The I Band's new album, "Old Fashioned Love Songs", is on Reverbnation except for the final song, "Brave and Bold" which is still in Production.
This 12 song album touches a variety of styles and can be streamed free on Reverbnation.
Reply
*Part 7* A lost recording has been discovered.
It is from a session in California while they were staying with the genius composer. "Fine" was written by Lev on several sheets of toilet paper as he was contemplating the universe. It was to be a condemnation of Ramona Flegleman, a cheerleader from high school on Long Island, who continued to ignore him after a torrid lunch period where he created an imaginary relationship gazing at her from afar blowing kisses in her direction.
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PART 6
* The final pieces of the puzzle from Noah Riddle, the itinerant Discordian pope of little note. *
Early in May of 1966, they had finished a booking at a coffee house and were going to work their way back to Birmingham to perform at the church where it all started. But first, they were going to join the Civil Rights March through Mississippi with James Meredith at the end of May.
While there has been no credible documentation that they arrived in Mississippi and began the march, after the shooting of James Meredith on June 6th, it is very clear that they disappeared - as did their trunk of songs.
Nothing was heard of them again, and the legendary trunk of songs assumed mythic proportions.
And then 40 years later … From the blog, “Tacos and You”.
“In the summer of 2006, Duane Pipe, the great-nephew of Harlan Willoughby found a letter in his recently deceased mother's diary that was from his Great Uncle Harlan, dated June 7, 1966 (1). In the envelope was a claim ticket for a warehouse in Mobile, Alabama (2).
When he presented the claim ticket at the warehouse, he received the legendary trunk that had been sitting, waiting for 40 years (3). In the trunk were reams of paper filled with music and lyrics – the lost songs written by Lev, Nestor and Harlan (4).
Upon his return home, he created the new “I Band” with several friends – Walter “Wally” Hanuman, Preston “Hap” Yohnsen and Milton “Weezer” Goldberg (who was cursed with severe asthma since childhood) – and were committed to sharing these musical treasures with today’s audiences. The final piece of the puzzle was put into place when they found a reformed pornographer only known as “Sneaky Pete” to round out the group (5).
Lacking only someone who could sing and actually play an instrument competently; they were finally ready.
In a secret location, they began to rearranging the songs for today’s audiences (6). Some songs probably have been completed and recorded. And more are on the way, I guess.
Soon, we should be able to hear the music of those three committed friends again, for the first time.”
And so there it is. Conjecture. Supposition. Flummery. Guesswork. Notions. Presumptions. And sneaking suspicions.
It all makes sense. Twanes was vindicated. And another piece of “lost” musical history has been found.
So, with the rest of us, let’s wait for the new I Band’s release of those classic songs from the legendary trunk.
Peace. Out.
(1). Duane Pipe, conversation at the Dew Drop Inn, 2007
(2). Ibid.
(3). Ibid.
(4). Ibid.
(5). Ibid.
(6). Ibid.
END PART 6
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PART 5
* The recognized expert on this period in the history of The I Band is Mike Sweeney. He has done extensive Internet research and talked to many, many people who may or may not have seen, heard or knew Lev, Harlan or Nestor. *
From Sweeney’s blog -
“Rumor has it that they had a knack for writing marketable songs in many genres other than the protest songs they played at their club dates. Unnamed sources state that they kept the songs they didn't perform in an old steamer trunk that they carried around with them. Eventually, to help fund their mission, they began to sell those songs and all the rights to other artists.
While we are not sure of the identities of the artists or titles of those songs, we have been told that many became hits for those artists during the early 60's.”
According to Sweeney, this arrangement continued until early 1966. They were staying with a well-known and reclusive composer/musician in Southern California. One evening, after a vegetarian feast of tofu, sprouts and zucchini followed by tequila and marijuana, the wife of the composer looked over at Nestor and remarked, “What is that stupid look on his face?” To which Lev replied, “That’s his smiley smile.” The composer looked up and immediately disappeared into his studio. The result fulfilled his group’s contract with Capitol Records.
