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This day-by-day diary of Boogie's live, studio, and private activities is the result of three decades of research and interview work by Bruno Ceriotti, but without the significant contributions by other kindred spirits this diary would not have been possible. So, I would like to thank all the people who, in one form or another, contributed to this timeline: John Barrett, 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine, Barry Bastian, Bill Leidenthal, Brian Voorheis, Ross Hannan, Corry Arnold, Alex Carretero, Berkeley Barb, San Francisco Good Times, San Francisco Express Times, The Press Democrat, The Napa Valley Register, The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Petaluma Argus Courier, and San Rafael Daily Independent Journal.
October 1967 (?)
Arguably the greatest San Francisco’s rock ‘n’ roll band of the 60's who never released anything, Boogie emerged from a short-lived five-piece outfit called California Memorial Band. The story begins when Barry Lowell Bastian, aka ‘The Bee’ (b. Monday, March 29, 1943, Eau Claire, Wisconsin), a blues guitar player from Los Angeles who had played with The Boogiemen, Canned Heat, and Bobby Burns with the Boogie Band, moved to San Francisco in the summer of '66 to play with the Lee Michaels Group. A year later, in the fall of '67, Lee Michaels signed a recording contract as solo artist and informed Barry and the other members of the ‘Group’ that they wouldn't be receiving any royalties because they were just sidemen. “The band was so offended by this statement that we walked out then and there,” recalls Barry. At that point, Barry decided to form his own band and “I went to LA and brought up some old friends that were great players,” he adds. The great players in question were a top session drummer named Michael Joseph ‘Mike’ Kowalski, aka ‘Kilos’ (b. Friday, July 28, 1944, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California), formerly of Pat & Lolly Vegas, Sonny & Cher, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Etta James, and a lot of others, two sax players named David Kenneth Rainer, aka ‘Goose,’ and Asa Lee Crow III, aka ‘Crow,’ and a bass player named Mark Ryan (b. Saturday, October 27, 1945). “Actually Mark came up from Culver City, the area west of LA, a movie making town,” points out Barry. “He lived a few blocks over from me. We were friends. He had left for SF a few months before me.” “So we put together the California Memorial Band, a great experiment with two electric horns, kind of a rock / avantguard / jazz approach,” adds Barry.
Arguably the greatest San Francisco’s rock ‘n’ roll band of the 60's who never released anything, Boogie emerged from a short-lived five-piece outfit called California Memorial Band. The story begins when Barry Lowell Bastian, aka ‘The Bee’ (b. Monday, March 29, 1943, Eau Claire, Wisconsin), a blues guitar player from Los Angeles who had played with The Boogiemen, Canned Heat, and Bobby Burns with the Boogie Band, moved to San Francisco in the summer of '66 to play with the Lee Michaels Group. A year later, in the fall of '67, Lee Michaels signed a recording contract as solo artist and informed Barry and the other members of the ‘Group’ that they wouldn't be receiving any royalties because they were just sidemen. “The band was so offended by this statement that we walked out then and there,” recalls Barry. At that point, Barry decided to form his own band and “I went to LA and brought up some old friends that were great players,” he adds. The great players in question were a top session drummer named Michael Joseph ‘Mike’ Kowalski, aka ‘Kilos’ (b. Friday, July 28, 1944, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California), formerly of Pat & Lolly Vegas, Sonny & Cher, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Etta James, and a lot of others, two sax players named David Kenneth Rainer, aka ‘Goose,’ and Asa Lee Crow III, aka ‘Crow,’ and a bass player named Mark Ryan (b. Saturday, October 27, 1945). “Actually Mark came up from Culver City, the area west of LA, a movie making town,” points out Barry. “He lived a few blocks over from me. We were friends. He had left for SF a few months before me.” “So we put together the California Memorial Band, a great experiment with two electric horns, kind of a rock / avantguard / jazz approach,” adds Barry.
CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL BAND #1 (OCTOBER 1967 (?) - NOVEMBER 1967 (?))
1) Barry Bastian (aka The Bee) vocals, guitar
2) Mark Ryan vocals, bass
3) Mike Kowalski (aka Kilos) drums
4) David Kenneth Rainer (aka Goose) sax
5) Asa Lee Crow III (aka Crow) sax
1) Barry Bastian (aka The Bee) vocals, guitar
2) Mark Ryan vocals, bass
3) Mike Kowalski (aka Kilos) drums
4) David Kenneth Rainer (aka Goose) sax
5) Asa Lee Crow III (aka Crow) sax
November 1967 (?)
Mark Ryan left the band (he went on to play with Country Joe and The Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Bodacious DF) and was replaced by Barry Bastian’s new friend John Howard Barrett, aka ‘JB’ (b. Thursday, May 30, 1940, Winsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut), formerly of The Frantics, The Gimps, Dennis Jester Band, Pat LaRocca and The Modern Forum, UConn Marching Band, Turk and The Party Cats, Turk and The Bop Kings, The Fascinations, and The Ramrods. “About that time, I was not making ends meet in music, so I went to work at IBM to make some money,” recalls John Barrett. “Sometime around then I met Barry. He played with Lee Michaels, and Lee's girlfriend shared an apartment with my girlfriend. So I saw him a lot and got to know Barry.” “Barry's bass player left and I joined the band,” adds John. “Now that was a wild band!!! Nothing like it. Pure power. We played only 2 gigs, I forgot where, no posters, but that band was a monster, it was outrageous! The sax players each had a Selmer Varitone so it sounded like 4 horns. I remember people were packed up against the back wall of the venue, staring in dis-belief.” “We practiced at the Heliport in Sausalito, near The Ark,” continues Barrett. “Also at the Heliport in other rooms, were Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Ace of Cups, and others. Dino Valenti too. He lived on a boat anchored off of Gate 6 where The Ark was located.”
CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL BAND #2 (NOVEMBER 1967 (?) - DECEMBER 1967)
1) Barry Bastian
2) Kilos
3) Goose
4) Crow
5) John Barrett (aka JB) vocals, bass
December 1967
The California Memorial Band split up. “We played a few gigs in Marin County, but had trouble keeping personal and living spaces together, and so the band came to a halt,” regrets Barry Bastian. “We lost the room at the Heliport, and the Sons Of Champlin moved into that room. That is where the guys in the Sons and I became friends,” recalls John Barrett. At that point, Kilos, Goose and Crow all moved back to LA (Crow will later play with the Silver Fox Band (with Barry Bastian again) and then passed away in the 2000s, Goose disappeared from the music scene, while Kilos flies to London to play with a blues rock band called The New Nadir, altough he returned in the States few months later to play with The Beach Boys). “That left just me and Barry in limbo,” adds Barrett. In fact, the pair then decided to stay together in SF and, duly inspired by bands like Cream, Blue Cheer, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, they started looking for a drummer to form a power trio called Boogie.
February 1968
After a couple of months of researchs, it was Barry Bastian that finally found the right drummer for Boogie, a local kid called John Harold Oxendine, aka ‘Fuzzy John’ (b. Friday, July 19, 1946, San Francisco, California), formerly of Hair, The Yellow Brick Road, The Third Half, Chocolate Watchband, William Penn and His Pals, The Nomads, The Chasers, and The Majestics. “After about 2 months, Barry called me and said he found a good drummer,” recalls John Barrett. “I started to call him ‘Fuzzy’ because they were both named John,” adds Barry Bastian. “He didn't like that, but 50 years later, all those who love him still call him ‘Fuzzy John’.” By the way, the band also found a manager and backer called Robert Emory, aka ‘Emerald.’ “He was our first manager,” recalls Barrett. “Somehow he got us gigs, and gave us money when we were really broke. He then quit manager but there all the time. He was my best friend.”
The California Memorial Band split up. “We played a few gigs in Marin County, but had trouble keeping personal and living spaces together, and so the band came to a halt,” regrets Barry Bastian. “We lost the room at the Heliport, and the Sons Of Champlin moved into that room. That is where the guys in the Sons and I became friends,” recalls John Barrett. At that point, Kilos, Goose and Crow all moved back to LA (Crow will later play with the Silver Fox Band (with Barry Bastian again) and then passed away in the 2000s, Goose disappeared from the music scene, while Kilos flies to London to play with a blues rock band called The New Nadir, altough he returned in the States few months later to play with The Beach Boys). “That left just me and Barry in limbo,” adds Barrett. In fact, the pair then decided to stay together in SF and, duly inspired by bands like Cream, Blue Cheer, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, they started looking for a drummer to form a power trio called Boogie.
February 1968
After a couple of months of researchs, it was Barry Bastian that finally found the right drummer for Boogie, a local kid called John Harold Oxendine, aka ‘Fuzzy John’ (b. Friday, July 19, 1946, San Francisco, California), formerly of Hair, The Yellow Brick Road, The Third Half, Chocolate Watchband, William Penn and His Pals, The Nomads, The Chasers, and The Majestics. “After about 2 months, Barry called me and said he found a good drummer,” recalls John Barrett. “I started to call him ‘Fuzzy’ because they were both named John,” adds Barry Bastian. “He didn't like that, but 50 years later, all those who love him still call him ‘Fuzzy John’.” By the way, the band also found a manager and backer called Robert Emory, aka ‘Emerald.’ “He was our first manager,” recalls Barrett. “Somehow he got us gigs, and gave us money when we were really broke. He then quit manager but there all the time. He was my best friend.”
BOOGIE #1 (FEBRUARY 1968 - MAY 1, 1969)
1) Barry Bastian vocals, guitar
2) John Barrett vocals, bass
3) 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine vocals, drums
1) Barry Bastian vocals, guitar
2) John Barrett vocals, bass
3) 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine vocals, drums
Boogie #1, San Rafael, 1968 - from left: John Barrett, Barry Bastian, and 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine
February 1968: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
The very next night after Barry Bastian called John Barrett to inform him about the new drummer, the newly born Boogie, without rehearsal, debuted live at The Ark as opening act for Buffalo Springfield. “At the gig, I was introduced to our new drummer, and his girlfriend (a good friend to this day),” recalls John Barrett. “I never met Fuzzy before, and I was worried because we had no rehearsal at all, and were going to play songs that Barry wrote. It went great, I was worried about the drums, but he did fine, he was excellent, like he had been with us for years.” The Ark was an old converted steamboat (the Charles Van Damme, built in 1916) that shuttled commuters from Richmond to San Rafael for over 20 years. After being decommissioned and stripped of its parts, the old ferry sat landlocked, still sporting its paddlewheel, on Sausalito's waterfront, in the middle of the town's thriving houseboat community where, for example, the great late Otis Redding was living when he wrote his hit, ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ the previous August. Infamous North Bay restaurateur Juanita Musson housed her late-night diner Juanita's Gallery there for three years before taking her famous clientele and irreverent hijinks to Sonoma Valley. Fred ‘Marti’ Martinez and Frank McGinnis then bought the Van Damme, cleaned up the boat's interior, and by 1965 they turned it into a plush after-hours nightclub called The Ark. It was run on a somewhat ad hoc basis, scheduling shows between 8pm or 9pm and 2am and then from 2am to 6am (when breakfast was served), and occasionally weekend matinee shows from 2pm to 6pm. Although there are lots of nice posters and handbills advertising the shows it was in many cases either wishful thinking or word of mouth that led to the artists named being included. As The Ark rarely had the money to pay performers, they were all fed a complimentary Huevos Rancheros breakfast in the morning in exchange for financial compensation. As such it became very much an after hours club for some of the San Francico bands (notably Moby Grape - who also used it as a practice venue during the latter part of 1966 and made their live debut there). By the way, it was supposedly that same night, in the middle of their debut gig, that the California Memorial Band's former bass player Mark Ryan sat-in with the band and “he broke my bass speaker, a Fender Dual Showman amp,” also recalls John Barrett. “The output transformer got cooked by playing with the cabinet unplugged. There is a safety for that if unplugged at the amp side, but not the speaker side.”
