By Joe Gagliardo

Back in the 60’s there were two highly revered bands originally from Minneapolis that ended up being based out of Chicago—Crow and The Litter.  Larry Wiegand has a history with both bands.

 

Larry grew up in a family where his mom, grandfather, and older brother Dick played music.  Larry started out playing guitar and drums but switched to the bass in 1962 at his brother’s suggestion.

 

In 1962, Larry and Dick started playing music with other guys who were friends from the neighborhood.  The band was originally called The Knights, and later the Rave-Ons, and ran from ’63-’67.  They started out playing the instrumental music they loved – Ventures, Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Lonnie Mack, and Booker T & the MG’s.

 

In 1967, Larry and Dick got together with some of the members of another local band called the Jokers Wild and formed South 40. The band covered a lot of the soul music of the mid-sixties – Wilson Pickett, the Rascals, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and Otis Redding. In 1968, South 40 recorded a live album called Live at Someplace Else, which gave the band some regional success.

 

In 1969 they added Denny Craswell (Castaways) on drums/vocals, changed their band name to Crow, and released the album “Crow Music” on the Amaret label. Legendary Dunwich Productions movers and shakers, Bob Monaco, Bill Traut and Jim Golden were responsible for Crow’s record deal. 

 

Crow had a number of Top – 40 hits from 1969 to 1972, including “Evil Woman”, which was co-written by Larry, “Slow Down”, (Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the) “King OF Rock n’ Roll” and “Cottage Cheese”, among others, and released two more LPs, “Crow By Crow” and “Mosaic.”  “Evil Woman” has been covered by many artists, including Black Sabbath on its English debut LP, and Ike and Tina Turner, on their Come Together album.  Ike and Tina changed the title to “Evil Man” to make it work with Tina as the singer.

 

Many of Crow’s songs have prominent driving bass lines, starting with “Evil Woman.”  Larry’s aggressive pick playing propels that song.  Another favorite is “Cottage Cheese.”  The band needed a song that would feature drummer, Denny Craswell doing a drum solo. So, Larry and Dick came up with a riff and the band all started working on it at rehearsal. While intended as a showcase for the drummer, the middle of the song has funky call and response riffs between the bass and guitar, including a killer unison run up the neck which still shakes the floors when played at the proper volume—LOUD!

 

Crow toured extensively, playing many major festivals, including in Toronto, Denver, Miami, Vancouver and Seattle, among others; toured with Janis Joplin; and played on big bills, including with Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, Grand Funk Railroad, Fleetwood Mac, Steppenwolf,  Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, War, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Three Dog Night, Grateful Dead, Canned Heat, and Spirit.  They even had an up and coming ZZ Top open for them.  

 

Crow disbanded in 1972, and Larry moved to Los Angeles.  He was a staff bass player for RCA records, from ’73-’77.   During that time, he played bass on a number of the label’s demos, and also spent a few years as part of Pacific Gas & Electric, which previously had chart success with the single “Are You Ready.”

 

Heading back home to Minnesota, he toured the U.S. and Canada with Bobby Vee from the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, before joining the band Double Nickels, which he played with from ‘82-’86.  After playing thousands of gigs with Double Nickels, he took time off to start a family.

 

Crow was reformed in 1988, and Larry has played with the band continuously since then.  In addition to Crow, Larry has kept busy with other projects.  He released his own “Sessions” CD in 2016, performing with various artists, including one of his heroes, Nokie Edwards of the Ventures.  Larry is also active with blues man Doug Maynard, and the Lisa Wenger Band, who both also appear on the Sessions CD.

 

The Litter is another band that appears on Sessions.  The Litter is a garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, “Action Woman”. The band recorded two classic garage LPs, Distortions and 100 Fine, on local labels, before their third album, “Emerge,” which was released on ABC’s Probe label.  Although the group subsequently disbanded, it has re-united in various configurations, including the 1998 release of a new studio album Re-Emerge consisting of both old and new material, as well as old and new members, including Larry Wiegand on bass.

 

 In 2019, Tom Murray, the original drummer of The Litter, released a new Litter LP, Future of the Past, which again includes Larry on bass, as well as original Litter guitarist, Zippy Caplan, and Dez Dickerson, the original guitarist in the Revolution. 

 

This LP is hard-rocking and consists of several songs based on unreleased and/or unfinished material from the early ‘70s.  According to Tom Murray, while there are new guys, it is heavily based on what the band was doing back then.   

 

Based on Larry’s extensive career, he was inducted with Crow into the Minnesota Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, Iowa Rock n Roll Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and the South Dakota Rock n Roll Music Hall of Fame in 2016.  He was also inducted into the Minnesota Blues Society Hall of Fame in 2018.

 

His influences include Nokie Edwards, who originally played bass with the Ventures before taking over their lead guitar duties, James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Paul McCartney and Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds.

 

Larry’s go-to basses back in the day were a 1962 Fender Precision Bass and a ’63 Fender Precision bass, that was used on a lot of Crow’s records.  These days, he plays a ‘71 Fender P bass on stage, and he also uses a ’95 Fender Jazz bass modified with DiMarzio pickups.  His rigs have gone from a Fender Bassman, to Fender Dual Showman, to Vox Super Beatle, Ampeg SVT and Acoustic 360.  He currently uses a GK 800RB head with a 400 watt 1×15 cabinet.  