END PART 5
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PART 4
One evening at one of their late night “bull sessions”, Bob was complaining about his lack of success and asked the trio for their thoughts on what he could do differently.
The boys thought and finally came up with three things for Bob to do:
1. Change his name. A Jewish sounding last name will keep him from getting booked in many places. Pick another name. An Irish name. Everybody likes an Irishman.
2. Pick three words and try to use them in his songs. They suggested “Change”, “War” and “Freedom”. Or “Equality”. They were willing to share the latter two words.
3. By the end of the year, move to New York City. There were more opportunities, and they were more tolerant toward Jews if anyone discovered his real last name.
Thus, Bob Dylan was born.
By the mid-1960’s The I Band became a popular musical curiosity throughout the Dinkytown / Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene.
In the Spring of 1960, with careful management of their funds, they were able to buy two more strings for the guitar, a washtub bass and a ukulele. By the Fall of 1960, they could play those instruments somewhat, so they officially retired the spoons and pot and began to use the new instruments in their act. After some discussion, they decided not to discard their old “instruments” because as Lev said, “We gotta eat.”
With the addition of real instruments, they became even more popular, according to Dinkytown music historian, Geranium Lillihammer, during a 2006 interview right before his death in a potting accident.
From anecdotal information, we know the boys left Minnesota in the winter of 1960 on what they termed their “Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood Tour”. They played at small clubs around the country, eschewing success, to bring the message to the people.
END PART 4
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PART 3
* The following information comes from the writings of Tim Burr, copyright pending. *
At the end of their 426 mile journey, they arrived in Minneapolis on September 21, 1959.
After talking a blood oath to never speak of what happened during their trip, they began looking for venues that would appreciate them.
They gravitated toward Dinkytown – the vibrant community located on the north side of the University of Minnesota campus. Here they found the small café, the 10 O’Clock Scholar - home of the local music scene.
The booking agent at the “Scholar”, as it was affectionately called, was also the owner – a one eyed Norwegian expatriate known only as “Big Swede”, for reasons not immediately understood. He asked them a single question that changed their musical destiny … “So, what instruments dooya play?”
Realizing that this was a serious flaw in their plan, they excused themselves and went to The Knoll at U of M to discuss this new problem.
It soon became apparent that due to their lack of both funds and musical training this was a serious hiccup in their plans. It was at this point that Nestor sobered up enough to remark, “I gotta puke!”
And with that, an idea burst forth in Lev’s mind. “Eureka!” he cried jumping to his feet.
With Nestor passing out and Harlan looking confused, Lev took their last ten dollars, swore to return and left.
About 2 hours later, Lev returned with an old, beat up guitar with only 4 strings, a big cooking pot and a pair of spoons that he purchased at a local pawn shop.
He then revealed his plan … develop an act using these items as instruments until they could afford to buy real instruments and learn to play them. Lev figured they could get away with it as long as they threw words like “Equality”, “Freedom” and “Brotherhood” into their songs.
They all agreed (Nestor having woken up again) to give it the old college try. So they spent the rest of the afternoon writing and arranging six songs for spoons, four string guitar and big pot.
That evening, they returned to the “Scholar” and met with Big Swede again. Harlan did the talking … having discovered that his religious upbringing uniquely qualified him for this task.
Fifteen minutes later, they were booked for the next evening on the bill with Spider John Koerner, Dave Ray and a young U of M freshman, Bob Zimmerman.
Giddy with their success, they retired to The Knoll to sleep under the stars and dream of their debut.
When they awoke the next morning, the good feeling had worn off and was replaced by the reality of hunger. That was until they realized they had spoons and a cooking pot. Between foraging behind local eateries and capturing small animals, they were able to cook and fill their stomachs. This led to their first great song, “Freedom is a Pot and Two Spoons”, which they debuted that evening.
According to unnamed sources on the Internet, that evening was a success and Big Swede signed them to play 4 nights a week at the “Scholar”. Harlan also negotiated the use of an unused back room for them to sleep in.
