Nancy Neon’s Notes: THE JACKETS’ Jack, Schmidi, and Chris Reveal the Spark That Fires Their Sound

Text by Nancy Neon / FFanzeen, Jan 2019
Images from the Internet

Kenne Highland of The Gizmos and The Boston Groupie News' Editor-at-Large explains what sets The Jackets apart from the current barrage of garage rock bands: he describes them as having "the gymnastics of the Monterey Pop era Who and Love It To Death Alice Cooper spider eyeliner, while playing The Kinks at Kelvin Hall feedback-inducing solos while crowd surfing." My introduction to The Jackets came with "Wasting My Time," 3 minutes and 53 seconds of pure Dionysian frenzy.

The band is based in Bern, Switzerland. The lineup is Jack Torera aka Jackie Bruschte on guitar and lead vocals, Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger on bass and vocals, and Chris Rosales, from Southern California, on drums and vocals. Jack’s and Schmidi's vocal interplay is distinctive, adding an extra layer of interest to the band's vocal arrangements. At the Cambridge, MA show, October 5, 2018, Torera's vocals were described by Jeff Kabot of The Superkools and The Downtowners as a "grittier Chrissie Hynde" or in a "Grace Slick mode.” As Michael Passman, garage maven and photographer in Austin, TX, remarked "Jack can scream!" Torera mixes up a potent elixir of rhythm and lead guitar prowess that hooks the fans. She is constantly in motion, kicking, gesticulating wildly, and even executing arabesques like a garage rock prima ballerina.

The Jackets 'songs are rebellious and defiant-Youthquaker anthems of autonomy. The Jackets cite their influences as The Music Machine, The Monks, and The MC5. The trio does deliver a kick out the jams level of impact, mixing ‘60s punk with ‘70s punk into a potent, irresistible, and addictive cocktail. I have never seen such a fierce band that is also full of good humor, high spirited fun, and full blast excitement. .No band has ever answered the "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" question so definitively-The good times are here and now with The Jackets.

Torera has a magnetic presence and binds the crowd together and pulls them into a tribal dance like a shaman. John Keegan, writer and photographer of The Boston Groupie News counted the show's highlights as "Keep Yourself Alive," "Hands Off Me," and "Freak Out.” For me, it was my first and favorite: the wild, frenetic "Wasting My Time,” the angry admonition to a bad boyfriend, "Hang Up,” the exhilarating "Don't Turn Yourself In,” and the autonomy anthem delivered as a pure punk assault, “Be Myself."

Michael Passman describes The Jackets as "raw fuzz like The Cynics, but loud like Billy Childish"(who helped make Toe Rag studios in London famous). Passman adds, "The Jackets’ record label, Voodoo Rhythm, is the best label as far as great bands go, including Jackets’ friends and tour mates, The Darts."

It has been two weeks since The Jackets show and I am still asking myself " Why did the band make me feel like a wild, uninhibited teenager again, and what made seeing The Jackets like hearing rock 'n' roll for the first time? " Mike Stax of The Loons and Ugly Things magazine responded, "The Jackets strip rock 'n' roll down to its basic, essential components. Then they build something fresh, something that is unique to their personalities and need for self-expression. It feels new because it is unique and free of cliché and gimmickry"

The Jackets’ drummer, Chris Rosales, explains the rock'n'roll kinship that brought together: The Jackets, with The Loons and The Darts with whom they toured and who helped bring The Jackets to the US,” of which Rosales says, "The connection is good ole rock and roll. As far as my connection with Mike Stax, I first met Mike when I was a regular at Greg Shaw's Cavern Club in the ‘80s. As for The Darts, we met in France a few years ago. Nicole Laurenne invited us to tour with The Darts and we just did it. Then there is the ”Little Steven Underground Garage” connection. So put that all in a pot and stir it vigorously, and that is how The Jackets came to the USA.

When asked what it was like to tour with The Jackets, Nicole, The Darts' singer, who was also brilliant and a personal fave in The Love Me Nots and Motobunny, said "Touring with the Jackets is the most comfortable, easy tour we've done to date. They are not only top-notch musicians but sweet and genuine people with a strong work ethic. They love Indian food as much as we do. We miss them so much. We know they burned Boston right to the ground." Buy The Jackets records, but absolutely do not miss experiencing them live because just as Kabot says, "Just when you thought it had all been done with three chord garage rock, The Jackets have not just reinvented it, they own it!.”



Jack Torera (guitar, vocals);"Schmidi" Schmidiger (bass);Chris Rosales (drums)  

Nancy Neon: Who or what made you want to be a singer?

Jack Torera: It was more of an accident when a friend convinced me to join their punk band when I was 19 to play guitar and sing. Shortly after that, we had a gig and it was like an explosion for me. There was this wild, raw thing that came out of me onstage that I didn't know before.

Nancy: And who influenced your vocal style?

Jack: Playing in many bands and many concerts over the years. I never had an idol or a certain style I wanted to achieve. I just do what I do in my own way and that is good.

Nancy: What artist or songwriter made you want to create your own songs?

Jack: Not a specific artist or songwriter. It was more the DIY movement and the culture from ‘60s garage punk bands... the idea that "everybody can play music" as long as it is authentic and direct from the heart. I always wanted to play my own songs. For me, that is what makes a band a real band.

Nancy: What songwriters made the most positive impact on your writing style?

Jack: A great inspiration for songwriting is Arthur Lee of Love and Sean Bonniwell of The Music Machine. I never get bored of their songs because they are varied which I like, and always sound authentic.

Nancy: Which musicians inspired you to play music?

Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger: I am originally a guitar player. My main guitar influences are Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, and Reverend Beat Man[Reverend Beat Man and his band The Monsters are The Jackets’ label mates on Voodoo Rhythm Records - NN]

Nancy: What bass players do you admire?

Schmidi: John Entwistle of The Who definitely inspired me as a bass player. I admire Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Robert Butler of The Untold Fables and Miracle Workers that introduced me to the world of Mosrite basses.

Nancy: How did you get your start as a drummer?

Chris Rosales: I started playing in my garage in the ‘80s. I had a record player next to my drum set turned up to the highest volume on one of those ‘70s portable record players. I would play along to The Seeds and The Doors because I was into the ‘60s garage rock revival of the ‘80s. The Seeds' drummer, Rick Andridge, had a very basic style that was easy to copy, like the beat on "Can't Seem To Make You Mine." From The Doors' drummer, John Densmore, I learned the Bossa Nova and single and double stroke drum rolls. The Sonics' drummer, Bob Bennett had a huge influence on me with the way he played that bass drum. But it was probably Ringo Starr, Mickey Dolenz, and my Dad – who was a jazz drummer in the late ‘50s – who influenced me aesthetically to want to sit behind a band and play drums.

Nancy: The Loons and The Darts helped bring The Jackets to the US. You are also tight with The Woogles and have recently toured with them. How did you get hooked up with The Woogles?

Chris: I met The Woogles in the early 2000s in Switzerland when I was playing in the Get Lost with members of The Miracle Workers [The Miracle Workers had their debut album, Inside Out on Bomp! Records and were based in Portland, OR and in Los Angeles, CA – NN] The Get Lost played a few gigs with The Woogles and we hit it off. I also got to know their drummer, Dan Electro while I was producing a podcast in the 2000's on the garagepunk.com network where he was also a podcaster.

 

 

 

The Heaven That Was ’67: Garage Punk [1985]

By Nancy Foster / FFanzeen, 1985

* = Additions by Robert Barry Francos, 1985

Introduction and live photos © Robert Barry Francos, 2018

Flyers from the personal collection of Robert Barry Francos

Videos from the Internet

This article was originally printed in FFanzeen, issue #5, dated 1985, by the irrepressible Nancy Foster, aka Nancy Neon.

While I enjoyed the hardcore sounds of the 1980s, I was drawn more to the new garage style, often going to see the bands that often played places like the Dive and Irving Plaza. Some of them were quite aggressive, like the Chesterfield Kings, and some were more pop, like the Cheepskates. I remember hanging out with the ‘Skates at the main floor bar while they played pool during one Super Bowl Sunday before a performance in the 1980s. Don’t get me wrong, when I say pop I certainly don’t mean sedate; just listen to the drumming on “Run Better Run,” because it is fierce, but you felt safer with them onstage. For example in the other direction, at one show at Maxwells, Kings’ singer Greg Prevost was jumping from the stage and swinging on the huge amps attached to the ceiling by chains. I moved to the back of the venue, just in case.

Of course, there were other bands that didn’t get mentioned because, well, there were so many of them, such as the Cynics (Pittsburgh) and to some level, even the Cramps.

The bands were exciting, the fashions were cool, the haircuts were wild, and the sounds were driving beats usually backed by an electric organ. Often I’d go with Nancy, or others, to these shows and just let go of all my worries.

Click on the name of the band below to see a sample their work. – Robert Barry Francos, 2018.

Call it garage grunge. Call it neo-psychedelia or punk/psych. There’s a real ‘60s revival going on in NYC, Rochester, Boston, and LA. When one mentions the ‘60s, Joe Q. Public thinks of throngs of naked hippies, Woodstock, and the Grateful Dead. But I’m not talking about love-ins, Haight-Ashbury (hashbury!), or nude herds of mush(room) minds, I’m talking about The Heaven that was ’67: chicks in minis, Yardley cosmetics, Cleopatra eyeliner, fishnets, etc.; guys with pudding basin haircuts in Prince Valiant style, Wayfarer shades, paisleys, and black leather. I’m talking about Vox and Rickenbacker guitars, Vox organs, and bringing sex and danger to rock’n’roll. I mean intense, not mellow. I’m talking about the coolest era in the wild, wild world.

The grooviest groups in NYC are the Vipers, the Fuzztones, Mad Violets, Outta Place, Cheepskates, and the Tryfles. Boston has the Lyres (my fave raves) and the Prime Movers. Rochester has the Chesterfield Kings, and LA has Rain Parade, Long Ryders, 3 O’clock and the Unclaimed.

Whereas the East Coast combos of cool are more influenced by the ominous, sinister sounds of the Sonics, the Standells and the Chocolate Watchband, the LA groups are mostly influenced by the more mystical, melodic, introspective sounds, such as made famous by folk rock sensations, the Byrds (except the Unclaimed, who are pure primitive punk!

The Vipers

THE VIPERS recently got signed by Passport Records, who are releasing their long-awaited LP, Outta the Nest. Previous to this, they were turning NYC on to their fab sounds at the Dive’s Thursday night Cavestomps. The line-up is Jon Weiss (vocals, sax, harmonica), Paul Martin (lead guitar), Pat Brown (drums), Graham May (bass), and Dave Mann (keys, harmonica, guitar). 

The Fuzztones

THE FUZZTONES have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of Tina Peel,  a warped ‘70s Archies. The Fuzztones pledge their allegiance to the punk/psych sounds of the ‘60s. The original members are Rudi Protrudi (lead vocals, guitar) and Deb O’Nair (keys and backup vocals). Their set includes hot covers of “Shapes of Things to Come” and “Riot on Sunset Strip,” complete with flashing lights and sirens. 

