SUN RA, JOHNNY WINTER, DR. JOHN, THE STOOGES

The ageless SUN RA (who claims never to have been born) and his fifteen-piece Astro-Infinity Arkestra (it carries you away with it) will unite with the people of Detroit and Michigan for the last time in a while this weekend. His three weeks in Michigan have taken his music to the Grande Ballroom, in his first major ballroom engagement following the cover story on Sun Ra in Rolling Stone; to Ann Arbor’s community center, Canterbury House, for two days; the free West Park concerts last Sunday with the MC5, UP, Craack, Rationals, and other people-oriented bands; and the Ann Arbor Armory for a Liberated Territory Dance with the MC5.

Sun Ra, the master musician and orchestrator of cosmic sound brings with him a band the nucleus of. which has been living and working together for over ten - years. The Astro-Infinity Arkestra has been experiencing itself as a totally united community of musicians for many years, and they have grown organically all along the way. Together. They represent and are a whole new universe of sound and color, energy and motion, and theirs is a music completely unique on this planet, which Sun Ra constantly offers to leave “if things don’t start getting better.”

It is a music of the future, an utterly spaced-out free-form flow of energies unexperienced by most earthmen. As Sun Ra says, “How many times has it been said that music is a language? I want to say it again in another way. COSMIC music is a cosmic language. Cosmic music is a plane of tomorrow, it is the dimension and the balanced, perspective of tomorrow. It is the view of the living future of the living tomorrow. The music is rhythm, melody, harmony and precision. It speaks to the worlds of the greater potentials awaiting the peoples of the worlds at every future point on every future plane.”

Sun Ra and his Arkestra came to the Detroit area once before, in June of 1967, for a concert at Wayne State University with the MC5 that left virtually everyone in the small audience sitting stunned in their seats for minutes after the performance ended. This concert, which was arranged and produced by Trans-Love Energies, has long since been a source of inspiration to many of the people of the then-embryonic Detroit free community, particularly to the MC5, whose music makes reference to Sun Ra’s in many ways.

For having been together for such a long time, the Astro-Infinity Arkestra has had virtually no recognition of exposure outside of a small number of loyal and dedicated followers who had to find out about Sun Ra the hard way since most of the established music crirics have ignored his existence up to now. A cover story in ROLLING STONE, the rock journal, a month ago has been instrumental in getting exposure for the Arkestra, and this, his first major Festival appearance, will draw even more attention to the music of this incredible band.

Sun Ra has recorded and released more than 20 albums in his long career, but only three of them have any widespread availability. These are; The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume 1 (ESP-Disk 1014) and Volume 2 (ESP-Disk 1017), and his latest release “Nothing Is,” recorded live in concert (ESP). His other records were released on his own label, El Saturn (P.O. Box 7124, Chicago, Illinois 60607), over the last 15 years.

Personal Management: Sun Ra Recording: Saturn Records (Chicago), ESP-Disk (New York)

JONNY WINTER

Johnny Winter represents another phenomenon altogether in today’s music scene: an albino Texan Caucasian blues guitar player who. had been playing around Texas for some time in ballrooms and bars, Johnny came to public attention through an article on the Texas rock scene in ROLLING STONE magazine in which he was featured, picture and all. The idea of Johnny Winter so struck pop entrepeneur Steve Paul’s fancy that he flew immediately to Texas and began a search for the nowlegendary young guitarist all over Texas until he found the lad and brought him back to New York to jam with Slim Harpo and Lightnin’ Slim at Paul’s The Scene, a basement pop bar. Steve next thrust him into the super-session lineup at the “rock corner of the world,” Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, with none other than Mike Bloomfield and A1 Kooper. Well, that insured his success right there. It’d be like having God himself sign you up for the heavenly angels,

While Steve was negotiating with a number of record companies for a deal that makes Mickey Mantle’s look sick, Imperial Records bought the masters for a record by Johnny Winter titled “Progressive Blues Experiment,” which had been recorded at the Vulcan Gas Company in Austin, Texas, a year or so before. They released the album with an abominable cover and an “underground” promotion job, and it’s been climbing up the charts ever since. Now Winter’s Columbia album is out and is climbing past the older jam. Winter has gotten such rave reviews in the pop and underground press that it’s a wonder he hasn’t retired by now.

Steve Paul has been waiting for an opportunity like the Rock and Roll Revival to unveil his hguitarist's talents to the multitudes, and his appearance Friday night is his first major engagement outside the East Coast, where he’s played at the Scene, Fillmore East, and at a festival two weeks ago on a Seminole Indian reservation in Florida with the Grateful Dead and a bunch of other people. Steve says that "Johnny and I have heard a lot about the Detroit rock and roll scene and we decided to come out for this event. We’ve turned down lots of other offers but we were really curious to see what the people are like out here. We’ve heard a lot about Detroit lately and we're looking forward to being there and playing for the people.” Groovy, Steve.

Personal Management: Steve Paul Recording: Exclusively for Columbia Records Discography: "Progressive Blues Experiment (Imperial, 1969), “Winter” (Columbia, 1969)

DR JOHN

A lot of times the most amazing things come almost unheralded, records especially, even in this day of the super-instant hype, when you start reading about some group of future superstars even before they’ve recorded (the Crosby-Stills-Nash bunch comes immediately to mind). Even in the middle of that scene some people can bring out records that will startle you. Do you remember when the first Cream and DOOK> albums came out, around the same time? There weren’t any ads or any widespread gossip about these future collosi when the initial records appeared, they just appeared one day in the record store, right, and your man behind the counter pulled your coat to them, played them on the shop stereo, and you took them home and had them live with you.

This is all relevant because Dr. John’s first album “Gris-Gris/Dr. John the Night Tripper” came out like that, completely unheralded, and its effect will be greater than those others mentioned above. Dr. John (whose name is Malcolm (“Mac”) Rebinnot) has developed a totally unique musical vocabulary, drawing on influences and cultures from the Creole life of the Louisiana swamps to the most sophisticated contemporary studio techniques (as Mac Rebinnot, Dr. John is extremely active in the Los Angeles studios as arranger, writer, player and producer). Dr. John’s music is unlike anything else on the planet. It is eerie, spooky, lush, strange, mystical and supermusical. That first album is a real masterpiece of modern music.

