ROCK AND ROLL NEWS

ROCK AND ROLL NEWS

CINCINNATI — Crosley Field will be the site of one of the first of the inevitable barrage of summer pop festivals in the midwest. It also marks the first time a major league baseball field is being used for such a purpose (though the Beatles did play Shea Stadium once); they’re even letting people sit on the grass. The June 13th event will feature Traffic, 10 Years After, Mountain, Mott the, Hoople, Alice Cooper, Stooges, Savage 'Grace, Bob Seger, Teegarden and Van Winkle, Brownsville Station, Sky and the Mike Quatro Band.

The Mike Quatro Band? Yes, the former booking agent and promoter (Quatro and Gibb are doing this festival) has turned performer^, Quatro says he will be performing on a specially built $350,000 electronic grand piano. Each string is amplified separately and Quatro claims the instrument will “revolutionize piano music.” Quatro, at one time, played piano for the bubble-man supremo Lawrence Welk.

ANN ARBOR — Ken Kelley has left the Ann Arbor Argus, the paper which he founded and fostered, to work on the new official organ of the White Panther Party and Youth International Party to be called the Nation. The Nation will be a monthly multicolored publication and the first issue is projected for June 1. Financed solely by newspaper sales, the Nation will contain no advertising. Kelley continues as an advisor to the Argus.

WATERFORD, MICH. - The Waterford Township Board tabled (i c.rejected) a petition by area people; to close the newly, opened Factorie' Ballroom. It seems that the honkos complained after the first weekend about the traffic problem. When the ballroom owners, cleared ihis up by the next weekend they had to think of another excuse to try and close the place and started the petition complaining about the noise. But, apparently the Factorie Ballroom will remain open.

NEW ORLEANS — According to Nola Express, the city’s underground newspaper, Country Joe McDonald had gotten thousands of dollars worth of free PR from the underground press because of his obscenity bust in Worcester, Mass, — deliberately. “We asked what the penalty was. He said, ‘$500. I lost on purpose.’ With the implication that he was going to appeal and get some more publicity,” said the paper.

“He wouldn’t say anything in behalf of the Tulane Liberation Front,” the story continued, “or on behalf of the NOLA Express editors facing five years and/or $5000 . for alleged obscenity in the mails.”

“Country Joe and the Fish were supposed to be one of the few groups with decent politics,” said - the paper, “We expected more of them. They complete our disillusionment with rock groups that fly in and play contentless music and fly out and don’t relate to what’s happening locally.”

L.A. — The Annual Installation of the Los Angeles Criminal Bar Association turned out to be quite entertaining — at least to some of the area’s prominent judges and attorneys. Entertainment chairman, attorney Marvin Part conjured up a little musical comedy (if you can call it, that) entitled “One Manson’s Family (The Family that Slays Together, Stays Together)” for the night’s, entertainment. Superior Court Judge Raymond Choates, who acted as attorney in the skit, stated, "I don’t think there was anything wrong with the show', particularly since ,it was not done for the public, but for a group ofi lawyers', their wives and close friends. ; Superior Court Judge William B. Keene, who is 'scheduled to preside over Mansoh’S trial, was also in the audience and reportedly found the play very entertaining. The actual trial should be a real gas for him and probably SRO too. CHICAGO — The righteous Bob Rudnick will be ’ ringing the Kokaine Karma show to yet another unsuspecting part of Amerika shortly. Rudnick has had to leave several radio stations for being a little too real and too righteous for station owners, but will be starting Radio Free Chicago on May 15 at WEAW-FM in Evanston outside of Chicago. Radio Free Chicago will be broadcast from midnight to six am and will feature the crazed karma king and two other high energy personalities whose names haven’t been made public yet. They’ll be handling their own newscasts with help from the Chicago -underground press including the Seed and Rising Up Angry, the city’s revolutionary greaser paper.

Rudnick has promisedto make his third world radio show so far out that it may well escape the planet and extend itself into the thin air of the suburban stratosphere.

NEW YORK (UPS) — Michael Lang and Friends, the people who brought Woodstock, have announced plans for a rock fest this summer on a 1240 acre dairy farm in upstate New York, Members of the Youth International Party in New York immediately asked to be cut in, demanding a fifty percent voice in booking talent, free admission for poor and black people and use of some of the profits for a movement defense fund— or else.

The Yippies “or else” is a plan to sponsor a free rock festival nearby with free admission. Bud Fillippo, one of thc promoters, declined to comment on the Yippies demands except to say that . some of the estimated $1 million profits will be donated to .causes that are > important to this country. Tickets will cost the by-now-standard rip-off price of $20 for three days. They somehow plan to limitthe audience to only 100,000 and the festival will, get underway June 26.

WASHINGTON - John Lennon and George Harrison have had their ineligibility to enter our virgin country waived, “for business purposes only.’* The State Department revoked their visas over a year ago for trafficing in narcotics (dope busts). But, times have changed. “Lennon has said he’s not interested in drugs anymore. People look on that with consideration,” said a Visa Office official. Yeah but what about Japanese divorcees? ...