MAD VIOLETS stars Wendy Wild [d. 1996 – RBF, 2018], ex- of Pullsallama.  She’s the wildest dancer and a fab dresser, when she makes the ‘60s scene mushroom queen. One night she pulled a Goldie Hawn a la “Laugh In,” wearing a bikini top, miniskirt, and body paint. Their version of the 13th Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is positively warped! 

THE CHEEPSKATES are one of the top dance bands. Their version of “Little Latin Lupe,” the Kinks’ “I Need You,” and the Yardbirds’ “Over Under Sideways Down” has the kids dancing in the aisles. Their “Run Better Run” single, on Midnight Records, is perfectly primitive.  

The Tryfles

TRYFLES are a great live band that has loads of originals, as well as intense covers like “The World’s Not Round, It’s Square” and “Way to Die.” One of the more visible bands on the circuit today. * 

OUTTAPLACE stars Chandler (lead vocals), Shari (nubile Morticia on keys), Orin (bass), Jordan (guitar), and Andrea (drums). They have a wild, wild record out on Midnight. You’ll seldom see so many groovy looking people in one place. [Late news: Outta Place no longer exist as a band, but their record on Midnight is worth checking out – NF, 1985.] 

The Chesterfield Kings

THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS have a 1982 album on Mirror Records that’s already a garage classic, and have just released a new single, “She Told Me Lies,” on the same label. They dress cool and take their hair style cues from Brian Jones. You might recognize lead singer Greg Prevost as writer of Future fame, and more recently Outasite! 

THE MYSTIC EYES from Buffalo features ex-the Good  leader Bernie Kugel on lead guitar and vocals, with ex-Davy & the Crockets leader Dave Meinser on backing (and occasional lead) vocals and guitar. Their music is wild, raunchy, and Bernie’s vocals are not to be believed! Their main influences are “The Honeymooners” and “Green Acres.” [Note: not to be confused with the German band with the same name – RBF, 2018] * 

THE PRIME MOVERS pump out a powerful potion of mod garage soul. Their hyped-up version of Lou Reed’s “Waiting for My Man” makes them heavy garage contenders. [Thanks to Blair Buscareno for the link - RF, 2019.] 

The Lyres

THE LYRES, who have been called by some as “white soul,” have a real gritty, garage sound. The Lyres put out great records, most recently a fantabulous album called On Fyre on Ace of Hearts Records, and put on mind-bending shows featuring intense frontman Jeff ”Monoman” Connolly. 

Salem 66

SALEM 66 are a cool Byrds-type psychedelic band from Boston, who follow in the footfalls (and far surpass) the likes of Dream Syndicate and the dull Green on Red. Formerly an all-girl trio consisting of Judy Grunwald on guitar and lead vocals, Beth Kaplan on bass, and Susan Merriam on drums, they have invited male guitarist Robert Wilson to join their fold and make the sound even fuller. This band has a rockin’ new album and single out on Homemade Records. * 

THE LONG RYDERS, on 10-5-60, are more devout to their ‘60s pilgrimage. Spectres of the Byrds weave through the melody lines and especially Sid Griffin’s (guitar/vocals) hero, the late Gram Parsons. The Country & Western twang of “You Don’t Know What’s Wrong, You Don’t Know What’s Right” comes complete with steel guitar and it is real good kicks. On the title track, the smooth folk of the Byrds combines with the spunky Rhythm & Blues of the Yardbirds for a provocative musical hybrid. 

THE RAIN PARADE’s Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is my favorite of these three LA releases. The music is more mystical, and lusher with its languorous and magical melodies. The soft, introspective tone vocally, along with the sitar, enhances the ethereal feeling that the record inspires. “I Look Around” sounds like a more cerebral Hollies. 

Pandoras

THE PANDORAS are an incredibly good band that could be a female flip-side of the Chocolate Watchband, giving many East Coast garagers a run for their money. Their LP, It’s About Time, on Voxx Records, has no sense of innocence blocking its way as it raunches out with Paula Pierce’s (d. 1991) scratchy and screaming vocals, along with haunting instrumentals. * 

A couple of other bands you might want to check out for a mild psychedelic sound are the Things and Eyes of Mind, both of whom have albums out on that super label, Voxx. *

If you dig the ‘60s sound ‘80s-style, but you still crave the real thang, check out a groovy French record company called Eva and their extensive listing of cool combos: “Diddy Wah Diddy” (Barry & the Remains), “Calm Before The…” (Rising Storm), etc.

Bomp!/Voxx, “Where the ‘60s never ended,” proves its slogan with great plastic platters like Acid Vision, High in the Mid-Sixties, and my persona faves, Electric Sugar Cube Flashbacks, Vols. I and II, which contain rare British punk/psych ‘60s gems and the reigning ruler of my turntable, The Tongues of Truth by the Grodes, a terrific Tucson combo who did the original version of “Let’s Talk About Girls,” which has often been considered a Chocolate Watchband original.

THE GOODest Story Ever Told: A Semi-Eyewitness Account [1980]

By Dave Meinzer / Rockers Magazine, 1980

Introduction © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018

Images from the Internet

 

This article was originally printed in Buffalo, NY-based Rockers periodical, which was published from 1979-1980.  This article is from the March 1980 issue, and was written by Buffalo musician Dave Meinzer. For a while, Dave was also in a very early version of The Good, and later formed his own cult band, Davy and the Crocketts. They released some great vinyl on local BCMK Records that are worth seeking out. This article is published with his permission.

I still remember where I was when, in high school, Bernie Kugel told me he was thinking of picking up the guitar. And here’s a little known fact: before there was the Good, there was Les Biens. It consisted of Bernie on guitar and vocals, and a pathetic me on bass. Between Bernie’s mom, Goldie, going ballistic about the name (“It sounds like ‘lesbian’!”), my totally admitted ineptitude, and Bernie moving away to attend Buffalo State College, Les Biens soon transformed into the Good when he arrived Upstate. Now, Bernie has been inducted in the Buffalo Musicians Hall of Fame for his work in the Good and the Mystic Eyes. HERE is a photo essay of Bernie.


Dee Pop would move to NYC and become an extremely influencial drummer in bands like the Bush Tetras and the Gun Club. Vincent Gallo would move out West and become a well-known actor, and also direct films like Buffalo '66 (1998), which would be dedicated, in part, to Bernie Kugle [sic].


I'm sure Bernie and Dave won't mind if I dedicate this reprint to Mary Martin Moser. - Robert Barry Francos - 2018.

Photo by Dennis Concepcion

This guy and this girl

Out West in the 1880s

The girl says to the guy

‘I'm goin’ off with your best friend’

He says, ‘Well you can do that but

I’m gonna be back after I

Walk around the world…

To prove my love for you.’

– “Walk Around The World,” Bernle Kugel © 1980

 

The Good are on stage at the Muscular Dystrophy Dance Marathon in Buffalo State College’s Social Hall. Most of the captive dancers are having a grand time as are a large number of paying customers. People are yelling and screaming during loud, tightly played versions of such Good songs as “Walk Around The World” and “She’s The Kind of Girl You Can Trust.” Girls are grabbing at the tails of Good leader Bernie Kugel’s oversize T-shirt. People laugh and dance their way through progressively messy but enjoyable versions of rock‘n’roll classics “Road Runner,” “Gloria” and (killing two birds with one stone) a simultaneous medley of “Louie, Louie” and “Wild Thing.”

 

That was November 1979; I was there. I wasn’t in the band then, but there have been times...

 

The Good is Bernie Kugel, plain and simple. Musicians (and other odd sorts) come and go (and come again), but Bernie and his sense of humor and romance stay. He writes the songs. All of his songs are about love: how being in love is “like getting mail on Sunday,” the promise of wedded bliss, or just the reminiscence of a happy time. Bernie says he writes songs “to try to explain what it’s like to walk down Elmwood Avenue alone late at night.”

 

Bernie and RBF - Photo by Suzanne Newman

Bernie first played with a band called the Good In September of 1976, at a Buffalo State arts fair. He set up in the Student Union lobby with three backing musicians and began playing songs he’d written. Things didn’t go well and bass player Vinnie Catera quit toward the end of the set. Drummer Doug Webb packed up during the last song. Guitarist Sean Smith wound up sitting on the edge of the stage with a mandolin; Bernie wound up with bleeding fingers and a reputation.

 

For reasons I don’t remember, I was there that time, too; I helped Webb get his drums home.

 

The Good reappeared in the dormitories of Buffalo State when Bernie was introduced to Marlene Weisman, who had a similar New York City/CBGB’s taste in music. UB journalism student Dee Pop became the drummer after Bernie loaned him $60 for a beat up set of Swap Sheet drums. Marlene played a borrowed bass guitar for a while, but had problems (including falling down a flight of stairs and breaking the bass, leaving it with three strings) so Bernie’s roommate, Steve Lum, took over. This band played one show, with the legendary Blue Reimondoes (now the Party Nuggets), at Buffalo State in May 1977.

 

Marlene rejoined the band in the fall as lead vocalist, singing Bernie’s songs from a female point of view. They performed once, for a class at UB. “They kept telling us to turn it down,” Bernie remembers, “and (Dee) didn’t have anything to hold his drums down, and he had to keep chasing them across the floor in the middle of songs.”

 

A few months later I rehearsed with Bernie and Dee as a bass player, but that version of the band never performed. Mac McKernan also played with them around this time.

 

Bernie’s next appearance was once again at Buffalo State, as a guest playing with the Jumpers during their debut performance in February 1978. In the crowd was guitarist Dave McCreary, who later asked Bernie if he could play In the Good. Dee stayed on drums and Play It Again, Sam’s [a long gone but still beloved record store on Elmwood Ave – RBF, 2018] resident kid, Little John Simon, played the same old bass, which now had four strings again.

 

Photo by RBF

By May, however, Buffalo State photography student Jef Allen had come to me looking for a band to play bass in. I referred him to Bernie (who had left a “Wanted: rock‘n’roll players not into drugs, for original band” notice in my office on the Buffalo State campus). Several other people had suggested the same thing, so Jef replaced Little John, who was too young to play in the bars Bernie hoped would hire the Good.

 

On the same May 1978 night that my band, Davy and the Crocketts, first performed at the Central Park Grill, this version of the Good made their only appearance. Dee (who played for both bands that night) soon quit the Good (and the Crocketts) to play with Kenmore punk band the Secrets full time. Two replacements were auditioned: Tim Switala (Rockers writer, UB Spectrum music editor and now in his own band, Eddie Haskell) and Russ Schoenwetter. Bernie chose Russ, “because he played softer.”

 

The Kugel-Allen-McCreary-Schoenwetter Good played more often, and as a result better, than any previous version of the band. Kugel songs like “Faith in Rock,” “Let’s Get Married” and “Be Truthful,” as well as covers of “Back in the U.S.A.” and “Pipeline,” were features of shows at Buffalo State, McVan’s and Hallwalls.