Dr. John’s second album, “Babylon,” is just farther out than the first. And he means “Babylon” the same way Eldridge Cleaver does when he mentions this place. Babylon. Its decay and collapse is chronicled here by the man who knows everything there is to know about this place because he’s down there in the alley looking’ at it from the middle for a long time. “Walk thru the fire/ Fly through the smoke/See my enemy/at the end of a rope/Walk on pins and needles/See what they can do/ Walk on guilded splinters6with the King of the Zulus... is bad.

This weekend marks his first appearance outside of the West Coast and along the Bayou country, and he was lured out here with the explicit promise of the Detroit rock and roll revivalist audience. You be good to him, hear?

STOOGES

A lot of bands have developed out of the rock and roll wilderness of Ann Arbor (better known, in Wayne Kramer’s words, as the “rock and roll sanctuary of theworld”), and each of these bands seems to have its own peculiar brand of craziness and total mania. There is no band anywhere, however, not even in Ann Arbor, that is as crazed as the incredible STOOGES, four bizarre geniuses who were apparently born to work with one another. Jim (Iggy) Osterberg, Dave Alexander, and the Asheton brothers Ron and Scott fell into each other’s clutches in the summer of 1967 and stayed there, turning our some of the wierdest and most powerful music to be heard anywhere in the process.

Their backgrounds take in much of the history of the music in Ann Arbor: Jimmy was drummer with the germinal Prime Movers for some time (being replaced by J.C. Crawford for a spell) and had played before that time with the Iguanas in high school. Ron Asheton also worked with the Prime Movers and with a band called the Chosen Few, which was led by Scott Richardson of the SRC, some years ago. The Chosen Few and the MC5 opened the Grande Ballroom together in October, 1966.

The Stooges made their first public appearance on Halloween two years ago at a private party in Ann Arbor, and played their first professional engagement with the SRC at the Grande in February, 1967. On their second engagement at the Grande a month after that they totally destroyed Blood, Sweat & Tears when A1 Kooper was still fronting that aggregation. They continued to blow down everything in their path and became widely known and loved for their fabulous stage antics and strange music. They would come to jobs and simply set up and jam out, blowing thousands of minds in the process. Arrested more than once for giving allegedly “obscene” and “indecent” performances, threatened with suits by an injured spectator at a festival at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, charged with carrying away the Dean’s daughter over their shoulder at the Delta Pop Festival in Midland, the Stooges now seem to channel their energies more into the musical aspects of the art, and this has been matched by a constant development in musicianship and technical proficiency. The Stooges perform all original material.

The band has recently completed its first album for Elektra Records, who signed the Stooges concurrently with the MC5 last October after Danny Fields heard both bands play at an Ann Arbor benefit dance at the Union Ballroom. The record, produced by John Cale (formerly string genius with the Velvet Underground), will see release in July, along with a single version of “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”

Personal Management: Jimmy Silver/Trans-Love Energies

Recording: Exclusively for Elektra Records

TERRY REID

Eight months ago Terry Reid, guitarist and vocalist, got together with Keith Webb, drummer, and Eric Lease, organist, to play gigs in and around London. Last November with new organist, Peter Shelley, they made their debut in the States with the Cream at Madison Square Garden. All three are accomplished musicians, which is one thing they have going for them. Besides this, Terry is a great vocalist who can keep a set moving. Aretha Franklin has said he is one of the three things happening in London along with the Beatles and the Stones.

Percussion is by Keith Webb, who previously was with Donovan. Peter Shelley, who plays organ, keyboard bass, and violin, played with Los Bravos and Arthur Brown before joining the group.

Nineteen-year-old Terry, self-taught at guitar, piano and recorder, left home four years ago to play with Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers. He also writes much of their material.

Their live sets here, at the Fillmores, and at the Miami Pop Festival show what a diversified group these three Englishmen have formed. Blues or rock, they can do it. That’s what they started out to be, and that’s just what they are.

NYROCK & ROLL ENSEMBLE

The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble brings together polish and discipline of a classical chamber ensemble with the guts of a first rate rock group to produce a unique and highly individual music.

Three of the group’s five members, lead singer Mike Kamen, drummer Marty Fulterman, and bassist Dorian Rudnytsky, have heavy backgrounds in classical music (they met when all were students at Julliard). The other two members, singer Brian Corrigan and guitarist Cliff Nivison, are self-taught musicians. This balance allows the ensemble to be believable while playing baroque chamber music and still be acceptable as heavy rock players.

The group has quite a reputation in New York where they do most of their playing and have been fairly successful with their first album on Atca. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival will be their first Detroit appearance.

SRC

SRC began playing about 214 years ago. Their original music was characterized by an English influence, and some of their very early sets included songs such as “I’m Not Talking” and “Stroll On” by the Yardbirds; “Run Run Run” and “Cobwebs and Strange” by the Who; “Buz the Jerkk,” “House of Teh,” and “You’ll Never Do It Baby” by the Pretty Things; “I’m Gonna Get Me a Gun” by Cat Stevens; and “Out of Time,” “We Love You”, and “Lady Jane” by the Rolling Stones. SRC originally began as a junction of two of the Birmingham Hideouts most established top groups: Jeep Holland took Scott Richardson, lead singer/pop star extraordinaire of the “Chosen Few”, and put him with the majority of the “Fugitives” as a backing. The original concept, true today, was to combine basic musical solidarity and extreme visual excitement.

During the summer months of 1968 a record called “I’m So Glad” was released by the group on the A-Square label. Due to some hard-hitting promotion work, the record somehow managed to “hit the charts”. In Flint, on WTAC, both sides were hits for a mysterious 16 weeks. The flip side was entitled “Who Is That Girl?” and was a Steve Lyman original.

