As I continue my re-aquaintence with progressive music and investigate the new bands that are out there, I have discovered some pretty cool progressive rock websites. One of these is Progressive World. Sites like this go to show that there is a lot of amazng stuff out there that you may not be aware of and sites like Progressive World are a good place to start if you want to see what’s up. I really enjoyed the A Day at the Indies series. Great stuff.
Later.

Share This

It seems that the death of Dimebag Darrell has caused Dave Mustaine a bit of soul searching with him coming to the conclusion that life is too short to be an asshole.

"Over my career I have a lot of cleaning up to do on my side of the street as well as letting things go, for once and for all; I need to apologize to many people and also to forgive and quit holding grudges."

I for one take this for what it is. A guy who realizes that there are some things too important in life to take for granted. My hats of to Dave for coming to this realization. I believe that this is something we should all take to heart.
Later.

Share This

Is it me or is the world going nuts? Right after the Dimebag Darrell murder comes news that former Iron Maiden front man Paul Di’Anno was attacked on stage at a heavy metal festival in Israel. I could be wrong but I don’t believe that bands being physically attacked on stage has happened that often in the past and now with the tragedy of last week fresh in our minds is there going to be a bunch of lunatics enacting copycat crimes for the publicity? Remember when the only danger a band faced on stage was firecrackers, beer bottles and over-excited teenyboppers? Am I overreacting? Please tell me that I am.
Later.

Share This

Just in case you consider this important, the 2005 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced.
They are:

Percy Sledge
The O’Jays
Buddy Guy
U2
The Pretenders

Those nominated but not inducted were:

J. Geils Band
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Wanda Jackson
Randy Newman
Conway Twitty
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Gram Parsons
Patti Smith

I actually think the physical Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building is pretty cool in a Disneyesque kind of way but we all know that any attempts at trying to immortalize and categorize rock and roll in this way is bound to fail since the primary criteria for entrance to the Hall of Fame is record sales for the most part. Granted inducting the Ramones goes against the grain but look at the people behind the Hall of Fame and you will realize that they probably don’t get many of their records from Norton or Bomp! I always considered this stuff frivolous but fun. I don’t get up in arms over the whole thing, I just go along with it in the moment and then move on to the latest releases from Elephant Stone or Fastlane Records or some other cool, small indie rock label for my real rock and roll fix. That being said, I actually like the inductees and most of those that didn’t “make the cut” but I would appreciate it if somebody could clue me in on what Conway Twitty’s role was in rock and roll history. Thanks.
Later.

Share This

If you are looking for a good time on New Year’s Eve (relax, not that kind of good time!) and you happen to be in LA you might want to check out The Birth of Cool. Check out these details:

THE BIRTH OF THE COOL NEW YEAR’S EVE ALLNIGHTER
Friday Dec. 31st 9pm-6am
- - Free champagne and party favors at midnight
- - 2 huge rooms with a 1000 person capacity
- - 6 Bathrooms
- - Outside smoking area
- - Secured Scooter Parking
- - Open til 6am!
- - Filmed and rebroadcasted on the Web!

5 of the very best Garage, Power Pop, Soul and Psych BANDS Performing live on stage!
P L U S
15 of the best Soul, Garage, Power Pop and Mod DJ’s spinning the best of all things stompin, hip n cool!

Featuring the bands:

THE MORLOCKS One of the most electrifying bands in LA will be dropping an unforgettable set that should be nothing less then amazing! Come see Leighton and the boys deliver a New Year’s Eve performance that will last way into 2005!

THE MOJO FILTERS The Mojo’s sound is comprised of early 60’s R&B, soul and garage textured with a modern feel. Curtis Mayfield, Small Faces, The Yardbirds, Otis Redding: these bands are but a few of the influences that can be heard in the Mojo Filters.

TH’ LOSIN’ STREAKS One of N. Cal. most talked about bands make the trip south for Birth Of The Cool! Th’ Losin’ Streaks are like a Garage Rock supergroup featuring members of the Trouble Makers, Sunshine Smile, Daisy Spot and Black Dahilas!

THE LOST AND FOUND The Lost & Found play sunshine pop that’s not afraid to be moody and reflective and the Beatle-esque melodies seethe with the same brash delivery as the Jam. This is a must see band for sure!

