Being young and angry in the 80s, one of my favorite rock singers was Rocky Sullivan. His LPs "Illegal Entry" and "Internal Affairs" kept spinning constantly on my stereo as his raw rock sound delivered enough energy to survive a bad day or make a good day even better.
I discovered Rocky's music because I was a big Huey Lewis and the News fan and when I looked for albums Mario Cipollina played on, I stumbled over Rocky Sullivan.
I remember when one of my friends said that Rocky sounded like Bruce Springsteen but I have to say The Boss already sounded too commercial in the 80s and with Rocky I always liked the roughness around the edges.
Rocky's first album might contain too much of that raw energy for some, whereas his second album appears to be just right - it's more polished, the tunes are catchy and Rocky is the dominant figure. I will add two songs from "Internal Affairs" to the website for some time which will allow you to get an idea of what I am talking about.
Many years later I was able to get in touch with Rocky through my good friend Mike Somavilla who is an outstanding supporter of Bay Area Music. Rocky was kind enough to allow an interview which we added to his entry on this website. An entry that has been on this website from it's very first beginnings which underlines how much I appreciate Rocky's music. Music that will last forever.
Rocky Sullivan aka Anthony Galante passed away at the age of 59 on November 25, 2007. He will be missed by his fans, friends and family.
John Lee Sanders has been living many years in the Bay Area and is a well known musician and composer. Although he has left the Bay and is living in Canada now, he deserves an entry at Bay-Area-Bands.com as his contribution to Bay Area music has been more than outstanding. Huey Lewis once even told the audience "this man has recorded my favorite CD of the last 10 years". So please check out John Lee Sanders' entry and enjoy his music.
The Bay Area has always had great bands that lasted only a few months/years. One of these bands has been The Rhythm Dukes, featuring members of Moby Grape and the Sons of Champlin. Recently the Rhythm Dukes released their first CD with songs recorded at the Church in 1970. Please check out the link and learn more about this outstanding band. Special thanks to John Barrett for writing up the Rhythm Dukes story.
Lady Bianca has released another CD and maybe more important, was awarded the Best Blues Performer at the Bay Area Black Music Awards. Congratulations!!!
Big Walker, a.k.a. Derrick Walker, has been living in the Bay Area for quite some time before he finally moved to Europe, Sweden to be exact. He is an outstanding harmonica/saxophone player and like so many musicians on this website deserves much more attention. Please check out his entry and learn more.
Special thanks to Derrick for all his help!
"Take all those guns and burry them in a big deep hole." (Drive By Blues, Big Walker)
Here's another interesting link. Rob Owen is a singer/songwriter from the Bay Area and I hope to have more info on him and his music as soon as possible. Please check out the link and enjoy the music.
Last but no least, Gary Philippet a.k.a. Gary Phillips, who was once a member of Copperhead passed away earlier this year. Please visit the tribute website and find out more.
April 17, 2007
Hello guys, I agree it has been a long time since the last update but here we go again. My apologies to all of you who sent emails and/or CDs and are still waiting to be added to the website. I will update the website on a regular basis again and add your info as soon as possible. Let me start this time with updates I already wanted to add last year before the ordeal of getting and securing a new job stopped my activities for so long.
Jeanne Doan sent me "The Future Is Now" by The International Alpha Band featuring Freddie Hughes last year. I have to admit that this is one of the best soul CDs I have heard for quite some time. In addition to Freddie's voice it is amazing how tight the band plays together. Please follow the link and learn more about Freddie Hughes and his music. Special thanks to Jeanne Doan for her help and patience.
Danny Montana and the Bar Association don't have a release yet but I want to have an entry for them on the website anyhow. Once I discovered that I was basically copying an article by Andy Jones I decided to add the original article and add some links to it. Please read more about Danny Montana's band and try to catch them live if you can.
November 10, 2006
New Release:
Clover's new CD "The Sound City Sessions" - featuring Huey Lewis, John McFee, Alex Call, Sean Hopper, Johnny Ciambotti, MMickey Shine and Jeff Pocaro is finally available.
Barry Flast who has been playing in many Bay Area bands has a new internet radio show and I highly recommend that you check it out (more on Barry coming soon).