During the next six months they played at the ”Scholar” in Minneapolis as well as the Purple Onion Pizza Parlor and The Bastille in St. Paul. They became friendly with young Bob Zimmerman, who often played on the same bill with them, but just as often would sit in the audience with his High School girlfriend, Echo Hellstrom, transfixed. They would gather after each engagement and talk long into the night.
Bob’s musical career was stalled and soon, Echo stopped coming around … coming around … coming around … coming around.
END PART 3
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PART 2
* The following information comes from the writings of Dougie Style, a self-proclaimed expert on the early years of The I Band. *
This event deeply affected the futures of three college freshmen at Joliet Junior College - Lev Friedland, Harlan Willoughby and Nestor Gleason.
They understood the need for equality because of their own situation – a Jew, a Jehovah’s Witness and a Puerto Rican/Irish Catholic – friends since childhood on Staten Island. From personal experience, they knew the value of mixing cultures – deli sandwiches, fear of transfusions, alcohol, eight days of presents, long walks, alcohol, borsht, meeting new people, alcohol … and their love of Pasteles.
They resolved to leave behind the safe, childhood pursuits of education, work and family outings, and take up the battle for civil rights.
So … they decided to create a folk trio to sing protest songs.
Thus began a musical collaboration that produced a volume of work unrivaled in music history.
But … as with all important things, it all starts with a name.
The first name they created – The Heebie Geebies – tried to leverage the unease they all felt with the anti-Civil Rights groups, with the naming conventions of the groups of the period.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a booking. After six months of trying, they realized that their name evoked anti-Semitic feelings in the mostly conservative, mostly Christian club owners in St. Joseph, Indiana.
After careful consideration, they decided that they had only two options: move to Israel, play at bar mitzvahs or change … They had three options: Israel, bar mitzvahs or change their name. Being broke, coupled with the fact that there were only two Jewish families in St. Joseph, they decided to change their name.
And thusly, thanks to Harlan’s lifelong love affair with imaginary numbers, Lev’s inability to spell correctly and Nestor being drunk, they all agreed to the new name, “the i Band”.
Shortly thereafter, due to capitalization issues, they officially became The I Band.
In August of 1959, with renewed enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and a desire to create an impact in the Civil Rights movement, they left for Minnesota to begin their musical odyssey.
END PART 2
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PART 1
On a cold September day in 2005, Lionel Twanes, a 35 year old unemployed Theremin player, came across something while surfing the Internet that altered the course of his life forever.
He was living in his Mother’s basement, saving up the money he earned from giving Theremin lessons, to fund his dream of becoming a traveling Traveler’s Checks salesman. On this afternoon, he came across a strange fact while reading an article on the music of the 60’s in Wikipedia. Right there, buried in the middle of the article, was a reference to a mysterious group of songwriters who ghost wrote many of the hits of the era.
Never having heard of this story before, he sent a text to his close friend and confidante, known only as “The Badger”, asking if he ever heard of this. The Badger texted back “No”, but assured Twanes that he would come over to discuss the matter when school let out.
When The Badger arrived, Twanes brought up the web page, but amazingly the statement had vanished.
Unwilling to listen to any explanations, The Badger left in disgust.
Twanes, confused and embarrassed by this turn of events, began a research project to discover more about this rumor. This project became an all-consuming obsession for the next seven years, the result of which is this film you are now watching.
Along this journey, many others from suburban homes and of varying ages took up the search. A website was created as a central storehouse for all the facts and stories uncovered (www.mysterioussongwritersfromthe60s.bs).
Wikipedia was scoured extensively, unusual websites were investigated, blogs were read, chatrooms were created and monitored, and, in extreme cases, personal contacts were made.
From these snippets of information, tenuous connections were made, gaps were filled with fabricated facts, with guesswork and supposition tied it all together.
It was clear to all that there was something to this story.
And that something happened in a specific place at a specific time.
On June 29, 1958, an incident occurred in Birmingham, Alabama.
On that evening’s news, there was a report that a bomb was discovered in the Bethel Baptist Church during an evening service. Fortunately, it was removed to a nearby open field and exploded without injuring anyone. The pastor, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, was a Civil Rights activist and this bombing attempt was obviously the work of the local KKK.