LONDON — Doris Troy, writer and producer with Apple, hopes with George Harrison to revolutionize the British concert scene. Their brainchild is an Apple Band, that if all goes well should hit the road in a month. Says Doris, “George and I are getting this band together to travel with me and Billy Preston and we’re gonna have singers and dancers with us to make up an Apple Revue, I’d love to hand everyone a miniature tambourine as they walk through the door so they can all join in right from the start.” They plan to include Klaus Voorman, Alan White and Eric Clapton in their band.

SAN FRANCISCO (LNS) -r The biggest political circus spectacular in Amerika is being planned by Praxix,' a San Francisco media group led by R.G. Davis, formerly of the Mime Troup. The stars of the spectacular, to be staged in coliseums in 15 Amerikan cities are the seven defendants of the Chicago conspiracy trial. They will all play their own roles in a theatre-in-the-round.

NEW YORK - The Who will make an unprecedented appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House here in early June. The group’s rock opera, Tommy, will be featured in a wall-shaking performance there on Sunday June 7th.

Immediately after that gig, the group will make their next extended tour of the U.S., a summer ritual in several part's of the country. Tommy’s been dropped from the live show, though “Pinball Wizard” probably hasn’t been, by the way.

NEJV YORK - Johnny McLaughlin has been signed by Douglas Records. Britisher McLaughlin is currently lead guitarist for the Tony Williams Lifetime, and has previously recorded with Miles Davis as featured guitarist, and with Ginger Baker.

McLaughlin’s first album, Devotion will be released by Douglas during the . first week in May. Prior to release, the album is being ‘built’on the air by DJ’s Rosko (WNEW-FM, New York) and Mitch Reed (KMET-FM, Los Angeles), with tracks being aired as soon as they are out of the mixing studio, Douglas Propagandist Ken Schaffer described this as a nice way to build excitement, as listeners follow the progress of the album through its final stages, a month before public release date.

Devotion is described as an album which is in the same head vain as Douglas’ Lenny Bruce and Last Poets LPs. The McLaughlin album will be released simultaneously with Tim Leary’s You Can Be Anything This Time Around, an album on which Leary is backed by some of the foremost musicians in rock.

Sly Stone is reportedly back on the road again, ulcer healed and he’ll release a new album next month sometime. He’s touring the South and Southwest at present.

i BERKELEY, Cal. — Arhoolie, the blues record label, has purchased Dr. Harry Oster’s entire Folklyric catalog. The set includes records by such noted bluesmen as Jesse Fuller and Robert Pete Williams, as well as what is perhaps the finest collection around of Cajun jams.

Chris Strachwitz, owner, of Arhoolie, has just completed a recent trip to Louisiana and Texas where he recorded Clifton Chenier’s fourth album (among other things).

Nico has recorded a third album for producer Joe Boyd; this one will probably be on Elektra, too as was her last (Marble Index)

NEW YORK (LNS) - Grove Press, generally considered the most “radical” publishing firm in the country (they do the intellectual Evergreen and have published the .writings of Che Guevara, William Burroughs, Frantz Fanon and others) is in deep trouble with its employees.

When Grove employees started to organize a union , at the theoretically “liberated” book’ makers, they were quickly canned. The majority of the eight fired were women although two men were also bounced. Interestingly enough, Grove, which specializes in “enlightened” sex books (de Sade, Henry Miller, etc) is being organized by the militant Fur, Leather and Machinist Workers Union. The FLMWU is in the process of organizing workers at a number of other publishing houses, also.

One of the basic complaints at Grove is the exploitation of women — not only through the material which Grove publishes (which could perhaps be characterized as “male chauvinist”) but in actual practice. For example, women ’ are paid less then men for doing the same work.

One woman, Michelle Birnbaum, was fired for merely glancing at union literature. Grove Vice President Myron Shapiro caught her with a union form and pulled her into his office where he canned her, saying “You’re fired! Go and join your sisters!”

Sixteen radical women barricaded themselves in the company’s office Monday April 13th with a long list of demands. They were busted in a Hayakawa-Hitler blitzkrieg attack, the women were popped less than five hours after they’d entered the building. Nine of the women were arrested including Robin Morgan, one of . the fired Grove workers.

But by the end of the day. half of its 110 employees formed a union.

At least ohe rumor going around has Creedence Cjearwater, among several others, signing with Polydor. Polydor in New York had no comment and no one has really heard anything about CCR being dissatisfied with Fantasy. At least not lately.

CALIFORNIA ' —~ Pacific Gas and Electric have lost their lead guitarist Glenn Schwartz to the ministry. At the same time drummer, Frank Cook, has been put into temporary retirement as the result of a foot injury. For the duration, he’s returning to his previous position as the group’s manager. Tom Marshall, the rhythm guitarist, has dropped out and original bass player, Brent Block has taken his position. Charlie Allen remains as vocalist while new members include Ron Woods on drums, Peter Walsh on lead guitar and Frank Petricco on bass. A third album recorded by the original PG&E has just been released by Columbia.