Dan's new CD "Big City Country Blues" is a true gem as the CD contains not only amplified version of his songs but also the unplugged versions and two bonus tracks ... that's 22 times great blues you shouldn't miss.
If you like singer-songwriters check out Drew Harrison - he has been in the Bay Area for several years now and his music is outstanding! Special thanks to Jennifer Halpern!
There have been quite a few HLN Greatest Hits compilations so far but this one here - which will be released May 23 - features the videos as well, so pre-order now ... a link can be found at the bottom of the entry.
Here is another fantastic Bay Area band. I really recommend their latest CD (in my stereo for several weeks now). "I met a fish ... he was on a trip ... hey fish tell me about your progress ... he said it comes in waves .." - love the lyrics!!!
CCR have been a Bay Area band and thus deserve an entry here as well :)
March 09, 2006
More updates or should I say a new entry and one update?
The Doobie Brothers' entry has been updated ... although, the entry always contained little information and it is a real/new entry now.
Well and I managed to update the Clover website after more than one year today as well.
March 05, 2006
Long overdue updates - sorry life has been pretty busy for me lately.
John Cipollina's album "Raven" has been re-released featuring several bonus tracks. This album has always been one of my favorite Cipollina albums ... check it out. Plus, I seperated the John and Mario Cipollina entry - so take a look at Mario Cipollina's entry as well - though there is no news on what Mario does these days.
Sly Stone appeared at the Grammys - I added a picture and new links as well.
Happy New Year - 2006 has just started and here are three new entries covering several musical styles, i.e. Blues, Rock, Jazz, Funk, Rap and Hip Hop - all of the artists are highly recommended and belong to the best the Bay Area has to offer!
New entries:
Tia Carroll is one of the great Bay Area voices - check out the link.
Times 4 is a new instrumental jazz band - read entry for further info.
Malika is definitely one of the hottest new artists the Bay Area has to offer.
The idea to feature David K. Mathews on this website reaches back to the year 2002 when I saw him tour with Pee Wee Ellis and later that year with Tower Of Power. There I got the chance to talk with Dave for a few minutes and he told me that he had released a solo album himself ... took me three years to get it. What do you learn from this? No, I am not lazy - I never forget a good musician if I hear/see one :) Please check out Dave's entry - you will love his music.
Another artist you will love is Kisha Griffin. Kisha is one of the Bay Area's outstanding R&B talents. She has written songs for artists like En Vogue and her solo album "Chit Chat'N" is much fun to listen to. Kisha is very dedicated to her music and I hope that she will be very, very successful. Please follow the link above!
November 25, 2005
Sad News:
The Bay Area music community lost another accomplished guitarist:
Mike Simon (February 4, 1953~November 21, 2005) passed away this month. Mike, who was an alumni of Berkeley College of Music, also played in the Dan Hayes Blues Band and Dan Hayes Group in the early 70s - see Dan Hayes' entry for further info and photos.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Mike's online obituary can be found here.
Music in the Bay Area includes Rap and Hip Hop music as well. It might be true that people rather associate these styles with cities like New York, LA or Miami but the Bay has a lot to offer as well. Let's start with one of the Bay's greatest female talents - Tequila. Check out her entry and listen to some of the tracks on her official website - you won't be dissapointed - just sit back and releax ;)
I am happy to present an entry for Oakland's Mz. Dee who is one of the best female blues artists the Bay Area has to offer. Mz. Dee has just released her first solo album a couple of months ago and it is good she did. Here is another independent release that is so much better than what major labels have to offer these days. Please read her entry for more details and get her album because it's hot, hot, hot!!!
October 11, 2005
Updates:
Alien Cowboys have released their fifth album "Zero Gravity" - highly recommended!
Lady Bianca has released her fourth album "Let Love Have Its Way" - check it out!
Greg Douglass has released two educational guitar teaching DVDs.
October 06, 2005
Update:
Frequently I get asked the question where album "..." can be purchased and usually my answer is either CD Baby, Amazon, eBay, GEMM, the artist's website or any other online store.
To make things easier I updated all website entries and added links/info where to buy/find the CDs/LPs. I hope this helps.
