Blue Ash

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Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her)

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Released: Jan 14, 2011

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Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her)
3:06
276 plays
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Dusty Old Fairgrounds
2:49
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Plain To See
2:42
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Just Another Game
2:57
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I Remember A Time
2:57
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Total Plays: 27,989 / Plays Today: 1See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Powerpop
Location Un
Profile Views: 48452
Last Login: 5/5/2013
Member Since 12/25/2006
Website Blueashblog.blogspot.com
Record Label Not Lame
Type of Label Indie
Bio
BLUE ASH (The Early Years) .. .. Blue Ash began at the end of July, 1969, when bass guitarist Frank Secich asked Jim Kendzor, a singer he knew, if he'd like to form a band. They agreed and set off to round out the group. First recruit was guitarist Bill "Goog" Yendrek and a few weeks later they met drummer David Evans and started rehearsing at Goog's in Brookfield, Ohio. .. .. ...... .. .. In early September, they went to Geoffrey Jones of Flowers Inc. Entertainment Agency who agreed to personal representation. Geoff would be their manager for the next ten years. Blue Ash debuted at a psychedelic club called "The Freak Out" in Youngstown, Ohio on October 3, 1969. Over the next year they developed a loyal following with their on-stage antics such as bringing Goog's sister Anna (who was vocally and lyrically challenged) up to sing, their smashing of equipment and their wild, anarchic version of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey". In August 1970, they performed the Who's rock opera "Tommy" in it's entirety at the Steelworker's Hall in Youngstown. In September, Bill Yendrek quit the band. He was replaced by Bill "Cupid" Bartolin. .. .. In late 1970, the group was approached by Bob Mack (Pittsburgh DJ, promoter and discoverer of Tommy James) and asked if they'd like to go to Philadelphia's Sigma Sound to record. Bob had a song written by Teri Gruber called "We'll Live Tomorrow". It was a tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. The studio session made a great impact on the boys and they would spend the next year and a half accumulating an enormous amount of original material and building a huge following while playing over 200 dates a year in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia. .. .. ...... .. .. BLUE ASH (The Peppermint and Mercury Years) .. .. In July of 1972, the group signed a contract with Peppermint Productions of Youngstown and began recording and sending out demos. In October, legendary A&R man and rock writer Paul Nelson from Mercury Records flew to Youngstown to see Blue Ash "live" and immediately began signing procedures. They started recording their first album "No More, No Less" in February 1973 with Peppermint's John Grazier producing and with Gary Rhamy engineering. Executive producer Paul Nelson introduced them to a never-before-published, never-before-recorded Bob Dylan song called "Dusty Old Fairgrounds" and suggested they record their version of the Beatles' "Anytime At All" both of which appear on the lp. The rest of the album was made up of nine (Secich-Bartolin) songs and one by Jim Kendzor. .. .. ...... .. .. On May 15, Mercury released the first Blue Ash 45 "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)" b/w "Dusty Old Fairgrounds" On May 25, "No More, No Less" was released. Rave reviews and feature articles followed in Rolling Stone, Creem, Crawdaddy, Zoo World, Circus, Phonograph Record, New Times, Record World, Billboard, Rock Scene, Fusion and many others. That summer they began touring and opening for acts like Bob Seger, Iggy and the Stooges, Ted Nugent, Nazareth, Aerosmith and more. Blue Ash along with Raspberries, Big Star and Badfinger became "critical darlings" of a new sound later to be called power pop. Despite the good press Blue Ash was not getting much national radio airplay or sales. The last Mercury single "Anytime At All" b/w "She's So Nice" didn't break despite being played on American Bandstand and they were released by Mercury in May 1974. .. .. ...... .. .. BLUE ASH (The Playboy Years) .. .. ...... Blue Ash "Front Page News" Album Cover 1977 .... .. In June 1974, original drummer David Evans left the group and was replaced