Gram Parsons of the Flying Burrita Brothers flew off his Harley recently and wound up in the hospital with a broken cheekbone, cut knee and a somewhat shaken girl friend. The bike belonged to John Phillips, ex-of the Mamas and Papas and Parson and chick were taking it around for a spin. Parsons spent two weeks in the hospital; the girl, who had a helmet on, had no injuries.

NEW YORK — Bob Dylan is rumored here to have been in Columbia’s Studio B cutting tracks with former Beatles guitarist George Harrison here recently. Dylan is also supposed to be doing sessions with Johnny Cash in Nashville and Ringo Starr in Hollywood (oh great; a double album . ? . Bob and Ringo jam on “Tiny Bubbles” then an entire si&e of Bob with the Living Strings and then Ringo doing c&w with a 101 Guitar lineup. Ugh!)

Dylan is really supposed to release his first non-bootleg album in a year, the famed prophet’s (maybe) • first release since his Perry Como imitation of last year, Nashville Skyline. The album, to be called a Dylan Portrait, is a two record set and will feature'songs cut in Nashville, New York and at the Isle of Wight concert he did last year. For the first time since Freewheelin ’, Dylan Will feature tunes other than those written by himself, including a couple of Everly Brothers numbers and the Gordon Lightfoot hit, “Early Mornin’ Rain.”

LONDON — Eric Clapton, the English super-star, super-guitarist and former member of everyone from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to the, Yardbirds to Cream to Blind Faith to the Plastic Ono Band to Delaney and Bonnie’s Friends, • is busy working on a solo album here. He’s finishing up the record he started in Los Angeles with D & B. A goodly number of the songs on the album, by the way, will be written by the Delaney Bramlett/Leon Russell powerhouse duo.

NEW VORK — Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders’ occasional vocalist, is touring Europe for the rest of the spring and on into July. He’ll be back in the states in time for the Schaefer Music Festival at Harvard,; with Ramsey Lewis and Rahsaan Roland Kirk and of course, in time to play Newport-

LONDON — The juicy female amidst the fruit on the cover of Juicy_ Lucy’s first LP is 30 year old Zelda Plum, a London stripper. Juicy Miss Plum is also reportedly recording an album. Maybe she’ll use Juicy Lucy on her cover.

ANN ARBOR — Baseball - Ra-Ra-Ra, Baseball-Sisboombah .. .' In sports action, West Park has been the scene on recent Tuesday afternoons for some all-star (rock stars, that is) baseball action. The Ozone City League includes members of the MC5, Rationals, Bob . Seger1 System, SRC and 3rd Power and such dignitaries as Jesse Crawford. Punch Andrews and Jeep Holland have acted as umpires.

The Ormandy, a Lansing act, have independently released their single, “Good Day” b/w “Sparrow’s Corner”, on their own label, Kasaba.

MIAMI — The Miami Planet,, the city’s underground paper, tried to have a fund raising not long ago. Allen Ginsberg and his father were scheduled to appear, but Ginsberg’s father was banned as subversive.

Speaking of Ginsberg, he has recently cut an album with William Blake for Verve/Forecast titled “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”

ANN ARBOR — The Up, gettin’ down and gettin’ it on better than ever, have been perpetuating their reputation as the people’s band, giving up paying gigs to do benefits and free concerts all over the country. They most recently traveled to New Haven, Connecticut to do a series of benefits for imprisoned Black Panther Party Chairman, Bobby Seale, where the pigs ended up spraying the crowds with tear gas. The rock guerillas also journeyed to Lincoln, Nebraska to do a free concert for 3,000 kids in honor of the student strike at the U. of Neb. there. On the way back the Upsters stopped in Kansas to do a benefit, but things hadn’t been arranged properly so they stuck around and got to know the people of that community. It’s just more examples of the series of sacrifices they’ve made for all of us and they deserve our support. By the way, the Up’s single on their own Sundance label is out. So, check out “Just Like An Aborigine” and “Hassan I Sabbah.” The packaging of the record is far out, too.

FORT WORTH, Texas (UPS) - As of Thursday, April 30th rock music has been outlawed in Trinity Park here because of an “unfortunate but proven use of dangerous drugs and narcotics” used by the freaks who attend the concerts. The ruling came down from the Fort Worth Departments of Public Safety at the bejiest of Cato Hightower, the local Directorof Public Safety.

The banishment of rock and roll from the city’s field and forests came after a “much publicized” series of “incidents” at the park on March 8. IJowever, there has been no disturbance of any kind in the area since the bust, since the pigs have stayed out of the park since then.

Levi Stubbs, the lead singer for Motown’s Four Tops, was acquitted by a London jury on possession of cocaine on May 20. Stubbs informed the jury that he had “no idea” how approximately $480 Worth of the drug found its way into the pocket of his jacket in a hotel room.