END PART 1
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The I Band / Blog
New Album Pre Release
The I Band's new album, "Old Fashioned Love Songs", is on Reverbnation except for the final song, "Brave and Bold" which is still in Production. This 12 song album touches a variety of styles and can be streamed free on Reverbnation.
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 7
*Part 7* A lost recording has been discovered. It is from a session in California while they were staying with the genius composer. "Fine" was written by Lev on several sheets of toilet paper as he was contemplating the universe. It was to be a condemnation of Ramona Flegleman, a cheerleader from high school on Long Island, who continued to ignore him after a torrid lunch period where he created an imaginary relationship gazing at her from afar blowing kisses in her direction.
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 6
PART 6 * The final pieces of the puzzle from Noah Riddle, the itinerant Discordian pope of little note. * Early in May of 1966, they had finished a booking at a coffee house and were going to work their way back to Birmingham to perform at the church where it all started. But first, they were going to join the Civil Rights March through Mississippi with James Meredith at the end of May. While there has been no credible documentation that they arrived in Mississippi and began the march, after the shooting of James Meredith on June 6th, it is very clear that they disappeared - as did their trunk of songs. Nothing was heard of them again, and the legendary trunk of songs assumed mythic proportions. And then 40 years later … From the blog, “Tacos and You”. “In the summer of 2006, Duane Pipe, the great-nephew of Harlan Willoughby found a letter in his recently deceased mother's diary that was from his Great Uncle Harlan, dated June 7, 1966 (1). In the envelope was a claim ticket for a warehouse in Mobile, Alabama (2). When he presented the claim ticket at the warehouse, he received the legendary trunk that had been sitting, waiting for 40 years (3). In the trunk were reams of paper filled with music and lyrics – the lost songs written by Lev, Nestor and Harlan (4). Upon his return home, he created the new “I Band” with several friends – Walter “Wally” Hanuman, Preston “Hap” Yohnsen and Milton “Weezer” Goldberg (who was cursed with severe asthma since childhood) – and were committed to sharing these musical treasures with today’s audiences. The final piece of the puzzle was put into place when they found a reformed pornographer only known as “Sneaky Pete” to round out the group (5). Lacking only someone who could sing and actually play an instrument competently; they were finally ready. In a secret location, they began to rearranging the songs for today’s audiences (6). Some songs probably have been completed and recorded. And more are on the way, I guess. Soon, we should be able to hear the music of those three committed friends again, for the first time.” And so there it is. Conjecture. Supposition. Flummery. Guesswork. Notions. Presumptions. And sneaking suspicions. It all makes sense. Twanes was vindicated. And another piece of “lost” musical history has been found. So, with the rest of us, let’s wait for the new I Band’s release of those classic songs from the legendary trunk. Peace. Out. (1). Duane Pipe, conversation at the Dew Drop Inn, 2007 (2). Ibid. (3). Ibid. (4). Ibid. (5). Ibid. (6). Ibid.
END PART 6
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 5
PART 5 * The recognized expert on this period in the history of The I Band is Mike Sweeney. He has done extensive Internet research and talked to many, many people who may or may not have seen, heard or knew Lev, Harlan or Nestor. * From Sweeney’s blog - “Rumor has it that they had a knack for writing marketable songs in many genres other than the protest songs they played at their club dates. Unnamed sources state that they kept the songs they didn't perform in an old steamer trunk that they carried around with them. Eventually, to help fund their mission, they began to sell those songs and all the rights to other artists. While we are not sure of the identities of the artists or titles of those songs, we have been told that many became hits for those artists during the early 60's.” According to Sweeney, this arrangement continued until early 1966. They were staying with a well-known and reclusive composer/musician in Southern California. One evening, after a vegetarian feast of tofu, sprouts and zucchini followed by tequila and marijuana, the wife of the composer looked over at Nestor and remarked, “What is that stupid look on his face?” To which Lev replied, “That’s his smiley smile.” The composer looked up and immediately disappeared into his studio. The result fulfilled his group’s contract with Capitol Records.
