Hammer of Steel

The History of Hammerstael!

2011-12-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Hammerstael was born of an unusual and fortuitous set of circumstances. Don and Jon met during a bus ride on a high school field trip. Both shared similar tastes in rock'n'roll; both were also outsiders to the social scene in their school, because of their "new kid" status. Jon moved there from Massachusetts, while Don moved there from Michigan.

Both were admirers of and influenced by the British music scene in the mid-1970s. While the rest of their high school was turning toward the new and widening disco trend, Don and Jon had been listening to T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Slade, and other British rockers. Both were interested in glitter and stage theatrics. Both were fans of Alice Cooper and early Kiss.

Don had already been jamming on weekends with John Rice at his house. After the school trip, he invited Jon to come over to one of these sessions and see what they were doing. All three musicians immediately clicked, and plans were formulating about starting a full fledged band.

Jon had been a bass player on and off since his junior high years, but wanted to stick to guitar for the next band he was in. (He also had an added incentive to NOT play bass -- his parents had just bought him a Gibson Les Paul!) From talking to Eric Mann in school, Jon learned that he was a bass player (even though he was a self-professed beginner). Jon invited him to the next rehearsal. Eric practiced with the band for the next few weeks while a song list was being developed. Having a bass player also helped because keyboards were needed with the addition of Deep Purple tunes. Jon owned a portable organ, and keyboards were added to the band's sound.

While the band was working to gel as a group, John announced during one practice that he had arranged for a gig as the opening act for Papa du Run da Run, a surf band he was once a roadie for. The gig was two weeks away, so the band had to get busy and polish material.

This first gig was in San Rafael, a city north of San Francisco. This concert was a triumph for the band, as well as its baptism by fire onto the stage. This concert also showcased what was to become the band's hallmark -- long songs. In a thirty minute set, only 3 songs were played. The last song lasted 15 minutes by itself.

After playing a dance at Andrew Hill High School (Jon and Don's alma mater) Eric made the decision to quit the band. This time Jon accepted his role as bassist, and the band returned to a being trio. For the next approximately year and a half the band performed as a trio.

Two noteworthy concerts stand out for the band: the first dance concert at the Mormon Church in San Jose (where the concert photos were taken, and where the live tape was recorded), and the Benefit Concert at Saint Francis Cabrini. (The poster below documents this concert. As usual, the band's name was mis-spelled; also the band was second on the bill, not the opening act.)

In the two years of the band's existence, strong friendships were made as well as some extremely loud and fast music. After high school all three friends went their separate ways. If they were able to remain together, who knows what influence they would have been able to have on the music world. The memory of Hammerstael remains a bright spot in the history of independent music and in the lives of three young musicians from San Jose, California.

Who Is Hammerstael?

2011-12-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hammerstael was a San Jose, California rock band that existed from 1975 to 1976. Hammerstael was a band that was, and should have been; a band that was decades ahead of time, but a product of its own age. The name of the band gave an idea of what you were in for: a sonic "hammer of steel" that pummeled you with raw, pure energy. Hammerstael produced many firsts for local bands in the San Jose area: the first "glitter" band, the first with a light show, the first with dry-ice smoke, and the first with pyrotechnics.

While there were several changes in the lineup, the core of the band was Don Dileo (guitar, bass and vocals), Jon Dewey (bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals) and John Rice (drums, vocals). In the original line up, Don and Jon played dual guitars, with Eric Mann on bass. Eric left the band early, which left just three. The three piece band was augmented at different times by Robert Watson on vocals, and Mark Bramble on bass. But primarily the band was Don, Jon and John. For a short period in 1976 Denny Gordon was added as lead vocalist.

Jon in 1974

Jon in Hawaii in the 1990's

Don in 1974

Don in California in the 1990's

Man. have I been slacking off!

2011-12-12T20:56:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe that it has been over two years since I last posted. I have been seriously slacking! ::laffs:: For those who haven't been around since the beginning of this blog, this is about me, the band Hammerstael I played bass guitar with during the 70s, and my various and sundry musings on music and social trends.

