Bands Unlimited loomed large

Escanaba booking agency Show Biz Talent, formerly
Bands Unlimited, distributed this promotional photo
of the Riot Squad about 1973. From left, the group
was comprised of Mike Backlund, Greg Tolman, Greg
Curran and Bob Derouin.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Although my wife and I have owned a retail record shop for more than 25 years, Sue traces her background in the music business to 1972 when she started working for a local booking agency.

Fresh out of high school, she got a job at Bands Unlimited (later known as Show Biz Talent), a prosperous Escanaba firm about to hit its peak.

Founded by promoter Gene Smiltneck in 1966, Bands Unlimited eventually handled over 100 acts, according to Billboard, the music trade magazine.

Before he moved to Escanaba, Smiltneck's experience even extended to being a member of the Vikings rock band based in Menominee.

Bands Unlimited was initially headquartered at Smiltneck's small house at 1616 11th Ave. So. where the Riot Squad held practice sessions in the basement.

Within a few years the agency was also representing local bands the Prophets of Doom, Spoken For, Rebels and Three Days and a Night.

With the addition of the Corrupters, a multi-racial soul collective from Flint, Bands Unlimited distributed a mail-out poster urging potential clients to "buy your music the professional way."

The promotional piece promised "the finest drawing power, quality, dependability, experience, versatility, professional management, 'Top 40' groups, (and) union affiliated groups."

Designed in a psychedelic-style, the poster pictured all six bands and was mailed from the company's office then located at 2214 26th Ave. So.

By insightful planning or good fortune, the firm was started just as thousands of garage bands launched hopeful careers in the wake of the so-called "British Invasion" led by the Beatles.

With no similar agency in the Upper Peninsula, Bands Unlimited quickly became a dominant entertainment promoter, booking acts throughout northern Michigan, the upper Midwest and Canada.

When Sue began work in the summer of 1972, the booking and management firm's talent roster was crowded.

"We booked bands at high schools, colleges, teen dances and night clubs," Sue recalled.

The large number of acts on their roster even earned the company a mention in the June 3, 1972 issue of Billboard.

Under the headline "Bands Unlimited has 70 bands," booking agent Tom Bauvis reported the company was adding one or two acts a week.

"We handle just about everything," Bauvis told the magazine in the story which carried a New York dateline.

Bauvis said the agency was expanding beyond a basic stable of rock bands to include soul acts, big bands and country groups.

The article cited the addition of Down Home, "a five-man aggregation of country rockers," which was attracting numerous bookings in Wisconsin and the Draytons, a group with a similar pedigree, playing to U. P. audiences.

Based in Stevens Point, Wis., Down Home included Escanaba's Greg Curran, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, for a period.

Just a month later, Bands Unlimited issued a press release announcing the signing of Jaramago, a oddly-named rock band from Green Bay.

Billboard mentioned the news in its Talent Signings column on July 8, 1972, adding that the band's first single, "It Ain't Been Easy" backed with "Ohio," had been issued on the Markus label. Mick Townley arranged the recordings which were produced by "Geek Productions," the report said.

While Jaramago signed "for exclusive representation on an international basis," their debut single did not became a hit.

During that busy summer, Sue remembers the office "signing and booking bands and doing public relations work for them."

Making sure new groups looked the part, Smiltneck's wife Lynn "would even give them a new 'shag' haircut if they desired," Sue noted.

Besides Sue, the crew at Bands Unlimited included Jennifer Lehmann, Bill Stein and Bob Strait.

After signing ? (Question Mark) & the Mysterians, Sue remembered the staff scrambling to get a copy of the group's "96 Tears" single, finally nailing down a copy from a radio swap program.

Although the early 1970s were exciting, booking agencies and music entertainment were undergoing changes.

To meet a wider demand, the Escanaba company expanded its roster to include college lecturers and exotic dancers as well as a name change to Show Biz Talent Corp.

The logo for Show Biz Talent included the words "Los Angeles - Chicago - New York." Although the Escanaba company didn't have offices in those cities, Smiltneck may have had such aspirations, or it may have simply been promotional bluster.

As boss at Show Biz Talent, Smiltneck demonstrated his public relations ability by getting Billboard's attention for a third time.

Writer Earl Paige penned a story in the Sept. 8, 1973 edition headlined "Agent needs to wear all hats in Michigan."

