Saturday, August 18, 2012

Peter Tork Performs @ The State Theatre





Peter Tork

In this Generation

&

 The Canyon of Dreams



Peter Tork was part of one of the most incredible experiments in sixties television, The Monkees. It was inspired by the Beatles landmark movie A Hard Days Night that took the world by storm in 1965. The Beatles juiced things up and oiled the creaky broken down wheel of American Culture through their over the top British charm a placebo of good will and escape from the dark days following the Kennedy assassination. It was as simple and complex as taking American music, transforming it with a big beat, mirroring it back to America and creating a youth culture with the power of a ten ton nuclear bomb. The lies of the governments here and abroad provided the scaffold for the ascendance of the fifties/sixties  anti-heroes and led to an artistic renaissance led Jack Kerouac, Aldous Huxley, Andy Warhol,  Bob Dylan, the Beatles  and so many more. The not-so-quiet revolution of the mind became the soundtrack for the youth culture in America. It was this internal landscape that created the conditions that led to a golden era of experimentation and freedom of expression. Peter Tork was part of this renaissance. Instinctively, he migrated to the west coast in search for the holy grail of sunshine, good vibes and incredible music. He was standing in the epicenter of new bohemia.  The beatniks gave rise to the hippies and Tork fit-in perfectly. He was a folkie at heart and he hung out in Laurel Canyon with hippie artisans like Van Dyke Parks, Tim Buckley, Steven Stills, Nurit Wilde and Joni Mitchell. In the beginning none were famous and no one had discovered their own unique voice – not quite yet. It was only a year or so later when a convergence of social and musical experimentation led to a kind of artistic epiphany, a freedom born of natural talent and a transformative enlightenment. The good vibrations flowed like the clear cool vision of the new tribal society.

As the Monkees phenomenon exploded exponentially, Tork opened his home to the new rock gods, jamming with Hendrix and hanging out with Zappa. He opened up his home for the early rehearsals for a new super group Crosby, Stills and Nash. Henry Diltz, a photographer and scene-maker was part of the hippie paradise. He knew Peter quite well and talks about Peter’s role in this hub of creativity;

“Peter’s house had belonged to actor Wally Cox. It was one of those substantial homes. It had a swimming pool. It had a whole wing off in one direction with rooms in it used for rehearsals. Peter was very social. He was like a commune type of guy - lot of people around. He was like a yoga and guru guy. In those days you could go over and could stay for a couple days if you wanted. You’d meet somebody there and fall in love.  It was a very open society.”

 Now 45 years later Peter Tork is older and wiser. He performs regularly with Shoe Suede Blues and is about to embark on a limited 12 date tour with the Monkees featuring Mickey Dolenz and Michael Nesmith.

May The Circle Be Unbroken

I listened to some Shoe Suede Blues songs and I liked the laid back sepia toned country blues vibe especially the remakes of For Petes Sake and Your Auntie Grizelda. The Dylan chestnut She Belongs to Me is a perfect country blues. It gave them a whole new feel. How would you describe your music?

I don’t know – perhaps it’s a mixture of the ‘50s and ‘60s blues and rock & roll. Of course the blues had informed pop music for nearly 60 years now. It helped me to really stretch out. Just the other day it occurred to me that maybe what I’m doing is blues music. It’s hard to know exactly, but very much the blues influence, definitely the blues influence.



After you formed Shoe Suede Blue you went on and you opened for the Monkees later.

It was funny being at both ends of that. I wore sunglasses and a Panama hat and as loud checked jacket, and I was the guitar player and one of the singers in the band…What we did in those days is the opening band came out and sang Daydream Believer with the Monkees, and so out comes the band and they bring me out my jacket and hat and sunglasses, and I put them on and there were gasps from the crowd. That was fun.


What convinced you to go forward with the project with Shoe Suede Blues?

Well, it was like I said we just …we got together. A friend of mine who plays blues, harp, and some keys suggested we do a benefit. He was like, “Let’s you and me and that guy over there plays bass. I know he plays bass pretty good, and we’ll do this benefit, this charity thing we’re doing.” I said, “Sure.” We got another guitar player and a drummer, and we did like three of these shows with different drummers and different guitar players, and we thought we sounded pretty good. So just about then a friend of mine said, “Look, I’m responsible for the entertainment at this promotional gig I’m doing at the other end of the country, and you should come, it pays pretty well.” I said, “Yeah, that’s good only it’s not enough. Can you get us a couple more gigs?” She did, and lo and behold we were a national act just like that. We just happened to click and we’ve done for over 12 years or something like that. We’ve rotated members but we’ve been continuous. It’s like the old farmer’s joke. “See this hatchet - it’s had eight handles and three heads, but I’ve had this hatchet for 45 years.”


Who is in the band, any original members?

Michael Sunday was an original, and basically I think he just hated to fly so badly that he just couldn’t take it any longer and resigned. If you look at the cover of Cambria Hotel, sitting there at the bottom smoking a cigarette is Arnold Jacks, AJ. He is still in the band. Richard Mikuls, bless his soul, has passed on. We have a new guitar player, a heavy guitar player named Joe Boyle, and a drummer, Sturgis Cunningham. These guys are both residents of the east coast. Since it’s where I am, it kind of makes it easier. Other than that, it’s the same band. We’re making a new CD. I’m not going to be able to give it to you now, it’s not ready to appear just yet, but when I do you’ll see what we’re talking about. There’s some wonderful stuff on there.


Have you written any new songs for the upcoming tour?

 There will be some new songs. They will go on the tour, not all of them because we love our standards, but there will be a few.

Your two CDs have a lot of great cover songs – original rock R&B and blues – Shake Rattle & Roll, Flip, Flop and Fly, Youngblood, Hound Dog, Route 66. Treat Her Right & so on. What was the process of determining the songs made the cut?

Basically it was whatever felt right -basically that’s all there was to it. Just whatever seemed to fit our style and approach music. There were a few songs that we played that were like other songs in terms of style, arrangements, chords and lyrics, so we couldn’t use them. We had to select one, pick one that we liked better. It was that kind of process of elimination

Are you going to perform any of your Monkees songs on this tour?          

