Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Thursday, April 26, 2012

FORGOTTEN MUSIC: THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS

In 1964, an intersting album titled The Holy Modal Rounders appeared and the folk world took notice, not just because it was folk music, but because it was strange folk music -- psychedelic folk music.  The folk duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber had played under a slew of different names beginning with the Total Quintessential Stomach Pumpers.  The duo changed their names frequently, finally ending up with The Holy Modal Rounders.  Drugs, I believe, were involved.

    After their second album, Stampfel and Weber joined The Fugs for a period.  After leaving the Fugs around 1967, they added more members and put out a third album.  Over the years, The Holy Modal Rounders added members (including, briefly, playwright and actor Sam Shepherd), more albums were released, gained additional fans when they appeared on the Easy Rider soundtrack (with Bird Song), and while Stampfel settled down in New York (he's now an associator at DAW books), the Rounders more or less became a Portland band.

     The Holy Modal Rounders -- you either love 'em or you hate 'em.  Check out these songs and discover why they became such a cult group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul5l00Xywac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91SkE0HQs84&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVENZn9wZcY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZ2q0NUEZQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwq55kt8x4g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PoL5s5KGO4&feature=related

A classic from their Fugs era; probably NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd0WOD9yw0E

This one's missing the last few seconds (sorry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUtQqH3rt3c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FKPjiIr3ys&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdjBNXdhvfo&feature=relmfu

2 comments:

  1. I think I might like the "War Whoop" the best. As often the case with stuff others supposedly must love or hate, I like it pretty well over all, but this is the largest single dose of the Rounders I've ever taken in.

    They definitely fit pretty well with artier contemporaries in and around folk, from Zappa to Arthur Lee (!) to Buffy Sainte-Marie in her more adventurous moods...

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  2. Thx u a lot guys btw I am making similar music and using sample packs from here
    www.lucidsamples.com

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