Special Edition Bicentennial Music Review, by Danny (DJ) Reilert
Frumunda
‘Neath the Elms and the Coming Wave of Music – Danny (DJ) Reilert
Facing the Music as College Played On
As an early teen, I planned to be a meteorologist and attend the Air Force Academy. Then the goal became playing hockey for a New York State school. But then the Beatles appeared, and a successful high school band led to recordings, touring offers, and a gathering of the group’s parents for a “you’re going to college” intervention. Music was like an addiction – rarely fulfilling, but always lurking, a siren promising fun times and easy money. Arriving in Hartford with an attitude was not a prudent way to begin a new chapter in life.
So, there I was, a few weeks into Freshman year, making my commute from Jarvis to class, Mather, and the Chapel (where I went to figure things out). Six required courses, scary upperclassmen, hallmates on the hockey team I hoped to be part of…a landlubber on a boat with no oars.
Somehow, Junior Peter Alsop ‘68 (now a nationally esteemed singer-songwriter) asked about my joining his frat band The Scourge on guitar, and I suddenly had an anchor. Working with three motivated, older Trinity mentors, puzzle pieces began to shape a picture, especially during a drive to New York’s Garment District with drummer Keith Allaire ‘69 to buy matching, fitted “soul suits”. I focused, passed the required courses, and watched roomfuls of 20-year-olds act foolish to pounding hits virtually every weekend. Passing the Tripod office daily, I wondered if I might be a fit.
Sophomore September: after three years (at 19 a seeming lifetime) of playing radio hits, I quit bands, instead joining the Chapel concert chorus and the Tripod. Having written for my hometown paper throughout high school, reporting on “real” music seemed a natural step up. Within weeks of arriving, I had earned free tickets and an expletive-filled visit with The Doors at the Oakdale Music Theater. The Tripod press pass had magic power, and I began to spend weekends attending concerts rather than playing soul, blues or FM Rock hits. This was good!
The Christmas holiday brought me back to New York, and the Tripod pass gained entrée into some dozen record company free LP mailing lists, early writing with Crawdaddy (Rolling Stone Magazine’s rival rock paper), and a Fillmore East (NYC rock venue) pass. A flow of new albums provided material for a regular column, “Frumunda”, New York-ese, joking that the best flavor comes when you dig deep, “from under the armpits”. The New Year brought weekend waitstaff work at Sugarbush in Vermont, where friendships were forged with two members of local house band Twice Nicely, who later became LA music figures. And the Chapel choir did a Southern tour from Baltimore to Tampa Bay, introducing me to an artist named Aretha Franklin.
Junior year brought more LPs, concerts, friendships with national artists, and an invitation to audition for a newly formed SoCal group. Having no car, I hitchhiked to Denver, then through the Southwest, kidnapped on I-40 by two brothers robbing liquor stores in Arizona, escaped, reached Laurel Canyon, and missed Steve Stills by a day. I began a regular show on WRTC, bringing from my Tripod column many new artists who had been on those mailing-list LPs…and especially loved filling in for other announcers as needed – best of all the soul music shows.
The Hartford Times asked me to write features, which afforded an even more powerful press pass for big events, expenses paid. Some concerts were notable – visiting with Fillmore boss Bill Graham when an MC5-inspired riot broke out, a three-day December festival at the Hollywood FL racetrack, followed by Newport and Woodstock. A San Francisco friend talked up a folksinger who was making waves in Boston and the Bay Area, so one day I went to The Hub, met, and absorbed acoustic guitar technique from an aspiring James Taylor. When June came, a group of us stayed on South Campus, giving me time to record an album of songwriting demos at WRTC in June 69, followed by a Nashville song pitching trip.
Finally, Senior year came with more writing and radio, and I joined a rock & roll mass project led by Chaplin Tull. Several participants were in Gasoline, the campus progressive rock band, who had been hired to open for BB King at the Ferris Center. They asked me to lend my “pro experience” in shaping a concert-worthy format. So ended my two-plus-year retirement and I immersed myself in Gasoline, Jim Petersen’s ‘70 ‘Nappa Sonoma Jug Band’, and the Trinity entry in the Northeastern Collegiate Folksingers’ Contest at Hamilton College. Finished up the year with The Sit-In, WRTC, work at Cinestudio and Earth Day, and an impending musical journey to Grateful Dead country for a Lost Summer.
Suddenly, summer and school were over. I joined the real world, moving on to write and schedule for Emilio Daddario’s gubernatorial campaign.
Life had seemed slow-paced and uneventful during our four college years, but looking back, I feel blessed to have had so many experiences, met so many interesting and wonderful folks, and survived to savor the memories.
These Tripod articles are signs that were erected along the way…
>>>>>>>>> Click below to open videos (3 part) >>>>>>>>
[Note (Ed.): Files may not open on mobile devices or tablets. The complete video file opens on PC and Mac laptops. Watch in full screen. A pdf without music is available to read slides.]