SILVER SUNSHINE From San Diego come Silver Sunshine with a sound that can best be described as a schizophrenic blend of dark freak pop that will flow effortlessly right through you! Don’t miss this innovative band with a sound that is oh so original!

And the DJs:

DORIAN (Transistor) A driving force behind the bi-monthy Thursday night sensation, Transistor, Dorian knows everything about all things mod and expect to hear just that!

CHRIS GRIFFITHS (Transistor) Chris is known for his deep collection of 60’s gems and without doubt will be setting the mood into the late hours for one New Years Eve party that shall be remembered for years to come!

SUE DAVIS (Fuzz Club, TX) Sue has an impeccable collection of 70’s Power Pop, Garage, Beat, Bubblegum and Soul and with a collection as extensive as hers you can be sure your gonna hear nothing but the best while she’s behind the tables!

DAN ELECTRO ( Club Au Go Go) Dan Electro is the co-founder of the popular Club Au Go Go monthly and has an impressive collection of 60’s Garage and Soul that always ensures maximum floor response when he’s on the decks!

GEORGE RODRIGUEZ (Angel City Soul Club) George was the co-founder of the Angel City Soul monthly and has one of the deepest soul collections in the city and always has the floor packed with his deep knowledge of all things that make you move!

SOULSHAKER (The Bullet) Bullet creator Soulshaker will light up the floor with all things stomping and crackin’ with nothing but top shelf northern movers and 60’s power pop shakers to keep you grooving non-stop!

TAMI (Petrol) Tami is a full on aficionado of all things power pop from 1965 - 1982 so you can be sure with knowledge like this and her absolute pure talent behind the tables, everyone will be on the dance floor guaranteed!

ANDY COBB (The Bullet) One of The Bullets favorite DJ’s will bring his sound to Birth Of The Cool with his brilliant sets that fuse just enough soul and funk to create a sound all his own! Get ready for a peak hour set that will be full on soul funk magic!

RILEY MORE (BFD, The Bullet) Riley has always delivered on every occasion and if you have not heard this girl spin then be prepared to hear nothing but super solid floor moving stompers that will make it nearly impossible for you to get off the dance floor!

MR. SOUL SATISFACTION (Vegas Shuffle) This man is a huge collector of Northern Soul & Funk 45’s (Late 60s, early 70s) and has one of the best collections around and we got him for Birth Of The Cool!

LEE JOESEPH (Dionysus Records, Vegas Rockaround) What a special treat is to have this man on board for Birth Of The Cool! Lee has what it takes to give you all you want when it comes to spinning the best British beat, Freakbeat, Psych, mod and Britpop!

MIKE STAX AND ANJA STAX (The Loons, Hipsters, SD) Mike is an Ex-Member of the legendary Tell Tale Hearts and lead singer of The Loons. He makes the trip up from San Diego for a rare LA DJ set along with Anja, who is the Club Founder of Hipsters in San Diego. This is a rare appearance you don’t want to miss!

DJ POWDER(Transistor, Definitley Maybe) How can New Years be complete without DJ Powder schooling us all with his wicked selections of nothing but the best when it comes to being everything hip & everything cool!

JASON RINGGOLD (The New Untouchables, SF) Jason is one of the founding memebers of SF’s The New Untouchables and The Birth Of the Cool couldn’t ask for a better representation from the north as Jason will delight us all with nothing but pure crackin’ ultra mod gems!

Full Bar w/ID - 18/over - $20 2619 East 8th St., LA CA 90023

Sounds amazing. Check out their website for all the details.
Later.

Share This

For those of us who harken back to the glories of freefrom radio, the pickings are slim in this Clear Channel dominated radio landscape, although that is slowly changing thanks to the Internet and satellite radio thank God (and if you have been reading this site at all you know that there is lots of great rock and roll radio to be had). That’s why it is so nice to come upon a radio show that picks up from where the likes of KSAN and their late ‘60s compatriots left off. Lucky Dog Radio is a very cool weekly 2 – 4 hour slice of freeform radio heaven available for streaming each week through the fine folks at Live 365. Jon has been doing Lucky Dog Radio going on four years now and he stresses that he is trying to produce radio the old fashioned way, with care and an understanding that good radio is an artform. As Jon describes it himself:

“Lucky Dog is a freeform music program featuring both new and old music, and although I start from a rock and roll base, I mix styles and genres that range all over the musical universe. Each weekend I put together a new show (usually 2 hours long, but sometimes 3 or 4), record it onto my computer and load it up to the Web. There are always two programs available for folks to listen to 24/7, and each weekend I rotate in another show.”

