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"Jerry Miller" (Moby Grape)& The Jerry Miller Band
The eponymous release of Moby Grape in 1967 was the
musical tapestry painted by the genius of Bob Mosley,
Skip Spence, Don Stevenson, Peter Lewis and Jerry
Miller. The impact of "Hey Grandma", "8:05" "Sittin!
By The Window", & "Naked If I Want To" still resonates
in the heads of those fortunate enough to have
witnessed what was once perceived as this country's
"royalty" of contemporary music. Who would have known
that internal maladies and a lack of managerial acumen
would see this shining star fade into music trivia
shortly after their ascent into the echelons of
greatness. Four decades later the virtual obscurity is
on the brink of a resurrection with tentative
appearances by Jerry Miller and his band.
There has always been a misconception about the band
and their efforts and impact on the Monterey Pop
Festival of 1967. It was through litigation that the
footage of the band as an opening act was omitted from
the original filming but make no mistake, they did
play as I saw them while coming to terms with a return
home from the ravages of Vietnam as a nineteen year
old veteran. On July 19th, in Los Angeles, the missing
segment will be viewed and Jerry Miller has been
invited to see the band during the apex of their
notoriety. Is it feasible that the talent of Jerry
Miller has been suppressed all these years predicated
on the management inability to garner exposure for one
the greatest players in the annals of this genre!
There is an antiquated adage that comes to mind when
thinking about Jerry watching this film after all
these years, "It's better to be looked over than over
looked". These were the icons of our youth, pillars of
The Counter Culture and the music that defined an
entire generation and subsequent clandestine society
on the west coast. They were the prototype
hippie-esque, i.e., avant-garde musicians that we most
often emulated and idolized. Corporate "rock" would
literally destroy the ambience that was created amidst
the backdrop of The Avalon Ballroom and The Fillmore's
and the rapport within the band(s) and the cult
followings. The "hair" bands of the later seventies
and eighties made more money in a year than most of
the legendary bands like Moby Grape have made in a
lifetime.
From the ashes of the past we arrive at summer 2007
and the revival of Jerry Miller, a catalyst of The
Golden Age of "rock n' roll" and what would seem to be
his eventual place in the pantheons of contemporary
music in The Hall Of Fame. It's never been about the
money, although needed to survive, it's always been
the perpetuation of the songs, expanding the
parameters of a chosen art form and being accepted as
a viable musician with a gift and not based on a
chronological factor. There are others who mirror the
acquired skills of Jerry Miller but there are none
that play better. It is with great affection and pride
that I envision this premier in Los Angeles as a
wake-up call to the masses.
While still young enough to tour and entertain, this
could be the impetus that brings Jerry back to the
people, a musical runaway train that may have been
righted. Thoughts abound about the euphoria in the old
days, free shows in The Panhandle, cultural mavens of
the era strolling the streets and the stages, the
rolling hills of Golden Gate Park and an epoch of time
when the music of the day made time stand still. To
those who know the gifts of Jerry Miller, from The
Frantics in the Pacific Northwest to one of the most
revered musicians on the planet, we digress to a more
care-free time where he is the music and we are the
song. In an era saturated with banality and lyrics
with little content, the waiting may soon be over and
the world awaits the return of The Jerry Miller Band.
Jerry Miller Interview / 6/26/07
I spoke with living legend, Jerry Miller, last
night, listed in Rolling Stone!s !Top 100 Guitarists
of All Time,! and alluded to the misconception that
the Seminole rock icon, Moby Grape didn!t actually
play at the Monterey International Pop Festival during
the Golden Age of !rock n! roll!, i.e., 1967. Let me
be one of the masses to verify that they did in fact
open the festival all those years ago. Years of
mis-management and greed would find the segment of
film lying in virtual obscurity for four decades but,
!THEY HAVE FOUND THE MISSING MOBY GRAPE FOOTAGE!
Jerry felt as if that finding was not relevant to his
perpetuation of music through either The Jerry Miller
Band or Dai-Bando but this finding is comparable to
the solving of the Rosetta Stone in terms of
historical connotations and references! His presence
at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre - Hollywood VIP Party
and film Screening is a much needed verification that
one of the true guitar heroes of the glory days of
psychedelia and Haight Ashbury is alive and well.
Exposure of one of the most emulated and admired
musicians of those care-free days of youthful
rebellion can only serve to re-acclimate the fans of
yesteryear to a contemporary Jerry miller who has
maintained the skills that made him a universal icon
back in the day.
The power of the music speaks for it self but this
isn!t about Moby Grape, this far and away exceeds
yesterday!s memories. This is about the perpetuation
of a revered and admired musician who continues to
carry the fire that burned so brightly in 1967. The
visit to L.A. can only serve notice that Jerry Miller
is not just back but has maintained the virtuosity to
which his peers have so often referred.
The screening of Pennebaker's "Monterey Pop" on July
19 at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre ! Hollywood, also
will feature many of the performers seen in the film,
Martin Lewis, Event Coordinator said, including Grace
Slick; Eric Burdon; Michelle Phillips; Scott McKenzie;
Johnny Rivers and members of such bands as Electric
Flag; Canned Heat and Moby Grape.
Michelle Phillips will be there of course and Lewis
has already received confirmations from Eric Burdon,
Grace Slick and surviving members of many of the bands
- including Electric Flag, Canned Heat, Quicksilver
Messenger Service, etc with many more to come. D.A.
Pennebaker (who is 82!) will also be joining.
It was once a mass migration, the youth of America as
a nomadic horde on their way to a more cohesive
environment where the music was the elixir of the day,
a measure of coping with the overtones of Vietnam,
politics and racism. That clandestine society of
musicians are now going to convene in L.A. and the
inclusion of Jerry Miller has been verified, the
missing cog of a musical wheel that can now continue
to roll.
This may serve as the impetus to allow Jerry Miller to
display his musical genius July 29th at the Monterey
Summer of Love Festival and in Golden Gate Park,
September 2nd at eh Summer of Love 40. As The Grateful
dead once alluded to, !All Good Things In All Good
Time!.
Cheers
Don Aters - Editor ! Haight Street Music News ! 2007
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