February 1968
Soon after their live debut, Boogie rehearsed together for the first time. “We had our first rehearsal at Burry Olson's Leather Shop at Gate 6 next door to The Ark,” recalls Barry Bastian. “It was definitely a cosmic event and was no doubt the first blues / heavy metal / rock band to come out of the San Francisco scene. I was staying in a little houseboat just across the water from Burry's shop. That night I went off to bed while visions of success danced in my head. I was then awakened by a frantic call that Burry Olson's Leather Shop was on fire. I look out the window and it was ablaze. I just rolled over and slept, it was too much for my brain. The next day I walked over to the shop, JB and Fuzzy arrived about the same time. We walked through the ashes; pickup up drum rings and speaker frames, and came to realize what starting from the beginning really meant. We just looked at each other and said: ‘Ok! I guess were a band.’ We scuffled around for equipment to use. JB’s Fender Showman was toast, my new TNT proto type amp that I had been using with Lee Michaels, was in the ashes, and Fuzzy’s good drum kit was in meltdown. JB had some how scored a new amp, Fuzzy had his older set, and I had my old Fender Bassmen, and some driver horns that helped project the highs in the big auditoriums. And so we begin. We more or less put the band together with our first gigs at The Ark. We were then allowed the use of the Moby Grape rehearsal space at the Heliport in Sausalito, for which we were most grateful.” “Burry let us set up amongst the belts, vests, and stuff he was making,” also recalls John Barrett. “A few days later, someone called me from the Ark and said Burry's shop was on fire. Burned to the ground. We lost all amps (including my Fender Dual Showman), drums and other equipment. We had our guitars with us so they survived. Friends helped, Don Wehr had a music store and helped us get new amps and drums. I bought a custom made Sunn amp. Barry got a custom Sunn amp with 6-12 inch speakers. Then I got a Martin Guitar too. One of our sponsors, Bob Black, aka ‘Blackie,’ gave me the $$ to get it. We also got another room at the Heliport and a great roadie, Bill Leidenthal. Next door was Blue Cheer, and across the hall was Electric Flag, next to them was the Sons of Champlin.” “This was when Bill Champlin and I became friends,” also recalls Fuzzy John. “Boogie and the Sons practiced at the same facility, and we saw each other 5 days a week.”
Friday, March 22 - Saturday, March 23, 1968: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Boogie played from 2am to 6am each day. Also on the bill: The Whispering Shadows. “We had a steady gig at the Ark,” recalls John Barrett. “Every weekend playing the 2am to 6am slot, aka ‘the breakfast show.’ Bands finiship up at the Fillmore and Avalon would come over after their gigs and jam with us. I remember one night the Grateful Dead came and brought all the Fillmore with them, about 300 people. It was so packed that I thought the Ark was going to sink into the mud forever! All the bodies rose the temperature up to 37 degrees (98.6F)! So hot that one of my callouses broke off my finger and the bass became very difficult to play. Where a nice callous once was, now was a sore red spot on my finger. There were very few posters, if any, for these gigs.”
Saturday, April 6 - Sunday, April 7, 1968: 'A Benefit', parking lot outside The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Boogie played at a benefit dance, which lasted from 10am to 8pm each day, to raise money for five persons still in jail following the recent drug raids in Marin County. Buddha, who is organizing the events, asks that there be no free admissions in order that all five can be released. Also on the bill: Quicksilver Messenger Service, Ace of Cups, Freedom Highway, Phoenix, Pacific Flash, Morning Glory, The Smoke, Dino Valenti, Clover, Gail Garnett and Gentle Rain, and many more. “We had a house in Marin, next to the freeway so we could practice,” recalls John Barrett. “After the benefit, I distinctly remember going to that house for more party. From there we moved to Fairfax in late 1968.”
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Berkeley Barb (April 5, 1968)
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Monday, April 8, 1968: Pacific High Recording Co., Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Boogie entered Pacific High, a very small recording studio opened few years earlier by music engineer Peter Weston, and recorded three songs: 'Wade In The Water', 'To Me', and 'In Freak Town'. These tracks remained unissued until April 22, 2022, when they surfaced in the band’s posthumous album, ‘In Freak Town’ (Out-Sider Records OSR090).
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Friday, May 10 - Saturday, May 11, 1968: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Boogie played from 2am to 6am each day. Also on the bill: Day Blindness (9pm to 2am each day).
Sunday, May 19, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free afternoon outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Womb, Cleveland Wrecking Co.
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Fuzzy John Oxendine, Barry Bastian, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Fuzzy John Oxendine, Barry Bastian, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, Fuzzy John Oxendine, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, Fuzzy John Oxendine, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, Fuzzy John Oxendine, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, Fuzzy John Oxendine, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
John Barrett, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Fuzzy John Oxendine, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
John Barrett, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
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Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, Fuzzy John Oxendine, and John Barrett
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, John Barrett, and Fuzzy John Oxendine
Boogie #1, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Fuzzy John Oxendine, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
John Barrett, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian and John Barrett, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
Barry Bastian, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, May or June 1968
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Sunday, May 26, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free afternoon outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Womb, Cleveland Wrecking Co.
May or June 1968
The band found a new manager (and bodyguard) called Fred Englehardt, but "we called him Angelheart," John Barrett recalls.
Saturday, June 1, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free afternoon outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Cleveland Wrecking Co., Clover, Time, Phananganang.
Sunday, June 2, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California (Boogie uncertain)
In the Berkeley Barb dated May 31, 1968, Boogie were advertised to play another free afternoon outdoor concert at the Muir Beach Lodge today along with Cleveland Wrecking Co. and Womb, while in the San Francisco Chronicle also dated May 31, 1968, the bands advertised to play were Cleveland Wreckin Co., Pure Funk, and Milkwood. So, who’s right? Boogie finally played or not?
