We got there a bit early, maybe tenish, and not many people were at the club. There was a certain X-Frankenstein V member by the name of Rob Munro who was primed and ready for rock action. With his many tambourines, Rob was going around getting people to autograph these for momentos of the action that was about to start shortly. I had to run out to the car for a moment and who should be walking down the street but Ken Fox and Bill Milhizer, Roman Gods on the streets!! I quickly shouted out' Are The Fleshtones gonna ROCK Hamilton tonite!!". To which they jokingly replied 'nah, we're not gonna play tonite, we're gonna blow off this gig."...got to talking to them about why they haven't played London for SOOO many years and Bill said 'Is Call The Office still there?". And Ken said 'That was the night we all took acid and Peter destroyed his organ and the wires coming out of it looked like snakes!' Lots of laughter inserted here...After talking for awhile, we figured out that the acid show was at The Electric Banana, a long extinct club in London and YES, it has been too many years since The Fleshtones came to London and that just might change soon!
But back to the show, Teenanger from Toronto got the ball rolling, they were sounding real good to me as i'd only seen them once before, at the sound deficient Moon Over Marin here in London. For some reason, they didn't go over all that well with the Hamilton crowd, but I dug them, and that's all that matters to me!
Next up was Gord Lewis's combo, with Gord on lead, his gf on vocals and rhythm, Jack Peddlar on drums and a bassist that i didn't recognize. They got off to a great start with a rousing version of 'Flying Saucer Rock'n'Roll' but they couldn't maintain that throughout their set and slowly lost my attention.
After a short break, the sounds started coming out of the PA.....a drum and other noises and we knew it was SHOW time baby!!!! Leading the parade into the bar was drummer Bill, followed by the other members of the band as they snaked their way through the crowd, playing their instruments and chanting as they danced up to the stage. Chairs emptied and everyone was at the front of the stage, as the band took us out of Hamilton and to the mystical town of Hitsburg USA....where magical things happen! Only in Hitsburg can you dance all nite to the sounds of The Roman Gods!!! As things got 'Bigger and Better' pyramids formed....
Dance steps were invented on the spot as this was a total audience participation show! The 3 front members of the band spent so much time on the dance floor, in the crowd, on the bar and just about everywhere else, that poor Bill musta been feeling kinda lonely up on stage all by himself...
But Bill is an integral part of the sound for our visit to Hitsburg and he was a grinning at the antics of the rest of the band as they proceeded to get just about everyone involved....there were excercises that had to be done....we had to get down, pushups had to be done, stretches....
And sometimes when you're in Hitsburg, you get visiting dignitaries to join the proceedings. Gord Lewis (Teenage Head guitarist) joined in for a rousing version of the Teenage Head anthem "You're Tearing Me Apart' in which bass player Ken handled the vocals quite nicely as he was nurtured on these sounds as a Scenic and Raving Mojo all those years ago! And this time out, we got a bonus of 'Some Kinda Fun' that The Head and so many other bands have covered over the years. Real classic Rock!
But mere words cannot bring a proper perspective to a visit to Hitsburg...as mentioned above, it involves total audience involvement as your 40 hour work week vanishes and you are taken to a higher level. Drugs and alcohol aren't required, but properly administered can certainly heighten your experience on this journey. A journey that requires lots of stamina as your feet, your hips, your legs, your head and the rest of your body will be in constant motion from the moment the band enters the club till they leave with you following them out the door as we all did that nite. But everything can come to a total standstill as The Fleshtones stop everything and you assume the Power Stance along with them...
But before we bid our farwells to Hitsburg, let's have a look at a picture that illustrates proper behaviour at This Ain't Hollywood. If you're in a band playing and you need a refill, all you have to do is jump on the bar (avoiding that large ceiling fan of course) and start playing on the bar. The Fleshtones proved it thus...
But now, it's time to leave Hitsburg as we all chant 'Hexbreaker' and follow the band out the side door of the club and around to the front of the club to be let back in by our guide, Lou Molinaro. Tambourines shaking courtesty of Rob Munro as onlookers can only stop and stare at the mysterious proceedings taking place on the streets of Hamilton at this late hour. Hitsburg is an amazing place to visit as we all talk about the amazing show that we just witnessed. Andy Butler of the 905's summed it up best when he said 'THAT was a SHOW!!!'....
We got to talk to the band quickly after the show, congratulating them on their performance and when i mentioned London to Peter, he immediately remembered Call The Office and acid and the organ that he smashed that night. And the Guy Lombardo museum, bridge and what great times they have had in London over the years...
