update 20120107: how could I have missed LIA’s post “Constanten on Constanten”? Anyway, there it is, excellent as always.
Spent some time with this, mostly trying to get some more anchoring around Tarot, which has become quite a productive discussion in comments to my post on a “Rubber Duck Mime Band and Jerry Garcia” billing at Mandrake’s in Berkeley on June 2-3, 1970.
A few drive-by take-home points for me.
- Tarot still really confuses me, and especially the nature and extent of Garcia’s involvement.
- We have a Vince Guaraldi and a Howard Wales sighting. Regarding the latter, and based on the context, We can’t rule out that he’s talking about the GD-Wales encounter on Thursday, August 28, 1969 at the Family Dog at the Great Highway. But it’s certainly before 2/1/70. Similarly, we get a data point on GD-Guaraldi that points to sometime before 2/1/70 for his sit-in(s) with the band.
Reading Notes, focused only really on GD/Garcia and points of interest to me, follow. (I.e., I am certainly not representing this as anything other than a data-mining and breadcrumb-establishing enterprise.)
Constanten, Tom.
1992. Between Rock and Hard Places: A
Musical Autobiodyssey. Eugene, OR: Hulogosi Press.
1992. Between Rock and Hard Places: A
Musical Autobiodyssey. Eugene, OR: Hulogosi Press.
Constanten 1992, 70: TC saw Warlocks at
The In Room.
The In Room.
Constanten 1992, 70-71: saw GD 5/29/66,
spent a few days staying with the band at Olompali.
spent a few days staying with the band at Olompali.
Constanten 1992, 71: joined them in LA
for studio work on Anthem, ca.
November 1967?
for studio work on Anthem, ca.
November 1967?
Constanten 1992, 72: Pigpen, Tom Constanten and Nicky
Hopkins hung out talkin’ music in a hotel room at Woodstock. Sessions at Columbia Recorders overdubbing a
vocal track for Alligator, TC in control room.
Hopkins hung out talkin’ music in a hotel room at Woodstock. Sessions at Columbia Recorders overdubbing a
vocal track for Alligator, TC in control room.
Constanten 1992, 74: returning to St.
Louis early April 1969.
Louis early April 1969.
Constanten 1992, 75: Fillmore West acid
spiked apple juice. “I remember Janis venting her high dudgeon at Owsley
backstage that night – her trumpet player had got dosed. … When it came time
for us to play, Phil’s bass was loosely draped over his shoulders and he was
pushed onstage, muttering the while about the Fall of the Roman Empire. … I
found Robert Hunter painted onto the stairs on our way out the back door. He
and Pete Grant were then decanted into their respective back seats for the rid
back home across the Golden Gate Bridge.”
spiked apple juice. “I remember Janis venting her high dudgeon at Owsley
backstage that night – her trumpet player had got dosed. … When it came time
for us to play, Phil’s bass was loosely draped over his shoulders and he was
pushed onstage, muttering the while about the Fall of the Roman Empire. … I
found Robert Hunter painted onto the stairs on our way out the back door. He
and Pete Grant were then decanted into their respective back seats for the rid
back home across the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Constanten 1992, 75: Bull Frog festival
in Oregon.
in Oregon.
Constanten 1992, 76: 4/28/71 he just
happened to be in town because of the Tarot
project.
happened to be in town because of the Tarot
project.
Constanten 1992, 76: Dylan was in
attendance GD 4/27/71.
attendance GD 4/27/71.
Constanten 1992, 76: More NYC. Café a Go
Go. Hey Jude encore at Fillmore East (2/11/69). Fillmore East. Woodstock. “a
musically warm afternoon at the Central Park bandshell” (6/22/69).
Go. Hey Jude encore at Fillmore East (2/11/69). Fillmore East. Woodstock. “a
musically warm afternoon at the Central Park bandshell” (6/22/69).
Constanten 1992, 77: LA 1967 met Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, who didn’t like the band’s name, wanted to call it “Everlasting
Life”.
Mahesh Yogi, who didn’t like the band’s name, wanted to call it “Everlasting
Life”.
Constanten 1992, 77: “We were supposed to
be the band in the movie Zachariah.
It got as far as touring the MGM back lot, getting fitted for costumes, and
impacting the script, but no farther.” NB movies.
be the band in the movie Zachariah.
It got as far as touring the MGM back lot, getting fitted for costumes, and
impacting the script, but no farther.” NB movies.
Constanten 1992, 77: mention of Big Rock
Pow Wow show. Playboy after Dark.
Pow Wow show. Playboy after Dark.
Constanten 1992, 77: “The band even went
horseback riding as a group a couple of times out at Mickey’s ranch in Novato”.
Helps to paint the Mickey’s Barn picture: not like they rode every day.
horseback riding as a group a couple of times out at Mickey’s ranch in Novato”.
Helps to paint the Mickey’s Barn picture: not like they rode every day.
Constanten 1992, 78: 3/15/69 Black and
White Ball.
White Ball.
Constanten 1992, 78: TC had met Garcia
1962.
1962.
Constanten 1992, 78-79: Aoxomoxoa.
Constanten 1992, 79-82: why he left the
band. Mostly it sounds like there just wasn’t enough musical or auditory space
for him.
band. Mostly it sounds like there just wasn’t enough musical or auditory space
for him.
Constanten 1992, 80: “comparing the problems
more experienced players, like Vince
Guaraldi and Howard Wales,
encountered in interacting with the band, I began to suspect that some of the
band members themselves didn’t have that clear an idea of the keyboard’s role
in a guitar band context”
more experienced players, like Vince
Guaraldi and Howard Wales,
encountered in interacting with the band, I began to suspect that some of the
band members themselves didn’t have that clear an idea of the keyboard’s role
in a guitar band context”
Constanten 1992, 81: “It was unsettling
enough for Phil to pointedly remark how much he preferred Howard Wales’s playing when he sat in with the band. But what
really hurt was his apparent insensitivity to the fact that Howie’s system was
driving twice as many Leslie speakers as mine.”
enough for Phil to pointedly remark how much he preferred Howard Wales’s playing when he sat in with the band. But what
really hurt was his apparent insensitivity to the fact that Howie’s system was
driving twice as many Leslie speakers as mine.”
Constanten 1992, 81-82: New Orleans bust,
early 1970
early 1970
Constanten 1992: notice that neither the narrative nor the
information in the TC Base at the end of the book ever lists Garcia as
performing Tarot live, or really
involved with it in any way.
information in the TC Base at the end of the book ever lists Garcia as
performing Tarot live, or really
involved with it in any way.
Constanten 1992, 84-89: whole Tarot story, but still quite hard to parse exactly
who/what/when/where [OCR scanned .doc]
who/what/when/where [OCR scanned .doc]
Constanten 1992, pp. 195-197 are the parts of “T.C. Base 3”
which cover the years to Tarot [images
scanned]. The GD data in TC Base have a number of known errors which I won’t try to catalog.
which cover the years to Tarot [images
scanned]. The GD data in TC Base have a number of known errors which I won’t try to catalog.
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