Please check out this page for Mark Boston aka Rockette Morton.
Now I love Mark’s artwork (nearly as much as I love his bass playing - perhaps my favourite Magic Band Bassist ever since seeing them in Oxford ’73 around the time of Clear Spot and the Magic Band on their own back in 2005 at The Zodiac
so to hear he has fallen on hard times and is in need of a bit help to find new accommodation is hard to deal with but we can help by supporting the Go Fund Me page organised by J Turner
My favourite live band of recent years (with Michael Traylor covering on Drums for Drumbo when he took more demanding vocal roles)
Songs 1. Diddy Wah Diddy 2.Circumstances 3.Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man 4.Hair Pie 5.On Tomorrow 6.Steal Softly Thru Snow 7.Abba Zaba 8.My Human Gets Me The Blues 9.Alice In Blunderland 10.Hair Pie 11.Evening Bell 12.Electricty 13.The Floppy Boot Stomp 14.Mirror Man 15.Moonlight On Vermont 16.Big Eyed Beans From Venus
I’d fogotten how good this was both in quality and narration from John French! Legends all!
Thanks Jobe! Thanks Boss ( for letting him out to play!)
More bonny musicians for the ‘boys’ !
When I grew up bass players looked like Chas Chandler, John Entwhistle, Lemmy heck even Rockette Morton and they weren’t meant to look like this!
but then girl singers didn’t look like this back in the day either
I mean Lulu? Sandie Shaw? Dusty Springfield? . . . . .
Taylor!
or the wonderous Sade
As for beauties, how about this? My new favourite shot of Pam Courson, Jim Morrison’s long suffering girlfriend
John ‘Drumbo’ French at The Garage London by Jan Podsiadly
This is an old post I wrote the day after I returned from "The Farewell Tour."
THE MAGIC BAND
"It's my first morning home and the FLIGHT was actually enjoyable. I had a whole row of seats to myself. I was able to stretch out and view a host of bad movies. I keep going back to Wonder Woman as my favorite. There will never be a sequel as good as that, because of the era in which it was shot. I loved the script.
Here's a photo from Jan Podsiadly taken at the Garage in beautiful Islington. Interesting day there, as we couldn't get in for a while and witnessed what appeared to be a mugging following by an attempted robbery of a bicycle, followed by, a little while later, a false alarm of a shooting just down the street which kept Max Kutner trapped in a "warm" cafe just down the street.
He was still recovering, as I was, from a respiratory infection which antibiotics eventually cured, although my voice never quite reached full potential again on the last half of the tour. The Garage was freezing cold, as many venues are at load-in and sound check because they save money on heating. We all just dress as though we were outside. I mean, why warm up a venue and spend all that money just so our fingers will work at soundcheck? Ha ha.
Anyway, all turned out well, and Max got a round of applause as he walked through the door. Our sound check was finished 15 minutes prior to "Showtime" This time out with The Magic Band, we reached new highs in taking the music many steps further into the improvisational possibilities that always existed, but were never explored under Don's leadership. I thought the biggest thing lacking was always the ability for self-expression within the framework of the composition; thereby rendering the set list basically a "static" thing -- unchanging, for the most party from night to night. With this tour, each show had it's own unique personality, so if you came to more than one show, you saw a different facet of the music being explored each night. Thanks goes out to many but a few come to mind at 6:30 this morning. Rupert Cocking, for being such an ally and self-appointed voluntary publicist of all things Magic Band / Drumbo. Clint Walker, for his videography of so many shows, and friendship ( also the funder of a multi-track recording in Liverpool), Debbi Stanistreet for putting together the horns and singers that were added to the Liverpool show, Jan Podsiadly, for his photographic record of so many events, Samuel Andreyev, for spreading the NEWS of The Magic Band to a wider audience, Elaine Shepherd, for getting the whole thing started, Barry Hogan, for generously funding the startup of The Magic Band, Jim Driver, the agent who worked closely with me and put together a great tour with routing that made it easy to get around, Micky Kemp, Tour Manager, Driver, Merch Sales and general all-around good diplomacy, Maggie Woodhouse, for bravely allowing us room and board+ rehearsal space at Woodhouse Manor, Howard Holmes, Gina Holmes, for their support and horn retrieval and the nice brunch ( ah, a noon margarita!!) and Ian McArthur for his years of mentorship and the wonderful meal he gave us ( on the house) at his fantastic Thai Restaurant in Edinburgh ( a latte and a brandy at noon... YES!). Am I forgetting anyone? Oh yeah. How about EVERYONE who came out to catch us at the shows? Some of you came to several, and it made our days, believe me. It would have all been nothing without you. I'll be writing more, but this is enough for one day.
