Thursday, September 17, 2009

234 S. Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA: The Ice House Captain Beefheart/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band June 28-July 3, 1966



This listing from the June 28, 1966 edition of The Pasadena Independent seems unimaginable today: avant garde legendary mystery man Captain Beefheart paired with the authentic Country professionalism of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, in suburban Glendale to boot. Things were different then.

The Ice House in Glendale was connected to The Ice House in Pasadena, although I do not know which one came first. The Ice House in Pasadena (at 24 N. Mentor Avenue) was one of the popular folk coffee houses in Southern California, and aspiring teenage musicians like Ry Cooder and Pamela Polland were regulars on the stage during hoot nights and in the audience for touring acts. The Ice House in Glendale was, at one point, called The Under The Ice House (although apparently you still had to take an elevator to the club) and many performers played both clubs. By late 1965, 'Folk-Rock' bands were not unknown at either Ice House, as folk venues had to compete with burgeoning rock clubs.

Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were known in Southern California as the toughest white blues band around. They played "Car Club" gigs, where teenagers drove their cars (often the same make) to a meeting point and had a party. Beefheart had the reputation, at least, of impressing his audiences as well as any of the local black blues bands, and was the first white singer to claim that distinction. Without repeating the entire Beefheart story here, suffice to say he recorded some sides for A&M records, and one of them, the blues song "Diddy Wah Diddy", was even a hit on KRLA. The Magic Band at this time would have been Alex Snouffer and Doug Moon on guitars, Jerry Handley on bass and Paul Blakely on drums. Beefheart had already played the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco (May 20-21).

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were a Long Beach group, initially calling themselves The Illegitimate Jug Band. They had changed their name, but they played "Jug Music", essentially old-time string band music, wearing pinstripe suits and cowboy boots. The band at the time included Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden and Les Thompson, all of whom would be in the band throughout much of the 1970s, along with Ralph Barr, Bruce Kunkel and 17-year old Jackson Browne. At this time, String Band music was serious folk music, learned off very old records, whose heritage was somewhat mysterious. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would not release a record until about a year later, by which time Browne had been replaced by multi-instrumentalist John McEuen. McEuen was a key figure in the Dirt Band's eventual focus on authentic traditional country music.

From the perspective of the 1966 audience, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band were first-class exponents of a mysterious music--the blues--unseen (if not unheard) in its original form by white teenagers. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, though less well known, were exponents of an equally mysterious music--"old time string band"--equally unseen and even less heard in its original form. Its hard to say how the two bands sounded side by side, of course, but this was not nearly so far-fetched a pairing as it initially looked.

The Ice House in Glendale is currently a theater called A Noise Within. The Ice House in Pasadena remains open, mostly presenting comedy.

22 comments:

  1. " The Ice House in Glendale was, at one point, called The Under The Ice House (although apparently you still had to take an elevator to the club) and many performers played both clubs. By late 1965, 'Folk-Rock' bands were not unknown at either Ice House, as folk venues had to compete with burgeoning rock clubs."

    This is incorrect. "Under The Ice House" was a bar literally under, two floors down, the Glendale Ice House, which was separate from it. Under The Ice House sported a bi-plane hanging from the ceiling and quite a fantastic experience. The Glendale Ice House was a coffee house and like the Pasadena Ice House. We used to go to hear Tim Morgon, Bob Lind, Steve Gillette, Hearts & Flowers, and a lot of other shows there. It closed in 1969. Soon after that Bob Stane closed Under The Ice House. He said had he not opened the bar he would have not found himself under water. Ask him if you doubt this information. He now owns The Coffee Gallery on North Lake Street, in Altedena, CA, not far from the Pasadena Ice House (like we really needed the current owners to turn it into still another LA comedy store). Nick and Mike Campbell

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  2. Nick, thanks for the clarification about "Under The Ice House." It sounds like one of those good stories that wasn't actually the case. It's very interesting to find out that it was the bar that in fact kept the place running.

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    1. Actually, it was the bar that sunk the coffee house. I believe I wrote that Bob Stane said had he not opened the bar two floors down at great cost to him, the Glendale Ice House would have survived. The Glendale Ice House was very popular. The Masonic Temple's third floor is now occupied by a legitimate theatre, I believe.

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    2. My band "Greed" was house band at Uner the Ice House for about a year. Great memories.

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  3. I had forgotten about Tim Morgon - so a shout for his film "Dirty Feet" from 1965 - and if memory serves there was a Live at The Ice House album as well.

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  4. I am pretty sure that the Pasadena Ice House came first. I remember going there to see Stan Wilson.

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    1. The Pasadena Ice House opened in 1960. Two years later, in 1962, it was purchased by Bob Stane and a partner who now lives in New Mexico; Stane currently owns The Coffee Gallery coffee house in Altedena, not so unlike the original Pasadena Ice House when it was a music cabaret.

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  5. I remember seeing The Standells there.

