COWSILLS PERFORM SOLD OUT BENEFIT AT CRESCENTA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
(Photo courtesy of Sue Otto, Beverly Hills, CA)
|
|
Page 2
FROM THE PRESIDENT...
Our fan club is steadily growing! At present, the new Cowsills Fan Club boasts of having members in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; the District of Columbia; Canada; and Japan! Information about our club will be included in the 1992 volume of The Fan Qub Directory, an annual worldwide publication of the National Association of Fan Clubs, and also in the new edition of The Encyclopedia of Associations.
Many thanks for all of your personal contributions to this issue of The Cowsill Connection! Please remember to send us your articles, photos, and comments as soon as possible after you see a Cowsills show in order to expedite the publication of the next issue of the newsletter.
Keep up the great fan club participation! The Cowsills deeply appreciate you, and they deserve the very best!
Sincerely,
Marsha Jordan
|
|
HOT OFF THE PRESS NEWS...
COWSILLS WIN
L A. MUSIC AWARD
THE COWSILLS were honored to receive the
award as "Best Local Unsigned Band"
at the L.A. Music Awards. The awards ceremony
was held on Wednesday 2/19/92 at the
Santa Monica Civic Center in Santa Monica, CA
and the presenter was Barbara Eden of
"Dream of Jeannie" fame.
Congratulations to Bob, Paul, John, and Susan Cowsill from the entire Fan Club!
|
|
|
Page 3
|
|
On November 12,1991, THE COWSILLS taped a "My Generation" show for TV's VH-1 Channel. The category of music for the theme of the show was music made by members of an actual family. So, it made perfect sense that THE COWSILLS would co-host this 30-minute video program along with the series regular host Peter Noone (of Herman's Hermits fame). Bob, Paul, John, and Susan sang and chatted with Peter who introduced the videos. THE COWSILLS were thrilled to meet Peter as their paths had never crossed. Starting date for THE COWSILLS' "My Generation" segment is scheduled for March!! (By the way, the VH-1 staff was in LA. for a week and was able to attend THE COWSILLS' Club Lingerie show on 11/06/91.) More details in the next issue of The Cowsill Connection — coming soon!!
|
|
|
|
|
THE DIRECT LINE
Here are THE COWSILLS' personal answers to your Direct Line questions:
|
|
Bob,
I read in one of your previous Direct Line answers that The Cowsills were interviewed by Goldmine. When will Goldmine be publishing this interview?
Jimmy Lavender
Chattanooga, TN
Susan,
In response to your last response in Direct Line, you mentioned your favorite Beatles song as "Get a Shot" I'm pretty well-versed in all Beatles releases — import, bootleg, and otherwise — and I've never heard that song. Have you run across an unknown Beatles release? Can you be more specific?
D.J. Castellon
Gatesville, TX
Susan,
Your brothers had a couple of albums before you were old enough to join in. What album and which song did you debut with?
The "Cowsills in Concert" album — was that recorded at New York's Town Hall December 28,1967? If not, where?
Myron Lastoweckyj
Brooklyn, NY
|
|
Dear Jimmy,
The writer of the Goldmine interview, Dawn Eden,
no longer works for the magazine. Although the
interview is still intact, it most likely will surface in
another publication. We'll let you know when and
where.
Bob
Dear D.J.,
"Get a Shot" was discovered by Bob at an import shop in Glendale many years ago. It was on an orange, transparent LP and it sounded like a live performance from the Germany club days.
Susan
Dear Myron,
I'm not married. The "Cowsills In Concert" album
was recorded in Cleveland, Ohio. I can't remember
specifically which song I debuted with as a singer
with the band, but I started with the "We Can Fly"
album.
Susan
|
|
If your question wasn't answered this time, don't be dismayed. Just stay tuned for the next issue of
The Cowsill Connection!
If you haven't sent us your Direct Line entry, you may use the enclosed card to do so!
|
Page 4
|
WE HEAR FROM YOU
All letters and articles used in
The Cowsill Connection are subject to editing and /or condensation.
|
|
October, 1991, is the month in which I was turning 35 years old ... I was definitely not looking forward to it, but thanks to THE COWSILLS all I have are tremendous memories of this birthday!
It all began on October 17 at Genghis Cantina. I love seeing anyone perform in this club ... the intimate atmosphere and wonderful sound always make for a fantastic experience. This wasn't actually a COWSILLS concert . . . this was the first official gig for THE PSYCHO SISTERS. It was funny when I told some friends that I was going to a concert that evening and who I was going to see. I got various reactions from "Who?" to "Sounds like a heavy metal act" to "Is this some new punk act?". Nope, this was Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson (formerly of The Bangles) alone on a stage with acoustic guitars and two of the best voices in the business. The amusing introductions and comments between songs really made this an evening to remember. . . it was very much like sitting in someone's living room hearing a couple of musicians try things out. As a COWSILLS fan, there were
|
|
definitely some memorable moments:
• Hearing Susan perform "Heather Says" (the intro for this one was fun — Vicki saying how it's taken Susan 20 years to figure the chords out for this song and Susan making sure we knew that "it's still in the same key"). .. ah, memories of "On My Side";
• Susan's comments on her guitar skills ("my brothers never taught me to play an instrument, which is pretty pathetic");
• getting a taste of Susan's songwriting abilities through two Susan Cowsill originals ... the first ("Indian Summer") was introduced as "I wrote this; you'll probably never hear it again; she made me do it," and the second ("Anyway") was introduced as "This is gonna be okay if we can make it through the emotional content, but with the guitar thing it's cool... no bar chords .. I wrote it... I was grieving, too, but I knew what I was doing... this is a song that I wrote for 'what's his name' (Bobby)." This is a very touching song about the loss of someone that you love and what you would say to them if you could see them again. (Editor's note: Bobby is Vicki's boyfriend who died in June, 1991.) Here's a sample of the chorus: When you turn the wheel of life, you'll never
|
|
know when someone will travel through and kiss your soul. If you've ever been that lucky, then you'll know . . . that it's okay. It's the reason we're here anyway;
• and another performance of "Never, Never Boys," which was written by Vicki and Bob CowsilL
What great harmonies, tremendous writing abilities, and wonderful fun ... a great night!