October 01, 2005
Update:
The Links page has been updated - more links will follow.
Henry Oden is probably best known for his work with Joe Louis Walker, there is more though as he belongs to the best blues bass players San Francisco has to offer. Please read his entry and find out more.
The Bay Area is full of great musicians and this band belongs to this league as well. Their last two albums have been getting burnin' - want to say great - reviews. Check out their entry for more as well.
The Rhythm Doctors have released only one album yet but belong to the San Francisco blues circuit since 1997 and are known for their outstanding concerts. The entry has more info.
Special thanks to Henry Oden, Dan Popovich and Jimmy Cooper for their help.
SVT's music is finally available on CD. Rykodisc has re-released SVT's "No Regrets" album and added four bonus tracks and liner notes by Johnny Colla. Please read the entry for further information.
September 02, 2005
Sad News:
The Bay Area music community lost two bass players last month:
Byron Sutton passed away from liver cancer early last month. Byron, who went to Tam High with other musicans like Ben Perkoff and Steve Edmonson, played bass in many bands - including the Dan Hayes Blues Band. He is best remembered though for his work with Ron Thompson and the Resistors.
Doug Kilmer passed away from cancer August 29th. Doug used to play bass for many bands as well - including Nick Gravenites, Blue Gravy and John Cipollina (to name a few).
There will be a memorial gathering for Byron on September 4th and there are plans for a memorial concert for Doug Kilmer (date yet to be announced).
Here we go again, this time I would like to start with an entry I wanted to do for some time now, as I do like the music of Sugar Pie DeSanto very much. Although there hasn't been a release latley - except maybe her track on Vinyl's last album - I think Sugar Pie, who will celebrate her 70s birthday this year, deserves much more attention. So please take a look and find out more about one of the Bay Area's most talented female musicians.
Compared to Sugar Pie Jim Inscore can only look back on five years of playing music but his first release "Dangerous World" sounds like he has never done anything else in his life. His album is the most fun album I have heard in quite some time - it really makes you feel good. In addition it features Bonnie Hayes (vocals/producer).
Please follow the links and find out more.
June 27, 2005
New Exclusives/Updated/New Entries:
Dan Hayes and Bay-Area-Bands.com are proud to present the next two CDs which are exclusively distributed through this website. Especially, as one of the CDs represents another missing link in Bay Area bands' history.
The Church - Recording Studio Retrospective features 12 tracks that have never been available before. 6 tracks were recorded in 1969 by the Muskadine Blues Band, which somehow would evolve into Sound Hole - a band that played with Van Morrison and which had some members that would start Huey Lewis and the News with Hugh Cregg. It's amazing how the players in this band manage to achive such a tight band sound at such a young age - their mixture of blues & jazz sounds as if they have been playing together for all of their life.
The same is true of the Dan Hayes Blues Band. Dan had some great Bay Area musicians in his band in 1973/74 - Mark Adams, Ben "King" Perkoff, Larry Holman, Byron Sutton & Derrick Walker. Thus, like Muskadine, the sound of the band is unbelievable good.
Last but not least, there are 4 tracks that feature Dan Hayes on acoustic guitar and harmonica. Since Dan was living in the Church for many years he really new how to use his time. Plus, the artwork on the CD is true art by Kevin Haapala.
Dan Hayes & Juke Joint "California" is the second CD release. In 1994 Dan met with his long time pals Mark Adams, Larry Holman and Bruce Gapinski and recorded one of the mellowest blues albums I have ever heard. Two things are almost unbelievable (1) that the whole CD was recorded in a kitchen and (2) that no label has ever released this music. Please listen to the sample tracks available on the website and you know what I mean. This music deserves to be heard - so please check out the entries above.
Special thanks to Dan Hayes, Mark Adams, Kevin Haapala & Lane Hirabayashi for all their time and input.
"live at 25", which will be released in the USA May 17 (and in many other areas of the world one month later), is the 25th Anniversary release from one of the best Bay Area bands ever. Huey Lewis and the News have always recorded high quality albums and subsequently had tons of hits during the first half of their career. Although they are no longer on top of the charts nowadays, they still produce great albums and know how to raise the roof during their live shows.
