| »The Left Banke Pulling Away From Commercialism by Rick Johnson |
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From KYA BEAT San Fransisco, California November 1966 "People expect a lot out of a pop group," Steve Martin said, "they expect you to continually pour out witty little answers they think are cute. It's almost like they want you to be something other than human. We can't-and don't even try-to do that. We just say what we feel and don't try to put on any fronts." Steve's evaluation came after a lengthy interview of his group, the Left Banke, and we were inclined to agree with him. All afternoon the five New Yorkers had spared us the little absurdities associated with some pop groups. The Left Banke are new on the pop scene, but they have some very definite-if not brash-ideas on their music and pop music in general. "I don't suppose you could put our music in any particular classification," said Mike Brown, who composed "Walk Away Renee." "We try to get away from commercial aspects in our music." "Better yet," he continued, "I think commerciality gets away from us." The Left Banke probably take as much commerciality out of their music as can be taken out. They don't like traveling and don't particularly relish gigs. They don't like follow up records and don't look for a certain image. They don't even seem to mind releasing a "bomb" occasionally. "I get a certain satisfaction out of recording the song anyway," said Jeff Winfield. Mostly, they are just interested in turning out "real music." "We would never record anything written by someone else, either," said George Cameron, who writes much of his group's music. "We do all of our own writing. Right now we have about 30 songs of our own." All five of the Left Banke are 18 years old. At first, they are polite and rather reserved-until the conversation turns to their feelings on their music. Then it's hard to get a word in edgewise. "How was the party at Cass' house last night?" I finally queried. "How did you find out about that?" asked a startled Tom Finn. "The word's out. Now would you like to give your version?" Finally realizing the intended jest, George Cameron explained. "It was nothing really . . . just a little gathering." "Several of us just went up to her home to take in the view. She has a beautiful home. It was really a gas." The heavy demand placed on the Left Banke after their first record has created an almost new life for them, but they have accepted it with grace. "I suppose each of us had a bit of a swelled head at first," admitted Steve, "but it was nothing serious." They are now touring the country promoting their record, and it was their first trip to California. While Tom and George were mildly extolling its virtues, Mike disagreed. "I still like New York," he said stubbornly. “I don’t feel really comfortable when I'm away from it." "But New York is dirty and grubby," Mike countered, "but I still love it." Until about eight months ago, the group had never been exposed to the public eye. They spent a lot of time rehearsing and knocking about New York recording studios, but as a group had never even performed a local gig. Now they have one of the biggest records in the country and are playing some of the top entertainment spots, but it's hard to imagine they really changed after their overnight success. They dress a little wilder and keep a little busier, but those are probably the only differences. When they return to New York they plan to record their first album. But it will be a little different from most entertainers' first album. "One thing we will never do on an album," Mike said emphatically, "is put, like, `Walk Away Renee' in real big letters and then under that put 'The Left Banke.'" "We feel every song on our album will be a good one, not just one certain one." "I suppose we'll release a single off the album," said Steve, "but it won't be anything like `Walk Away Renee.' One thing we'll never do is release two songs that sound just alike." The Left Banke are refreshing for their originality. A lot of groups talk about defying trends but few mean it. You get the impression the Left Banke really mean it. |