Next, came a benefit concert on October 26 at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, CA. This was definitely a unique experience, a rare event since it wasn't in a club late at night . . there were a lot of kids in the audience, and it was fun to watch their reactions to THE COWSILLS. . . it was very amusing to hear the teenage girls behind me screaming for the Cowsill guys and arguing over who was "cuter". The stage was decorated for Halloween (based on a design by Paul) and provided an entertaining backdrop for the wonderful music. What a terrific show this was — two
(continued)
|
Page 5
|
_______ included the current material, cover material, and five of the original hits. Picture this ... the stage darkened, an intro occurred, and the harmonies began with three current originals: "You've Got a Way (To Make Me Smile)," "Cross That Line," and "You Got No Time." Then, the first cover of the night was played, "You Were on My Mind"... this was accompanied by the "smoke" that you see at all concerts. At the end of the song, Bob asked how many people wanted to stop the show and get out because the stage was on fire. Following this, it was right back to original material, "Under the Gun" and "Maybe It's You." Next came another cover tune... this time it was "Pretty Woman" with John singing lead and Susan providing the harmonies. Then, back to current originals for "What I Believe." The finale of the first set was the performance of five "old" COWSILLS tunes: "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" (the intro to this was great.. . a sampling of thunder and rain set this one up... it sounded like the original), "We Can Fly," "Poor Baby," "Indian Lake" (which was dedicated to Ryan, Bob's son), and "Hair".
After intermission, THE COWSILLS
came back out and took the stage again. This time, there were three mikes set up at the front of the stage and only Bob on guitar for accompaniment and more cover tunes: "Be My Baby" with Susan on lead, "Who'll Stop the Rain" with Bob on lead, and "Cryin" with John on lead. (The stage emptied for this one, and John stood alone in the
|
|
middle of the stage singing.) At the end, Bob commented on how he "was back there telling Susan he has better hair than she does." Everyone went back to their instruments again for two more cover tunes, "Day Tripper" and "Nowhere Man." (In the middle of these two, there was a comment made that "statistically some of the kids mere must have been saying, 'Gee, I didn't know that was theirs.' " ) Then, the show finished out with five more current originals: "What About Love," "She Wants Everything," "I Be Low," "Shine," and "Rescue." The encore was a great rendition of "Some Good Years," which ended the evening on a reflective (and quieter) note. At the end of the night, it was hard to believe that THE COWSILLS had performed 25 songs ... it seemed to go by so fast!
The finale was on November 6 in Hollywood at club Lingerie. As I reflect on that night, I realize that nothing new was added to the show (even though I'd heard rumors of a few new tunes), but the material was every bit as fresh and enjoyable as the first time I heard it The crowd (which was pretty close to capacity again) really enjoyed the show, particularly one man standing in front of me who danced for the entire time! From the moment THE COWSILLS took the stage until the final note was complete, I was just swept into the whole experience: Bob sounding terrific . . . whether playing the guitar, singing lead, or adding to the harmonies; Susan . . . just wonderful . . . strumming along, adding
|
|
to the percussion, and always vocalizing, helping to create that special Cowsill sound; Paul... always fun.. . rocking out on the keyboards and adding to the vocal mix; John . . . what's a band without a drummer... and he's terrific, both as a drummer and a vocalist; and Robby... keeping that bass line going! It seemed like it was over almost before it began... it was a terrific show and a wonderful memory.
So, as I look back, I guess maybe 35 isn't going to be so bad after all... if the way it began is any indication. Thanks for the music and the memories!
by
Vicky Mulvaney
Santa Ana, CA
|
Page 6
|
COWSILL QUICKIES
The 9/06/91 issue of BAM Magazine contains an on stage photo of performers Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson a.k.a. the Psycho Sisters... THE COWSILLS are described as "ever-brilliant" in Hits Magazine's 09/16/91 review of The Smithereens' "Blow Up" album on which Paul, John, and Susan sang backing vocals for "Now and Then" . . . THE COWSILLS' arrangement of "Hair" was mentioned as a "cool song" in the "When I Was Short" comic strip in 9/28/91's LA. Life... THE COWSILLS were included in a story entitled "150 Years of Arts and Entertainment" in the Sunday magazine section of the 10/06/91 Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio newspaper)... Paul Cowsill was interviewed by Robert Young of Tempo Magazine for its 10/10/91 issue... The West Coast's Music Connection trade publication gave RAVE reviews to THE COWSILLS' 8/29/91 Club Lingerie show in its 10/28/91-11/10/91 edition. The band was rated on its material, musicianship, and performance and scored an exceptional #8 overall rating... The November 11 Veterans Benefit which LA radio station KLSX was to have sponsored (with a line-up of bands including THE COWSILLS) did not materialize... For his birthday this year, Susan gave Paul love beads that she bought for him at Venice Beach... Did you know that Bob, Paul, John, and Susan all enjoy golfing?!
COWSILLS CONCERTS
12/12/91 China Club Hollywood, CA
12/17/91 The Roxy Hollywood, CA
(Pediatric Aids Benefit Show — opening for The Smithereens)
|
|