Friday, June 7 - Saturday, June 8, 1968: 'Dance Concert', The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Also on the bill: Flamin' Groovies, Transatlantic Railroad, Petrus. One show each day, from 9pm to 6am.
Sunday, June 9, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Womb, Cleveland Wrecking Company.
Sunday, June 16, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Womb, Cleveland Wrecking Company.
Sunday, June 16, 1968: 'Summer Thing', Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California
“We sounded awful,” regrets John Barrett. Also on the bill: Chambers Brothers, Hour Glass, Solitaires, Flamin’ Groovies, Buddha (MC). One show, from 12 noon to 6:00pm.
Friday, June 21 - Saturday, June 22, 1968: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Also on the bill: Chocolate Watchband, Morning Glory. One show each day, from 9pm to 6am. It was supposedly when Boogie played at the Ark on Saturday that Barry Bastian was arrested for drug dealing. “We played at the Ark the night the police came and took Barry away during a break,” recalls John Barrett. “That was the end of that gig, probably summer of '68, as it was warm outside at dusk.” “The Boogie's unfortunate, interrupted destiny, came about as the result of two undercover Narks,” adds Barry Bastian. “[In early 1968] they infiltrated the Gates of Sausalito, the houseboats, and other areas of Marin County, impersonating honest people, in other words, real hippies. At the time it was pretty common to purchase a few bags of smoke, pass a couple to friends for a little higher, and have yours for what you could really afford. The official forces called that dealing, bullshit then, as it is now. This friend got two from me, passed them to these two Narks parked at the Laundromat. The first rehearsal of Boogie was about two weeks later. One night, many months later, I got off our set at the Ark. I was out in the parking lot when I was approaced by these two guys, they asked if I remembered them getting some smoke from this guy Steve, and if I knew were they could score some bricks. I said: 'No', and that I wasn't doing anything like that. They walked away, turned around, flashed their badges, and off I went. The short of it is this. [After a trial in Marin Superior Court on February 7, 1969, on a charge of selling marijuana] I was asked to occupy one of their cages at Marin County Jail for 90 days [in late April 1969].”
Summer 1968: Rio Nido Ballroom, Rio Nido, Russian River, Sonoma County, California
“During a break, Fuzzy and I and [Fuzzy's girlfriend] GB and maybe [my girlfriend] Britha went out to the parking lot to the car to catch some air,” recalls John Barrett. “As we were walking back to the roller ring, 4 or 5 guys came up and pushed us around a little. Calling us girls. We were in Red Neck land so it is to be expected. GB saw what was happening and ran inside and told Fred that some guys were bothering Fuzzy and I. Fred leaped down the steps and ran over to us. The Boys took one look at Fred and ran away. The look on his face was like, you have about 30 seconds to live, you punks. His scary look was clear that he meant it. 5 dead rednecks. Fred was a USAR Special Forces, green beret commando badass.”
Thursday, July 4, 1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free afternoon outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Womb, Aum, Day Blindness.
Saturday, July 13, 1968: Balconades Ballroom, 181 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: Womb, Pure Funk, A.B. Skhy Blues Band, Day Blindness, Marble Farm, Marvin Gardens, Uncut Balloon. One show, from 8pm to 2am.
Tuesday July 23 - Thursday, July 25, 1968: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Country Joe and The Fish, Pacific Gas & Electric, Pulse. Lights by Vulcan Lights. These shows, which lasted from 9pm to 2am each day, were presented by the Family Dog, a production company founded two years earlier by the great late Chet Helms, former manager of Big Brother and The Holding Company.
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Berkeley Barb (July 19, 1968)
Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 1968: 'Sky River Rock Festival & Lighter Than Air Fair - Benefit For American Indians & Black People', Betty Nelson's Organic Raspberry Farm, a 40-acre pasture on the banks of the Skykomish River, just outside Sultan, Snohomish County, Washington
The 1st annual edition of the Sky River Rock Festival was held from Saturday, August 31 to Monday, September 2, and attracted an audience of 15,000 people. Boogie were announced to play a couple of sets on the first day (Saturday), one in the afternoon and one in the evening. “The day started out with wind and rain,” recalls Barry Bastian about the band's first afternoon set. “The audience were so huddled in their make-shift plastic tents, that from the stage it almost appeared as some old tobacco road - depression era photo. My heart went out to them. But then things changed. Chief Rolling Thunder took the stage, he said: ‘We're all going to sing a chant together that will roll back the rain.’ That was a great moment. We had setup our gear, while all the crowd sang. As The Chief left the stage, the most miraculous thing happened. The clouds all rolled back, like the curtains of some huge theater, the light blazed through, then a plane flew over dropping thousands of leaflets, like snow from the Sun. I turned to Fuzzy, what should we play? Hit ‘em with best we got. We launched into our version of John Lee Hooker’s ‘Boogie Chillen.’ The crowd jumped up from the mud, and the party was ON.” For their second and last set, they were supposed to go onstage around midnight, but it was running late and they wound up playing just before dawn (so it was actually Sunday). “The people were camped all around and campfires blazed,” recalls Fuzzy John. “We couldn't make out people just the fires. As we played it began to get light and the campfires turned into people rising in their sleeping bags and dancing. The sun was up and we gazed at the multitudes of people everywhere. We were amazed and our set was over. I will never forget that playing for the sunrise.” “I do recall watching Buddha introduce you, I can hear Buddha's raspy voice sayin...'Tha BOOGIIIIE!', and stood stage right listening as you did your set and the Boogie kicked serious ASS!,” recalls Brian Voorheis of Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band about one of the band's performances. “You show nuf had it percolatin along! The Boogie were the baddest - loudest! I stood in the wings and witnessed you plundering the arcane depths of boogie blues. Pleased to meet you dudes at last - I became a fan that day, but never heard you again, which I profoundly regret.” Also on the bill: Allmen Joy, Black Snake, Buffy St. Marie, Byron Pope Ensemble, Congress Of Wonders, Country Joe & The Fish, Dr. Humbeads New Tranquility String Band, Flamin' Groovies, Freedom Highway, Gale Garnett, H.P. Lovecraft, Juggernaut, Marvin Gardens, Mystic Knights Of The Sea, Nina & Catana, Phoenix, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Salvation, Santana, Sons Of Champlin (2), Grateful Dead (2), Big Mama Thornton (2), James Cotton Blues Band (2), Dino Valenti, Youngbloods, Anonymous Artists Of America, Blues Feedback, Buddha (MC), Sandy Bull, Cleanliness And Godliness Skiffle Band, Country Weather, Easy Chair, John Fahey, Floating Bridge, Frumious Bandersnatch, Mitch Greenhill, It's A Beautiful Day (2), Kaleidoscope, Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck, My Indole Ring, New Lost City Ramblers, Peaut Butter Conspiracy, Richard Pryor, Billy Roberts, San Francisco Mime Troupe Marching Band, Alice Stuart Thomas, Josh White. Lights by Retina Circus.
