Afterglow Note: One listen to the Afterglow album proves without question that Tony Tecumseh, whom provided eight of the songs on the LP, was a elegant and accompished songwriter.  Patrick Desmond, Project Coordinator for Resource Center Media Group, would like to get Tony some well deserved recognition from the Native American Music Association.  According to Desmond, "I think Tony may very well be one of the first native American rock and roll composers in history.  He is a Modoc Indian and a direct descendant of Winema, a very famous Native American in her own right."  To help support these efforts, please contact the Native American Music Awards.  The Medallions It's somewhat amazing to know that even though Sundazed had reissued the Afterglow album on CD in 1995, the personnel responsible for creating it were completely unaware that the album was as highly sought after as it has been since its 1968 release.  Now fully aware of the classic status of their recordings, Afterglow has started a Web site, been the subject of a recent documentary, and even reunited in August 2007.  Drummer Larry Alexander and guitarist Gene Resler graciously filled us in on Afterglow's past and present... Larry Alexander - 1968 Larry Alexander - 2007 An Interview With Larry Alexander 60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music? Larry Alexander (LA): Through high school band and listening to the radio. I was raised in a very rural country setting, with very little exposure to the music scene. The nearest music store was over 100 miles away. This was true with all of the guys in the band. 60s: Was The Medallions your first band? LA: I'm happy to report that I was a proud member of GT and The Go Gos and The Swingin’ Five. These bands were in existence from approximately 1962 to 1964. Nobody from Afterglow was in these bands.  GT and The Go Gos was a Top 40 pop group and The Swingin’ Five was more big band; most of the musicians were much older than me (I was their drummer). 60s: Where and where was The Medallions formed? LA: We formed in 1964 in Dorris, California. Tony Tecumseh from Klamath Falls was looking for a drummer and a friend told him about me. We got together in Dorris and started a group along with a young, married couple (I don't recall their names). We played some gigs and then the married couple dropped out because the husband was going to start to work at the local mill. Dorris was about an 80 mile drive for me, but I loved to play so I made the effort. We heard about a good singer at the local church in Dorris, Gene Resler, and he became our lead singer and guitarist. Shortly thereafter we added Ron George and Roger Swanson from Mount Shasta. Roger and Ron were a drummer and bass player in another group so when they joined us Roger took up the keyboards. Afterglow was Tony Tecumseh, guitar and vocals, Klamath Falls, Oregon; Gene Resler, guitar and vocals, Dorris, California; Ron George, bass and Vocals, Mount Shasta, California; Roger Swanson, keyboards and vocals, Mount Shasta, California; and Larry Alexander, drums, Fort Jones, California. L-R: Larry Alexander, Gene Resler, Ron George and Tony Tecumseh 60s: What prompted the name change to Afterglow?  LA: When we went to San Francisco to record our album at Golden State Recorders in San Francisco in 1967, one of the producers, Hank Levine, said that our music stayed with him well after each session and that we should be renamed Afterglow. 60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you? LA: Afterglow is a mixture of the sounds of the time: Byrds, Beatles, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Association, etc., with a good dose of originality in the lyrics, dissonant chords and full harmonies. Tony, who wrote most of the songs, was extremely concerned with originality and worked very hard to make sure that his music was not anything like anyone else’s. Also, we as a group created our parts and arranged the songs and harmonies together. We were very focused on bringing with us to San Francisco a group of songs that presented a diverse sound. I’ve noticed that this is noted by a lot of reviewers. Influences? We really weren’t influenced by anyone because we were so rurally located that we didn’t have any idea what the music scene was doing outside our world. 60s: What was the local rock and roll scene like in the '60's? LA: Again, there was very little. We went to San Francisco in 1967, recorded our songs and came home. 60s: Where did the band typically play? LA: We played schools, parties, weddings, pizza parlors, teen dances and county fairs. We opened for The Turtles in Yreka, California and Beau Brummels in Dunsmuir, California. We all went to college together at College of The Siskiyous in Weed, California and Chico State University. We played extensively throughout those areas. 60s: Did you play any of the local teen clubs? LA: There weren’t any. We played a lot of college functions, i.e., sorority dances and parties. 60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory? LA: The Redding, Chico area north including southern Oregon. 60s: Did Afterglow participate in any battle of the bands? LA: We played a lot of battles. We played against The Navarros, The Neighb'rhood Childr'n, The Knights and numerous other local groups out of the Oregon area. 60s: Did Afterglow have a manager? LA: No. I did most of the business dealings with the other guys. We utilized various booking agents to secure jobs. 60s: How popular locally did Afterglow become? LA: We were extremely popular. 60s: What were the circumstances leading to the opportunity to record for Golden State Recorders? LA: An acquaintance who knew Leo De Gar Kulka of Golden State Recorders recommended us and were invited down to do a demo. 60s: What do you remember about the recording session(s)? LA: We had never been in a recording studio before, let alone a big city. We were really at our best as a stage performance group. The sterile atmosphere of the recording studio was foreign to us and made us feel nervous and tight. 60s: Did Afterglow write many original songs?  LA: All of the songs (on the album) are originals. Tony wrote eight of the songs on the album. Gene wrote 'Mend This Heart Of Mine" and a friend of the band, Byron "Boots" Vaughn wrote 'Suzie’s Gone'. We probably have approximately thirty songs that we wrote back then that were never recorded and/or released. We are currently working on our second album and are utilizing some of these previous efforts. 60s: According to the Afterglow Web site, the band recorded twenty songs for those sessions.  Who decided which songs made the album? LA: The producers at the studio, Hank Levine, Larry Goldberg and Leo De Gar Kulka selected the songs for the album. 60s: Do any other '60's Afterglow recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks? LA: Not that we know of at this point. Sundazed bought the original catalogue/masters from GS Recorders but there was nothing else in the catalogue except for the ten songs on the album.  I remember recording all twenty songs but it is still unknown what may have happened to the missing ten recordings.  (Note: Sundazed did included previously unreleased alternate versions of four songs on the LP reissue: 'Susie's Gone,' 'Chasing Rainbows,' 'Afternoon' and 'Morning.') 60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band? LA: No. And we haven’t found any home movies yet. 60s: What year and why did the band break up? LA: In late 1969 Tony and Roger decided to leave the band. Roger started his accounting career and Tony didn’t want to tour. So Ron, Gene and I added a male and female lead singer and keyboard player and put together a commercial show group and spent the next four years playing the West Coast/Hawaii night club circuit. 60s: How did you learn that Sundazed Music had reissued your LP on CD? LA: Last June or July, I asked one of my company’s employees to explain the eBay thing to me, so he decided to do a quick search of my album. I hadn’t mentioned the album to anyone, but he saw it on my shelf in my office. Soon after he typed it in, the album popped up on the screen. I thought he was playing a joke on me, but it was soon clear that it was for sale all over the world. I, nor any of the guys in the band, had any idea that it had been rereleased on cd and vinyl. It remains to us an amazing development. I picked up the phone and called Sundazed. They put me right through to Tim Livingston. I said I was from Afterglow and he asked if I was Larry, the drummer. I said I was and he said that they had been looking for us for fifteen years. 60s: What is the status of the documentary?  Will it be available on DVD soon? LA: The DVD and documentary are finished. 60s: What about your plans? How often, and where, do you plan to perform? LA: I own and operate a small business in Fort Jones. We provide contract professional services in the natural resources field and we also do marketing and communications and have a lot of diversity. (Which now include a music studio!) I am a biologist hydrologist and, again, a professional drummer. The band is back in the studio working on a second album.  We had a really great time performing in August at the movie premiere.  We were very pleased with the audience’s enthusiasm and more than a little surprised with the length of the line for autographs.  We signed autographs for almost an hour.  There were at least four people with the original album, which, as I understand it, is a very rare item.  Be sure to tell the people who visit your Web site that the original album is quite valuable ($300 - $800 on some auction sites). The band is planning on performing again, with the film, at a couple of indoor venues in our area and then would like to visit Tony in Klamath Falls and perform for that community, too. Afterwards, the band is committed to performing at least eight to ten shows over the next 12 months.  It is apparent that the story is as much a draw as the music.  Between the two, we have a darn good show on our hands. www.landusecoaching.com www.californiaresourcecenter.org www.rcmgstudios.com 60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with Afterglow? LA: All the early years were fantastic and we actually made a living. Our original 1968 nationwide release on MTA Records was both exciting and a bitter, disappointing experience. Since we took our musical efforts extremely serious, we were disappointed that the original album didn’t get the typical promotion and marketing efforts that we had heard was par for the course. So, at that point it became a very bittersweet experience for us. These new "unearthed" developments are very exciting and gratifying for us. I'm looking forward to the next phase. L-R: Roger Swanson, Gene Resler, Ron George, Larry Alexander and Tony Tecumseh An Interview With Gene Resler 60sgaragebands.com: How did you first get interested in music? Gene Resler (GR): I grew up in a family that played music for their friends and some events. My dad played a guitar and my mom played an accordian. I sang in chruch and loved to sing as far back as I can remember. I learned to play the guitar while I was in high school. My dad showed me some chords and after that I was self taught. 60s: Was Afterglow your first group? GR: The Medallions was my first group. I was asked to be in the band as a lead singer. One of the members of the band lived in my home town of Dorris, California and heard me singing in church. I was always with the same band; there were just different band members. I believe that I was with the band for approximately ten yrs. After that I went on my own around 1974. I'm not sure who came up with the name Medallions but we must have thought it was a cool name. I remember it just sounded right for the times; however, later on there was another band who named themselves The Swinging Medallions that had a hit tune with ‘Double Shot Of My Baby's Love.’ The Medallions was formed in Northern California with the lead guitar, Tony Tecumseh coming from Klamath Falls, Oregon, which was only about 20 miles from Dorris. Larry Alexander, our drummer, came from Fort Jones about 50 miles away and the bass player, Mike Moreno and I lived in Dorris. I joined the group already in progress around 1964-1965 and I’m not sure when they formed it originally. I played rythm guitar and was lead singer. I later started playing harmonica and wrote some of the material for the band. When we went to college, Mike Moreno stepped down as bass player because he worked in the local mill in Dorris. We went to College of The Siskiyous in Week, California and found a new bass player in Ron George as well as Roger Swanson, who became our keyboard player. 60s: How would you best describe Afterglow's sound? GR: I would describe our sound as a little of everything. We enjoyed all types of music and would try to play a good variety. I know The Beatles influenced us when it came to vocal harmony as well as the other groups that did lots of vocal harmony. We were never a hard rock group but considered our music easy listening rock that was good for both dancing and listening. 60s: What was the local rock and roll scene like durign that time? GR: The Northern California rock scene was much milder than the San Francisco and Los Angeles scenes. We found that the British bands of the early ‘60s as well as the ‘50s standards were popular to play for our crowds. Rock groups like Paul Revere & The Raiders were popular, too. 60s: Where did Afterglow typically play? GR: Our band played for many high school and college dances. When we attended college we actually were working to help pay for our education. We did rent out a Veteran’s Hall occasionally and put on our own dances to make some money. It was a great time in those days because you didn't have to worry about violence problems in a crowd of people. They just came to enjoy the music. There were no teen clubs or anything like that due to living in a rural area. 60s: Did Afterglow participate in any battle of the bands? GR: We never entered a battle of the bands as I recall. We were too busy making playing engagements and not really thinking about competing for recognition. I guess we were just happy doing what we were doing. We got lots of recognition when we backed The Turtles at the Veteran’s Hall in Yreka, California. 60s: What other local bands do you especially recall? GR:  I recall the Neighb'rhood Childr'n coming from Oregon. They later went on to record at Golden State Studio which is where we cut our first songs on the Afterglow album. I believe I saw them do a concert or a dance at one time. They also ended up on our label with Sundazed Music. 60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory? GR: The band played within the county and sometimes in Oregon due to the fact that we were close to Medford and Klamath Falls. We didn't expand our territory until we went to San Francisco and made our first recordings. After that time the entire band except for Tony Tecumseh moved to another area to attend college in Chico, California. That would later be the reason for Tony leaving the group. 60s: Did Afterglow have a manager? GR: I do remember a person who managed us for a while when we lived in Weed and were going to College of The Siskiyous. His name was Billy Glen and I really can't recall the things he set up for us. It has been over 40 years and things get a little fuzzy; however I know he did help us along with our music career. 60s: How popular did Afterglow become? GR: When we were just a dance band we were always booked somewhere, so I guess you could say we were popular on the local scene. After our record was released in 1968 the band found local popularity as far as doing shows as a headliner and our record being promoted on radio stations. It was a great feeling to hear our songs on the radio! 60s: What were the circumstances leading to the opportunity to record for Golden State Recorders? GR: I do remember the excitement in going to San Francisco and recording. It was everyone's dream who ever played music to record a record. I can't recall how it was that we chose Golden State. I just know that we really practiced hard to do a good job when we got there because time was money. I think that we all thought we finally hit the big time just being in San Francisco and in a professional studio. I remember we always seemed rushed to get the songs down and some were not even perfected due to the rush. I am very proud of how they turned out with the time we had to work on them. All of the songs on the album were original. There were ten songs on the original album. Tony wrote eight of them, I wrote one (‘To Mend This Heart’), and a policeman from Chico named Boots wrote the psych song ‘Suzy's Gone.’ I don't think there has been or ever will be another song like that one. 60s: Who decided which of the twenty or song songs that you recorded would end up on the final LP? GR: Leo Kulka, owner and engineer of Golden State Recording Studio, made the decision on which tunes he thought were best for the LP. We thought the one's that we did were the best at the time also. 60s: Did Afterglow make any local TV appearances? Does any 8mm home movie footage exist of the band? GR: Unfortunately, we came along before vidio and we don't have any footage of our group playing anywhere. We just have still photos. We do have some practice sessions at various times but not too much of that either. 60s: When and why did Afterglow break up? GR: We really didn't break up Afterglow. Tony Tecumseh left due to the fact that we were miles apart when we attended college in the Chico area and it was too hard to get together for rehearsals and jobs. Tony was in his element in Klamath Falls and didn't want to move to another area. He still lives in the same house today. Roger Swanson decided he wanted to finish his education at Chico rather than to go on the road and play music. He stayed and finished with his Bachelor Degree and is now a very successful accountant. Larry had already finished with his Bachelor at Chico and Ron and I had an AA Degree from Yuba College in Marysville, California, which was about 30 miles from Chico. There was never a doubt in our minds to keep Afterglow alive. We did end up with different musicians in the years to follow, but Larry Alexander, Ron George, and I were always together. I think the original Afterglow band on the album ended in 1969. 60s: How did you first learn that the 1968 LP had been reissued on compact disc? GR: We learned about the Sundazed release of the album just last year when Larry and one of his employees discovered it on eBay. Then they went to other Web sites and found it selling there. Larry called Sundazed and made arrangements to meet with them in New York. They were very inspired to find that we were still alive. They said the really hunted to find us. We got together as a group in August 2007 and had a reunion. That is where most of the footage is for the DVD that was done on the group. We also met with the North Coast Rep for Sundazed, Judd Cost. He was very enthused with the group and wrote up a blog on us on the Sundazed Web site. So far we are on hold to see if there are royalties coming from the sales of our album. To this date, we have never received a cent for the album and music that we wrote and recorded since the record was released in 1968. I only hope we can continue to sell records when we complete our second Afterglow album. One thing for certain this experience has been is it has reunited some old friends that still feel the same way about each other after 40-plus years. L-R: Ron George, Roger Swanson, Tony Tecumseh, Larry Alexander and Gene Resler