 

Larry Weigand Sound & Vision…

Crow:

 

“Evil Woman” https://youtu.be/dz7-Sq1CDH8   

 

“Cottage Cheese” https://youtu.be/cxhxqNkIzaw  

 

Larry Wiegand and Nokie Edwards “After You’ve Gone: https://youtu.be/aPNvX8ZsK4w    

 

Larry Wiegand and Jeff Christensen “One Moment” https://youtu.be/LOvc4dLLG_U   

 

 

By Joe Gagliardo

Jack Daley grew up in Troy, New York, an area renowned for its diverse musical community. His uncle was a drummer. Jack’s brother was a guitarist and avid record collector who brought home influential albums by the Allman Brothers, Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter’s White Trash.

 

Initially, Jack thought he would be a drummer. However, he became bored with the practice pad, snare and cymbals he had. That jaded stance quickly evaporated when he was leaning against the home stereo with its 15-inch speaker blasting Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.” Young Jack was blown away by Peter Cetera’s bass lines, which inspired him to pick up the instrument.

 

Jack started out with a few lessons and learning from records and playing live. By his late teens he was studying with accomplished teachers and woodshedding twelve hours a day. From his teens to his late 20’s Jack played, composed, and recorded in multiple bands. He moved to New York City at the age of twenty-nine and within a year was playing in thirteen different bands.

 

 

A chance conversation with a bandmate led to a nearly fifteen-year run with Lenny Kravitz on world tours, multiple TV appearances, videos, albums, and DVDs.

 

Jack casually mention to that friend -on a Thursday- that he would be interested in playing with Lenny if he ever needed a bass player. The following Tuesday, Jack received a call saying that he had an audition in New York City with Lenny’s engineer Henry Hirsch. It was a cattle call, with about twenty players. Jack and one other bassist were flown to Los Angeles for another audition. Unbeknownst to Jack, the bass opening was advertised on the radio, and 250 bassists auditioned for the gig in LA—Jack nailed the gig!

 

Post-Lenny Kravitz, Jack stayed busy with session work, playing live, and producing other artists. He toured with Boz Scagg; recorded with David Bowie’s rhythm section; recorded and toured with Gedeon Luke and the People, coproduced and mixed that band’s LP, and appeared on the TV show Later… With Jools Holland with that band; toured with Dana Fuchs; toured Spain with Manola Garcia; and toured Germany with Marius Westernhagen. When Jack got back to the US, he toured with Darlene Love, whose record had been produced by Steven Van Zandt, and that led to him playing with Little Steven.

 

For the past 4 years, Jack has recorded and toured with Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul, and he appears on the Soulfire and Summer of Sorcery releases, as well as the live CDs and DVDs. The band is a tour de force, consisting of multiple guitars and keyboards, along with three female background singers and a five-piece horn section. Jack has his work cut out for him in sonically providing a bottom and groove for the music, while being mindful of the music created by the rest of the band. Jack’s goal is to create bass lines that help make the song and the other players stand out and sound great.

 

With an extensive background as a first call session musician and having contributed to dozens of gold and platinum albums with many of the top artists and record producers, Jack has learned from the best of the best. It is a natural progression for him to work in production with his own studio.  

 

Jack has produced artists from all over the world working with multiple styles of music: soul and rhythm and blues (Leona Berlin, Gedeon Luke, The Dumonts, Aurea, Paulo Gonzo); Rock (Super 400, Billy Lewis Jr., Db Sugar); Boy Band Pop (The Kix); Rap (Ironic); Euro Pop (The Bang Bang Club); and Singer-songwriters (Emily Grove).

 

For information about Jack’s production studio, and the extensive list of artists he has worked with as a musician or producer, go to https://www.jackdaleybassist.com  

 

Jack’s basses: his first bass was a St. George copy of the Beatle bass, paired with a Fender Bantam bass amp. Next up was a Fender Mustang bass with the racing stripe, modified with a humbucker pickup, played through a bass cabinet Jack made with his Dad. He has accumulated several basses over the years, including a 1966 black Fender Jazz bass with matching headstock (flatwounds); a 1965 candy apple red Fender Precision bass (roundwounds); a 1997 black Fender Custom Shop P/J bass with matching headstock (rounds) that has custom artwork by Jona Cerwinske; a Music Man BFR Old Smoothie; a black fretless Music Man; a 1971 Rickenbacker 4001 sunburst (flats and rounds); a 1968 Hagstrom 8 string; a Hofner Club Bass with a custom black finish; and a Guild B50 acoustic bass. While Jack has often used a Fender Precision bass to record, he usually prefers his 1966 Fender Jazz bass or Music Man Old Smoothie for live shows.

 

His main bass rigs on the road have been the Ashdown ABM 900 810 stack, or the Ampeg SVT VR 810 stack.

 

A few highlights from many in Jack’s career, include:

 

Playing Radio City Music Hall with Lenny Kravitz about a week after he joined the band, with Robert Plant stage left, Joey Ramone, and other musicians Jack respects in the audience.

 

Playing H.O.R.D.E. Festivals with Lenny Kravitz, where the band did the whole tour on motorcycles, including riding them up to the stage.

 

Little Steven And The Disciples Of Souls’ last show of the “Summer of Sorcery” tour in October, 2019, before a sold-out crowd at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. I happened to catch that show, and words cannot describe the energy, power and ferocity of the band and music.

 

 

Jack Daley Sound & Vision….

 

Beyonce-“End of Time”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke2yoLWtylc 

Jack worked this bass part out with Beyonce on a 5 string bass, and Beyonce said it was influenced by Fela Kuti.

 

Joss Stone-“Super Duper Love”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCKAnJOoiOk 

This track has Jack capturing the vibe and doing some old school soul bass playing.

