Coffee Gallery Backstage

Some of Bob's good friends.

Our mentor, Bob Stane, turned us on to this band. We Five was an influential 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Formed in 1964, they are widely recognized as the first "San Francisco sound" group to score a Top 40 hit, effectively bridging the gap between traditional acoustic folk music and plugged-in electric rock.

The band grew out of an acoustic folk group called the Ridgerunners. Their core sound relied heavily on complex multi-part vocal harmonies and a blend of acoustic, 12-string, and electric guitars.

Michael Stewart, the brother of The Kingston Trio’s John Stewart, led the band on guitar and banjo. Beverly Bivens (vocals), Jerry Burgan (guitar), Pete Fullerton (bass), and Bob Jones (electric guitar) rounded out the band.

The band's sound stood midway between the acoustic styling of the New Christy Minstrels and the electric folk-rock of The Byrds. The band achieved major commercial success with their debut album. We Five remains most famous as a quintessential milestone of the mid-60s American folk-rock revival.

Many of these older folk players were still performing at Bob Stane’s Coffee Gallery Backstage when we began playing there, including Jerry Burgan and Tholow Chan of the New Christy Minstrels, who performed together.

Was anyone a regular? Who did you see?

The Insomniac was a legendary, bohemian coffeehouse in Hermosa Beach, California, that operated from 1958 to 1965. ☕ It served as a major cultural hub during the Beatnik era, known for its eclectic folk, blues and world music performances, poetry readings, no alcohol, and a 24-hour weekend schedule.

Folk and acoustic musicians who performed or frequented the venue include Linda Ronstadt, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Chambers Brothers, Van D**e Parks, We Five, and The Fabulous Wayfarers. Ronstadt reportedly worked at the café as a waitress.

The coffeehouse was famous for its loose, free-thinking atmosphere where prominent Beat poets congregated to read their work. Allen Ginsberg famously performed his groundbreaking and controversial poem "Howl" at the venue.

Beyond poets, the venue served as a launching pad for legendary comedians before they reached mainstream fame, including Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl.

Owner Bob Hare specifically designed the venue to serve coffee and desserts late into the night - staying open until 3:00 a.m. - allowing patrons from nearby bars to sober up or continue socializing. Hare famously brewed the coffee using a large 300-pound dry-cleaning boiler.

The coffeehouse's radical, anti-establishment vibe frequently drew the scrutiny of local authorities. Following a series of small police encounters, a massive police raid in November 1965 effectively shut the venue down for good.

A wonderful interview with Harriet Schock, an artist close to Bob Stane's heart. The songwriter behind “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady” talks Helen Reddy, the truth beneath a lyric, and the lessons that still keep her learning after 40 years of teaching.

Hollywood Town Brings Harriet Schock’s Life and Music to the Big Screen | OohYeah Magazine The songwriter behind “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady” talks Helen Reddy, the truth beneath a lyric, and the lessons that still keep her learning after 40 years of teaching.

What a legendary folk music impresario taught a novice string band about the difference between playing music and putting on a show. 🎶

This is a spectacular read!
https://www.storytellersband.com/bob-stane-coffee-gallery-backstage.html

What are your favorites?

Folk music has a rich history of honoring workers, labor movements, and the fight for labor rights. Traditional and contemporary folk artists have documented the struggles, tragedies, and victories of the working class. 🎶

Here’s a short list of folk songs that reveal the daily realities, systemic struggles, and quiet resilience of laborers across different eras and industries. 🛠️👷👷🏻‍♀️🦺✊🏻 Share your favorites in the comments! 🙏

Essential Union Anthems

· "Solidarity Forever" by Pete Seeger. This is widely considered the ultimate anthem of the American labor movement.
· "There Is Power in the Union" by Utah Phillips. A powerful classic detailing the strength of organized labor.
· "Which Side Are You On?" by The Almanac Singers. Written by Florence Reece in 1931 during a Harlan County miners' strike.