NEW YORK — Roulette Records, the same company which has so courageously brought up such top talent as Tommy James and the Shondells, is now on an anti-drug binge. Their “public service” campaign consists of a pair of archaic radio spots, worth repeating on the same level as one might look at a piefce of Harry Anslinger 1937 anti-dope paranoia propaganda:

“Have you even been to a slaughter houpe ... or a butcher shop and seen a steer or hog carved into choice selections ... The cold steel of the knife slices through... like hot steel through wax ... When you die of an overdose you’re on the medical examiner’s table for an autopsy ... the scapels, of the coroner slice through your flesh ... like the butcher’s through the carcass of a hog or a steer... but what will you care . . . you’re dead from an overdose . . . (station call letters) encourages you to help a jockey bust a pusher.”

The other spot invites the listener to call the police or narcotics agencies with the name of known dealers and where Tie or She “hangs out.” And, the spot fconcludes, “the law will never know your name .. C they won’t ever even ask . . . you will never become involved ...” It is suggested that the spots be done as a voifce — over Chopin’s “Funeral March”. Which is about as up-to-date as the rest of the spot.

When are record companies going to learn that they-re trying to relate to kids who know lies when they hear them. The above spots should manage to drive at least a couple dozen more kids into an interest (morbidly enhanced by the Tommy James mentality that schlock-40 radio induces anyway) in every form of low-life drug from scag to speed. Right on!

CLEVELAND — In order to tell the true story of the Kent Murders, a Committee of Kent State Massacre Witnesses, has been formed, To send speakers to rallies and meetings around the country to explain' whathappened there.

All members of the committee were eyewitnesses to the cold-blooded murder of the four Kent State students. Since that incident, eight more students have been shot down in Augusta, Georgia and Jackson, Mississippi.

In addition to focusing attention on the Kent murders, the Committee also wants to draw attention to larger issues, such as the wars in Viet Nam and Cambodia. Major demonstrations are to be planned for May 30th, Memorial Day in most parts of the country; the goal is to turn Memorial Day from a day of glorification of war into a day of opposition to all murder.

DETROIT — Seven bike clubs and assorted street people have formed the Universal Angels, a coalition to boycott the Eastown Theatre. They picketed the club with strongly worded demands referring to “Money Bob Bageris (ed. — owner/operator of the ballroom) and his crew of dolts.” Their demands included local bands on every bill, a local night every Thursday with low admission, demands to fix the plumbing in the bathrooms, to stop hassling about money and open a bartering door

DETROIT - The Amboy Dukes will be recording a live album shortly. The | album will probably be recorded at the I Eastown Theatre. Meanwhile, after [, years of hotel living, lead singer Ted i Nugent has decided to settle at least l semi-permanently in Ann Arbor.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Jim Morrison didn’t do all those airplane nasties after all. After Stewardess Sherry Mason, the key T (indeed, the only) witness in the trial, reversed her testimony, Judge William Copland threw the “simple assault” charge out of U.S. District Court. Released with the Lizard King, currently touring with his band, the Doors, was Tom Nolan, a filmmaker friend.

And, as Leon Barnard, the Doors press agent, commented, “As usual the events surrounding the original incident were highly exaggerated.”

The shoestring Ann Arbor Blues Festival is gonna happen again. Last year’s success has led the collegiate occasionally (a la the old Grande), a demand for. medical facilities and, of course, lower prices. They ,also requested that the bikers be allowed to wear their colors inside the club. It is not known how the Eastown has been or will be affected by the boycott, which at this point has apparently been somehow resolved. On one night, however, the boycott apparently turned away over a thousand kids.

BUFFALO, N.Y. The Allman Brothers’ road manager, Twiggs Lyndon, was arrested here April 30 for stabbing a club owner to death. Lyndon had argued with, and allegedly stabbed, Angelo Aliota, owner of Aliota’s, a psychedelic bar here, over an alleged breach of contract with the Allmans.

Lyndon pled not guilty to a charge of first degree murder when arraigned. The mandatory penalty for first degree murder in New York State is life imprisonment..

“THERE’S A GOOD SOUND SOMEWHERE”

blues freaks to try once more, August 7-9. And they’ve also decided that they’re now a “big-time” festival? they’re making arrangements for 20,000 to 25,000 hippies and blues freaks.

Headliners include homeboy John Lee. Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Luther Allison (whose reputation was thoroughly enhanced at last year’s A-2 Blues Fest), Otis Rush, Bobby Bland, Big Mama Thornton and the legendary Son House. Son House will probably close out the concert as he did last year, ill health and all.

ENGLAND — Robert Plant of Led Zepplin, who are receiving in the neighborhood of $25,000 a gig, is a farmer. The English rock journal, Melody Maker, reported that Plant spends a good amount of his earnings on farm equipment and animals to build up his farm and that he hopes to be self-sufficient within the year. Plant also drives a Land Rover while the rest of the group members tool around in Jaguars and Rolls Royces.

LOS ANGELES - ^‘Playboy After Dark” — A new showcase for the , alternative culture? Could well be, if a recent taping is any indication.

Although the syndicated series has always featured at least one rock act per show, a taping due for airing June 9 in L.A. (the 6th in New York and the 27th in Chicago) was the first total rock culture package for the show. That package includes Michael Wadleigh, David Steinberg, Country Joe and the Fish and Linda Ronstadt. Country Joe and the Fish sang their famous “I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag” preceded by a FISH chant (as opposed to the usual FUCK chant). The song was recorded over three years ago but, this will be the first time anyone has dared air it on television. The taping winds up with clips from the Woodstock movie and a conversation between Hefner and Michael Wadleigh.

