Whittier Acoustic Showcase-Rumors Wess Side Jam

Setlist:  Whittier Acoustic Showcase 11/11/17

Can't You See*
I Won't Back Down*
Simple Man*
Everybody's Talking*
Fever
Teri My Love

* Jeff Overly-Lead Vocal (Can't You See, Simple Man), Alto Saxophone

Rumor's Jam  11/12/17

Mustang Sally
Drift Away

Mitch Smith-Sax and Vocal (Mustang Sally)
Kim Trevellion-Lead Vocal (Drift Away)
Mike Clair-Guitar
Lenny Munn-Bass
Greg Mein-Keyboards
Brenda Hoskins-Mein-Backing Vocals
Terry McDowell-Host
R.Smith-Drums


For Saturday, Jeff popped in early and helped out on the first four songs before moving over to The Frog to help out Karl Hudson.  Probably the most folks who joined the Whittier Acoustic Showcase but most of them started to leave after 9 and the final song of the night was Teri My Love which ended at 9:45.  Then I ended up going to see Four Day Creep/Flex to celebrate Tami Soukup's 50th birthday bash.


A lot of jammers and drummers popped in on Sunday at Rumors, despite me getting there about 4:30, I didn't play till quarter till 7  8 drummers were there in front of me.  Jeff had to cut out around 6 to get back home to take care of teacher's things he does at his school.   So, I didn't jam with Jeff, nor Greg and Brenda but Greg and Brenda stayed around to help me on the songs.  First time I got to jam with Lenny, who plays in Crankshaft with Mitch.  Kim from Blue Scratch volunteered with Drift Away.

Notes:  The debut of Jiffy Pop, the new side project of Kipp Wieland played four songs of bubble gum but instead of playing keyboards, he played guitar and sang.  Interesting set of songs, Gallery's Nice To Be With You and The Turtles' Eleanor and It's A Heartache.  Dave Kelsey, who played guitar, was part of the long ago FOAD band that I did with Mike Swearingen.  For a guy that used to be part of MOX NIX and a KISS tribute band, it's sure a long way from the rock and roll to the bubblegum sound of these songs. I'll give them this, at least they had a good sense of humor in singing these songs. Kipp did play keyboards later on with other jammers.  I didn't get to talk to Kelsey, he might have left after the Jiffy Pop played.  I doubt if he would have remembered me 32 years after the fact.

(Tom Krejci: Credit)

(Rick Novak-his FB page, I'm thinking this is the same guy that played in Stone Garden)

Archives:  The Original Stone Garden was a powerhouse band led by Virgil Hanson and Craig Spratt in the late 1960s and early 70s.  After Paraphernalia/Tyrus went on hiatus Mike Swearingen drafted me into a new version of the New Stone Garden Band, with Rick Novak and a bass player I can't think the name of, he could have been the original bass player (Bob Jones perhaps?).  We started practicing in April of 1985 and did about a month's worth of songs before Virgil and Rick had a major falling out and the band imploded.  It seems to the be the way of life for me and all of my band endeavors, only band that never imploded have been The Townedgers.   Novak, was part of Stone Garden around 1975 with Hanson, Spratt, Jones and Steve Jennings.  I never thought on how big these guys were, I wasn't familiar with the Iowa Music Scene till I started playing in 1983.  But mostly a who's who of CR musicians did play in that band, the late Barry Binger.  As par for course, I would be a forgotten footnote to the failed reunion of The Stone Garden Band and I'm sure if you talk to Virgil or Rick, that they wouldn't know me, or if they did, it was that I had Zickos Drum Set, and was the only one playing Zickos in town. Spratt does have some other Stone Garden promo pics on his site.  Virgil could be a sort of  an disciplining dude, but Rick was a lot of fun playing guitar with. We talked about forming a band but nothing came of it.  Mike and I would off and on get together on special projects and jams and I drafted him to be part of the Routers in 1992.  Since then, Mike just does karaoke shows when he's healthy.