Since I last was posting, Geocities shut down, so I (almost) lost the Hammerstael web page. So what I will attempt to do in the future is put as much of the content from the old web page here in individual posts. I also have some new and exciting things, like Hammerstael videos I was putting together. The music is from our "Live in San Jose" pseudo-CD.

My New Year's resolution for 2012 then is to keep this up! I hope you will follow!

Two sad passings

2009-06-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today Michael Jackson died. When I first was told of it, I thought it might be another internet hoax, because that happened once before. But when I saw it reported on reputable news organizations, well, it was true. Regardless what you think about Michael, whether you liked his music or not, the man set industry records (no pun intended) and changed the way everyone looks at pop entertainment. From record sales to MTV, Michael influenced everything.

Also passing away today was Farrah Fawcett. She too, in her own way, influenced pop culture. Whether through Charlie's Angels and that infamous poster, that fabulous hair style and smile, to her serious roles like in The Burning Bed, Farrah made a difference.

Both will be missed.

Greetings from my new home!

2009-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would do a quick update. I've had a very busy last few years, and haven't taken the time to do updates like a proper blogger should!

A divorce and two states later, I am no longer living in Oklahoma, but now I am in Maryland. My mother (who is in her 80s) did not want to find herself ending up in a nursing home, and asked if I would move here so family would be nearby. Since I was theoretically homeless at that point, I figured, "why not?" So here I am.

Driving here was awesome. I rarely use that term, but this describes it. Driving through the mountains of West Virginia and Maryland is truly breathtaking. I had almost forgotten how beautiful it is here, after living in relatively flat Oklahoma. I hate to admit it, but John Denver was close to right....this area might just be almost heaven!

Censored by CNN!

2007-07-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

I've been censored by CNN! (Well, more precisely, CNN.com.)

On July 6th I commented on a story about the White House's comeback to Bill Clinton's comments about Bush commuting Libby's sentence. The story is here:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/05/clinton.libby/index.html

On the bottom of the page, it said "Sound Off: Your opinions and comments." So I made some (gave my opinion and comments, that is). Come the next day, and it wasn't posted. Hmmm. Yet other commenters were posted within an hour and a half, according to their own timers.

Not that I really care if I am published online by CNN or not. I actually think its rather funny that I wasn't. But its also kind of pathetic, because it gives the appearance that CNN is NOT objective, and IS biased in their support of the Clintons. (My comments were not supportive of Bill.)

Two lessons to be learned here:

1. Both Bush and Clinton are wrong in the way they handled pardons. Clinton DID pardon convicted individuals. This is fact. Clinton pardoned more in ONE DAY than Bush did his entire term as president to date. Bush commuted Libby's sentence, yes. But he did not pardon him completely. (On this point, I castigate George. He should have showed some testicular fortitude and completely pardoned Libby. Libby fell on his sword for the administration, and all he got was this weak response. Bush should have immediately stood up and said, "Enough of this partisan political persecution. I pardon Libby 100%. Democratic Congress, drop this matter." Unfortunately, he is not that brave.)

2. If you are a public figure, consider carefully what you say in public. The past always comes back to haunt you. I don't know if Bill Clinton is being dishonest, or is just telling the Democrats what they want to hear. But the results are the same. Like that one guy said, two wrongs don't make a right. Unfortunately, its Bill who made the two wrongs: he pardoned convicted criminals, then he complained when Bush did something similar. He should have kept his mouth shut on the whole affair. I think it was hypocritical of him to say anything. I also think he is a political showboat, telling whoever he is talking to whatever they want to hear. Showboating always works against you, especially in this era of rapid communication. But that is another subject!

And just for the record, I am neither a Democrat or a Republican. I am independent (actually Constitution Party). So I think both of them are wrong. Although its a different subject, its time America go rid of the hegemony of these two worthless parties, and put someone in who is not owned by special interests and who can get something accomplished. But I know how people are, so I am not holding my breath.

