '66
and '67. The band is also preparing an official
website in which to make the CDs available);
The Tears
(RT Salazar's great Bay area group is
compiling an Anthology including unreleased recordings
as well as a single by The
Oxford Circle that he and his brother
Bob provided backing vocals for); and The D-Men / Fifth Estate
(Ken "Furvus"
Evans is preparing two different CDs: a "Best
of" and an entire CD of previously
unheard performances recorded live by the band that
hit it big with Ding Dong The Witch Is
Dead). We'll provide all the information
needed in order to purchase copies as soon as the
details have been
finalized.
Upcoming Seeds Gig in Asbury
Park, New
Jersey
*REVIEW* In
our Feature Films Cameos section you'll find a listing
for ONCE UPON A COFFEEHOUSE, an obscure
1964 film that featured an appearance by The GoldeBriars. It was
with great surprise, then, when we were contacted by
Dottie Holmberg-Waddell, a founding
member of The
GoldeBriars. Dottie has completed an
eBook detailing her two year stint (1963-1965) in the
1960's folk-rock group, and was kind enough to send us a
copy. Titled Whatever Happened To
Jezebel?, the eBook is an incredibly
complete and thorough history of the band. Fondly
remembered today by collectors of 1960's "sunshine" or
"harmony" pop, The
GoldeBriars consisted of
Dottie, sister Sherie,
Ron Neilsen and Curt
Boetcher whom, of course, would practically
revolutionize the "sunshine pop" genre through his later
work with The
Millenium, The Ballroom, and
Sagittarius.
Since the disc focuses primarily and largely
on the short two year period that the group was in
existence, there is plenty of space to include scores of
photos (personal and publicity, performance and behind
the scenes), newspaper articles, clippings, and song
lyrics and - if that wasn't enough -
Hopscotch, a 1966 solo effort
that was not included on Sometimes Happy
Times, Sundazed's CD compilation of
Dottie's '60's recordings. Told in loving detail, the
story recounts the highs and the lows of life with the
band (which at one time also included Ron
Edgar, who would leave their ranks to join
Sean Bonniwell and Keith
Olsen, Sheri's husband!, in The Music Machine) and,
quite interestingly, includes several "fast forward"
trivia items...Dottie's current comments about events
told from today's perspective. Collectors and historians
will no doubt revel in the information provided
regarding the band's unreleased third LP (as well as
info on their two released Epic LPs) and filmography
buffs will be intrigued to learn that they were slated
for appearances on SHINDIG, HULLABALOO, and THE SAM
RIDDLE SHOW (though it's not clear whether they actually
performed). In fact, the highlight of the entire
presentation, in our opinion, has to be the 1964
performance clip of The
GoldeBriar's performing Saro
Janeon ABC-TV's HOOTENANNY! Though
The
GoldeBriars' were miles from the garage
band sound that we all know and love, we confidentally
recommend this eBook to all collectors and fans of
1960's pop and rock music. We wish that similar books
were available on more bands of the 1960's music scene.
To order the story of the band whose sound Mama Cass
admitted to stealing, check out Dottie's website. DVD
copies of ONCE UPON A COFFEEHOUSE are
also available for sale via the
site.
*COMING SOON!*
Despite rumors indicating that The
Ikon Records Story will be an
Ace/Big Beat release, it is still
scheduled for release by Frantic Records.
Compiler Joey D. (along with
Alec Palao) informed us that
"we just
located Eirik Wangberg
(Ikon engineer for Oxford Circle,
New Breed,
Public
Nuisance, Peace Pipe, etc.) and he is
transferring more unreleased
Ikon tapes '65-'66, so keep
your fingers crossed that it'll be more killer stuff! We
should have the transfers in the next two
weeks...so we'll just have to kick off more marginal
stuff on the CD if the recordings are great. We can
only fit 60 songs on two CDs, but we have around
80-90 songs total. I'll probably offer the
leftovers on a CD-R for cheap in the back of the
Ikon booklet (which will
be 28-pages and in full color). We are
leasing 28 of the tracks to Tim Warren
and he'll be putting out a double gatefold LP on
Crypt Records. It'll come out at the
same time." We'll of course keep you posted on the
progress. It's only January...but this is quickly
shaping up as the release of
2005...
