An Interview With Daryl Leoce
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Daryl Leoce (DL): I was always very taken by music that I heard at home on the radio and on TV. When The Beatles showed up and I saw them on Ed Sullivan, I wanted to do that. It's similar to what many artists including Billy Joel have said.
60s: Was Maitrex Square your first band?
DL: Actually, Maitrex Square grew from another band named Population 4. We performed once at Melody Lanes in Brooklyn on 5th Avenue. It's still there. We started playing our first tune and the owner stopped us so he could play the national anthem over the loud speaker system in the bowling alley. We played on the area where people bowled, facing back towards the crowd. Population 4 was only together about three months but Maitrex Square was together for four years.
60s: Where and when was Maitrex Square formed?
DL: We formed Maitrex Square in 1965-1966 in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn--41st and 8th Avenue. The leader was Mark Rivera (sax, lead vocals, flute, harmonica and occasional bass guitar), who is one of rock and roll's most active and well-known sidemen. He is Billy Joel's sax player and has played with three of The Beatles and the longest list of top bands you'd ever see. Other members were Daryl and Joel Leoce on drums and rhythm guitar and Vinny Cordasco on lead guitar. Charlie Flynn on bass guitar and eventually Mal Feuer on organ.
60s: How did the band get its name? What is "Maitrex Square"?
DL: Vinny Cordasco saw the name in a math text book. It refers to a group of numbers or some formula that is then squared. We copied the letters off the Hendrix album Are You Experienced for the name on my bass drum.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
DL: We were a cover band that did all the top hits. At first it was groups like Paul Revere and The Raiders and The Beatles. Hendrix was a big influence and then Jethro Tull, the first Blood Sweat and Tears and even Sly and The Family Stone. We did have several originals. One was called 'One Way Trip' which was from our Population 4 days and we also had one we called 'Dr. Rudy' which we began to open up with. We also had a tune we called 'SB Blues' which meant scum bag blues. I hear Dave Grohl has a new band that has a tune of the same name.
60s: What was the Brooklyn rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
DL: Garage bands on every block. We all knew each other and would meet up and jam in people's basements and in garages and back yards. We borrowed equipment form each other. The Maitrex Square eventually rented its own storefront. We blacked out the windows and make it our hang out place. Early bands in the neighborhood were us, The Potato Chips, Christmas in July, and later on The Onion Soup, The Primitives, The Bay Ridge, The Crystal Ship, The Lemon Extract and Formula 44 were popular and playing around Brooklyn.
The band Formula 44 was very good and short lived. Their drummer, John Guarneri, formed Sir Lord Baltimore. He used John Garner as his stage name. They achieved notoriety. Also, The Vanilla Fudge was from the neighborhood. My dad worked with Carmine Appice's father.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
DL: We played church dances at St. Catherine's, private parties, battle of the bands competitions at Bishop Ford High School, a dude ranch in Pennsylvania and did an important show at John Jay High School.
We played battle at Bishop Ford all of the time. We came in second most of the time. We once won at James J. Reynolds Junior High. The Vagrants played a full-blown show at Bishop Ford on the same night as a battle. Leslie West was wearing a feather cape and had three double Marshalls piled sideways.
60s: Did you play any of the local teen clubs?
DL: I don't recall names but I do remember one club that popped up for a period of time that was really great. It had strobe lights and a big dance floor. We played there twice. It began to attract older and more polished bands. I don't recall very many teen clubs. There were a lot of more adult venues in the Bay Ridge area that were popular. One was the Scottish Center.
60s: Reportedly the band won a WMCA contest...
DL: True to form for Brooklyn...that was not true. We were never involved with any contest. I don't know who was responsible for that addition.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
DL: Brooklyn mostly. We stayed close to home but we also played the Cafe Wha in the Village where Hendrix had played. At the time, they had a band the called Hello People that is famous. They dressed like puppets.
60s: Did Maitrex Square have a manager?
DL: We had a manger named Vinny Mazzone. He was an older kid that had money and balls. He heard us and offered to help. Mostly he fronted the money, and rented the truck to move equipment.
60s: How popular locally did Maitrex Square become?
DL: We were popular and Mark Rivera was very popular. I doubt many would remeber us unless they were right from our neighborhood.
60s: Why didn't Maitrex Square record?
DL: Money. Ambition wasn't quite as strong with several members of the band.
60s: Who was the band's primary songwriter?
DL: Mark Rivera wrote our originals. He collaborated with Vinny, who was his second cousin.
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