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Head East news, tour dates, lyrics, band member quotes, fan mail, and much more!
Sign up for the Head East mailing list to receive periodic updates of Head East news. Simply send a blank email to Issue 8, 26 June 2002 IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Band News 1) Band News * NMC Records of London England has decided to postpone release of Flying By Night. This release would have been a re-issue of Concert Classics Vol VII, and would have been available as an import under the new name Flying By Night. Though NMC has indicated that the release would have included updated liner notes and cover art, they gave no indication that any improvements had been made to the sound quality of the recordings. According to NMC Director Carlton Sandercock, even though Flying By Night is listed for sale as an import on several online music sites, this release never went into production. The title was pulled due to concerns about the licensing, and the fact that the U.S. version issued by Renaissance Records (Concert Classics Vol. VII) was still available. Sandercock further stated that any plans to release Flying By Night in the near future are on hold. * Head East keyboardist and leader Roger Boyd will be featured in an upcoming segment of the series "St. Louis: One Person at a Time.", which is a special feature of the morining news on KMOV-TV Channel 4 in St. Louis. The series highlights the careers of prominent citizens throughout the St. Louis area. Film shot for Roger's segment includes scenes of him riding around the St. Louis University campus in a convertible discussing his schizophrenic/dual existence as a rock legend and college professor. Or what Roger jokingly calls his Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde life. Roger is also filmed in a classroom environment, and is shown at a burger joint where he is displaying some of his old stage costumes that he pulls from the trunk of the convertible. Though the filming process took about one and a half hours, it will be condensed to a 2 or 3 minute segment which is scheduled to air on KMOV TV at approx. 7:10 am (Central Time) on Monday, 1 July. Updated as of 2 July 2002: ( the above airing of the segment on Roger Boyd has been rescheduled for Monday, 8 July at the same time.) * New T-shirts, posters, and stickers are now available at Head East shows and will be available soon through this website. The new Head East merchandise page should be up and running at www.head-east.com/merchandise.html by 8 July 2002. Images of the new merchandise items are shown below. T-shirts which come in white, ash, and black, have a large logo on the back (about 10 x 12 inches), and a small logo on the front (about 3 x 3 inches). Updated as of 1 Jan 2006: (Effective 1 January 2006, the Official Head East Merchandise items shown below will no longer be sold through the Website. Merchandise will continue to be available at live performances.)
2) Tour Dates - updated concert schedule (as of 26 June, 2002)
Additional concerts are in the works for 2002. Check the tour dates page frequently for updates to the tour schedule. * Any dates marked with an asterisk are tentative. All concerts may be subject to change. Please check with each venue before heading to the concert. 3) Ask The Band - The questions below were recently received from Head East fans. A special thanks goes out to keyboardist Roger Boyd for providing us with the answers. Q1. What band was Mike Somerville playing in prior to joining Head East? Was it a band called Sunday? Roger Boyd answers: "Mike came from a band called Ricky Spitfire. He never played in Sunday. The folks in Sunday were good friends of ours and had a hit record in 1981 called "How 'Bout Us" under the name Champaign." Q2. Head East did a tune at a dance marathon where they sing about "King Bee". I actually have it on tape from a early 70's recording made from a WPGU broadcast. Was that original or by someone else? Roger Boyd answers: "King Bee" was written by Greg "Guitar" Williams who played in Head East at the time. I think Greg may still be performing occasionally in the Peoria, IL area. 4) Head East Landmarks/Real Estate Though St. Louis is commonly referred to as Head East's hometown, years before they relocated to St. Louis the band's base of operations was in the twin cities of Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. They shared the Champaign/Urbana music scene with other popular acts of the day like REO Speedwagon, Dan Fogelberg, Starcastle, and many more. From late 1969 until late 1974 or early 1975, several of the Head East band members and crew made their home at two adjacent properties located at 110 and 112 Ennis Lane in Urbana. Most of Head East's original band members grew up in south central Illinois, and their experiences there were reflected in some of their songs. One such song is Jefftown Creek which is located in Jefferson County Illinois near the small rural community of Cravat, Illinois (just northwest of Mount Vernon). Cravat is just a short distance from Centralia, Illinois, hometown of original member Steve Huston who penned the song Jefftown Creek, which was included on the band's first album. As the story goes, Jefftown Creek was sort of a party place. A place where people went to do things "for the first Time" as Roger Boyd relates during his dialog in the current concert version of Jefftown Creek. Upon signing with A&M records in 1974 the band members decided that they should relocate to a bigger city like Chicago or St. Louis. They soon found two houses on Kehr's Mill Road in Ballwin, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis on the southwest side) and made the move from Illinois to Missouri. From this point on St. Louis would be known as the band's hometown. Besides the houses on the southwest side, the band's sound and light crew (Armadillo Sound & Naked Zoo Lighting) lived in a brick home on Chambers Road on the north side near Florissant, Missouri. This house was referred to by some as the Blue Zoo, and was the location where the band parked the semi truck pictured on the 1979 Head East Live album. The St. Louis area is also the home of another famous Head East landmark. The Rite-way Diner located at 9638 Olive Blvd, Olivette, Missouri (a small suburb on the west side) is the site of the photo on the back of the Flat As A Pancake album. The diner has changed names and ownership a few times over the years but is still in operation today and is called the Olivette Diner. The Diner which is now decorated in a nostagic 50's and 60's style, is still famous for its breakfast, which is only fitting for the site where nearly 3 decades ago Roger Boyd, Steve Huston, John Schlitt, Dan Birney, and Mike Somerville sat before heaping plates of pancakes. 5) Lyrics - The words to 'Take My Hand' © East Songs (ASCAP) Take My Hand, from the Head East album Onward and Upward, was based on a keyboard part originally intended for the song If You Knew Me Better from A Different Kind of Crazy. Both songs may soon be added to the Head East set list and may be segued together.
