|
The band was
formed in 1965 by Keith Austin as the
Imperial Knights. They never got really
rolling till early 1966 when personnel
changes and a great multitude of bookings
rolled in. South Florida was a haven for
places to play. High School Sock Hops and
Teen Center dances in every city and
hundreds of bars and clubs. We were always
booked because we were a ballad/rock band
and we drew the ladies with the ballads,
and the lads followed. In the final few
years, the band morphed from a one night
stand band to a weekly club band. We
played the famous Porky's (in fact the
last band to play there), The Rick Shaw
television show a couple of times and the
Nation Enquirer 20th year celebration. We
opened for Lovin Spoonful, Momma's Boys,
Razors Edge, Syndicate of Sound and Young
Rascals. Two trips to the Bahamas. We once
played 93 nights in a row at a place
called LaFlame Lounge, we got a dollar a
head and had to play as long as 10 people
or more were in the club. Because of the
Viet Nam War, as fast as we got a complete
group together, someone in many cases was
gone, drafted or enlisted. At one time I
counted 40 different members, not to
mention some that came and went, many
times.
|
|
Personnel:
Keith Austin - Leader, Singer, Bass and
Trumpet
Bill Rogers - Organ and Vocals
Glenn Faurot - Lead Guitar
Rex Thompson - Bass and Guitar
Keith Morabeto - Guitar and Keys
Ran Whitehead - Drums
Jake Russ - Keys and Trumpet
Brian McGann - Guitar
Dick Cullen - Drums
Dana Carrier - Bass
Mike Love - Drums
Rick Harvel - Guitar &
Vocals
|
|
|
|
|
Influences:
Turtles ,
Gary Pucket , Jay and the Americans ,
Kinks , Rascals, Stones and Paul
Revere
|
|
Setlist
Sample:
Young Girl , Time Won't Let Me, Hey Little
Girl , Just Like Me , Turn Around Look At
Me, Goodnight My Love, You Baby, Till the
End of the Day, All Day And All Of The
Night, Ferry Cross the Mersy, Mr.
Tamborine Man, Lonley Bull and
Tequila
|
|
Equipment:
Matching Silvertone Amps, Two Fender
Mustangs, Gibson EBO Bass, Farfisa Compact
and Ludwig Drums
|
|
|
|
|
Rehearsal
Space:
A room on
the back of Austin's Hardware, on the RR
tracks
|
|
|
|
|
Band
Vehicles:
Seats
stripped out 53 Chev Bel Air and 2
GTO's
|
|
|
|
|
Fashion
Statement:
First was
tan corduroy jackets
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Gig:
Opening
Band for Hullabaloo (TV Show) with the
Turtles
|
|
|
|
|
Gig
from
Hell!:
The
Shamrock Club ! ! The story is, we started
out the morning in Miami
recording our record. On the way
back (50 miles) , one vehicle quit
and had to be left on the side of the
road, all people and equipment transferred
to the other vehicles. We had a gig to
open for Lovin' Spoonful then drive 20
miles to open for The Mommas Boys and then
drive 30 miles to do a Grand Opening of
the new Shamrock Club and no customers
showed up. Four setup and tear downs on
one day, all for free.
|
|
|
|
|
Last
Gig:
Avengers
2001 Geezer Gig (30yr Reunion) see
website
|
Comments:
Check out the
Avenger's 2001 reunion at: http://www.theavengers.info
|
