Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Encyclopedia
Sonic's Rendezvous Band (or SRB) was a rock and roll
band from Ann Arbor, Michigan
in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock
scene.
rock bands:
They remained virtually unknown, but their one and only single retained high interest among fans of Detroit rock. The band had had only enough money to mix one song, "City Slang", so it was pressed on both sides of the single. One side was labeled mono and one side stereo although both sides were identical. A badly recorded bootleg LP called Strikes Like Lightning was traded in the 1980s. Artists of note, such as Sug Bowie & Håkan Jakobsson, would speak fondly of SRB. However, the lack of recorded material made the band a bit of a phantom.
This in turn sparked a renewed interest in Scott Morgan, who was critically acclaimed in the 1980s with bands like Scots Pirates and the Scott Morgan Band who were largely successful only in the Midwest. SRB disciples, Sweden's Hellacopters recorded no less than five Scott Morgan/ SRB compositions ("City Slang", "16 With a Bullet", "Downright Blue", "Heaven", "Slow Down [Take A Look]") which further popularized the group. Scott Morgan would go on to record with the Hellacopter's Nicke Royale
, releasing two Hydromatics albums as well as two soul albums by The Solution
.
, as one of "Fricke's Picks," saying of the band's 1978 single (included in the set), "City Slang" "5:15 of assault guitars, railroad drumming and Smith's determined-rebel call--has all you need to know why SRB were masters of their domain." That domain, as Fricke put it was "the Detroit Church of High Energy Rock," where Sonic's "holy rank" secured "forever." Said Fricke: "I just want as much of the best of this band as I can get, in good faith and quality. Right now, this is what I have. And I am playing it. Loud." Among other notable cuts in the set, Fricke, says, "a highlight is the sixteen-minute "American Boy," on which Smith plays a long, heated-raga solo on saxophone, evoking the MC5's earlier forays into the music of Sun Ra
and Pharoah Sanders
."
Fricke repeatedly cites Scott Morgan's influence, describing the two concert discs from 1975 and 1976 as having that "manic-white-Motown streak that Morgan in particular brought to SRB."
Fricke mentioned that record "comes with its own controversy" over whether it was approved by all involved, but Easy Action asserts on its Web site that the release was approved by the surviving band members and by Fred Smith's children and wife, Patti Smith
.
Also recently Scott Morgan has teamed up with Radio Birdman's
Deniz Tek
and has released a live Powertrane album.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band from Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
scene.
Background
Sonic's Rendezvous Band came from the ashes of four MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
rock bands:
- Fred "Sonic" Smith, formerly of the MC5MC5The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
- Scott MorganScott MorganScott Morgan is an American rock & roll and soul musician, most known for his work with the Sonic's Rendezvous Band, the Rationals, The Solution as well as his solowork.-The Rationals:Morgan's first band was The Rationals...
, formerly of the Rationals, a soulSoul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-influenced Detroit band of the 1960s - Gary Rasmussen, formerly of The Up
- Scott AshetonScott AshetonScott "Rock Action" Asheton is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band The Stooges...
, formerly of The StoogesThe StoogesThe Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
.
They remained virtually unknown, but their one and only single retained high interest among fans of Detroit rock. The band had had only enough money to mix one song, "City Slang", so it was pressed on both sides of the single. One side was labeled mono and one side stereo although both sides were identical. A badly recorded bootleg LP called Strikes Like Lightning was traded in the 1980s. Artists of note, such as Sug Bowie & Håkan Jakobsson, would speak fondly of SRB. However, the lack of recorded material made the band a bit of a phantom.
Renewed Interest
Interest in the band was kindled in the late 1990s when Alive/ Total Energy Records released a studio recording of the then-unheard song "Electrophonic Tonic", the song that was to have been the B-side of "City Slang". In 1999, Mack Aborn Rhythm Arts released Sweet Nothing, a compact disc compilation of rare live and recorded SRB tunes. So receptive was the audience that a second compilation called City Slang was released in 2000. Both albums quickly sold out.This in turn sparked a renewed interest in Scott Morgan, who was critically acclaimed in the 1980s with bands like Scots Pirates and the Scott Morgan Band who were largely successful only in the Midwest. SRB disciples, Sweden's Hellacopters recorded no less than five Scott Morgan/ SRB compositions ("City Slang", "16 With a Bullet", "Downright Blue", "Heaven", "Slow Down [Take A Look]") which further popularized the group. Scott Morgan would go on to record with the Hellacopter's Nicke Royale
Nicke Andersson
Nicke Andersson , born 1 August 1972 is a singer, guitarist, drummer, songwriter and composer most known for his work as the singer and guitarist of the successful Grammy award winning rock band The Hellacopters as well as the former drummer for Swedish death metal band Entombed...
, releasing two Hydromatics albums as well as two soul albums by The Solution
The Solution (band)
The Solution is a blue-eyed soul band that was formed by the American Scott Morgan and Swede Nick Royale after previously working together in the rock n roll band The Hydromatics.-History:...
.
Recent activity
Recently, the band has enjoyed renewed interest, along with mainstream critical acclaim in the music press, with the September 2006, release of a six-disc box set eponymously titled, "Sonic's Rendezvous Band," by UK label Easy Action. The record was reviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine, Oct. 19, 2006, by Senior Editor David FrickeDavid Fricke
David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, as one of "Fricke's Picks," saying of the band's 1978 single (included in the set), "City Slang" "5:15 of assault guitars, railroad drumming and Smith's determined-rebel call--has all you need to know why SRB were masters of their domain." That domain, as Fricke put it was "the Detroit Church of High Energy Rock," where Sonic's "holy rank" secured "forever." Said Fricke: "I just want as much of the best of this band as I can get, in good faith and quality. Right now, this is what I have. And I am playing it. Loud." Among other notable cuts in the set, Fricke, says, "a highlight is the sixteen-minute "American Boy," on which Smith plays a long, heated-raga solo on saxophone, evoking the MC5's earlier forays into the music of Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
and Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
."
Fricke repeatedly cites Scott Morgan's influence, describing the two concert discs from 1975 and 1976 as having that "manic-white-Motown streak that Morgan in particular brought to SRB."
Fricke mentioned that record "comes with its own controversy" over whether it was approved by all involved, but Easy Action asserts on its Web site that the release was approved by the surviving band members and by Fred Smith's children and wife, Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
.
Also recently Scott Morgan has teamed up with Radio Birdman's
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
Deniz Tek
Deniz Tek
Deniz Tek is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and a founding member of Australian group Radio Birdman who broke up, for the last time, after their last European tour in 2007...
and has released a live Powertrane album.
Discography
- Sweet Nothing (1999)
- City Slang (2000)
- Sonic's Rendezvous Band (Box Set)Sonic's Rendezvous Band (Box Set)Sonic's Rendezvous Band is a 2006 release box set by Sonic's Rendezvous Band under the UK label Easy Action. The remaining band members contributed to the box as well as Fred "Sonic" Smith's estate...
(2006) - Masonic Temple, Detroit 1978 (2007)
External links
- http://www.sonicsrendezvousband.net/ - Official band website
- http://www.scottmorganmusic.com - Scott Morgan's web site
- http://www.i94bar.com/ints/srb1.html - Ken Shimamato's extensive history of SRB
- http://www.eldarentertainment.com/Rasmussen/ - Gary Rasmussen's web site
- RollingStone magazine: The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time