Shortly thereafter, with the help of producer John Rhys, they began to seriously record. This resulted in the first “SRC” album. Cut one on side one of that album was “Black Sheep”. This song is still performed in almost all SRC performances and will remain there in the foreseeable future. In 1967, December, the group signed a publishing agreement with Herb Hendler of Beechwood Music and some time later a recording contract with Capitol Records. The “SRC” album appeared in the fall months of 1968, and due to exposure by the WABX good guys, did especially well in Detroit. Some national success enabled the group to play dates throughout the Midwest and the East Coast. In December SRC returned to finish work on their second album, which was delivered in mid-February to Capitol. Called “Milestones,” this album was released two months ago. . -

For the first time, SRC is now receiving national record exposure in all major markets, and a recently initiated sales campaign by Capitol has caused reaction which points to a high chart po'sition for the second album. Before their third album in August or September, a series of singles will be released at captivating those amazing top 40 audiences. SRC has also recently finished much of the music for a Broadway rock musical called “Allison,” which will debut in the fall.

The phenomenal overnight rise of the SRC to dominance on the pop/rock scene is now part of the history of Michigan rock and roll. They jumped to the top, and two lps and many singles later, they seem determined to remain.

Personal Management: I’ete Andrews/SRC Inc. Recording: Exclusively on Capitol Records Discography: “I’m So Glad” (A2, Ann Arbor, 1967),; “Black Sheep” (Capitol, 1968), “Turn Into Love/Up All Night” (Capitol, 1969)

Albums: “SRC” (Capitol, 1968), “Milestones” (Capitol, 1969)

TEEGARDEN & VANWINKLE

Trying to do a factual article on these two is like pulling teeth from a rabid dog... it’s near impossible. They get you so wound up in a certain story that you forget that it was supposed to be an answer to a question you had asked and now you don’t even know what that question was. I did manage to get some infromation however, and here it is:

Skip “Van Winkle” Knape and David Teegardin were both born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and have been into some kind of music since adolescence; though not playing together. There used to be V.F.W. dances on the weekends and that’s where they really got into it. At the time David saw his first real band he was playing in the school band...he dropped out soon after and started out on his own. From the age of say sixteen or seventeen they started playing real gigs and night clubs. Sometimes together, sometimes not. They’ve both done a lot of stuff on the road; once again each in different bands. When they were both home though, they’d jam it out. Finally, about two or three years ago they got together in California. At the time both had quit their bands and were more than happy to get something going. Then came that fateful night that made Teegardin and Van Winkle what they are today...a duo.

They were a trio and had an engagement in a little town near that infamous Lake Tahoe. Well, the night before they closed the number three man, lead singer, came up and announced that he had found a better deal and was quitting. The last night Skip and Dave played for the first time publicly as a duo...the crowd loved it. When they tired of the Hollywood scene they split back home and played some more local gigs. It was during one of these that Jim Cassily saw them and attempted to get them up to Detroit. Skip

and Dave thought it was all hype until Jim called back a'while later and persuaded them to come on up to the Motor City. And, here they are.

Most of you know about their album “An Evening at Home With Teegardin and Van Winkle”...what you don’t know is the story that precedes it. All the songs on the album, with the exception of Scarborough Fair/Canticle, are originals...that means Skip and Dave wrote them, right? Well, they were in kind of a rush so they would .write one song and put it away then start another. It was Saturday when they finished the last number; Monday was recording time and they didn’t know any of the songs. From the sound of the record I’d say it was pretty fabulous for only two days work!

They have another album coming about soon entitled something like, “But Anyhow, Teegardin and Van Winkle”. According to the latest news round-up it should be out by June 15... but then again you never can tell. Featured on the LP will be a lot more new material like; Annie Had a Baby (inspired by the old Hank Ballard number, Work With Me Annie); Red Haired Woman; Autumn Flower (a country number); She Took the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride; and All About My Old Bitch. The last one is an instrumental with a solo for each...the song was inspired by Jim McGriff. Besides the great music inside the album is supposed to be quite a treat.

In any case if you’ve never caught these people live do it now...they put down some of the best vibes and music imaginable. They’re completely together in every way and those two feel right at home while entertaining you.

Gayle Clark

DAVID PEEL & THE LOWER EAST SIDE

David Peel and his gang of street singers and pickers were picked up off New YOrk City’s Lower East Side hippy ghetto, packed into a truck, and driven incognito to Detroit for the Revival for their first appearance west of Boston, where they travelled last winter to sing and play at a demonstration at Brandeis University. Now famous for the Elektra album, “Have a Marijuana,” recorded live on the streets of New York, the young scum have been popular in Washington Square Park and on Second Avenue for some time. Ask any teen-age girl from Queens or Long Island about Dave & his mob. They all know the boys--love ’em too.

Originally a pickaninny group of street minstrels, David began taking his business seriously after the “Have a Marijuana” album was released and has lately added amplifiers, drums, a Ford van and a number of new folk-rock-mania chants to his inimitable repertoire. His electrified Lower East Side now sounds completely up-to-date and completely crazy, which is all right. They’re preparing a second record for Elektra, this one in the studio with the amplifiers and drums.

At the Revival David Peel may or may not play on stage in the two days-this isn’t really definite--but he and the gang will be wandering and stumbling around the ground rapping to beautiful girls and playing and singing for their brothers and sisters. They’ll play any time, anywhere, for anybody, as long as it’s for the good of the people. They are the people. You’ll know that when you see them.

Personal Management; Trans-Love Energies Recording: Exclusively for Elektra Records Discography: “Have a Marijuana” LP (Elektra, 1968)

RATIONALS

FROST

I was asked to write something about our group that would interest the readers of Creem Magazine, things about us you are not aware of, I guess. Well, that could go on forever. After I tried to explain how we got started in the music biz, our views on politics, religion, etc., etc., I’d end up telling you what Bob eats for breakfast or what Don does for relaxation or what color Gordy’s eyes are. All of that crap could take half of this magazine and we’d all end up

vomiting anyways. So, I’ll simply ask you to listen to our music. It says more about us than 1 could ever relate through a written history of the group besides you have an open invitation to come up to rap with us anytime. We could really dig that. Thank you for creating and supporting the greatest music people scene in the world today.

So, thank you for taking us along with you.