"live at 25" is HLN's first official live album and features the band's music past and present - not only do I recommend to buy the album/DVD, but dare to say that if you don't buy it, none of the music on this website can be interesting to you.
I had a fun time at one of Joe Louis Walker's concerts on Monday. Special treat on this tour is Willie Hayes on drums in addition to JLW's outstanding guitar (Ken Faltinson plays bass). Try to catch one of the shows if you can - a link with tour dates has been added to JLW's entry.
Here's an entry for the short-lived band Blue Gravy aka Nick Gravenites & Blue Gravy. This band should have done much better and is another underrated Bay Area band. If you don't believe, listen online to one of their concerts - see entry for link.
Special thanks to Mark Adams for his help (info & pictures).
Discography update. Mario plays bass on Melvin Seals' 2005 release Melting Pot. Mario can be found on three tracks and most fun seems to me "Reggae World". There's lots of groovy stuff on this album though and it's worth checking out.
Took me some years to update this entry and if it wasn't for Terry Hansen and Danny Morrison the page would still be blank. So special thanks to both of them. Thanks also to Mike for the Hartstringers handbill.
On March 27th it will be 2 years that Chris Michie left us. In 2000 Chris met film-maker Judy Irving and soon after that started working on the soundtrack for her documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Chris finished his work six weeks before his death - knowing that it would be his last work. As the film opened in cinemas now the soundtrack is available as well and we can finally enjoy Chris' last work on CD.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Chris and I highly recommend that you watch this documentary and/or buy the soundtrack which is available through Chris' wife Deborah. Please follow the link above for further information. Thanks.
This is a special update for Bay-Area-Bands.com. Not only does it feature the first release of the Dan Hayes Group ever, the CD release is also a website exclusive and will be distributed through the affiliated website Sustainable Music.
It is a great pleasure to release music that has been recorded 35 years ago and has never been available in any format before. It is even more thrilling because this release fills a gap in Bay Area music history.
Please read the entry for further information. Special thanks to Dan Hayes and Mark Adams!
So far many of the artists featured on this website are well known artists around the Bay Area. But what about the more than often underrated musicians and all the newcomers? It would be difficult to feature all of them here but why not give it a try from time to time - especially if the music is so nice. So please check out the entry for Jessica Knox.
Other newcomers I would like to recommend are:
Trip - a Bay Area band since 1997 with a lot of jazz and funk to their music.
Boshuda - another new SF band with an interesting website :)
Cradle - for those who like it a little bit harder.
These links can also be found on the links page. Special thanks to Toni Jansen, Mike Rognlie, Sarah Jane Fairless and Katy.
Last but not least, check out Gail Muldrow's official website - everything has been updated. Plus, don't forget to get her new CD which is all worth the price.
Finally an entry for Kingfish - a band that definitley has its place in the history of San Francisco rock music. Thanks to Mike Somavilla for some of the band pictures.
Here is an entry for another great Bay Area artist. Although J.C. Flyer's album "Movin' On" was already released in 2003, I still like to recommend it to you. Please follow the links provided, take a listen and happily buy "Movin' On".
Sad news reached me today - Bard Dupont who was the original bass player in The Great Society and later manager of The Outfit passed away on Thursday 20, 2005. He was 64.
Our thoughts are with his family and in remembrance you might want to read an article Alec Palao wrote on Bard and his connection to The Great Society and The Outfit. Just follow the link above.
Pictured right: Bard Dupont, December 1965 (Photo: Herb Greene)
Good things come when you least expect them, like this new DVD/CD set by En Vogue. Although this show is from 2002, it is more than entertaining to watch it or listen to the CD. Plus, the DVD includes lots of bonus stuff like backstage footage and interviews - did you know that Cindy Herron-Braggs was Miss San Francisco and Miss Black California before she joined En Vogue? Please read the entry for further information.
In anticipation of the band's 25th Anniversary the introductory paragraph and the discography have been updated/extended. The connected entries for Monday Nite Live and American Express have been updated as well. Special thanks to Dan Hayes for the Monday Nite Live scan.