Sure thing. Oh yeah. Absolutely. I love them. Almost a third of the show is Monkees songs – For Pete’s Sake, Auntie Grizelda, Shades of Gray. Last Train to Clarksville and a few others

 Before you joined the Monkees, before you got into the project, you were hanging out with some pretty heavy hitters, Steven Stills, Van Dyke Parks and others from Laurel Canyon. You were really a part of a young elite. How did that help you prepare for the Monkees or did it bump into the Monkees in some way?

Well I didn’t have any sense of that at the time. I didn’t know they were members of the elite until years later when they all had successful careers…so, you know, I didn’t know Richie Havens was doing really well. I didn’t know Jose Feliciano was making it, I didn’t know any of those guys were going to be good until they got good, so it wasn’t like I was hanging out with heavy hitters as far as I knew at the time…


As multi-instrumentalist, do you have an instrument that you prefer, one that allows you to really express yourself?

I like guitar because I’m standing up, and I get to dance, and I like piano because it has the widest, broadest rhythm and the sound of it, those great boogie-woogie songs need piano and also for the harmony range. I like bass. Electric guitar is probably my favorite…it’s more for melody than harmony. So I like those two the most, bass when I’m called upon to play bass. I enjoy it. I love laying down a foundation and then the banjo for the old folky and your folk hat because that’s how I came up, as a folky.

As you look back on you career with the Monkees can you identify what you’re most proud of?


Headquarters. So yeah because that was when the band fought and won…my skills and contribution was being the root. It was a great boost for me. I am extremely grateful that I was able to do what I did in the public arena. It’s a huge debt of gratitude. I owe the Monkees a huge debt of gratitude on that account.

You were the quiet, thoughtful member of the group and the more cerebral. Do you think these qualities helped you as a musician?

I think anything helps as a musician. I know guys who were…but did wonderful, sophisticated, delicate, rhythmic stuff, and I know guys who are marvelously intelligent who can’t play, so there’s  not a great deal of overlap there, but what you’ve got is definitely a help.

I always liked your vocals. I thought you had a great vocal vibe. The Shades of Gray was just wonderful. How do you rate yourself as a singer?

Not very well. No, I’m getting better. I know I’m getting better in every aspect of the thing, but the better I get, the more I realize how far from good I am in almost axis, along any line. My pitch doesn’t always serve me well.  I’m always concerned about my pitch, and I don’t know that I’m a natural singer but I just plug along because it’s important to do.

 What was your opinion of Head? Do you think it turned out well? What was the message?

The message in that one, as far as I’m concerned, the message is that you don’t…The message is always supposed to be how good can you get, what’s the work got to do, or maybe at the very worse, what do you want to avoid? This message says, “You’re stuck,” and I think that’s a bad message. I think that Rafelson did a good job, given the movie he wanted to make. He and Nicholson produced the movie.  I think there are some wonderful scenes, and I think Rafelson did a decent job portraying us, using us to portray us, but as I said, I think the message is a bad one.

I saw the Monkees show at the Fox Theatre last year and felt it was triumphant. You had a front and center role this time around. You talked to the crowd. Introduced songs, sang lead on your songs and played several instruments. It was as if you found your voice after all these years. How did you see it?

Yeah, I think I worked up to my total innate musical capacity. Like I said, singing is not what I do; it’s not my strong suit. I think I have a lot of other attributes as an entertainer… it’s like those guys finally recognized me for my genius. That would be just joking. (Laughter)


Well, you have had a great career, perhaps you are a genius

Define your terms…I really have to go, But if you have some other questions that you really need to ask, send an email to my agent...Peace

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Michale Graves Comes to White's Bar August 11th, 2012



Michale Graves

Penetrating the Dharma

&

Exploring Truth



Michale Graves is a survivor. He helped resurrect the Misfits and brought them to even greater fame after Danzig lost his groove. Graves is a man of conscience and joined the Marines in the aftermath of 9-11, only to be disheartened by the high level of violence and our government’s pursuit of hegemony. Since the new millennium, Graves has pursued a type of musical and spiritual enlightenment that includes speaking up against the Orwellian messages that are imbedded in mainstream media. His new songs have an element of political protest in the vein of Neil Young, Steve Earle and Flogging Molly. He’s in good company. Graves War of Information tour is a career retrospective with music and song that includes an affectionate tip of the hat to his early breakthrough days with the Misfits as well as his iconic solo excursions. Graves crafts musical textures like a kaleidoscope, creating colorful patterns that reflect his love of life and his search for truth.

Michale Graves headlines the Back to School Punk Fest @ White’s Bar on Saturday August 11th. Doors open at Noon. Advance tickets are $8 and are available @ White’s Bar or online @ etix.com

You are in the midst of the War of Information Tour. It’s been on the road for a few weeks. How are you being received?

It’s now routed to New Jersey. The fans have been very receptive to the new band…a lot of good people, a lot of good friends.

Your tours seem to have political/spiritual themes, you know. Some of the past tours were Almost Home, illusions Live, Web of Dharma. Do you view your shows thematically and do you try to give your fans a particular message on each one of these particular themes, these shows?

I do. I believe that music is so powerful and it should have some sort of message. It should be saying something. It needs to be filled with something…. just so I have motivation and principles behind what I’m doing. Since I was young I’ve always been chasing something. I’ve always had this attitude to go out there and talk about life and about issues such as virtue and integrity. I don’t believe in just going out for the sake of going out.

There are some people who say politics and music make strange bedfellows, but you of remind me of the integrity of artists like Flogging Molly, Steve Earle. They say it out loud. Are you inspired by them? Do you feel that you all have important things to say?

Absolutely. There’s a problem in our country where everybody’s sleeping. They just come home from work and they turn the TV on and they’re hypnotized by Dancing with the Stars and worrying about their hair falling out and how they can make their eyelashes longer. It’s all an illusion created to distract us from the true nature of life and reality.  I’m doing my best out here on this tour to wake people up to the true nature of this country where we imprison so many - we have more people in our prison system than any other country on the planet.

It’s an unhealthy society for sure. You know do you think it’s risky for you personally to put your views out there in such a bold way?

Yes, especially now that people are saying things like 9/11 was an inside job and talking about government corruption. I have people that have certainly given me the rundown on it and have warned me and are looking out for me because there is certainly a certain element of danger. In certain circles, it is dangerous to talk about the causes of  9/11, people become angry and emotional, and I understand that. But again, that’s the thing. When you take the emotions away from it and you apply reasoning, you look at facts and try to see a clear picture.

