Friday, October 31, 2008

The Original SEVEN Roto Rooters

Top to bottom:
Bb Baxter
Awf d'Walle, Buffalo Steve, Little Orphan Ollie
Sgt. Charts, Uncle Jimmy, Dr. Mabuse, d.o.a.

The LP You Know And Love

Our Self-Titled
1974 Vanguard 
LP

The 25th Anniversary CD


The 25th Anniversary 
Self-Produced
CD
"Retro Rooter - 1972 -1976"

CD Front Cover

Buy It On Gemm.
$10.00 + $3.00 S&H
See link below

1973 "I'm A Rooter" Fan Club Button

How It Happened


UPDATED
10/31/08
: Late 1972 the band was formed and made their
initial mark as a street band playing Christmas carols for unsuspecting
shoppers at Century City, Los Angeles. Reformed in spring 1973 the band
returned to the streets with a full repertoire of diverse tunes all
arranged for 4 trombones and 3 saxes. Venues included Century City, the
L.A County Museum of Art, the La
Brea Tar Pits
, and the L.A. Music Center. Chrirstmas,
1974, the RRGTCB shared the stage with THE
MYSTIC KNIGHTS OF THE OINGO BOINGO
at the Hollywood
Palladium..s "KPFK
Merrie Christmas Faire". The RRGTCB made appearances at the Ash Grove,
the Troubadour, Busch Gardens, Knott's Berry Farm, The China Trader and
the Ice House, where we became somewhat of a fixture playing there well
into 1976. Most disastrous gig was The Aladdin in Las Vegas. Boy,
were THEY surprised! We lasted 1 1/2 sets before we were advised "not
to play anymore". In 1974 we submitted our tape of "Laurel
and Hardy
" to Dr. Demento which he premiered on his radio
show. He continued to feature our music regularly. "Discovered" by Tom
Hensley
at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Swap Meet, the band was
signed by Vanguard
and made their only "official" LP. At this time we recorded various
short pieces for Dr. Demento
in exchange for him writing the back liner notes on the LP. A special
version of "Pico
and Sepulveda
" was adapted and became the Dr. Demento theme
that he uses to this day!  Barry has been our most valued ally
in our quest to "set music back 1000 years".  We were
Demento's first "discovery", even before Weird Al. The band
was invited to Expo '74
in Spokane, WA, for an impressive 7 week gig as the headline
attraction. In 1975, just at the departure of Sgt. Charts from the
band, Roto taped a Tv show for Orange Coast College's KDOC Public TV.
Clips can be viewed NOW at YouTube (see link on this page). By early
1976 we became simply "ROTO" (the "wonder band") and went on the road
throughout the North West. By spring, 1977, Mabuse left the group, and
the focus turned primarily to original songs written by Walle and
Baxter. ROTO appeared (and lost) on The GONG SHOW. 1977. A 2nd LP was
proposed and the band recorded 20 new selections that continued in the
trend of the first record. These "demos" are the basis for the 1997
self-produced CD "RETRO
ROOTER: 1972-1976
".. The CD is available if you are
daring.  BUY
IT NOW ON GEMM.COM.  Click here
.
 Contact me for details. Nowadays all the members
have gone on to
greater "glory" - educator, corporate VP, insurance sales, independent
music production, entrepreneur, retired Tv sound engineer, and
dilatant. On occasion 5 of the original members get together to jam
be-bop.