Best to you, JF"
Thanks John that’s a fine dressed man right there and the Captain said
"None o’ my women have tears in their eyes you can ask ’em about me I swear ‘n they’ll tell you That’s one man I swear “
The Magic Band live at Glastonbury 2004 (introduced by Annie Nightingale RIP)
The YouTuber notes : The Magic Band - live at the Glastonbury Festival England, June 25th 2004, recorded using a Hi8 video camera, saved to digital by me back in 2005 and now shared with you for free.
As John French reminisces today on his Facebook page:
Here The Magic Band (Gary Lucas, John French, Denny Walley, Mark Boston, and Michael Traylor) rip into a classic number from Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's "Clear Spot" album live on national Swedish TV 4's breakfast show during a Swedish tour in May 2006.
"Circumstances on Swedish TV in 2006. We rehearsed in the basement the night before, then slept in the changing area. Everyone got a little bedroom but me. I wound up sleeping in the women's showering area on couch cushions I had taken from the lounge. It's a long flight to Sweden, and our layover was in Chicago's O'Hare airport, which is probably the worst airport I have ever been in. I was completely lost in O'Hare and had to keep asking until I found someone who told me, "Oh, you have to go down this long hallway, climb a stairway, get on a trolley, and go to a completely different part of the airport." I got there just in time, and met up with Denny, who had gone through the same mess minutes before. People were boarding as I got there. When we landed, I went and stayed at Michael Maksemenko's apartment ( other drummer/singer from Crazy Backward's Alphabet ) and took a nap. His daughter came home, and here's the random guy sleeping in a little niche. Michael and I went out for coffee later, and I played some of my new music for him ( which came out as "City of Refuge"). Ralf Nygård had arranged for us to appear on the early morning TV show. I think we performed at 7:00 a.m. I remember having to go warm up my voice in a green room. We all had to be in makeup in the morning. Immediately afterward, we and our rented equipment were taken to a van outside, driven to the airport, and flown to Umea on a small commercial Jet to play the M.A.D.E. Festival. The only thing supplied at the show was a drumkit, which was already set up, but completely wrong. We had a big room to practice in and Jimmy Agren ( great slide guitarist who appeared on the Kaiser video I participated in) was hired as our liason - to make sure we had everything we needed. It was a cozy room, but we were limited to certain hours because it wasn't a soundproof room, and it bled through into the area where the performances were taking place. After our performance here, we played at Club Fasching in Stockholm, Sweden, which was our last performance with Gary Lucas. The Magic Band lay dormant for three years after that, but then we were invited to play an ATP event, and that was when recently-betrothed Eric Klerks and drummer Craig Bunch joined, as Michael Traylor ( the drummer in this video) had to have knee surgery. Craig was unhappy with the group, and replaced by Andy Niven a couple of years later. “
Since Glastonbury was last weekend, I thought I'd add a shot of The Magic Band, June 25th, 2004. The lineup was L to R -- Gary Lucas (Guitar), Rockette Morton (Bass), Michael Traylor (drums), Drumbo ( vocals, harmonica, drums), and Denny Walley. Dan Silver was our agent at that time. This tour should have been called "The Zig Zag Wanderer Tour" because it was quite poorly planned in terms of where we were from day to day. I think a lot of profits went up in diesel fuel. I didn't really realise this until after I came home and bought a map of the U.K. This day, however, I was so excited about being able to play at Glastonbury. I hadn't played a festival like this before ( besides Knebworth once with the Captain) and so was unfamiliar with the setup and striking of stage. Everything was set up behind the barrier at the back of the stage