"Big Brother & The Holding Company" - 2020
"Waltzing with The Music" that defined an entire generation rings from the recesses of my mind as I stare from the window of this humble Kentucky abode. A metaphor that seems to define one of the storied bands of psychedelic folklore and their musical sojourn from 1965 to 2020, from 1090 Page Street to the neoteric components of today.
Sam Andrew, James Gurley and the chanteuse of yesteryear, Janis Lyn Joplin
are smiling down on BBHC and their ubiquitous approach of 2020. The treasure trove of brilliance from the euphoric era of “psychedelia” is now displayed with musicians of the same ilk that paved the way for music that matters as BBHC became instrumental in painting the tapestry of sixties youth in search of personal identity. This was the manicured “sounds” of San Francisco, rustic, swanky, a blend of tunes that are now a time which has transcended
through the years.
For those forty years old or younger, when Janis is mentioned, they know not of Kozmic Blues Band,Full Tilt Boogie or solo material (Pearl) with the pastiche approach of BBHC from 1966-1968. The spokes of this musical wheel are now Peter Albin, one of the ten greatest bass players in the history of recorded music, David Getz, an American Artisan who paints as well as he plays drums, Tom Finch, a gifted guitarist who is vastly underrated although recognized for his impact on the genre by induction into Gulf Coast Hall Of Fame, David Aguilar, a luthier augmented by his ebullience as a stage performer, Kate Russo Thompson, a violin prodigy who made an impact on Sam Andrew in the nineties and continues to inspire as a segment of the current BBHC.
That brings us to Darby Gould, a stunning maven, chanteuse who continues to keep the music, ideology and sound alive and well with pristine vocals, charm and charisma. Paul Kantner adored her for obvious reasons as she recreates the magic that once permeated the air in Haight Ashbury & Golden gate Park. The Fillmore Auditorium (Fillmore & Geary Streets) Fillmore West (10 south Van Ness), Winterland (2101 Sutter Street) and The Family Dog owned by none other than my friend Chet Helms)on Sutter & Van Ness.
The band has collectively conquered the variables of songs from the past as they now segue from one masterpiece to another. This remains as the band that was responsible for the grandeur of Janis Lyn Joplin and yet, when Janis was inducted into the asylum known as "The Rock ’n Roll Hall Of Fame", the band was not. Another Jann Werner debacle and yet, had the audacity to invite the band to play on opening, dedication evening, Cleveland, Ohio (dedicated, 1995).Unlike most agents who are defined by inept approaches augmented by greed, BBHC has found an agency who relates to the monolithic epic incarnations of a band that has survived for decades based on nothing more than their acquired skills, a visual presence and the archetypal approach of philosophic, “hippie-esque music that continues to mesmerize those fortunate enough to see BBHC as they are now. This is a musical motif that has captured the essence of a storied past, now a perpetual sunrise awaits, listening to the music of a fabled band with the cathartic approach that will ease the pain and broaden the smile.
A liberation from the woes of our “Black Plague”, horrendous economy and mental midgets running the country, the escape remains similar to the decadence of sixties San Francisco when the music was the chosen path for universal peace. It will never get better than BBHC, their light continues as we stroll down our chosen paths…………….
Cheers
Don Aters - 2020
John Byrne Cooke, last manager for Janis.........Alister Crowley great nephew...
Sam Andrew, Don Aters, Peter S. Albin - BBHC ' 1996 - Gathering on The Mountain, The Pocono's