The latest show is his Lucky Dog Christmas Spectacular with loads of cool and obscure Christmas stuff to listen to. After that comes the “2004 review” looking back at all the releases that made the Lucky Dog happy. Very cool stuff for those of us looking for a fun radio experience. Ya that’s right, radio can be fun! Check it out.
Later.

Share This

Now I know how difficult it is to maintain a website. It’s a lot of work. That’s why this site that details noted individuals who have experienced homelessness just freaks me right out. How the hell do you (a) decide to do this and (b) keep up the motivation to continue it? Weird but cool in a sick sort of way. Have a great weekend everybody!
Later.

Share This

If you are looking for some very cool indie rock radio and a slice of "Americana" rock and roll to boot then check out the great Internet radio station Mansion on the Hill and its’ companion blog of the same name. Some very cool stuff to listen to while reading the blog. Thanks to Thrasher’s Blog for the heads up.
Later.

Share This

If you thought that progressive rock has been relegated to those scratchy Yes and Peter Gabriel era Genesis albums on the top shelf of the closet in your spare bedroom then you’d better think again. With labels like ProgRock Records, the progressive rock genre (which incedentaly nobody seems to be able to adequately describe to my tastes) is moving along quite well and there are some truly interesting bands out there combining everything from fusion and jazz to alternative rock and the blues. ProgRock Records has a number of cool bands on their label that deserve your attention with 4Front, Atlantis and Bubblemath all putting out some pretty cool stuff. While there are no downloads on the ProgRock Records site available you can listen to their excellent ProgRock Radio station to get a feel for the kind of music that they put out. This isn’t your father’s prog rock!
UPDATE! Although the ProgRock Records website does not have any MP3s for you to listen to, the individual band sites do in fact have various multi-media things that you can download including MP3s so if you want to try before you buy you should check out the band’s own website first.
UPDATE 2! Shawn Gordon of ProgRock just e-mailed me to let me know that they do in fact have audio samples of just about everything plus they try to make available at least one full track for download for all the artists that ProgRock represents. It is only for those bands that they resell that there might not be audio available. My apologies for the confusion.
Later.

Share This

The death of Dimebag Darrell Abbott along with four others in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday night was a complete and utter tragedy on many levels. To be murdered in cold blood while enjoying rock and roll, a form of music that demands social interaction to be enjoyed best is beyond comprehension. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. Day in Rock has updated news on what happened here as well as a site for you to express your feelings if you so desire here. Unbelievable.
Later.

Share This

Years ago I played drums in a number of bar bands with little left of the experience but good memories and a pile of broken drum sticks that for some reason I refuse to throw out. In the back of my mind I had always wanted to get another drum set but it always remained one of those "some day soon" things that you never seem to get around to doing. Strangely enough I was dealing with a supplier in my day job and since I knew he was a drummer we started talking about drums and he mentioned that he had a set for sale at a great price if I was interested. I hemmed and hahed but finally decided to take the plunge so after Christmas I will take delivery of a cool gloss black 5 piece drum set and once again start pounding the skins. Ever since I started this website I have been amazed at what an indie rock musician could accomplish with the tools at their disposal. Not that I plan on making music my carreer at this point in the game (talent for the most part is usually a prerequisite!) but it will be fun to experiment with a lot of the stuff available and hopefully I’ll be able to knock out a couple of MP3s for fun. I have started to round up a couple of guitarist buddies and things should start falling into (or out of) place in the next few months. It will be really nice to play music again instead of just writing about and listening to it. I’m just not looking forward to the blisters on my fingers!
Later.