I want to just touch this briefly, and I don’t know if you want to talk about it, but I read that you enlisted in the Marines. If that’s true, what prompted you to do that and then what was it like for you?

It was the same thing that prompted me that prompted so many other people after September 11th. We were angry. We wanted to go after the enemy. I guess for me it was a lot of different reasons. I was under the spell of fear. I come from a family that was trying to secure my future. I was getting married and I wanted to have a family. It was tough to be part of the music business and at the same time create a future for my family. I looked at my military service and decided that I could not be a part of them because of what our government was doing around the world. I didn’t want to be a killer in that way. I didn’t want to do that anymore. There are many people my age that fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and woke up and were angry that we were being lied to in such a huge way. A lot of people my age in their 30s and 40s are very angry, and that’s why you see such huge splits in the military for people like Ron Paul. That’s why you see these veterans marching up and down the streets in our cities because they’re aware and they know.

Yeah, and there’s a lot of PTSD going around too.

There is a terrible epidemic of PTSD in the guys that are coming back. You know in World War II the average soldier served maybe four or five days of combat. These guys are going over there for combat tours for over a year. It’s a terrible, terrible thing that’s happening.

 I was listening to some of your You Tube stuff. I was blown away. You’re really a great singer. I just didn’t know how great you were until I took a deeper look. You have this great range of fine timbre to your voice. Your version of the Dylan song, Positively 4th Street, was the best cover song I’ve ever heard of Dylan’s.  How do you describe your vocal chops?

Oh, I don’t know… in the late ‘90s I studied with a really great teacher in New York City…who taught me, again you really taught me how to get hold of my voice and the mechanics behind it and how to take care of it and how to get through when it’s tough. So again I was just blessed by God to have natural talent and my parents always made sure that I recognized that talent and did everything I could to continue to nurture it, so it was a lot of hard work.

Is it okay to go to the Misfits? I want to hit that just a little bit. It seems that you entrance to the Misfits in ’95 really held a new dawn for the band, reenergized them it seemed to me. You were ready to rock hard. What was it like for you as the newcomer, the young upstart?

It was tough because I was the new guy and I was young. I was 20 years old when we started to tour. I did it in a whirlwind of activity, hyper-energized. It was very exciting obviously because I’ve always had these rock and roll dreams and when I began to discover how important the Misfits are, the music became even more exciting I it was like a history lesson.  It was really a great challenge for me and it was a very difficult -  you know, how do you continue something that’s so great. As a young man, I wanted make sure that my contribution would always bring respect to that legacy. It was difficult hanging out with all these other people, being introduced to a big world of business and lots of money. It was very tumultuous. Again, my dreams have come true, so…

What was your greatest experience with them, with the Misfits?

Wow. I think my greatest experience was getting over to a lot of people and touring overseas and seeing that the world. It was a much smaller place than people realize and I was able to travel with that band and learn a lot of things. I think the greatest experience I got out of that back then was creating something that was timeless with those guys. We were trying to be creative and I think and we hit it right on the head. There were lots of good times we had. It was all about being creative and working and putting something really wonderful and beautiful together.

You’re really a great song writer and you take chances and you create lyrics that sometimes are … Sometimes Beautiful and Best of Me or Angry and Radio Deadly. How do you describe your lyrics or the creative processing in developing your lyrics?

Again, I’m just a regular man, like everybody else. I experience life and take things in. There is this constant longing, this ache inside of me to then regurgitate it back out and the only way that I know how to do it is through music. The creative process is just that, the things that are affecting me and moving me, you know, it’s very much an inspirational process because I do a lot of automatic writing where I just put words down on the page, whatever is on my mind in the moment. So I just put it down while I’m strumming my guitar and I then I go back later and I decode it. It’s almost like searching for the right moment and the right spot where I sit down and write. I’m searching for something that moves me and when I tap into that, it starts to build and I see the different pictures in my mind and then I know I’ve tapped into something that’s the magic. I don’t necessarily know where it comes from. It certainly comes from my soul. I do my best to remain truthful to my craft as I put it down to paper and it becomes a song.

 I think back to some of the earlier stuff with the Misfits. Now when I hear you, you’re more of a singer with a lovely voice than a Death Metal screamer. Was the change simply a function of embracing a different form of music or just embracing a different vocal style?

I’ve lived such a lifespan that there are so many styles and approaches I’ve used for singing a song. I like it hard and rough but then at the other end of the spectrum I could croon like Frank Sinatra or smooth like Jim Morrison. I love to listen to opera as well as grunge the other side - I like Kurt Cobain and that grittiness. I’ve jumped to different styles because of my wanting to write music that way, and again just to explore my voice as well. It’s fun to see what my voice can do and what it can’t do and, to test it and see what it will respond to. I love all styles of music and I equally enjoy creating and composing in those styles.

How do you take care of your voice? I’ve wondered if you, because I think you have a great voice, do you try to take care of it like through vocal exercises, diet, honey, tea, rest?

To be honest with you, I used to. I used to take really great care of my voice…I used to warm up before and after the shows. I don’t take such good care of my voice anymore because I think that I’m a little bit overconfident with it. I know when it’s stressed. I know what it can and it can’t do. I don’t warm up before shows anymore but in the studio I like to. Let’s put it this way. If my vocal teacher knew how I’ve sung on the road he’d be very angry with me.  (Laughter) You know I do my best. I do my bit in front of the piano and I stretch myself out and I see where my low is and I see where my high is. I still work through the vocal exercises from time to time. I just to stretch myself out and see where I’m at.

 You mentioned piano. I was going to ask you about all your years as a professional musician and singer, what instrument you’re most proficient with or most comfortable with, how many instruments you play and so on. Can you speak to that?

I think right now I’m probably most proficient on the guitar, you know guitar bass. I love playing bass, and I play the piano. I love to play the piano. I play some harmonica and that’s about it. I used to be able to play cello. I knew a cello player growing up and I used to be able to play a little bit.

What would you say, you’ve had a pretty long music career now. What would you say is your greatest triumph?