Considering that many of the best contemporary artists have refused to do flashy, irrelevant settings and deal with honky production crews, “Playboy

SOME time ago in a London Magistrate’s court, according to a barrister friend of IT, the following exchange took place between a police officer giving evidence on a drug charge and the magistrate:

MAGISTRATE: ‘Have you the piece of. cannabis found on the defendant? OFFICER: ‘Yes, your honour’. MAGISTRATE: ‘Has an analyst verified that it is in fact cannabis?’

OFFICER: ‘We haven’t been able to get an analyst’s opinion yet’.

MAGISTRATE: ‘How then do you know that was cannabis?’

OFFICER: ‘On smelling the substance I decided it was cannabis’.

MAGISTRATE: ‘Well, I think I am as good a judge as any as to whether it is in fact cannabis, let me have a look at it’. [Judge then proceeds to sniff substance suspiciously and finally licks the offending article just to make sure.] MAGISTRATE: Very well, I am satisfied that it is in fact cannabis. Whereabouts did you find the . cannabis?’

OFFICER: ‘Up the defendant’s rectum, your honour’.

After Dark” must be doing something right. Their policy is to encourage the acts to suggest staging, mix their own sound and as a result they have come up with some successful filming. Upcoming shows will include Billy Preston, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Tommy Smothers.

CHICAGO — The magic has apparently drifted out of the Crosby Stills Nash and Young firm. After the recent occurences on their aborted tour it looks like the boys are ready for a change. Or maybe not. Depends on whom you ask.

A friend asked Steve Stills what happened last week and he replied to the effect that Neil Young had gotten pissed off last week in Denver, proceeding to walk off stage in disgust at a concert no one was happy with. They told the audience he’d broken his axe.

The next night in Chicago, Young and Crosby (who some sources say are the basic source of friction anyway) had a tiff in the dressing room. The gig got

FLINT, MICHIGAN - The following is an advertising solicitation we received from WATC (top 40) radio in Flint.

In an effort to help promote true Americanism in the Saginaw Valley, especially for Flag Day June 14 and the Fourth of July, WTAC Radio makes this exclusive offer:

(A) One (1) giant, plush Uncle Sam

(B) 1,000 American Flag Decals

(C) Forty. (40) 30-second spot announcements to be usedbetween June 8 and July 4

^ (D) Twenty (20) promotional announcements

(E) Entry blanks for the contest

(F) Patriotic entry boxes

(G) Window signs

WATC recommends that the American Flag decals be given away to every customer and that a drawing be held on July 3 or 4 for the Uncle Sam Cost: $349.00

ANOTHER EXCLUSIVE OF WTAC TO HELP YOU MAKE BIGGER PROFITS, CREATE UNTOLD GOODWILL, AND PROMOTE AMERICA!!!!!

cancelled, rather than face another embarassment. And, Stills is supposed to have said, “It’s been a hassle fromithe beginning. Just one hassle after another.”

We called David Geffen, the rock firm’s p.r. man, and found him out to lunch. No one else in the office was talking either, but they promised to call back. When the Geffen office called the next day, his secretary (Geffen had developed hepatitis) said that the break-up reports were “Totally untrue” She then explained about Steve being on crutches, which is pretty strange for a man with a broken wrist, and that Crosby and Graham were having throat trouble. Apparently, the guys are really far gone jtoo, because the tour’s been scheduled againFor October.

Oh, on further_ questioning the young lady did comment that “Remember there has been dissension in every group Neil has been in.”

But Altantic phoned back a couple of days later. They informed us that the group was definitely not breaking up, though the rhythm section of Taylor and Reeves is leaving. And the band will be resuming their tour at the end .of the month. A la Blind Faith, perhaps, but resuming it nonetheless.

WOODSTOCK NATION - The Jefferson Airplane isn’t in the Woodstock movie because the soundmen fell asleep. Abbie Hoffman, The White Panther and Hog Farm temporary communities there, the hundreds of Free John and Free Huey . posters, or even one revolutionary button aren’t included in the movie because:.. ?

DETROIT (LNS) - The best of Michigan’s establishment got a chance to . turn on as a May Day present. Anonymous donors from all over the state sent their favorite officials a joint in the mail.

Governor William Milliken, Mayor. Roamin’ S. Gribbs of Detroit, at least 23 state legislators, visiting Recorder’s Court Judge Cornelius Sullivan and Colonel Frederick E. Davids were all given the opportunity to enlightenment through ingestion of the sacraments.

The dope came along with illustrated instructions for smoking as well as the best wishes of the evil criminals who mailed the noxious substance out to the unsuspecting forces of truth and honor and justice and the Amefikan way.

The mailing was part of a “Grass for the Masses” campaign to send marijuana cigarettes to legal officials and many •straight citizens in recognition of Amerika’s Law Day. The campaign had been publicized in various local underground and college newspapers; in fact, some of the joints were later discovered to have, been mailed using a Wayne State University mailing permit.