 

Unfortunately that band broke up when Russ had to leave town, $4,000 in debt. They rehearsed a couple of times for a Play It Again Sam’s sponsored single featuring “Back in the U.S.A.” (with the Jumpers’ Roger Nicol on drums), but the deal fell through and the band split up. Jef joined the then-forming Tourists (now Third Floor Strangers) and Dave started playing with Mark Freeland’s Electroman.

 

January of ’79, Bernie was back with the ninth version (more or less) of the Good. He performed on Gary Storm’s “Oil of Dog” radio show and at the Masthead with Vince Gallo on bass and guitarist Professor Scum (now known as Pfc. Parts of the new band Stripsearch). Professor Scum quit shortly after Larry Galanowitz joined on drums.

 

That winter, the band opened for the Enemies and the Tourists at McVan’s, and played a farewell show at the Masthead before going Into Tom Calandra’s College of Musical Knowledge Studios to record “Looking For You,” “Mail on Sunday” and “I’m Calling You,” all Kugel originals. Within a week Bernie had moved back to his parent’s house in Brooklyn.

 

Though he jammed with various people (including the Zantees, and Chris Stamey and the Db’s) Bernie got nothing going in New York. A visit to Buffalo in late July included a guest appearance at my birthday party (with Jef Allen on bass and Bruce Eaton on drums), and a special show at the Masthead with Russ Schoenwetter, Vince Gallo, and Dave McCreary playing drums and bass, Gary Horowitz and Rachael Weinstein adding keyboards, Bill LeStrange on saxophone and guitarist Bob Kozak (former Jumper and Tourist, one of Bernie’s best friends and a collaborator on several songs). I got to play tambourine on a song.

 

My real chance to play percussion with the Good came a couple of months later when Bernie moved back to Buffalo. He first started playing with Gary Horowitz (Farfisa organ and electric piano) and working out new songs he’d written while living in Brooklyn, most of which were musically more sophisticated than the two and three chord tunes of the early Good. Kathy Moriarty and I volunteered to be a temporary rhythm section. (We turned out to be more temporary than expected.) We played one show in late October with Extra Cheese at McVan’s, introducing Good fans to songs like “Walk Around the World” (written on his front porch in Brooklyn) and “Clouds.”

 

Three weeks later Bernie and Gary played the Buffalo State Dance Marathon with Bob Kozak on bass and Mike Brydalski (ex-Extra Cheese) on drums. Two days later Mike left for California and Bob’s friend Mike Hylant replaced him.

 

This is the band that played the New Wave New Year’s Party at the Buffalo Entertainment Theatre, and accompanied Bernie when he returned to Tom Calandra’s studio recently to record “Walk Around the World” and “Clouds” for a BCMK single to be released later this month. I sang a few high notes and twisted a few dials for which I earned a co-production credit.

 

Obviously Bernie is a survivor. When Bob and Mike quit to form their own band sometime soon, Bernie will search for, and find, a rhythm section for the Good, Mark 14.

 

More recent - Photo by RBF

Bernie is also rather literate. A former fanzine editor (Big Star Magazine) and contributor to the Shakin Street Gazette, Foxtrot, New York Rocker and Lord knows how many other small magazines for rock‘n’roll fanatics, he’s eager to provide quotes. They are the kind of quotes that can be pulled from an article and used as kickers and captions. Here are a few he gave me:

 

“It seems that everybody who’s ever been in a band in Buffalo seems to pass through my band on their way to... something.”

 

“Should I give a list of who all these songs are about so riots go on in Buffalo?”

 

“The happiest times in my life have been playing guitar on stage with a rock‘n’roll l band.”        

 

“I don’t care how much money I have just as long as I have one square meal every two days and my clothes laundered without getting them starchy and making my legs itch.” “My best rock‘n’roll moment came when I tried to teach Vince Gallo ‘Whole Lotta Shakin Goin’ On’ and he asked me if I wrote it.”

 

“I knew I should come back to Buffalo when I played tambourine with Davy and the Crocketts at Dave’s party in the summer time. It was a great party. Send in your petition to have Dave have a birthday party more often!”

 

Whatever... Bernie Kugel still looks two-thirds his actual age, still writes great songs, and still wears pants that don’t fit right.

 

And as you can see, the saga of the Good is a long and involved one. Not every story (Marlene’s bracelets, Dave McCreary’s saxophone, and what Vince Gallo is up to now) could be told and not every person (Brett, Jennifer – owner of the three-string bass, Friday Night Dave...) could be mentioned. If I left your name out, tough bananas.

 

Besides, Bernie Kugel still doesn’t say my name right...

 

MYSTIC EYES: Far Out Music for Fab Folks

Text and photos © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 1988
Introductory text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2015
Videos from the Internet

Scott, Eric, Craig (front), Bernie

I still remember, while still in high school, sitting in Bernie Kugel’s room when told me of his desire to play guitar. He learned quickly, and I joined on bass, which I did not do well at all. We called ourselves, Le Bien. When he went off to college in Buffalo, Le Bien was over and he started a group that would earn him cult infamy, The Good. Most of the now-classic singles recorded were at Tommy Calandra’s (bassist of Raven) studio BCMK (Buffalo College of Musical Knowledge), and released on Tommy’s label by the same name. A couple include “Walk Round the World” and “Judy.” Members of the Good, for a while, included future film star Vincent Gallo, who would give a shout out to Bernie in the credits of his directorial debut, Buffalo 66 (1998), and drummer Dee Pop, who would later form the Bush Tetras.

After the demise of the Good, Bernie formed his next group, Mystic Eyes, at first accompanied by BCMK musician/sound engineer Mike Brydalski, but it would gel into the band interviewed below. Proceeding numerous singles, additions onto compilations, and two albums on Get Hip Records (Pittsburgh), they found some level of success, and even had the Cynic’s cover Bernie’s “Girl, You’re On My Mind,” which played on MTV.

The band mostly played upstate New York, but they also gigged in the likes of CBGB’s (opening for Flat Duo Jets) and Maxwell’s (on a bill with the A-Bones and the Cynics), and even performed in Atlanta! When I went to the Netherlands in 1997, I stopped into a record shop in Utrecht and found the Mystic Eyes albums in an out-of-the-way record shop. Holding one of them up, I said to the guy behind the counter, “Why don’t you play this on the PA?” He smiled and said, “Yah, Bernie Koog’l, good stuff!” Of course, Bernie knew of the store and explained a kinship between them, Get Hip and Norton Records.

At the time this interview was conducted (each member was given the same list of questions via mail), garage rockers and record collectors, with rare exception (e.g., Mad Louie the Vinyl Junkie, who is a Buffalo fixture and legend) were anti-CD, as is reflected in the answers below. Part of the reason CDs were mocked was because it was obviously a trick by the record companies to add more songs to the CD than on the vinyl, and then say, “See, people want CDs!” Mostly, it was because of the sterile vs. warm sound. But what changed the dynamics was the ease of producing it digitally, and then copying it, which is much cheaper for the producer to duplicate than vinyl.

In 1998, guitarist Eric passed away from pancreatic cancer, followed by Craig moving to the Deep South in search of employment. With Scott in Binghamton and Bernie in Brooklyn, this led to the demise of the band, though everyone remains extremely good friends. Since, both Bernie and Craig have moved back to the Buffalo area, and I had the absolute pleasure to visit with Bernie and his wife Dawn (aka Tink) a couple of days in June 2014, and spend some of one afternoon with the unofficial comedy team of Bernie and Craig.

BernieKugel was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, in 2012. – RBF, 2015

Eric, Craig, Scott, Bernie at rehearsal

A more eclectic band you’re highly unlikely to meet. But first, as a group, this Buffalo (2), Binghamton (1) and Brooklyn (1)-based bunch have been together in different forms for a few years now, but always doing their own version of ‘60s punk garage sounds.

Anyway, they’ve put out some really good tracks so far: a cover of the Stoics’ “I Lost My World” on the Garage Sale compilation (ROIR Tapes), “I’m Glad I Walked Out That Door” on the Declaration of Fuzz collection (Glitterhouse Records, Germany); and the 45 of “My Time to Leave” b/w “From Above” (the latter a Q65 cover; Get Hip Records). They are all worth getting. An album on Get Hip is due [There would eventually be two LPs, Our Time to Leave and The Whole World is Watching – RBF, 2015].

As promised, now, the guys:

Well, it may not be printed on his tombstone, but in Buffalo, Bernie is, by far, a cult legend. His seminal band, the Good, took the city by sunshower (hence, a cult figure), but left an indelible mark on the area’s music scene, along with a few records, mostly recorded at local BCMK Records. Ever in search of a livelihood, Bernie, with wife Dawn (Tink) and tot Ben, moved back to Brooklyn recently (Bensonhurst, home of the Kramdens). This put a cramp in the band’s practicing, not to mention touring, but they manage to record and do the rest occasionally.

Craig is a cool guy who gets as much of a thrill out of rare animated films (cartoons) as he does a good ‘60s rocker. Practice is done in his basement (he owns the house [West Utica, in Buffalo – RBF, 2015]). When he and Bernie get together, the jokes fly as fast as fingers on a fret.

Scott is Craig’s brother. He’s the rabble-rouser of the band. His credo was summed up by an Adny Shernoff lyric: “Cars, girls (surfin’?), beer / Nothin’ else matters here.” I’ve seen him lift three cartons of LPs at once to finish and meet up with a date on time! He’s also the only one in the band who actually looks like he’s in a band. Scott recently relocated to Binghamton for his job.

Eric. Well, Eric is…Eric. Craig likes to draw comic strips of Eric’s life. Eric’s one of these guys who have mastered the guitar by sitting in his room, until joining this band. He’s damned good, and damned strange. Well, just look at his answers! ‘Nuff said.

 Name: BERNARD MARTIN KUGEL

• Nickname: Bernie
• Instrument: Guitar
• Other instruments played: Bass; other junk
• Equipment owned: 2 broken guitars (one is a Fender Telecaster)
• Influences: The Baroques; Ray Davies; Bo Diddley
• Previous bands: The Good; R.T. Jones & the Fabulous Beat Brothers; The Whotles
• First gig: Buffalo, mid-‘70s
• Top 5 LPs/45s at moment: Q65, “I Got Nightmares”; the Shaggs, “My Generation”; Bo Diddley, “What Do You Know About Love”; the Beatles, “Cats Walk”; the Monkees, “St. Matthew” (unreleased)
• Appx. number records owned: Uncountable
• Appx. number CDs owned: 0
• First record owned: Yellow children’s record (Peter & the Wolf?)
• First record bought: Beatles, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”
• Best gig ever seen: Two guys playing “Johnny B. Goode” for about four hours on a corner in Buffalo
• Worst gig ever seen: Erased from memory banks
• Non-musical hobbies: Comic books; playing with my son, Ben [then 2 years old; currently 29 years old – RBF, 2015]
• Fave movies: T.A.M.I. Show (Barbarians’ part) [1964]; The Producers [1967]; I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang [1932]; Head [1968]; Animal Crackers [1930]
• Fave TV shows: “The Honeymooners” [1955-56]; “Diver Dan” [1961]; “The Prisoner” [1967-68]; “Soupy Sales” (1959-62]; “The Fugitive” [1963-67]
• Fave TV characters: Ralph & Ed [Jackie Gleason; Art Carney – RBF, 2015]
• Fave actors: Ralph & Ed
• Fave actresses: Joyce Randolph & Alice [Audrey Meadows – RBF, 2015]
• Fave cartoon characters: Don Knotts in The Incredible Mr. Limpet [1964]; Scooby Doo
• Fave quote: “Before him there were none. After him no one will be. Here is the legendary…Bo Diddley” – Jukebox Jerry, NYC
• Fave joke: Three Kennedys in a rowboat. Lee Harvey Oswald swims up and Kennedy says…
• Fave food: Roast beef with gravy
• Fave drink: Cold water
• Last major accomplishment: Meeting Bo Diddley and talking to Joyce Randolph.
• Name of ideal woman: Elizabeth Montgomery
• Fave period of time in history: November 1963-November 1967
• What do you want written on your tombstone: Husband. Father. Cult Figure.
• Fave color: Shades of Gray.

Name: CRAIG DAVISON

• Nicknames: “Bernie” (ask Scott why); “Gillman Putty” (ask Bernie why)
• Instrument: Electric bass guitar
• Other instruments played: Cheesy Ace-tone organ; guitar; trombone (once-upon-a-time)
• Equipment owned: Vox violin bass; Hofner violin bass; Longhorn bass; Vox Phantom guitar; imitation Rickenbacker 12 string; Vox Super-Beatle amp; Silvertone 6-12 amp
• Influences: The Monkees; the Beatles; the Ventures; the Beach Boys; recent spate of un-earthed ‘60s bands (a la Pebbles, Crypt, Cicadelic, etc.)
• Previous bands: Various school orchestras (1967-73); Brew, drunken pre- and post-high school band (1972-78); Atones, a no-wave band (because) Bernie wouldn’t let me join the Good (1979); Valhalla, an interim name for Brew when we had two drummers (1974).
• First gig: I’m not sure! I’ll say it was a C.Y.O. dance at St. Paul’s Church in 1973 [St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Pearl St., Buffalo – RBF, 2015]
• Top 5 LPs/45s at moment: 45s:”My Time to Leave” / “From Above,” Mystic Eyes. LPs: Squires, Goin’ All the Way; the Beatles, Sessions; the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds; various artists, Open Up Yer Door; original soundtrack, Pennies From Heaven.
• Appx. number records owned: 300 LPs & 120 45s; plus, I am curator of Bernie Kugel’s Upstate collection, which is easily twice my entire library
• Appx. number CDs owned: Approximately none
• First records owned: “Popeye the Sailor,” Jack Mercer (Golden Records); first “rock” record, “Help” / “I’m Down,” the Beatles (folks thought I was too young to see the movie, so they bought me the single)
• First record bought: Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles (hey, I was 12 years old and I wanted to see if Paul was dead!)
• Best gigs ever seen: Jonathan Richman in Buffalo; Ultravox; Jan & Dean; the Turtles; Ricky Nelson; the Who (day after Cincinnati); the Ramones (1977); XTC; Mystic Eyes with the Cynics, Splatcats & the Chesterfield Kings (1986)
• Worst gigs ever seen: Jonathan Richman in Toronto; the Ramones (1985); Mystic Eyes at Buffalo State College (October 1984)
• Non-musical hobbies: Film collecting; TV watching; doodling; collecting rent
• Fave movies: It’s a Wonderful Life [1946]; The Producers ; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [1966]; My Favorite Year [1982]; Meet John Doe [1941]
• Fave TV shows: “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” [1986-51]; “The Rifleman” [1958-63]; “Maverick” [1957-62]; “Green Acres” (1965-71]; “SCTV” [1976-81]; “The Honeymooners”
• Fave TV characters: Characters in above shows, plus Josephine the Plumber, Mr. Whipple
• Fave actors: James Stewart; Cary Grant; James Garner; Lionel Barrymore; Jerry Lewis
• Fave actresses: Donna Reed; Maria Montez; Judy Garland; Elizabeth Taylor (in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
• Fave cartoon characters: Popeye; Bugs Bunny; Daffy Duck; Donald Duck; Screwy Squirrel
• Fave quote: “I’m going to wash these dishes if I have to stay up ‘til 3 in the morning!”
• Fave joke: Sans-a-Belt slacks; millionaire maker TV shows; any joke my brother tells me after being out all night
• Fave foods: Liver; bagels; home-made puff pastry; good pizza; Glazed Freddie’s Doughnuts (Buffalo delicacy)
• Fave drinks: Milk; coffee; iced tea; diet colas
• Last major accomplishment: Birth
• Name of ideal woman: Michelle Carey (fiancée)[they have been married a number of years now – RBF, 2015]
• Fave period of time in history: 1920-1972. Pop culture at its best! Movies, radio, TV, popular music, fashion! Over-ripe hippies & disco-crazed “me generation” nitwits ruined it from then on. P.S., “now” is always in the Top 2.
• What do you want written on your tombstone: Having my name spelled correctly will suffice!
• Fave color: Gray, gray and more gray!

 Name: ERIC LUBSTORFF

• Nickname: Rico (sometimes)
• Instrument: Guitar
• Other instruments played: Tambourine, etc.
• Equipment owned: Acoustic: Fender Villager 12-string (my first guitar). Hollow-body electric: Vox Super Lynx Deluxe; Fender Wildwood Coronado; Fender Coronado XII 12-string. Solid-body electric: Hagstrom II; Hagstrom Swede; Hagstrom (model unknown); Hagstrom 12-string; Gibson S-1; Gretch (Baldwin era, model unknown). Effects: MXR compressor; MXR Phase 100 phase shifter; MXR 6 band EQ; Dod-mini chorus 460; Boss DM-w delays; Boss flanger; Boss super overdrive; DOD distortion; Electro-Harmonix electric mistress flangers; Electro-Harmonix Dr. Q envelope follower; MXR noise gate; Rocktron Hush II noise reduction [etc.; list shortened from two legal-sized pages – RBF, 1988].
• Influence: The Byrds
• Previous bands: I can’t even remember their names; they never made it out of the basement
• First gig: An open mike at Nietzsche’s, on Allen St., Buffalo.
• Top 5 LPs/45s at moment: Well, I just rebought all my Byrds albums; I plan to rebuy the early Joni Mitchell LPs, too!
• Appx. number records owned: 60-70; I don’t have a lot of money for records
• Appx. number CDs owned: 0
• First record owned and bought: The Beatles, Meet the Beatles
• Best gigs ever seen: U2, at Shea’s Buffalo Theater, May 1983; the Go-Go’s, at Sherkston [Shores], Ontario, 1985 (I want to go out with Charlotte [Caffey])
• Worst gig ever seen: Various local bands
• Non-musical hobbies: DX-ing shortwave radio; listening to scanner radios; C.B. radios; photographing airplanes; reading non-fiction
• Fave movies: I seldom watch them
• Fave TV shows: “Nightline” [1980-present]; “Saturday Night Live” [1975-present]; “Upstairs, Downstairs” [1971-75]
• Fave TV characters: Ted Koppel; Alistair Cooke
• Fave cartoon characters: Doonesbury; Bloom County; Jimmy Carter
• Fave quote: “Could you turn it down please!” – Everybody
• Fave joke: Walter Mondale running for president in ’84
• Fave food: Submarine sandwich with genoa salami and loaded with hot peppers or hot sauce!
• Fave drink: Black coffee or tea
• Last major accomplishment: Giving first aid to a gunshot wound victim (I always wanted to do that)
• Name of ideal woman: I’m still looking – if you’re an ideal woman, please write me
• Fave period of time in history: The ‘60s: the Berlin Wall; space race; Bay of Pigs; Cuban missile crisis; Kennedy assassination; British Invasion; Vietnam War; long hair; Boeing 727; Mao’s Cultural Revolution (exciting, hunh? And you thought the ‘80s were tough)
• What do you want written on your tombstone: Made in U.S.A.
• Fave color: Anything but green.

 Name: SCOTT DAVISON

• Instrument: Drums
• Other instruments played: Bass; guitar
• Equipment owned: 1962 Kent drum set, flame red with orange polka-dots; Paiste cymbals
• Influences: Wild Turkey; cheap beer; Lucky Strikes; Lou Reed; Iggy Pop
• Previous bands: The Factor (Buffalo’s first punk band, 1978); Gag Order; the Fems
• First gig: School auditorium, playing bass in school orchestra; song was “Czech Folk Song”
• Top 5 LPs/45s at moment: Iggy Pop, New Values; General Public, All the Rage
• Appx. number records owned: 3 or 4
• Appx. number CDs owned: 0
• Best gigs ever seen: Devo, 1978; the Ramones, 1980.
• Worst gig ever seen: The Police
• Non-musical hobbies: Fishing; driving; refinishing my West Side apartment; anything that works up a sweat
• Fave movies: The Producers; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ; My Favorite Year
• Fave TV shows: “Maverick”; “Night Court” [1984-92]; “The Day the [Universe] Changed“ (PBS; 1985); The Rifleman” ; “Green Acres” (1965-71]
• Fave TV characters: Brett Maverick; David Addison [Moonlighting – RBF, 2015]
• Fave actors: Humphrey Bogart; Richard Burton; Peter O’Toole; Robert Mitchel; Sean Connery (as 007 only)
• Fave actresses: Liz Taylor; Kelly LeBrock; Ingrid Bergman; Ida Lupino
• Fave cartoon characters: Wile E. Coyote, Supah-Genius
• Fave quotes: “I would like a Yankee Whaler with no tar-tar [sic] sauce.” – My brother Craig at a Burger King drive-thru; “We are a civilized people!” – from Camelot; anything from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” particularly George’s soliloquy about the cherub-faced boy
• Fave food: Roast beef on weck roll with horseradish
• Fave drinks: St. Pauli Girl; Bavarian beer; coffee; Wild Turkey 101 either straight or mixed with Penguin-Cola
• Last major accomplishment: Ten weeks as camp counselor for the criminally insane in the Adirondacks last summer
• Name of ideal woman: Kelly LeBrock – looks & cool accent
• Fave period of time in history: Beat Generation to pre-hippie days
• What do you want written on your tombstone: What are you looking at? Scott Davison, 1961-2061, R.I.P.
• Fave color: The green that’s in my eyes (ah yes, the soul of a poet, wallet of a pauper).

 

Mystic Eyes Videowave non-interview (with Michael Kastelic of the Cynics; RBF as videographer):

 Mystic Eyes Videowave interview (with Buffalo cult idol Bob Kozak):