Difficult Listening 29 - The Holy Modal Rounders

We lost Steve Weber a couple months ago. His demons have finally ended their pursuit. Steve Weber was the taller half of the Holy Modal Rounders.

Steve Weber and Peter Stampfel were musicians working the streets of Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Both possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of old time string band music and both were oddballs. It was rather natural that they would meet up. In 1964 they cut the first of two albums for Prestige Records (Pic 1). It didn't generate many sales but it did get noticed.

Weber and Stampfel, around that same time, played on a couple Fugs albums. Weber wrote the often played “Boobs A Lot”. The next Holy Modal Rounders album, “Indian War Whoop” (Pic 2), was released on the ESP label, the same label that was handling The Fugs at that time (1967). “Indian War Whoop” added Len Crabtree and Sam Shepard (yes- that Sam Shepard) to the musical line-up. The record is more like a Sunday midnight FM radio broadcast with heavy psychedelic influences than a usual album of songs. It is probably the least accessible to most listeners of their discs. Needless to say, it didn't generate a lot of sales either.

“The Bird Song” from their next album, “The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders” (1968), was used in the soundtrack of “Easy Rider” and was probably the reason why the album was released by Elektra. This album also contains the popular Dr. Demento spin “Werewolf” and the wonderfully manic Weber tune “Half A Mind”. (Pic 3)

By the time (1971) their fifth album, “Good Taste Is Timeless”(Pic 4), was released the line-up had expanded. The group was essentially bi-coastal and (I think) the relationship between Weber and Stampfel was wearing thin. It's still a joyful record featuring a Holy Modal Rounders version of “Boobs A Lot”. Also cool, there is a track with tambourine accompaniment by D.J. Fontana, Elvis's drummer.

There were several attempts at revival over the years after this but it is difficult to maintain the freedom and energy of youth. Rest in peace, Steven Weber. Keep going as long as you can, Peter Stampfel.