Dale "Buffin" Griffin, RIP

You know you are getting older when those you admired in your younger years passes away. David Bowie was one of those people. But one of a group of people I admired more just passed away: Dale "Buffin" Griffin, the drummer of Mott the Hoople.

Mott was a big influence to me musically in my early teen years. Besides learning that it was okay to wear glasses in a rock band (if you hid them as shades, that is!), it was from them that I learned to appreciate '50s rock music. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, all those guys - they were "oldies" and I wasn't interested. But listening to Mott I heard the influences of that music, and it encouraged me to take a second look at it. While they were part of the glitter years, Mott was really a basic rock and roll band, and their music reflected their influences from their youth.

Buffin was never one of the flashy drummers. He and Overend Watts on bass were a tight, precise rhythym section that propelled Ian Hunter and Mick Ralph's songs. I never met him, or any other member of Mott. But from what I heard, he was a great guy. He suffered from Alzheimer's for the 9 years of his life.

Thanks for the memories Buffin. You guys made a difference, at least to this 14 year old.

The Irony of Rock Music

There is this irony in rock music that makes no sense. Many bands (like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Starship, Foreigner, Green Day) struggled to "make it" (and make a living with their music). When they finally do become successful, suddenly everyone claims their "original" stuff (that no one wanted to pay money for or support) was better than their "new" music. And on top of that, since they became popular, they "sold out" and are no longer hip/edgy/(add your own adjective). Its almost as if people wanted bands to fail and starve.

What few seem to understand is that the music business is just that: a business. For a business to succeed, it must produce a product that people want to buy. This is one of the lessons I failed to learn when I played in a band. I did not get that our band was and is a corporation consisting of us in the band. We were a partnership and we employed each other. Unfortunately, I was very non-professional and did not take my commitment and part in the corporation seriously enough. The idea of a band being its own corporation, and acting accordingly, was a very hard lesson for me to learn.

When a band "makes it," they are not "selling out." They are doing what is necessary to succeed in a very difficult business. And that is what it is, too -- business. While there are some artistic elements, the music business is not about art, it is about selling a product, which happens to be music.

If you want art, take up painting. If you want to make a living with your art, you learn to produce what sells. If you like a band you want them to be successful, buy their CDs, go to their concerts, and help spread the word about them!  But if a band becomes popular and sells lots of records, don't hate the band for being successful.

Who Really Needs to Be In the Hall

We recently received word of who is the 2015 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Agree, disagree or indifferent, every year certain people/bands don't make the cut, which mystifies everyone. We all have our favorites, but I would like to mention a few that in my mind are criminally dismissed without reason.

Here's my picks for a few people who should be there:

 1. Deep Purple. The Deep Purple sound was one of the templates for future heavy metal. Black Sabbath opened to them in 1974. What does that tell you about how big they were?

2. King Crimson. They were one of the "big three" that created and popularized progressive rock. Their influence on rock music after 1969 was huge.

 3. Yes. Like King Crimson, they were also one of the "big three" who created progressive rock. Yes eclipsed King Crimson in popularity, and brought true prog-rock to the masses. Their use of keyboards/synthesizers (courtesy of Rick Wakeman) changed the game in popular music in general. Chris Squire's unorthodox technique changed how bass guitar would be played.

4. Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf put the heavy organ & guitar sound on AM radio more than once. In "Born To Be Wild" they created the ultimate rock/rebellion/freedom anthem.

5. Todd Rundgren. Producer, performer, songwriter. Todd has it all. As producer of Meatloaf, New York Dolls, Hall and Oats, Sparks and many others, he should be induced as a producer alone.

6. "Weird Al" Yankovic. Al's genius is taking someone else's already good song, and upping it up a few notches by parodying the artist AND adding social commentary. Al is still around and still performing, and as VH1 once said, is outlasting many of the artists he parodied.

7. Journey. Journey was a major player in the soundtrack to the 70s. Not simply prepackaged pop, their members were serious musicians originally from very influential 60s bands (Santana, John Mayhall's Bluesbreakers and others). Insanely popular both on record, radio and in concert, they were a force to be recon with in the 70s and 80s. I have never understood the backlash against Journey.

Do you agree with my list? I have no doubt that there should be many more to the list I missed. That is one of the cool things about rock and roll - the list goes on!

The Greatest Rock Star?

Musing on Kanye West saying he is the greatest rock star: Just who is the greatest rock star ever? My vote would go to Iggy Pop. Being the "greatest" has nothing to do with record sales or money. It has to do with influence, musical risk taking and musical growth. Iggy has done all three. Plus he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (not Kanye). Ok, granted not many know who he is, and what he does isn't everyone's cup of tea, but we have to keep in mind the criteria here. It is "rock star" not music in general. The standard is in a very limited category. People may not like his music (which is fine) but he has done much in the narrow rock genre. Iggy is to hard rock and punk what Horowitz is to classical piano. He is a true master. Kanye could learn some things from him.

The History of Hammerstael!

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?

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!

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

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.