Ever wonder what was it like being in a 1960's garage band? Read High Hopes in Low-Fi by Richard Parker. Written by an original member of Texas' Rain Kings and Gretta Spoone Band, this 60sgaragebands.com exclusive is a thoughtful and highly entertaining examination of the phenonema that forever changed rock and roll...
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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, Pete Kurtz, 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.
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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| The Birdwatchers |
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| Tonto & The Renegades |
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| The Bad (Larry & The Blue Notes) |
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| The Yellow Payges |
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| D-Men (pre-Fifth Estate) |
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| The Gotham City Crime Fighters |
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Looking for all info (especially from band members) on The Gnomes (IL) - Something's Going Wrong / The Sky Is Falling, Great Society (IL) - I'm The One For You, The Paradox (FL) - There's A Flower Shop, Disillusioned Younger Generation (CA) - Who Do You Think You're Fooling, Chob (NM) - We're Pretty Quick, The Last Word (NV) - Sleepy Hollow, Balloon Farm (NY) - A Question Of Temperature, Next Five (WI) - Talk To Me Girl, Ground Floor People (NY) - Walking On Eggs, The Motion (CA) - The Thief, Good Feelins (CA) - Shattered, Odyssey (CA) - Little Girl Little Boy, Go-Betweens (NY) - Have You For My Own, Next Step (CA) - I Said No, Epic V (TX) - I Need Your Lovin', Try-Angle (IN) - The Writing On The Wall, Sloths (CA) - Makin' Love, Sound Carnival (IL) - Dreams / I Wish I Could Tell You , Improper Bostonians (MA) - How Many Tears, Drusallee & The Dead (CA) - Lily, Circus (TX) - Burn Witch Burn, Merseylads (?) - Whatcha Gonna Do Baby, Problems Of Tyme (AK) Back Of My Mind, Bearded Clam (IN) - I Wish I Could Be Here... and thousands more 1960's rock and garage bands...
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| Children Of The Mushroom |
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| Peter Wheat & The Breadmen |
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| The Lost Souls |
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| Fe-Fi-Four Plus Two |
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Wanted! For use on the website and for our archives: Flyers, photos, scrapbooks, handbills, business cards, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, promotional items and more - all pertaining to local or regional 1960's garage bands. Scans appreciated, but also looking to buy. Contact us with specifics...
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Were You In A 1960's Garage Band? If so, are you interested in having your group's music officially licensed and released on CD? 60sgaragebands.com is now accepting proposals for possible future CD and DVD reissue titles. Do you have 8mm film footage or audio reels, acetates, or vinyl of your band? If so, and you're interested in a proper licensed release, contact us for more information.
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60sgaragebands.com would like to thank the following individuals for providing promos and/or news information pertinent to our coverage of the 1960's garage rock revival, or for their generous time and kind support in otherwise encouraging or assisting with our endeavors:
No text or images from this site may be reprinted or used elsewhere without the expressed written consent of 60sgaragebands.com. All contributions and/or submissions are encouraged and will be considered for future updates.
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