Song Of the Day: August 16, 2005
I know distressingly little about these guys; The recording was done at the fabled Chapman Recording Studio in KC, but I believe the band was from Topeka. Perhaps some of you out there who were around can provide some info. Jade G., Tom S., any of you guys have any tales to tell? In any event, the record is charming, all four Tunes tunes are good, and the Farfisa organ bits recall Blondie's carjacking of cheesy 60s AM radio sounds.
posted by Jon Harrison at 8:48 AM
15 Comments:
Jon,
I see a signature that looks like "Donoho" on the cover. Wasn't one of the members of Psychic Archie named Donoho? (Although it seems like it was Mike Donoho, and the signature looks like "Steve Donoho."
Cody
Did a quick google search, and found not a lot. They get a mention on the kcbands site, but no details.
This site is interesting, though: Feeling Good Records
Scroll down to the bottom, and there's "Elevator" by the Tunes; click on the listen button to hear a couple more snippets.
The only problem is that the page is in Japanese. If only we knew someone that knew Japanese....
If you translate it with Google's xlation service, you get, um, something sort of like English:
MOD/POWERPOP
Artist TUNES
Title Elevator
Label TUNE'S TUNES / [ D-1100 ]
82 years | USA | M-/M- (ジャケ / board) | 7 "
Side A
01. Elevator
02. Crowded Heart
Side B
01. Too Proud
02. She's Mad
< Limitation arrival >
(It is the stock being cut off)
To be excavated recently, still the only of the nameless power pop band " THE TUNES " of America / Kansas & the city of コンピ not yet recording 7 "! The destruction brown destruction brown pop where the keyboard enters as for all the 4 tunes the Canadian POINTED STICKS and the like you recommend favorite to the person! Further in the future it becomes procurement it meaning that it is expected that difficult, in at this opportunity propriety!
Price including tax 11,340 Yen (10,800 Yen in substance price) SOLD OUT!
My fairly rusty Japanese and a bit of searching suggest that "destruction brown destruction brown" may be a literal tranlation of a bit of slang. My best guess would be that it could be translated to "wicked-ass," "crazy," "phat" or some such laudatory modifier. Jon would say "swell."
Gimme some more time on the rest ...
Cody-san
Cody is mostly correct. I don't know who this Steve Donoho guy who's going around writing on my picture sleeves is, but MIKE Donoho of Psychic Archie fame is in this band, as was confirmed by our friend Jade Gurss.
Jon
In the late 70's early 80's, Mike Donoho,Steve Seitz,Pat Wempe, and Mark Wahngren were the Tunes: based out of Topeka, Ks. I got to sit in with them occasionally on sax. After the Tunes dissolved, Mike and Chris Garner from Topeka punk-phenom "Abuse" started Pshchic Archie.About a year ago I heard that Mike was working in sound contracting in the Springfield, Mo. area.
Very cool to see this 7" record. I just had a good friend here in Kansas City convert his to digital mp3's for me. I grew up in Topeka and remember this record well. Also, Jade Gurss used to be my boss at Mother Earth Records. Man, those were the days.
I believe some of the band members went on to form Psychic Archie and another band (I want to say The Brats) but I could be mistaken.
Anyway, hold on to that record. You can't find it anywhere.
Just in case anyone is interested...
Here's the straight poop on The Tunes. Originally, in 1977 or 1978, the Tunes were made up of Mike Donoho, Brian Darner, Pat Wempe & Adam Villalobos. Brian left the band in 1978 and the remaining members worked for a while as a 3-piece. At this time the band was based in Lawrence. I was invited to join as rythym guitar, vocals & keyboards in 1979. I think Adam played one or two gigs but was replaced on drums by Mark Woelk early in my tenure. By this time the band was based out of Topeka.
The hand writing on the picture sleeve is clearly mine, Steve Seitz. I do not remember signing it but must assume I was young, drunk and trying to be funny.
The Tunes broke up in 1983. Mark Woelk and myself teamed up with Bob Brown & Ronnie(one-note)Winters to form the short-lived project known as The Brats. Pat Wempe played base in a blues band with Adam & a harp player named Bud Dingman. Ronnie & I re-grouped with Pat Wempe and a new drummer, Bret Wiley, on a later project known as Sons of Liberty.
