Last Of The Rainbow Warriors - David Laflamme & It’s A Beautiful Day

 
Soliloquies abound in reference to The Golden Age of rock n’ roll, the storied decade from 1967-1977.

In an era when psychedelia was an accepted addition into the realm of contemporary music, the criteria for universal acceptance and perpetuation was simply implementation of diversity. Enter a youthful violin virtuoso to the plethora of San Francisco stalwarts , a latter addition to the emerging list of legendary bands of The Counter Culture. David wasn’t the first, a Chicago band known as The Flock would forever retain that dubious distinction with Jerry Goodman but David would be the prototype of his era and make a lasting impact in the annals of The Woodstock Generation. “White Bird” would forever define the band but

There is much more to the legacy of IABD than a one-hit wonder scenario. Internal matters and litigation would hinder David from his rightful place in the pantheons of musical innovators but even with the demise of a few early members of the band, he and Linda have carried the torch for others of that ilk, I.e., the remnants of vanishing Rainbow Warriors. Now augmented by band members Val Fuentes, the original drummer, Gary Thomas on keyboard, Michael Prichard on percussion, Toby Gray on bass and guitar wizard Rob Espinosa . Obviously lovely Linda is the visual component who sings as if still twenty years old and genetics are a given. There is no sense or sensibility that could explain the years of languishing in virtual obscurity other than the influx of greed that has destroyed many of the most fabled decade in the annals of American music. The band remains as a west coast survivor but this is not an act that relies on nostalgic connotations, these are gifted musicians that continue to expand the parameters of their chosen art form. Rob has solidified his role over the years and his ability can only be appreciated by attendance at a live performance. The adulation and camaraderie that has mirrored the IABD image for four decades could be easily quantified by those who attended last year’s Sausalito Art Fair. In a world now saturated with the banality of abrasive lyrics and guttural implications, the nuances and deft orchestrations of the band are the tools used to maintain a cult following that continues to follow David and his merry minstrels through the highways of rural America. Greatness is not defined by the number of songs that hit the airways as Top Ten singles on a chart, indeed, the barometer that best explains impact on an entire generation and subsequent nation are the songs that transcend from decade to decade. Time is the key element and hopefully this will become the impetus that propels David and the band into the echelons of immortality, The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. A survivor of those halcyon days of the Fillmore’s, The Avalon Ballroom and Winterland,

Age is not a factor when talent is the critical element. Transgressions derived from the evil of greed that is now synonymous within the world of music have long dissipated and what could have been and should have been are now the harnessed energy that continues to make this band unique. It is now 2008, soon the sensationalism of Woodstock 2009 will saturate the media world and the bands that typified that fleeting moment in time will reap the benefits of longevity and survival. So, off your ass and on your feet, the definitive band that changed the face of music as we once knew it is now on the road. A testament to his skills and the ability to adapt will forever mark David LaFlamme as one of the true heroes of the storied epoch of time, The Woodstock Generation. With some intervention and a few petitions, perhaps the plaudits and accolades that are much overdue will come while they can still be appreciated by David, Linda and the band. Revered and adored, it’s never to late to “rock n’ roll” for the two hundred million baby-boomers on this planet.

“Rock in peace”

Don Aters - Haight Street Music News - 2008