by roadie Jeff Rozniata. The group was as prolific as ever turning out tons of demos and getting interest. During this time (1974-1976) they recorded over 100 songs at Peppermint. In 1976, producer Steve Friedman offered to take them to Miami's Criteria Studio. There they recorded four songs which Steve took to LA and got Blue Ash a singles deal with Playboy Records. The first 45 "Look At You Now" released May '77 became a regional hit in the southern U.S. and Playboy offered a full lp deal. The lp "Front Page News" was recorded in August 1977 at LA's Village Recorders studio and released in October of that year. The lp was selling well but in early 1978 Playboy pulled the plug on it's record division and Blue Ash was once again without a label. The group continued to play live adding drummer George Grexa, guitarist Max Schang and keyboard wizard Brian Wingrove. One last recording session at Peppermint in 1979, would be one of their best. Original members Frank Secich, Jim Kendzor and Bill Bartolin, along with drummer Bob Tocco and Brian Wingrove did two of their most memorable tracks: "Around Again" and "She Isn't There" which had remained unreleased until now. Blue Ash called it quits in June 1979. .. .. .. .. BLUE ASH (The After Years) .. .. In 1979, British popsters, The Records recorded "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)" for an EP that came with their debut LP "Shades In Bed". In the 80's "A Million Miles Away" was covered by Finnish rock star, Michael Monroe, and recently by Simon Chainsaw and the Forgotten Boys from Brazil. "Everywhere I Go" has been released by Ohio's Infidels on the CD re-issue of their fabulous "9:25 and Seven Seconds" album and there is another great rendition of it on Billy Sullivan's "All-American Popster" CD. Australian power pop group, The Finkers, do "Tonight's My Lucky Night" on their very fine "Last Thing On My Mind" CD. Blue Ash's "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)" also appears on Rhino's "Poptopia! Power Pop Classics Of The 70's" and Blue Ash is also on Rhino's "I Shall Be Unreleased" the songs of Bob Dylan with their cover of "Dusty Old Fairgrounds". In July 2003, original members Frank Secich, David Evans, Jim Kendzor and Bill Bartolin got together privately in Ohio to play once again. They had such a good time they decided to reform the band. .. .. BLUE ASH (The Around Again Years) .. .. It was official! The Blue Ash reunion was on. Blue Ash played their first gig in 25 years at the International Pop Overthrow in Philadelphia in November of 2003.The original line-up was Jim Kendzor (vocals), David Evans (drums), Bill "Cupid" Bartolin (lead guitar) and Frank Secich (now rhythm guitar). Also in addition Jeff Rozniata (drummer 1974-76) and pianist Brian Wingrove returned along with a new bassist Bobby Darke, as Blue Ash took the stage at Youngstown's B&B Backstage on August 28, 2004. The reunion concert coincided with the 2004 summer release of the Blue Ash "Around Again" 2 CD set on Not Lame Records. .... ...... .. .. The 44 previously unreleased recordings on "Around Again" have a colorful history. In May of 1972, Steve Friedman on behalf of Peppermint Recording Studio owner (Gary Rhamy) offered Blue Ash a production deal. Although no money was involved, Friedman came up with a novel arrangement to pay the band in studio time... two full days of recording each month for five years. The first demos got the attention of Mercury Records and resulted in the "No More, No Less" LP. Recording of new songs and demos continued every month for the next 5 years. When Blue Ash broke up in 1979, the recordings were for the most part forgotten. .. .. Fast forward to May, 2003 and a phone call between rock writer Mark Hershberger and Frank Secich. The subject...releasing Blue Ash on CD. Mark connected Frank with Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame Records who wondered if any rare recordings of Blue Ash existed. He was told about the Peppermint sessions but the question was, did they still exist? Frank called Gary and to everyone's great fortune, Gary had the wisdom to safely store the recordings away all these years. After reuniting in July 2003, members of the band could hardly believe what they were hearing and seeing...there were 219 recordings! .. .. Thanks to the collective efforts of Gary Rhamy, Mark Hershberger, Steve Friedman, Bruce Brodeen, John Grazier, and manager Geoff Jones, the "Around Again" CDs were not only made possible, but are now available on Not Lame Records. Blue Ash will also be releasing most of the remainder of the rare recordings