Wow. I’ve been doing it 17 years professionally… my greatest triumph? I always go back to creating music with Damien Echols while he was in prison and was facing a death sentence. That was an amazing, amazing time for me because getting to know Damien and corresponding and communicating that way with no sound. We were going through the creative process together. We weren’t speaking to each other though we were writing back and forth. It’s difficult to try to describe the things that we were thinking about and the music that we were trying to create. It was really important for me because Damien is a son of the south. I came down to Mississippi and Arkansas and spent a lot of time down here. I made some really great friends and played with some really amazing musicians and just learned what the south was about. I went out with some, there are some real hillbillies up in the Ozarks, and I guess I really got a taste of the south. So I always look back on those times, I mean as difficult as it was, and as tough as it was, I really look back on that fondly.

 Do you foresee a Misfit reunion?

I’ve been trying. I try real hard, even if once a year I talk to those guys. I do recheck with Jerry, and I recheck with Doyle and Chud, and we’re doing our best, you know, at least I’m doing my best to at least get us into a room and play. So many people ask me in interviews. It’s not on me. Of course I’d go back and play those songs. I know everybody else wants to see us and hear us. There’s a whole new generation of kids, a lot of people that wish that they had seen us and want to see us. We should never have stopped playing.

What do you want to do next?  Is there anything else that you’ve been thinking of creatively that you’d like to try next?

I’m really starting to, I’d really like to direct, get into film a little bit more and work my way up to directing. I think a producer of film and TV-type stuff. I’d really like to in the next couple of years start to make the shift of not being the guy that performs, not being the guy in the spotlight and taking a back seat in order to produce and direct films. I’ve been on that pathway for the past couple of years. So, you know, I’m ready for that.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Broken Arrow Blues Band Rocks Saginaw @ White's Bar


Shadowhawk Ellis & the Broken Arrow Blues Band are performing Tonight July 21st. 2012 @ White's Bar. Broken Arrow is one of the hottest bands in Michigan and tour all over the country. The band features legendary Michigan Rocker Gary Rasmussen on bass. Gary has played with The UP, The Sonic Rendevouz Band, Destroy All Monsters, Patti Smith and many others. Don't miss your chance to see a rock & roll pioneer up close and personal

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Pete Woodman - The Bossmen, Meatloaf & More


Pete Woodman Interview

Everyday is the Best Day Ever

…waking life is a dream controlled

                                                       - George Santayana

Pete Woodman is an iconic figure in the early days of rock & roll in Michigan. He was a founding member of The Playboys and the Bossmen, the greatest rock bands in Saginaw history. Pete’s generosity of spirit is legendary. He is able to give a knowing perspective about the Playboys, the first great rock band in Saginaw. He was able to acknowledge singer/guitarist Butch White as a great singer and player and gave him sincere praise as the unsung hero of the nascent Saginaw rock scene. He helped bring Dick Wagner to Saginaw and stood in awe of his friend’s musical achievements with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper without complaint or comparison to his own musical achievements. He has rubbed shoulders with David Crosby, convinced Mark Farner to comose original songs and helped jump-start the career of Meatloaf.  Woodman is a man of peace and when he says “I love you, man,” he really means it. He was born with missing digits and a cleft palate but he never viewed it as a disability or somehow limiting. Instead, his birth defects were just part of the story. Pete embraces life as a gift to be treasured each and every day…the best day ever.

When did you first get interested in music?

My mom and dad were very musical, they liked the big band era. Benny Goodman, George Shearing, Erroll Garner.I grew up listening to a lot of swing music, so that’s how I came to appreciate music. My dad always wanted me to play like Judd Hurley, the famous clarinet player. So that’s what I grew up listening to, and my dad played the piano. And that was back when I was very young – elementary school. The top 40 consisted of songs like Come On To My House and C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt.

How did you get interested in rock & roll music?

Well, that came from just being a kid and growing up in ’56. I was in eighth or ninth grade. I remember hearing Elvis Presley in ’56 when he came out with Hound Dog, and all those great tunes, so I was kind of into rock and roll. I remember telling my dad when I went over to a friend’s house in Freeland - our little town where we bought groceries and gas and everything. It was cool. Anyway I’d come home and I say, “Dad, you will not believe the music I just heard.” It was so bad, and I come to find out it was Hank Williams singing Your Cheating Heart and those tunes. I said, “You won’t believe that music because it was so completely different from the swing stuff that I was listening to. I went, “Man, that music is horrible.”

When did you start playing drums?

My parents had a group that they hung with, and they’d all go to each other’s houses, and I was a little shit, and they used to tag me along. When they started telling adult stories at this one house in Midland, the Bennett’s house, they had a set of drums in the basement, so they’d send me to the basement so I wouldn’t hear these stories and I’d set down on the drums and I would bang away and I learned enough to hit the bass drum pedal and the high hat with the drum sticks. I went over there a lot when I was in the first and second grade. So by the third grade the elementary school started teaching band. The band teacher was from Estonia, Carl Midwaltz, and he was a war prisoner in Freeland. During the war we had prison camps, and those barracks that they housed the prisoners in became our elementary school rooms. Freeland was pretty poor back then. Midwaltz played trumpet. After the war he came back to Freeland and started working as a band teacher, and he used to call me Pater. He wanted me to play trumpet. I said, “No, man. I want to play drums,” which I did.  The bass drum was bigger than me. I was so bad I’d play on every beat ‘til I’d get it right because, you know - I finally got it right. That’s when I first started playing drums, and what was cool about playing in Freeland, they would have other opportunities to play music. We put my little band together called the Team Toppers, that was ’55, somewhere in there. We had guys that were already playing music. They would teach us so Virginia Bradley would play piano. Bill Conway played trumpet, and Jimmy Gimitowski who I grew up with. My brother, Rocky, played trombone. We started playing like Cecilia, Five Foot Two, Lover Man, you know, all those swing tunes. We started playing weddings.  We played the Chesaning Showboat which everybody would know up there about the Chesaning Showboat. We won it in 1956. Yeah, we were the amateur act, and I think Peg Leg Bates was there one year, and the Ink Spots were there, and they were great. They’d come up in a brand-new Lincoln, man, one of them old ’48, ’49 Lincolns, and they were cool. We were just little shits, so we, you know, were a little band. Anyway, I have the picture of us on the front page of the Midland Daily News.

Were you in a band at Arthur Hill?

Well, that’s it, and I had it in my head to be a drummer. I took lessons during the summer, practiced all the time, and then my dad finally bought me a set of drums, my first set of drums.  The band teacher taught me basic stuff and then I got lessons Tom Piskos. He’s real famous in Midland. Then Billy Whitler gave me drum lessons. A couple of times I drove to Flint for lessons, but mostly everything I learned was through listening to records. Back in ’68 I started playing double bass drums, you know. I used to practice out in the back yard. I had two bass drums because they didn’t have double pedals back then. They just had single pedals, and you had to have two bass drums, so… it was cool.

