MAY 1969
CALENDAR
Tuesday April 1 EXHIBITS 33rd Annual Student Art Exhibition of the Detroit Putlic Schools thru the 13th THEATRE Hamlet — Univ of Professional Theatre Program. Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann Arbor 8:00 p.m. MUSIC Hal McKinney Quintet & vocalist Gwen McKinney Det. Institute of Art 7:30. Free.
SAM LAY AT THE CHESSMATE
Saturday night some very good things were happening at The Chessmate Coffee House as Sam Lay and his Chicago Blues Band played some of the best and most together Blues I’ve ever heard. I’ve been a fan of Sam’s fine blues drumming and melodic singing since his days with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
LETTERS
Kurt Von EbeMein
The musical eyeballs and ears of America are now focused on Detroit. With the recent recognition of the MC5 by Time, Rolling Stone and the New York Times, the new music is to come out of Detroit. With other top Detroit groups, such as the SRC, Bob Segar System, and the Amboy Dukes, the Detroit musical scene is now where it’s at.
Larry MILLER!
If someone were to tell you that there is a “New Detroit Sound” happening, you’d probably wonder what was meant by that. When I consider the development of the so-called “San Francisco Sound”. I think that not only do we have something valid going on here, but perhaps an improvement.
Contact Truss
In the beginning there was Action Line. Then the Detroit News stole the Free Press’ idea and gave us Contact Ten. Now Creem steals the Detroit New’s idea and brings you: CONTACT TRUSS! [Truss, better known to billions of Detroiters as “Uncle Truss — the Guru of Grand River”, will be happy to answer your questions concerning Rock and Roll, birth control, rat control, dope, hope, and the attainment of True Enlightenment in your spare time.]
it can’t happen here?
It seems that WABX made a subtle suggestion to its listeners to write major recording labels and cajole them to be present at the upcoming Detroit Festival at Olympia. Several “Important” labels have responded favorably ... MGM even calling Detroit people in response to their letters.
SAN FRANCISCO? OR BUST?
The moment of truth for the San Francisco scene was passed about the middle of last summer. Just about every group of note in the bay area that gained their reputations through live performances has been signed by a major record company and most of the emerging groups are making their ways through hard times on record advances instead, of through giging.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!
Ice Alexander
The Soft Machine, having subtly changed guitarists and possibly organists, are currently in the process of setting up a European tour with jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk. B.B. King, supported by the Fleetwood Mac and Duster Bennett begins his first ever tour of Great Britain on April 9th.
LIVE
the mouth
Hold the bus! Man, am I wiped out! I mean it’s hard enough sitting here trying to get your sht together when the lines on the paper keep moving and the last thing you wrote was a term paper on the sex life of algae in your pre drop-out days. If I didn’t have a chart of the alphabet in front of me, I’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble right now.
INTERVIEW: MITCH RYDER
Mick Jaggers
A few dsys ago, I was up in Ann Arbor to see Jeep Holland of A2. He was not in, so I went to see some friends—the Rationals. Whom should I find there but Mitch Ryder. I asked if he minded being interviewed. He didn’t, so we got into a rap, and here it is, I asked him where he’s been lately, and found that they’ve been doing weird gigs up in northern Canada.
Microphone Eating
SRC: NO BALLS!
Capital Records has just released a second album by the SRC. Why?
BROWN-EYED MAN AT THE GRANDE
Gayle Clark
Van Morrison sounds great on his new album Astral Weeks...too bad I can’t say the same for him in person. He (and his back-up group) played the Detroit Grande Ballroom February 21, and shouldn’t have. In the three minutes he allowed me for an interview, I found out he hates the Grande and just about anyone who sets foot into the place.
CREAM au revoir
Ice Alexander
I am writing my final piece on cream. These three musicians upon whom I have showered so many praises and to whose defenses I have so often sprung, are now just that: three musicians. They did so many things to me and for me that I feel they’re mine — but eyery Cream addict feels the same way.
ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL
Bob Stark
Last weekend, the West Coast entries in the Ann Arbor Film Festival were screened at the Detroit Repertory Theater. If they are indicative of all the entries, this will be a very poor year for Ann Arbor. None of the films stood out as exceptional and of the two films which were watchable, neither was exceptionally experimental, nor daring.
CAROLYN HESTER
Dona Reay
If you have ever listened to Carolyn Hester, it will not be necessary for you to read any further. Unfortunately, the majority of those of you who bought this magazine have never heard of Hester, much less listened to her. Who is she? She is one of the finest voices presently singing in this country (or any other for that matter).
JAZZ ELEMENTS IN SERIOUS MUSIC
Judy Adams
Unquestionably, the most significant contribution made to music by the United States in the 20th century lies in the field of popular music. Its most outstanding characteristics greatly influenced the “between the war” period of European music.
Expand Your Mind!
Judy Adams
Although it’s very difficult to define music, it can be broken down to sounds that are pleasing to the ear. Many people are prejudiced towards their musical pleasure; by limiting themselves to only one form, of music. “Classical Music” is generally associated with the adult middle and upper classes.
RICHARD WALLS
Richard C. Walls
When I told a friend of mine I was gping to write an article on Brubeck, he recommended I “be brutal.” Tempting advice ... Brubeck’s music is so inconsequential and he sells so many records. But one must be fair and keep in mind Brubeck’s musical limitations.
THE PROGRESS OF PROGRESSIVE RADIO
As seen thru the eyes of one standing nearby - As the one-year anniversary of WABX-FM. has come and gone, it is as good a time as any to look upon what is happening with Detroit’s underground radio scene. Although WKNR-FM has been thru many changes and seems to be on the verge of others, it is generally accepted that although WKNR-FM has the huge “AM Machine” behind it, and the more or less brilliant talents and efforts John Small, WABX-FM remains the station “of the community”.
serfs up
Bob Stark
Imagine, if you will, that you are in a rock group and you just got a big recording contract and you’ve got an album to do. Now you can play well enough and all that, but you just haven’t been, together long enough to have really developed an original style, you haven’t really synthesized all these other styles into, something of your own.
COMMON GROUND
The Common Ground of the Arts a six year old non-profit artists commune (supporting itself from the money it collects from members for studio rent and a small grant from the National Foundation of the Arts, plus a few private donations) has recently moved to a new building in the inner-city area (4229 Cass, a few blocks south of the Wayne U. campus).
FILM
James L. Jones
Cinema is a strange art, probably the strangest ever developed by man. Although conceived in the 19th Century, cinema as art is unique to the Twentieth—the only art developed within contemporary times. Cinema is one of the few exclusively technological arts: i.e., cinema could not exist without tools and machines (I can think of only two other exclusively technological art forms—painting and culpture).
MONTEREY POP
MONTERY POP A Leacock-Pennebaker Film by D.A. Pennebaker; edited by Nina Shulman; in color; with Otis Redding, The Jefferson Airplain, Simon and Garfunfcel, Ravi Shanker, and others. Monterey Pop is somewhat a rarity among documentaries, one designed almost exclusively to entertain.
OLIVER!
The major problem with Sir Carol Reed’s movie version of the stage hit OLIVER! is one of priorities.
THEATER
Sam Pappas
The Royal Shakespeare Company has given Detroiter’s the chance to see the first worthwhile, production of the season at the Fisher Theatre. I really don’t know how Max picks them but he finally drew a winner. Although the opening night’s performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” was one of the most successful productions of Shakespeare I’ve ever seen, it seemed to lack the vitality needed to pull off a quick paced show such as it should be.
HAPPY TRAILS QUICKSILER MESSENGER SERICE
Eric Jaggers
Quicksilver consists of four individuals, who are very capable musicians as well as vocalists. Their style is their own. It is inimitable, that is to say Quicksilver doesn’t sound like anybody, and nobody sounds like Quicksilver, except of course Quicksilver, (whew!)
THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM
Pam Brent
Seger, at present, stinks. After attending a live performance, I feel completely justified in this statement. Blame the acoustics or blame the fact that they have “recently added a new member, they just don’t come through with their renowned “heavy” sound.