File under: I might be psychedelic, you might be psychedelic too.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY FLASH
Seattle: 1965. In the awakening months of the psychedelic era, with a new culture on the move, the spirit of music began to seriously change. Seattle was eager to define itself as a place where this process could unfold. A revolution was in the air and The Daily Flash, with an entirely new look on music took the city by storm.
A real gemstone in the genre of original West Coast psychedelic music, the Daily Flash were a relatively obscure group that provided massive inspiration for a new music generation in the Pacific Northwest. Somehow (and that's the mystery) they kept a tantalizing one-step away from national recognition, eventually disappearing from sight. Today, they have re-emerged fortunately. They are true to their original ideals, yet playing music in new and revitalised forms.
A TIME OF REVOLUTION
Early in 1966 a groundswell of fans quickly followed the band’s emergence onto the music scene, creating a network of unique venues, the first of which was the Socialist Workers Party Hall. New performance locations were a necessity for a group not interested in providing the type of music required by Teen Music Empire bosses, entrepreneurs, radio stations and DJ’s. The Daily Flash were the voice of the counterculture. Their musicianship, energy and enthusiasm created a template for the psychedelic music experience in Seattle. They brought music that mixed American and British folk, jazz, rhythm and blues in a intense and intelligent way. They ‘dared’ to present the songs of other artists who were also defining this new era, hence The Daily Flash opened the musical doors to the Psychedelic era for Seattle.
Like all good bands, soon they were enticed away from the home town music scene by major management and record companies. Journeys from Seattle to San Francisco, and then finally to Los Angeles brought them considerable attention and respect as they played in the ballrooms of Haight Ashbury and throughout the cultural club scene of Sunset Strip. Venue promoters Bill Graham and Chet Helms became allies, as did many musicians in bands they shared the stage with. Ironically they were a challenge to others they shared the stage with, which included seven straight nights with The Byrds at the Whiskey Ago go, yet this same challenge brought respect amongst peers. However by the end of 1967 their direction had become uncertain. The confusion of managers waiting for the ‘right time’, opportunities held back by conservative record label policies (soon to change), and their own growing confusion, finally stopped the band in its tracks. Today we are left with a wealth of seldom heard recordings, and some that have yet to be located. All are unique documents of this exciting group.
These boys were not just ‘another curious’ band of the 1960’s. They were phenomenal musicians and singers who impressed audiences immediately, and who were fluent in a variety of musical directions. They performed alongside other groups such as The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Country Joe, Quicksilver, Van Morrison, Cream, Taj Mahall, Turtles, Steve Miller Band, Grass Roots and others. They were brought in as a backing band for various Los Angeles artists including Dr John, The Cake, Noel Harrison, Bob Lind. Individual members played or recorded with various artists including The Doors, James Brown, Iron Butterfly, Pamela Poland, Rhinoceros, and others.
Without any sort of helpful guidance from management, the band’s spirit began to erode. Formed in the late autumn of 1965, the group lasted until 1967, but not without member losses along the way. The original drummer, Jon Keliehor departed in the early summer of 1967 and guitarist Doug Hastings was taken into the Buffalo Springfield, and then into the supergroup Rhinoceros. New members replaced old but their stay was short lasting as the band played it’s last performances December 1967.
A year later, the band reincarnated as BODINE with Jon Keliehor (drums), Steve Lalor (giutar, vocals), Kerry Magness (bass, vocals), Eric Karl (guitar, vocals) and Dave Brooks (keyboards). It was an adventure that brought the group back to the promised land (LA) to record one spectacular album on MGM, "Bodine", but smashed them on the rocks (once again) thanks to the negligence of their manager, and the total neglect from MGM's corpoprate raider Kirk Kerkorian who on the eve of their album release shut down the offices of MGM Records, sold off the MGM backlot to developers and sold the MGM vault of films, rewarding himself millions in bonuses from the MGM coffers, before moving on to his next victim.
All of this has been well documented by Nick Warburton at:
http://www.rhinoceros-group.com/dailyflash.htm
But where is their music now? And indeed, what does it sound like? Several singles were released in 1966 by London Parrot and on Uni Records. These had limited regional success. "Jack of Diamonds" was released on several compilations, and has become a cult classic. Finally in 1981 under the persuasion of Bob Jeniker, Park Ave Records, Seattle, Keliehor and Lalor began to assemble all recordings that could be located. They found a great deal, but not all. An essential retrospective was released on the UK label Psycho. Called I FLASH DAILY, it quickly sold its stock and went out of print. Recently more unheard recordings have surfaced, many from the vaults of the legendary Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, where the band frequently recorded. Today anticipation hangs in the air as a re-release of I Flash Daily is in preparation, that will undoubtedly include a greatly enlarged song list. Music from the Bodine years will follow.
Not to say that this is the end of the story of The Daily Flash. Original members have all pursued independent and in some cases musical careers, both in America and abroad. After a nearly 30 year hiatus, singer Steve Lalor has reformed the Daily Flash with an all new lineup that includes:
Steve Lalor - guitar, vocals
Barry Curtis - guitar, vocals
Don Wilhelm - bass, vocals
Steve Peterson - drums, vocals
Craig Bystrom - live sound engineer, and occasional guest appearances by percussion meister Jon Keliehor, and guitar wizard Doug Hastings.
Now in a more mature form, the band continue to present music from a diverse variety of sources for their loyal Seattle fan base, which is surprising after such a long absence from their local area. Such is the talent of the current lineup, who would continue to impress wherever the location, whether yesterday or today.
More information on their website:
