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| Mickey Marcelle (aka Mickey Fields) |
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An Interview With Mickey Fields
60sgaragebands.com (60s): When did you first get interested in music?
Mickey Fields (MF): I'd say about when I was eight years old, when I was in the third grade. I was part of a trio that sang in a talent program for the parents. The show was put on by my elementary school. As a freshman, I sang acapella at our high school's variety show and received encouragement from many people.
60s: Was The Electras your first band?
MF: Yes, The Electras was my first band. We were together approximately four years.
60s: Where and when was The Electras formed?
MF: The Electras were formed in Torrington, Connecticut by Maris Neiburgers, Rich Lehmann and Joe Nivolo. The band was in existence about a year before I joined. I believe its inception was around 1959. At the time I joined the band, they had played at a couple of high school rallies, but were primarily still in "practice" mode.
Members of the band consisted of Maris Neiburgers (lead guitar), Rich Lehmann (drums), Dave Iffland (saxophone), Harris Daigle (bass), and myself (vocals). I originally played bass guitar for the band, but switched to doing most of the vocals, when Harris joined the group in 1962. As all bands go through transitional phases, The Electras were no exception. At one point, we acquired an organ player (Tim Driscoll) in the group. Herman Castelli was drummer at the time, but the most profound change was when we added a female vocalist named Laurie Lasalata to the group in 1964. She had a powerhouse of a voice and a unique presence on stage.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
MF: Innovative and tight! We took songs and added our own twist to them and not just playing songs exactly as we heard them on record. What separated The Electras from other bands in our immediate area, were our song selections. We were always looking to incorporate different styles of songs into the mix, so we traveled to New York City often to see what bands were doing there. We started out playing Duane Eddie and The Ventures songs, but went on to play R&B—songs by Chuck Jackson, Mary Wells, The Drifters, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, Sam and Dave, James Brown, and various Motown artists. The bands that most influenced us were The Ventures and locally, a jazz band from Hartford called The Downbeats. I think they influenced our move to early R&B the most.
60s: What was the Torrington rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
MF: Torrington was blessed with remarkably talented musicians in the ‘60s. Bands like Tommy and The Duals, The Orphans, The Chancellors, The Checkmates, and of course, The Electras. The scene during the early ‘60s (included) block dances weekly, junior high dances at the YMCA, high school dances at the elementary gym, feeding dimes and quarters into a Seaburg jukebox, and heading to the local record store on Thursday night with a copy of the latest Hit Parade in hand. By the mid ‘60s, more nightclubs had opened their doors to local rock and roll bands.
60s: Where did The Electras typically play?
MF: We played high school and junior high dances in Connecticut and New York and dances at Wesleyan University. We played parties at Amherst College and at the University of Connecticut.
60s: Did you play any of the local teen clubs?
MF: The Wright's Country Club was one teen club we played. All the bands loved playing there. It was a great venue for exposure, to try out new songs you've practiced, plus the owners of the teen club were truly nice people. The Music Box was another teen club and was on Bantam Lake. This was a fun place to play, because it drew in both city and small town kids and the band's challenge was to please them all.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
MF: We toured the Bershires in New York mostly. Most of my touring with a band came later when I sang with a group called The Upbeats.
60s: Did The Electras participate in any battle of the bands?
MF: Well…I can recall three times. One was in Watertown, Connecticut at the Collegiate Club and two were in Massachusetts at a Crystal Lake club. I can't remember any of the other bands that participated, but I do know that we came in third and second (respectfully) at Crystal Lake. We were satisfied with those rankings, because of the enormous talented competition we were up against. Not bad for small town guys!
60s: Did The Electras have a manager?
MF: We did have a manager/agent. I believe he approached us during one of our gigs. Shortly after signing up with his agency, the band really took off in regards to the type of gigs we played. Eventually we got gigs playing on the same bill with Joey Dee and The Starlighters, The Chifons, The Angels, Brian Hyland, Gary U.S. Bonds, The Drifters, The Dixie Cups, The Tymes, The Tokens and a few more. So yes, he was very active in promoting the band.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the band's opportunity to record your demo?
MF: Our manager wanted to give us some exposure to the recording world, so we, along with another band, went to a recording studio. My band recorded an original song called One More Time. Looking back at it, the beat was "slick," but the lyrics mundane.
60s: Where did you record the demo?
MF: The recording studio was in Hartford, but I don't remember the name of the studio. The recording session was rushed. We had 15 minutes for recording time, which only allowed for us getting two takes.
60s: Did The Electras write many original songs?
MF: ‘One More Time’ was an original song we wrote and played on gigs. I wrote a few songs on my own. One in which the recording group, The Winstons, were interested in prior to their breakup.
60s: Are there any other Electras recordings? Are there any vintage live recordings, or other unreleased tracks?
MF: Outside of the demo, I don't know of any recordings existing today.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances?
MF: We had the opportunity to go on a local TV dance show, The Brad Davis Show, but declined because we had to prepare for a gig coming up with The Drifters.
60s: What year and why did the band break up?
MF: The band broke up in 1964 or early 1965. By then, two members (Rich Lehmann and Dave Iffland) had gone off to college and one member (Maris Neiburger) had joined another band called The Ones. The female singer (Laurie L.) was pursuing a solo career. The bass player (Harris Daigle) and I played with several different band members for awhile. Harris went on to form an an awesome R&B horn band called The North Atlantic Syndicate of Soul. I left the band in mid 1965, changed my stage name to Mickey Marcelle, and freelanced with a very talented band from Waterbury, Connecticut called The Upbeats. We played the Metropol Cafe and Peppermint Lounge in New York City, the Wobbly Barn in Killington, Vermont, and in the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Caravan of Stars show in Waterbury, Connecticut, plus various places in New England.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Electras?
MF: My experience with The Electras was very gratifying and four of the most exciting years of my life.
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