Let's Get Stupid, Baby, One More Time (More on the MySpace controversy)

2006-06-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. Two more cases of irresponsible female teens that are blaming their circumstances on MySpace. And the parents and adults are pointing fingers.

Ok, here's the deal. Its time we do two things:

1. Blame the girls for their own behavior. It is not MySpace's fault that they have no sense. I find it interesting that if a 14 or 16 year old shoots and kills someone they get prosecuted as an adult. But when a 14 or 16 year old seeks a romantic liaison with someone older, somehow they are "innocent and naive" and not responsible for their own actions. That is ridiculous. In most cultures, over the age of 12 is the age of personal accountability. Let's hold them accountable for their actions. Let's admit, once and for all, that teenage girls ARE NOT these innocent things that are being exploited by these nasty men. Our world is an ugly place, and adults hiding their heads in the sand do not help the situation. Its time for adults to accept the reality about today's teens.

2. Let's admit, once and for all, that teenagers are INCAPABLE of making responsible decisions and that they need PARENTAL SUPERVISION. These teen girls apparently are blinded to certain reality because they "fell in love." (If they didn't fall in love, and are pursuing a purely physical relationship, that is even worse, and refers to the point below.) Studies have shown that teenage brains are not physically developed enough to make logical decisions. So let's start treating them accordingly, and start supervising them so they will learn to make responsible decisions.

Once again, the crucial question is "Parents, where were you?" While the 19 year old who lied and said he was a younger teen was totally wrong, so are the parents for bringing a lawsuit. Personally, I hope they (the parents) get publicly embarrassed. The issue once again is the parents and the kids, not MySpace.

Wired Magazine had what I thought was a fairly balanced piece on this ongoing controversy. I encourage you to read it:

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/1,70254-0.html

Its the Internet, Part II

2006-04-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. A "high ranking" employee of the Department of Homeland Security was arrested for propositioning an alleged minor over the internet. Once again there is an uproar.... in the wrong direction.

Ok, lets face it...that guy is a moron. He's totally wrong. BUT...

So are:

a) The law enforcement agency that LIES to pose as a minor on the internet. That is entrapment, folks. Why do the law enforcement agencies of America think that breaking the law themselves or being deceptive in order to capture a "dangerous criminal" is ok? Are our law enforcement agencies THAT unethical?!? What ever happened to good police work?

(And just an aside: This would have never made the papers if that guy didn't work for the Department of Homeland Security. It seems to me that maybe this is really a case of one agency trying to zap another one, but I could be wrong. )

b) Where are the parents in all this??? Actually, I know the answer to this question. They are either not involved in the lives of their kids, or they trust their kids (who turn around and violate that trust).

c) Part of the fault HAS to lie with the kids themselves. I got news for everyone: no one can force anyone to take their clothes off on a web cam. If a kid takes off his/her clothes on their web cam, its their own decision. They can say no. They can close the chat box window. They can hit the computer's "off" switch. No one can force you to do anything like that from a distance, especially when you have so many "run away" options. This directly relates to my previous post. Kids are NOT innocent bystanders who are seduced by perverted adults. In many cases, they are worse than the adults, and appear to be seducers themselves. (No hard science on this, just based on my experience reading Yahoo, MSN and MySpace profiles.) Predators are out there, but the kid has to say yes first. Unless we are willing to say that kids today are SO STUPID that they do not realize that they can end a conversation or are SO STUPID that they cannot turn off their computer, then they have a responsibility in the whole situation.

I put out the real problem in my previous post. Until we tackle the problem of our sex soaked society, we will continue to see stories like this. To paraphrase the immortal words of Pogo, "We have seen the enemy, and they are us."

Let's Blame the Internet Again

2006-03-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

There is a big flurry of activity on my local TV station about the myspace.com incident and controversy. These stories usually consist of "oh, you have to keep your kids away from the nasty internet."

I get so tired of stories like this. First off, lets get real. The "internet" isnt a person, its a method of communication. "It" cannot do anything unless a living human being wants it to do something. Second, lets put blame where blame really belongs, which is with people, not computers or the internet.