Well let’s go back to the first great rock and roll band in Saginaw - the Playboys which included you, Lanny Roenicke, Warren Keith, and Butch White. Everybody I talk to said it was a great band. Can you tell me about the Playboys?

Yeah, sure. Lanny and I had been playing together since we were juniors in high school. He went to Saginaw High and then I went to Saginaw Arthur Hill, so we used to switch. Saginaw High would come over to Arthur Hill and put on a concert and vice-versa. That’s where I met him. So we kind of stayed together and we had little wedding bands. He played trumpet, and I had a bass player and all that. Then we started playing out in clubs – we had Butch White, Lanny and I, and Beau was the saxophone player. We started playing at the Horseshoe Bar on a fairly regular basis. We had some bookings at the Drayton Place in Pontiac. We’d play there I think four nights a week, and we stayed there. This piano player would come in at like 12:30 am or 1:00 am, and we didn’t get done playing until 1:30, so he’d sit in with us, and that’s how we met Warren Keith. So when we started playing in Saginaw we asked Warren to join our band. We’d play the Brown Derby in Midland and we played the Horseshoe in Saginaw, that was a hot bar. That’s when the Four Seasons came in and sat in there once, and that was spectacular to see them. We were playing that night. The Four Seasons were playing in Bay City. When they got done playing, they were looking for somewhere to go, I guess, so they came over to our bar, and we talked the owner into letting them sit in. I remember they sang Rag Doll and Sherry. We always thought they was a gimmick, man, but it sure the hell wasn’t. They sang great.

.

Can you tell me a bit more about Butch White? You mentioned that at one time that you felt Butch was the unsung hero of the Saginaw rock scene

Yeah, Butch White was great. He had a band with Gary Moskal who was a really good guitar player from Saginaw, and they were called the Red Dots. They played out there on Bay Road at the Ace of Clubs So they were like before our little era, they were the top band at the Ace of Clubs.

You know, they were really good…and nobody sang Roy Orbison like Butch White. That guy could sing, and he was a good player. You know we did Chuck Berry and whatever tunes were popular at that time. He was famous for singing Roy Orbison. He was a really good singer. Warren always talked about this guitar player, Dick Wagner, so...  Butch was going to leave the band. I guess he wanted to be home more or something. And then Lanny and I called Dick, and went down to Waterford and hired him on the spot – that was back in ’64.  We initially ran the band but when Dick joined, we let him take over because he was the song writer and lead singer, so it worked out pretty well. The Bossmen got big almost immediately. Dick had a guy that he wrote with, Stan, I can’t remember his last name. Stan joined the band too with Dick. They were like writers but he was only in the band for, I don’t know, a month or so.

What was your first impression of Wagner?

 We liked him. He was easy to get along with, he had a lot of confidence, you know. He was cool. Dick Wagner was a great singer. He sang I’m Down in the same key Paul McCartney sang in. So he was a great singer…and Warren was a great singer, too.  Warren played all the Floyd Cramer tunes. I think, you know when we had the Playboys, we played in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I remember Warren played Last Date and we did all the Jerry Lee Lewis tunes.  He would use lighter fluid and put it on the keys and light it and play. That was great man. Warren was a crazy guy. Even after he had left the band to go play with Hank Jr. he would call in the middle of the night and “Guess who I’m with?”  He would be with some famous player. He was with the guy that wrote…I remember one night he called, and it was the guy that wrote King of the Road, Roger Miller.

When did the Bossmen really take off?

When we started playing in Saginaw – Daniels Den, you know, we played the Village Pump. So we played there, and we were doing so good we were packing the place. There were lines outside to get in. So that was great. That had to have been ’64, somewhere in there. Dick knew Matt Vickrey who was a famous singer, and Faron Young. He used to come in and sit in with the Bossmen. He had a hit with Hello Walls. And when he sang that, everybody stopped and listened. He was quite a guy. Dick knew a lot of people from Detroit. We started packing the place and then the Beatles came out, so we did Beatle tunes and Dick just started writing. He’d even write before that - so that’s when we went to Detroit and did Take A Look (My Friend). Back then they didn’t have any click track. We just rehearsed it at my house in Freeland and then we drove to Detroit to record. It was the same studio that the Lone Ranger was produced. At the time we were working real close with WKNX, Bob Dyer and Dick Fabian. They made our record number one, every record we had, and so we became like…and then Lansing, Grand Rapids, Bay City, up north, everywhere but Detroit. Detroit was a hard to get into market for the Bossmen even though we played there a couple of times.

Do you have any favorite Bossmen songs or sessions where you were recording that you felt were really cool?

Oh yeah. They’re all pretty good. They all went good. Let me see, my favorite one. Bad Girl was one of  my favorite ones and they’re all pretty smooth. We’d bring people from our fan club down to watch us record and stuff like that. It went pretty smooth, you know. We’d rehearse it and I’d write all the drum parts. You know we all kind of put our two cents in even though Dick wrote the song and chord changes and we put in all the flavoring of the Bossmen. It was a collaborative effort to have the Bossmen sound.

Can you recall a typical set list where you mix up your originals with covers, like some of the cover songs you guys did?

Yeah, Motown was a big thing. We did Midnight Hour and Knock On Wood, and we did Help and other Beatle tunes and then we’d mix them up with ours. When the Bossmen were playing at Daniel’s Den, it became our home base. So we did skits. I think Warren played bass drum and Dick had the tambourine. He was the announcer, and I’d come out and do a tap dance routine. We just had a good time. We were doing little skits on stage way before anybody else and we started wearing the 1940s suit coats, the Bossmen before anybody else. So they were ahead of the curve, and it was a fun band. Everywhere we played it was packed. We’d sign autographs. The Bossmen were like the Beatles in our own little area.

There’s a famous story about Dick Fabian and Bob Dyer. Bob Dyer told me that he took you guys down to New York to get a chance, to break through, and they said that you sounded too much like the Beatles.