on wheeled platforms. In a half hour, the crew would strike the stage, wheel out the new band using a chart, plug in all the mics, get a decent level, and that was it. We were booked on The World Music Stage -- probably because they couldn't find a category for us. The band before was a Latin group with horns, backup singers, and an impressive lineup of percussion. I was a little concerned... "How do we follow THAT?" I asked Gary Lucas. He said, "Don't worry, they all wander away during the break and a completely new audience will emerge for us." And it happened just like he said. I walked out to check my harmonica mic and vocal mic, and heard someone shout "Fast n' Bulbous" which re-assured me that someone actually knew who we were and that maybe a few fans would be in the audience. By the end of the set, the whole space was standing room only way out past the roped-off area. The one thing people complained about was that they couldn't hear the vocals. Unfortunately, as you can see from the shot, they didn't include small filler speakers that usually are required to cover the first few rows of people. Our sound man said the vocals were almost overpowering in the back where the sound booth was. I only remember that the time seem to whiz by. I did go back and play drums on a couple of pieces, and, because I didn't get to check the drums before starting, wound up shattering one of the mics that was placed on the left floor tom, which is by the Hi Hat. I don't know why sound men think that you can place a mic almost over the centre of the drum, and it'll be "fine." Anyway, the sound man in the back said it "sounded alike a shotgun blast in the front..." Suddenly, I heard a voice through my in-ears uttering profanities. It was the stage sound man (who was just next to Gary) cussing me out. At the end of the piece, I hand-signalled him that his talkback mic was on. I couldn't help but laugh at his face when he discovered that every horrible thing he had said about me had been heard. Afterward, I walked out to catch some of the atmosphere and some older hippy chick said, "I was here for the very first Festival, and was in charge of the gate." I just looked it up, and there are two different "firsts" -- on the first is 1914, but she didn't look ninety, so I'm going to go with 1970 -- the day after Hendrix died. About 1500 people were there. A far cry from today, or even the day to which I am referring. We were lucky to get an absolutely beautiful day. As we left, I saw what appeared to be a field with thousands of tents. "The Pasture is Tents!" I said. Nobody got it. In my mind, this day still stands out as a great experience, a beautiful day, and a successful one at that. The only thing sad was that they confiscated a bunch of beer we had in the van. I'm not a beer drinker, but Rockette was sad. No glass bottles at Glastonbury. A lot of people walking around barefoot, and broken glass on the ground is not a good combination. Newcastle Brown, almost a full case, gone. Every year, I send Mark Boston flowers in sympathy. What I want to know is who gets all that beer at the end of the Festivities? Have a great day!
You always have to take into consideration the circumstances . . . . . . . . . . . .
Here The Magic Band ( John French, Gary Lucas, Denny Walley, Mark Boston, and Michael Traylor) rip into a classic number from Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's "Clear Spot" album live on national Swedish TV 4's breakfast show during a Swedish tour in May 2006.
a favourite track from the best incarnation of The Magic Band as I saw them in Oxford that year!
"I noticed Denny's article down below*, which I had never seen before. Thanks! It reminded me of this article in Modern Drummer -- the ONLY article they've every published about me -- and what is the name of the section? "What Do You Know About..." LOL. I really tried to convince them to include a couple of drum patterns with the article, but basically all they wanted to do was talk about Don. Oh Well... Isn't this mag supposed to be about DRUMMING?