The White Panther Party claimed credit for originating the idea in Detroit but not for the actual mailings. “It’s a celebration of Law Day,” Ken Kelley, formerly of the Ann Arbor Argus now with the White Panther Party paper the Nation, said. “Hopefully, some of the legislators will try it and realizethatmarijuana is not some kind of undercover poison.”

The establishment figures who got the dope reacted with a mixture of embarassment, outrage and confusion. Most of them sent the cigarettes to the police, the state police later reporting that the grass was of “high quality”.

“I don’t like it. I don’t approve of it. It’s against the law,” Governor Milliken quipped after receiving his little bundle of joy. Rep. James F. Smith called the gift “a blatant flouting of our laws.”

But another legislator laughed and confessed, “I was tempted to close my door and have a few tokes.” However as of latest word, he has not yet been indicted for conspiracy.

In a related action, April 30th, more than 100 White Panthers traveled to Lansing for a demonstration promoting legislation of marijuana and the release from prison of White Pahther Party Chairman John Sinclair, presently imprisoned for nine and one half to ten years for less than twice of what Governor Milliken was given in the mail.

Airplane's Balin Busted

MINNEAPOLIS s£ Marty Balin, the Jefferson Airplane’s lead singer, and sound men Terry Cost and Graydon Odel were arrested here Saturday morning (May 16) and each charged with two counts of unlawful possession of narcotics. Odell and Cost were arrested about six a.m. at their motel, originally for “contributing to the delinquency” of minors which, of course, was changed when they were found to be in possession of marijuana -and cocaine.

Returning with search warrants, police found Balin holding more weed and a little hash, too.

This apparently all started when some groupie’s parent called police and complained that she had been at an Airplane pot party after their concert Friday night. And since this is not totally unheard of...

They were released on $5000 bail each during arraignment early Monday j afternoon by Hennepin County ' Municipal Judge O. Harold Odland. Marty commented after leaving the -courtroom, “Those Bloomington cops are really nice guys, they even gave me this (indicating a small gold pig-pin on his leather jacket). They use them for tie bars.”

Meanwhile, the Airplane have been busy on the recording front. The band’s banned single “Mexico” (b/w “Haw You seen the Saucers”) was released this week while the Hot Tuna album, with super-bassist Jack Casady, and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, will be Teleased the second week in June. The Hot Tuna disc was recorded live at the New Orleans House in Berkeley.

Mike Barich

Chicago Cots It On At Last

CHICAGO — The second largest city in Amerika has long had a reputation for being one of the most culturally boring; Not since the days of Mother Blues and Big John’s on Wells Street, when there wasn’t an inch of space between the/ prospering Mike Bloomfields and Paul Butterfields on the South Side streets, has there been any really young scene. But all that appears to be changing as the Windy City has come up with perhaps the most progressive rock ballroom in the country.

“We were beginning to feel a lot like Chet Helms,” explained Cy Fruchter, one of the Aragon Ballroom’s backers. They’d lost $17,000 in their first two weeks operation, first by being ripped off by kids breaking in and then by closing in honor of the students murdered at Kent State. Then, last Wednesday, another disaster struck.

Delaney and Bonnie decided to cancel; the call went out for another act but, since the rock palace already had Smith, the Burrito Brothers, Chicago’s own Jesse and a Milwaukee crew called White Lightning, things weren’t that awful. But they got worse when Smith cancelled the next morning. So they began calling again, this time in desperation.

They reached Dee Anthony of Bandana Productions and talked him -into letting the Mad Dogs and Englishmen do a second show in Chicago (they’d, already played there the first weekend of the tour.) It was the next to the last show for the Cocker crew, led by Leon Russell, and an important gig for all concerned.

The Aragon crew, led by Fruchter and co-promoters Doug Martin and Dan and Alan Marrinson, had 20,000 leaflets printed up and swept out into the pouring rain to get the word out. “We slapped them on cars at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago,” Fruchter explained “and it was raining so hard they stuck.” But it worked. Almost despite themselves, the Chicago crazies had produced a successful concert and what’s more; what looks to some local observers like the beginning of the city’s long-awaited hip community.

The concert opened with Jesse, who, though a Chicago group, largely lost the crowd with their melange of top 40 sophistry. But White Lightning, the Milwaukee rockers with a revolutionary rap, drove the crowd into a frenzy any dervish would’ve been .proud of. Even the drum solo raved the normally jaded, “bring on the star”, Chicago crowd.

The Flying Burrito Brothers didn’t get the response they might have, due in large part to the fact that they couldn’t .sustain the level of energy that White Lightning had built. But when the 20 members of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen walked on stage, it was into the ozone and away. (Reminding one that White Lightning’s last number was a rock “William Tell Overture” that, amazingly enough, worked). By the time Cocker and company were done knocking everyone out, it was 1:15 but the crow4 wasn’t going to quit, js “At that point it became a matter of, * not keeping the crowd off stage but 2. making sure they didn’t get hurt getting ~ up there,” Fruchter raved. “They partied to their own music for an hour after the Cocker set was over! And then they asked for brooms and swept the place up!”

