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North California Groups : N

The information on the North California Groups pages was compiled by Gray Newell based on research by: Alec Palao, Corry Arnold, Ben Chaput, Joey Dryfka, Mike Dugo, Ross Hannan, Vernon Joynson, Gray Newell, Stephane Rebeschini, Obert Sonsten, Jason Sweitzer Bruce Tahsler and Max Waller.

These pages were originally made available on the North California Groups website which, unfortunately, no longer exists. The pages are provided here as an archive of that site and are currently being updated at irregular intervals.

The information is presented alphabetically by group name:


Group name : A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ

NEIGHB'RHOOD CHILDR'N

Rick Bolz - Guitar, Harmonica
Gary Campbell - Guitar
W.A. Farrens - Drums, Harmonica
George Gleim - Bass
Dyan Hoffmann - Keyboards
Tom Ryan - Drums
Ron Raschdorf - Guitar, Harmonica

The Neighb'rhood Childr'n - Acta 38005 1968

Formed in Oregon as The Navarros in 1967 they migrated to San Francisco changing their name to The Neighb'rhood Childr'n along the way and having a change of personnel with only Dyan Hoffman and Rick Bolz remaining from the original line up. They changed their name to White Horse and recorded an album that never saw the light of day.



NEPENTHE

45 1967 Good Morning Baby/Slow It Down Direction 4003 1966



NEW AGE

Appeared at The Matrix 27-29th Sept 1966 with Country Joe and The Fish. Played EXOTICA! At the Pauley Ballroom Berkeley with Quicksilver Messenger Service 03/04/67. Susan Graubard

A Berkeley folk trio who also played at the Human Be-In.

Member Pat Kilroy released a solo album, Light of Day, on Elektra in 1966 (I think Patrick the Lama accuses him of starting acid-folk). Unfortunately, Pat died an early death. (Corry)

The New Age were a Berkeley folk trio featuring Pat Kilroy on guitar, flautist Susan Graubard and Bob Amacker on tabla. This was the line-up that also played at the Human Be-In (Country Joe appearing on stage with them on January 14, 1967) and were described in an advertisment in the Oracle as playing "way out Indian-type stuff". Pat Kilroy released a solo album, Light of Day, on Elektra in 1966, although the album was in reality by The New Age. Unfortunately, Pat Kilroy died an early death at Christmas 1967 (either on December 24th or early on the 25th). Country Joe wrote Pat's Song for Pat Kilroy and Colors for Susan for Susan Graubard, flautist with the New Age. Susan Graubard's work can also be found on Robbie Basho's album The Falconer's Arm (1967)

Ross



NEW ARRIVALS

"Shorty" Syres - bass and rhythm guitar
Dick Robitaille - vocals, marimba
Andre Meschi - lead vocals and drums
Tom Muller - organ and bass guitar
Bill Smith - lead guitar

Take Me For What I Am / You Know You're Gonna Be Mine (South Bay SBM 102) 1966
Scratch Your Name / Just Outside My Window (South Bay SBM 103) Nov 1966
Just Outside My Window / Let's Get With It (South Bay SBM 104) 1967

From San Jose. Formerly known as The Preps and issued one 45 under that name, an instrumental "Night Theme."



NEW BREED

Ron Flogel - guitar, vocals
Tim Schmidt - bass, vocals
Tom Phillips - keyboards, vocals, guitar
George Hullin - drums

Green Eyed Woman/I'm In Love - Diplomacy 22 1965
Leave Me Be/I've Been Wrong Before - Mercury 72556 1966
Want Ad Reader/One More For The Good Guys - WORLD United 001 1966 (also HBR 508 1966)
Fine With Me/The Sound Of The Music - WORLD United 003 1967

As Glad
Feelin' Glad - 1968

From Sacramento, formed as The Contenders in 1963, they became The New Breed in 1965. They issued several garage rock 45's over the next 2 years before changing their name to Glad, issuing the Feelin' Glad album in 1968. Tim Schmidt then left to join Poco and the rest of the group carried on through the early seventies as Redwing. Tim Schmidt was later a member of The Eagles.