I asked the guy out of curiosity why they had never considered an article about me before and the writer said,
The only live vids I could find the other day after playing my Mallard albums and checking out how good they were . . . . . although ridiculously partisan about Don (and the Captain!) I took no part in the side taking he encouraged with the comment about 'bunch of quacks' from childish misplaced petty jealousy. . . . . . .
There were much better vids available at one point but I couldn't find any of the clips from the rest of the Rockpalast gig
For the scarcity value alone I will post this from the album which is Bill (Harkleroad) John (French - writing credits only) and Mark (Boston) and Art (Trip III) at their very best
Tracks
Mallard 1975
1. Back On The Pavement (David Wagstaff, Harkleroad) - 3:09
2. She's Long And She's Lean (Ted Alvy, Harkleroad) - 3:15
3. Road To Morrocco (Harkleroad, Boston) - 2:58
4. One Day Once (John French, Harkleroad) - 3:25
5. Yellow (Harkleroad) - 2:22
6. Desperadoes Waiting For A Train (Guy Clark Arr. Jim Dickenson) - 3:30
7. A Piece Of Me (French, Harkleroad) - 4:36
8. Reign Of Pain (Dan Moore, French, Harkleroad) - 3:03
9. South Of The Valley (John French, Arr. Harkleroad) - 4:48
10.Winged Tuskadero (Wagstaff, Harkleroad) - 3:18
11.Peon (Donald Van Vliet) - 3:26
MAGIC BAND Rehearsal DEMOS (+ John French on vocals)
Members:
Bill Harkleroad - Guitar
Alex Snoufer - Guitar
Mark Boston - Bass
John Thomas - Keys
John French - Drums & Vocals
00:00 A Piece of Me
04:12 Let That Child Live
07:36 Reign of Pain
10:52 One Day Once
14:12 Hot Ice (Instrumental)
18:22Hot Ice (Vocals)
John French:
That demo was recorded in two places. The instrumentals were recorded in Bill's "shed" house in Arcata. He had a loft bed, and the drums were underneath. That was the "drum booth." The vocals were added in Malibu at the beach house of some famous DJ ( can't recall which one, but it could have been Casey Kasem). Ted Alvy, as I recall, did the technical stuff using the DJ's tape decks. I think the shower was my vocal booth!
The personnel was Bill Harkleroad, Alex Snouffer, Mark Boston, John Thomas ( keys) and myself. We were planning on getting a drummer and I would just sing, but it never happened. BTW -- we were never called Mallard then. That was a name they chose after re-forming without me. We were "The Magic Band."
I noticed that "Hot Ice" riffs were later used on "You Know You're a Man." Probably, Don just used a riff of Bill's and claimed it as his own. I know Bill would never do that.
It must have been the Fall of 1974. We rapped it a couple of months later. I came back to Lancaster from Northern California on November 21. I was 26.
I've never been much on lyrics and would have much rather played instrumental music, but I think that the music ( mostly Bill's) really was the shining moment in that music. I had been in theater for three years when they called me to play and so had to start over with the singing. I can't remember much about this, but will give a listen on my iPod while working and see what comes back.
We recorded this music in Bill's shed -- where he was living with his girlfriend at the time. We borrowed a Teac 3340 -four-track tape recorder and begged a bunch of mics and a mixer off some friends. Bill was the main impetus of the group when I showed up. The first thing I heard was "One Day Once" and I went outside and wrote lyrics in about 10 minutes. Art Tripp was still playing drums at that point but he left shortly after -- burned out from the music business. Most of the stuff was in the wrong key for me. All the stuff that says "Harkleroad, Music" was written before I arrived with the exception of "Reign Of Pain" which was a song I did with another band . Bill added the middle section.
Hot Ice may have been a collaboration on the lyrics.
That's about all I know. Just don't call it a "Mallard Demo." It was The Magic Band then. Mallard was something they came up with after I left.