Peace, Dick Wagner

FROST is: Dick Wagner - lead guitar, lead vocals; Don Hartman - rhythm guitar, vocals; Gordy Garris -bass, vocals; Bob Rigg - drums, vocal.

The Frost were originally formed about 2 1/2 years ago. Dick had been part of the “Bossmen”, one of the early giants in the history of Michigan Rock and Roll. Bobby and Don were left from another early top group, “Bobby Rigg and the Chevelles”. Old friends and Saginaw neighbors, they teamed up with Dick to form the Frost. One year ago Gordy left the “Beau Gens”, replacing the first Frost bassist, to form the group as it is today.

Less than a year ago, while preparing to go on stage at the Grande Ballroom, Dick was persuaded by Jeep Holland and others to perform a set of all original music (heretofore the Frost had retained relics of Dick’s “Bossmen” past) and went on to achieve the first of what has proven to be a countless number of standing ovations. (An interesting side note: The Frost were the surprise hit sensation of the first legendary Oakland Pop Festival, arriving after an eight hour drive just in time to rush on stage and steal the festival from such established pros as the Rationals, Procol Harum and MC5.)

The Frost perform 95% original material, the majority of which is written by Dick, with a heavy “Beatles” influence, and an emphasis on detailed guitar work. The music is unique in its conciseness, faithfulness to harmonies, and its haunting simplicity. They have just released their first LP, “Frost Music”, on Vanguard Records. This album was a long time coming (advance orders ran nearly 10,000 copies).

Frost, their music, and their solid stage showmanship, are another one of the unforgettable talents to explode from the Michigan rock scene.

Personnel Management: Bob Hawkins Recording: Exclusively on Vanguard Records

One of the longest-lasting and most commercially successful bands in the area for the last four years has been Ann Arbor’s RATIONALS, an intense young rock and roll group who started working together in high school and have continued to keep it together and growing ever since.

The Rationals are a unique Michigan phenomenon-they established themselves as a heavy headline act in Michigan through a series of local hit records released on Jeep Holland’s A-2 label, some of which went nationally (“Respect,” in particular, on Cameo-Parkway Records) but almost all of which hit big in Michigan and Ohio. They’ve been through a contract with Capitol which didn’t work out satisfactorily after Capitol picked up one of their local singles (“1 Need You”) but refused to press the next two. A management switch from Jeep Holland and A-2 to Larry Feldman (a former manager of the Grande, where Jeep serves as booking agent and general advisor for Russ Gibb) also brought a bi-lateral release agreement from Capitol and a new affiliation with Detroit’s Robin Seymour Enterprises and the new Genesis label, for which the band produced its current hit single “Guitar Army.” They continue to work regularly and widely in this area.

The four Rationals-Scott Morgan, Steve Correll, Terry Trabandt and Bill Figg~are all excellent and exciting musicians, particularly lead singer Morgan, who was offered A1 Kooper’s job in Blood, Sweat & Tears but turned down the offer to remain with his brothers in Ann Arbor. Scott is a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, organ, piano, flute, percussion) as well as one of the strongest voices in the business, and his colleagues take care of plenty of business too. All four are known and loved by thousands of young fans in this musical community, and they’ll still surprise a lot of people who don’t know about them yet.

Personal Management: Larry Feldman Recording: Genesis Records (Detroit)

LYMANWOODARD

The Lyman Woodard Trio demonstrates a number of the most beautiful aspects of the Detroit new music scene. A united mixture of rock and roll, jazz, and what is called here “soul” music (i.e. black popular music), the Trio’s music has taken in all the most significant musical information available today and has transformed this various wealth into a motherlode of dynamite excitement. Their range is from Wes Montgomery to Sun Ra, from Lou Rawls to the Temptations, from the Beatles to the MC5, who have been known to jam with the Trio here and there around town.

Lyman Woodard is the most complete organist working today. His roots are in Chuck Berry and Little Richard (in high school in Owosso, Michigan, and the Flint area, he was known as the white boy who could play all of Little Richard’s piano solos note for note-even the mistakes!), through the moderate jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver, and Oscar Peterson (he studied at Peterson’s Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto in the early 60’s, where he was nicknamed “Pigfoot” by bassist Ray Brown in tribute to his funky soul), through the jazz revolution led by Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra (Lyman was active as an instrumentalist and composer with the Artists’ Workshop Music Ensemble in Detroit in 1964-5, where he built a strong reputation as the farthest-out organ player on earth), and into the whole expanded field of contemporary music that has opened up in the past three years.

Guitarist Dennis Coffee is known in hip circles as “the Steve Cropper of Detroit” for his widespread studio work and for the cleanness and strength of his guitar playing. Recently he has moved to the forefront of the commercial guitar world with his innovative electronic work (especially with the wah-wah pedal and low-sound feedback) on such records as the Temptations’ “Cloud 9,” “Runaway Child,” and “Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down.” He played in the CKLW-TV studio band for the Tom Shannon show and works regularly in the recording studios, variously playing, writing, arranging and producing. He has been working with the Trio for over a year, since Don Davis left Lyman and the playing field altogether to produce records as vice-president of Volt Records in Memphis.

Drummer Melvin Davis, a gangling 6 feet 8, has also recorded as a soul singer for the Amy-Bell-Mala complex of labels and as a writer for a number of Atlantic recording stars. He has been working around Detroit for some years since he left his home in Millersville, Ga., and once led a group comprising Tony Newton (bass player for the Miracles), Leroy Emmanuel (guitarist for the Fabulous Counts, who are also appearing at the Revival), and David Ruffin, singing star of the/original Temptations. Melvin has also been with the Trio over a year now.

The Lyman Woodard Trio has a single, an instrumental version of the smash “It’s Your Thing,” out on a Detroit label and is watching the record hit the charts all over the midwest. An album has been recorded and should be forthcoming soon. This Saturday’s date at the Revival is the first major pop booking for the Trio, although they took the Grande by storm the two weekends they played there.

Personal Management: Trans—Love Energies Recording: Unaffiliated

UP

Also appearing at the Rock and Roll Revival will be a band that assembled, some two and a half years ago, around the very principles embodied in the name of this festival. UP came together, says lead singer and prime mover, Franklin Bach, “out of a need we all felt for a harder, straighter, more gut-level kind of music than what we were hearing-with few exceptions-at that time. We wanted to get back to those forces that first informed the music and to revive and expand them into a rock and roll music free of its specious influences.”