Looks like I couldn't sleep last night - so here's another new entry. The entry is for the Dan Hayes Group who played the Bay Area in the early 70s. Thus the entry could be seen as another attempt to introduce one of the many 70s SF bands. On the other hand, Dan Hayes is still around and giggin'. So the entry - which gives us some interesting insights into Dan's life - is more about Dan Hayes today than yesterday. If possible, try to catch one of his gigs and someone out there please release his music!!!
Because Dan has one track on Taxim's Bay Area Blues compilation (Volume 3) I would also like to draw your attention to Taxim's Talking With The Blues series (Bay Area Blues Volume 1-4) - featuring some of the artists already listed on Bay-Area-Bands.com and others who might follow.
In case you missed the Greg Douglass/Mistress CD "Free Flyte", it looks like a few more copies are available via CD Baby (see entry or store). Well and don't forget Greg's Christmas CD.
Finally an entry for Gail Muldrow - an idea I already had a few months ago, but never managed to do because I thought that she hadn't released any of her own music yet. Totally wrong! Just now I discovered that she has already released a solo album last year. The album is very good and certainly shouldn't be one of those under-the-radar releases. So please check out the entry and CD. "Cleen Spirit" is fun to listen to and has many layers to it. Thanks to Gail for making her music available on CD!
It's a pleasure for me to add an entry for Vinyl to Bay-Area-Bands.com - here we have a band that knows how to fire up one's internal groove system. Please check out their latest release "All The Way Live" - a double CD set that includes guest appearances by Huey Lewis, Bernie Worrell, Rob Wasserman, Sugar Pie De Santo, Terry Haggerty, and many others. I love the Bay!
Clover's 1977 album "Love On The Wire" has been released on CD for the first time - featuring Alex Call, Huey Lewis, John McFee, Sean Hopper and Johnny Ciambotti! Please follow the link and find out more.
JLW has a new label and new album in stores. "New Direction" sounds good to me and I am sure it doesn't need much promotion as Walker is already a blues legend, thus the album will sell like hot cakes.
Alex Call's new album "Incredibly Thick" is finally available. Although it took Alex six years to come up with a new album the result proves that it was all worth the waiting. No doubt, Alex is one of the best singer/songwriters around and he is also one of the few able to write deeply meaningful songs of love and the human condition. Please follow the link for further information.
Since Alex has released this album all by himself I ask everyone to support Alex. If you only buy one album this year, please let it be this. First of all you won't be disappointed and making this independent release a success might shorten the time Alex needs for the next album :)
Since their new album "A Gift of Love" has finally found a release in the USA, it is a good time to add this successful Bay Area duo to the website. Please check out their new album - you won't be disappointed.
Other news:
The style of the page has been updated and I added two new links.
Store --> Here you will find all the albums recommended so far.
Although you will find "Buy" links on every artist page, which might link to websites like Tower Records or CD Baby, I want to mention that I don't get any financial or other benefits from these sites. These are just suggestions and depending on wherever you live on this beautiful planet there might be better ways buying these albums.
Group--> I built a Bay Area Bands group at Yahoo Groups and hope that it will be useful in discussing Bay Area music.
June 15, 2004
Update:
David Hayes (picture added) - Thanks to Mike Somavilla!
Don't forget to visit Alex Call's website - new CD coming soon!!!
May 14, 2004
New:
Here's a new website part. The Forum contains some concert promotion.
After 22 years one of San Francisco's legendary bands is "back with a vengeance". Stoneground have just released their new CD - a real rocker and highly recommended!
It's a pleasure to add an entry for Lady Bianca. Her latest album is highly recommended - simply because you will hardly find a female blues artist who sings the blues like Lady Bianca does. Blues at its best!
DVD releases added to entry. Just a few days ago HLN's famous 1984 Rockpalast gig has been released on DVD. The DVD features two complete concerts - the other one being HLN's gig in Cologne in 1991 (Hard At Play Tour). Attention: Region Code 2 (Europe/Japan) - code free DVD players recommended!
Their new independently produced album 'SoulFlower' is finally available. Hopefully this new album - full of irresistible soulful tracks - can beat some of those major label releases chartwise.