Boogie #1, Sky River Festival, August 31, 1968 - from left: Barry Bastian, John Oxendine, and John Barrett
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Friday, September 6, 1968: ‘Street Festival’, Lytton Plaza, 200 University Avenue, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: Stonehenge, Frumious Bandersnatch. One outdoor show, started at 7:30pm.
Friday, October 11 and Sunday, October 13, 1968: The New Committee Theatre, 836 Montgomery Street, North Beach, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Charlatans. These shows, which lasted from 9pm to 4am, were promoted by Thunderpig Productions.
Berkeley Barb (November 15, 1968)
Thursday, October 31 - Saturday, November 2, 1968: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Also on the bill: Initial Shock, Devil's Kitchen, Ball, White Lightning, Multiple Delights. One show each day, from 9pm to 6am. Although advertised, Boogie finally did not played on Friday night (November 1) because before their ‘after hours’ set there was a fracas involving members of two motorcycle clubs inside the Ark, and a twenty-year-old local kid called Marshall Craig suffered scalp wounds (he was treated for cuts on his scalp after he was taken to the hospital). “I climbed up the kitchen ladder and got in a lifeboat hoping no stray rounds could go through 2 decks and a lifeboat bottom,” recalls John Barrett. “Me and my wife went upstairs on the deck and got behind the pilot house,” also recalls Fuzzy John. Deputies reported they found Craig on a couch at the Ark after receiving a report of a fight in progress at 2:55am (Saturday morning). Craig told officers that several members of the Hell's Angels and Gypsy Jokers motorcycle clubs had attacked him and apparently kicked him in the head, deputies said. Deputies said Craig told them he believed the reason for the attack was "because he would not show them that he was afraid of them." Craig did not know or would not say who was responsible, deputies said. The report of the fight was moade to deputies investigating a gunshot into a car near the Marin City underpass. The driver, Jesse David Thomas told deputies he heard a gunshot and his left rear window shattered. Two passenders, Marjorie N. Jackson and Edward L. Jackson were treated at Marin General Hospital for minor scrapes. Deputies said the shot apparently came from the Ark area. Unknown hippies told deputies firearms were involved in the Ark incident, deputies reported. No bullets were found in the Thomas car, deputies said. Anyway, the Ark was ordered close and occupants asked to leave. “Our gig never happened, the police made everyone go home,” confirms John. Anyway, the police closed the Ark for just that night, so the next night (Saturday) the show happened as usual.
Wednesday, November 27, 1968: Auditorium, Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California
Also on the bill: Anonymous Artists Of America. The show, which lasted from 8:00pm to 12 midnight, was presented by Human Production.
Friday, December 13 - Saturday, December 14, 1968: Londonside Tavern, Warm Springs Road, Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California
Friday, December 20, 1968
Fuzzy John Oxendine married Dorothy Lynn Quayle (b. 1946), aka 'Gingerbread Princess', aka 'GB', on Mount Tamalpais, Marin County.
1968: 'Play in the sand - dance groove', Deno and Carlo's Naval Base (aka Muir Beach Lodge), Muir Beach, Marin County, California
A free afternoon outdoor concert. Also on the bill: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Moon Rose Forest.