 

Sara Bareilles – “She Used To Be Mine”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53GIADHxVzM 

Here Jack plays a simple, but effective, bass line that fits Sara’s vocal and the beautiful song.

 

Jason Mraz-“Wordplay”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABFtbYKW-QY 

Jack’s lines stand out and help move the melody, while supporting Jason’s vocals.

 

Alana Davis-“32 Flavors”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEfbL53jhN4 

On this song, the tape started rolling, and Jack started playing. This was recorded in a spontaneous first-take.

 

Gedeon Luke and The People – Standing On Top Of The World

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He79H8pJcMkd 

Great soulful funk band and bass playing.

 

Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul-“Summer of Sorcery”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdImZgUs7dg 

This song is reminiscent of the E Street Band and Van Morrison. Interestingly, Little Steven muted the drums during one of the verses, and Jack’s bass continues carrying the song, and provides the platform for the drums coming back into the song.

 

 

By Joe Gagliardo

Harlan Lee Terson started playing bass in 1966—his first bass was a 1966 Pelham Blue Gibson EBO.  He played in various bands while in high school and college, and after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Illinois-Chicago, he began playing professionally on the Chicago scene.

For the last forty-five years, Harlan has been a familiar figure on Chicago’s musical landscape.   His steady “in the pocket” groove has kept him working on the competitive Chicago blues circuit, recording and touring internationally with some of Chicago’s greatest blues artists. He has played bass on more than forty- five recordings and jingles, and Bass Player Magazine has described him as “…one of Chicago’s great blues bassists.”

His influences include all styles of blues, as well as the recorded sounds of Stax/Atlantic and Motown. James Jamerson, Carole Kaye, Tommy Cogbill, and Duck Dunn are just a few of his favorite bassists.

Harlan’s career highlights include playing with the Lonnie Brooks Blues Band where he played on five recordings, two of which received Grammy nominations.

During his time with Lonnie, the band played three European tours, including Hamburg, Germany, 1981 Blues Estafette in Utrecht, Holland (with Jimmy Rogers and Walter Horton), and 1982 Chicago Blues Giants tour (with Lefty Dizz, Eddie Shaw, Ken Saydak, and Melvin Taylor).

He has also appeared, recorded and toured extensively with many other artists, including the legendary Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Magic Slim, Albert Collins, Sunnyland Slim, Eddy Clearwater, Jimmy Rogers, Kim Wilson, Duke Robillard, Eddie Shaw, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Big Mama Thornton, Lurrie Bell, Steve Freund, Tad Robinson, Dave Specter and the Bluebirds, Jimmy Johnson, Sharon Lewis, Bob Margolin, The Chicago Rhythm Review, The Blue Coast Band, and Chicago blues rockers, The Fabulous Fish Heads.

In addition to his gigs, Harlan performed at the internationally famous Kingston Mines in Chicago for more than twenty years, and at Rosa’s Lounge.  He has been on the teaching staff at The Old Town School of Folk Music since 1999.  Notable alums of the Old Town School include Roger McGuinn and John Prine, among others.

These days, you can catch Harlan playing one of his Fender Jazz or Precision basses with the Rockwell Avenue Blues Band, made up of many veterans of the Chicago blues scene, including Ken Saydak (Big Shoulders, Lonnie Brooks Blues Band), Steve Freund (Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter), Tad Robinson (Dave Specter and the Bluebirds, Solo), and Marty Binder (Albert Collins, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells).  The band recently released an album on the Delmark label, Back to Chicago.

You can also catch Harlan with The Blue Coast Band, whose members have also worked with many of Chicago’s greatest blues artists, going back to the vibrant Chicago Blues Scene of the 1970’s.  Blue Coast has released a CD Lake City, and includes Mark Wydra (Eddy Clearwater, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells), Ron Sorin (Hubert Sumlin, Willie Kent) and Jon Hiller (Jimmy Johnson, James Burton and Charlie Musselwhite).

Being a busy player, you can also catch Harlan with Dave Specter and the Bluebirds, which also includes Marty Binder from the Rockwell Band, and Chicago Blues Legend, Brother John Kattke.  Harlan has recorded multiple records with Dave Specter.

Check out Harlan’s playing:

Otis Rush-“Crosscut Saw” https://youtu.be/xpk6kIJCZ_s “Just trying to play it true to the Albert King version….”

Dave Specter/Jorma Kaukonen-“How Low Can One Man Go?” https://youtu.be/5JrlaCWQfMk “This song felt like a Boogie, so I played it like a Boogie….”

Rockwell Avenue Blues Band-“Boogie in the Rain” https://youtu.be/doU1i-y8MOA  “Here, I am following the guitar….”

Lonnie Brooks-“Sweet Home Chicago” https://youtu.be/Lw4-sExT–M

Blue Coast Band-“Northeaster” https://youtu.be/Nroh3lOXz0k “These last two songs, I was just trying to push the groove….”

By Joe Gagliardo

Mark started playing bass on a 1970 Fender Mustang.  By 1972, he was playing a Rickenbacker 4001 and anchoring Utopia, a horn band that preceded Todd Rundgren’s band of the same name.  Utopia was playing the music of Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, and Average White Band, among others, and was tearing up the college and club circuit until 1979.  This fit his playing style well, because in addition to Paul McCartney, Mark was deeply influenced by the melodic playing of Peter Cetera with Chicago.

In 1979 Mark joined the band Lovecraft. HP Lovecraft is one of the legendary bands in Chicago that started out as a folk/psych band in the 60’s, and included George Edwards on guitar, Jerry McGeorge (Shadows of Knight) on bass, and Michael Tegza on drums (2 Lps-HP Lovecraft and HP Lovecraft II).