Smiltneck told Paige that the rural, geographically isolated U. P. required him to be "a record promoter, producer, teacher, business manager and much more."

The reporter visited Smiltneck at his office on Escanaba's south side.

Smiltneck told Billboard that after the founding of his business he built a light show, sold guitar strings and shot publicity photographs.

He even built a studio in his basement using a Sony 4-track tape machine. The $2,000 unit was used to make demo recordings for potential clients.

His agency represented 100 acts at one point, Smiltneck told Billboard, although most of the bookings went to the top 15.

True to his advertising, Smiltneck operated under an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians, the labor union representing professional musicians, known as AFM. Local band members paid dues to the Musicians' Protective Union Local 663, represented by secretary-treasurer John E. DeChantel.

By the summer of 1973, many of the acts on Smiltneck's roster grew tired of the travel and overnight stays required of a band. Instead, some got jobs, went to college, got married or entered the service. Some bands decided to do their own booking.

About this time, Sue moved on to other employment, replaced by Greg Curran, known for his stints in the Riot Squad and Rocking Chair.

In the next few years, Michigan's new 18-year-old drinking law dramatically reduced attendance at wildly-popular popular teen dances while the impending disco scene would also cut the number of profitable bookings. Smiltneck moved on to owning the Arcadia and Nite Hawk bars, then migrating into real estate sales in Green Bay.

Looking back at the first job she held after graduating from high school, Sue still fondly recalls the era.
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Scouting, music are intertwined

Before Jim Morrison became a rock legend, he
was a mischievious Cub Scout in San Diego.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Seeing Jim Morrison's Cub Scout shirt displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reminded me how scouting and music have been linked in a number of ways.

Some critics have questioned why a collection of music artifacts would include the youthful uniform, but I knew right away.

The dark blue long-sleeved shirt illustrated that before Morrison became a rock icon, he was just a kid, doing the same things millions of other boys were doing.

Yes, years before Morrison formed the legendary Doors rock band, famous for hits like "Light My Fire" and "Hello I Love You," the singer and poet was an ordinary scout.

Inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 1993, Morrison belonged to Pack 17 in San Diego, where his father was stationed in the Navy.

According to author Stephen Davis, the young Morrison was "asked to leave after he refused to follow directions and was unruly with the den mother."

While I didn't share Morrison's insolent attitude, I was in Cub Scouts during my elementary school years, too.

I continued with Boy Scouts in the early 1960s as a member of Troop 444, sponsored by St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, all the while listening to rock 'n' roll on the radio.

Just like the cliche says, pop songs of the day provided a soundtrack for my scouting activities.

When I made the requirements for the rank of Tenderfoot in June, 1963 an unusual foreign song was topping the chart in the United States.

Performed by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, the track was called "Sukiyaki" and took the country by storm. Titled "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I Look Up When I Walk) in Japan, the song's name was changed to something easier to pronounce for U. S. disc jockeys.

When I earned my Second Class badge three months later, "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels held the No. 1 spot based on sales and airplay. Comprised of two New Jersey sisters and their friend, the Angels were the first white female group to have a No. 1, following in the footsteps of the Chiffons, Crystals and Marvelettes.

In Sept., 1964 when I was awarded First Class status, the so-called British Invasion was in full-force. The Animals were firmly enscounced at the top of the charts with their smash "House of the Rising Sun." Fronted by vocalist Eric Burdon, the Animals had 17 more hits over the next four years including "See See Rider" and "San Franciscan Nights."

Thirteen months later when I advanced to the Star rank, the Beatles advanced to the top spot in pop music with "Yesterday," one of their greatest hits. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "Yesterday" is the most covered song in history, with over 2,500 versions. A notable take by soul singer Ray Charles make the Top 40 in 1967.

Actually, Paul McCartney is the only member of the Beatles to appear on their recording of the song. The tune's simple arrangement did not require the services of bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison or Ringo Starr.

I learned later that McCartney had been a Boy Scout, too. He was a member of the 16th Allerton Group Aiden Troop.

McCartney mentioned his scouting past when talking about a planned concert in Tel Aviv in 2008. "It's the same as always, I'm rehearsing. I was a Boy Scout. 'Be prepared,' that's the motto," the former Beatle told People Magazine.

In fact, scouting was founded on McCartney's home turf of Great Britain by Lord Baden-Powell back in 1907 and went international three years later.

Consequently, more than a few well-known musicians have scouting in their background.