*FEBRUARY 26,
2005*Steve
Kuppinger of The
Graveyard Five (Marble Orchard)
provided us an update on a new band he is forming.
Tentatively named The Nature of the
Beast, the group is "practicing Pink
Floyd, Joe Walsh, Black Sabbath, Bad Finger, and all the
old Graveyard
Five songs. The new lead
player for The Nature Of The Beast
is so much better the Louis
Shriner that it still shocks me to hear him.
His name is Dan
Templeton. He was our young roadie
for the old band, and is Dave the drummer's
brother. As I wrote most of the lyrics for
all the old songs, we can play all of them with no
problem of being sued...I have changed some of the
lyrics, but all in all they are the same songs and we
will be playing all of them when we hit the road
- including Stay By My Grave, which
was on a master but never released. I have
changed the name to Stay By My
Side. We practice every Saturday, and
this band - as the old band did - has it's own sound. If
our music gets out, it is going to change the whole
music scene. I think what the bands today
have forgotten is they are not playing rock and roll, we
are going to bring rock and roll back into the music
scene." Amen...
*FEBRUARY 25,
2005*Ponderosa
Stomp #4 is scheduled for April 27th and
April 27th at the Rock'n Bowl in New Orleans and will
again feature an appearance by The Bad Roads. Other
acts of interest slated to appear include Link
Wray, Roy Head, Arch
Hall, Jr. and Nokie Edwards of
The Ventures.
*FEBRUARY 22, 2005*
You're
Gonna Miss Me, a documentary on
Roky Erickson of The 13th Floor Elevators,
will be screened at the South By Southwest Film
Festival in mid-March. Directed by
Keven McAlester, the film features
contributions from Roky, Evelyn Erickson,
Sumner Erickson and special
appearances by Billy Gibbons,
Patti Smith, Thurston
Moore, Byron Coley, and
Gibby Haynes. The synopsis?
"Outside Austin, Texas, a 53-year-old man sits in an
apartment listening to four radios, three
televisions, a radio scanner, and a Casio electric
piano. At the same time. Loudly. His hair is matted and
he has a notarized document on the wall declaring
himself an alien. Thirty years earlier, Roger
Kynard 'Roky' Erickson was a rock-and-roll
icon: A manic white-blues singer fronted The 13th Floor Elevators, a
band considered by many to be the creators of
psychedelic music."
*FEBRUARY 22,
2005* According to a post by
Sean Bonniwell to his e-group, "It was
my pleasure to speak with Ron Edgar
recently. He passed along a rumor given to
him by Mark Landon a few days ago. It
seems Art LaBoe and Brian
Ross are developing a double CD release of
Music Machine
outtakes which will include 'in session' comments and
studio conversations...this is all that's known at this
time. Updates will be forthcoming as info is
received." We'll print the updates when Sean
relays them on...
*FEBRUARY 22,
2005*Mojo Magazine's
February "Special" is
devoted to Pschedelic Music, and
promises to be the "ulitmate guide to the music that
blew our minds." The issue features articles on
cover boy Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Who, The
Beatles, Cream, The Kinks, The Grateful Dead, The Small
Faces. With unseen photos, new interviews,
and eyewitness accounts it could be worth checking
out.
*FEBRUARY 19,
2005* We've just been informed that
Sky Saxon & The
Seeds' Euopean Tour has been pushed back
until June, 2005. We'll provide updates as they
become available.
*FEBRUARY 18,
2005* Another new website to check the progess on is
devoted to the Sunset Strip. Coming in Spring, the
site promises "the ultimate in multimedia -
featuring webcasts, radio, exclusive archive footage,
photo & art galleries, merchandise, and daily global
updates from the entertainment world." The coolest
feature, however, is suppsed to allow the visitor a
virtual walk down the strip - and the ability to select
a club, an era (1960's for example) and the
band that is performing. We're not sure which
clubs or groups will be represented, but we'll provide
updates as we receive them.