UP, as the name implies, want to elevate the music to new levels of energy, and few who experience their driving assault today can dispute their success. They’ve been doing it a long time^ and it gets clearer and more precise every day. They’re still a young band, but they make use of all the facilities of youth-energy, inventiveness, curiousity, excitement, craziness, not to mention technical facility and fluidity-and so realize more of the potential of that youth than most of their brothers, who would be old men (Blood, Sweat & Tears for example) before their time.

UP comprises Franklin Bach, lead voice; Bob Rasmussen, guitar; Gary Rasmussen, bass guitar; and the dangerous Scott Bailey on drums. The band lives on the Trans-Love Energies estate in the town of Ann Arbor and really embodies the family spirit of the multi-media tribal community: the Rasmussens, of course, are natural brothers, and the UP’s manager, Dave Sinclair, is a partner with his brother John Sinclair in the Trans-Love Production Company.

Personal Management: Dave Sinclair/Trans Love Energies

Recording: Uncommitted

In June, 1968, Dave Bonsky, Skip Julius, Dick Kraus, Peter Berg and Ken Longton began work on what was to become the Red, White & Blues Band.

They have most recently added Jody Blair on lead guitar and Leonard Solano, blues harpist and singer. Jody and Leonard were both brought up in Detroit’s lower income, mixed neighborhoods.

The Red, White & Blues Band are a valid representation of Detroit’s young musical scene. The young men who create live music in our city have been bombarded by soul music, early primitive rock, blues, electrical, and of course, what Detroit has been known for, Jazz. They are a conglomerate of all. Masters of none of the above but holders of the key to the Detroit sound which, of course like American things, is a melting pot of all.

Their backgrounds and living conditions have not by any means duplicated the historical or traditional backgrounds of Detroit’s famous blues artists such as John Lee Hooker but then their interpretation of American urban blues is not purest in nature. Rather than duplicate the old, they have interpreted and added what can be called credible contemporary blues.

The varied tastes and nationalities of this group are implied in the name, The Red, White & Blues Band.

3RD POWER

Love is the 1 st Power Peace is the 2nd Power And this is the 3rd Power. . .

MUSICAL, ORIGINAL, EMOTIONAL

“It’s a wonderful feeling-knowing that you are saying what you want through your music.”

A common enough rap from the Power. They enjoy doing other groups material, but their only reason for existing is to say it their own way with their own music. Creating was the reason for forming a group. From the beginning learning to play in their first rock group was perhaps the greatest obstacle when they let loose. Now though.. .watch out! This schmuck band is going to be big.

Recently Jim, Jem, and Drew copped Creem’s bad heads of the year award and are enjoying every moment of-it, though it is sometimes confusing trying to pick them out from the other animals on their somewhat spacious farm.

You’ll be seeing a lot from these guys recordings once again they are in progress with better results assured. Indeed, 3rd Power is a real part of the Detroit scene.

The 3rd Power consists of two ex-jazz drummers and a folk singer, Jim Craig (drums), Drew Abbott (guitar and vocals), and Jem Targel (bass, lead vocals). Personal Management: Lloyd Edwards Recording: Uncommitted

GOLD BROS.

“I’m not gonna write no jive and I’m not gonna sing no shit. We do music that we feel and that’s the only kind of music we want to play ‘cos if you can’t feel it and move with it and get with it, there ain’t no sense to play it.” John Angelos

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival marks the first major Detroit appearance of the Gold Brothers, five free musicians who have left their mark on Detroit during the past few years in such bands as Back and Back Boo Funny Music Band, The Family Medicine Chest, The Pink Peech Mob, and the Gold. “Little Johnnie” Angelos (vocals, mouth harp, and songwriter), Larry Carsman (lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter), Billy Mathers (bass guitar), Larry Lamb (keyboard and reed), and Winslow Pope (drums) have been the Gold Brothers for approximately six months, playing and drinking and carrying on whenever there were people who wanted to hear them. They’ve already earned a reputation in many parts of the city for being one of the area’s strongest groups though their exposure has been somewhat limited.

Moving from hard rock to blues to classical, they create music that can’t be catagorized at all. It’s just honest-to-goodness felling music, and no one who has ever experienced it can avoid picking up on the feeling. They jump and shout and play their asses off, and you can tell that they really meant it. Much of the material is original, including the renowned, “I’m Invisible ‘Cos Next Time You See Me, Baby, 1 Won’t Be There”.

The Gold Brothers are able to get the audience moving and sharing the songs with the band, and anyone who has seen them play and hasn’t had their consciousness considerably altered either hasn’t been sitting close enough to the wine bottle or hasn’t been listening. Their inclusion on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival will bring welcome entertainment to both friends and the uninformed.

“Rock and roll stars are bullshit, everything’s bullshit except the music and feeling good. Too many people are afraid to feel good. Too many people are afraid to get high, or have some sly action. There are even people that think it’s wrong to have action. These people have to be turned on to the good life. Why not feel good? Why make earth hell when it can be heaven? There’s something that every person can do and they should do it. That’s what makes the music so important. It’s the only media that can reach the young people. The music is like going to school only the schools are stupid so the music has to be an educational process. That’s why I write songs like “If You Won’t Ball Me, Baby, Maybe Some Other Hippie Will”, ‘cos it’s true and if you ain’t gonna do it and get with it somebody else will and you’re gonna be left behind, you’re gonna be sittin’, thinkin’ how messed up everything is when you can make it good your own self.” John Angelos

WILSON MOWERPUR SUIT

The present Wilson Mower Pursuit, is the result of a large scale personnel change in the late fall of 1968. Up to then the Wilson Mower Pursuit had plodded along unobtrusively but then lightening struck in the form of the Birmingham Deva Whiz Kid - Dick Sloss. Dick became involved as equipment manager and ultimately personnel manager. Dick felt dissatisfied with the group as it was. Seeing the need for the changes Dick began to play the fun filled rock group game: “Substitution”. Fie recruited the much discussed lead singer “Stoney” Murphy and Bass guitarist Jo Bedo from the all girl “Feminine Touch”. This lifted a few skeptical eyebrows but Dick wasn’t through yet. Never one to go half way - Dick then brought in Rick “Shady Lane” Stahl on rhythm guitar (and for his talent for writing sensitive gentle songs), and Steve Boughton, a heavy stolid driving drummer who brought a new life and steadiness to the group. Only “Wheatgerm” the colorful blazing lead guitarist was left from the original Pursuit.

