The Loading Zone
Encyclopedia
The Loading Zone was an American
rock
band
of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They issued two albums worth of material, with differing band lineups, before disbanding in 1971.
, California
in 1966 by singer-keyboardist Paul Fauerso, following the dissolution of his jazz group The Tom Paul Trio. The original lineup was Fauerso, bassist Bob Kridle, drummer Ted Kozlowski (replaced by George Newcom), and guitarists Peter Shapiro and Steve Dowler, both formerly of Berkeley
psychedelic rock
band The Marbles, who had supported Jefferson Airplane
at the historic "Tribute to Dr. Strange", the inaugural Family Dog
promotion concert held at San Francisco's Longshoreman's Hall in October 1965.
The Loading Zone's first major concert
was the Trips Festival at the Longshoreman's Hall in January 1966.. Although primarily an R&B
band, The Loading Zone added contemporary psychedelic influences and soon became a popular attraction on the burgeoning Bay Area music scene. The Loading Zone was based at the Berkeley venue The New Orleans House, but performed numerous times at major venues including the Fillmore West
.
Although The Loading Zone occasionally headlined, the group is better known for supporting some of the biggest acts of the period including Cream
, The Who
, The Byrds
, Big Brother & the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Country Joe & The Fish, Howlin' Wolf
, Sam & Dave
, Chuck Berry
and Buddy Miles
.
In 1968 Fauerso placed an advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle
seeking a new lead vocalist, which led to the recruitment of Linda Tillery
, who joined just prior to the band's signing with RCA Records
. Despite their live popularity, the group lacked a strong base of original material; their self-titled debut album
was poorly received, and was criticised for its excessive production and its reliance on cover version
s. The Loading Zone was unable to garner support from radio, and eventually split in 1969.
In 1969, Fauerso re-formed the group with new members- guitarist Steve Busfield, bassist Mike Eggleston, and drummer George Marsh, and initially with previous horn players, Todd Anderson (tenor sax) and Patrick O'Hara (trombone). Anderson was replaced after a few months by Ron Taormina. The new Zone also recruited old friend and drummer, Frank Davis to play with the group for a while. During this brief period, the band performed with two drummers at the same time - Davis and Marsh - with some exciting results. The band recorded their second LP One for All for their own label, Umbrella, before disbanding in 1971.
Tillery released her solo debut album Sweet Linda Divine on CBS Records
in 1970. It was produced by Al Kooper
of Blood, Sweat and Tears fame. Fauerso went on to produce the unreleased Mike Love
solo album First Love and more recently, a second entitled "Only One Earth". Fauerso went on to make recordings
of new age music
and also to compose and produce award-winning commercials for radio and TV. Tillery resurfaced with the jazz fusion group Cesar 830 before embarking on a solo career.
In 2005, Fauerso reconnected with Eggleston and Marsh to record a new Loading Zone CD entitled "Blue Flame" (available through CD Baby and iTunes) The album contains five new tracks and three cuts from the second Zone album, "One For All".
George Newcom died from a heart attack
on July 1, 2010, in Red Bluff, California
. He was 63 years old. Pat O'Hara, trombonist, later worked with Buddy Miles on "Cold Blood" and others, and died in the late 70's or early 80's of an overdose.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They issued two albums worth of material, with differing band lineups, before disbanding in 1971.
Career
They were formed in OaklandOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1966 by singer-keyboardist Paul Fauerso, following the dissolution of his jazz group The Tom Paul Trio. The original lineup was Fauerso, bassist Bob Kridle, drummer Ted Kozlowski (replaced by George Newcom), and guitarists Peter Shapiro and Steve Dowler, both formerly of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band The Marbles, who had supported Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
at the historic "Tribute to Dr. Strange", the inaugural Family Dog
Family Dog
Family Dog is an American animated television series that only aired 10 episodes for one year on CBS, due to negative reviews. The plot of the story was about an average suburban family, the Binsfords, as told through the eyes of their dog, It first appeared as an episode of the TV show Amazing...
promotion concert held at San Francisco's Longshoreman's Hall in October 1965.
The Loading Zone's first major concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
was the Trips Festival at the Longshoreman's Hall in January 1966.. Although primarily an R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
band, The Loading Zone added contemporary psychedelic influences and soon became a popular attraction on the burgeoning Bay Area music scene. The Loading Zone was based at the Berkeley venue The New Orleans House, but performed numerous times at major venues including the Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
.
Although The Loading Zone occasionally headlined, the group is better known for supporting some of the biggest acts of the period including Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Big Brother & the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Country Joe & The Fish, Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
, Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
and Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
.
In 1968 Fauerso placed an advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
seeking a new lead vocalist, which led to the recruitment of Linda Tillery
Linda Tillery
Linda Tillery is an American singer and percussionist from San Francisco.-History:Tillery first came to prominence as the lead singer in San Francisco group The Loading Zone in 1968-69...
, who joined just prior to the band's signing with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. Despite their live popularity, the group lacked a strong base of original material; their self-titled debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was poorly received, and was criticised for its excessive production and its reliance on cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s. The Loading Zone was unable to garner support from radio, and eventually split in 1969.
In 1969, Fauerso re-formed the group with new members- guitarist Steve Busfield, bassist Mike Eggleston, and drummer George Marsh, and initially with previous horn players, Todd Anderson (tenor sax) and Patrick O'Hara (trombone). Anderson was replaced after a few months by Ron Taormina. The new Zone also recruited old friend and drummer, Frank Davis to play with the group for a while. During this brief period, the band performed with two drummers at the same time - Davis and Marsh - with some exciting results. The band recorded their second LP One for All for their own label, Umbrella, before disbanding in 1971.
Tillery released her solo debut album Sweet Linda Divine on CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1970. It was produced by Al Kooper
Al Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
of Blood, Sweat and Tears fame. Fauerso went on to produce the unreleased Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
solo album First Love and more recently, a second entitled "Only One Earth". Fauerso went on to make recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of new age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
and also to compose and produce award-winning commercials for radio and TV. Tillery resurfaced with the jazz fusion group Cesar 830 before embarking on a solo career.
In 2005, Fauerso reconnected with Eggleston and Marsh to record a new Loading Zone CD entitled "Blue Flame" (available through CD Baby and iTunes) The album contains five new tracks and three cuts from the second Zone album, "One For All".
George Newcom died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on July 1, 2010, in Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. The population was 14,076 at the 2010 census, up from 13,147 at the 2000 census....
. He was 63 years old. Pat O'Hara, trombonist, later worked with Buddy Miles on "Cold Blood" and others, and died in the late 70's or early 80's of an overdose.
External links
- "The Trips Festival" of January 1966"
- The Loading Zone
- Roxon, Lillian: Lilian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia (Grosset and Dunlop, Universal Library Edition, 1972) p300 ISBN 0-448-00255-8