Tuesday, January 7, 1969: 'Tuesday Night Audition', Fillmore West, 10 South Van Ness Avenue at 1545 Market Street, San Francisco, California
Boogie, along with Allmen Joy, and Clover, played at one of the infamous Tuesday night series instituted by Bill Graham at the Fillmore West since the last August. The series was called "Audition Night," and three local bands would play for a small admission fee ($1.00 or $1.50). The best of those bands would often open a weekend show on Friday and Saturday, sometimes even the next weekend. The Tuesday night series seems to have gone on almost every week for the life of the Fillmore West, excepting the summer of '69 when a six nights a week concert schedule was employed, as well as occasional nights when a big act would play a Tuesday. However, although the Tuesday night concerts are regularly alluded to, there are almost no records of which bands played. By my estimation, there must be approximately 100 Tuesday night Audition concerts, possibly more, meaning perhaps as many as 300 acts played the Fillmore West that we are not generally aware of. If the Tuesday night "winner" also played on each weekend, as appeared to be the case at least some of the time, then there would be approximately 50 or more acts that were part of the "main" Fillmore West schedule that we have no direct evidence of. At the very least, this fact explains the number of lesser known groups who claim to have played the Fillmore West who never appeared on a poster. There were no posters or flyers for Tuesday night show, and the band "added" to the weekend gig was not on the poster, as the artwork had been done and the posters distributed considerably earlier. The Tuesday night Audition shows did not have posters or flyers that I am aware of, with occasional exceptions. There does appear to have been press releases, probably as part of regular Fillmore West press releases, so the performers would have been announced, but probably only on FM radio and at the Fillmore West itself. As rock music became more important, the Tuesday night shows would sometimes be listed in the paper as filler in the entertainment section, which is how I found out about most of the shows. In 1968 and 1969, however, the shows seem to have been all but unpublicized. Bill Graham liked playing basketball, and apparently each Tuesday the Fillmore West "team" would play a game at the Fillmore West against another team (such as a radio station) prior to the show. A bit of this is shown in the 1972 Fillmore movie. Afterwards, three bands would play. It seems that everyone did just one set, unlike the normal two sets on the weekend, so it was a relatively early evening, appropriate for a Tuesday. On weekends, the three billed bands (from the poster) each played two sets. Going back to 1966 at the old Fillmore, a local band often opened the show on Friday and Saturday, playing a single set. This was to encourage and accommodate early arriving patrons, and by extension to encourage the sale of more popcorn and soda. A local band playing a set at, say, 8:00 pm at the Fillmore would still have time to make it over to a nightclub if they were booked for a Friday or Saturday night gig, as many bands would have been. Whatever the proposition, however, there is no guarantee that the best band of each Tuesday night was guaranteed to be the opener on the next weekend. I'm sure it happened of course, and perhaps regularly, but I have yet to see indications of who actually opened which show. The Fillmore West was designed as a money making operation, but Bill Graham was also very shrewd about what would now be called "Leveraging His Brand" (had such a term existed then). First of all, each of the three bands was paid Union Scale for a two-hour session. I do not precisely how much this was, and obviously depending on the number of members of the band it would vary slightly, but it was probably a relatively small amount. Thus, it would not take a large crowd to justify the expense of the evening (since bands had to join the union in order to play Fillmore West, some bands may have effectively not been paid at all). In late 1968 Graham started both a booking agency and two record labels. One record label was supported by CBS, and was called Fillmore Records; the other label was San Francisco Records, distributed by Atlantic; and the booking agency was the Millard Agency. Thus the auditions were not just for finding opening acts at Fillmore West, which was hardly an impossible task, as Graham had done so for years at the Fillmore without a Tuesday audition night. Tuesdays provided Graham first look at acts for his record company, and immediate indications of the stage act of local bands for his booking agency. Anyway, apparently Boogie's audition that night did not impressed Bill Graham too much, as he neither booked the band to open a weekend show at the Fillmore and/or signed them for his record label or booking agency.
Monday, January 13, 1969
Barry Bastian, John Barrett and his girlfriend Britha Dahle, and Boogie's roadie William Warren 'Bill' Leidenthal, were arrested early in the morning in their house at 79 Live Oak Avenue in Fairfax, for possession of a big bowl of seeds, a couple of joints, an elaborate water pipe (the type used to ‘turn on’ many persons at one time), and for growing a nine-inch marijuana plant in the living room window. The four were arrested after a neighbor's complaint of being “slugged by a hippie.” Police responded to a call from Walter Couch, 77 Live Oak Avenue, that he had been hit and wanted to make a citizen's arrest. According to police, they accompanied the alleged victim to the hippie pad next door to confront a suspect in the assault, Mark Ryan of 8 Creek Lane, MIll Valley (yes, that Mark Ryan, the former bass player of the California Memorial Band). Police asked Ryan for his identification, but Ryan replied he had it inside the house. The officers said they had to go in with him, but at that point, Barry Bastian grabbed the policeman's arm, holding him back. The police then noticed the nine-inch marijuana plant and a water pipe. “I remember Mark Ryan coming thru the front door followed by a parade of cops,” recalls Bill Leidenthal. “What an asshole. I also remember that the Christmas tree was still up in mid January. Ahahahahah.” “When Mark came in with the cops, I was in my room,” also recalls John Barrett. “Britha came in and said the cops are there. I jumped out the window and went to Fuzzy who lived in the chicken house next to the main house. He and GB escaped and ran down the hill towards town to a friend's house. I went back around front and all was quiet. No cop cars. I went to the door and peeked in the window. People were on the sofa, and someone had a guitat. Mark? Barry? I don't remember who. So I thought the cops are gone, everything looks peaceful. I opened the door and oops! 2 cops standing there. Do you live here one asked? Fucked.” After a search, the police also found a big bowl of seeds and two joints. “They wrecked the place,” adds John. “Dumping drawers contents on the floor, un-screwing light fixtures from the ceilings, cut open pillows, taking beds apart. Like pigs got in the house. The seeds were in a bowl in the kitchen up on a shelf. The seeds were from lid cleanings. Emerald called during the busty but did not speak. A Narc answered the phone, Emerald put 2+2 together very quickly.” In the house there were other people, but only the four who said they rented the dwelling were arrested, police said. The four were held on bail of $650 each (paid by Emory), and then Bastian, Barrett and Leidenthal (but not Dahle who was arrested but not charged) were arraigned on charges of marijuana possession in Marin Municipal Court later in the day. In addition with possessing the weed, Barry and Bill were charged with possessing a device for smoking pot and John was charged for possessing just two joints. “We went to jail,” confirms John. “Britha got out next day, while Barry, Bill and I were there 2 nights. Emerald bailed us out.” Mark Ryan, whom Walter Couch said slugged him, was not arrested in the incident. Anyway, the three men, assisted by their lawyer Steve Kolpe, pleaded innocent on January 14 or 22, and since their case has been delayed a couple of times (preliminary hearing in Marin Municipal Court on February 25 and then on June 3 were cancelled), the drug charges were dropped for good on June 12. “They dismissed charges because the accusing police officer's father had died and he was at funeral, unable to testify, so they let us go,” recalls John.
