Please come and support this excellent organization.A BLAST FROM MY PAST
While we were back at my sister's in Michigan a couple of weeks ago, Carole gave me these old 45s she'd saved. LOL!
It was 1964. I was fresh out of high school and playing in my first road band, The Zephyrs. While we were gigging at "The Chatterbox" in Seaside Heights on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore that summer (upper left in the photo below), we hooked up with this manager cat Mort Browne. Why he ever consented to get involved with us starry-eyed rookies escapes me.
Click his name, read his rap sheet. Cat was renowned during the Tin Pan Alley era. A heavy hitter.Mort brought us into NYC and put us in the studio to cut four tunes. Same place where Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons cut their stuff (a state of the art 4-track facility, wow, where the reverb was generated by mics in a stairwell outside the studio).
Above, starting at 12 o'clock, clockwise: Pat Burno, sax; Ward Kremer, drums; cousin Jojo, bass; Clay Kremer, B3 & guitar (cat fancied himself the White James Brown, replete with cape & all); BobbyG, guitar & trumpet.(My man Conti will get a laugh from that shot)
Well, while we were out on the road that fall and winter driving around through blizzards pulling a U-Haul (all five of us piled into Jojo's old car) and freezing our asses off (Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana, Iowa, etc) and playing some long gigs (e.g., 9 pm - 5 am at the Whiskey a Go Go on Rush Street in Chicago), Mort got us airplay and serious chart action in Europe -- thinking, no doubt, reverse British invasion. The "Bicycle Ride" was this dopey novelty tune intended to spark "A New Dance Craze!" Jeesh.
Moronically, we imploded from the stresses of our naivete and crap gigs and broke up in the spring of 1965, just as Mort's strategy for us was bearing fruit. Idiots.
I moved on and hooked up with "The Hollywood Argyles" (the "Alley Oop" cats) in the summer of 1965 and headed back out on the road.
JOZEF BOBULA
I blogged about this new bass cat in town recently (click his name for his website).
Nice playing, bro'. Very nice.
OUR BRO' RONNIE, SUNDAY NIGHTS AT 9 pm - JUST JAZZ
I blogged about this gig a few weeks ago. Check it out, they're throwin' down big-time.UPDATE EMAIL FROM JERRY LOPEZ
Hello Folks,
We're back in the lounge at the Palms this coming Monday night, and we've got word we might have a couple of "surprise Guest Artists"... Hmmmm...
Last Monday night was a real treat. We had Wayne Brady, Clint Holmes, George Wallace, Earl Turner, and many other stars show up, and some of them sat in with the band. We also had the INCREDIBLE MOSAIC!! perform that night -- WOW is all I can say. This group of singers makes me want to go back to the "woodshed" and spend 8 hours a day practicing!!
We hope to see you Monday night, and bring a friend!
ALSO: I just got this from my friend Tony Davich who is the lead singer (and former lead singer with Santa Fe) with PHOENIX, and Incredible rock band that THROWS DOWN!
If you dig classic rock done right, with heart, with major talent, you have to see these guys. Jimmy Crespo (formerly of Aerosmith and many many other Rock legendary bands) is the lead guitarist and is AMAZING. Check it out, this is what I got from Tony:
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We are currently at the NY NY every Thursday-Monday from 10:00-2:00 on a full-time basis. Starting October 20, though, we will be performing Saturdays at the Showroom at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Doors open @10:00, shows start @ 10:30. We're really excited about working this room because, as you well know, the room - and the people involved with it - are top notch. They've really got their [bleep] together over there and are very "live entertainment friendly."
Our complete schedule is on our website at www.PhoenixRockBand.com.
Check 'em out on MySpace as well (www.myspace.com/phoenixrockband). -- BG
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