Right, so that was true…but not all the songs, but when you listen to them, now, boy I’ll tell you. Dick was so talented, you know. He was such a great guitar player. He always had a good attitude about be the best, play the best, and sing the best. The Bossmen had rules, like you can’t drink on the gig. I don’t think anybody knew about marijuana back then. You can’t take your girlfriend on the road. Of course Lanny and Warren and I broke every one of them.



 You had a marijuana bust at one time.

Right. That’s a sad thing that someone would set someone up like that, but you know. I learned a lesson that pot and marijuana, you know, they were definitely the same thing. I was set up. A piano player from another band quit, and he got busted, you know he got in deep trouble, and they wanted to know if anybody else was using and he called me up and wanted me to get him some pot. “Sure, I can get you some pot,” and I didn’t know it was the same thing as marijuana. I was pretty green. I was from Freeland, and what did we know? We were just a little hick town. I remember for a long time they would call you and try to get more, and I said, “No.” The Bossmen were really big then, so it was like, it was a sad thing that happened, but you know, it happened. I moved on, I got back, and Dick replaced me for about four or five months and then I got back in the band.

You have a distinctive style as a drummer. I love your drumming, the drum rolls, syncopation and funky beats. You have great timing. Who inspired you as a drummer? I mean was there a particular drummer that you kind of really enjoyed and it helped you develop your style, your approach to drumming?

Listening to like big band drummers and stuff really helped me, and then when I started playing with my record, like I knew every James Brown tune, I knew the drum parts of every Roy Orbison tune, every song, I’d just learn all the drum parts. So what happens when you learn drum parts, they already got rid of all the bad stuff, so what you’re learning is only good parts, you know. I’d play a lot of stuff, play a nice steady beat. You know I played for the music, for the song. I liked playing jazz, and I played with Les Elgart when I was 18 who was a big band back in the day, you know, Les and Larry Elgart, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie and Stan Kenton. They were from that era, so I just kind of fell in with that era, you know. I learned to play swing music and stuff early on, before the Bossmen. So I didn’t think about rolls and rim shots or when I’d play shuffles with the Bossmen. I’d been playing all that for a long time.

Can you tell me about some of your earlier bands like Popcorn Blizzard and how you got involved with Meatloaf?

After the Bossmen I got my wife, Susie Woodman, to start playing keyboard. I put together a little band after the Bossmen with a bass player and a guitar player, and we needed a keyboard player so she kind of fell into that, and she started playing. Now she’s one of the top players in Detroit. When we played, we were pretty good. We had played some gigs, and we were playing soul music and stuff, and Dick was putting together his band, the Frost. He took over Bobby Riggs and the Chevelles. In 1966 Question Mark and the Mysterians hit it big with 96 Tears. The drummer got in a car wreck, and so they called me and asked me to play drums with them. I was with Question Mark probably almost a year. We played all over the United States, and it was the best time ever. Sue was our road manager, so she and I were together. We made enough money in that band to pack up a trailer and my car and drive to LA.

Can you tell that story that you told me before about how Question Mark and the Mysterians sent all the money in a duffle bag back to Lilly Gonzales, and you had them vote on whether to give Lilly her 20 percent and keep the rest?

Yeah, well Question Mark, when we were on the road we got paid in ones, and we had three, four, five thousand dollars in ones, and we had to count it all out. So Question Mark and the guys made more money with me when I was with the band than they ever made, so I remember they sent that money  back, and I think they did pay her because they were pretty honest kids. They had character, and they were pretty green. I mean, come on, Frankie was 14 years old. You know before that, though, they would send the whole take to Lilly and she would only give them a couple hundred bucks after a tour …they didn’t make any money. When they were with me, I helped them put it to a vote and they agreed to send Lilly her 20% and split the rest, that’s what got sent back to her instead of all the door. Even to this day, Bobby Baldarama comes up to me and he says, “Pete, we made more money when you were in the band than they ever made.”

Well let’s go on to LA and…

LA was cool. When I went to California, we used to hang out with Question Mark. I had a couple of people to call that Question Mark knew. I remember I did a lot of auditioning, you know. So I met Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and the Monkees. They had this little office, and this was when the Monkees were out. There was this Detroit band called Psychedelic Used Car Lot. So they talked to me about joining, and they were looking for a record deal. They come out to LA where I was, and we recorded the record. I learned all their songs. We played the Troubadour, we played all the LA scene…that new bands play. We went to RCA and auditioned for the producer who did Jefferson Airplane. They were pretty interested. We sounded a lot like the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Sam Lay was the producer. Sam took us into the studio, and we cut the whole album -which I have the acetate to. I hope to put it out.  They’re great songs. We lived at Sunset and Vine, and we lived on Lexington and it was quite an era, the hippie era. There were love-ins and incense all over and all the little tents were selling incense and hippie clothes and stuff. I lived in LA I was there a year, and it was pretty exciting.

One day, I was walking down the street with drumsticks in my hand and I had a drum book, and these guys were standing out in front of a studio and said, “Hey, we need a drummer to play on a record.” I said, “Okay, I’ll do it. So that’s how I met Meatloaf and Ricky Gonzo. We all became friends. Ricky was only 15 or 16 years old. We had a guitar player named Spagnola. So we played and we had a little group Meatloaf Soul, our first band. We’d do Smokestack Lightning and Sunshine of Your Love. We did a lot of tunes like that. No originals. People from the record business would come out, and it was amazing how they were shopping for people because they would drive all the way out to Huntington Beach to hear our little band. I always wanted to tell the story of when I was in California. We used to hang out and when you get to know everybody, like me, I make it a point to know people. We used to go to all the clubs and see the bands, like Captain Beefheart and the Byrds. I met all the Monkees. I worked at a carwash, and I met Steve McQueen, a lot of movie actors. Cream was playing at the Whiskey. So we wandered in there one day. I was down there and just walked in and Ginger Baker’s drums were on the stage and walked up to the stage and they had a stick there, and I hit on them. I didn’t play on them, but I hit on them and they sounded horrible. They were real flat sounding, and I wasn’t used to that sound, but man. They were great. We saw a lot of acts. They’d let us in free, so we saw the Cream and Blood, Sweat, and Tears when they first came out.

