For some reason i got to thinking of local bands thet were really good but just never seemed to make it past the local legend stage. Two that come to mind for me are: 27 Wishes - This band had some very catchy hooks (ala early REM) mixed with a bit of Humor (Space Broccoli) and they had a neat instrumental (Egyptian Polka) that ran two time signatures simultaniously (Shades of King Crimson). They released one cassette. Disbanded after the bass player took off with guitarist's girlfriend. The Lunar Society (aka The Insectivoids) - These guys were, IMO, the best of the locals. They had a very cool etherial surf sound. The guitarist/songwriter was the local surf music maven and it showed in his playing even back in his days with hardcore band Zero Mentality. The vocals, handled by the guitarist's girlfriend, gave the music a very dreamlike quality. They had very little stage presence but the music was absolutely riveting. They did make a demo and (supposedly) landed a recording session in London, but unfortunately they too broke up before it could happen. Bass player took off with lead singer... I think I see a pattern here. Both bands were regulars at a local coffee house called the Penny Post which was a dark smoky hole in the wall that had quite a few really good bands (Phish before they made it big) pass through. So. What bands have you guys seen that made you think "Man. These guys are hot." but just never made it. Even bands that made it to opening status but either dissapeared or just coudn't get past it.
Dakota, from Northeastern Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton), played your standard late 70's/early 80's arena rock. They had their genesis with The Buoys (and their infamous hit single "Timothy") and put out one album on Columbia as "The Jerry-Kelly Band", before changing their name. Dakota recorded for Columbia and MCA, and did a major tour opening for Queen (in which one of my high school friends spent his summer as a roadie). Though only one original member (Jerry Hludzik) remains, Dakota still records and plays shows to this day. Though pretty much everybody in town thought they'd be superstars, they just never quite got above a certain level.
There's a local band here that's been playing here for over 30 years: The Paul James Band, a 4-piece piano, bass, guitar, drums outfit. The present lineup's been together for just about forever. They've always done a mixture of original music and rock'n'roll and R&B covers. They've put out a few records on an independent label and were signed to Stony Plain Records, a renowned "roots music" label. Some of you may remember Mink DeVille with Willy De Ville. Paul James played lead guitar for him on a European tour as an opening act for the Rolling Stones. Paul has told stories of sitting around and jamming with some of the Stones. Paul has also performed with Bo Diddley and even written a song with him ("The Ugliest Girl In The World") which Paul recorded on one of his albums. The other famous person Paul's played with is Bob Dylan. Paul regularly performs Dylan material in his sets. Reportedly, when Bob was playing Toronto some time ago, he went out after the show to catch Paul's act in a local watering hole. (In fact, some wag wrote "Bob Dylan pissed here" above a urinal in the washroom to commemorate this.) Apparently, after closing time, Paul invited him to his house where they jammed, playing guitars in the kitchen until the wee hours. A few years later in Buffalo Paul was invited on stage and did an encore with Dylan at one of his shows. What makes Paul a really local hero for me is that he lives in my neighbourhood and I see him occasionally at places like the gas station or the grocery store. Anyway, he's a great entertainer and a tremendous guitar player (sort of like Chuck Berry filtered through Keith Richards and also plays a mean slide guitar.) He has also done solo acoustic, mostly blues, acts. John
From Long Island: The Good Rats. Led by brothers Mickey and Peppi Marchello. Peppi has a booming singing voice you have to hear to believe. Saw them a couple dozen times back in the 70s. They managed to land a contract with WB, which released their second LP, Tasty, in 1974, but were dropped when the album sank without a trace. (It was a huge collector's item around these parts until it was reissued.) Released a string of albums on small labels throughout the 70s and 80s. Never managed to break nationwide, but they still play gigs for the faithful here on LI.
Cleveland's Michael Stanley Band ("My Town"), Jersey's Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes ("Hearts of Stone"), and I guess to a certain extent Lone Justice and Jason & the Scorchers. Before my time, but weren't these guys huge local acts? Got a little recognition from the critics, but in terms of sales, never really broke nationwide.
I liked what I heard from Cincinnati funk band Shag. Freekbass (formerly "Freebass") has released some solo stuff lately, and I do not know if they still play together. They had some support from Bootsy Collins. There was an East Lansing Band called "Groove Spoon" that I always had fun seeing in concert. I still have their locally released CD which is a pretty fun listen. Regards,
The Meteors play 'round Ontario and are a pretty good 'dance' band. Never been signed or anything... Anyne ever hear of Curtis Low (sp?)? A band from aroud Buffalo NY. Went to one of their last shows at The Lone Star as the supposedly were just signed and were heading out to California. Never heard of them again.
Hhmmmm.....well, I cant think of a band that fits that description more than Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes. HUGE in Jersey. Not known anywhere else.
Podipto, a country-folk-rock band who released 1 album on GRT in the 70s and is a band from the Bemidji area where I from became a local hero here in the Minnesota area. The late John Collins, who formed Podipto. did release the Podipto album on CD in this area but it was dubbed from a mint record as he did not have the master tapes. Jack Sundrud, another former Podipto member, did form in the early 1990s a modern country band called Great Plains who released a couple of albums on Columbia and 1 album on Magnatone and they have since disbanded.
