Best Of The Michael Band Live

1. Cambridge

2. Song For Susan

3. House Of Stone

4. Rowboat

5. Adory

6. Round-Town Jimmy

7. Time And Again

8. Errand In The Wilderness

9. Peaceable Kingdom

The Michael Band History

I had spent a year at UCSB and had joined Malcolm Brooks the next year at Indiana University to reunite our musical vision. When we returned home, we played a bit as a duo. One day, out at Parsonage Point, I met Dave Gunnip (who was also singing/playing in a duo), and was awed by his voice. I urged Malcolm to come out the next day, and he was able to fine-tune the harmony Dave was singing, which impressed Dave. Shortly thereafter, we started singing together. Dave had already toured with Up With People, and had stage presence and extraordinary vocal ability up and running. He had also written some songs that would make their way into the Michael oeuvre. After a few fledgling attempts to put together a band, with various members, we were lucky to be gifted with the services of Rush DeNooyer on lead guitar, which turned Malcolm into a bassist. I was playing piano, and Dave was playing rhythm (acoustic) guitar. We needed a third vocalist (to complement Dave and me), and were lucky enough to land Rick Bromfield, whose high harmonies were a welcome addition, and which rounded out Dave’s vocal vision for the band. Rick was a bit older, and an established performing musician already. The final piece was to find the right drummer. We auditioned for this position, and added Barry Urich, whose drumming skills were excellent, and whose personality was welcome to offset the seriousness of the rest of us. Chris Fahey became our manager (booking gigs for us, mostly), and Dominick Costanza was our sound guy. We split all of our gig money 8 equal ways among us.

The Michael Band practiced relentlessly, usually 7 days a week (6-8 hours/day), and after we began gigging, we continued practicing every day when there was no gig. Consequently, the harmonies were tight, and the instruments were choreographed. We were not a band that vamped; everything was locked down. When we started playing around Westchester and Connecticut, we were the only band playing mostly original material. We developed quite a following, especially among the high school students of the area. In those days, 18 was the drinking age, and no one seemed to pay much attention to that. Most of our gigs were very well attended, and our local fame grew.

At that time, there was a large bar/club on the Port Chester, NY/Greenwich, CT borderline, which featured top bands 6 nights a week. The place was called Gulliver’s. Chris approached the management there, and wangled a deal that had us playing every Sunday night for a month (for only door money), and if we were successful, a better financial arrangement would be consummated. The long and short of it was that we packed the place with hundreds of teenagers (and some young 20-somethings) every Sunday night, so we became the “house band” of Gulliver’s for about a year, playing every Sunday to full houses. Usually we played 3 sets, (Dave would always come up with the set lists.). On June 30, 1974, on a Saturday night (the night before we were to play our regular Sunday gig), there was a fire, which killed 24 patrons, and injured another 30. The small stage was situated in the large room downstairs in the far corner; the only way out was in the front, up a crowded staircase. Within the first 30 seconds, the A/C system over the stage fell down, killing all but one member of that night’s band. We were grateful it had not happened the following night. About a month later, on July 21, 1974, there was a Gulliver’s Memorial Concert outdoors at the Ezio Pinza Theatre in Stamford, CT. A few bands played, but our band, The Michael Band, was the main (and closing) act. It was the largest crowd we ever played for (many thousands).

The Michael Band was recruited for free sessions at The Record Plant in NYC (where John Lennon was recording – it was the most important recording studio in NYC at the time, and yes, we did meet him). The resulting 6 song EP is a bit of a legend, though I do not have a copy of it. In June of 1976, I quit the band, just when the crest of the wave was approaching its apex. I felt my songs were underrepresented among our set lists, and I was not yet feeling the rock and roll direction of the band. I was out of touch (and incorrect) about this, but at the time it seemed like the right decision. I had also not enjoyed the late smoky nights that comprised our daily regimen. Rick quit the band soon after I did, and although The Michael Band persisted for another year or so, the band did not thrive, and eventually disbanded. I believe, to this day, as does Dave, that The Michael Band would have made it big-time, had we stuck it out.

This cd features live performances only. Fun fact: No one in the band was actually named Michael.