 It was a year since we left Michigan and we wanted to go back home, so I called Punch Andrews, Bob Seger’s manager, who I knew real well from the Bossmen, and he said he could book us so I changed the name of the band to Popcorn Blizzard when we hit Saginaw. We drove back with Meatloaf who had a ’65 Chevy with a trailer. When we came back to Saginaw, we played everywhere. I stayed at my mom’s house in Freeland. I just wanted to tell everybody how nice it is to be from somewhere, Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, and Freeland. Flint was like my stomping grounds . So it was pretty easy for me to get jobs playing all over because they knew me from the Bossmen.

Didn’t you play the Grande Ballroom?

Yeah, all these clubs, you know. We played all the high-note clubs, Silver Bell, all the festivals. We played a lot of festivals. We played the Grande Ballroom. I saw the Who when they played there. We played a lot of times with Dick Wagner and the Frost. Meatloaf and that band played there, and we were real tight. See back then we rehearsed every day. I mean you just rehearsed every day, that’s the way it was.




 I heard it from other people your band was a great band. What do you think kept you from achieving bigger success?

Well, I think the big thing is we weren’t a Detroit band. We were from Freeland. We were just a little band playing. Some people wanted to record us, but we just never did. We were getting standing ovations at the end. The guitar player left, so we had about 10 other guitarists. We tried to get guitar but we could never find anybody that would fit into our band. You know we had it together but the guitar players would come and try to learn the tunes. They would play so bad, Meatloaf would just walk behind and unplug their amps. At the end of the night I had to fire ‘em. I must have fired 100 guitar players, so we ended up with no guitar player just Sue, Ricky, and I were the band, and Meatloaf singing. I remember I wore a clown suit back then, and then we changed the band to the Floating Circus. One time the Detroit News took a picture of us and they put us on the front page. It depicted Sue putting makeup on me. I was the clown; Sue was the angel; Richie was the Indian and Meatloaf wore a tuxedo.



Didn’t you release Once Upon A Time in 1968?

Yeah, we cut that. We were Lee Michaels fans because they had the organs, and Lee Michaels was an LA guy. So we kind of liked that sound. We went to Bay City where Question Mark recorded their 96 Tears, and we went in and cut a little 45. It was okay. It wasn’t that great. Once Upon A Time was an original but the other one wasn’t. Sue played flute and keyboards, and she sang most of the harmony with Meatloaf. The guitar player at the time, Michael Gene also he sang. So we had two or three-part harmony at the time.  Sue and Meatloaf always harmonized really well together. We put that record out, you know, and nothing happened. Then things started to dry up a little bit and that’s when we disbanded. I think that’s when Meatloaf went to do Hair and went on to become real famous. I suppose if I’d of kept the band together, there would be no Meatloaf, you know? Things happen for a reason. That’s all I can tell people. David Crosby wanted to fly me to LA to play with the band I was with when I was in Detroit in the ‘70s. He was going to fly me to record with him. You never know what would have happened, you know? David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, they were going to fly me there, you know? I didn’t do it. I stayed with Ted Lucas and the Horny Toads. We had a band called the Horny Toads in the 70s when I lived in Detroit.

Did you record any of your shows?

Yeah, we did record a few including when we opened up for Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was packed. I remember I sang a song, and I’m not even a singer, so I can imagine what it was like. I have that tape somewhere of that band. It was a really good band. David Crosby, I remember seeing him after, and I said, “Hey, I’m Pete Woodman.” He said, “Oh yeah, I heard you were a great drummer.” This was after he wanted to fly me to San Francisco or LA or wherever they were recording.

We had mentioned the Grand Band that you had, and that was a cool band with two beautiful women in it, your wife and Ginny Seaman.

Right, and Danny Schafer was our guitar player and a great singer. He was phenomenal. Dan was a singer. He used to sing Knock Three Times and stuff like that. We were in Detroit, and this is when we were playing Top 40 stuff, so Danny Schafer, Ginny Seaman, and Sue and I, we rehearsed at my little house on Eight Mile and Woodward, and the name of the band was the Grand Band. There were a lot of clubs, and we played Hamtramck, and we played Detroit, all of Detroit. It was a cool band. That was a good band. Danny Schafer left to become real famous and play with Shania Twain

You’ve known a lot of people, a lot of people know you. You’re like the most famous guy that isn’t famous worldwide, but you’re talking about doing a book. How is that coming?

Yeah, I started it. Writing a book’s hard. Not that I don’t have all the stories, ever since I’ve been a younger guy, I always take pictures. I have every picture of every band I had, plus I have all the music that I played with the bands, like when I write my little thing about the Bossmen, I have all those tunes. When I played with Question Mark, I have all those pictures. I’m the only other drummer to play on Cameo Parkway for Question Mark and the Mysterians.  When Question Mark was in New York, we cut Cherry July and I played drums on that, so…

 You know in Freeland we went up to the ninth grade, and then when I went to Saginaw Arthur Hill, I was already a drummer. I already had a great attitude. I always thought I was cool, you know. I always thought I was a great drummer, which I wasn’t. So my ma and dad gave me a really good attitude about life, about being positive and when I teach drums today or I’ll play something, I’ll say, “Listen, I’ve got missing digits. If I can play it, you can play it.” I want the book to tell the story about how important it is to be positive; how important it is to care about other people.

You have a great attitude. You always have, and I love you for that. Can you tell me about your band, the Hips band? You’re going to be playing soon with Dick Wagner at White’s Bar, but what’s going on with Hips?

The Hips are a great band. I can’t tell everybody how important it is to play with people that you get along with, that you like. I wanted to put together my own band, so I found a horn player, Billy  Furman, who plays all the horns, flute, harmonica, and he sings lead, so he was worth a million dollars. Then I wanted my daughter Sarah to sing with me so I had her on a CD. She came in and sang it. She even sang the harmony part the same day. From that day on, she stayed in the band, so today’s lineup is a great. There’s Sarah singing White Rabbit, Raven, and Knock On Wood, The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga, so she’s singing many styles. She’s my star. Billy Furman is my other singer. We’d do a Sonny and Cher routine where Billy would sing a verse, Sarah would sing a verse. When they go into the chorus, two voices are so strong, you know. My guitar player sings the third note, and so I always had three-part harmony and great arrangements, a lot of dynamics. Oh yeah. Susie Woodman, you know my ex, she plays keyboards with us. When she plays and Sarah’s up there, and so does my son, Peter. He’s been a great rapper since he’s been 18, 19. When he gets up there, it’s over because Pete covers all the rap, Sarah covers all the other stuff so it’s quite a family band, you know. How lucky am I to have the people that I love up on stage with me? 