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  6. Tim Morgon appeared on the old television programs, "Boss City" and "The Lloyd Thaxton Show. On both shows he performed two recorded songs: "You'll Be Sorry" and on the flip side, "A House Built On Sand." I have asked him about the song, "You'll Be Sorry," but he can't remember who wrote it. There are other songs by that title, but after years of searching for the lyric we have yet to find it and Tim can't remember the lyrics nor did he keep a work sheet with the lyrics. Spence Hathaway, his bassist of ten years or so, doesn't remember the lyrics either and is disinterested in going there. A recording was struck but Tim doesn't have a copy of it or know what happened to the original tape nor does he remember where it was recorded or by whom. We are archivists for Tim but not full of ourselves. Any information about the recordings noted above would be greatly appreciated. "A House Built On Sand" was also recorded by Leslie Uggams and we know who wrote the song and have the lyrics, but not the lyrics to "You'll Be Sorry." Our hope is that an old fan of Tim's wrote down the lyrics or once asked Tim for them and may still have them today. Please contact us at our Facebook page for Socrates Coffee House. We own the folk club, in Atascadero, CA, named after the Prison of Socrates Coffee House )1959-1969). Nick and Mike Campbell.

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  7. I went to the Glendale ice house when I was in high school , I saw bob lind (a lot).. @ the dillards , I remember lee Michaels at some point , and lots of bands I've forgotten , a rebooted spankie and our gang at the pasadena location

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  8. I was a cocktail waitress at 'under the iceouse' for years. Ray sold it to a guy named Ferris and about a year later he remolded it and renamed it to the 'sopwith Camel'. That's where steely Dan played among other top named bands. It stayed open until about 1975-1976. I worked there for all that time on and off. Ferris remolded it one more time but eventually lost all his money. I came in late one night when it was closed with a friend, and caught Ferris flooding out the place with fire hoses hanging down from the balcony.
    He was trying to shut it down and collect insurance money.
    Didn't work...haha!!
    Some of the best memories of my life was working at ''ndrr the ice House' and sopwith camel.

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    1. Thank you, my dad worked there, he took us once when I was little. My dad passed away today and I had forgotten this piece of his history.

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  9. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working as Lightman and Announcer at both the Pasadena Ice House and the Glendale Ice House. Bob Stane was owner but Carl Heckman ran the Glendale club where many of the Folk-Rock groups played. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was often there as was Tim Morgon, but also the young Kenny Loggins in his first group, Mason Williams, Hearts and Flowers, The Irish Rovers, Aerial Landscape, Dillards, a.great guitar player named Lenin Castro. Steve Martin did a set now and then as did Lilly Tomlin and many more lost to memory.

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  10. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working as Lightman and Announcer at both the Pasadena Ice House and the Glendale Ice House. Bob Stane was owner but Carl Heckman ran the Glendale club where many of the Folk-Rock groups played. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was often there as was Tim Morgon, but also the young Kenny Loggins in his first group, Mason Williams, Hearts and Flowers, The Irish Rovers, Aerial Landscape, Dillards, a.great guitar player named Lenin Castro. Steve Martin did a set now and then as did Lilly Tomlin and many more lost to memory.

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  11. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working as Lightman and Announcer at both the Pasadena Ice House and the Glendale Ice House. Bob Stane was owner but Carl Heckman ran the Glendale club where many of the Folk-Rock groups played. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was often there as was Tim Morgon, but also the young Kenny Loggins in his first group, Mason Williams, Hearts and Flowers, The Irish Rovers, Aerial Landscape, Dillards, a.great guitar player named Lenin Castro. Steve Martin did a set now and then as did Lilly Tomlin and many more lost to memory.

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  12. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working as Lightman and Announcer at both the Pasadena Ice House and the Glendale Ice House. Bob Stane was owner but Carl Heckman ran the Glendale club where many of the Folk-Rock groups played. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was often there as was Tim Morgon, but also the young Kenny Loggins in his first group, Mason Williams, Hearts and Flowers, The Irish Rovers, Aerial Landscape, Dillards, a.great guitar player named Lenin Castro. Steve Martin did a set now and then as did Lilly Tomlin and many more lost to memory.

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    1. Terje, thanks so much for the recollections.

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  13. Was anybody there ehen wolfman jack played there with other artist .we introduced ourselves yo hom. Nice guy

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  14. One of the most popular bands at the Sopwith Camel was called “Live Jive”. Dan Sype (vocals), Jim and Dan Shattuck
    (drums & keyboards) , Bobby Jabo (bass) and Bobby Caldwell ( What You Won’t Do For Love) on guitar/vocals. They did all the Spinners, OJs and soul stuff. Killer band. Bobby C. unfortunately just passed this week.

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  15. Grew up with Friday and Saturday nights at Glendale. You guys forgot... The Association, Deep Six, Standells, Cowsills, Pat Paulson and a million more.
    I wrote My favorite, Tim Morgon three years ago and he is fine plus sent me a couple CD's. Tim and Spence were amazing and I will never understand how he didn't become national.

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