With a shortened name, Lovecraft moved to a more rock sound in the early ‘70’s, and included Marty Grebb (Buckinghams, Leon Russell, Bonnie Raitt and more), Jim Donlinger (Aorta), Michael Been (The Call), and Michael Tegza (one Lp-Valley of the Moon).  By the mid-70’s Lovecraft was a Funk band, which included vocalist Lalomie Washburn, Tegza and Frank Capek on guitar (one Lp-We Love You Whoever You Are).

In 1980, after Lovecraft, Mark and Frank Capek joined one of Chicago’s hot power pop bands, The Kind, who had opened shows for Lovecraft.  That line-up was rounded out by leader, songwriter and lead vocalist, Frank Jalovec, and Frank Sberno on drums (The Hurd).

Within short order, three of The Kind’s songs were creating a hell of a buzz!  “Total Insanity” was played heavily by WXRT, and was recently included in The Dirt- the story of Motley Crue, and is on The Numero Group’s compilation cd, Buttons—From Champaign to Chicago.

“When You Rock” received heavy play rotation on WLUP and WMET, two of Chicago’s other radio giants, and the band got a big push when “Loved By You” became a staple of WLS radio.  By this time, Mark was slinging a Cherry Red 8-string Hamer bass, as well as a 4 string Hamer Cruise bass.

This line-up of The Kind had a run until 1986, and released two Lps, The Kind and Pain and Pleasure.  During this time, the band toured extensively, and played shows with musically diverse groups, including, ZZ Top, Duran Duran, Robert Palmer, Angel City, and The Romantics.

After The Kind, Mark spent the next six years playing with The Legends, primarily a cover band, that also worked with Chicago DJ, John Records Landecker.  This run had the band playing with Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Monkees, America, Rare Earth and many other bands from the 60’s and early 70’s.

These days, Mark is a co-owner of Naperville Music outside of Chicago, where he started to work as an employee in 1977, and became an owner in 1985. He is also busy working to promote the careers of his two sons, Dylan and Mark, who are involved in music.

Dylan is a multi-instrumentalist, who released 2 CDs on Warner Brothers, Adventures in Real Time and Almost Real, and is currently working on his third CD.

Mark is a drummer who works at Old Style Music in California, and one of his fortes, besides drumming, is making custom pedals for a who’s who of musician clients.

Check out Mark’s playing:

The Kind-“Total Insanity” https://youtu.be/skrU8XF8LXc

The Kind-“Loved By You” https://youtu.be/I2icCGpPOMQ

The Kind “When You Rock” https://youtu.be/i-GqZ9MXvZc

The Kind-“I’ve Got You” https://youtu.be/SaViWQ66fcw

Mark Gardner, Dylan Gardner, Mark Gardner and Frank Capek-Recent Partial Live Clip of “Total Insanity” https://youtu.be/v8LjnoV0AGU

By Joe Gagliardo

Though they did not enjoy the commercial success of their peers Chicago, and Blood, Sweat & Tears – this Chicago based jazz rock band were among the best of their generation, and worthy of reevaluation in the evolution of rock music.

Between 1966-1968, The Flock released multiple singles on the local Destination and USA record labels, and they were favorites on radio and in the teen clubs.

On the first release “Can’t You See,” bassist Jerry Smith was featured on the lead vocal.

“Can’t You See” https://youtu.be/W2AxRoeCJKo

That single was followed up by a horn driven rave up “Take Me Back!”

“Take Me Back” https://youtu.be/sjZQADQg4aw

The Flock did not have a full horn section at that time – however by 1969 they added Frank Posa on trumpet, Rick Canoff on saxophone, and Tom Webb on saxophones and flute.

The band also brought in violinist Jerry Goodman – who would go on to greater recognition as a founding member of jazz rock superstars: Mahavishnu Orchestra. On their debut LP The Flock on Columbia records, John Mayall described them as the best band he had heard in America in his liner notes.

One listen to the first LP, and it is evident that the band was pursuing more of a jazz fusion sound, rather than the horn band sound that was popular at that time.  That said, the band rocked!

After a guitar and violin “Introduction”, the song “Clown” kicks off with Jerry’s thumping bass line, followed by a blast of horns that will blow your hair back, leading into lead guitarist, Fred Glickstein’s frenetic vocal, and ends with a soaring unison run up the neck by Jerry on bass, and Jerry Goodman on guitar.

The Flock’s sophomore on Columbia in 1970, Dinosaur Swamps, followed a similar musical vein as the debut LP. The Flock enjoyed a great run touring the U.S. and Europe, and playing major festivals and shows with The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Zappa, among others.

One of the most memorable gigs was playing in front of 350,000 people at the Rotterdam Pop Festival in 1970. Smith and Goodman’s images are featured on the promotional poster from the movie Stamping Ground.  This was the “European Woodstock” with considerably more people in attendance.

As with all good things, they don’t last forever, and by 1971 Jerry was playing bass with Aura, and co-producing their debut LP on Mercury records.  Aura was a horn band led by the talented and charismatic lead singer, Al Lathan, and consisted of former members of legendary Chicago bands, including For Days & A Night, The Flock and The Mauds.  The LP was a mix of original songs, with a few cool covers of obscure songs by Richie Havens and Doug Sahm.

After Aura’s run ended, Jerry reunited with Fred Glickstein and Ron Karpman (drums), former founding members of The Flock, and they released the album Inside Out in 1975, which was produced by Felix Pappalardi on Mercury records.

