tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.comments2024-03-16T06:44:23.745-07:00Grateful Dead SourcesLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger1952125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-4562618257170112132024-03-16T06:44:23.745-07:002024-03-16T06:44:23.745-07:00I've seen a copy of Freewheelin' Frank'...I've seen a copy of Freewheelin' Frank's 1967 memoir, courtesy of runonguinness, and he devotes a few pages to the San Francisco State College acid test. A sampler: <br /><br />"The date is 10/1/66... An acid test is mainly made up of students, teachers, writers, poets, artists, critics, and whatever else one might find in the circle of creativeness outside the teenyboppers that have shown up also. This is on the Saturday night and all the college buildings are lit up and left open. One building - the gymnasium - is used for the acid test. In the center of the gymnasium floor there is a bandstand, open on two sides. Scaffolds are built throughout the gymnasium, where people stand working projectors that play technicolor films against the ceiling in all beauty of violets and purples and reddest of ruby reds. And on the bandstand this night taking turns were the Grateful Dead and Mimi Farina. It is very dark in here because the only lights are technicolored film projections and the oscillating lights and the tangos of color that blow across the ceiling... <br />"The Grateful Dead, their hair hanging below their shoulders, all five of them twanging and twonging on their guitars amplified into the pitch darkness of this night, singing of the midnight hour. The audience swirled and milled about. My mind was ripping on LSD as many minds were, for this was an acid test..." <br /><br />Frank goes on to describe the various acid hallucinations he had while the Dead and Mimi Farina played (apparently he stopped Midnight Hour by pointing at the ceiling, to the Dead's confusion). After the Dead played, "there would be a hush before the swirling autoharps would break the silence and Mimi Farina would again sing her lovely ballads..." <br />Then he took a stroll around the campus, handing out acid, until he came to the college radio station, where he encountered Ken Kesey, "sitting on a stool with an electric guitar plugged into a large amplifier with wires running all over the floor...with a pair of earphones across his neck, twanging away at a guitar and quoting weird poetry into the night..." At which point Frank ascended into the heavens.<br />(See also the Taping Compendium p.104-105)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-36383845660628950222024-03-16T05:31:35.049-07:002024-03-16T05:31:35.049-07:00Yes, but it's funny to think that of all those...Yes, but it's funny to think that of all those thousands at the Be-In, half of them may have been grumbling, "There's nothing happening here..." Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-85150196914755703932024-03-15T18:01:29.114-07:002024-03-15T18:01:29.114-07:00Boy, that's kind of a whiff as a first draft o...Boy, that's kind of a whiff as a first draft of history.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-25194324035878046702024-03-15T07:07:51.330-07:002024-03-15T07:07:51.330-07:00Jann Wenner wrote a brief account of the Be-In in ...Jann Wenner wrote a brief account of the Be-In in his column in the 1/18/67 Daily Californian ("Leary or the Angels," p.7), in which he did not mention any of the bands at all. <br /><br />"Who can really tell what happened at the 'Gathering of the Tribes' at the Polo Fields last weekend? Frances Moffat, the society editor of the Chronicle, was there running around and taking notes. That seems to be highly appropriate. Then again, the first thing I heard, when I arrived at 1 p.m. and was passing through the acres of people, was two pudgy little six-year-olds talking to each other... 'There's nothing going on here.' ... <br />"It was like a medieval tournament with parties and tents and flags and standards and bread and circuses. Bread: every time I turned around someone was giving me a loaf of bread to eat from and then pass along... <br />"[Tim Leary] got up and made a little speech - just like the political radicals. 'What I have to say can be summed up in six words: Turn on, tune in, drop out.' He went on for 7 or 8 more minutes. When he finished, he folded his hands as in prayer and blessed the audience. There was sparse applause. <br />"Buddha - the cosmic fund raiser - tried to work up more applause for Leary, but nobody would do it... The greatest roar of approval was for the Hell's Angels. Buddha announced that the generator for the loudspeaker system was being protected by the Angels (as well as all lost children). Thunderous approval echoed back and around the stadium."Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-14403720959111904232024-03-14T08:34:52.484-07:002024-03-14T08:34:52.484-07:00John Brackett brings out an interesting point in h...John Brackett brings out an interesting point in his recent book Live Dead - - Goldstein talks here about how great the Dead, and other SF bands, sound onstage ("like live thunder"), and agrees with local musicians that no album can reproduce their live sound. And yet: "I have never seen them live, but I spent an evening at the Fillmore listening to tapes." The tapes, it seems, were all he needed to extol the Dead's hard "boulder sound" and irreproducible dancehall feeling.<br />Aside from which tapes, it's a good question what his listening conditions were when the tapes were rolled at the Fillmore. I know in 1969, the Family Dog would have light-show nights where tapes were played of old Avalon shows for the audience, kind of retrospectives of SF rock history. I don't know of any theaters doing this already in 1967.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-7225045268181190872024-03-13T01:16:29.246-07:002024-03-13T01:16:29.246-07:00I was meaning to comment on this when I posted it,...I was meaning to comment on this when I posted it, but just ran out of time. <br />Anyway, a good interview from the wilds of Oregon; as usual, Garcia seems to have ample time to rap with a reporter before the show. A few brief things to note: <br /><br />- Garcia talks a little about the Dead's cycles, where they'll be on one song cycle for about a year, then move on to the next thing. (He mentioned this elsewhere too, I don't remember where.) It's a pretty accurate way to look at the Dead's early patterns - their 1971 song cycle, for instance, was about to begin. <br />- Back in fall 1970, Garcia had recorded his album with Howard Wales (Hooteroll), and here he says it'll be out in February. But it was delayed (for more overdubs & mixing, perhaps), and didn't come out until September '71. <br />- Garcia's planning the live album - but since they hadn't recorded any shows for it yet (except the rejected 10/4/70), he doesn't know what'll be on it. He's thinking of songs "we’ve been doing for a long time, but have never recorded." He might not yet have thought of using the live album to introduce new songs, since those songs hadn't been played yet! (This is in contrast with Live/Dead, which was planned as a continuous suite after months of playing.)<br />- It's neat to hear that the (unnamed) PERRO group was actually recording material for an album. The idea must have died quickly though, since I don't think their sessions lasted past January '71 - a brief moment of optimism, perhaps.<br />- Garcia's looking forward to "taking it easier" and not touring as much as in 1970. He's sick of all the gate-crashing (and just a few hours later, a couple thousand ticketless people would crash into the Dead's Eugene show). He threatens that if it keeps up, the Dead will quit touring. "We don’t play background music for riots!"Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-22526750145378684062024-03-13T00:02:36.430-07:002024-03-13T00:02:36.430-07:00Good catch! It's hard to say - I think that wa...Good catch! It's hard to say - I think that was the last rock column in the Daily Cal that month, so there wouldn't have been any review. <br />There was still an ad for the May 14 show in the Friday, May 13 issue. There was also an ad and a listing for the show in the May 13 Berkeley Barb. So a cancellation would have been last-minute.<br /><br />On the other hand, I did not find ads for any other shows at the Veterans' Memorial Hall that year, which may indicate the venue did not welcome rock dances.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-34280640911841019132024-03-12T06:05:50.257-07:002024-03-12T06:05:50.257-07:00It sounds like the 66-05-14 Berkeley Veteran's...It sounds like the 66-05-14 Berkeley Veteran's Memorial Hall show might not have happened. The 66-05-12 column reports "the Veterans, scared by these dances, are backing out of the rental agreement." I don't think there are any after the fact mentions of the show.runonguinnessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-36273688833277493462024-03-06T11:35:04.551-08:002024-03-06T11:35:04.551-08:00Another announcement for the 1/17/70 Corvallis sho...Another announcement for the 1/17/70 Corvallis show, from Eugene - the Weekend Preview in the 1/16/70 Daily Emerald said: "Saturday night's Grateful Dead performance in Corvallis deserv[es] priority above all. Those wishing to tune in on some of the heaviest music of the rock movement - be they Super Straight, Well Wired, or Reasonably Ripped - shouldn't mind riding their thumbs up to Gill Coliseum for the 8 p.m gig, and if you have access to a more conventional means of transportation, so much the better. Tickets for the performance may be purchased for $3 at the Chrystalship [a record store in Eugene]. Although some may also be available at the door Saturday, the supply is limited, so the utmost expedience is warranted, right?"