The James Montgomery Band, a New England bar band from the 1970's. They got Allen Toussaint to produce one of their albums, though they never captured the energy of their live shows on vinyl.
In the mid-1980s, there were a bunch of hot bands from Philadelphia, some of whom got signed to major labels, but none of whom lasted very long in the national spotlight. The most notable of these was the Hooters, which was the second attempt by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian to make the "big time." The first was a band called Baby Grand, which made one album for Arista in the late 1970s. Anyway, the Hooters took their time building a fan base for their white-boy reggae-ska, releasing three independent 45s and a 12-inch EP (or short LP) called Amore. They backed Cyndi Lauper on her She's So Unusual album and wrote her hit "Time After Time," which the Hooters themselves never did in the studio. Finally, the Hooters ended up signed to Columbia, and their first big-time album, Nervous Night, went platinum. But in going "major," most of the edginess that made the Hooters so interesting was smoothed out. The nadir was a remake of their very first indie single, "Fighting on the Same Side," that appeared on their second Columbia album, One Way Home, that bore almost no resemblance to the 2-Tone-ish original. After their third album, Zig Zag, on which they did a version of "500 Miles" with Peter, Paul & Mary, they were dropped by Columbia, ended up on MCA for an album, then went back to Philly and/or broke up. Eric Bazilian was last heard from in the mid-1990s because he wrote "One of Us," the sole hit single for Joan Osborne. Before the Hooters and just after Baby Grand came The A's, who were also signed to Arista. Their first release was a 3-song, 10-inch red vinyl EP with a large corner cut from the left side (it is not a cutout). They hung around long enough to do two albums and get one of their songs covered by Clarence Clemons, "A Woman's Got the Power." Pretty Poison was essentially a one-hit wonder nationally with "Catch Me I'm Falling," but they were popular in the South Jersey area long before that. Their first indie single came out in 1980 and even included a handwritten phone number on the inner sleeve where the band could be reached! Robert Hazard and the Heroes were signed by RCA in the mid-1980s and had a near-hit with a song called "Escalator of Life." But Hazard's most famous song was "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," which was the breakthrough for Cyndi Lauper. His version was more chauvinistic, while Lauper did some lyrical re-writing to turn it into a celebration. Then there was also Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers, managed by the same people who managed the Hooters, who also had an indie LP and were signed by Columbia. But they never even made the top 40. The closest thing they had to a hit single was a catchy number called "If We Never Meet Again." Some other Philly bands from the same era that never even got to a major label included The Vels, Beru Revue, and The Daves.
My brush with Jersey fame came during a Southside gig at the El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto. After a heated first set, as he was coming off the stage and heading for the stairs to the dressing room, he put his hand on my shoulder and uttered these momentuous words, "I need alcohol." John
Tim, I went to Penn in the late 70s, early 80s and saw all of those bands. I loved that Robert Hazard EP. "Escalator" & his version of Dylan's "Blowin in the Wind" were killer. I lost it in a bad break-up and had been looking for it for years-finally found it on E-bay recently. Still can't sit still when I play it. Do you remember Ken Kweeder and his Secret Kids? His posters were on every telephone pole and he played all over Philly at the time. Jay N.
Great thread. My personal favorites, from the various cities I have called home over the years: Richmond, VA: The Good Guys - the three Gore brothers and a couple of friends formed this ska/funk/rock/pop band in the early 80's and lasted about 10 years. A ferocious live act, their brush with fame was a European tour with Simply Red that should have been a launching pad to fame but never panned out quite right. Visually arresting and tighter than a tick on a hound dog's rear, these guys had the funk, they wanted the funk, they gave up the funk. The musical boundaries they crossed still resonate in my record collection. They were also an interracial band, which was somewhat unusual in Richmond at the time. Footnote: guitarist Harry Gore released one of the better independent Christian records several years later with his band The Measels. The Dads - a great pop/rock band that had a deal with CBS but never really made it out of the Southeast. The White Animals - not from Richmond but that's where I heard them first. I think they were from Nashville - a semi-psychedelic power pop group that was rich with melody and crunching guitars. Chicago (late 70's-early 80's): Pezband - the best pure power pop band I ever heard or saw. Their records don't do their live show justice. Somewhere there must be a lost live recording that deserves release by someone (are you listening, Bob Irwin?) Ground Zero - the name has been used by other bands but these guys were from Wheaton, IL and their only LP is still one of my favorite late 70's guitar feasts. They sounded kind of like Cheap Trick, I guess. There are more, I'm sure, but these were my favorites. Chris
A NYC band from the late 1970s: The Miamis Saw them open for DMZ at CBGB's, their signature song was called "We Deliver." A shoulda been hit, except they never made a studio record, AFAIK.