You never hear an outcry about other things, but computers and the internet are easy targets. I think this is because most adults do not have a clue what is on the internet (or how to use a computer) so its easy to point at what you don't understand. Here is an analogy to think about: if a person is murdered by being beaten over the head with a hammer, do we blame the hammer? Of course not. We blame the person who used the hammer as a weapon. A hammer by itself is nothing.

We cannot blame myspace.com for the actions of people. The people are responsible for their actions and decisions. I personally am a myspace.com user. I got my account to support new and independent music. I am a member of the "Bass Guitar" group. Nothing unusual happens there.

But...and this is important...there ARE people who abuse myspace.com. I think its totally wrong for someone to put "99" as an age when they are really 14 or 15. This does happen. However, this is not the fault of myspace.com. This IS a reflection, however, on the poor moral values the young person has, both by lying about their age, and by manipulating a quirk in the system.

The real problem, as illustrated above, is not with the internet or with myspace.com. It is with the moral values of young people. Now, before you think I am going to dump on young people, I'm not. Young people can only have the values they do if ADULTS FAIL THEM. When adults only care about making money, and ignore actively raising their children, they have failed them. Or, in the case of the movie, television, music and video game industries, when adults care more about making money than being responsible for the lives of future generations, then the adults have failed the young.

The real issue here is adults who are not responsible for their actions. It has nothing to do with computers or the internet. When parents fail to instill values in their children, and the children act on the negative values from TV, movies, music or wherever, don't blame the internet. If we in our society want real solutions to our problems, the adults need to start pointing their fingers at themselves.

At Last!

2005-05-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

After wanting to find it since 1977 when I first found out it existed, I finally got a copy of Ivan Kral's homemade documentary "The Blank Generation."

This movie documents the early years of the American punk rock movement in New York City, particularly at CBGB's (although its pretty obvious it was filmed some other places too). Its fascinating to see these artists in thier early, pre-record label signing years. The songs, while familiar, sound different than their later, well-polished album versions.
Its amazing to think I was around in those early years. Not in New York City, but in Boston, where I watched the punk scene there bloom. I wish I had pictures from when I went to the Rat, which no longers exists. I wish I had the photos from when I played the Rat on February 14, 1977!

I guess I am just waxing nostalgic. Today is also my 48th birthday, and in a way its hard to believe we were ever that young, or that it was so long ago. I think I rock better now than I did then. At least I have a better idea of who I am musically. Sometimes rock and roll is too important to be left to the young, but they have to be there because of marketing. I don't know what we will do when Chuck Berry passes on.

I guess it will be up to us current old folks ::laffs::
Keep on rockin'!

Biting the hand that feeds you

2005-03-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

I recently ran into an interview with members of Slipknot. Now, I am not a fan; to the best of my knowledge I have never heard their music. But none of that is relevant to my point.

My point is that during the interview they started to say disparing things about their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. This really disturbed me, and for two reasons. One, I've been to Des Moines. Many times actually, because I had relatives who lived there. I didn't think it was that bad. But secondly, they (the band) still lived there.

Right now I live in a small town in Oklahoma. Its not New York, but its a good place. San Jose is what I actually consider my hometown, but I would never live there again. There is nothing wrong with San Jose, I just can't afford to live there.

Regardless, I would never bad mouth either where I live now, or San Jose, where I lived then. Its tacky to be famous and badmouth your hometown. Especially if you still live there.

That's what I think, anyway.

The Legacy of Hammerstael, and Current History

2004-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Hammer of Steel blog. Why a blog? The real reason I suppose is why not? ::laffs::

Hammerstael was and is a rock'n'roll band from California formed in 1974. If you want to learn more, cut and paste this very highly complicated URL into your browser...this is our history in kind of a nutshell:

http://www.geocities.com/hammerstael_30

This will also be an excuse for me to be able to sound off about such things as my take on the music scene, cultural and societal events, and whatever else I feel opinionated about. And, as someone else once said, its about the fun!