Share This

Few bands have as much flair for the dramatic, both on stage and off as do Pink Floyd. From their days as psychedelic wunderkinds to their eventual place as rock royalty, the Pink Floyd story is as close to a rock and roll soap opera as you can get. In “Pink Floyd: A Saucerful of Secrets” noted rock writer the late Nicholas Schaffner has manage to lay out all the intertwined stories of how “The Pink Floyd” started, how psychedelic boy wonder Syd Barrett lead the band to an early critical success behind “See Emily Play” and “Arnold Layne” followed up by the seminal “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” an album which even had the Beatles intrigued. Unfortunately for both the band and rock and roll in general, Barrett tragically descended into an acid fueled psychosis which not only caused him to drop out of music entirely but also severely damaged his psyche to the point where he could barely function as an adult. From there the story shifts to the era of “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” behind the twin talents of David Gilmour and Roger Waters until that relationship soured to the point of Waters leaving the band in which he was so instrumental in creating. Toss in some incredible financial mis-management reminiscent of the failed Apple Corps by the Beatles and an ever growing (and very often times petty) rivalry on the one hand between Waters and on the other the remaining three members of Floyd and you have a very entertaining, though somewhat sad read. Pink Floyd to me always seemed to be a group just on the verge of chaos, never quite enjoying their time in the rock and roll spotlight. “Saucerful of Secrets” certainly answers a lot of the questions I had about Pink Floyd, mostly revolving around, perhaps morbidly Syd Barrett and it fills in a lot of information about the infamous “Wall” album and tour but quite frankly you begin to shake your head after a while at how such a talented bunch of individuals could fracture to the point of endlessly lobbing lawsuits at each other. All in all a good read and certainly worthy of more than the bargain bin price that I paid for it. If in fact the rumours are true and Waters and Gilmour have buried the hatchet, perhaps there is one more chapter that somebody will be able to add to Schaffner’s book, one that may in fact have a happy ending. Only time will tell but I wouldn’t place any bets on it. Highly recommended.
Later.

Share This

Rainbow Quartz Records has teamed up with my favourite Ontario micro-brew Steamwhistle Brewery to present the 1st Annual Rainbow Quartz Festive Special featuring the always excellent High Dials and new signing Frontier Index with Showroom opening. Taking place Friday, December 17th at the 360 in Toronto, this looks to be a great place to get your holiday mojo into full gear and all for just 7 bucks Canadian! Great Canadian beer, amazing Canadian rock and roll all taking place in a cool Canadian city just before Christmas. What a way to end the year. Gotta love it.
Later.

Share This

Check out the Underground Radio webstream for only the coolest in streaming Christmas music this month. Suggestions are welcome.
Later.

Share This

Via Punk Bands.com and Kerrang! magazine comes the following list of the 50 greatest punk albums ever:

1. Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

2. Green Day - Dookie

3. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

4. Nirvana - Nevermind

5. The Offspring - Smash

6. Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves

7. Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing

8. The Clash - The Clash

9. The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette

10. Ramones - Ramones

11. NOFX - Punk In Drublic

12. Fugazi - Repeater

13. The Clash - London Calling

14. Blink 182 - Enema Of The State

15. The Stooges - Funhouse

16. Black Flag - Damaged

17. Minor Threat - Complete Discography

18. Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power

19. The Undertones - The Undertones

20. The Offspring - Americana

21. Bad Brains - Rock For Light

22. Buzzcocks - Love Bites

23. NOFX - Sol Long And Thanks For All The Shoes

24. Crass - The Feeding Of The 5000

25. The Ruts - The Crack

26. The Vandals - Hitler Bad, Vandals Good

27. Operation Ivy - Energy

28. Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come

29. Rocket From The Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream!

30. The Exploited - Punk’s Not Dead

31. Cro-Mags - The Age Of Quarrel

32. Quicksand - Manic Compression

33. Descendents - Milo Goes To College

34. Sublime - Sublime

35. The Misfits - Static Age

36. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let’s Face It

37. Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview

38. Bad Religion - Suffer

39. The Dwarves - The Dwarves Are Young And Good Looking

40. Supersuckers - The Evil Powers Of Rock n’Roll

41. Social Distortion - White Light White Heat White Trash

42. The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About

43. Green Day - Nimrod

44. Will Haven - El Diablo

45. Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material

46. Napalm Death - Scum

47. AFI - Black Sails In The Sunset

48. Poison Idea - Feel The Darkness

49. GBH - Leather Bristles, Studs And Acne

50. Killing Joke - Killing Joke

Isn’t even the existence of such a list completely against the punk "ethic?" I used to love the Stiff Little Fingers though! Gotta dig that record up.
Later.