Some more I can remember... Bill Chinook - "Legend Of The North Country" Released three albums locally. Second album ("Badlands") waspicked up and rereleased by Atlantic. Did absolutely nothing outside Maine. Part of the lack of recognition was that he was trying to be Maine's version of Springsteen . Around the early '80's he went to Nashville to record an album for Columbia. By then he'd dropped the Springsteen and went country. The album flopped. I think he did another for RCA, I'm not totally sure on this one. If he did, it obviously when nowhere. The last album I saw of his was on Rounder (I think) and he seemed to be going back to the Springsteenish style material but not as blatant as before. He married country singer Dick "The Baron" Curless' daughter back in the early '80's. Could explain the temporary move toward country. Mark Miller - Very talented blues guitarist who's playing style was more on the Robben Ford side of the tracks than the traditional. He sure seemed like he was going to break it big for a while. He also spent time playing lead for Brad Delp who refered to Mark as "The best blues guitarist I've ever heard". Although I don't quite agree with that statement I do think he is a fantastic guitarist nonetheless and a breath of fresh air especially when some of the other blues guitarists I've heard come out of Bangor area seem rooted in SRV land. He nearly landed a deal with Alligator records but his manager (Bill Chinook... Hmmmmm) turned it down in hopes he would attract a bigger label. Unfortunately none was forthcoming. Mark is still only on the local front and may, sadly, remain Maine's best kept secret.
Ian: Did you see Phish at the Penny Post? I've read that they played there (in addition to The Oronkoka restaurant and College Of The Atlantic) but I have yet to hear from someone who saw one of the shows. If you did see them then, what do you remember about it? Thanks
Unfortunately I missed them at the Penny Post as well as the Oronoka and college of the atlantic but I did see them at UMO in Nov. of '90. They put on a fantastic show that night. They did the trampoline bit during the second set, An A capella version of "Carolina" (barbershop quartet natch) I do remember that they played quite a bit off "Lawn Boy" which had just come out... Still have my A Go Go version that I picked up at the show. I kick myself for not going when they were at the Post. Ron Cook (the owner) had a tape of the show and despite the acoustic limitations of the room the music was great.
Wow- There is no record of Phish playing a show at UMO. That is very cool news indeed. Do you remember the specific date in 1990? Regarding the Penny Post show, this is also one that has never circulated. It sure would be great to hear a copy of it sometime. Thanks for the response Ian!
I heard about most of the Philly bands second-hand... I was in the Midwest at the time, and it was my younger sister(s) who kept me informed of all these bands I'd never heard of! Speaking of the Midwest, one of the favorite bands when I lived in South Bend, Indiana in the mid-1980s was a group called The Kinetics. Their drummer was a buddy of mine, who eventually found a girlfriend and decided to leave the group. Before that, they often had their post-gig parties upstairs from where I lived; I was a night owl in those days anyway, so I most often would join the festivities rather than complain. The Kinetics, unlike most bar bands in the area, did about 50 percent original material, and it was GOOD. They finally made a cassette (no vinyl, no CD) of about half a dozen of their originals and sold it at South Bend music stores around 1988 -- I managed to get a copy when I returned for a weekend that year. I *think* I even ended up with a "thank you" in the brief liner notes, because they thanked someone named "Tim" with no last name, and I don't think they ever knew my last name. I suggested a slight alteration in the arrangement of one of their best originals, and to their surprise, not only did they try it, but they LIKED it! Another South Bend group that managed to get one indie single out around 1982 was The Rooms. I still have that 45, "She Loves Me/She Loves Me Not," which was a very nice pop song that I still play once in a while. The group had two lead singers, one male, one female, and the singer varied depending on the song. South Bend, by the way, was the home town of the "California Sun" Rivieras, who in the 1980s were still reuniting for the occasional gig, usually in the summer; Junior Walker; and Tommy James (from Niles, Michigan, just across the border).
"THE RODS" were from my hometown. Two albums on Arista 1980-1982. Several on Combat, Passport, and Shapnel. Led by ex-ELF guitarist Dave "Rock" Feinstein (1st cousin of Ronnie James Dio). Kind of a metal power-trio. Great bunch of guys. The drummer, Carl Canedy, produced early albums by Anthrax, Testament, and S.O.D. among others.
More local legends Richmond: The Robbin Thompson band. He's actually still around. A former member of "Steel Mill", an early Springsteen band, Thompson sat in with two Bruces (Springsteen and Hornsby) buring the former's recent Richmond gig. Baltimore: Gotta be Crash The Sky who's version of "I am The Walrus" is amazing DC: I guess The Teen Idles which was Ian MacKaye's band before Fugazi. They were legendary in DC for a short while. Grin, of course. Also Angel who I mentioned recently in one of the opening acts threads. They were fronted my Punky Meadows who was a minor glam star. I'll think of some more. Peace Norm
The UMO show was at Lengyel gym. Can't remember the exact date in Nov. Ron also made a tape of that show as well. Quality of that one isn't the best but still listenable. He never circulated the tapes afaik. He left the area in early '92 and hasn't been heard from since (some say he went to FL).