<br /><br />The recording of 1/17/70 confirms that it was indeed a "sock hop" at the Gill. After Good Lovin' the announcer says, "I hope everybody has their shoes off. Put your feet up in the air and check your neighbor and make sure everybody has their shoes off! ...Because if you have any shoes on you're going to wreck the floor, and we'll have to pay for it." Bob Weir gets into the act: "Okay, everybody on your back and stick your feet straight up in the air..."Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-24797080013438597302024-02-15T03:36:11.753-08:002024-02-15T03:36:11.753-08:00Another article on the Fillmore from closer to hom...Another article on the Fillmore from closer to home - the Daily Gater, the SF State College student paper: <br /><br />HIPPIE HAVEN FOR ROCK SOUNDS <br />As a young legend, the Fillmore Auditorium sparkles with the hippie culture. <br />The auditorium, a barn-like structure affectionately called "The Mo," bills itself as psychedelic music with light show. But it's more. <br />Take the light show for example. Strobe lights freeze the customers into grotesque images, shrouding the shapes of hirsute, showless hippies. <br />The hippies and inhabitants of the Fillmore find an almost child-like fascination in the blinding lights and ear-shattering music. <br />Although the atmosphere approaches that of a pipe-dream, it conveys the unreality that permeates hippiedom. It produces a certain aesthetic entrancement and creative impetus. <br />The on-looker feels an intensive experience as wild images glow on the walls. The spontaneous light shows grant instant entertainment. A naked snake woman, when flashed on a wall, combines an air of mysticism with reality.<br />Skilled light operators like the "Head-Lights" conjure up a series of sights of such perfect uniformity that the sensation produces a lasting effect. The "Head-Lights" are a group of young enthusiasts skilled in their work, producing astonishing effects with their lighting equipment. They often appear at the Fillmore. They are a self-made group. <br />One of the members said they make all their own crystals and colorings that produce the images. They have reels of film which they use to display figures against the psychedelic lights. As a group they travel from one place to another - the Fillmore, then Colorado, Los Angeles, and eventually back to San Francisco. <br />Hippie attitudes are reflected in the Fillmore: independence, material possessions [sic], and honesty, all subordinated with an air of permissiveness. The permissiveness dwells in the individual. It is an odor, a sight, a sound.<br />(by Brenda Brooks and Jim de Maio, Daily Gater 7/14/67) <br /><br />(Has a picture with caption: "Girl rocks with Grateful Dead in psychedelic setting.")Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-52678813076325310182024-02-15T03:13:52.623-08:002024-02-15T03:13:52.623-08:00I found a comment on the Mojo Navigator in the Dai...I found a comment on the Mojo Navigator in the Daily Californian, over at UC Berkeley:<br /><br />"A new backroom gossip sheet is being cranked out from San Francisco with the purpose of documenting and criticizing the local rock scene. Published by two SF State students, David Harris and Greg Shaw, the "Mojo Navigator" has usually included a rather superficial record review, a long column of hippy gossip (The Grateful Dead are actually in the Green Berets) and a rather amusing interview (i.e., with KYA DJ Tommy Saunders). <br />At present, the editors are attempting to please no one but themselves with the weekly sheet. <br />To gain any recognition or believability as an organ of criticism, the editors would need to acquire some experienced "critics," spend extra time choosing and editing their materials, and, of course, become more serious. But, then, it might not be the publication that they really want. And that, my dear, is the advantage of producing your own scandal sheet. No one runs the office but you."<br />(Michael Chechik, "Gossip, Caen, KPFA - With a Giggle," Daily Cal 10/18/66)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-37679167281742918002024-02-13T07:47:55.723-08:002024-02-13T07:47:55.723-08:00A preliminary piece that didn't quite fit here...A preliminary piece that didn't quite fit here, but I can't leave out -- an early review of Jefferson Airplane at the October 30, 1965 Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley, from the 11/2/65 Daily Cal:<br /><br />'JEFFERSON AIRPLANE COMES HIP' (by Paul de Barros) <br /><br />The Jefferson Airplane is another group inspired by the presence and popularity of Bob Dylan. They sound and look like the Byrds, except they sing with more force, and are nicer to look at. <br />They have a girl in the group. They (all six of them) come on very hip, all in different costumes (variations of Berkeley hippy mixed with pseudo-lower-class Liverpool), but the girl smiles when she sings, and shakes her head