Calico Wall
- Thread starter mikael
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2011
- Location
- The shores of southern CT
Check the issue of Lost & Found magazine that featured numerous interviews with Minnesota groups and performers.
I'm not home right now, otherwise I could check the issue number.
The Calico Wall is one of the featured groups.
I'm not home right now, otherwise I could check the issue number.
The Calico Wall is one of the featured groups.
Awesome. Thanks.
Perkeo
Ikon Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
Haven't come across the Lost and Found issue I was referring to yet, long story short, studio project with Peter Steinberg/Candy Floss involvement attempting to cash in on Psychedelia, there were some group promo pics but I don't think they ever played live, drummer was from Mike Waggoner and the Bops.
Smith is on everything
Looking thru the 'Free Flight - Unreleased Dove Recording Studios' liners, and they do hint that Steinberg really is Smith.
The band was previously called the Night Caps (but Steinberg wasn't in it)
Reasonable conclusion is than the Night Caps were Calico Wall with Steinberg providing the songs (As "Smith")
AND singing them.
The band was previously called the Night Caps (but Steinberg wasn't in it)
Reasonable conclusion is than the Night Caps were Calico Wall with Steinberg providing the songs (As "Smith")
AND singing them.
Perkeo
Ikon Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
I believe you are correct regarding Steinberg handling the vocals, but I 'm not sure he did them on both Living Sickness and Flight Reaction. There is of course the WC Fields sounding section....
He sang both according the liners. Also backing were the Underbeats. Calico Wall folded when Steinberg was drafted
and they never got to perform live. Only 125 copies sold of the Flight Reaction 45 :-)
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2011
- Location
- The shores of southern CT
The article on Calico Wall is in Lost & Found magazine issue #2.
A quick summary:
The only member of Mike Waggoner & the Bops involved in the project was their drummer, Don Lentz
Other members of the group, including Lentz, were playing and recording as the Night Caps. Members were:
Pat Donahue, Gary Neilsen, and Don Dax.
They backed a local DJ, Lou Reigert on two songs released as a single on the Soma label. They also went to record at Chess studios but they never finished one song due to disagreements with the studio engineers. They went into Dove Recording studios in late 1965 to record four songs as a demo. This is how Dove recording engineer Peter Steinberg discovered the group, after hearing the demo.
He went to watch their show at a popular club called Herb's in the fall of 1966. Since the guys were also working at Dove when need as studio musicians, Steinberg hoped to put together his vision of a psychedelic masterpiece. He was not a musician, however, so the guys struggled to play what Steinberg "heard in his head". Steinberg wasn't satisfied with anybody singing the song "Flight Reaction" or "I'm A Living Sickness" so he ended up doing the vocal. He brought in some members of the Underbeats to sing the backing vocal on "Flight Reaction"; it took nearly one whole day for them to get it done to Steinberg's satisfaction. Once the 45 came out in March, 1967, Steinberg promised big things, but he ended up getting drafted, and that ended the Calico Wall project.
A quick summary:
The only member of Mike Waggoner & the Bops involved in the project was their drummer, Don Lentz
Other members of the group, including Lentz, were playing and recording as the Night Caps. Members were:
Pat Donahue, Gary Neilsen, and Don Dax.
They backed a local DJ, Lou Reigert on two songs released as a single on the Soma label. They also went to record at Chess studios but they never finished one song due to disagreements with the studio engineers. They went into Dove Recording studios in late 1965 to record four songs as a demo. This is how Dove recording engineer Peter Steinberg discovered the group, after hearing the demo.
He went to watch their show at a popular club called Herb's in the fall of 1966. Since the guys were also working at Dove when need as studio musicians, Steinberg hoped to put together his vision of a psychedelic masterpiece. He was not a musician, however, so the guys struggled to play what Steinberg "heard in his head". Steinberg wasn't satisfied with anybody singing the song "Flight Reaction" or "I'm A Living Sickness" so he ended up doing the vocal. He brought in some members of the Underbeats to sing the backing vocal on "Flight Reaction"; it took nearly one whole day for them to get it done to Steinberg's satisfaction. Once the 45 came out in March, 1967, Steinberg promised big things, but he ended up getting drafted, and that ended the Calico Wall project.