Daily Independent Journal (January 13, 1969)
Daily Independent Journal (January 15, 1969)
Daily Independent Journal (May 26, 1969)
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Daily Independent Journal (January 14, 1969)
Daily Independent Journal (January 23, 1969)
Daily Independent Journal (May 30, 1969)
Daily Independent Journal (June 13, 1969)
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Friday, February 21 - Saturday, February 22, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Pure Funk, Passion, Bud Salvador.
Friday, February 28 - Saturday, March 1, 1969: Poppycock, 135 University Avenue at High Street, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz County, California
Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin. One show each day, started at 9:00pm.
Saturday, March 1, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Richmond Band, Pure Funk.
Sunday, March 9, 1969: Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, 25th Avenue at Fulton Street, San Francisco, California
An afternoon free outdoor concert which lasted from 12 noon to 5:00pm and that was promoted by The 13th Tribe Presents. Also on the bill: Last Mile, Alice Cooper, Allmen Joy, Birth, Sons of Champlin (cancelled), Joy of Cooking (cancelled).
Friday, February 21 - Saturday, February 22, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Pure Funk, Passion, Bud Salvador.
Friday, February 28 - Saturday, March 1, 1969: Poppycock, 135 University Avenue at High Street, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz County, California
Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin. One show each day, started at 9:00pm.
Saturday, March 1, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Richmond Band, Pure Funk.
Sunday, March 9, 1969: Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, 25th Avenue at Fulton Street, San Francisco, California
An afternoon free outdoor concert which lasted from 12 noon to 5:00pm and that was promoted by The 13th Tribe Presents. Also on the bill: Last Mile, Alice Cooper, Allmen Joy, Birth, Sons of Champlin (cancelled), Joy of Cooking (cancelled).
Berkeley Barb (March 14, 1969)
Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Johnny Sunshine Pipe Joint Compound (14-15), The Sons of Champlin (15).
Sunday, March 16, 1969: Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, 25th Avenue at Fulton Street, San Francisco, California
An afternoon free outdoor concert which lasted from 12 noon to 5:00pm and that was promoted by The 13th Tribe Presents. Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin, MC5 (they used the Sons' equipment), Crazy Horse (canceled?), Last Mile (canceled?), Birth (canceled?), Mt. Rushmore (canceled?).
Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15, 1969: The Rehearsal, 2877 California Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Johnny Sunshine Pipe Joint Compound (14-15), The Sons of Champlin (15).
Sunday, March 16, 1969: Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, 25th Avenue at Fulton Street, San Francisco, California
An afternoon free outdoor concert which lasted from 12 noon to 5:00pm and that was promoted by The 13th Tribe Presents. Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin, MC5 (they used the Sons' equipment), Crazy Horse (canceled?), Last Mile (canceled?), Birth (canceled?), Mt. Rushmore (canceled?).
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Berkeley Barb (March 21, 1969)
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Thursday, April 3, 1969: Avenue Theatre, 2650 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Lamb, Mint Tattoo, plus Fields’ film. One show, from 9:00pm to 1:00am, promoted by Sounds Unlimited. “The Avenue Theatre contained one of the last Wurlitzer pipe organs,” recalls John Barrett. “A huge wonderful instrument. The original organist was there, he was about 85 years old and used to play it for the silent movies and shows. It had bells, sound effects, bird chips, dog barks and other great stuff. He would perform a few tunes then the gigs would begin. I think we were helping to raise money to preserve the theatre and the organ.”
Monday, April 7, 1969: The Citadel, 737 Francisco Boulevard, San Rafael, Marin County, California
Also on the bill: Ace of Cups, Freedom Highway, Shorn, Rejoice, Morning Glory, Red Mountain. Lights by Garden of Delights.
Wednesday, April 16, 1969
John Barrett and his girlfriend Britha Dahle married today. "Britha was from Norway," John recalls. "We met at the Ark. I was 28 and she was 22. She did not speak english very well, but got better as time went by."
John Barrett's wedding day, April 16, 1969 - from left: Lynn Quayle, Fuzzy John Oxendine, Barry Bastian, John Barrett, and Britha Dahle
Tuesday, April 22 - Thursday, April 24, 1969: Avenue Theatre, 2650 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Linn County, Frumious Bandersnatch, plus film shorts from the 30s. One show a day, from 8:00pm to 1:00am, promoted by Sounds Unlimited.
Saturday, April 26, 1969: Avenue Theatre, 2650 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Last Mile, Cleveland Wrecking Co. One show, from 8:00pm to 1:00am, promoted by Sounds Unlimited.
Late April 1969
Barry Bastian goes to jail but "I was permitted to get out on work furlough to play our gigs," he recalls.
Friday, May 2, 1969
Boogie added John Barrett's Army buddy and old friend Henry Frederick 'Rick' Garcia (b. Monday, September 1, 1941, Los Angeles, California), on tenor sax. "We were sax players in the military band together," John recalls. During their Army days in Columbus, Georgia, John and Rick also formed a rock band off duty called The Gimps (John on bass and Rick on sax and tambourine). "Good band," John adds, "then they sent us to Vietnam with the Army division called 1st Air Cavalry."
BOOGIE #2 (MAY 2, 1969 - MAY 17, 1969)
1) Barry Bastian
2) John Barrett
3) 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine
4) Rick Garcia tenor sax
1) Barry Bastian
2) John Barrett
3) 'Fuzzy John' Oxendine
4) Rick Garcia tenor sax
Friday, May 2 - Saturday, May 3, 1969: New Dream Bowl, Highway 29 (Napa - Vallejo Highway), Vallejo, Solano County, California
Also on the bill: Initial Shock, Rose. One show each day, from 8:00pm to 2:00am. Boogie's Saturday performance was recorded and at least three songs - ‘Prelude To Boogie,’ ‘Chico Smoke El Ropo,’ and ‘I’d Hate To Lose You’ - surfaced on April 22, 2022, when they were released in the band’s posthumous album, ‘In Freak Town’ (Out-Sider Records OSR090).