Obviously Dick was taking a chance when he discarded the original members of the Pursuit to form a new untested assortment of personalities and talents. But time and a steady and rapidly growing following has proven Dick right.

Admittedly, Stoney, with her haunting powerful vocal abilities, is the major focal point of the Pursuit - and deservedly so. Granting the fact that ample room for polish and development still exists, nevertheless, Stoney is an experience you’ll not easily forget. But the Wilson Mower Pursuit is not another Joplin/Big Brother Cop - Stoney and Jo spring from the slick sex sell all girl bar bands and there is always that element of feminine mystery and come on in Stoney’s vocals and delivery. But Wheatgerm is of another influence entirely with his obvious Yardbird/Jeff Beck orientation. Steve drums from a traditional history that includes the basic raw fundamentals of rock.

Add to this the fragile yet powerful Donovan-like folk element of Rick’s writing and vocal concepts and the result is a totally new, unique and undefinable musical group. They can wail, sob, rock, flow, or fly. Their potential as a group, unhampered as it is by any single dominant influence - is incredible. The only grind is that knowing how good they can be. The natural tendency is to always feel vaguely dissatisfied with the current product.With Wheatgerm’s gradual approach to a less frenzied and more controlled thoughtful guitar style, Stoney’s daily re-discovery of the possibilities, limitations and variations available to her vocally; and the consistant tightening of the group as a group, The Wilson Mower Pursuit is one to watch!

CASTE

The “Caste” is: Dan Gould, organ; Scott Bradley, drums; Dave Etters, lead guitar; Tim McCleere, bass; San Watson, piano; Melvin Briggs, tenor sax; Lee Taylor, alto sax; Bob Nethery, trumpet; and Brad Baker, Manager.

The “Caste” has been in existence for about one year. Last November they had a large scale personnel change, and just two weeks ago they recruited the talents of Melvin Briggs and Bob Nethery to beef up the brass section.

Members of the band came from such groups as “The Keystones”, “The Wiz-Kids”, “The Frantics”, and “The Catalina’s”. This vast mixture forms jazz-oriented rock type of music, heavily influenced by “Blood, Sweat, and Tears.” The Caste was the first rock band with a large brass section in the State of Michigan.

The band is now concentrating on their original material. This music can only be described as “Caste Music”.

JAMES GANG

Joe Walsh-guitar, lead vocals, Jim Fox-drums, Tom Kriss-bass

The James Gang, Cleveland’s oldest living band, went to a three piece one year ago, when they played to a standing ovation at the Grande Ballroom, minus three of their original members who unexpectedly disappeared from the group. Assured that they could play sufficiently as a three piece, and feeling a special love for the Grande and its people, the James Gang played anyway. Since then, they have had nothing but success, and are one of the few out of state bands to become “ours.” (James Gang have been discussing moving to Ann Arbor, because they feel Cleveland is a dead issue, and the clubs, people, and response in Ann-Arbor-Detroit is happening.)

Tom and Jim were in the original James Gang; Joe, from the “Measles,” (sort of Cleveland’s musicians-in-training group) has amply filled the big shoes of Glenn Schwartz, the legendary Ohio guitar now with Pacific, Gas and Electric. After offers and consultations with Mercury, Capitol, Epic, and Vanguard, the group has signed with ABC-Probe, and expects a single release in two weeks, as well as an LP in June. A tentative cross Country tour with Blood, Sweat and Tears is being talked about for July and August.

Personal Management:

Recording: ABC-Probe

TRAIN

I have always felt that an artists first duty is self honesty. If he doesn’t really believe he is creating something valid he is a shyster, a phony. An artist s first duty is to himself. That isn’t to say he must be a pompous asshole who says tp the audience “I’m doing something really hip and if you don’t dig it go home and watch Rita Bell!” It’s simply a matter of believing in what you’re doing and hopefully expressing the joy you feel in doing something of your own to the audience.

The Train was formed when we found that we all dug free jazz, electronic music and naturally, rock and roll. We discovered that different time signatures allowed freer and varied means of expression while improvising. The Train is not a jazz band although club owners around the city label and avoid us as such...“Hey, I thought I hired a rock and roll band. How about doing something like “Communication Breakdown” or “Knock on Wood” next set, huh?” (Hideout)

We simply play our own music...third stream rock.

The Train: Craig Hughes, vocals and flute. Earl Morgan, keyboards. Herman Daldin, Bass. Ken Berry, Percussion. Cheyrl Jackson, vocals and electric violin. Wilson Lindsey, vocals and guitar.

W.L.

The Litter will be making their third area appearance at the Rock V Roll Revival. The group members come from Chicago and Milwaukee where they have been playing for some time.

The leader of the group is bassist, Jim Kane. The other members are: Tom Murry, drums; Sean Jones, lead guitar; Mark Gallagher, vocals; and Dan Rinaldi, rhythm guitar.

They will have an album released, probably by the time you read this, on the ABC Probe label. “Litter Emerged” is the title.

Apart from the album, the group recently completed a brief segment, with some original music, in a film called “Medium Cool,” directed by Haskell Wakler, who won an Academy Award for cinematography for “In the Heat of the Night”. They do about a fifteen minute segment.

In an earlier appearance at the Grande Ballroom several weeks ago the group was well received, and they hope that the increased exposure at the Revival, as well as the film and the album, will spread their musical reputation across the country.

SKY

Amidst the loud blare of amateur blues bands and imitation John Mayalfs and Eric Clapton’s, there seems to be a new band rising in Detroit with a rather distinctive sound.