like Mary (remember Peter Paul and Mary?). <br />The concert Saturday night showed well both the weaknesses and strengths of "folk-rock" music. Its strength lies in its versatility and vitality. It has a strong beat, and one has the feeling that it is really "what's happening." But it is weak in performance, unless a charismatic group (Beatles, Stones, Dylan) is playing. <br />There should have been dancing at this concert, but it was, seemingly without reason, prohibited. <br />The group played one Byrds' song, and an unrecorded Dylan tune, which was uninteresting. Signe Toly, the female singer, sang a beautiful, throaty version of Miriam Makeeba's "Strawberry's." The best song of the evening was "Midnight Owl." <br />The Jefferson Airplane proved that they can really rock. The whole audience vibrated with rhythm and applause, and brought them back for an encore. <br />Though the group does some original material, their vocal sound is like that of Peter, Paul and Mary. They do vary combinations of voices, though, and exchange leads on most every song. <br />Two of the musicians play acoustic guitars (one of them twelve-string) with electric pick-ups attached. This gives less twanging sound than the traditional electric guitar. The lead guitarist had an echo device which he used frequently, and another of the guitarists played harmonica occasionally. <br />These sounds combined gave the group a great rumbling background for their voices. The drummer kept the group moving exceptionally well, and was also funny to look at. <br />The Jefferson Airplane has been playing at the Matrix in San Francisco, which they partially own. They have been together for three and a half months, and plan to stay together. They are all young, about 21 to 22, and met by chance in San Francisco. <br />Members of the group not already mentioned are Jorma Kankonen (from Sweden), lead guitar, Skip (Alec) Spence, drums, and Paul Kantner, rhythm guitar. <br />The last hour of the concert was one of the funniest and most irreverent monologues I have ever heard, delivered by Larry Haskin, of the Committee. He covered topics of interest: sex, Vietnam, Civil Rights, God, and Berkeley. His humor is akin to that of Lenny Bruce, but better. I hope he continues on his own. <br />The concert was put on by the American Federation of Teachers.<br /><br />(The review forgets to mention Balin or Casady - this was Casady's first show, replacing an earlier bass player, and one of the band's first shows outside the Matrix. They'd played the first Family Dog show, the "Tribute to Dr. Strange," two weeks earlier.<br />At the other end of '66, the Daily Cal printed a nice long history of Jefferson Airplane in the 1/20/67 issue, shortly before it stopped covering local rock groups altogether.)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-42113439528524676792024-02-13T06:37:40.263-08:002024-02-13T06:37:40.263-08:0011/2/66 - Garcia's involvement in Surrealistic...11/2/66 - Garcia's involvement in Surrealistic Pillow was reported in the Bay Area press at the time, so people would have known before it came out. For instance, from the Tamalpais News (the Tamalpais High School paper), 12/9/66: "Jerry Garcia, leader of the Grateful Dead, has been in Hollywood helping the Jefferson Airplane record its second album. The Dead themselves will have a record out soon. Gracias."<br /><br />11/16/66 - Wenner gives his final Kesey update, "in retreat" in Santa Cruz while he waits for trial. I'm not sure if it's Mountain Girl who's "left Ken forever" (I'm not up on all the Prankster pseudonyms), but the timing is right.<br /><br />12/9/66 - A non-Dead piece which I included to round out the year. Chechik complains that acid rock isn't that good, has reached its limit and won't get any better, and rock bands are too limited and not using more instruments like horns. 1967 was as yet undreamed of.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-9560376764240901532024-02-13T06:37:26.168-08:002024-02-13T06:37:26.168-08:00A few Dead comments:
2/24/66 - Wenner says that t...A few Dead comments: <br />2/24/66 - Wenner says that the Dead, "it it ever makes it, will make it the biggest" - a truly prescient prediction. At the time of writing, they'd already gone to Los Angeles, so he was remembering their January '66 shows. He already calls Garcia "Captain Trips" (Wenner knew Denise Kaufman, who had helped give Garcia that name at a Dec '65 Acid Test). He notes Pigpen's "haunting organ sound" and the Dead's original material. Of particular interest in his list of their best songs is "You Gotta Live For Yourself" - this was James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy" (known to be played at the Matrix on 1/7/66, but never recorded). They also do Midnight Hour better than the Airplane. <br /><br />3/31/66 - Since the Acid Tests, Wenner had taken a particular interest in the doings of Kesey & the Pranksters, and here he gives an inside account of their post-Kesey breakup and the hassles in Los Angeles. I'm struck by the "many problems with the Grateful Dead" - what were they? <br /><br />4/29/66 - The Dead are "back from LA with about $20,000 worth of new electronic equipment," and not a single Fender amplifier. Wenner is impressed by their new sound system, courtesy of Owsley - the Dead were not so impressed with it, and would ditch it a few months later. Wenner also notices they have more new material, and calls Garcia & Kreutzmann two of the best local players. The Dead had just rented a place in Olompali - Wenner says they'll stay in the area til August; but when the lease was up they simply moved into San Francisco.