Besides McCartney, Britain can brag about former scouts David Bowie and David Gilmour, who have both done very well for themselves in the rock 'n' roll realm.

As a member of Pink Floyd, Gilmour is featured prominently on their legendary albums, including "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

Bowie, meanwhile, is known for his hit singles "Fame" and "Let's Dance," both No. 1 chart entries. In fact, Bowie composed "Fame" with John Lennon, Paul McCartney's former songwriting partner in the Beatles. Lennon is also credited with background vocals on Bowie's smash hit.

All three Britishers have been elected to the rock hall. Bowie and Gilmour were inducted in 1996 while McCartney received the honor as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999.

In addition, Mississippi-born Jimmy Buffett, who struck gold with "Margaritaville" in 1977 and continues to attract thousands of "Parrotheads" to his concerts, has scouting on his resume.

Country music stars George Strait and the late Eddie Rabbitt were also scouts when they were boys. A Texas native, Strait charted 35 No. 1 hits on the country chart between 1982 and 1999.

A keen weather observer, Rabbitt wrote "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley and reached No. 1 in 1980 with his own recording of "I Love a Rainy Night." Born in Brooklyn, but raised in New Jersey, Rabbitt died of cancer in 1998 at age 56.

There's no word whether any of these famous scouts earned the music merit badge. I didn't try, lacking the gifts of melody and harmony.

Scouting slipped into the past as I moved through my teenage years, but I continued to enjoy listening to rock 'n' roll.

So, my wife Sue and I thought it was imperative we attend the official opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland on Saturday, Sept. 2, 1995.

Once inside the pyramid-shaped facility, we were awed by the displays showcasing rock greats like the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Animals and so many others.

The visit reminded me that a number of rock stars were scouts and that some pop songs recalled my own years in scouting.

Sue and I lingered at the exhibit featuring artifacts from the Doors and Jim Morrison, their charismatic leader. We saw some of Morrison's drawings and letters and his first poem, "The Pony Express." We looked at his baptism certificate, report cards and high school diploma.

We noticed Morrison's original lyrics for "Not to Touch the Earth," part of a 133-line poem called "The Celebration of the Lizard," recorded for their "Waiting for the Sun" album.

Despite the fascinating ephemera, a seemingly insignificant Cub Scout uniform captured the essence of the display for me.

It was a dark blue long- sleeved shirt, just like those belonging to millions of other boys, except this one was once worn by Jim Morrison, rock icon.
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Rev. Raven throws blues bash

Big Al Groth, left, and Rev. Raven commune with
the audience during the annual Paw for the Blues show
at the Terrace Bay Inn.


By STEVE SEYMOUR

Rev. Raven knows how to get a party going, whether in person or by way of his recordings.

As evidence, the Milwaukee-based bluesman thrilled a packed house at the Terrace Bay Inn last Saturday during a charity event also billed as a CD release party.

Along with the Chain Smoking Altar Boys, Raven fired up the crowd with tracks from the new "Shake Your Boogie" album as well as concert favorites.

Proceeds from the show, sponsored by Wendy Pepin's Paws for the Blues, will benefit the Delta County Animal Shelter's spay, neuter and adoption fund.

The annual concert series was launched in 2006 in memory of well-known local musician Jim Lewis, who had a great love for animals and the blues.

"We're here for a good cause and have fun with the blues. That's right," Raven told the crowd.

Raven was backed by his crack band comprised of Big Al Groth (saxophone), P. T. Pedersen (bass) and Bobby Lee Sellers (drums and vocals).

They performed half a dozen songs from the new disc including "Looking for Love," a catchy Raven composition. The song is being "played on the radio all over the world," Raven kidded the audience.

To end the first set, Raven left the stage to wander through the crowd, playing his Gibson six-string up close and personal, as is his tradition.

The band entertained an enthusiastic audience through three sets, playing a mix of original tunes and cover songs.

Some of the evening's memorable songs came from Raven's first three albums, including "They Call Me the Reverend," "Bee Hive Baby," "Louise," "I'm Your Honeyboy," and "She's Movin' On."

With the clock nearing midnight, Raven and Groth performed from the audience while standing on chairs side by side, sending fans into a frenzy.

Fans showed they were out for a good time too, filling the dance floor from the start and never leaving it empty.

Wearing his trademark sunglasses, Raven urged the audience to purchase the band's compact discs, t-shirts and hats. "Help me fight my personal battle against poverty," the bluesman said.