Fast forward to today, and after a six-year stint in the re-formed Mauds, Jerry is part of the band Dinosaur Exhibit, which includes Jerry Goodman on Violin, Mike Flynn on Guitar, Pete Flynn on Drums, Quent Lang on Sax and Flute, and George Barr on Trumpet. The band plays the music of the members’ former bands, The Flock, Aura, The Mauds, as well as Jerry Goodman’s solo work.  A highlight for Dinosaur Exhibit was performing with Steely Dan last year at the Ravinia Fest in Highland Park, IL during Labor Day weekend in front of 43,000 people over two nights.

Jerry’s start as a bass player is like many other bass player stories—he was a guitar player, and the band needed a bassist.  He went through various basses, a Gibson EB-3, a Gibson EBO, a Hofner Beatle Bass that he traded for a Rickenbacker 4001, and by 1968, he had a Pink Paisley Tele Bass, with a matching Tele Guitar.  Jerry can be seen playing that bass on stage in the movie Stamping Ground.  While it would be great if he had the matching Paisley Teles, they are long gone.  Over the years, Jerry has favored Fender Precision Basses, Rickenbackers, and Laklands.  His current go-to bass is a Metallic Blue Lakland, with a Maple Neck, and he has a Copper-colored Fender American Performer with a P/J pickup configuration, as a back-up.

Jerry’s amps over the years have gone from an Ampeg Portaflex, to dual Acoustic 360’s, to dual Sunn Coliseum bass cabinets with 1x18s, driven by a 300 watt head, to a Trace Elliot 600 watt head pushing a Trace Elliot 2×10 and an SWR 4×10, and today a GK MB 800 watt head pushing a GK NEO 2×12 and a GK NEO 1×12.

In terms of Jerry’s playing style, he has always played tastefully, with a lot of improvisational movement, following in the footprints of his influences, Chris Squire, Jack Casady, Jaco Pastorius and Jack Bruce.  On the Flock and Aura LPs, his bass lines propelled many of the songs.  As his playing has progressed, he has become more of a melodic player, creating a pocket by being locked in with the drummer.

Traveling across the USA and Canada a few years ago with Steve Gadd, in his capacity as Director of North American Sales for Zildjian and Vic Firth, Jerry focused on the concept that it is not how many notes he plays, but how he plays the notes, and how to leave space.

You can catch Jerry and Dinosaur Exhibit in clubs and festivals, and check out his playing below:

The Flock “Clown” https://youtu.be/bKs1Zw47oyo

The Flock “Crabfoot” (Dinosaur Swamps) https://youtu.be/wrPIKrZ4yL8

The Flock “My Ok Today” https://youtu.be/5n0uGjGvSKc

Aura “No Opportunity Needed, No Experience Necessary” https://youtu.be/6zLjKFEswwI

By Joe Gagliardo

While many of us were inspired to pick up a bass or guitar after seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, Phil Orsi was already cutting 45s, long before that fateful Sunday. Growing up not far from Chess Records and Record Row on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Phil was inspired by some of his blues and soul musical heroes, including Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, who would visit his parents’ Italian store on the South Side of Chicago.

Phil was also inspired by the Rock and Roll and Doo Wop of the late ‘50’s that he was hearing on the radio that his Grandmother gave him.  By the late 50’s, Phil was playing guitar, however due to a serious accident which affected his fretting hand, he switched to bass.

Phil’s first bass was a gold and white Danelectro Longhorn, but in November 1960, he went to the Chicago Music Cooperative, and bought a 1960 Fender Jazz Bass with a hard-shell case for $227.00, which he still owns.

During the early 60’s, Phil played with the Don Caron Orchestra, backing various national recording artists who came through Chicago, including Dion and The Marvelettes.  He also had a band, The Uni-Beats, and their first record, “Someone New”, was released in 1961.  True to his love of Doo Wop, he had The Sheppards, a Chicago vocal group, as background singers.

After the Uni-Beats, his next band was Phil Orsi and the Little Kings. The band had a run from 1961-1964; playing all of the hot clubs in Chicago including The Peppermint Lounge, Whisky A Go-Go, The Scene, and others.

Phil and the Little Kings released many records and his love for the music he grew up on, never left him.  Some of the band’s early to mid-60’s releases were great covers: “Sorry” I Ran All the Way Home,” (The Impalas), “Stay” (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs), “Don’t You Just Know It” (Huey Piano Smith and the Clowns), “California Sun” (The Rivieras) and “C’mon Everybody” (Eddie Cochran).

Phil also wrote some of the songs released as 45s, including “Someone New,” “Oh My Darling” and “Whoever He May Be.”  Stay, Sorry and Whoever He May Be” were released on the USA record label, which gained notoriety a few years later when The Buckinghams had a No. 1 national hit with “Kind of a Drag” on that label. By the mid-60’s Phil was part of The Thunderbirds.

That collective was an in-demand act, and they regularly opened for many of the British Invasion groups, including the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Dave Clark 5, Moody Blues and Chad and Jeremy.  They also worked with the Beach Boys and Tommy James and the Shondells.  Like the Little Kings, the Thunderbirds also released a string of 45s on local Chicago labels.  At this point, the band had that classic mid-60’s Garage Band sound.  Check out “Your Ma Said You Cried.”

After The Thunderbirds, Phil reformed the Little Kings and they had a run until 1970, and released a 45, “Loving on Borrowed Time”, which became a “Northern Soul” classic.