END PART 5
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 4
PART 4 One evening at one of their late night “bull sessions”, Bob was complaining about his lack of success and asked the trio for their thoughts on what he could do differently. The boys thought and finally came up with three things for Bob to do: 1. Change his name. A Jewish sounding last name will keep him from getting booked in many places. Pick another name. An Irish name. Everybody likes an Irishman. 2. Pick three words and try to use them in his songs. They suggested “Change”, “War” and “Freedom”. Or “Equality”. They were willing to share the latter two words. 3. By the end of the year, move to New York City. There were more opportunities, and they were more tolerant toward Jews if anyone discovered his real last name. Thus, Bob Dylan was born. By the mid-1960’s The I Band became a popular musical curiosity throughout the Dinkytown / Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene. In the Spring of 1960, with careful management of their funds, they were able to buy two more strings for the guitar, a washtub bass and a ukulele. By the Fall of 1960, they could play those instruments somewhat, so they officially retired the spoons and pot and began to use the new instruments in their act. After some discussion, they decided not to discard their old “instruments” because as Lev said, “We gotta eat.” With the addition of real instruments, they became even more popular, according to Dinkytown music historian, Geranium Lillihammer, during a 2006 interview right before his death in a potting accident. From anecdotal information, we know the boys left Minnesota in the winter of 1960 on what they termed their “Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood Tour”. They played at small clubs around the country, eschewing success, to bring the message to the people.
END PART 4
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 3
PART 3 * The following information comes from the writings of Tim Burr, copyright pending. * At the end of their 426 mile journey, they arrived in Minneapolis on September 21, 1959. After talking a blood oath to never speak of what happened during their trip, they began looking for venues that would appreciate them. They gravitated toward Dinkytown – the vibrant community located on the north side of the University of Minnesota campus. Here they found the small café, the 10 O’Clock Scholar - home of the local music scene. The booking agent at the “Scholar”, as it was affectionately called, was also the owner – a one eyed Norwegian expatriate known only as “Big Swede”, for reasons not immediately understood. He asked them a single question that changed their musical destiny … “So, what instruments dooya play?” Realizing that this was a serious flaw in their plan, they excused themselves and went to The Knoll at U of M to discuss this new problem. It soon became apparent that due to their lack of both funds and musical training this was a serious hiccup in their plans. It was at this point that Nestor sobered up enough to remark, “I gotta puke!” And with that, an idea burst forth in Lev’s mind. “Eureka!” he cried jumping to his feet. With Nestor passing out and Harlan looking confused, Lev took their last ten dollars, swore to return and left. About 2 hours later, Lev returned with an old, beat up guitar with only 4 strings, a big cooking pot and a pair of spoons that he purchased at a local pawn shop. He then revealed his plan … develop an act using these items as instruments until they could afford to buy real instruments and learn to play them. Lev figured they could get away with it as long as they threw words like “Equality”, “Freedom” and “Brotherhood” into their songs. They all agreed (Nestor having woken up again) to give it the old college try. So they spent the rest of the afternoon writing and arranging six songs for spoons, four string guitar and big pot. That evening, they returned to the “Scholar” and met with Big Swede again. Harlan did the talking … having discovered that his religious upbringing uniquely qualified him for this task. Fifteen minutes later, they were booked for the next evening on the bill with Spider John Koerner, Dave Ray and a young U of M freshman, Bob Zimmerman. Giddy with their success, they retired to The Knoll to sleep under the stars and dream of their debut. When they awoke the next morning, the good feeling had worn off and was replaced by the reality of hunger. That was until they realized they had spoons and a cooking pot. Between foraging behind local eateries and capturing small animals, they were able to cook and fill their stomachs. This led to their first great song, “Freedom is a Pot and Two Spoons”, which they debuted that evening. According to unnamed sources on the Internet, that evening was a success and Big Swede signed them to play 4 nights a week at the “Scholar”. Harlan also negotiated the use of an unused back room for them to sleep in. During the next six months they played at the ”Scholar” in Minneapolis as well as the Purple Onion Pizza Parlor and The Bastille in St. Paul. They became friendly with young Bob Zimmerman, who often played on the same bill with them, but just as often would sit in the audience with his High School girlfriend, Echo Hellstrom, transfixed. They would gather after each engagement and talk long into the night. Bob’s musical career was stalled and soon, Echo stopped coming around … coming around … coming around … coming around.