NEW DELHI RIVER BAND

Dave Nelson - Vocals, Lead Guitar
Dave Torbert - Vocals, Bass
John "Marmaduke" Dawson - Vocals, Guitar
Matt Kelly - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Saltzbach - Guitar
Chris Herold - Drums

Dave Nelson formed the New Delhi River Band after a short stint in Big Brother and The Holding Company, they eventually evolved into New Riders Of The Purple Sage and Shango when the group disintegrated.



NEW DELHI RIVER BAND

"Sweet John" Tomasi - vocals
Peter Saltzbach - guitar
David Nelson - guitar
Dave Torbert - bass
Chris Herold - drums

A Palo Alto-based band from 1966-68, they were one of the first blues groups in the South Bay. The band was also more or less the house band at The Barn in Scotts Valley, a short-lived venue in the Santa Cruz Mountains around the same time. Saltzbach and Tomasi had been in Walnut Creek's Bethlehem Exit, and Nelson had been in bluegrass groups with Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter in 1962-63, and the Pine Valley Boys (another bluegrass group) with Herb Pedersen in 1964.

There has been much confusion about the lineup of this group stemming from some incorrect details in Pete Frame's NRPS Family Tree, originally issued as a CBS Records promo. Marmaduke Dawson and Matt Kelly were never in the NDRB, and there never was a group called The Mescaline Rompers.

Torbert and Herold went on to form the group Horses with Matt Kelly, who released an album in 1968. Nelson went on to found the New Riders of The Purple Sage with Jerry Garcia and John Marmaduke Dawson in 1969, and Torbert joined the group in Spring 1970. When Torbert left in 1973, he formed Kingfish with Kelly and Herold. Salzbach became the road manager for Tower of Power in the 1970s.

One track by the band was released on the bogus San Francisco International Pop Festival reoord, under the name "Haight Ashbury Blues Band." The track, "Banana Sauce and Brain Soup", is mainly a drum solo and was dismissed as poorly recorded and unlistenable by the drummer himself. An unheard demo was recorded (4 tracks), but Chris Herold dismisses it as unlistenable.

Corry Arnold



THE NEW GENERATION

Played with The Jaywalkers & The Charlatans Fillmore Auditorium 05/13/1966.



NEW LIFE

UP GRADE / CANTERBURY ROAD (B ='THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO SAY') WLP 1969 EPIC 10538



NEW TWEEDY BROTHERS

Fred Lackaff
Dan Lackaff
Steve Ekman
Dave McClure

Good Time Car/Terms Of You Love Me - Dot 16910 1966

The New Tweedy Brothers - Ridon SLP 234 1968

Another Oregon act who frequented the San Franciscan scene. The album came in an unusual "cube" design sleeve.



THE NIGHT

To Realize My Mind/Too Much Loneliness - Elite 163/4 1967

From Vacaville near Sacramento.



NIMBUS

Roy Garcia Drums



NIMITZ FREEWAY

From Merced, they featured Ken McCall on vocals.



NOMADS

From the Napa Valley, some members were later in Rockwell.



NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND

Fred Sokolow - guitar, banjo, mandolin, tambourine, vocals
Mark Mandell - guitar, vocals
John Miller - keyboards Peter Oswald - drums
Mike O'Connor - bass, vocals
Skip Rose - piano, electric piano, organ, harp
Peter Oswald - drums

Notes From The Underground E P - Changes 601 1966
Notes From...... - Vanguard VSD 6502

Out of Berkeley, Notes From The Underground were contemporaries of Country Joe And The Fish, playing the venues as them and even recording their own E P with Chris Strachwitz who had been responsible for the Rag Baby EP. They signed to Vanguard in 1967 and released their sole album, which was recorded in New York, in 1968.


Last updated December 2008