WHO IS THIS MINNESOTA BAND?- ASI Studios’ Mystery Group #1

I’m guessing this is from 1976-1978. Unlabeled demo tape found in the stash of ASI Studio reels. Two tracks you can check out (with cut-off endings).

Come On Come On

track two was CONFIRMED by Gregg Inhofer: PEPPER FOG Please let the Sunshine

Hard rockin’ vinyl LP by Minnesota band ROXX from 1976

Bassist Paul Tobako recently shed some light on this enigmatic record. Paul and drummer Tim Flaherty were both from Brooklyn Center, the other band members were from various parts of town. Roxx were based on a farm on the east side of the Twin Cities metropolitan area for awhile, some members lived there from time to time. Paul claims he auditioned for the band there, when there was three feet of snow on the ground. The farm was “run down, but still nice enough”.  They played quite a bit in Canada, traveling Highway 1 all the way from Thunder Bay to Edmonton. During a residency in St Louis, the band stayed in a condominium-like complex, and the songs for ‘Get Your Roxx Off’ were written in the pool room there. The band eventually got a vehicle for transport, a used Old Dutch Potato Chips delivery truck.

Thanks to Paul for giving me the go-ahead to present this stuff. Paul and Tim put out a CD in the early 1990s under the name Coldfire, here is some to check out on YouTube.

Born to Roam

Boogie Rock and Roll

Don’t Need You Girl

Early 1980s hard-rock/boogie vinyl LP recorded in St Paul: ZINK

The ZINK LP was a studio project by some Minnesota bar band and studio veterans, recorded at Fed DeVir’s basement studio in St Paul, MN. Written and put together by deft guitarist Steve Wellens, it also featured vocals and drums by Paul “Rock” Ducharme, who was Warren Kendrick’s ‘hired gun’ drummer at Warren’s Audio City Studio a few years earlier. Steve was in a couple of bar bands Runner and Brazz (see the song “Bolero for Brazz” on the Zink LP), and Paul was in Rigel from 1977-81, and played on the ZOSER 7″ “Dark of the Morning” that Warren released on the Hexagon label, which also released the second Litter LP. Paul has some recent recordings made in his home studio up on SoundCloud here. Here is what Steve is up to now.

Thanks to Steve and Paul for the go-ahead to post these songs, what a cool obscure Twin Cities LP!

Coffee Can Do It

Home Tonight

Bolero for Brazz

Mutations

Sovreign- hard rock cover band from East Side of St Paul 1977

(left to right)

Dean Johnson- drums

Tom Neubauer- vocals

Robb Anderson- guitar

Marty Kearney- bass, vocals

Sovreign were Harding High School’s greatest offering of 1970s rock and roll. They practiced in basements on Minnehaha & Howard St, then on Third Street across from the school, even in Mrs. Wilhelm’s basement for a year! The seven songs presented here are cover versions of songs made famous by Montrose, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and Johnny Winter. The photos shown were taken at the Third St practice space- note the Zig Zag guy on the wall. Dino went on to drum for St Paul Power Poppers Smart Alex (see earlier blog posting), Marty had a career in the music biz for over a dozen years. These songs and photos present a better snapshot of that lost age of the East Side Rock than I ever could have hoped to show you. Thanks to Marty Kearney for giving me permission to present Sovreign to you again.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND these are basement practice tapes from 1977, as played by high school-age musicians…the recordings are primitive, and I think they’re pretty great!

Rock Candy

Free Bird

NIB

Wild Horses

Self Destructive Blues/All I Need

Snowblind