Share This

OVERZEALOUS: EP Retro rock, like Superdrag, or the Beatles

Share This

I only discovered Chicken Ranch Records after Little Steven played a cut from the “Odds and Sods” type release of The Woggles called “Soul Sizzling 7 Inch Meltdown” on the Underground Garage but what a cool label! They call themselves “Devil music from the bible belt” so right off the bat you know you’re in for some fun and they certainly put out the goods with CDs from the aforementioned Woggles, The Forty Fives and Jesus Christ Superfly (now that’s a name!) and these are just some of the bands on their roster. Check out their media section to listen and see what I’m talking about. Cool, eclectic and fun. All the buzzwords you want to be used to describe your record label.

Later.

Share This

Hot on the heels of my post on former personnel from the legendary KSAN FM preparing their new Moonlight Groove Highway radio show comes news that the current oowners of the late KSAN’s call letters 107.7 The Bone are preparing to unleash the KSAN call letters on the rock and roll world once again. Barabara Flaska of Flaskaland forwarded me the following press release:

(Press Release) UNDERGROUND RADIO IS BACK SUNDAY NIGHTS ON KSAN*
 
(*107.7 THE BONE)

(SAN FRANCISCO  November 30, 2004)  Beginning this Sunday evening, December5, the spirit of the legendary rock ‘n roll underground radio station KSAN returns to the airwaves. For three hours each Sunday night, 107.7 The Bone (KSAN) will not only revive the call letters KSAN, but the wacky unpredictability of the country¹s original underground station too. 
 
Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame deejay Tom Donohue opened KSAN as one of the first free form FM rock radio stations in the country in June 1967, the summer of love. Frank Zappa called KSAN "the hippest of all radio stations." 
 
"At 9 p.m. on Sundays, it will be as if we¹ve flipped a switch from 107.7 The Bone’s  ‘Classic Rock that Rocks¹ to the underground radio style reminiscent of KSAN," said program director Larry Sharp. "It¹s going to surprise a lot of people."   
 
Two shows will hit the airways: ³Selvin on the City² with Joel Selvin from 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. and ‘Little Steven¹s Underground Garage’ from 10  p.m. until Midnight.   

December 26:  ‘Year-End’ — A year of record reviewing yielded a lot of great tracks that didn¹t make it to the top of the charts or radio station playlists.   

Share This

STACKMAGIC: STACKMAGIC Hands down real deal rock-n-roll. From the dirt, melodic and passionate. Four avid music fans making ideal music for the music lover. Foo Fighters to AC/DC, Johnny Cash to the Clash…

Share This

Corry Arnold has put together an incredible pocket history and show listing of the legendary Whisky A Go Go from 1966-69. Very cool and essential rock and roll history. (Mark)

This is a list of performances at Hollywood’s Whisky A Go-Go club from 1966 to 1969 known to me.  It has been gathered from various sources including posters, band histories, biographies and other accounts. 

The Whisky A Go-Go, located on the Sunset Strip at 8901 Sunset Blvd at Clark in West Hollywood, became the principal hangout of musicians and hipsters in Hollywood in the 1960s.  Johnny Rivers was the first sensation to come out of the club, soon after it opened (on 1.11.64), and that is when the club initially
started the whole ‘trend’ of having a mini-skirted girl dancing above the crowd in a cage. Somehow, the Whisky became the cool place for bands to play.

The Whisky always had two or three bands playing, but they were not always billed.  At times, the billed bands couldn’t make it, and another band was substituted.  While this is common in nightclubs, what was uncommon about the Whisky was that the band substituting could be just as good or better (and possibly even better-known) than the band it was replacing.  These listings are generally from advertisements, and at times they overlap or conflict with other performances by these groups. Groups were apparently paid Musicians Union scale wages to play the club, and may not have been much more even if they were well known. In the 60s, the Whisky was a prestige gig to see and be seen.  In any case, many of the bands lived nearby.