*FEBRUARY 17,
2005* A new website is now
online for the in-development book, Playin'
The Peninsula: Garage and Teen Center Bands of the I-4
Corridor by Susie
Martin-Rott. According to the site, "The
I-4 Corridor is a loose term to distinguish the areas
from Daytona to St Pete/Clearwater" (Florida). If
you were in a band that played along the I-4 Corridor
from roughly '65-'72 - or know somebody else who
was - get in touch with Susie at the website and have
your/their information documented.
*FEBRUARY 11,
2005* A couple of noteworthy
releases that are in preparation but that we don't yet
have final details for include a "complete"
Blue Things
box set on Cicadelic Records. Mike Chapman
of The Blue
Things is now involved, and the set
promises plenty of alternate takes, different mixes, and
possibly more unreleased songs not found previously on
Cicadelic's earlier Blue Things sets. And
scheduled for March release (on Big
Beat?) is a two-CD set of the "complete" Chocolate Watchband
(1965-1967), reportedly
including previously unreleased material.
Tentative title is Melts In Your Brain...Not In Your
Wrist. As soon as we receive more definitive
info on either release we'll be sure to print it.
*FEBRUARY 3,
2005* In addition to The Uglies reunion (see
poster above), the Norwich Bulletin
reports that the Municipal meetings Great Garage
Band Reunion is set for February 12th at
the Laurel House Restaurant in Dayville, CT.
All proceeds will benefit the hospital's Deary Memorial
Cancer Fund. The garage band in question was
"originally formed in 1964 and was known as
The
Continentals. It later changed to
The Rogues.
While college and the Vietnam War broke up the band in
1966, four of its original members recently reunited and
are joined by nine friends to create the new
band." You can read more here.
*JANUARY 29,
2005*Roctober #39
features an excellent interview by John Battles
with Justin Pomeroy,
Mike Peterson, and Alex
Wald of Chicago's Dirty Wurds
(Why). The interview touches upon the
band's blues influences, the clubs they played, other
Chicago groups, their high school performance being cut
short by the principal (with reproductions of newpapers
articles of the time), and several other interesting
highpoints and is accompanied by some nice photos.
Well worth seeking out...
*JANUARY 26,
2005*Andy
Patterson and Dave Strickland
have just launched a website
devoted to Georgia's Bushmen. It's not
100% complete yet, but it promises to be a thorough and
excellent source of information on the band. There
are already some great photos added, and some good
trivia on the group. There will also be an "Other
Bands" page that will feature stories and photos of
Strange
Bedfellows from Albany, The Roemans, Candymen, Eddie
Middleton from Macon (released a 45 called the
Waffle House Shuffle), Doodle Faulk, Mouse and The Boys,
Illusions,
Tropics,
Nightcrawlers,
Dalton Gang
and others.
*JANUARY 26, 2005*
Mouse and The Boys will
play one more public reunion concert and dance next July
30th in Jacksonville. Tickets will go on sale next
month and will be available online and by credit card
payment. The tickets will be sold on a first
come/first served basis and another sellout is
expected. Check out the band's website
beginning in February for complete
information.
*JANUARY 25,
2005* We've received word that
Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon and The
Seeds are gearing up for a Spring tour
of Europe. Prior to that, however, the band will
make several domestic appearances, including at The
Casbah in San Diego on February 3rd; at The Warepad in
San Francisco on February 4th; and in Bakersfield on
February 5th. In addition, they'll close out the
month with appearances in New Jersey on the 26th (at
Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, New Jersey at 10:00PM) and
in New York at The Knitting Factory on February
27th. Tentative plans for the European tour call
for shows in March and April in probably England
(Birmingham), France, Germany, and Ireland/Scotland -
all in support of the group's very well received
(including a rave review by Lenny
Helsing in Shindig)
recent CD release, Red Planet.