It’s a gift, you know. It’s the best ever, that’s all I can say. That’s probably going to be the name of my book because every day is the best day ever for me. They did an article on me in Saginaw. The headline was “A Great Attitude.” That’s true, you know? I always wanted to be known as a good drummer. I never thought about being a disabled drummer with missing digits and my cleft palate. No one ever thinks of that. They still think of me as a good drummer. There are a lot of great drummers, but when I’m playing drums up there, believe me, I’m playing drums no matter who is sitting out in the audience. It’s my time to perform, so it works out good. Having a good attitude and I never, ever burn a bridge. Come on, my ex is my keyboard player in my band. She’s like my sister now. We get along great. Even all of my old girlfriends, we’re still all friends. It’s easier to love someone than it is to hate someone. It’s just easier to get along, and I am a very good listener, so that may be a secret that I’m going to let out to people, be a good listener because when someone tells you a story about themselves, they appreciate you much more because you didn’t interrupt them or you didn’t try to change them or you let them tell their story. What else do you have in life but memories?

 I remember the last time I played at your club, White’s Bar, with Dick and I’mgoing to play again when we play on the 14th. I’ll probably get up and play Baby Boy with him.

I definitely want to tell the story about the Bossmen, how we used to play at Daniel’s Den and how we used to go to White’s Bar on the break, Lanny and I, and we went over for a quick shot or something, you know. Your dad was cool, and he always let us come in the back door, and we’d run in and get a drink and then say, “Man we got to go on in a little bit.” So you know it was cool.



Pete & the His Band will be performing an outdoor show @ White’s Bar with the Dick Wagner Band on July 14th @ 5pm. $20 tickets are available at White’s Bar, Records & Tapes Galore and the Red Eye Cafe. Rustbucket will perform the afterglow.






Saturday, May 26, 2012


This is a photo of me with Dick Wagner and Pete Woodman @ Tittabawassee Park in Freeland. It was a glorious day; the weather was warm but the music was hot. This was a Michigan rock reunion featuring Dick Wagner, Donny Hartman, Pete Woodman, and the Cherry Slush. The Slush performed their hits I Cannot Stop You and Day Don't Come. Hartman sang Donny's Blues like his soul was on fire and this marked the first time I heard Wagner perform his 1967 psychedelic masterpiece Sunshine. I was in day-glo heaven. Take me back, brother and we'll party like its 2002.
A once upon a time hallelujah moment that can never be replicated
and the Cherry Slush. The Slush performed their hits I Cannot Stop You and Day Don't Come. Hartman sang Donny's Blues like his soul was on fire and this marked the first time I heard Wagner perform his 1967 psychedelic masterpiece Sunshine. I was in day-glo heaven. Take me back, brother and we'll party like it's 2002.
A one time hallelujah moment that will never be replicated







White’s Bar The 75th Anniversary Summer Concert Series




Savage Grace Reunion Saturday June 16th

Al Jacquez has reformed Savage Grace for an extended summer tour in 2012. The band is considered one of the most progressive Michigan rock bands from 1969-72. They incorporate blues and jazz with equal facility and Jacquez is considered to be one of the great vocalists of the era. They released three albums to great critical acclaim and are known to put on a superlative show that features their best known works including Come On Down, All Along the Watchtower, Lady Rain, Ivy, Roll River Roll and Turn Your Head - opening the show in none other than Frost legend Donny Hartman. Get ready to rock! 5pm-2am. $15 tickets available @ White’s Bar, Records & Tapes Galore, Red Eye Café and through etix



Saturday June 30th Summer Fest A-Go-Go

The Banana Convention goes all out to create one of the best Outdoor festivals in mid-Michigan.

This is a pure rocking good time with 11 bands including Big Brother Smokes, Holy Gun, Doogie, Killer Kong, Brody & the Busch Rd Trio, Desiring Dead Flesh, Wilson, Parent the Seas, American Underdog, Your Mom and Live Pro Wrestling! 2pm-2am. $5 admission @ the door





July 14th Dick Wagner returns with his very own Rock & Roll Barbecue

The band is red hot and the 30 song set list will cover every era of Wagner’s illustrious career from the Bossmen, the Frost and Ursa Major to Lou Reed and Alice Cooper. Ex-Bossmen drummer Pete Woodman will open the show with his HIPs band featuring Suzie Woodman. Tickets are $20 and are available @ White’s Bar, Records & Tapes Galore, Red Eye café and etix





July 28th Chris Redburn Presents

The Best in Rock, Blues and Hip Hop. There will be bands and Deejays and lots of surprises. $5 admission @ the door




August 11th Picasso Productions Presents the Back to School Punk Fest

featuring Michale Graves (formerly of the Misfits and the Marky Ramone Band with Special Guests - Sinister Footwear, Johnny Mohawk And The Assassins, The Mongrels, The Tosspints, 40oz Of Spite, Purple Nightmare, The Kincaids, Murder Party, Explicit Bombers and more TBA.... Also DJ Snakes spins discs between sets $10 tickets available @ White’s Bar, Records & Tapes Galore, Red Eye Café and through etix





August 25th Chris Palmer Presents: The Crispy Fest

 Tension Head, Know Lyfe, Sin Theorem, Spork (Formerly Silverspork), The Ruiners, Crash Dollz, Narc Out The Reds, The Kincaids, Dead Evolution, I Took The Fall, Sizzlechop, Killer Kong, The Fischer Bodies Burlesque dancers and the always delightful Jagerettes & much more. $7 admission





Crash Dollz
Severe Head Drama
Spit Shine Johnny
Last Born Legend
The Stick Arounds
Narc Out The Reds
The KincaidsThe Ruiners
Crash Dollz
Severe Head Drama
Spit Shine Johnny
Last Born Legend
The Stick Arounds
Narc Out The Reds

The Ruiners
Crash Dollz
Severe Head Drama
Spit Shine Johnny
Last Born Legend
The Stick Arounds
Narc Out The Reds
The Kincaids
Dead Evolution, Severing The Need, Mare Crisium, I Took The Fall,
Killer Kong, Archana, Sizzle Chop, Major Disappointment, Direwood, Desiring Dead Flesh, Elephant Ryderz and Bloodshot Sunday!! Also performing throughout the day will The Fischer Bodies Burlesque Dancers and a special Appearance by the always