Take My Hand
When you're feelin' kinda low
And all those miles keep falling behind
Take my hand
Well you're walking down that lonesome road
And all your friends keep saying you're wrong
Take my hand
Take my hand
Oh, when you call on me
Well these miles keep falling behind
Take my hand
Take my hand
Yeah, yeah
Take my hand * Lyrics printed above are as sung on the studio recording from the Head East album Onward and Upward. These lyrics differ slightly from those printed on the lyric insert included with Onward and Upward and with those sung live on Concert Classics Vol. VII. 6) Head East Equipment List - In response to numerous request, we have assembled a list of musical instruments and equipment used by each member of Head East.
Richie Callison - 1977 Les Paul Standard guitar , 1978 Yamaha SBG 500 guitar, 1973 Marshall 50 watt amp head with 4x12 Marshall cabinet. Richie uses Dean Markley lite top - heavy bottom strings.
Rich Creadore - (Road Gear)1966
Fender Bass, Ampeg SVT amp. (Studio Gear) 1988 Alembic 5 string bass. Other
guitars in his collection (some used in the studio) - 1969 Fender Precision
Fretless Bass, 1970 Fender Precision Bass,
Mike Somerville - Fender Stratocaster guitar - Jimmie Vaughan Model, Washburn BT6 guitar, Martin 6-string acoustic guitar model DC-15E, Marshall AVT50 Amp, (special effects) - Boss Chorus, Danelectro Echo Unit, Carl Martin Compressor. Mike uses D'Addario strings. Mike Mesey - Ludwig, Tama, and Pearl drums, DW 4000 and 5000 double bass pedals, Tama drum hardware, and Zildjian and Paiste Cymbals. Mike uses any brand of 2B or Rock drum sticks. He says the brand doesn't matter because he breaks them all. 7) Head East and the History of Iowa Rock n' Roll. Things really heated up at a recent Head East concert at Arnolds Park, Iowa on 22 June. Sparks and flames started shooting out of the PA system on Rich Creadore's and Mike Somerville's side of the stage as the band was playing City of Gold/Fly By Night Lady. The unintended pyrotechnics brought immense pleasure to the crowd and panic to the sound crew. Things were soon under control and the driving rhythms of Head East would heat things up without any further pyrotechnics. Arnolds Park Amusement Park is one of the oldest and best known amusements parks in the upper midwest. And it is one of Head East's favorite places to perform due to its beautiful scenery, friendly people, and its rich history. The band has played there several years in a row and last year set the attendance record for an outdoor concert at the park. They also held the attendance record at the old Roof Garden, which was the dance hall located at the park. The Roof Garden had been previously destroyed in a tornado back in 1968 but was rebuilt. When the park closed its doors at the end of the 1987 season, much of the park was torn down and the Roof Garden was burned to the ground by local firefighters who used the blaze as a training session. The park was rebuilt and opened for business once again in 1989. The park has remained open ever since and regularly features national recordings acts. Arnolds Park is only about 100 miles from Clear Lake, Iowa which is another city that has great historical significance. Head East held their first instore record signing in 1975 at a K-Mart in Clear Lake. It is also the home of the famous Surf Ballroom where many musical legends have performed over the years including Head East who packed the house on several ocassions. There is a long standing tradition at the Surf Ballroom that the artists who play there autograph the wall backstage. And the signatures of Head East members are no exception. The Surf Ballroom is also the site of the last concert by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper who all died when their plane crashed in a blinding snow storm just minutes after departing Clear Lake on 3 February 1959. To learn more about the history of rock n' roll in Iowa visit the Surf Ballroom's official site or visit the Iowa Rock n' Roll Music Association site. 8) Mail - stories from Head East fans. A fan writes - Back in 1979, I was in college at Utah State University, in Logan Utah. Head East had a concert in town one night. I had a roommate who was a music major. And he was offered the opportunity to assist the stage crew at the concert. They asked him if he knew anyone else that could help. He asked me and I jumped at the chance to be part of the crew for a night. We worked with Head East's stage crew unloading the trucks, and helping them move things in and out. We were compensated for our efforts, but the best part was getting to meet the band and watching the concert from the side of the stage. I had a lot of fun, and it will be a memory that I will never forget. (Selected fan mail and band questions will be chosen for publication in a future newsletter and are subject to editing by the publishers of this newsletter . Click here to e-mail your comments, questions or stories to the Head East Newsletter. LINKS: (Click on the banners below) 
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Roger
Boyd -
Hammond CV Organ with Leslie Speaker Cabinet,
Roland JX-8P Analog Synthesizer, and the Mini Moog Synthesizer.
1990
Chandler Jaco Pastorius Model Fretless Jazz Bass, 1985 Fender Precision-Jazz
Bass, 1978 Gibson SG 6 string guitar, and 1 Sitar. Rich uses Rotosound strings
on his Bass Guitars.