The Angry Canton, Ohio 1962-1966       1962: Jim Grant from Canton, was playing a Sunday morning live broadcast with The Havenaires gospel group at WTOF Radio. Hans Stucki, an accordion/keyboard player, was appearing on the following broadcast with his brother Ray and Harry Weaver. Jim and Hans met and talked about music, and like all meetings between young musicians, someone said "let's start a rock band!" "Like most any musician, I had dreams of "playing in a band" from early on. Since my brother and I started out playing in accordion bands and as a duo from about 6 years old, I was used to being in front of people and really liked it. But, I wanted to play "real" rock and roll music...enough already with the Swiss music….the Gospel music….the accordion contests etc." ---Hans. Jim had also been playing in a high school band with sax player Ken Stephen. Ken was also eager to join a rock band and a first practice session was established. "I don't think any of us ever really wanted to get real jobs, so playing in a band seemed like the best alternative"...Ken. After a few practices it was decided to add a six string guitar and Hans switched from cordovox to the organ. Gary "Bean" Tinsler, Hans' next door neighbor and guitar player was drafted and The Silvertones were born. In a short time Gary left the band and was replaced by Tom Potts, another friend of Jim's. "Sometime during this period, we either stopped playing at the Canton VFW and started at Massillon's VFW or, perhaps simultaneously or alternately played them both. It was also during this period, I believe, that "Bean" got married and left the group. I know this because I recall that after we were done, we'd periodically go over to the Serbian Club, also in Massillon where Tom's dad was playing with his group..."Hans. A series of regular performances followed in the next year with the band playing several nights weekly while attending high school. "I remember one particular bar fight at the Massillon VFW that started as we were playing some Beatle song. Some guy who was sitting down and got into a shouting match with one of the waitresses, then stood up and tipped over the table, pitchers and all, whereupon fists and nearly everything else that wasn't nailed down started to fly through the smoky air. More shocked than anything , we stopped and got the Hell out of there. Shortly the fight spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of the place, somebody smashed the glass in the front display window, the cops came, a few were dragged off and we picked up somewhere near where we left off. I remember the Massillon crowd as distinctly younger and redder around the neck than the placid group at the Canton VFW. Not sure why this was, but I recall thinking of myself as a sort of "war" veteran too after that night"...Hans. 1964-65: The Silvertones next wound up at the Lite House Inn (or as it came to be known, the "Fight House"). At this time Gene Smithberger joined the group on guitar. "There were some dandy fights at the "Fight House" too. One night when the band was on a break and outside on the front concrete staircase a roar erupted inside. In a few seconds, the front glass door flew open and some guy came running out and got into his Cadillac which was parked right by the front door. About that time, the second guy came flying out, leaned over and picked up a 50-60 pound ornamental stone next to the staircase and as the first guy "peeled out", fired it straight through his rear window….smash!! The first guy never even slowed down"...Hans. "Let's see, a low ceiling, a small stage, a lot of cigarette smoke, loud music, bikers, wild women, what was there not to like about that place!"---Ken. 1965-66: The Silvertones transformed into The Angry and became the first house band at the Riviera. The Riviera was Canton's newest rock club. At this point Ken and Jim both left the band. Mike O'Brien replaced Jim on drums. The Angry became one of the three big rock bands in northeast Ohio along with Lord Richie and the Mariners and the James Gang (featuring Joe Walsh of The Eagles). 1966: The Angry recorded a demo tape at this time which resulted in a six record contract with Reprise records and were assigned the production team of Hugo & Luigi, who also produced The Kinks for Reprise records. The band moved to New York City and began playing at Billy Reed's Coney Island Pub, the Phone Booth, the Cheetah Club, the Stampede, Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park and the Action House, where they met and worked with The Vagrants (of Mountain and Leslie West fame), and opened for such acts as The Turtles, and Napoleon the XIV. Alas: In the fall of 1966, after production had already begun on the first album the draft board came calling and Hans and Tom had to jump back into high school, Mike had an auto accident, Gene returned to Ohio Northern to continue college and the little band from northeast Ohio had to go home---and the moment was lost. They were replaced at the Action House by a band called The Pidgins, who weeks later changed their name to the famous "Vanilla Fudge". Personnel: Jim Grant - Drums, Vocals (1962-1965) Mike O'Brien - Drums, Vocals (1965-1966) Tom Potts - Guitar, Bass, Vocals (1962-1966) Gene Smithberger - Lead Guitar, Vocals (1964-1966) Ken Stephen - Saxophones (1962-1965) Hans Stucki - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals (1962-1966) Gary Tinsler - Guitar (1962) Chris Noon - Guitar (1966) Influences: Kingsmen, Johnny Rivers, British groups (Kinks, Animals, Yardbirds), Paul Revere & the Raiders. Setlist Sample: Wipe Out, Sugar Shack, Pipeline, Everybody, Boom Boom, It's My Life, All the Day and All of the Night, Time Won't Let Me, Summer in the City, Gloria Wooly Bully, Kicks, I'm a Man, Matchbox, In the Midnight Hour, Night Time, Susie Q, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Mister You're A Better Man Than I, Sock it to Me Baby, You Know You Really Turn Me On, Turn Turn Turn, Tired of Waiting for You, She's About a Mover, Heart Full of Soul. Equipment: Hans - Cordovox, Farfisa stand-up organ, Baldwin Harpsichord, Gibson brown/yellow sunburst guitar. Red Baldwin 6-string and grass green Baldwin 12-string. Gene - Custom white Fender Jaguar, Fender Super-reverb Amp. Baldwin 6-string guitar. Tom - 1955 Blonde Fender Stratocaster, Red double cut-away Gibson bass, Baldwin bass & 6-string, Fender Bassman Amp. Mike - Ludwig drums, Zildjian Cymbals Ken - Cleveland alto sax, Conn Artist tenor sax We had an equipment deal with Baldwin Instruments where they would provide us free use of instruments in exchange for doing an annual tour with the other "Baldwin groups" (Beach Boys, Sam the Sham, Left Banke etc.) We'll never forget the day we all got to go to the Baldwin store at Columbus Circle in NYC and just pick what we wanted off the wall or floor! Rehearsal Space: At first, in our basements and garages, later in the clubs themselves. Band Vehicles: Many, but particularly memorable was Jim Grant's big 50's era green Buick! Also, we got all of our equipment and 5 of us in a 1963 light blue Chevy Bel-Air station wagon for the trip to New York. Fashion Statement: Don't recall a particular fashion statement while in Canton, but before we left for NY, we all went and got fitted for black matching suits at Goodman's(?)Clothiers in Canton. Used these in PR materials and, initially, at least, on stage. Once we were in New York, though, we stuck out like a sore thumb, so we went shopping and bought "Beatle boots", bell bottom pants and various colored polka-dotted shirts…groovy! Best Gig: Really hard to say as they were all just fabulous, but if we had to pick one, it might be our gig in Central Park, NY in July/August, 1966. On the big stage at the Wollman Skating Rick, green grass and trees all around, NYC framed in the background against a beautiful summer sky…4 buddies making music for a great crowd of teenaged girls (there were probably some boys too, but we didn't notice 'em). Wow….it's hell to peak at 18 years of age! Gig from Hell!: Hard to remember any, but probably would have been earliest jobs at the Canton VFW, where we could only "mix in" our rock music for the generally "older" crowd. Still, they were very accepting of us and we were having fun just being there as a "band"! Also had a gig at a place on Long Island where the owner had forgotten to run his ad, so nobody showed up…that didn't wind up being bad, though, since we just turned it into a practice and the guy paid us for practicing! Last Gig: Not sure, but it may have been for a private party for one of our financial backers in Westport, Connecticut. Since our break-up came rather unexpectedly after that, we didn't know it would be our last gig at the time. Comments: Reprise Demo tape featuring Almost There, Where Have All the Good Times Gone, Stupid Girl & Walk in the Sun...excerpt on web site: http://www.theangry.net along with more info and photos of the band!        Where are they now? Fall 2003 Hans Stucki: A graduate of Ohio State University (1970) and the University of Notre Dame School of Law (1974), he also served in the United Sates Marines. He also serves as a volunteer in the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation and the Volunteer Lawyer's Program of Lake County, Illinois. An attorney in Chicago, Hans still performs as a solo act in Chicago coffee houses. Gary "Bean" Tinsler: Unknown Jim Grant: Resident of an apartment in California. After leaving The Angry and serving in the U.S. Navy, Jim spent several years on the road with a few country western bands and appears on several 45 recordings by Ray Beach and the Driftwoods, also of Ohio. Ken Stephen: A communications graduate of Kent State University in 1970, Ken is an Advertising Consultant and Internet Marketing Consultant for an Ohio newspaper. After leaving The Angry, Ken played for a time with the Rebels, also of northeast Ohio. Tom Potts: A private Financial Advisor. After leaving The Angry, Tom went on to play with the Pinkerton Stripes, another hugely popular northeast Ohio band. Tom also served his country in the Army National Guard. Gene Smithberger: Graduated from Ohio Northern University in 1967 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Gene is the Bridge Engineer for Marion County and owns a civil/ structural consulting engineering firm in Marion, Ohio. After the "Angry", he played guitar, bass and keyboards for several northeast Ohio bands, such as, "The Uniques", "Dom Jones Revue", "Free Spirit", "Ev'ry Generation", "Special Delivery", and many others until 1990. Mike O'Brien: After The Angry's demise, Mike founded "The Eighteenth Century" and later disappeared for several years before turning up in California where he now owns three great Thai restaurants that feature a rock 'n' roll theme. (Toi on Sunset, on Wilshire and on Vine). Mike still plays in groups. Larry Zagray: Unknown    Information contributed by Hans U. Stucki, Esq hans.stucki@hklaw.com

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