Tuesday, May 6 - Thursday, May 8, 1969: Avenue Theatre, 2650 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Phoenix (6-8), Freedom Highway (6-8), Birth (7). One show a day, from 8:00pm to 1:00am, promoted by Sounds Unlimited.
Saturday, May 17, 1969: Katherine Delmar Burke School (aka Burke’s), 3065 Jackson Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California
One show, from 2:00pm to 7:00pm. Also on the bill: Shirley Kaufman plus Vince Guaraldi, Day Blindness, Wonderbred, Gary, Gene Ruelgells, Richmond Blues Band, Nanos Valaoritis, Phil Dow, Bill Anderson, Allie Soss, Dan Moorehead, Dusty Dan & His Street Band, Cleveland Wrecking Co. “They asked us to turn down,” recalls John Barrett. “I remember our manager Fred telling us if somebody says we too loud, turn it up. Then the school principal pulled the plug on us.” “This one was possibly our last gig together,” continues Barrett. “It was never announced as such, it just happened as a regular gig. It did not become last gig until a few days or a week later when Fuzzy said: 'enough with Barry and that was that'. Barry had been getting out of jail on work furlough to play gigs. [After the Burke School gig] he went back and never got out again because they took his work furlough privilege away.” “A couple of days later there was a story in the San Rafael’s Daily Independent Journal about this guy that had been turned on to pot for the first time in the Marin County Jail,” also recalls Barry Bastian. “Well, all work furloughs were cancelled, and as simple as that, over a couple 10 dollar bags, the Boogie ended.” “We were faced with no gigs for months, so Fuzzy and I quit,” adds Barrett. “I moved with my wife to Muir Beach near Kris Kristofferson's house (then in September to Santa Cruz), and Fuzzy stayed in Fairfax I think.” Later that same month, Fuzzy John joined the Sons Of Champlin, although he left them after only one month, and eventually went on to play with John Barrett again in a new band called the Rhythm Dukes. Barry Bastian, in the meantime, was still in jail, although “they let me out after 57 days instead of 90,” he explains, “but by then our house was gone, the equipment van, our concert gear, and our family seemed to be in such a scattered array, that it was hard to find the way to pickup the pieces. Also for me, after living in a cage for a while, you start to realize that that’s where you live, and when you hit the streets your not the same, your looking over your shoulder, you don’t feel carefree and loose anymore. You want to stay free. Johnny Cash once said: 'when they close that door a thousand years of culture goes right down the drain'. I can testify to that. I tripped around Marin for a while, hung with friends, and was happy to see Gingerbread and Fuzzy’s baby, Thomra, come into the world [July 5, 1969]. But something different was coming out inside. I decided to go see my dad; he had just retired, and moved to Hawaii with his third wife. It was truly great, the right thing to do, I had not lived with him since I was five.”
Also on the bill: Initial Shock, Rose. One show each day, from 8:00pm to 2:00am. Boogie's Saturday performance was recorded and at least three songs - ‘Prelude To Boogie,’ ‘Chico Smoke El Ropo,’ and ‘I’d Hate To Lose You’ - surfaced on April 22, 2022, when they were released in the band’s posthumous album, ‘In Freak Town’ (Out-Sider Records OSR090).
Tuesday, May 6 - Thursday, May 8, 1969: Avenue Theatre, 2650 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Phoenix (6-8), Freedom Highway (6-8), Birth (7). One show a day, from 8:00pm to 1:00am, promoted by Sounds Unlimited.
Saturday, May 17, 1969: Katherine Delmar Burke School (aka Burke’s), 3065 Jackson Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California
One show, from 2:00pm to 7:00pm. Also on the bill: Shirley Kaufman plus Vince Guaraldi, Day Blindness, Wonderbred, Gary, Gene Ruelgells, Richmond Blues Band, Nanos Valaoritis, Phil Dow, Bill Anderson, Allie Soss, Dan Moorehead, Dusty Dan & His Street Band, Cleveland Wrecking Co. “They asked us to turn down,” recalls John Barrett. “I remember our manager Fred telling us if somebody says we too loud, turn it up. Then the school principal pulled the plug on us.” “This one was possibly our last gig together,” continues Barrett. “It was never announced as such, it just happened as a regular gig. It did not become last gig until a few days or a week later when Fuzzy said: 'enough with Barry and that was that'. Barry had been getting out of jail on work furlough to play gigs. [After the Burke School gig] he went back and never got out again because they took his work furlough privilege away.” “A couple of days later there was a story in the San Rafael’s Daily Independent Journal about this guy that had been turned on to pot for the first time in the Marin County Jail,” also recalls Barry Bastian. “Well, all work furloughs were cancelled, and as simple as that, over a couple 10 dollar bags, the Boogie ended.” “We were faced with no gigs for months, so Fuzzy and I quit,” adds Barrett. “I moved with my wife to Muir Beach near Kris Kristofferson's house (then in September to Santa Cruz), and Fuzzy stayed in Fairfax I think.” Later that same month, Fuzzy John joined the Sons Of Champlin, although he left them after only one month, and eventually went on to play with John Barrett again in a new band called the Rhythm Dukes. Barry Bastian, in the meantime, was still in jail, although “they let me out after 57 days instead of 90,” he explains, “but by then our house was gone, the equipment van, our concert gear, and our family seemed to be in such a scattered array, that it was hard to find the way to pickup the pieces. Also for me, after living in a cage for a while, you start to realize that that’s where you live, and when you hit the streets your not the same, your looking over your shoulder, you don’t feel carefree and loose anymore. You want to stay free. Johnny Cash once said: 'when they close that door a thousand years of culture goes right down the drain'. I can testify to that. I tripped around Marin for a while, hung with friends, and was happy to see Gingerbread and Fuzzy’s baby, Thomra, come into the world [July 5, 1969]. But something different was coming out inside. I decided to go see my dad; he had just retired, and moved to Hawaii with his third wife. It was truly great, the right thing to do, I had not lived with him since I was five.”
