Back in 1964 or '65 you'd hear this song and you'd think, "Wow! How can they do that?!" It was like underground code or something . . . right under everybody's noses. The first time I heard My Generation by The Who...I thought all hell had broken loose and the FBI would be out to shut down the radio station in a matter of hours. It was the best paranoid rush I ever had! As a matter of fact, the song was banned from most Chicago radio stations within the week, and The Who did have trouble getting into the country for their first U.S. tour. Of course, every garage band in the world just had to perform it on stage after that, and The Knaves did a pretty bang-up job of it, 'cause we weren't too pretty to begin with. When people came to see us there was no doubt in my mind that they were coming out to see what it was all about! We were more than just a surrogate for these English rock groups. To these suburban high school kids we weren't just a cover band . . . we were The Who and The Kinks and The Stones! It was a glorious time. - Gene Lubin, drummer for The Knaves
Spurred on by the 1972 release of Lenny Kaye's groundbreaking Nuggets LP, and reaching even greater heights of popularity after the subsequent release of the Pebbles and Back From The Grave compilation series, '60's garage rock has never had difficulty finding an audience. Now, in the early years of the new millennium, and with the rise of the Cavestomp Festacular concerts and the formation of Little Steven's Underground Garage Radio Show, it's obvious that the pure and enduring sound of '60's garage rock is here to stay.
The intent of 60sgaragebands.com is to document - and therefore pay tribute to - not only the better known "one hit wonder" bands that had national hits and whose slab of vinyl is still played on today's oldies radio stations, but also to the lesser known - and even forgotten - bands that never found fame outside of a five-mile radius of their local stomping ground. If you dig the music of The Leaves, Seeds, Count Five, Castaways, Music Machine, Shadows Of Knight, and Electric Prunes, then this is the site for you. What about The Gants, Nightcrawlers, Palace Guard, Remains, and Daily Flash? Ditto. The Lost? Lazy Eggs? Keggs? Alarm Clocks, Tonto & The Renegades, and Larry & The Blue Notes? Come on in. You've found the right place.
While we personally enjoy the music of more mainstream '60's acts such as The Byrds, Lovin' Spoonful, Association, Buffalo Springfield, and The Monkees, there are countless websites and newsgroups devoted to the contributions of those, and similar, bands. Our aim is to report on the groups that were able to break out locally and regionally - but not nationally (although national groups will not be completely ignored); on Battle of the Bands winners; and on bands whose primary goal was perhaps not in reaching the top of the national charts, but instead in recording a handful of singles and in having a hell of a time while doing so. If you're at all familiar with the types of groups that populate the Back From The Grave, Pebbles and Teenage Shutdown universe, you should have an idea for the types of bands we're talking about.
To that end, 60sgaragebands.com will attempt to provide information on all the latest happenings on the '60's garage rock scene, including - but not limited to - news on CD/LP reissues, major concert appearances, movie/DVD releases, noteworthy book and magazine articles, and recent discoveries of long lost demos, acetates, records, and even archival film footage.
Equally as important, 60sgaragebands.com will present exclusive interviews of and recollections by the musicians that created and shaped the music of the 1960's garage band explosion. It was, after all, their contributions that helped define the music of the most exciting and turbulent decade of the 20th Century.
The Interviews, Band Bios, and Scenes & Things sections will be updated monthly. The News & Nuggets, Release Dates, Reviews and Cameos sections will be updated much more frequently. Be sure to check back often.
Owner / Editor: Mike Dugo
Contributors: Tom Alger, Mary Ellan Barlow, Gary Belich, Clark Besch, Rockin' Robin Brown, Ben Chaput, Greg Eckler, Matt Hoffman, Brent Hopkins, Larry House, Michael Isenberg, Hans Kesteloo, Tom Kleinschmidt, Bill Kopp, Ted Liebler, Peter Markmann, Ken Masten, Fogey McOldster, R.C. McWilliams, Mike Molenar, Gray Newell, Mark Rogers, Billy Rollins, Will Shade, Bruce Tahsler and Tony Texley.
Since our launch in mid-June of 2002, 60sgaragebands.com is proud to have documented the stories of these '60's rock 'n' roll heroes. To read past interviews, please visit our Archives.
You can also listen to the songs of many of these bands at Beyond The Beat Generation web-radio.
Coming Soon: Interviews or essays on Vectors (IL), Drusalee & The Dead (CA), 20th Century Zoo (AZ), 13th Hourglass (FL), Minutemen (NY), Somebody's Children (CA), Phog (CA), Briks (TX), Pebbles (FL), Johnny & The Hurricanes (OH), XL's (IN), Stanley & The Fendermen (CA), Enfields (DE), Dan Gates (AZ), Scoundrels (FL), United Travel Service (OR), Jolly Beggars (NY), Green Fuz (TX) and more!
You stand on the table
Rugs creep up the legs
Tiny green lobsters
Throw spiders eggs
- Driving Stupid, Reality Of (Air) Fried Borsk, 1966
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