Although from Savannah, Georgia, The Mach V recorded their lone one 45-rpm single, which included the garage band classic, 'If I Could,' in Nashville. Lead guitarist John Tiedemann provides the band's story.
An Interview With John Tiedemann
60sgaragebands.com (60s): Was The Mach V your first band?
John Tiedemnann (JT): The Mach V was my second band and grew out of a band called The Mystics. The Mach V was together from 1966 to 1968. We were all local high school kids around Savannah, Georgia. I was the leader and put it together. My house was the practice place and my family had a van to haul equipment.
60s: Who all comprised the band?
JT: John Tiedemann – lead guitar; Mitch Freeman – bass guitar and vocals; Robbie Anderson – rhythm guitar, organ and vocals; and Jim Brook - drums.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
JT: We did a lot of Top 40 tunes that were current at the time. We also would throw in some off chart British and American psychedelic music for fun. We had a good friend that was a popular local deejay at the main rock radio station in Savannah. He would give us demo LPs that he couldn’t play on air because they weren’t on the charts. I remember getting some good stuff that never made it to radio until much later. Steppenwolf comes to mind as one discovery. We played Hendrix, Steppenwolf, Doors and Mothers of Invention long before most people knew who they were.
60s: What was the Savannah rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
JT: It was a blast although fairly small. We had teen clubs that would thrive for a while until someone got in a fight or brought liquor inside. The parents and community would close it down and another would open. FM radio didn’t exist in Savannah and new music was very hard to discover. We had two competing AM radio stations that just played the same Billboard Top 40. Think about it! No Internet or music videos. Nobody could explore new bands and new music. A lot of music that I found was from servicemen at the army base nearby. Some guy from California would always come up to us, when we played for those guys, and tell us about bands from San Francisco or Los Angeles. The late sixties in California was like Mecca for musicians from a small city on the East Coast.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
JT: We played teen clubs for very little money but my bands always played at the two military bases nearby, since my father was career army. He ran a couple on base clubs that had regular parties and he would hire us and get his buddies at other clubs to do the same. That paid really well and I always had a pocket full of cash when I was 14 and 15.
60s: What were some of the local teen clubs The Mach V performed at?
JT: I remember a couple places that stood out. The Coat of Arms was downtown and very cool. They were always packed and hired really good touring bands as well as local talent. I saw The Syndicate of Sound, The Nitecrawlers and The Electric Prunes. All extremely good shows! Thunderbolt Teen Club was always good for a large crowd.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
JT: We only played about a 50-mile radius. There wasn’t much happening in the smaller towns around.
60s: Did The Mach V participate in any battle of the bands?
JT: No, we never did that.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
JT: The Checkmates, The Rogues, The Swinging Doors, and Deep Blue.
60s: Did The Mach V have a manager?
JT: We always had someone we called a manager but he mostly just hung around and helped with the grunt work. I did most of the booking.
60s: How popular locally did The Mach V become?
JT: After we released our 45, 'If I Could' and 'I Want To Stay,' we were very popular. We organized write-in requests for airplay and got a lot of play. All the kids listened to AM 1400 and would hear our song regularly. They played 'I Want To Stay,' which was the slow side with strings.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the recording of that Associated Artists 45?
JT: We were playing somewhere and a talent scout from the label approached us and of course we were interested.
60s: Where did The Mach V record?
JT: We went to Nashville and recorded at a studio owned by Hank Williams' wife or mother or something like that. Needless to say, it was very exciting. I remember pulling out my Vox Wah Wah pedal and fuzz tone for 'If I Could' and the AR guy went nuts. He had never heard a Wah Wah before and I remember he said that it was a total gas!
60s: Did The Mach V write many original songs?
JT: Mitch and I wrote most of the stuff. Only two were ever recorded and we might have had six songs total.
60s: So...no unreleased Mach V recordings exist. What about vintage live recordings?
JT: Just the one 45 and I’m not sure if I still have a copy or not. I’ll have to look.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances?
JT: No.
60s: What year and why did the band break up?
JT: We finally quit in '68 or '69 because high school was getting over for the older guys and they were moving on.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Mach V?
JT: I’ve been in a bunch after. I switched to bass guitar after The Mach V and still play today.
60s: How often, and where, do you perform? What else keeps you busy?
JT: I have an onsite computer services business now and play at a church as well as have a couple party bands that mostly play corporate parties and wedding receptions. I sub occasionally for an original music band but am pretty much finished with the road, at least on a regular basis. Check out Randal Bramblett on MySpace. I sub for his bass player when he can’t make a gig. That’s typical of the type of music I like now, besides oldies, of course!
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Mach V?
JT: Something that was pure fun and very exciting. They were my best friends and the best years of my life in a lot of ways. It is a total joy to be famous on any level and we had a short, local but very satisfying run for a couple years!
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