Songs of Work, Struggle & Tragedy

·"Joe Hill" by Paul Robeson. A haunting tribute to the executed IWW labor activist and songwriter.
·"Bread and Roses" by Judy Collins. Inspired by a discovery of textile strikes, linking the fight for fair wages to dignity.
· "1913 Massacre" by Woody Guthrie. Tells the tragic story of the Italian Hall disaster during a Michigan copper miners' strike.
· "The Rebel Girl" by Hazel Dickens. A tribute to labor activist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Industry & Mining Ballads

· "Black Waters" by Jean Ritchie. A powerful protest song about the devastating environmental and human impact of coal mining.
· "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. A stark look at the crushing debt and labor of a coal miner.
· "Fire in the Hole" by Hazel Dickens. A gritty portrait of the harsh realities inside working coal mines

All songs are available on YT. Enjoy! Happy Labor Day!

This is the way to do it.

He didn't plead the 5th. He told them it was none of their business! 🪕

A stunning image of Pete Seeger testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee on August 18th, 1955. Seeger, without pleading the 5th, refused to answer questions and accused the committee, itself, of being un-American. He was cited for contempt of Congress, faced prison time, but the case was eventually thrown out.

The committee was investigating the supposed communist infiltration of the entertainment industry. An informant - an unnamed New York actor - told federal investigators under oath that Seeger was a member of the Communist Party … a devastating accusation.

Seeger stated: “I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this.”

When pressed about whether he had performed for communist groups, Seeger answered:

"I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life. I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody. That is the only answer I can give along that line."

After this statement, Seeger stated that he would gladly talk about his music all day and offered to sing the committee any song he knew. The committee denied his offer and refused to let him sing.

Though Seeger avoided prison time, the fallout from his combative First Amendment defense cast a long shadow over the musician.

He was blacklisted due to his past ties to the Communist Party and his leftist political activism. Radio stations banned his music, his record label dropped him, and major television networks refused to book him for many years.

The heavy restrictions on Seeger gradually subsided by the 1960s as he re-emerged as a prominent voice in the folk-protest and civil rights movements.

Who remembers Ed? Bob said:
"Ed Pearl had the best taste in music of all of the venue owners. He, and the lighting and atmosphere of The Ash Grove, inspired me to do my best at The Ice House and at The Coffee Gallery Backstage. He was the best and chose the very finest and most genuine artists for his stage. He guided me as far back as 1958. I will miss you, Ed. You were a brave and important pioneer."

This is Ed Pearl, founder of the Ash Grove, a folk music club that opened in Los Angeles in 1958 and named after the Welsh folk song “The Ash Grove”. It was a key and vital venue in the West Coast folk music revival. Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, and many other blues, bluegrass, traditional, and folk legends performed there. 🎶

Pearl was an open-minded, progressive and visionary thinker who modeled his club in the coffee house tradition, presenting not only music, but also poetry, lectures, films and comedy. The venue became associated with the cultural and political ferment of the 1960s, with artists speaking out against the Vietnam war. A series of arson fires - after angry demonstrations and threatened violence by Cuban exiles against Pearl and the venue - closed the original Melrose venue in 1973. Ed Pearl died in 2021.

Pearl and The Ash Grove radically changed the musical and cultural landscape of Los Angeles and the West Coast music scene. Who in our community performed there? Which of you were in the audience? Please share stories! 🤠

Don't miss The Roadhouse Series' Bob Dylan birthday tribute concert this Saturday in Covina, CA at The Fret House. The show features many of the Roadhouse Regulars who performed regularly here at Coffee Gallery Backstage. Get tickets at https://frethouse.com/ 🎟️

If you miss listening room shows at Coffee Gallery Backstage, make sure to follow Full Moon Saturdays at Stonywood summer concert series in Pasadena, CA. They do one show per month on their gorgeous stage during summer. All monies go to the artists! Be sure to give them a follow and check out their next five shows:

https://www.facebook.com/fullmoonsaturdays

Terry Paul Roland's Roadhouse Series that began at Coffee Gallery Backstage has moved to The Fret House Underground in Covina CA. These are high-quality variety shows starring some of LA's finest musicians, singers and songwriters. The next Roadhouse show is May 23rd, a tribute to Bob Dylan! Give their page a follow: https://www.facebook.com/RoadhouseSeries/