I have included some information about the lineups of some interesting groups who played these shows.  For groups with a stable lineup (like The Doors) or bands whose personnel changes are well-documented (like The Byrds) I have not bothered to include any information, but for less well-documented groups or
artists with complex histories I have included information about band lineups, where known.  I have also tried to indicate instances where live performances from the Whisky were released on albums.

The Whisky remains open to this day (www.whiskyagogo.com) a rare, if not unique, instance of a hip rock performance venue remaining continuously open since the 1960s and (more or less) retaining its status.  This is a perpetual work-in-progress.  Thanks to the many people who helped out with information and
corrections (particularly Marc Skobac).  Send all updates, information, corrections and advice to me at corrarnold@aol.com.

Corry Arnold
Plainsboro, NJ December 2004

1966

1.21-28.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Rascals
2.4-2.11.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Paul Butterfield Blues Band/The Leaves
Butterfield and The Grass Roots may have played some of the next two weeks as well, according to Mark Naftalin’s comments in the Mike Bloomfield biography If You Love These Blues (Miller Freeman Books 2000). A version of the Butterfield Blues Band’s epic “East-West,” recorded during this period at the Whisky, was included on the group’s East West Live cd (Winner 1996).
2.25-3.10.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love/The Leaves
3.11-17.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Grass Roots/Hard Times
3.18-24.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Beau Brummels
4.1-7.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Otis Redding
5.9.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Doors (audition)
5.11-22.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Johnny Rivers/Buffalo Springfield
5.23-27.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band/Buffalo Springfield/The Doors
5.28-6.1.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love/Buffalo Springfield/The Doors
The Van Morrison list has Them starting a residency on 5.30, with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band opening, sometimes with Frank Zappa sitting in with Them and The Magic Band. Them had 6.1.66 (Wednesday) off, so Love perhaps headlined that date.
6.2-18.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Them/The Doors
Buffalo Springfield and The Association were probably second billed in the subsequent weeks, along with The Leaves and The Grass Roots. During this month, Them, The Doors, Buffalo Springfield are all regular performers almost every night, although the other groups named appear as well. Typically the
Whisky had 3 groups at this time, and everyone performed at least two sets.
On Saturdays and Sundays, all groups played a 4:00 pm all ages show.  On the last day, Them and The Doors play together for the last set, including a 25 minute “In The Midnight Hour” and a 20-minute “Gloria.”
6.22-7.10.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Gene Clark and The Group/The Locos/The Doors
Gene Clark had left The Byrds in March 1966 due to his fear of flying.  This was a rare performance by Gene and his band The Group, featuring Bill Rinehart (ex-Leaves) on lead guitar, Chip Douglas (ex-Modern Folk Quartet, soon-to-be Monkees producer) on bass and drummer Joel Larson (ex-the ‘original’ Bay Area Grass Roots).
7.16-7.23.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Turtles/First Review/The Doors
7.27.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Johnny Rivers/Chambers Brothers/The Doors
8.1-4.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Johnny Rivers/Chambers Brothers/The Doors
8.7-9.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Johnny Rivers/Chambers Brothers/The Doors
8.10.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Doors
Elektra’s Jac Holzman sees them this night.  It’s not clear who else was on the bill.
8.11-21.66 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love/The Doors
The Doors are fired when Morrison misses the first show entirely (not for the first time) and although the band drags him back from his hotel he is not really in a state to perform.  His obscene rant on “The End” causes club owner Elmer Valentine to fire the band, who has already signed with Elektra.
9.1-11.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Byrds
9.14-24.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Chambers Brothers/Hard Times
9.27-10.2.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Mothers
10.5-15.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Beau Brummels
10.19-30   Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love/Sons of Adam
There was also an additional act for the ‘All-Ages’ show on Oct 30 (the poster is unreadable).
10.22.66   Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Love/Buffalo Springfield/Sons of Adam
11.xx.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Sir Douglas Quintet/The Sparrow (one week)
11.21-26.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Buffalo Springfield/The Poor
11.28-12.12.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Jefferson Airplane/Peanut Butter Conspiracy
JA list has 11.28-12.4, PBC list has 12.1-12.12.
12.21-22.66  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Turtles/Buffalo Springfield

