Brief Encounters in Hollwoodagogoland

 

My brother Jack and I immigrated to S.Calif. as kids in ’57. Though we showed some interest in music, like millions of others, the Beatles Sullivan appearance really kicked us
into going after it.

 In 63 thru 65 we watched the Surf scene in San Pedro, our next door neighbors were in a band called the Elements and built home made skateboards. Seems like we saw a Beach Boy or two once on that 1^st street address….but I coulda been dreamin…..
it was long ago.

We moved to Upland , which is where we met Mark Anthony (as mentioned in my previous email) and briefly joined his band, The Hybrids. I know my brother saw Mark a few times thru the years….I believe the last time was in Nashville around 98.

When I was close to 14 in 68- our family moved to Oregon , where we finally formed a band in 69 that we named Heavy Martha….later just Martha, and we played throughout Oregon and Northern Calif.  Mainly schools, community centers….but hey…we got paid.....a little bit anyway.  

 Since our agent Harry Arnold was also THE concert promoter in Southern Oregon , we worked a lot of concerts in the early to mid 70’s and met quite a few folks passing through. Others we shared actual playing gigs with went on to be in some bigger groups like Autograph,  Masters of the Airwaves (Epic Records), and others. My brother is the Schmoozer of the family (and I the shy seemingly snooty lead singer), so he can name more names than I ever could hope to.

We used to travel back to So Cal in the summers and hit Hollywood most every summer trying to get into offices, to play and meet people in 70,71 & 72.

In 72 we did a demo at the old Wally Heider’s studio C, also hit Mystic Sound Studios on Selma and generally
made pests of ourselves.

 

In 71 we were walking the streets with our acoustics, looking through Office Directories for Management Companies, Record Companies, and Entertainment Lawyers, ---finding them----and basically asking them if we could audition for them on the spot.  I believe that it was a lawyer in Westwood that we played for, who really liked us and told us to hang on while he made a phone call. He then told us to get back to Hollywood and go see Nick St. Nicholas, who used to be in Steppenwolf but was starting a management company. So of course, that’s exactly what we did.

We played for Nick in a conference room. He liked it. Called a couple of people in. We played some more. He called a couple more people in. We played some more.  Anyway…..seems like it went on for awhile, but who knows? We finally ended up in his office, where he regaled us with a couple of Hollywood party stories…one of which somehow involved David Clayton Thomas of Blood Sweat & Tears. We then talked about contracts; I believe that we were all underage, so Nick & a partner spoke of getting parental permission etc. etc. It seemed like we were on our way.  The tricky part was that we had a “friend”  that we had dubbed “Manager” and he was, I’m sure,
wondering what his part would be.

At any rate they wanted to hear our “Electric” set, so our “manager” and Nick’s company set up an audition at the club- The Warehouse- in Anaheim .

Since we literally were “starving musicians”, we had shared a McDonald’s hamburger the morning of the audition and otherwise were subsisting on macaroni & Pork & beans and stuff. 

Nick St . Nicholas didn’t show, he sent an emissary, we played our Electric set….all was fine.

I got off of the drums to sing an acoustic song…..got to the mike…. and fainted dead away. Oooops. Blew that one!

I believe that there were a couple more phone calls between our faux manager and Nick’s company, and we got the feeling that our guy was trying to cut himself in and not passing anything along to us that the company was telling him…….and pretty soon we just ran out of cash and time and went back home to Oregon. Till the next summer of course (sans faux manager).

And THAT is one of my brief Hollywoodagogoland encounters.

 

Oh yes…there’s more…..auditioning for Chuck Barris for the Gong Show- auditioning for the Dinah Shore show……and yes…..I even auditioned for “The Singing Cowboy” show at Burbank studios with a 4 minute “not even close to cowboy” song……and they let me finish!  But I ramble………

Thanks (or shame on you) for encouraging me to write,  Betty……cool site you have here.  
……and I thought so before I wrote….
(install laugh here).
By the way...my brother and I have been working for
Fender Musical Instruments for quite a few years.

Best wishes,

Rob Schwarz aka Robert Masters aka NewImprovedLove
(aka “lucky”)

www.myspace.com/newimprovedlove
www.myspace.com/wndrfl
www.roxstermusic.com