The band is the “Sky” and their music is really far out rock ‘n’ roll. The rock is something relatively new to the blues-jamming oriented youth and requires a little adjusting and acquiring a taste, but it is evident that the “Sky” is rapidly becoming a choice sound.

To get down to what is making their sound so out of sight, you’ve got to be hip where they’re at in comparison to the other bands. They like to be thought of as a “group” rather than individual musicians. The originality of the “Sky” sets them apart. They’re not trying to be something they’re not and have developed a sound and are continuing to improve it and create cleaner music.

The “Sky” is a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist/pianist, all three good and maybe one of these days great. Vocalizing is almost more important than their instruments to them. Bob Greenfield is the drummer, and a good one. His sound id free but heavy. He’s funnier than hell, even though he doesn’t mean to be. Despite his sense of humor, he’s serious when he’s drumming, and he and Doug can really get into some arguments when they get too serio'us. Doug Fieger is like really talented. It’s bizarre. When it comes to doing his thing on the bass, he’s good, but as a person he’s just all too much. When he begins rapping in his Shakespearean tone, 1 get wrapped up more in how, then what, he’s saying. It ties in with his music too. His voice has a quality I get involved in. It’s not great, but it’s so dramatic that his words get lost in his tone. Out of sight! He generally sings and writes the lyrics to their songs, and has written most of the melodies too. Let’s see now, there’s Bob, Doug, ah yes!~John. John Coury is, well, far out. His head is really in the right place and his talent is very widely ranged. I’ll go so far as to say that on the guitar he’s got the potential to be the best. He arranges the songs, writes a little, and sings occasionally, not really enough. He is the one that kind of keeps the band together when Bob and Doug start getting it on. The three, as different as they are, combine to form a real together sound. They’ve been together about two years but have only been playing professionally a few months. Another year may find them back in Bob’s basement rehearsing, but it seems more than likely that with their talent and at the rate they’re going, that we’re all gonna be hip to the “Sky”. Who was it that said, “The Sky is infinite?”

DUTCH ELM

The Dutch Elm has the unique position of being the only truly unknown group on the Revival program, that is, this will be their first public performance together ever. They were scheduled to play at the Ballroom May 17, but due to a mix-up, there was not enough time for them to appear. Because of this very little is known about the group, not because they’ve tried to keep their activities secretive, but because their backgrounds are so obscure that nobody was really interested.

This much is known about them however: the leader of the group, Rockin’ Reggie, played with, and wrote songs for, The Family Medicine Chest, one of the world’s most underground groups, then did a brief stint with the Southbound Freeway. Reggie does all the writing and arranging for the Dutch Elm as well as play lead guitar and singing. He is somewhat different (or is it strange?). Other members of the group are Jack Smith, drummer, who formerly played with the Faith; Jerry Wideman, who has been playing piano and organ for 12 years, and plays these two instruments, as well as sings, with the group. Bass player Phil George has been working at his instrument for five years.

The group is currently at work on recording an album somewhere in Ohio with Harry Hind, who at one time handled The Band. They plan to release one of the tracks, “Mr. Leader”, as a single.

All The Lonely People is an eight piece group consisting of Larry Baird, vocals, piano; Fred Dicenso, guitar; Brian Raus, bass; Frank DeLuca, drums; Rich Dividian, tenor sax, flute; Mike Blanchard, alto sax, flute; Joe Gryzbowski, trumpet; Rick Blanchard, trumpet. They got together in August, 1968. They met in various bands they have played for in the past. Joe, Frank, Larry, and Fred went to Fordson High School and played in the school band. Joe met Mike in the Dearborn City Orchestra. Then last year Larry came up with the idea of starting a band. He began with Joe, Frank, Rich, and Brian. Joe remembered Mike and brought him

into the froup. Mike, in turn, brought his brother Rick in. All are attending college except Rick and Brian who are graduating from Dearborn High this June. They came together because they respected each other’s musical abilities. All read music and play at least two instruments each. Joe came up with the name. He was thinking of how a musician’s world is revolved around his music and instruments. A musician lets his feelings out through music and hopes to reach an ear. The Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby was the inspiration to title the musician’s world--All The Lonely People-all eight true musicians.

PLAN BROWN WRAPPER

The ’Plain Brown Wrapper’ are one of those enigmatic Michigan groups that defy all rules and attempts at classification. Emerging (along with the ’Woolies’) from the Lansing area, they show the early influence of the ‘Bossmen’ on that part of Michigan State. Utilizing horns, multiple percussion and four part harmonies, they are as at home with funky blues-rock as they are with sophistica:ed pop numbers.

What is so perplexing is the fact that ‘Plain Brown Wrapper’ have been in existence at a level far beyond the majority of groups, even today, for a period of time matched only by the ‘Rationals’ or ‘Dick Wagner’. They have been performing and entertaining in their unique, distinct manner for 3 or 4 years now and yet will be considered a sudden new discovery to the majority of the audience at the Revival. The group consists of five members: Chuck Sweitzer, lead; Van Decker, rhythm guitar; Scott Burbin, organ and trumpet; Rick Kalb, drums; and Dave Livingston, bass and trumpet. Each is a highly skilled muscian and in most cases able to double up on two or three instruments. Besides their affinity for high quality instrumental offerings, the ‘Wrapper’ have consistantly stopped the show with their sudden switch to an accapella four part ‘Four Freshman’ medley.

The use of brass, for providing a backdrop, not in blues jazz sense ala ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’, ‘Caste’, but rather as individual solo instrument on a par with any other has its roots in Dixieland and Country & Western music. The ‘Wrapper’ took the pop brass rock sound of the early ‘Bossmen’ and added both a heavier ‘Animals/Stones’ element of blues and a more youthful Wasp middle class sophistication. The gradual development, attempted recording products and contracts, and continual minor successes seem destined to a consistant frustrating rut - until recently when the ‘Wrapper’ seems to have found itself both musically and in regards to audience acceptance. At the recent Flint Pop Festival the ‘Wrapper’ came second only to an inspired performance by the ‘Frost’ in arousing audience fervor. It looks as if the Plain Brown Wrapper’ will finally peel away its obscure history and reveal to all an exciting and vital segment of the Michigan Rock Scene.