END PART 3
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 2
PART 2 * The following information comes from the writings of Dougie Style, a self-proclaimed expert on the early years of The I Band. * This event deeply affected the futures of three college freshmen at Joliet Junior College - Lev Friedland, Harlan Willoughby and Nestor Gleason. They understood the need for equality because of their own situation – a Jew, a Jehovah’s Witness and a Puerto Rican/Irish Catholic – friends since childhood on Staten Island. From personal experience, they knew the value of mixing cultures – deli sandwiches, fear of transfusions, alcohol, eight days of presents, long walks, alcohol, borsht, meeting new people, alcohol … and their love of Pasteles. They resolved to leave behind the safe, childhood pursuits of education, work and family outings, and take up the battle for civil rights. So … they decided to create a folk trio to sing protest songs. Thus began a musical collaboration that produced a volume of work unrivaled in music history. But … as with all important things, it all starts with a name. The first name they created – The Heebie Geebies – tried to leverage the unease they all felt with the anti-Civil Rights groups, with the naming conventions of the groups of the period. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a booking. After six months of trying, they realized that their name evoked anti-Semitic feelings in the mostly conservative, mostly Christian club owners in St. Joseph, Indiana. After careful consideration, they decided that they had only two options: move to Israel, play at bar mitzvahs or change … They had three options: Israel, bar mitzvahs or change their name. Being broke, coupled with the fact that there were only two Jewish families in St. Joseph, they decided to change their name. And thusly, thanks to Harlan’s lifelong love affair with imaginary numbers, Lev’s inability to spell correctly and Nestor being drunk, they all agreed to the new name, “the i Band”. Shortly thereafter, due to capitalization issues, they officially became The I Band. In August of 1959, with renewed enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and a desire to create an impact in the Civil Rights movement, they left for Minnesota to begin their musical odyssey.
END PART 2
Reply
The Legend of the I Band - Part 1
PART 1 On a cold September day in 2005, Lionel Twanes, a 35 year old unemployed Theremin player, came across something while surfing the Internet that altered the course of his life forever. He was living in his Mother’s basement, saving up the money he earned from giving Theremin lessons, to fund his dream of becoming a traveling Traveler’s Checks salesman. On this afternoon, he came across a strange fact while reading an article on the music of the 60’s in Wikipedia. Right there, buried in the middle of the article, was a reference to a mysterious group of songwriters who ghost wrote many of the hits of the era. Never having heard of this story before, he sent a text to his close friend and confidante, known only as “The Badger”, asking if he ever heard of this. The Badger texted back “No”, but assured Twanes that he would come over to discuss the matter when school let out. When The Badger arrived, Twanes brought up the web page, but amazingly the statement had vanished. Unwilling to listen to any explanations, The Badger left in disgust. Twanes, confused and embarrassed by this turn of events, began a research project to discover more about this rumor. This project became an all-consuming obsession for the next seven years, the result of which is this film you are now watching. Along this journey, many others from suburban homes and of varying ages took up the search. A website was created as a central storehouse for all the facts and stories uncovered (www.mysterioussongwritersfromthe60s.bs). Wikipedia was scoured extensively, unusual websites were investigated, blogs were read, chatrooms were created and monitored, and, in extreme cases, personal contacts were made. From these snippets of information, tenuous connections were made, gaps were filled with fabricated facts, with guesswork and supposition tied it all together. It was clear to all that there was something to this story. And that something happened in a specific place at a specific time. On June 29, 1958, an incident occurred in Birmingham, Alabama. On that evening’s news, there was a report that a bomb was discovered in the Bethel Baptist Church during an evening service. Fortunately, it was removed to a nearby open field and exploded without injuring anyone. The pastor, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, was a Civil Rights activist and this bombing attempt was obviously the work of the local KKK.
END PART 1
Reply