through "Lost In The Grooves" in 2007. The recordings will be available online only. .. .. BLUE ASH (Collectors' Choice) .. .. ...... .. .. When England's esteemed 'Guardian' newspaper assembled their list of 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die, the 1973 debut album from Blue Ash made the grade amongst all the established classics—pretty remarkable for an obscure record that was out-of-print for over 30 years! Well, we at 'Collectors' Choice' have rectified that injustice, so this critically acclaimed LP can take its rightful place in the power pop pantheon. Signed to Mercury by legendary rock critic/publicist Paul Nelson, this four-piece from Youngstown, OH was among the first power pop bands alongside Badfinger, Big Star and Raspberries to revive the virtues of mid-'Sixties rock against the then prevailing tides of prog excess and singer-songwriter self-absorption. 'No More, No Less' showcases the band's knack for melodic three-minute pop tunes delivered via a breathless attack that melded the Byrds' jangle with the Who's rhythm section and the Fab Four's harmonies, as heard on the first cut and best-known track 'Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)'. Also includes their rave-up of the Dylan rarity 'Dusty Old Fairgrounds' and such proto-power pop gems as 'I Remember a Time' and 'All I Want'.This first-ever CD release features brand-new liner notes, courtesy of the band's bassist and co-songwriter Frank Secich, along with rare photos from the band's archives. .. .. http://www.ccmusic.com .. .. The Blue Ash 2 CD set "Around Again" is now available for downloads at Maryatt Music. .. .. http://www.maryattmusic.com/ .. .. ...... photo by Geoff Jones .. .. .... ..You should create your own ..MySpace Layouts.. like me by using ..nUCLEArcENTURy...COM's ..MySpace Profile Editor..!.. ....
Members
........ .. Blue Ash at the Barrow Theater in Franklin, PA on January 17, 2009 .. photo by Mike Byrdy <br> <br> Blue Ash At IPO Youngstown on November 15, 2008. <br> <br> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tYy4dDLQmsM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br> <br> The City Jail Pre-Blue Ash 1966 Frank Secich, Jim Kendzor & Jeff Rozniata .. .. 1969-1970 ...... .. .. Frank Secich .. (bass guitar, vocals) .. Jim Kendzor .. (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) .. David Evans .. (drums, vocals) .. Bill "Goog" Yendrek .. (lead guitar, vocals) .. .. 1970-1974 .. .. ...... .. .. Frank Secich .. (bass guitar, vocals) .. Jim Kendzor .. (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) .. David Evans .. (drums, vocals) .. Bill "Cupid" Bartolin .. (lead guitar, vocals) .. .. 1974-1976 ...... .. .. Frank Secich .. (bass guitar, vocals) .. Jim Kendzor .. (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) .. Jeff Rozniata .. (drums, vocals) .. Bill "Cupid" Bartolin .. (lead guitar, vocals) .. .. 1977-1979 ...... photo by Scott Pickard .. .. Frank Secich .. (bass guitar,vocals) .. Jim Kendzor .. (lead vocals) .. Bill "Cupid" Bartolin .. (lead guitar, vocals) .. Brian Wingrove .. (piano, vocals) .. Bobby Tocco .. (drums) .. Max Schang .. (guitar) .. George Grexa .. (drums) .. .. 2004 ...... .. .. 2004 ...... photo by Scott Pickard .. Frank Secich .. (rhythm guitar, vocals) .. Jim Kendzor .. (lead vocals) .. Bill "Cupid" Bartolin .. (lead guitar, vocals) .. David Evans .. (drums, vocals) .. Jeff Rozniata .. (drums, vocals) .. Brian Wingrove .. (piano, organ) .. Bobby Darke .. (bass guitar) .. ...... photo by Scott Pickard .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .... .. .. <iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/07npZofgN7U?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe> <br> <br> Australia's Finkers doing Blue Ash's "Tonight's My Lucky Night" on Spanish TV in 2001!
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6 days ago

Blue Ash

Blue Ash: No More, No Less (via @popmatters) http://t.co/DY28R39gfw

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May 11

Blue Ash

Check out "Madras Man (A Blues In 3/4 Time)" by Deadbeat Poets - http://t.co/QJNl7StYvl

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May 11

Blue Ash

Check out "Down With The Lonely Boys" by Deadbeat Poets - http://t.co/u9DHFmLcrm

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May 11

Blue Ash

Check out "Jennyburg Hill" by Deadbeat Poets - http://t.co/M9AErCsmy4

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May 11

Blue Ash

Check out "Johnny Sincere" by Deadbeat Poets - http://t.co/inbqZw9UIa

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