<br />Wenner also says, "The Dead released a single in L.A., but it didn't go anywhere and was ultimately recalled." They hadn't recorded for Scorpio yet - he has to be referring to the single Rock Scully talked about in LA, I Know You Rider/Otis on a Shakedown Cruise, presumably from Owsley's recordings. I don't think this actually got released (the tape has never been heard since March '66), but wouldn't it be amazing if some tiny pressing was made and has since been lost? <br /><br />5/12/66 - Wenner again praises the Dead's Midnight Hour, "one of their best numbers, and the best version of that song I've heard any group do." As it happens, Ralph Gleason was also at the Harmon Gym show and met Wenner there, and wrote about the show in the Chronicle: "Jerry Garcia, their lead guitarist, is an interesting soloist with a wild surge of inventiveness, and the band gets a groovy ensemble sound..."<br />Wenner also says that "San Francisco will be known as the Liverpool of the United States," a statement that would become true as east-coast media started covering the area more in '67. For instance, the Village Voice in March '67: "San Francisco is the Liverpool of the West. Newsweek says so. Ramparts says so. Crawdaddy says so."<br /><br />10/12/66 - The fugitive Kesey had been appearing on TV, talking about the upcoming Acid Test Graduation and promising to be "salt in J. Edgar Hoover's wounds." He would be arrested again on October 20 (and the Dead would not play the Graduation party). Wenner also mentions the October 5 Chronicle profile of Owsley, "the Bay Area's LSD Millionaire," which included the line: "Any time he appeared at a public gathering of the acid set, he could count on a round of applause." Wenner is skeptical.<br />The Dead are negotiating a contract with Warner Bros. (See McNally p.172-173.) Meanwhile the Airplane will soon be joined by Grace Slick, who will benefit the band as an organist! And meanwhile, the Mamas & the Papas apparently do a better Dancing in the Streets than the Dead (who would open for them at one January '67 show).Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-49261500222948745242024-02-13T06:31:12.871-08:002024-02-13T06:31:12.871-08:00One striking aspect of the year's coverage is ...One striking aspect of the year's coverage is how the Butterfield Blues Band swooped in from Chicago and knocked everyone out, making all the local bands look like amateurs. (They were also influencing the Dead, who paid close attention to them.) Richard Farina had an amusing comment in the 4/29/66 issue: "I asked about their impressions of the current acid band fad, and Richard recalled the Butterfield concert at Harmon as a scene which heretofore he could only imagine in the writings of Aldous Huxley." (Mimi also called them one of her favorites.)<br />Chechik wrote a mixed review of the East-West album in the 11/10/66 Daily Cal: <br />"One might expect some fantastic recordings to result, but every artist must grapple with the vagaries of studio conditions. As a result, this album, like their first for Elektra, falls far short of their in-person performances. [On many] Elektra releases, the musicians come off poorly in comparison to their live appearances... Elektra might simply be choosing the wrong material from a session for release... <br />"East-West, the title song, is a bold foray into Indian and Near Eastern flavored music... Some gaps and unsteady progression in the thematic direction are detectable. The opening solo by rhythm guitarist Elvin Bishop is fragmented and the whole composition never gets together until the final five minutes. Nonetheless, East-West stands as the most promising attempt at interpreting the incredibly complex musics of India and its neighbors. <br />"In short, the Butterfield band is a refreshing oasis in the quagmire of bland, nowhere pop music."<br /><br />Though Country Joe & the Fish don't appear in these selections, Chechik was a fan and reviewed them a few times. In the same 11/10/66 column he covered their first EP release: <br />"Recorded last spring, this little record marked the Berkeley group's transition from topical folk material into serious acid/rock. The arrangements are still quite folkie, but the introduction of amplifiers and echoes gives the group a positively eerie sound... Lead guitarist Barry Melton has moved into much more complex melody lines since these recordings were made and the whole group sound has become more psychedelic."