1967

1.1-2.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Peanut Butter Conspiracy
5.16-21.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Doors/The Byrds
6.26-7.2.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Sam & Dave
7.2.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Experience played a surprise guest set at the Sam & Dave show.
7.5.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Mitch Ryder Revue
7.6-9.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Eric Burdon and The Animals
7.13.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Buffalo Springfield
The Byrds apparently were billed all week, but McGuinn falls sick this night and the Springfield fill in.
8.11.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Kaleidoscope/Sunshine Company
8.15-6.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Peanut Butter Conspiracy
8.21-23.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Peanut Butter Conspiracy
8.23-25.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Moby Grape
8.24-27.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Byrds
It is perfectly plausible that The Byrds and The Grape—both hit bands—were billed together on the 24th or 25th.  Or not.
8.28-30.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Gene Clark
The exact lineup of the group backing Gene Clark is unknown, but may have featured The Gosdin Brothers as part of the band.  Vern (guitar) and Rex (bass) Gosdin were excellent country singers based in Southern California. They had done some recording with Clark, who had released Gene Clark and The Gosdin brothers in February 1967.  The Gosdin Brothers were on their own by this time, but may have performed a few gigs with Clark. Vern Gosdin would go on to become a successful country singer in the 1980s. It is also known that Gene Clark performed a few gigs with future Byrds Clarence White (lead guitar) and John York (bass) along with session man Jon Corneal (drums).  The White line-up had been formed to promote the album, and more likely played earlier in the year.
8.31-9.3.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Byrds
9.4-6.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Cream/Rich Kids
9.7-10.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Electric Flag
9.18-10.8.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Jackie Wilson
10.9-12.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Byrds
10.12.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Spirit
11.30-12.3.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Hour Glass
The Hour Glass featured Duane and Gregg Allman, then resident in Los Angeles, living in the “Dirt House” with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Steve Martin.
11.2-12.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Bo Diddley/Jimmy Smith
12.10-17.67 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Byrds
Steppenwolf opened on 12.11.67, possibly other nights.
12.14-17.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Big Brother and The Holding Company/Sweetwater
12.18-23.67  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Moby Grape
12.27.67   Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Country Joe and The Fish

1968

1.xx.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Hugh Masakela/Steppenwolf
1.25-26.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers/ Steppenwolf
2.28-3.3.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Eric Burdon & The Animals/Eire Apparent
3.7-8-9.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Hour Glass
4.7-11.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Traffic
4.11-13.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Blood, Sweat & Tears
5.29-6.2.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Spirit/Illinois Speed Press
The Illinois Speed Press were from Chicago, and featured guitarists Paul Cotton (later in Poco) and Kal David (later in the Fabulous Rhinestones).  They moved to Los Angeles around this time, under the aegis of producer Jim Guercio.  At the same time, their friends and rivals The Chicago Transit Authority did the same.
6.6-9.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Hour Glass/Word Salad
6.19-23.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Albert King/Evergreen Blue Shoes
7.17-21.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Canned Heat/Fraternity of Man
7.3-7.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Tim Buckley/Illinois Speed Press
7.23.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Mothers of Invention/Alice Cooper
Sometime between 7.21 and 8.9, Siegal Schwall Blues Band plays some gigs at the Whisky. Buddy Miles asks SS guitarist Jim McCarty to join his forthcoming group (the Buddy Miles Express).
8.13-16.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Illinois Speed Press/Initial Shock
8.17-20.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Lee Michaels/Illinois Speed Press
9.4-8.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love
9.18.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Buddy Miles Express
The Buddy Miles Express makes their debut. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon and Graham Bond show up to jam.  Jim McCarty had probably not yet joined the group, and Hoshal Wright was likely the guitarist.
10.23-27.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Velvet Underground/Chicago Transit Authority
10.28-31.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Three Dog Night/A.B. Skhy
10.31.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Spirit
11.1-2.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Blood, Sweat & Tears/Spirit
11.3-10.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Taj Mahal/Big Mama Mae Thornton
11.14-17.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Velvet Underground/Cold Blood
11.20-24.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Kaleidoscope/Black Pearl
11.16.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Three Dog Night
11.27-12.1.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Flying Burrito Brothers/Taj Mahal
Moby Grape is listed instead in some advertisements.  Its unknown who really played, although the locally based Burritos and Taj seem more likely. This would have been one of the earliest performances of the Flying Burrito Brothers.
12.12-15.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Harvey Mandel/Pollution
12.17-22.68 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Terry Reid/Illinois Speed Press
12.16-30.68  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Lee Michaels/Chicago Transit Authority

