Thanks to our contact with Flame LTD's David Dobler, we were able to hook up with drummer Jon Friese. Friese had played in a couple of rock groups prior to his association with Dobler, but, through a fortunate recommendation, was able to join forces with him in One Blind Mice. Friese is currently recording in his home and, by taking advantage of today's technology, will hopefully be able to play again with Dobler in the not too distant future.
Special thanks to Billy Rollins for arranging the interview.
|
An Interview With Jon Friese
60sgaragebands.com (60s): What were some of the bands you were in prior to joining One Blind Mice?
Jon Friese (JF): The first group I was in was called—get this— The Rubber Band (Covina, California). There were probably 20 groups in California alone called that. It was a good band though. It was Dick Marvin and Steve Collins on guitars and vocals, Dave Geddes on lead guitar and vocals, Bob Bayless on bass and myself on drums and rarely vocals. We did a lot of Beatles songs and everyone else from The Kinks and The Who to The Monkees.
After that I joined The John Charleston Group (Covina, California). That band was John Charleston on guitar, Dennis Buckley (now known as Michael Ellington Erin) on lead vocals, Tommy Thompson on organ and vocals and Bob Bayless, formerly of The Rubber Band, on bass.
60s: Did any of your previous groups record?
JF: The John Charleston Group competed in the Covina Battle Of The Bands which took place during the entire summer of 1969. A few groups played every weekend and then at the end of the summer we were voted best band. The prize was a small trophy for each of us and a two-hour recording session at Ascot Recording Studio on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. The two hours turned into all afternoon and when we left we had a 45-rpm with two songs recorded. I don't have a copy of those songs; I wish I did.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to your joining One Blind Mice?
JF: I was replaced in The John Charleston Group by a monster drummer Randy Rea. You would think that being replaced by someone we would have been enemies, but we were actually really good friends and we were cool.
John had heard about this blind organ player in Ontario, Dave Dobler, and suggested I check him out. Thank you, John. So I hooked up with Dave and his brother Kip and they knew a bass player by the name of Danny Glidden. We jammed one afternoon at the Dobler's home and that was it. One Blind Mice was born.
|
60s: Where you familiar with Flame LTD before joining One Blind Mice?
JF: No. The first I had heard of them was through John.
60s: What do you consider the strengths of One Blind Mice?
JF: First of all, Dave was just a scary good keyboard player and singer. Second, Kip was a great natural guitar player with a great attitude and willingness to give anything a try. Danny and I clicked really well and when the bass player and drummer are groovin' it makes it easier for the rest of the band to fall in.
60s: What were your initial impressions of David Dobler's seeing-impaired playing ability?
JF: I was absolutely floored by him the first time we played together. As far as I was concerned, he wasn't blind; he was just a great player and singer. He was just what I was hoping to find.
60s: What type of gigs did One Blind Mice land?
JF: Everything from small benefit shows for troubled kids to teen dances at community centers and outdoor gigs at football fields to clubs and concerts. One of my favorites was when we played at the Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium in Ontario, California. It was a beautiful venue with real stage lighting and good sound system, and we ROCKED THE HOUSE that night!
60s: Did One Blind Mice write original music?
JF: It was a time when everyone was doing a lot of original music and experimenting—some good and some not so good. I felt lucky I was playing with these guys. They were good writers. I would say Dave and Kip were the main songwriters with a couple of tunes thrown in from me.
60s: Why did One Blind Mice dissolve? Did the band break-up, or did you leave?
JF: You know, I'm not really sure about that. I think Danny's interest started to change. We were going in this heavier rock direction at the time and Danny just wanted to play in sort of a boogie bluesey-type band. He didn't show up a few times for rehearsals and things just sort of drifted apart after that. I was pretty bummed.
60s: Is it true that One Blind Mice could reunite this year?
JF: I would love to play with Dave and Kip again. But I don't think it will happen this year since I live in Maine now and they live out west. I still do some home recording and just this week I emailed Dave a song I've been working on to see if he could help me out with any ideas for it. Kip told me a while back that he would like to maybe do something as well. With the technology we have today, we can email each other tracks and work on them from any place in the world. It’s not exactly like playing together in the same room again, but it’s doing what we can to keep the old fires burning.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