The Aragon has been set up to appeal to a community oriented, very hip audience. The Maranson brothers formerly ran Lally’s, a closet-sized but interesting niteclub in the blues district. With Fruchter and Doug Martin they formed American Tribal Productions, set up not so much to make bread (they managed to turn a profit, with 5500 kids, of $600 Friday night) as to turn people on. Which Chicago needs badly.

So they brought in the heaviest radio personality on the scene, Bob Rudnick, to be their emcee and let the White Panther Party set up a “three picnic table long” newstand in the back with every underground and cultural publication in the country on it. “Exhibiting our thinkers”, Fruchter boastfully but correctly terms it. “We’ve gotten over 1000 signatures to Free John Sinclair petitions in only three nights of operation. And all the WPP newstand money goes to the community.”

They also want to set up a refreshment stand with hip refreshments; rather than Coca-Skonkola they want to have fresh fruit and juices\ And they’ve installed a five by seven foot bulletin board for the community’s messages. And, last but not least, they’ve set up a “Free Forum” where Chicago craftsmen can display their wares, coming in as the Aragon’s guests.

Fruchter, a native Detjoiter, has eyes on other things. He wants to build the Hog Butcher into exactly that, for a different kind of pork, in a cultural way of course. And, he told me, while constantly referring to the weekend as “the beginning” that “I don’t care if they throw me in jail; they can sign petitions for me if it’ll get a community together here.”

Well, maybe you just gotta know Cy. Whatever, it looks like Sweet Home Chicago might become just that, at least for those who, in Fruchter’s words, are “tired of blowing the dust out of their tea.”

Dave Marsh

Muddy’s Back

Muddy Waters,.his first gig out'of the hospital, on crutches, at the Chessmate. Innate Journalistic Sense (not mine) Says: great pics and more, in a month that has Seen the return of Howlin’ Wolf and the deaths of Earl Hooker and Otis Spann. I go.

In time for the last set. Muddy’s band starts the set as usual, but Muddy comes on sooner than usual,' with less fanfare, and, yes, on crutches. Slowly and obviously painfully he approaches the stage, leaves his crutches at its edge and sits in a luncheonette-style metal and plastic chair. He picks up his guitar and with no more than a nod of his head, starts to play. The tune is one I’m not familiar with, and it turns into a long jam. Muddy starts slowly, begins to loosen up, and by the end is rippling off slide riffs with’ most of his usual poise.

They then play “Mannish Boy,” and Muddy is obviously having a good time. His singing is as good as I’ve ever heard it, and though his playing is not as fluid as it sometimes is some carefully executed figures elicit whoops of joy from both the -audience and himself. Later he explains that his left hand is badly swollen and not as mobile as it might be. “No problem with the singing; the singing is fine,” he says, “but I can’t get around on the guitar .too well.”

Still and all, his progress is about what he expected it to be, and he - figures that in about a month or so the swelling will have gone down enough for him to start recording again. He feels pretty good, if a. bit weak. “Now Wolf,” he says, “they got a doctor going around with Wolf every place he goes.”

I’m taking pictures of Muddy from right in front of the stage and there’s this spade in a leather jacket and knitted -plaid cap with a pompom on top who keeps getting in my way. He’s carrying a paper cup full of some kind of booze and in between hustling theyoung white, thighs at the front tables he keeps going up to the stage and beating time on the piano, patting Muddy on the knee, things like that. The band plays another tune and then Muddy calls for John Lee Hooker to join him on stage. John Lee Hooker, of course, is the dude in the pompon hat. I hadn’t seen him since Saugatuck, last summer, and in the meantime he’s certainly lost that lean and hungry look. Anyway, they did about 20 minutes of “Boom Boom,” vamping with each other and having a fine time, and of course it was superb.

Earl Hooker and Otis Spann had died the week before; Hooker’s death (from TB) had been long expected, but Spann had recently been released from the hospital and had even started to do gigs again. Muddy admitted to being shocked by the death of his long time friend and 14-year veteran of the band. “We thought he was getting better,” he said, “but all of a sudden he just went down.” A sobering thought, one would expect, for a man on the way back to a career almost lost.

Deday LaRene

Gathering Of The Tribe

DETROIT fp The Tribal Sinfonia decided to have a party and invite the “entire world” on May 10 — they didn’t quite make that goal but they did manage to get 5000 people to Hines Park bn 48 hours notice.

The band had gone into the park to jam the preceding weekend, with acoustic instruments, and about 75 people had gathered around to watch them. So they decided that the concert was a dynamite way to both promote themselves and have a good time. With the aid of a heavy lawyer and their manager A1 Linden, they managed to get permits for the freebie from the City’s Department of Public Works, going over the heads of the two police departments who’d turned them down.

It still almost didn’t come off. With the heavy street action going down during the week, Governor Milliken issued a seeret order to halt all mass gatherings of youth outdoors; the result was that almost everyone else’s permits were cancelled. But the-Tribe’s lawyer said that since the group had the permit they’d need an injunction to stop it. And, with only a couple of working hours left on Friday afternoon, the petty beaureaucrats put their tails between their legs and split for suburbia where it’s safer.