Acording to his biography, Raven was born and raised in Chicago. He started playing the blues after he saw Texas-blues legend Freddy King play in 1971. Following a 15-year stint in the U. S. Navy, Raven decided to give the blues his full-time attention beginning in 1990.

Raven has met with a large measure of regional success and has been recognized with Wisconsin Music Industry awards many times, including this year when the band was honored as the best blues band and given the People's Choice Award.

Although Raven is stacking up annual awards, he has been a bit slower to get new product released.

Since his "Slow Burn" debut with the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys in 1998, Raven took his time to issue "Live at Blues on Grand" in 2004, while "Big Bee" arrived two years later.

Prior to the recent Terrace show, I spun "Shake Your Boogie" a few times to get a feel for Raven's latest CD.

The fresh disc features an hour-long program of well-honed original songs and a hot batch of lesser known covers.

Raven put the disc together from two live shows--performed years apart-- at Milwaukee's Miramar Theater.

The older recordings spotlight Madison Slim (harmonica and vocal), Andre Maritato (bass), Spencer "Kid" Panosh (drums) and the late Mickey Larson (keys) putting their all into four cover songs, including a terrific version of "She's Murder."

Current Chain Smokin' Altar Boys (Groth, Pedersen and Sellers) demonstrate their prowess on the originals, penned by Raven and Chicago-area songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Hundt.

Raven opens the disc with his own "Looking For Love," before tackling Hundt's "Stomping And Shouting."

The singer and guitarist follows with another original, "You Didn't Even Say Goodbye," with a lyrical surprise at the end.

With drummer Sellers taking lead vocals, the band puts an insistent groove on Little Milton Campbell's "Count the Days," augmented by keyboardist Danny Moore.

Madison Slim combines harmonica playing with singing on St. Louis Jimmy Oden's "She's Murder," also known as "Murder in the First Degree."

Sellers returns to sing Robert Nighthawk's gritty "Bricks In My Pillow."

Slim takes on Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) Williamson's "Like Wolf," delivering an awesome vocal along with tasty harp breaks.

Raven delivers the vocals for "The Woman I Love," apparently adapted from "She's Gone," the opening track on Hound Dog Taylor's first album.

The lead guitarist continues with the original, "I Can Do You Right," pleading: "Honey, you said some man done you wrong, well I can do you right."

Next, the band shines on the instrumental work-out "P.T.'s Home Cooking," credited to Pedersen.

Then, Madison Slim makes another appearance to lead the band through Slim Harpo's "Mail Box Blues."

Midwest bluesman Gerry Hundt also composed "Walking to Chicago," which Raven sings with conviction.

Raven's blues get-together concludes with an exhuberant rendition of the title song, "Shake Your Boogie," which starts with Slim's harmonica. The band cooks on this country blues song written and recorded by Big Joe Williams in 1965.

The CD runs seamlessly despite alternating between the two different line-ups and three different singers.

Raven's flawless guitar work ties the two shows together in fine fashion. Although Raven shares lead vocals on this album, he's a distinctive blues singer in his own right.

Long-time band cohort Bill Stace engineered the sessions for the new CD, which were done without an audience, and with minimal overdubs.

If you want a blues party, go to a live Rev. Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys show like hundreds of fans did last weekend.

Or, pick-up up "Shake Your Boogie" or one of their other CDs.

You'll have fun either way.
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Cheap Trick satisfies U. P. fans

Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander and guitarist
Rick Nielsen rock out during their show at the
Island Resort and Casino on Oct. 29.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Rock band Cheap Trick, known for their legendary live shows, played to an appreciative audience on Oct. 29 and 30 at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris.

Touring almost constantly since its formation in 1974, Cheap Trick is known for such hits as "I Want You to Want Me," "Don't Be Cruel" and "The Flame."

The band features original members Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), Robin Zander (vocals and rhythm guitar ), Tom Petersson (bass) and Bun E. Carlos (drums). Nielsen's son Daxx has recently filled in for Carlos as the band's touring drummer, while Phil "Magic" Cristian added keyboards at the U. P. shows.

Originating in Rockford, Ill., Cheap Trick issued a self-titled album in 1977 and followed with "In Color."

The band enjoyed modest success in the U. S., but was lionized in Japan, leading Epic Records to release the "Live at Budokan" album in 1979.

