I was born with a song in my head. It was called Dumpy Dumpy Donut, but when I was two I changed the words to Ninga Ninga Horsey in honor of my rocking horse. Thinking I had talent my parents bought me piano lessons. By my twelfth birthday I was finishing the third year of the Bartok system. It's not that I was a slow learner; my piano teacher didn't want to hear the little songs I picked out on her piano.
When I was eighteen I bought a guitar and took a lesson or two. A few years later I took some piano instruction. On the third or fourth lesson the instructor called me a rock n roll basher who plays the piano like a guitar player. Later on I learned to play like a piano player.
In 1981 my band The Jars had the attention of the music business. Our single Jar Wars was a theme song for the Gavin Report. It's A side Time Of The Assassins was number one on KALX in Berkeley.
Out of respect for the arts I learned how to record instruments. This led me to the world of sound reinforcement. I became a Front Of House engineer. I have mixed big bands in big rooms for big audiences since the eighties.
In 1993 I finished a solo album called Vulcan Love Songs. In shopping it I was advised to form a band. In the tradition of true solo albums I had played all the instruments and sung all the parts myself.
The band I formed to play the album was Beltain. They weren't content to just play it live, they wanted to re-record it so sessions were booked at Globe Studio in Mill Valley and the band made versions of Saint Andrews, Driftwood, and others including Kilmainham Gaol and Any Port Town. The sessions yielded a three-song demo. In the finest tradition of rock n roll the master tapes have gone missing and most remain unmixed.
After spending five years battling sound systems and rock bands I figured I had my own album to do. I decided to write, arrange, play and produce the whole thing. I'd even record it and do the pre and post production. It's no wonder it took a year and lots of other peoples money to produce.
By the time I stopped I had a score of finished masters, some of them quite long. Two complete masters of Saint Andrews were assembled. The version on the original cassette began with singers at a festival in Auchtermuchty, Scotland singing Teddy O'Niell. The preferred version begins with a collage I made in the summer of 1990. It is called Kyle Of Lochalsh, the name of a town on the west coast of Scotland. It flows into some conversation from Auchtermuchty. The rest of the album was made at the Vulcan Studio in Oakland between July 1992 and February 1993.
To the left is a picture of me at Loch Ness in 1988. That is not the monster in background, it is merely a motorboat.
Behind me is Castle Urquehart. My family stomping grounds are just a few miles to the background and off to the right. There you will find the ruins of Castle McDow.
The McDows left Scotland after the forty-five. They fought on the side of Bonny Prince Charlie so when he failed to gain the throne they high-tailed it off to the New World, but that's not what Saint Andrews is about.
The rest of the album is slash and burn with more than a nod to Led Zeppelin. The chaos in the middle of Ancient In The Modern World is the sound of Chris Kemp's Ibanez delay being overdriven to destruction. At the end of the song, as the slide guitar fades, you can hear the last dying gasps of the delay.
The original track order was Driftwood, Ancient In The Modern World, The Prickle Holly Bush, Lord Darnley / Kirk O'Field, A Song For Mathew, I May Not Get To Heaven (But I'll Get To Tennessee) & Saint Andrews.
The Jars #1
late 1978 to March 1980
JD Buhl - lead vocal ; Mik Dow - guitar & vocal ; Armin Hammer - bass & vocal ; Nervo - farfisa ; Marc Time - drums
The Jars #2
April 1980 to December 1980
as above without JD Buhl
The Jars #3
December 1980 to March 1982
as Jars #1 without JD Buhl and with Michael Montalto - guitar, piano & vocal
Lizard Music #1
June to September 1983
Mik Dow - guitar, synthesizer & vocal ; Owen Maercks - guitar & vocal ; Analisa Zumola - sax, flute, ocarina and vocal Rob Hotchkiss - bass & vocal ; Ralph Davies - drums
Lizard Music #2
October 1983 to January 1984
as above without Analisa Zumola
Nady Alliance
March 1987 to mid 1990
John Nady - lead guitar ; David Rosen - guitar, piano & vocal ; Mik Dow - keyboards, guitar & vocal ; Glenn Michael Perry - bass ; Jose Luis Rodriguez - drums ; Colin Niel McKinnis - lead vocal
Discography 1980 to 1990
The Jars #1
Time Of The Assassins / Do Ya Blame Me / Alien Eyes
Cindy's Having A Record Party / Comin' From You
cassette demo (released February 1980)
The Jars #2
Start Right Now b/w Psycho / Electric 3rd Rail
Subterranean Records Sub 4 (released August 1980)
Time Of The Assassins b/w Jar Wars
Universal Records RON 1 (released April 1981)
The Jars #3
Make Love Not War / Turn Out The Light / Boys Night Out / You And I / Jar Wars / Teenage Rebellion
cassette demo (released spring 1982)
Lizard Music
Terminal Beach / To Women / House Of Cards
cassette demo (released December 1983)
Mik Dow
Walk Away / Glow Boys / Circle Of Light (Tesla Mix) / The Man Who Had No Idea
cassette demo (released July 1986)
Nady Alliance
Chasing Down The Flame / With All Of My Heart / I Want To Be Loved / Some Dreams / All I Need / Won't Find Anyone cassette demo (released summer 1990)
The Beauty Killers |
The Beauty Killers met at Rather Ripped Records in Berkeley. Their first performance was in a warehouse in San Francisco. The band had just one rehearsal and wrote all the songs the day before the show. Aside from the Jars Parties the Beauty Killers remained a garage band. Note: Irene named The Jars. |
Irene Dogmatic - lead vocal ; Marc Time - clarinet ; Mik Dow - guitar & vocal ; Armin Hammer - guitar ; Matt Markham - bass ; Jim - drums
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The Dashikis |
The Dashikis rehearsed in my living room for a couple of months. Chojo and Price joined Hearts On Fire. My next project was Lizard Music. |
| Chojo Jacques - violin, mandolin & vocal ; Price - mandolin, bagpipes and vocal ; Steve Walstead - electronics & vocal ; Mik Dow - guitar vocal ; Steve Winkle - bass ; Sheldon White - drums |
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The Man Who Had No Idea |
This was a collection of demos I made in 1986. A cassette was issued and passed around. It included Walk Away, Glow Boys, Circle Of Light & The Man Who Had No Idea. |
Mik Dow - guitar, keyboards & vocal.
Geoffrey Herriman - background vocal on Circle Of Light
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Bob Cock & The Allstars |
I was lucky to sit in on keyboards when Les Claypool and Co. rocked the Vulcan on May 20, 1989. The performance was recorded by Lorin Miller. Morgan calls it the Blackmail Tape. |
Mike Patton - vocal ; Les Claypool - drums ; Larry Lalonde - guitar ; Bill Martin - guitar ; Mik Dow - keyboards ; Pillage Sunday bassist
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Johnny Smoke & Rumor Hazit |
There were many permutations of this band. I was in the last one. As Rumor Hazit was falling apart I switched from keys to bass. When John left for Maryland I took the rehearsal space. |
John Wilhelm - guitar, sax & vocal ; Mik Dow - keyboards & vocal
drums & bass unknown (it was a long time ago)
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