Or so they thought. But Hines Park, on the city’s northwest side, is dangerously close to home. Linden took announcements of the concert to KNR-FM and WABX to be promoted in the day and a half remaining before the concert. They called if a “giant party” with the tag being “the whole world is invited.”

Things started out fairly calmly on Sunday; when the Tribe started around 2 p.m. there were only a couple of hundred people there. Even that was

more than they really expected but, as the day wore on, the band was amazed to see a continuing stream of people and cars and motorcycles. The 5000 who made it in would probably have been joined by hundreds more had they not been turned away by the pigs who were panicking at the park’s access sites.

When bikers came in, several hundred strong, the cops “offered” tp take care of security. Linden replied that he thought they could take care of things fine all by themselves. “O.K.”, the pig said, “but we’ll wait around in case you need any assistance.”

Linden later reported seeing a list containing the license number, name and club of each of the bikes and their owners. But, suprisingly enough, given Altamont and all, the bikers were among the coolest participants in the days proceedings. There were only a couple of incidents, both humerous rather than harmful.

One involved _the Hare Krishna people whose wavelengths seem tuned in to every gathering of more than 3 people in the Midwest. As one of the bare-headed Krishna-ites chanted and danced and sang qbout his enlightenment, several Outlaws (one of the bike clubs presented) watched. Finally, one of them stood up, walked over to the dancing mystic and said, awe-struck, “Man, you gotta lotta balk!" Later the bikers started throwing each other in/the river.

All in all, it was a success for everyone. The people had the good time they were looking for on a Sunday afternoon with nothin’ to do and the Tribe got some much needed exposure. The band also got well known, enough to get some added publicity for its independently released single “Something’s Turned Me Around” on Tribe Records. It’s probably one of the most advanced horn crews in the country,' so the exposure was deserved.

Since the volume was reported to be “excessive” in the apartment buildings two blocks away, Hines Park won’t see any more rock and roll this summer. But in two weeks it looks like the Tribe will go .to Rouge Park for another Concert, this time with a couple of other bands.

And for the next one, they’ll be ready for a few more people.

8000 Celebrate Dylan’s Birthday

DETROIT —.The Motor City’s mountains are extremely short and the tide never comes in and there ain’t much to do but there sure is one fuck of a lot of dynamite rock and roll music here.

8000 denizens of Detroit’s rock and roll ghetto got down and got back for WABX’s first second annual rock and roll Sabbath celebration May 24th. (Of course, 40,000 of their brothers were over in Lansing for a festival featuring Jefferson Airplane and the Faces so god knows what the crowd could have been like.)

At noon, when the show was slated to begin, there were only a handful of the true hard-core rock freaks and a. torrent of rain to greet the arriving bands. But by 1 o’clock Jerry Lubin and John Detz of ABX, who were staging the show, had arranged for the sun to pop through the clouds and the concert began.

The passing of the day’s first libations and Virgin Dawn got the day off to a rousing start. As V.D. started their set, the crowd began to pour in and by the time they were through there were about 5,000 people crawling all over the grounds, drinking and fucking and smoking dope and generally getting it on with each other.

All the Lonely People, an incredible rock and roll/Blood Sweat and Tears combo recently glommed by Sam Charters for Vanguard, were up next. Their set culminated in a stomp-down version of the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” that had all five thousand people dancing their asses off in an imitation Sly Stone riff.

Aftet an hour’s delay to change the p.a., during which the crowd nearly doubled in size to it’s final 8,000 mark (bringing with them even more libations), Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels really got things going with an incredible set that featured guest artist Little Sonny, noted motown blues ■, harpist, and had the crowd constantly in motion. The climax came with Mitch’s old stand-by tune, “Devil With A Blue Dress On”, which, in its new configuration thoroughly crazedthe crowd.

Mitch’s new set of Wheels appear to be some sort of weird amalgm of r and b oriented rock and roll freaks whose music provides an intense energy that seems to be driving Ryder to his old heights and beyond.

Mitch’s set was followed by Catfish, recently returned from a highly successful West Coast tour. Catfish, led by massive lead singer Bob Hodge, had the crowd running amok in the field by the time they were through. It was another excellent demonstration of Hodge’s superb showmanship. Aside from Mountain, Catfish are undoubtedly the heaviest group on the present rock scene.

The show closed with SRC, who had driven over 600 miles from Marquette without sleep in order to do the show. The band has a brand new set that is a throwback to their old days as one of the area’s premiere rhythm and blues bands. Their new show starts with “Heat Wave” and builds from there. They closed the day out with “Bolero” and a bizarro snakedance around the field.

The day was a tremendous success for all concerned, except for the demon precipitation. A true spectrum of Detroit music and Motor City people. Toked out of its mind, the crowd got down and stayed there, mud and all, for one of the highest energy afternoons in recent history.

And all this on Bob Dylan’s thirtieth birthday.

Dave Marsh and Barry Kramer