From 1970-1985, Phil was part of a horn band, Happiness Is, which released another “Northern Soul” classic, “Love is Slipping Away,” which was a rearranged remake of the 45 previously released with The
Little Kings.  Phil continued playing regularly until 1992, a music career spanning over 30 years.

Phil Orsi & The Little Kings “Loving on Borrowed Time” https://youtu.be/1tO6hp1S0ms

Phil Orsi & The Little Kings “Love Is Slipping Away” https://youtu.be/RFiiH47ccx4

Thunderbirds “Your Ma Said You Cried (In Your Sleep Last Night)” https://youtu.be/O5mdUgyXNT8

Happiness Is “Love Is Slipping Away-Love Is Slipping Away” https://youtu.be/5U_ssR70vXY

By Joe Gagliardo

After moving from the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago – yes, the very same hometown of rock legend Patti Smith – to the suburb of Northlake, Bill made some new friends who were musicians and he started playing bass on a guitar with the B and E strings removed!

Shortly thereafter, Bill purchased a Hofner Beatle bass and was off on his journey as a player.  First with a prog rock band entitled Mother Country, then he moved on to a Montreal based show band named Fancy Colors. Bill tells of having to fly to Montreal for the audition and is grateful he got the gig, because he only had enough money for a one-way ticket.

Ahhhhhhh to be young and confident!!!!! 

Returning to Chicago, his career kicked into high gear when his band Skylady, which he founded and also served as a songwriter – morphed into Tantrum.

There was nothing like them! Picture walking into a club in the late 70’s, and witnessing the visual impact of three energetic and strong female singers; Pam Bradley, Sandy Caulfield and Barb Erber, backed by a hard-rocking band, Bill, Phil Balsano (keyboards), Ray Sapko (guitar) and Vern Wennerstrom (drums).

The band performed at major venues including the Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago Amphitheatre, Aragon Ballroom, Park West, ChicagoFest and toured extensively across the United States.

A concert and radio favorite, Tantrum produced three albums on the Ovation label: Tantrum, Rather Be Rockin’, and Breaking Away.

Following Tantrum, Bill joined Alan Hewitt & 88; an ensemble which played original pop music composed Hewitt – who later worked with the Moody Blues as their touring keyboardist – and toured throughout the Midwest and made two appearances on the nationally syndicated, highly rated TV show, Star Search, during its premier season.

From 1988-1993 Bill toured with Survivor throughout the United States and parts of Europe, with numerous appearances on German television. He toured with both Dave Bickler, the original singer of Survivor, as
well as Jimi Jamison. Bill appears on the band’s Too Hot to Sleep and Greatest Hits LPs.

Bill and Davie Bickler also had a band, Radio City, which included former Trillion and Jinx guitar player Frank Barbalace.

In addition to live performances, Bill was busy playing numerous sessions, including with renowned guitarist Jennifer Batten – noted for her work with Michael Jackson and Jeff Bec,), Marc Scherer on his releases Battle Zone, White Cross, and High Gear; Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger) I’m Alive and Time Passes; Scott May (Ides of March)  Outside the Inside; Harry Nilsson’s Lost & Found;  and Jim Peterik (Survivor, Ides of March) Pride of Lions and World Stage discs.

As a songwriter, Bill has co-written several songs, often with Jim Peterik for various projects, including “Under the Spell” recorded by the Doobie Brothers. He co-wrote much of the music with Joe Vana for his Mecca 3 album, which was recorded in Nashville with David Hungate (Toto).  He currently writes the majority of Classical Blast’s original music.

Bill’s songwriting has given him a different perspective on his bass lines, prompting him to listen more intently to all the players, to provide support, but also to supply melodic fills in open spaces to keep the song moving forward.  Bill’s bass influences include Jack Bruce, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, and Jaco Pastorius.

Currently Bill’s go-to basses include: a ’72 four string Fender Jazz bass, a ’91five string Fender Jazz bass, and a five string Sire Marcus Miller Bass.  He runs his bass through a Hartke 1×15 Combo Amp with a Hartke 2×10 extension cabinet.

These days, you can catch Bill with R-Gang, a band that specializes in Motown/Soul/R&B music, and which he has been co-leading since 1988.

Bill is also with Classical Blast, a band that features mashups of famed classical pieces with contemporary rock music, along with originals.  The band has released three albums, two of which can be found on the Toucan Cove label (Seattle), and have received regional acclaim and airplay.

His concert shows include Bach to Rock: A Musical Metamorphosis, Dark Side of the Yule, a holiday concert show; and Classical Blast in Kilts, a Celtic rock revue.

They’ve performed an instrumental rock version of the National Anthem at Wrigley Field three times and opened for numerous national acts, including Joan Jett, Michael McDonald, The Orchestra/ELO, among others.

While Bill has many accomplishments, he is a gracious performer, and plays guitar and performs weekly for cancer patients, caregivers, and families as part of the Caring Arts Program.  The Caring Arts
Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emotional
support to Chicago-area cancer patients and their families.  Its mission is to facilitate and encourage expression and healing through music, fine art, journaling, photography and other creative disciplines.