Mike Donoho did indeed join with Chris Garner & Clay Galbraith to form Psychic Archie. I should note that on Psychic Archies first EP there is a song called "It Wasn't There". The Tunes wrote and recorded it shortly before breaking up. Everybody thought it was a worthy song, so Psychic Archie kept doing it. The recording on the Psychic Archie EP is in actuallity The Tunes. (Personal note: Abuse & Psychic Archie music has withstood the test of time VERY well, better than these other bands from that era) Last I heard, here is where everybody is.... Mike Donoho is still playing in bands in and around Branson. He also deals in musical instruments. My wife bought a 1976 Martin for me from Mike in 2004. Pat Wempe is an independent inventor who has made a couple patented contributions to the medical field. He is also a hellava golfer. He still lives somewhere in the Topeka-Lawrence-KC area. Last I heard Mark Woelk works in Lawrence in print graphics design or something like that. He was still playing in bands when I talked to him 4 or 5 yrs ago. I do not know what has become of Chris Garner & Clay Galbraith. Ronnie Winters is still playing in a band out of Phoenix, AZ.(their name escapes me) They have had a modicum of success and have toured the UK & Europe. I also heard he was working in quality control for the Fender factory in Phoenix. I am now a video Producer/Director at Kansas State University. I still play guitar but my interests now point toward accoustic roots stuff. For the record, the keyboard on all Tunes recordings is a 1967 Vox Jaguar, God only knows what became of it.
Respectfully submitted,
Steve Seitz 2/20/06
Mark Woelk here. Man those were the days. It's funny that I've stumbled upon this sight. I just listened to the ole EP the other day, whata hoot. I've been in Lawrence for the last 20 years or so, 17 of which working in the printing and publishing fields. The last 5 years I've had the pleasure of touring with Lorena Prater, an AWESOME singer songwriter out of Atlanta. Currently our band consists of Lorena, Randy Wills and Pete Larson, (of Exceptions fame) Mark Garriets, and myself. Hey fellow Tunesmates, I'm not in the book but I'd love to hear from ya. Gimme a shout at mwoelk@sunflower.com so we can exchange #'s and catch up.
Take Care!
Mark Woelk 4.26.06
Hi Steve and Mark!
Greg O here, writing from Tempe AZ (Phoenix).
Ronnie’s band is call the Scones www.thescones.com
I was the one the guys in The Brats and Sons of Liberty let run the lighting system during the duration of both bands.
Yea, Brett T and I probably caused a lot of grief for Dan A but it couldn’t have been any other way.
I’m sure all of you guys probably remember some of the stuff we did.
I believe I still have some of the promo materials for both bands somewhere plus lots of great memories.
The Brats concerts/parties in the basement of the dentist office with all that laughing gas down there.
Remember when our bus broke down on the way to Dodge City?
Didn’t a gay truck driver stop and offered a lift with his cargo full of radio active material?
Anyway, just wanted to say hello to Steve S, Mark W, Pat W, , Brett W, Chris G, Clay G Bob B and Dan A and if any of you happen to read this.
This is really wild that I came upon this page.
goofygrapedrink@cox.net
What a blast from the past this one was to come up on this website. I knew Pat Wempe when he first started out playing bass in High School. I have the "Sons of Liberty" album to this day!!! What a great musician and friend.
Marion Miles - Virgina Beach VA
Greetings everyone! Ronnie Winters here. Yes, I was a member of "The Brats" back in the day. Eventually Steve Seitz and I went on to start "The Sons of Liberty" with Pat Wempe and Bret Wiley. I eventually moved to Tempe, Arizona in January of 89'. I joined a cowpunk band called "Dashboard Mary" which included a drummer named Matt Jones whom I played with in Topeks,KS years earlier in a band called "Johnny Quest" which evolved out of a band called "Not the Glenn Miller Band". Whew! Somebody should make a family tree out of all these bands., Lol. "Dashboard Mary" lasted about 2 years, then I formed a trio called "Gene Pool" that lasted about another 2 years or so. After that I hooked up with a guy named Martin Shears from London and started a band called "The Scones". I have been in The Scones for about 11 years now. We have been fortunate to have played in L.A., San Diego, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, England, and just recently did a 2 week tour of Southern Germany at the end of May. I would love to hear from any of my former band mates back during the Topeks years. My stints in The Brats and particurly The Sons of Liberty are some of the fondest memories I have of playing., So if any of you guys are out there reading this., send me an e-mail! Cheers to all! -Ronnie (one-note_) Winters
This is crazy, I was looking for Clay Galbraith's email address and stumbled on this site. He is still in Topeka, but not playing music anymore, at least not to my knowledge. Chris Garner is mia, rumors abound, but no recent sightings.
My favorite memories of Ronnie Winters are as an extraordinarily young guitar-slinger. I was amazed at the letter-perfect renditions of "Clock Strikes Ten" and "California Girls" by Cheap Trick. Great ear.
Mike W.
It's cool to read all the comments about the Tunes. Trying to dance to them at Tony's Tank'em Up in Topeka was a joke, the floor was so crowded.
I was acquaintance of Mike Donoho and truly loved listening to the band. Good to hear everyone is doing well.
One day I dug up the old 45, converted it to MP3, and still party to "The Tunes"...Ok, call me corney.-Dean Norton Topeka, Ks.
This is like a trip down memory lane, memory fogged up by spliffs and too much 3.2 beer. I loved these guys, and remember many fine evenings dancing to them in Topeka. I'd love to hear some of their music again. Any digital versions out there on the web?
Thanks for making me remember being young again. Marti (Priest) Nelson
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