T.J. Cronley the drummer is a musician’s musician. Vastly underrated and largely unknown, he is considered by those who know as one of the great Michigan drummers. His training while with the infamous “Prime Movers” aids him in giving the “Station” its drive and solid foundation.

The “Brownsville Station” belong to that school of thought that believes that a rock artist must combine top musicianship with an equal desire to perform and entertain. The show is the thing and like the early giants of rock they pay homage to, the “Brownsville Station” shake, rock, roll, and explode with top showmanship. Suspend critical evaluation, if you will, for a while, and let yourself go, travel with the “Station.”

brownsville station

This exciting new A-2 area group has burst into the rock scene in a relatively short period of time due to their unbridled stage energy and infectious good humor. Reminiscent of the old “Apostles” and “Children”, the “Station” are distinguished from other groups in their unabashed amusement at the entire rock culture. With debts to “Bill Haley,” “The Coasters,” the early “SRC” and “Paul Revere” acts-the “Station” attempt to get back to the good ol’ days of rock ‘n’ roll.

Mike Lutz, lead singer, moves and explodes on stage reminiscent of the “Who’s” Roger Daltry or the Scott Richardson of the “Chosen Few”. Mike, formerly with the “Talesmen” and the “Children” has matured and polished his movements and vocal delivery to an exciting tension. Complementing this frenzied bobbing and weaving is the sharp tongued, nimble fingered lead guitarist, (and Uncle Russ lookalike), Mike Koda. Mike, never allows the opportunity to reveal the intrinsic humor of a situation to pass, and thus disallows any pretentiousness or hyped seriousness. Combine that with a general top notch guitar ability and you have the edge of a sophisticated rock experience.

On bass is Tony Driggins, the only Michigan R & R artist to almost achieve the ultimate honor, the possession of Pete Townshend’s guitar. When the “Who” first performed in the U.S. (they came to play and astound at Monterey) they found themselves inexplicably premiering at the now legendary Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor. After they had done their usual brilliant explosive-Townshend discovered his guitar had vanished. It was safely recovered however. Tony was found a block away walking calmly away as if he was dazed, with the guitar gently cradled in his arms. Softly muttering. . .“it’s mine now.. .1 don’t believe it!!”

SAVAGE GRACE

One of the most important features or a "pop festival” is that it gives unknown groups a chance to play before huge audiences, a chance to earn “instant acclaim.” At the recent Detroit Pop Festival the only group to come close to this was the Savage Grace.

The Savage Grace is a four-man group using a fairly common instrumental set-up: guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. Their music isn’t strikingly new, not “super far-out”. What it is, what these four guys, Larry Zach (drums and percussion); Ron Koss (guitar and vocals); A1 Jacquez (bass and vocals); and John Seanor (keyboards) do do is play musically polished original rock and roll, the kind of music you can listen to any time, anywhere, no matter how good or bad you feel and always want to hear more. This is the kind of music that not many groups are even capable of playing, and they do it with natural ease that is even more incredible when you think that they have only been practicing together since mid-January.

Combining their musical ability with some of the finest original lyrics (written by Ron and John--see Creem Number 5) any Michigan band has even been able to produce and the ability to arrange other people’s material so that it sounds like it was written especially for the band, the Savage Grace can not but succeed in leaving their personal mark on any show in which they appear. Already their progress has been remarkable. Their fourth gig ever was at the Grande Ballroom and they have already been booked for a full weekend (June 13, 14, 15) at Uncle Russ’ Emporium of Rock Delights as well as their appearance at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival.

Bob Stark

All over the country the great “progressive rock radio” experiment seems to be failing. The vast Metromedia network (which includes KSAN-FM in San Francisco and WNEW-FM in New York) has recently dropped its “underground” programing or is in the process of phasing it out and independent FM outlets around the nation are taking second thoughts about their “progressive” formats. But here in Detroit, rock and roll radio is stronger than ever and grows every day. We have not only WABX-FM, the originator of the rock & roll attack in Detroit, but WKNR-FM and to a much lesser extent, WXYZ-FM; all of whom are enjoying successful progressive programing. WABX, however, remains on top because of its unique approach to the problems of the progressive station. WABX has consistently identified itself with the Rock & Roll community, its bands, its cause, its needs and demands, and this insistant affiliation has been instrumental in building its huge and tremendously faithful audience. The staff of WABX-Larry Miller (the Father of underground radio, which he more or less invented here in Detroit at WDTM and later at KMPX-San Francisco); Jerry Lubin, Dan Carlisle, Dave Dixon and the Sandman (known to his mother as Dick Powell--) all have an active interest in the community and its people; and the people know where these men are at, realizing that there is more than the “sell-the-product”, “build-the-ego”, “shuck-and-jive” happening at WABX.

Some of the projects WABX has been involved with thus far have included a free concert in Rouge Park last August, with the MC5, Teegarden & Vanwinkle, the Rationals, the Red, White & Blues Band and several other local bands; the total concert was arranged and presented by the WABX staff itself; a series of live broadcasts of Detroit bands from Detroit clubs; special promotions of the community bands (including a campaign mounted by Dan Carlisle to get national record company scouts to attend the Detroit Pop Festival at Olympia the day after Easter). They have also promoted several successful capitalistic concerts including the Mothers of Invention and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Several free concerts are planned for the immediate future.

WABX has and will go to any lengths to accomplish its duel purposes of both satisfying and educating their listeners. WABX devotes much air time to public service announcements including community news (such as Open City), national news (selective and of particular import to WABX listeners) and complete coverage of the fantastic music scene here in Detroit (Rock & Roll Gossip and calendar of events). Some of WABX’s public service campaigns might have gotten out of hand, however, such as “Skinny Dipping” and “Go Naked for WABX Day” campaigns which met with all too much success for current societal conditions.

The success of WABX can be based on three primary factors. They are aware of their comminity’s needs and desires and will go to any length to satisfy them (they broadcasted live from the Miami Pop Festival as they are from the Revival); their bond with the community is enhanced by both their informal format and the authenticity represented by the staff members; and most importantly, by their continued commitment to the developing Detroit community.