Learn more about Caring Arts Foundation at: http://www.caringarts.com/

Check out these tracks and videos from Bill’s remarkable career:

Tantrum (album track montage) https://youtu.be/U8ExN1zBiKc

Tantrum live at Haymaker’s Reunion (“Rock n Roll Waltz”) 2012 https://youtu.be/N8XwwcdUuBw

R-Gang on WGN-TV, 2010 https://youtu.be/-0bB3rIZnNc

Survivor “Didn’t Know it was Love” (music video, 1988), From Too Hot to Sleep https://youtu.be/AJJSej2ru0c

Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” on German TV, 1993 https://youtu.be/NsbXE8A9Rtg

Classical Blast Live Stream at Arcada Theater (“Let’s Pretend” song written by Bill Syniar & Barbara Weigand), March 2020 https://youtu.be/vniZjUYHjL8

Bill performing at Children’s Hospital for Caring Arts (2015) https://youtu.be/pTaV08WE_Yg

 

By Joe Gagliardo

Gordon Patriarca was born into a family that loved music – dad was a jazz / blues buff and mom played piano and show tunes.

 

Then along came the transistor radio! Gordon and his brother were inseparable from these new portable devices as the Top 40 sounds of WLS and WCFL in Chicago became the soundtrack of their childhood.

 

When Gordon was in 8th grade, a friend from Ireland with older brothers introduced him to Rory Gallagher and Taste, Jethro Tull, John Mayall, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and much of the great British blues rock of the era. By the time he entered high school, Gordon was in love with the music, however had yet to pick up a bass.  That was about to change soon…

 

His younger brother was excelling with guitar lessons, and Gordon – fired up by Jack Bruce’s incendiary musicianship – decided that playing bass would be “cool.”  A neighbor kid owned a Montgomery Ward’s bass and amp that he loaned to Gordon, and he and his brother would spend hours playing 12-bar blues progressions.

 

Eventually Gordon got bass, a cherry red Epiphone Newport, and joined a band with his brother while taking lessons from a pro – Paul Zibits.  Gordon’s high school graduation gift was ’76 Fender Jazz bass.

 

Circa 1979-80, Gordon honed his craft with Trouts, which was in the Elvis Costello / Squeeze / Joe Jackson bag: melodic and hooky.

 

At this point, Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) became a huge influence. Regulars on the local circuit, Trouts lasted for three years.

 

Following Trouts, Gordon took on a rockabilly gig with Stevie Starlite’s band, followed by a blues-rock-fusion gig with Don Griffin and the Griff Band. Gordon then spent five years with The Remainders, a band that started out as a Cajun / Zydeco / New Orleans style band which morphed into an Americana / roots-rock/ pop band which released a cassette and CD.

 

After his tenure in The Remainders, Gordon was back on the local club circuit, and busy in the studio appearing on over forty releases.  His many studio credits include albums with Yardsale and Word Bongo, Joe Pug, Kelley McCrae and Sage Francis, also recording sessions at Abbey Road Studio with Icos. Gordon also anchored European tours and recorded with Jan James.

 

Over a forty-year span, Gordon has played thousands of gigs, including shows with Survivor, Spirit, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Sugar Blue, and Robbie Fulks, among others.

 

Gordon’s go-to bass for twenty years was an Ampeg AEB-1 Scroll bass that he purchased for $90.00 in 1984, and consequently modified.

 

These days he has a penchant for Squire Precision and Tele basses which he “hot rods” by, among other things, changing the pick ups and bridges.  He also uses a custom SG Bass, and a Fender Jazz bass with DiMarzio pickups and flat wound strings. His bass rig is a Yamaha PB-1 Pre amp, run through a Peavey IPR Power Amp, into either an Eden 2×12, Sunn 1×18, Mesa 1×15, or some combination thereof.

 

Gordon’s playing philosophy is to focus on the groove with melodic flourishes, as well as to be intimately familiar with the style of music he is playing, and how to play it, whether it is rock, pop, country, blues, or reggae.

 

In addition to Jack Bruce and Bruce Thomas, his early bass influences include James Jamerson, Phil Lynott, Tony Stevens (Savoy Brown and Foghat), and Greg Ridley (Humble Pie).  Later on Gordon drew inspiration from Jaco Pastorius, Colin Moulding, and Rocco Prestia.

 

In addition to being the Musical Director for The School of Rock, he is involved in multiple projects: Simply Elton, Simply Billy(Joel), Too Bad Company, Heroes (Bowie), Yacht Rock with the Yacht Rockettes, Rick Lindy and Dave Specter.

 

 

Gordon Patriarca Sound & Vision …

 

Gordo’s Gigs Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNPW-Nl7KKAP3QkN3zt07Gh5etV39Hv5g

Music I have appeared on as a bassist from 1980 to the present. Some solo bass weirdness included here too. Tracks include recordings as a band member and as a studio musician. Some live stuff too.

 

The Remainders “Two For The Blues” https://youtu.be/b-_GxL2a_Lc

 

Word Bongo “Witnesses” https://youtu.be/Csj9ftRiAp8

 

Yardsale “How Good It Feels” https://youtu.be/-R1Ysrormpg

 

Icos “Only You and I” https://youtu.be/QNGI7aa1vpA

 

 

By Joe Gagliardo

When an 11-year-old guitar playing kid asked his friends if he could join their band, he heard a familiar refrain: “we don’t need another guitar player…we need…a bass player!

Woody Lingle, “a Beatles guy,” tuned his guitar down and began to play bass until he got his hands on the same instrument as his idol Paul McCartney: a Hofner bass. From 1967-69 Woody gigged in South Carolina with soul band The Regals, among other ensembles.

Moving to Dayton, Ohio in ‘69 Woody became involved with his church. His Minister was on the cutting-edge of Christian Music and Woody took on the responsibility of assembling musicians to premiere this “new music.”