<br />In a 10/6/66 review he called them "the finest East Bay rock group and potentially the most inventive musicians in the Bay Area... The arrangements, like those of the New York Blues Project, rely on an interplay of instruments instead of the "sheet of sound" technique adopted by most West Coast groups."<br /><br />Chechik also loved the "tremendously entertaining" Jim Kweskin Jug Band - Wenner, not so much. Chechik was also a lot more impressed by the Blues Project than Wenner; although he noted "the almost total absence of improvisation," he praised their arrangements. On the other hand, Wenner admired the Airplane a lot more than Chechik, who was never very enthusiastic about them. Both of them flipped over the Steve Miller Band in early '67, Chechik going so far as to call Miller & Jim Cooke "the two finest guitarists in the Bay Area."<br /><br />Unfortunately Chechik never really reviewed the Dead, except when he went to the "Whatever It Is" festival and noted their "rambunctious rock." He also praised Garcia's "imaginative" guitar work, even saying "his solos often rivaled the masterful Mike Bloomfield."Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-51543574496589884322024-02-13T06:29:11.905-08:002024-02-13T06:29:11.905-08:00Most of these pieces were written by Jann Wenner (...Most of these pieces were written by Jann Wenner (he used the "Mr. Jones" pseudonym in early '66, and switched to his own name in the fall). He wrote a column for the Daily Californian from Feb 4 '66 to Feb 2 '67, before leaving UC Berkeley - actually only about two dozen articles in all. <br /><br />The other writer was Michael Chechik, who wrote columns in the Daily Cal in the same year (from Nov '65 to Feb '67). He usually reviewed folk & blues albums, his primary interest, but would sometimes write about rock shows as well; he also had a radio show on KPFA. <br />An update on him from the 10/28/67 Billboard: <br />"Michael Chechik is the new West Coast a&r producer for Vanguard Records. Chechik will assist Vanguard executive producer Sam Charters out of San Francisco. Chechik previously produced pop and rock shows for stations KPFA and KMPX in San Francisco, and managed local rock groups."<br /><br />The article on the Thanksgiving party was the last one reviewing a Dead show; January '67 had only a few brief Dead mentions, and after Wenner & Chechik left, the Daily Cal apparently stopped running weekly rock-show reviews, and the Dead (and other rock bands) disappeared from its pages.<br /><br />In 1966 though, you get a unique weekly look at the changing rock scene in San Francisco. I decided it would be best to include fuller context from these articles, not just the Dead bits, so you get a broader sense of the development over the year. The Jefferson Airplane got the most attention, of course, but many other bands were covered as well (sometimes harshly). There is also passing commentary on the local ballrooms and how the underground dances gradually turned into "big business." <br /><br />It's well to remember how new all this was - many of these bands were just a few months old, and the phenomenon of psychedelic light shows & blasting-loud rock dances was brand new. In one of Wenner's Feb '66 columns, he mentions that the first Family Dog dance "seems like a long time ago" - in fact, it had been only four months earlier. Sometimes a review will mention how a band "has not developed" even though only months have passed, and much of the playing would sound rather primitive compared to how the bands sounded a year later.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-88706103600559347312024-02-12T14:08:07.014-08:002024-02-12T14:08:07.014-08:00I added another article on the Love Pageant Rally,...I added another article on the Love Pageant Rally, this one from the SF State College paper the Daily Gater. It drips with contempt for the whole scene, and fails to mention the Dead. (The Gater could be rather hostile toward hippies & new rock bands, sounding more like a mainstream paper - one student editor's only comment on the "Greatful Dead's" appearance at the college the previous week was that their musical career depended on "their flowing locks.") <br /><br />A letter to the editor rightfully complained about the piece, and pointed out that the Dead and "members of the Electric Symphony" also played at the rally (this was the original name of the Orkustra, aka the Electronic Chamber Orchestra). Other bands also appeared - in the film clip you can see a brief glimpse of a black jazz band (maybe the Joe Henderson Quartet?).Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-91321852694415210292024-02-11T09:52:50.410-08:002024-02-11T09:52:50.410-08:00I was looking for mentions of the Dead playing the...I was looking for mentions of the Dead playing the "Whatever It Is" festival, but while I was at it, decided I might as well include all the reporting on the festival from the Daily Gater (SF State) and the Daily Cal (UC Berkeley). Haven't checked other papers.<br /><br />The Dead make only brief appearances (the "Greatful Dead," as the Gater prefers to call them) - hanging out in Kesey's bus, playing in the Commons while a 'crazy coed' dances, blasting out some "rambunctious rock numbers" over a crappy PA in a sweaty room (with special praise for Garcia's solos), joining Kesey for his short & secretive acid test. (Actually, they didn't play in his performance.)<br />The Dead performed in different places each day of the festival; these articles are quite vague on exactly when & where they played. The Gater was more concerned with their long hair and loud noise. <br /><br />Kesey had just returned from his Mexico getaway, but was still a fugitive in hiding from the law, so the Acid Test here was more furtive than previous Tests had been (Kesey himself keeping out of sight). LSD would be outlawed a week later, so Kesey took this opportunity to announce an upcoming Acid Test Graduation. The cops would catch up with him in the meantime; but it's interesting that here he was accompanied (and shielded) by a flock of Hell's Angels who mingled peacefully with the crowd.<br />One of the Angels, Freewheelin' Frank, wrote a memoir the following year with an account of this festival, which I don't have, but he mentioned that the Dead played Midnight Hour.<br /><br />One article mentions "disturbed conditions" around the Fillmore, keeping an audience away from the Muddy Waters/Butterfield/Airplane performance there on Friday 9/30. The cops had shot a black kid on Sept 27, causing some riots, so a curfew was declared in the Fillmore district from Sep 29-Oct 1, with the National Guard patrolling the streets, and "the cops shut down the show early." (The Daily Gater protested about mass arrests in Haight-Ashbury on Thursday night, with many SF State students getting snatched up.)<br />https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Hunters_Point_Uprising <br />https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Hunter%27s_Point_riot_by_Fleming<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunters_Point_social_uprising_(1966) <br />But meanwhile, amidst the background of riots & police violence, students and hippies could dance the night away at the SF college festival.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-59834565721261180062024-02-10T03:03:42.860-08:002024-02-10T03:03:42.860-08:00As Wenner mentions, Kesey had already fled as well...As Wenner mentions, Kesey had already fled as well after the festival. Not wanting to stick around for the sentence after his arrest, he slipped off to Mexico, leaving his truck on the coast to be found with a supposed suicide letter, his "last words." (Printed in the 2/18/66 Berkeley Barb.) He would resurface in the fall.<br />Among the list of people Kesey thanks in the letter, he includes: <br />"The Grateful Dead - for learning to play. (Flash: exclusive, San Fran - New R & R group dubbed Grateful Dead Smash at Carnegie. Dateline 1967 ... because there isn't a dozen people in the US this year able to comprehend their excellence in 1966)" Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-76336975377820089722024-02-10T02:09:39.590-08:002024-02-10T02:09:39.590-08:00I added two articles at the end from the Daily Cal...I added two articles at the end from the Daily Californian (UC Berkeley's student newspaper). These were written by "Mr. Jones," the pseudonym for Jann Wenner, for his new "Something's Happening" column which would run in the paper for another year. <br /><br />Wenner was already an Acid Test devotee - I don't know how many he went to, but his second article makes clear he was quite familiar with how they'd usually proceed. He doesn't mention it, but he was close with one of the Pranksters, Denise Kaufman aka Mary Microgram - who had just recorded a garage-rock song inspired by their relationship: <br />https://cosmicmindatplay.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/one-side-wonders-9-denise-and-company-boy-whatll-you-do-then-1966/ <br /><br />Wenner's feelings about the Trips Festival were pretty close to Ralph Gleason's, but he didn't think much of the music and wasn't happy about a watered-down Acid Test attended by "the wrong people," filled with cops, and overseen by Mr. Uptight Graham. So he devoted another column to describing how a REAL Acid Test went. But here, too, he wasn't all that thrilled with the experience: "once the music stops, it becomes very dull." <br /><br />For him, the star attraction of the Acid Tests is the Grateful Dead, "probably the best of all the Bay Area rock groups." The Dead's music is what makes the Acid Test work: "It begins with about three hours of excellent rock and roll music by the Grateful Dead. The music gets people moving, meeting each other, loosened up, happy, and prepared"...and "makes [everyone] more responsive to other people and their environment."