PEPPY CASTRO
BLUES MAGOOS INTERVIEW
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An Interview with Peppy Castro of the Blues Magoos
Conducted by Joe Viglione
Peppy to be interviewed on http://bostonfreeradio.com 1 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2015.
The Blues Magoos will appear at Johnny D’s
in Somerville on Thursday, May 21, 7 PM
Here are the dates for
Somerville/Boston, Connecticut and New York for this upcoming weekend.
May 21 – Somerville,
MA – Johnny D’s
May 22 – New Haven,
CT – Café Nine
May 23 – New York, NY
– Bowery Electric
Q: When did the idea for Psychedelic Resurrection come to be?
A: Over the years and decades people have always been
suggesting a reunion. It actually took years to put into place. Once it was
decided that we would attempt it, I (Peppy) came up with the CD title. I wanted
to have the word Psychedelic in the title as this has been part of the groups
legacy.
Q:It's fun to see Mark Lindsay with a splashy, colorful CD cover,
as well as current "garage bands" utilizing neo-psychedelia -
perhaps pastel meets psychedelic. Who did your cover art and who came up
with the concept?
A: The Cover was a combination of two friends and myself. Kenn
Lubin who is an iconic Art Director started it off and then Scotty McAloon took
it from there and did the majority of the lay out and design. They both are
with a company called King Displays in New York that do all the signage for the
Broadway Shows among other things.
Q: Do you know what TV show this clip of We Ain't Got Nothing
Yet is from?
A: Sorry I did survive the sixties in tact but haven't a clue
anymore as to where that one was. I want to say a local TV show in Texas?
Q:What was the "Demo That Got The Deal" for the 45 RPM
on Verve Records and/or was it a live performance that got the contract
for"So I'm Wrong and You Are Right" b/w "The People Had No
Faces"
A: Really The Magoos on the streets of New York playing the Nite
Owl Cafe got us the attention but I would say both songs were independently
produced and that secured the Verve Deal.
Q:Were guitarist Dennis LePore and drummer Jon Finnegan onboard
for the Verve single or had they already been replaced by Geoff Daking on drums
and Mike Esposito on guitar?
A: Yes we never went to records with Dennis and John.
Q:What is the current 2015 line-up of Blues Magoos?
A: Ralph Scala (Keys voc Orig) Geoff Daking (Orig drums) Peppy
Castro (Orig Guitar/vox Mike Ciliberto (New Member Guitar
Peter Stuart Kolhman (New member Bass).
Q:What was the Demo that Got The Deal for Mercury Records or was
it a live show?
A: I'd say more based on the group live.
Q:Did you know other Mercury/Philips acts like Spanky & Our
Gang, Bobby Hebb and Buzzy Linhart?
A: We were on the same bills with Spanky and knew them as label
mates and casually at shows. I didn't know Bobby Hebb but was very close with
Buzzy.
Q:Did the Blues Magoos ever play onstage with Jimi Hendrix?
A: Never with a professional gig. He did come in and jam with us
at the Nite Owl.
Q:Ralph and/or Peppy, did you fellows know Jimi Hendrix well?
A: We knew Jimi in passing and hanging out in the same places in
the Village. The Tin Angel etc.
Q:Did you and Buzzy Linhart ever jam together with Hendrix?
A: Not all three. Separately. Again Buzzy was very close to all
of us but I have to say more so with me. We spent a lot of time together.
Q:How does a group in 2015 launch a single in this
climate? Internet radio, YouTube, traditional terrestrial radio?
A: All of the above. Sadly intellectual property and the
sanctity of ones creative recorded works seems to be public domain these
days.
Q:Are there plans for a follow-up to Psychedelic Resurrection?
A: At the moment it is a gargantuan effort to even play out and
gig. The logistics of being a working band is much harder these days. So it is
more a labor of love and reunion. We are taking things one day at a time. The
creative juices are there though.
Q:The Vanilla Fudge play their self-titled hit album in its
entirety on tour, will the Blues Magoos be performing Psychedelic Lollipop
and/or Electric Comic Book on tours?
A: Not in it's entirety. Oddly enough Basic Blues Magoos our 3rd
Lp is a fabulous record and we even do some songs from that as well.
Q:Are you considering a live album from this tour?
A: It hasn't been discussed. I think we are testing the waters.
Q:Do you have live tapes from previous years, and would you
consider a vintage Blues Magoos Live album from tapes made back in the day?
A: We haven't really done that much. One offs here and there. I
don't think recordings exist with any kind of quality. If we keep performing,
that would be an option. The band is very musical live and the more we play out
the tighter we become.
Q:What do you think of the CD vs Vinyl and the new Vinyl craze?
A: Vinyl is always welcomed to the purists. CD's bring in a younger
audience. I think both are pretty obsolete in the big picture because people
just rip off the music and records sales are way off.
In 2011 Sundazed Records reissued Psychedelic Lollipop and Electric Comic Book on limited edition (1000 copies)
vinyl and CD from the first generation Mercury master tapes with greatly
improved sound quality compared to earlier reissues. (from Wikipedia)
A: The people at Sundazed are dedicated Audiophiles and keep the
music alive and much appreciated.
Thanks for your time, Peppy!
My Pleasure Joe. All the best.
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Here are the dates for
Somerville/Boston, Connecticut and New York for this upcoming weekend.
May 21 – Somerville,
MA – Johnny D’s
May 22 – New Haven,
CT – Café Nine
May 23 – New York, NY
– Bowery Electric
PARTIAL PLAYLIST FOR SHOW # 1 Wednesday May 13, 2015
Ian Lloyd of Stories, first guest on my reactivated radio show POP
EXPLOSION May 13, 2015 Show opened at 1 PM with
1)Alice Cooper's No More
Mr. Nice Guy followed by
2)"We Ain't Got Nothing Yet"
3)"Tobacco Road"
by the Blues Magoos,
4)"Wait" by the Beatles,
5)Jimi Hendrix/Stephen
Stills jam,
6)Ian Lloyd
@ 1:16 pm
7)"Brother Louie" at 1:26 pm
8)another 10 minutes of
interview,
9)metal version of "Brother Louie" into
10)Jack Ely and the
Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" (actually not because of Brother Louie but in
tribute to Jack Ely) then a
11)foreign language version of "Sunny" and a
few other songs which are on the playlist at the station...
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Ian Lloyd of Stories, first guest on my reactivated radio show POP EXPLOSION May 13, 2015 Show opened at 1 PM with Alice Cooper's No More Mr. Nice Guy followed by "We Ain't Got Nothing Yet" and "Tobacco Road" by the Blues Magoos, "Wait" by the Beatles, a Jimi Hendrix/Stephen Stills jam, Ian Lloyd @ 1:16 pm "Brother Louie" at 1:26 pm then another 10 minutes of interview, a metal version of "Brother Louie" into Jack Ely and the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" (actually not because of Brother Louie but in tribute to Jack Ely) then a foreign language version of "Sunny" and a few other songs which are on the playlist at the station...
BB KING LIVE IN THE U.K. 2011
B B King Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2011 1080p HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_j91FjsXM
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