As my wife Sue and I settled into our second row seats for Friday's show, the band opened with "Ain't That a Shame." The Fats Domino gem began side two of their break through live album, recorded at Budokan concert hall in Tokyo, where the Beatles played during their first world tour.

Zander tore into the Top 40 hit from center stage with Nielsen positioned to his right and Petersson on his left.

"California Man," from 1978's "Heaven Tonight" album followed. Although not a hit when originally released, the song has since become a concert staple.

Playing before a giant checkerboard backdrop, the band returned to their first live recording for "Clock Strikes Ten" and "I Want You to Want Me." The songs were paired as a single in 1979, with the former song reaching the top spot in Japan and the latter registering at No. 7 in the U. S. Both songs were written by Nielsen, the band's main composer.

"We're Cheap Trick. It's great to be here," Nielsen announced.

With the crowd suitably warmed up, the band performed "These Days," one of the stand-out tracks from their newest CD. Imaginably titled "The Latest," the disc was released on the Cheap Trick Unlimited label, the band's own record company.

Cheap Trick kept the energy level high with the trio of songs "Borderline," "Oh! Caroline" and "On Top of the World."

The veteran rock band paid tribute to the Beatles with their interpretation of "Day Tripper," first issued on 1980's "Found All the Parts."

Next up, the group saluted Elvis with "Don't Be Cruel," Nielsen telling the crowd that Cheap Trick was the only band to have a Top 5 hit with a Presley song.

A theme song called "In the Street" followed. From 1999, the tune may be better known as "That 70's Song" which opens "That 70's Show," a situation comedy which enjoyed an eight season run on broadcast television.

The band returned to "The Latest" for two selections, "Sick Man of Europe" and "Closer, The Ballad of Burt and Linda." Fans will know "Sick Man of Europe" as the name of a band which preceded the formation of Cheap Trick, which included Nielsen, Petersson and Carlos, then known as Brad Carlson.

To end the program Zander belted out "Surrender," Cheap Trick's first hit and another track featured on "Live at Budokan."

Knowing an encore was coming, many fans crowded the stage for the evening's final three songs.

The rockers delivered a riveting take on "The Flame," a chart-topping single from the "Lap of Luxury" LP, reminding some fans of Cheap Trick's appearance at the Upper Peninsula State Fair in 1988. Prior to booking that event, the band hadn't had a hit in nine years, but by the time of the Escanaba grandstand show "The Flame" was a smash.

British composers Nick Graham and Bob Mitchell wrote "The Flame," which turned out to be a perfect vehicle for Zander's voice. It became Cheap Trick's only No. 1 single.

Nearing the end of the casino show, Cheap Trick returned to 1979 for "Dream Police," the title song off the album of the same name.

One fan near the front held up a prosthetic leg, moving it in time to the music as the band performed.

To wild cheering from the crowd, the band said goodbye in German with a rousing version of "Auf Wiedersehen," the flipside to the "Surrender" single from 1978.

During the evening, Cheap Trick faithfully recreated material from the 70s, 80s and 90s while sounding completely contemporary on songs from their current disc.

The concert program was augmented by a creative light show, giving an added dimension to many songs.

Always a showman, Nielsen played a variety of guitars including a unique but odd-looking five-necked instrument.

The charismatic Zander, 58, and Nielsen, 63, moved about the stage with the energy of younger men while 60-year-old bassist Petersson anchored his position with a big bass beat.

Zander's vocals were uniformly strong and expressive, while Nielsen's lead guitar work continued to impress fans.

The band's arrangement's were tight without superfluous jamming and Daxx's exuberant drumming propelled the band's sound.

The audience showed its appreciation by standing and cheering through most of the show.

Following Saturday's casino date, Cheap Trick heads to Europe for a brief tour of the United Kingdom.

Among those following the band overseas will be Grace Loucks of Buffalo, N. Y., who just happened to be sitting next to me at Friday's show.

The young fan has seen Cheap Trick 75 times and plans her vacation each year to see as many concerts by her musical heroes as possible.

She told me a man from London was in the house, although he could have waited to see the band closer to home when they play Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Manchester and London in November.

Wanting to share her enthusiasm for the band, Loucks gave me a red guitar pick featuring a drawing of Nielsen on one side. I grabbed two different custom picks the guitarist tossed into the audience during the encore.

Together, they'll serve as mementos of when Sue and I saw Cheap Trick, one of rock 'n' roll's legendary live bands.

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