1969

1.2-5.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Led Zeppelin/Alice Cooper
According to Alice Cooper, the two unknown bands flipped a coin the first night to see who would go on first.  Jimmy Page does not remember that specifically, but agreed that such decisions were often decided this casually between bands.
1.6-8.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Buddy Miles Express/Alice Cooper
Led Zeppelin was replaced the last few days by Buddy Miles as a number of band members got the flu.
1.9-19.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Tim Hardin/Illinois Speed Press
1.22-26.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Lothar and The Hand People/Illinois Speed Press
Lothar and The Head People had been Denver hippest (and possibly only) psychedelic band in 1965-66, and had moved to New York in late 1966.  Although they had played the Fillmore and elsewhere, they did not release an album until mid 1968.
1.28-2.2.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Delaney & Bonnie & Friends/Illinois Speed Press
ISP replaced Taj Mahal.
2.5-9.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Van Morrison/Flying Burrito Brothers
Van Morrison’s band consists only of himself on guitar, John Payne (flute and sax) and Tom Kielbania (bass).
2.19-23.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Linda Ronstadt/Alice Cooper
2.26-3.2.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood It’s A Beautiful Day/Illinois Speed Press
3.5-9.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood  Slim Harpo/Illinois Speed Press
3.31-4.6.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Savoy Brown
4.8-13.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Flying Burrito Brothers
4.23-27.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love
5.8-11.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Hugh Masakela & Big Black/Chicago Transit Authority/Illinois Speed Press
7.2-6.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Love
7.10-13.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Cat Mother and The All-Night Newsboys/The Flock
7.16-20.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Flying Burrito Brothers/The Churls
7.23-27.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Sir Douglas Quintet/Flock
10.1-5.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Dunn and McCashen
10.8-12.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Move
10.13-14.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood The Zombies
The Zombies had broken up in late 1968, but briefly reformed to ride their hit “Time of The Season.”  This lineup did not include vocalist Colin Blunstone.
10.28.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Chuck Berry/Five-Man Electrical Theatre
10.29-11.2.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Velvet Underground/Collectors
12.3-6.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Humble Pie/King Crimson
Another add has King Crimson and Gypsy thru 12.7.69, but Humble Pie played this weekend, based on the release of the cd Humble Pie Live At The Whisky A-Go-Go.
12.10-14.69 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Bobby “Blue” Bland/Smokestack Lightning
12.15-16.69  Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood Grand Funk Railroad

Share This

89 MOJO: FIVE Power pop goes out drinking with classic rock and shares a patty melt with modern rock at bar time.

Share This

I have mentioned this label in passing before but since we are talking Friday Fun there is nothing better to do on a Friday then listen to some of the stuff featured on Bizarre Records. It’s a tough call between “The Singing Midget” and an album called “All My Friends are Dead.” Have a great weekend everybody!

Later.

Share This

Admit it. You just knew that there was something evil behind that oh so witty façade and now the proof is there on the Internet for all to see. Since we know that everything written on the Internet is true, why should this be any different? Apparently, despite their obvious attempts to hide it by being dedicated to peace and love and happy music, the Beatles are evil. Now we know the truth. Back to Marylin Manson and Slipknot for me!

Later.

Share This

If you think you have the best band on campus since “Hootie and the Blowfish” then you should probably enter the 2005 Best Band on Campus contest. Full details can be found on their website. Get your entries in now.

Later.

Share This

I just heard the sad news that Kevin Coyne passed away yesterday. Another original voice silenced. Sad news indeed.
Later.

Share This