For more information, visit Sky's personal
website or the band's
website. You can also sample some songs
from the CD on the Rock3 Radio
Network (search in "Classic Rock").
*JANUARY 17,
2005* North-of-the-border garage
fans take note: Superoldies.comis now accepting pre-orders for their
Eagle Records Collection
(limited edition of 500 CDs): "Through exclusive
arrangement with Eagle Records
co-founder Wes Nowosad, Super
Oldies proudly presents the long awaited legit
CD release of a complete compilation of Winnipeg’s
rockinest groups from the 1960s." Some highlights:
"First ever complete collection of the various rock
groups that recorded for the Eagle
Records label of Winnipeg, Manitoba...80 minutes of digitally remastered music
featuring transfers from the 7½ and 15 ips master
tapes...Contains tracks that were not previously on the
Voxx LP from 1983...Six-page booklet packed with
comprehensive notes, discography, updated group
info and rare photos...The clarity of these songs
is spectacular, and considering the condition of the
master tapes (not good) this will be the last
time such a collection of these tracks will be
released." Featured groups include The Quid, Satan & The D-Men,
The Shondels,
The Shags,
The Trippers,
The
Pallbearers, Good Fortune, and Gettysbyrg
Address. The CD
will sell for $12.00 U.S. funds (plus $2.00 postage) and
the release date is March 1st.
*JANUARY 14,
2005* The three
night Le Beat
Bespoke will be held over Easter
weekend at The Rocket in London. Legendary
acts scheduled to appear include Love (with
Arthur Lee and origianl guitarist
Johnny Echols), The Chocolate Watchband,
and The
Yardbirds and favorites The
Fuzztones, Loons (with
Mike Stax), Thee
Exciters, Buff Medways, and
more. Click here for
more information and to view the complete
program.
*JANUARY 11,
2005*Rev-Ola has January 31st slated
for H.P.
Lovecraft: Dreams In The
Witch House, a CD containing the
band's complete recordings - including the radio edit of
The White Ship and the "phased to the max"
single mix of Keeper Of The Keys.
The package promises unseen photos, interviews with band
members, and reprints of psychedelic
posters.
*JANUARY 8, 2005*SHINDIG #7,
featuring Grapefruit, The Ace Of Cups,
The Mike Stuart
Span, The
Thunderbolts, New Buffalo Springfield,
The Yellow
Payges, The
Yellow Balloon, Freakrock, The Barracudas,
John Carter's 'Mythological Sunday'
and more is also scheduled to be printed
later this month. And the CD We
Set The Scene: The Gospel According to Shindig!,
24 Choice Cuts 1966-1974 ,compiled by
SHINDIG colleagues Andy
Morten and Jon 'Mojo' Mills,
hits the stores on January 24th. Visit the Shindig website for more
information.
*JANUARY 6, 2005*MISTY LANE #19 is now scheduled to be
published later this month. The 150 page issue
will be jam packed with articles and interviews with
numerous '60's garage and psych bands, including
Richard & The Young
Lions, The
Blazers, The
Soup Greens, The Limits, The Legions, 13th Floor Elevators,
Preachers,
Monuments,
Mouse & The
Boys, Purple
Gang, King's
Ransom, Euphoria's Id, and
more. Also included will be a CD featuring the
music of many of the above bands, and others.
Visit Misty Lane'swebsite for more
information.
*JANUARY 3, 2005*
John
Orlich of The Stuart
Avery Assemblage is preparing a CD worth
of the band's unreleased recordings and will be offering
it for sale shortly. Part of the "second-tier"
of Detroit rock bands of the 1960's (you can read
an interview with John in January's Lance
Monthly), The
Stuart Avery Assemblage formed in 1967 and later recorded an
LP. The CD consists of basement recordings and
studio outtakes, and will retail for
$15.00. You can email John directly for ordering instructions
or for additional information.