During this time, Woody fell in love with jazz and horn bands. In addition to Paul McCartney and James Jamerson, Woody was deeply influenced by Rod Ellicott – bassist in Cold Blood, a powerful San Francisco horn collective fronted by Lydia Pense. Rod was known for his driving bass lines and live solos.

Woody pursued a Musical Therapy Degree in South Carolina. He played in the school jazz band along with local jazz groups and big band shows – including his first two union gigs within two weeks: Liberace, and the “Lipazan Stallions Show.” With a deep desire to improve his musicianship Woody enrolled in the prestigious North Texas State University – known for their jazz school.

Woody returned to North Texas State to resume his studies and discovered that Gary Willis (co-founder of the jazz fusion band, Tribal Tech) and Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Santana) were his classmates.

Woody and Gregg played together in the internationally renowned One O’Clock Lab Band at NTSU.  They also gigged regularly with Top 40 bands and did studio work in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area.

In 1983, Woody migrated to Oklahoma City to join the band Maya, a Top 40 dance band.  While in Oklahoma City, continued his work as a studio musician, playing jazz gigs and Top 40 with Chris Hicks.

Through that work he became friendly with a producer who had played in Emmylou Harris’ renowned Hot Band.  That led him to Nashville where he lived from 1994-2011.  During that time, he played and/or recorded with Margaret Becker, Charlie Peacock, Ty Herndon, Steve Wariner, Ricky Van Shelton, among others, and composed music for popular TV shows.

In 2004, Woody received a call from Gary Puckett, and for the past sixteen years he has served as Gary’s bassist, musical director, and vocalist.

In 2011 he returned to South Carolina to take the position of Music Director for the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Cordova. There, he puts all his skills to use—writing, conducting, arranging and playing.

Since 2006, Woody’s go-to bass has been a Dean – which he endorses as a member of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Woody utilized a Modulus Graphite for many years. His arsenal also includes a Sire four string
Marcus Miller P7, a Dean 5 String Edge Pro, a Rob Allen semi-acoustic 5-string Fretless with black nylon strings, and his trusty Hofner, among others.

A diverse player equally at home with rock, jazz, country, pop, Latin, rhythm and blues -check out Woody with….

“The Bible According to Scofield” (Woody Lingle) https://youtu.be/7yguo05DpmA

“2 Five or Not Two 5” (Woody Lingle) https://youtu.be/4NabtcHg4-Y

“Grace” (Woody Lingle) https://youtu.be/IX1I8W2lWmQ

“Bowlegged” (GaryWillis, arranged by Woody Lingle) https://youtu.be/0i6QYgs_J7s

By Joe Gagliardo

Karma? Serendipity? Fate?  

All of the above with reference to the career of bassist Keith Voegele!

The journey started on a holiday visit to Keith’s cousin’s house when he was age thirteen – which consequently became a turning point in his life.

Keith’s cousin played bass … and he let Keith play the instrument. Back home, Keith returned from school one day and his Dad surprised him—he had purchased his cousin’s Rickenbacker 4001 copy Electra bass guitar and Marlboro amp! Though Keith took a few lessons, his best teacher was his record collection, immersing himself in the grooves and styles of several players.

By fourteen he was in a band – Equinox – whose members were high school seniors, and he toiled the next eight years honing his craft in bars, clubs and beer bashes.

In the late 80s Keith spent five years with Axe Minister, a metal band based out of St. Louis. While working at St. Louis Music making Ampeg and Crate equipment, he joined Lex Luthor, a band that mixed originals with covers.  However, a contact made from the metal days, lead to him moving to Boston to play with Epic recording artists, Meliah Rage, a thrash metal band.  The drummer of that band was Sully Erna, who went on to become the lead singer of Godsmack.

In the mid-90’s, Keith was back in St. Louis anchoring with The Phonocaptors, playing hard-edged original music in the vein of the Velvet Underground, MC5 and The Stooges.

That band had a tune on a compilation CD entitled St. Louis’ Tribute to Chuck Berry. The Bottle Rockets also had a song on that CD. Some years later when the Bottle Rockets needed a bass player, the engineer of that release suggested Keith.

After moving to Springfield, Illinois, Keith joined the Bottle Rockets in 2005 – and has held down the bottom ever since. The band’s rootsy / Americana repertoire gives Keith the opportunity to render up-tempo rockers as well as country music.

As they often tour with and back up acclaimed singer, songwriter, recording artist Marshall Crenshaw – Keith enjoys the opportunity to replicate the melodic bass passages from Crenshaw’s hit records which were originally cut by such notable players including Tony Garnier, Chris Donato, Graham Maby, and Tony Levin.

Keith cites his influences as Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, Steve Harris.  Chris Squire, and Jack Cassidy. Given his metal background and the fact that his bass heroes are players who often ply complicated passages, Keith focuses on being a consummate “song player” – and limits his playing of lines that are overtly “busy.”

Weapons of choice: Keith  owns an array of basses, including a 2003 butterscotch blonde Fender Precision bass with a maple neck, strung with flatwounds; a 2013 Lakland Darryl Jones jazz bass, strung with roundwounds; a Rickenbacker 4003; a Fender Justin Meldal Johnsen Mustang bass; and a Creston Lee Tele-styled bass.

While he utilizes the traditional Ampeg SVT 8×10, GK 800 RB, and other cabinets, his go-to amp is an Ampeg B-100R combo amp that he fell in love with while playing a gig at the Sportsman’s Tap.

Catch The Bottle Rockets when they come through town on their own, or with Marshall Crenshaw, and check out Keith’s playing…

… The Bottle Rockets on Audiotree Live (Full Session) https://youtu.be/2cm2XpmtJV8