Knight Raiders - Edgewood Studios acetate

[Frantic]

Okay, let's give it a go. This is a link to the A side - "Hang it up..."

https://voca.ro/14yPkOIyuXNW

AWESOME!

 

[TJ Coro]

Great to hear this. Good transfer too. I'd definitely like to hear more about the band.

Wow! Thanks for all the interest in the Knight Raiders! I’m starting to recall some of the more interesting times with the band. Memories I haven’t thought of in years, one of which involves the Drifters. You remember…the fantastic group that introduced us to “Up On The Roof” and “Under The Boardwalk.” I only wish the originator of this thread, Mr. Raven, would show up. More to come later. -Steve

 

[13th Floor Garage]

Steve, thanks so much for sharing your music.
You can be assured that those of us hearing it for the first time this year... are into it just as much the year it was recorded. Great Stuff!

Look forward to you sharing your memories of being in the band.

 

[Marc]

"Hang It Up" is GREAT! Thanks for sharing!

 

[TJ Coro]

Steve, thanks so much for sharing your music…

Look forward to you sharing your memories of being in the band.

 

[TJ Coro]

Thanks for all the kind comments. Memories/stories to follow soon. -Steve

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

I just heard 'Hang it Up' - A-Class garage! Put me down for a copy when you release it, please! Thanks for the great photo and info as well, Steve; it really helps bring it to life.

 

[Rythmn Boy]

Agreed. I am on my second spin now. Really digging it. Thanks, Steve

 

[TJ Coro]

I just heard 'Hang it Up' - A-Class garage! Put me down for a copy when you reissue it, please! Thanks for the great photo and info as well, Steve; it really helps bring it to life.

Thanks so much! It’s truly nice to know you all enjoy our music. Brings a smile to my face. Background stories to follow soon -Steve

 

[TJ Coro]

Okay, I've been reflecting on my time with the Knight Raiders with the aid of limited notes I took during the early days of the band and my recollections. Turns out each memory triggered several more that I had forgotten about - some related to the band and some to my personal life as a result of being in the band. Too many to put in a single post. So, I decided to break it up into sections, or chapters, starting with the forming of the band to our final gig, which led to the break up. So, let's get started. Chapter 1 to follow shortly. I hope you enjoy them. -Steve

 

[TJ Coro]

Chapter I: The Dawning of the Knight Raiders. At the ripe old age of 14, I had been taking private drum lessons from Mr. Smith of Smiths Drum Shop in Wheaton, Maryland for several months when a Jr. High class mate, Butch Marstiller, asked if I would be interested in joining a band. Apparently, he and his two cousins, Jeff and Garry Phillips, were forming a rock band and needed a drummer. I agreed to give them a listen. The only problem, the Phillips lived in Damascus, Maryland, which was 1/2 hour from where I lived in Rockville, Maryland. Now, I don't remember how we got there, but somehow my drums and I made the trip. I liked what I heard, I liked the guys and they liked me, so I agreed to join the band. They practiced every Tuesday and Thursday, which created another problem - how the heck was I going to get there twice a week after school? At 14, I didn't have a drivers license and it was too far to ride my bike dragging my drums behind me.

Problem solved. Mrs. Phillips, the band manager, owned a tile business in Rockville and agreed to pick me up after work and drive me to their home in Damascus, where we practiced in the basement. Now, I just needed to find a way home after practice. My wonderful dad, who played piano in a band in the 1930s, agreed to pick me up after practice. An amazing guy! I think he actually enjoyed picking me up after practice and spending some private time with me discussing music. I enjoyed our rides home together listening to his music on WMAL (Adult Contemporary and Big Band stuff) and sometimes rock stations. I distinctly remember hearing Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane on some of the drives home. My dad died in 2014 at 98 years old. I miss him every day.

After a few practices, we had learned enough songs to enter a talent contest at the Rockville Volunteer Firemen's Carnival in August 1966. The Contest will be the subject of Chapter II.

 

[TJ Coro]

Chapter II: The Talent Contest. After only a few weeks of practice, we had learned a few songs and were ready to addition for the Rockville Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival Talent Contest.

August 7, 1966 - At the audition, we played "Dirty Water" and "Wipe Out." We felt pretty good about our performance and apparently, so did the selecting panel. They contacted us later that night to tell us we passed the audition. The first round of the contest was two nights later.

