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The Sea Witch from Dino's |
Still, the rock scene on L.A.'s Sunset Strip was as vital as that in the east. Rand Spear of the San Fernando Valley band Sounds of Shadows remembers it, if not well (the Strip was like Woodstock; if you remember it, you weren't there). "By the end of '66 we we
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Nico in LA, sans Velvets, '67 |
"Sounds of Shadows dressed alike. Skinny Sansabelt slacks and rust colored Nehru jackets my mother made. Our big breakthrough was at the Sea Witch on the Sunset Strip, just down from Dino's. It was an odd clash of the Rat Pack, what was left, and hippies. We had a demo of a song called 'Leave Me Alone' and a guy with a business card took it and said he'd be in touch, that we had a good look. He said a new club was opening up and he had an idea. Didn't happen. We were either too early, or we weren't any good."
That club was The Trip. In January '64 Elmer Valentine opened the Whiskey A Go-Go at Sunset and Clark St. L.A. was ready to rock and the added innovation of mini-skirted dancers in cages elevated over the audience was an instant sensation, but the Whiskey aimed its sights at a rock audience in its mid-20s, the older hip, and in that way attracted celebs like Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. The Trip was a younger venue, a wilder one. Formerly The Crescendo jazz club, The Trip, also owned by Valentine, sat in the shadow of the new Playboy Club, almost as if it were in the way. Hugh Hefner lived at the top of the six story structure looking out over L.A., and it was in this penthouse that Playboy After Dark was filmed, a sixties late night TV show that featured Hef, some Bunnies and usually an established rock band like Steppenwolf. The Trip often benefited from the Playboy Club’s overflow, creating a truly eclectic crowd.
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October 4, 1965 |
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Sunset Strip, 1966 - The Largo is now The Roxy |