'SoulFlower' is highly recommended - Oakland's funky ladies did it again!
Alex Call's ARISTA Biography from 1983 has been added - see Alex Call's first solo album entry. Some links have been added as well - check out the webcast featuring Alex.
Tim Barnes reformed Stoneground with new members. Please take a look at Stoneground's entry which has further information and a link to Stoneground's new website.
En Vogue will release their new single "Ohh Boy" January 26th. Read more about their new album and take a chance to listen to their new single. Well and if you can support our ladies - they deserve it!
January 01, 2004
Happy New Year! Here are this years first updates:
Today sad news reached me: Chris Michie passed away at the age of 55 years on March 27, 2003. He is survived by his wife Deborah and his daughter Claire.
Chris will be missed - not only as singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer - but also as one of the nicest guys around.
Chris, let me tell you again - like I once wrote in an email to you - your music got me by the heart. On one of the album covers you signed for me you wrote: "Thanks for Listening. Keep Rockin'!" - Chris I want to thank YOU for YOUR music and please keep rockin' wherever you are now!
Stephan
PS: Please visit Chris' website, read his memoirs and enjoy his music.
In this February 2003 interview Rocky talks about his musical past, present and future. Things you probably haven't heard before. Special thanks to Rocky!
On Friday 17, 2003 Bob McFee passed away at the age of 54 years.
Bob was born October 6, 1948 in Santa Cruz, California. He is known for his work with The Tiny Hearing Aid Company, The Flying Circus and Norton Buffalo.
Bob is survived by his wife Michelle, his son Brian and his brothers John and Don McFee.
Bob will be missed by his family and friends.
October 28, 2002
Two small updates:
Mario Cipollina entry --> article on his family
Stoneground entry --> links, pictures
September 21, 2002
The Cipollina entry has been updated:
John Cipollina --> press article, interview by Mike Somavilla, pictures
Mario Cipollina --> discography, picture
September 14, 2002
The Sound Hole entry has been updated. Info on Van Morrison's "Live at the Orphanage" concert can be found in discography and text now.
August 25, 2002
An entry for the late Frank Biner has been added - a true 'musician's musician'!
August 12, 2002
The Clover Infopage has been updated - just follow those Clover links on this site.
July 26, 2002
The Johnny Colla & The Lucky Devils entry has been updated.
Information can be found on how to buy Johnny's new album 'Lucky Devil'. Bay-Area-Bands.com highly recommends this album - a must for true fans of Bay Area music!
July 22, 2002
Following entries have been updated:
San Francisco AllStars (band picture, text)
Southern Pacific (albums added)
Stoneground (album entry update, picture)
SVT (two more articles, pictures)
July 9, 2002
Hello - this time no update on the web site but a call for help. Francis Rocco Prestia Tower of Power's bass player is very very ill and urgently needs a liver transplant. Please visit the link underneath and inform yourself. Maybe you can help too - every dollar counts!
More information at www.francisroccoprestia.com.
June 19, 2002
New Entries for:
Huey Lewis and the News
Johnny Colla & The Lucky Devils
June 6, 2002
Welcome to BAY-AREA-BANDS.com!
Just a few introductory notes. This site has originally been a part of the Clover Infopage. The basic idea was and is to give more information on bands which can be linked to Clover in various ways. In addition all those bands with a link to Huey Lewis and the News are listed. Most of these bands are from the Bay Area or if they are located elswhere some of the band members come from the Bay Area. That's the reason why this part of the Clover site was called Bay Area Bands Page from the beginning.
Lately bands got listed with only a slight connection to Clover/Huey Lewis and the News and it was time to either stop adding those bands to the page or even better start a 'new site' dedicated to Bay Area Bands. And that's what happened.
It has to be said that the Clover/Huey Lewis and the News family is the starting point for this site and will always be a main focus. Over time some more bands/musicians will be listed but the editor of this site will always be biased - so don't expect too much on the Grateful Dead :)
That's enough talk for now. Just take a look around. There are changes to all entries. This is just the start - more will be coming soon.
Musically,
Stephan Petersen editor@bay-area-bands.com
PS: Special thanks to Mike Somavilla for his help!!!
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