August 9, 1966 - We performed live at the Carnival grounds in Rockville, Maryland against several other local "garage" bands. We played the same two songs we played at the audition. The crowed went wild over "Wipe Out." If you are not familiar with that song, it was very popular in the early 60s and featured a bombastic drum solo by Ron Wilson. I loved playing it and tended to play the drum solo in the style of Mel Taylor of The Ventures, which was a bit more complex than the original by the Surfaris. We won the night as the only band to make it to the finals, along with a ballet dancer and a opera singer. I know....WTF.

August 17, 1966 - The finals were held on the last day of the Fireman's Carnival. We played three songs - "Little Latin Lupe Lu," by the Chancellors; "Slow Down"by the Beatles; and "Wipe Out"by the Surfaris. We had planned to play "Wooly Bully" by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, but for some reason did not. The crowed loved us and went wild like before! Yet, we came in second to the ballet dancer, to the confusion of a stunned crowed. But to be honest, there was no way any act was going to beat her. She was quite stunning in her sparkly leotard and bendy body, and it was the Fireman's Carnival, after all, so.....

After that, we started getting more job offers and became quite popular in the area. In October 1966, a local paper, The Montgomery County Sentinel, did a feature article on the band (article attached), which led to more gigs, which led to one of the biggest benefits of playing in a band (if not the biggest) and most likely the reason most of us learned to play an instrument in the first place - GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! But you'll have to wait until the next chapter to hear the details about what today are commonly referred to as "groupies." Chapter III coming soon. (Attached photo was taken the night of the contest.)

 

[chas_kit]

I like the history and the photos are great. Did you know other bands in the area? There were plenty at the time.

 

[13th Floor Garage]

Wow, you started at 14!!?? What a way to begin those teenage years! Sorry to read about your father. Even at 98, if you have a good relationship, it's too soon. I'm enjoying your writing style and look forward to future chapters. I remember you saying that a mom/mgr caught a few members enjoying the 60's a little too much. I look forward to reading about that... and of course, the introduction of groupies!

 

[TJ Coro]

I like the history and the photos are great. Did you know other bands in the area? There were plenty at the time.

Thanks, mate. Even though my posts receive several ‘likes,’ I was beginning to wonder if I’m the only one truely enjoying ‘em. Thanks for your comment.

Now, regarding your question about other bands. After the Beatles invaded America, it seemed like ‘all the young dudes’ on every street corner were forming bands - some good, most not so much. One of the best back then was “The Hangmen,” who had a hit record “What A Girl Can’t Do” from their Bitter Sweet album (Album Photo Attached).

I knew many of the other bands and was friendly with most, but there was one band from the same high school as Jeff and Gary Phillips that was threatened by our success and particular hostile towards me. But more on that in a later chapter

 

[TJ Coro]

Wow, you started at 14!!?? What a way to begin those teenage years! Sorry to read about your father. Even at 98, if you have a good relationship, it's too soon. I'm enjoying your writing style and look forward to future chapters. I remember you saying that a mom/mgr caught a few members enjoying the 60's a little too much. I look forward to reading about that... and of course, the introduction of groupies!

Haha! I figured the chapter on groupies would get some attention - the hook of the thread.

I’ve been giving this chapter a lot of thought and, as you can imagine, one memory leads to another memory, which leads to…well, you get the idea. Too complicated to document in a single post. So, to avoid going down the groupie rabbit hole, I’ve decided to post a brief summary of the more memorable moments with the fans of the band. Chapter III coming soon.

 

[TJ Coro]

Chapter III: Money For Nothin' And Your Chicks For Free. What a great lyric from Dire Straits! Great song! And I quickly learned how true those words are shortly after joining the Knight Raiders at age 14. YPrior to that, my attempts to meet girls (chicks back then) were met with mild disinterest and sometimes, outright hostility (OUCH!). But at the same time, I was quite shy and awkward around girls, so when I finally did land one, I had no idea what to do and quickly found myself alone again, naturally. Sound familiar?

All that changed when I became a drummer for The Knight Raiders. Now, as a real Rock & Roll musician, which was almost like being a Beatle back then, I had my pick of the bevy. First up, Julie F.

A few months after winning 2nd prize at the Rockville Volunteer Firemen's Carnival talent contest, we played a dance at Gaithersburg High School. At the following band practice, Butch the bass player, who attended Gaithersburg HS, informed me that Julie F. really liked what she saw at the dance and wanted to meet me. There may have been a note involved, but I don't remember. Either way, a HS girl was interested in me and that was good enough. We met and dated for a while, but being without a drivers license made it tough. She lived about 20 minutes from my house, so I was constantly relying on my mom or dad to chauffer us around. That got old quickly. Eventually, I was able to convince a friend to drive me to Julie's house on the promise there would be a girl waiting for him. Being a bit older, he was able to pass for 18 and we picked up a six-pack of beer on the way over. Now, never having drank beer before, I struggled to get one, maybe two, down. By the time we showed up at Julie's house, I was smashed! The date didn't last long, however. Her parents showed up soon after and showed me and my pal the door.

Julie's mother called my parents to tell them I was on my way home and that I had been drinking. But it was cool, instead of being punished for underage drinking, my dad met me at the door, walked me to the back of the house, placed me in a hammock, took off my shoes, loosened my clothes and sat with me as I puked. I'll never forget his kindness. He could have lowered the hammer on me but, instead, he treated me with kindness and let the act itself be the lesson. It was.

Anyway, after that, my relationship with Julie came to an abrupt end. But no worries. I soon found myself sitting in my 10th grade homeroom on the first day of school at Richard Montgomery High School, Home of the Rockets, where another lovely girl who had seen the Knight Raiders a few months prior at a Jr. High School dance was about to make a play for the drummer. To be continued in Chapter III, Part 2

 

[TJ Coro]

Chapter III, Part 2: "Wanna' Give The Drummer Some?" - James Brown. So, there I was, sitting in homeroom on the first day of high school trying to get my shit together when, unbeknownst to me, there was a lovely young girl preparing to pounce. Months prior, that girl, Carol R., attended a Jr. High dance with a friend where the Knight Raiders were playing. Her friend had a crush on Jim, the lead singer, and dragged Carol to the dance. While there, Carol took notice of the drummer (me), but was too shy to come over. Opportunity lost? She told me later how surprised she was to see me sitting in her homeroom class several months later. On the bus ride home that day (yes, I rode the bus), one of Carol's girlfriends told me that Carol had a crush on me, as she handed me a note with Carol's phone number. I checked her out the next day and thought, hmm, she's pretty cute, so I gave her a call. We ended up going steady on and off throughout most of our high school years. During the off periods, I would find myself in the company of other girls who came to see the Knight Raiders, including a few cheerleaders, honor students, hippies and the like.

One of my favorites was Paula M., a Grace Slick type who was the lead singer in a band from Virginia. I met her during a job in Virginia where both our bands played. Since it was during one of my off times with Carol, I started dating Paula and ended up taking her to my high school homecoming dance. The dance was held at a local shopping mall due to the size of our class (it was baby boom time). I remember a friend offered to chauffer us to the dance if I provided the “party supplies.” Sounded good to me. Paula and I were pretty stoned when we arrived and quickly realized most of the attendees were not. So, we quickly had our picture taken and split. For the rest of night, we just rode around the area and partied like it was 1969. Anyway, it was fun while it lasted, but Paula and I had no chance. We were both rock & rollers, need I say more? In the end, I went back with Carol, my HS steady. But, as the Beach Boys once sang in their fantastic song I Get Around - "None of the guys go steady 'cause it wouldn't be right to leave their best girl home now on a Saturday night." Wiser words have never been spoken, which I was soon about to learn.

The Knight Raiders had become very popular by now and had gigs every weekend. Sometimes I took Carol with me and sometimes not. It was during one of those "not" times that one of my high school friends took the opportunity to go out with Carol. Now, she always claimed it was not a planned outing and all they did was talk all night. That's right, she said all night...ALL NIGHT! Well, I believed her, but the day I found out was the day we broke up.

It happened on a Monday after a long weekend with the band. I was carrying her books as we walked the halls between classes when she suddenly stopped, turned to face me, and confessed. I remember saying nothing. I just handed her books back and walked away. That was it. After graduating, I spent the summer in Virginia paying the price for, well....ummm, for enjoying the 60s a little too much, maybe. After that, I went back home to Rockville only to discover that Carol had married my former friend while I was away! But Hey! That's Rock & Roll....I guess.

Okay, enough about girls who love garage bands. Chapters IV will be about the Knight Raiders and the making of a demo record which was the original question of this thread posted by The Raven last September.

 

[Rythmn Boy]

Thanks, mate. Even though my posts receive several ‘likes,’ I was beginning to wonder if I’m the only one truely enjoying ‘em. Thanks for your comment.

Steve, I am sure everyone is enjoying your tale. You're a good writer and have a great story to tell. Keep at it. Steve [my name also]

 

[TJ Coro]

Steve, I am sure everyone is enjoying your tale. You're a good writer and have a great story to tell. Keep at it. Steve [my name also]

Thanks so much, Steve, I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you’re right…I have many more stories yet to tell. -Steve