Biography
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Founded In
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States
1. Based in Portland, Oregon, The Foggy Notions is a collaborative project recruiting the talents of many artists and musicians.
2. The Foggy Notions are jangly power pop from the cold prairies of Saskatoon, SK and released their album, Beginning To See, in 2009.
3. Michael Callan started the group in 1965. The group was together 'til around 1967. The original members were:
Michael Callan—vocals
Jimmy Kaplan—bass
Henry Gardono—guitar
David Lee—guitar
Bob Curtis—drums
Later versions included members:
Peter Hoy—guitar, vocals
Doug Mazique—bass, vocals
Dave Suekoff—drums
Buzz Dommers—guitar
John Linn—drums
The group performed around Chicago's North and Near side at small clubs, high school dances at the Latin School, Gordon Tech, Band Battles, etc.
The group was an outgrowth of the folk revival scene as we were all guitar students at the Old Town School of Folk Music. An earlier version of the group, which included myself on conga drum and Jimmy Kaplan on guitar, was called "the Jamaica Bay Singers."The music was mainly cover songs in a pop and blues rock idiom with some originals in the later period. The Foggy Notions name came from Chicago high school journalist David Witz who edited the newspaper at Lakeview High School and wrote a column called "Out of my Witz."At the time, I made a business card for the group which said, "The Foggy Notions, the boss sound of rock and roll and rhythm and blues."The group's largest gig featured the last iteration of the line up and opened for the Mamas and the Papas at McCormick Place, Aire Crown Theatre.
The 1st recording session was in the summer of '65, which included a single with "Summertime" and Chuck Berry's "No Money Down," recorded at the IRC studio on Chicago's West Side and released on the IRC label. It was a co-A side release with Station WLS giving it limited play of both sides. I remember we all rode in Doug Mazique's parents Mercedes waiting for it to air, which it did.
A second recording session was held at a studio on South Michigan Ave. with an African-American engineer. This is where the recordings you mentioned to Peter were cut. Our 1st gig was an extended stay at a youth coffee house on the southeast corner of Sedgwick and Lincoln Ave. at the edge of Old Town. The stage was split on either side of the room entrance as people entered. We drank lots of free Cokes and Jimmy Kaplan fell through a weak wall that gave way behind him.
We used Vox and Ampeg amps. Jimmy played a Gibson EBO bass. Henry Gardono played a Strat. Pete Hoy was a childhood friend who joined us later. He first played a Rickenbacker 12-string with red sunburst finish and traded that for a triple pickup black Les Paul. Doug Mazique was a student at Parker School on Clark Street and Webster. He was naturally adept at music and singing. He played a Fender Precision bass and at the time was farther along at attracting girls than the rest of us.
Original drummer Bob Curtis was from England. He had real long hair and the best boots. He was the quintessential cool mod, the kind of guy that got beat up by greasers because he looked so cool. When I met drummer Dave Suekoff, he had blond surfer-like hair and wore loud black and white hounds tooth patterned bell-bottoms and a thick black belt with the buckle off to the side. We were impressed that he had both a driver's license and a car! A metallic green 1963 Ford Fairlane. He was quickly let into the group and was put into service as our chauffer and equipment transportation to and from gigs.
Old Town leather craftsman John Brown, who made the leather cape worn by David Crosby on the Byrds' Turn! Turn! Turn! Columbia album cover gave us similar green and blue leather and suede capes to wear at gigs. Doug Mazique and I wore these at a band battle/sock hop in the gym at Gordon Tech High School on West Addison Ave. . After the gig, the greasers in the parking lot were jealous because we had the chicks. We had to load up and get out of there quickly.
Myself and Buzz Dommers appeared on the cover of Life Magazine, May 16th, 1966, as part of a spread on mod clothing. Near the end, I formed a group, now playing bass with Brian McGuinn, brother of the Byrds leader Roger Mc Guinn. David Crosby named the group "The Galactic Cavalry." We sold Roger McGuinn's clothes and school yearbooks to girls in the Byrds fan club who would hover around the family apartment on Division and Astor Street on the Near North Side.
Peter Hoy's family lived in the Astor Tower Apartments on Astor and Goethe. When the Beatles played in Chicago in 1966, they stayed there. We were all very stoked because we could casually walk through the barricades of hundreds of fans outside and walk inside anytime. The Beach Boys checked in across the hall from Pete Hoy's family's apartment and we hung out with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Mike Love took us to breakfast in their limousine and walked into a restaurant with a drink in his hand. Pretty great times for us young impressionable teen musicians! I am still leading a pretty serious music career as an all original artist, writer, singer songwriter and lead in an alt. rock band "Burly Thistles" in an artistic community, California's Joshua Tree Area.
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