<br />It's unfortunate that none of the Acid Test recordings we have include the Dead playing for three hours and loosening up the crowd. Quite the opposite - the 1966 Acid Test shows on tape are mostly disasters. I presume Wenner was remembering happier Tests from late '65 (or perhaps exaggerating the Dead's role in them). <br /><br />In any case, by the time he wrote, the Dead had split to Los Angeles along with the Pranksters, and San Franciscans wouldn't get to hear them again until the Trips Festival in April.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-4088628767212589002024-02-03T16:31:01.309-08:002024-02-03T16:31:01.309-08:00I knew Rolling Thunder and he NEVER sold healing, ...I knew Rolling Thunder and he NEVER sold healing, degrees, ceremonies, or charms. He was completely against selling what Spirit offers for free.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-5469021606571993662024-02-01T05:47:19.065-08:002024-02-01T05:47:19.065-08:00And, Barry Bastian and Skip Spence earn their live...And, Barry Bastian and Skip Spence earn their live Spudfactor 1 values, with this information! Created new event: <a href="https://jerrybase.com/events/19661123-02" rel="nofollow">https://jerrybase.com/events/19661123-02</a>. Thanks!Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-20939240615417079082024-01-31T22:43:36.434-08:002024-01-31T22:43:36.434-08:00Thanks to the indefatigable Alex Allan, I was able...Thanks to the indefatigable Alex Allan, I was able to add the lyrics for two more versions by Esther Halpern & Carol Hedin. Which leaves just one version here I haven't heard, from an obscure EP by the Australian band the Indefinite Four.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-54334139372339588492024-01-31T00:12:05.042-08:002024-01-31T00:12:05.042-08:00In 1966, the Dead played for anyone who would have...In 1966, the Dead played for anyone who would have them, and turned up at all kinds of odd events. A debutante ball? The opening of a ski shop? A political picnic? A bicycle race? The Dead were there! <br /><br />This is just a short piece, but I included it partly for dating reasons. The poster says the "folk-rock" dances will be on three days, Friday through Sunday. But one attendee, Larry Rogers, wrote: “It was a 3 day gig, but the Dead just played for 2 nights. There were less than 10 of us there the first night, maybe 25 the 2nd night.” He asked the Dead if they'd come play a party at his house later on. Of course they were glad to, and played for 20 people at his cabin... <br />Per his comment I thought the Dead didn't appear on Sunday, but here's a newspaper report telling us they did. Maybe they missed a different date - this reporter wasn't interested in the bands, only in the bike race (and the absence of a Playboy bunny to give the winner his trophy). <br /><br />One of the organizers wrote recently, "In '66 our Belmont Bicycle Club organized the “Tour del Mar” two day stage race in Pescadero, CA. We thought the race might attract more spectators if we had music and a dance after the races, so we booked three inexpensive local bands... Good racing and three days of great music." A 20-page program for the event was printed, and one of the sponsors was the Playboy Club (hence the promised Bunny). It seems the turnout was still pretty small, though, with "a disappointing crowd." <br />https://lahonda.typepad.com/files/tour-del-mar-program.pdf <br /><br />I linked to an article with some memories of the event. Gary Fisher recalls, “There were more band people than there were people who came to the gig. Over the two nights there, maybe 100 people showed up to actually go to the gig.” One of the bike racers remembers the light show, "the first I had seen; it was an experience."<br /><br />I love how the poster hypes up the groups: all the bands (none of whom had an album) are "TV & recording stars," "national stars," etc. Colossal Pomegranate went on to total obscurity; no one even seems to remember them at this event! Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-89569240571136073872024-01-30T01:30:17.559-08:002024-01-30T01:30:17.559-08:00Interesting observations! Personally I wouldn'...Interesting observations! Personally I wouldn't parse the wording too closely; the distinction between "city" & "country" blues may be just her impression. Would the average listener be able to tell that, say, New Minglewood Blues was a much older song than Katie Mae? <br />Anyway, from the hints here I increasingly feel the author probably knew these guys from the Tangent days; this is nascent fan-club type writing.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com