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Visual Purple (first
called the Monotones and then Cream Machine)
started in 1966 as two acoustic guitars and bongos,
we would camp out and play all night long, got
Kalamazoo Model 2 amps and Harmony Bobkat and Kent
guitars, then drum kit. Played 5 or 6 gigs without
bassist, then got bassist, started playing dances.
Played couple of church parties. We didn't get high
or drink back then. Band broke up in 1970 due to
friction between the members. We didn't discover
pot until 1971...might have saved the band if we
found it a year earlier!
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Personnel:
Kerry Ayres - Guitar and Vocals
Terry McGee - Guitar and Vocals
Berry Brook - Drums
Gary Brandenburg - Bass
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Influences:
Beatles,
Grand Funk, Bloodrock
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Setlist
Sample:
Inside Looking Out, Journey to the Center
of the Mind, In a Gadda Da Vida, Hot Smoke
and Sassafras.
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Equipment:
Gibson ES-330, Kent 3- pickup, Silvertone
Beatle bass, Silvertone SS-100 amp,
Silvertone SS bass amp, Fender Vibroverb,
drums first by Sears and later Ludwig, no
PA, sang thru guitar amps. First acoustics
were by Stella and Silvertone, circa
1964.
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Rehearsal
Space:
Dad's
workshop or a car garage.
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Band
Vehicles:
We
couldn't drive, parents hauled
us.
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Fashion
Statement:
Hair
combed down in front, black
turtlenecks.
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Best
Gig:
Junior
High Dance -girls dug us and we rented a
Kustom 400 PA with 4 speaker columns each
with 4 12" speakers..my singing sounded
amazing and our harmonies were loud and
clear..it highlighted for the first time
our vocal talents.
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Gig
from
Hell!:
Every gig
was good - we did play a couple of tunes
early on by the Monkees. The cops got
called on us at one rehearsal by an old
lady across the street. She was an avid
flower gardener..we repaid her kindness by
taking machetes later that night and
beheading her prized plants Another bad
mojo deal was when we climbed the
lightpoles at a high school football field
and ripped off the power horns from their
PA system to use for the band. They
sounded terrible so we sold them to a
competing band.
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Last
Gig:
Lindley
Junior High, 1970.
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Comments:
I would like for
us all to get together and jam again. I was rhythm
player and singer - the other guys were very
advanced on their instruments and we could have
made a good showing if we had stayed together. Our
version of Journey to the Center of the Mind was
riveting and our guitarist and bassist played it
lick for lick at age 14. We also had Nu-Wah
fuzz/wah wah pedals and were quite into
experimenting with psychedelic noises and
feedback.
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