left to right - Jerry McMillen (lead guitar and vocals); Dennis Christensen Swanson(Ludwig drums); Al Pisciotta (Fender bass); Paul Gabrinetti (Fender guitar and vocals); and Bob Holland (Vox organ and backup vocals).
Interview:
1. Thanks a lot for taking your time and answering a few questions about your band. What can you tell me about some of the first influences you had as a young kid and later as a teenager.
My influences in music began in the 1950s. I had an old am radio in my room & somehow gravitated towards the Rock music that I found on it. I remember hearing such songs as Rock Around the Clock Tonight & You Aint Nothing But a Hound Dog .At that same time period I was influenced by Cubby of the Micky Mouse Club. That's when I was bitten by the drum bug. I knew deep down that I wanted to play a set of drums. So I expressed this to my parents & they signed me up for accordion lessons. Like a good 50s kid I tried to please my parents & stuck it out with the accordion for as long as I could. Another deep impact for me in the 50s was "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" I was always taken back with Ricky Nelsons early tunes, they moved me. As I grew into a teen The Beach Boys & many other groups (too many to list) were moving my heart, I just couldn't get away from the radio. Of coarse when I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show I was completely blown away. I made up my mind then & there I had to get into a band & play drums.
2. The Captives, The Mushroom, Lady are some of the names that are somehow connected with you. Can you tell me if you or others were in any bands before that and if you released something from that period?
My first band was The Captives which evolved into The Children of the Mushroom then evolved into The Mushroom & in 1970 evolved into the group Lady. Jerry McMillen & my self stayed together in all of these groups. I quit the band Lady a few months after it was formed. The life style of being in a band all the dynamics relationships etc. & the price I paid for the excesses of the time all took a heavy toll on me. My life had been for the band but one night I started having a breakdown the only thing I knew to do was get down on my knees & cry out to God for help. I left the band & went on to a new life.
3. Around 1965 you formed a band. Can you tell me about the beginning…how did you come together…do you perhaps remember some of the first sessions you had?
The Captives. Formed in November 1965 was the fist band. Jerry McMillen & I met at Thousand Oaks High when we found each other sitting next to each other in class. Somehow we got on the subject of music & Jerry told me his band was without a bass player & drummer. As my neighbor Mark Mckean & I had been getting together to play Beatles tunes, he on his acoustic guitar & me on a set of books we jumped at the opportunity to be in the band. I ordered my first drum set right away from Montgomery Ward mail order store & off we went. Pat Wilnow (rhythm) left The Captives in May 1966. Mark McKean switched to guitar and Al Pisciotta was asked to play bass. Jerry McMillen played lead & myself drums. We were all very green on the instruments but we had a killer desire to get better. In July of 66 Mark McKean left the group and was replaced by Scott Lee on guitar and vocals. Mark Amparan played keyboard for a short time. in December of 66 the Captives were practicing in the garage at my house (we payed so loud with Al's Fender amp & Jerry Vox amp) when a kids with glasses rode up on his bike & stated he wanted to be in the band. So we went over to Bob Hollands home & he proceeded to make our jaws drop when he sat down played The House of the Rising Sun, with a bass line on foot pedals. We told him we wanted him in the band. He came with a new Vox keyboard & Silvertone amp.Bob was a musical prodigy, his influence was to play a key part in our future.
The original Children of the Mushroom Pin
4. You released only one 45 single release called August Mademoiselle/You Can't Erase a Mirror
I would like to ask you how did you come in contact with the label and if you perhaps know how many pressings were made?
Well I believe our future producers, Dick (Wayne) Parker& Dick Torst (2D Productions) saw us perform at a venue. They approached us about doing a record. I remember they met with all of our parents about the record contract. I believe Bob Holland our keyboard player & Jerry Mcmillen wrote the music for the 2 songs. The A-side, 'August Mademoiselle', was written by Bob Holland while the B-side, 'You Can't Erase A Mirror', was written by Jerry McMillen and Bob Holland. I believe we had a regional charting of our song "You Cant Erase a Mirror' in the El Paso area of Texas in 1968. There was talk of us going on tour but it didn't happen. It was an awesome experience for me while driving in the car one day to hear our record playing on a local AM radio station.
On the number of actual 45s that were pressed, I have no idea. Our 45 later became a record collectors prize. They consider us as an obscure psychedelic garage band. One of the 45s this last year fetched over $500.00 on eBay.
What can you tell me about songs? If you comment them, that would be great!
As a rock drummer I was always more interested in the feel & dynamics of the songs more than the words. We played so loud, I could never hear all of the words anyway. I believe I heard Jerry indicate on a radio interview he gave 2 years ago that Bob Holland had my mother in mind when he wrote August Mademoiselle.
5. Would you like telling me more about producing and recording this single release…what are some of the strongest memories?
I have a distinct memory of having some very intense practices at Bob Hollands home getting ready to record. His parents were very gracious to allow us to practice in there living room. Bobs father was very creative in coming up with a mushroom pin for promotional purposes. They can be seen on Jerry & myself in the bands B/W photo. On the Saturday we recorded we drove down to a studio in Hollywood called Nashville West. I remember being told that the Iron Butterfly had recorded there as well. I don't remember how long it took but I was able to make it back in time to take my girl friend out to a movie that night. It was a our crowning glory, so to speak, to be able to record even one 45 rpm record. One distinct memory I have of that session was watching Jerry McMillen create some awesome feedback. Actually we were a very young group I believe Bob Holland was 15 (the youngest) & I was 18 (the oldest) when we made the record.
6. Did your release anything else? Does any unreleased material exist perhaps?
Paul Gabrinetti left in the spring of 1968 & was replaced with Jim Rolfe at that time we decided to shorten the name to The Mushroom. Jims creative abilities helped us to move forward with more original songs. Sad to say, we were never invited back into the studio to record these tunes. We did perform them in puplic though. A garage recording of some of these does exists. On my personal MySpace page I have a link of The Mushroom Theme one of these home recordings.
7. What did you do after that, i think you were called Lady back then....
After Bob Holland left the group (The Mushroom) we invited Larry Weisman aboard with his keyboard & base. Jerry picked up a flute & we began working on new music influenced by Jetro Tull. At that time we changed the name to Lady.
8. What can you tell me about concerts…were did you play and would you perhaps like to share some interesting stories from some shows you had?
Well, we played so many places. A few area battle of the bands on to many area High School dances. Actually too many places to easily remember. We were mostly comfortable in concert type settings. Our music was snot easily danced too. One of the songs we covered before we became completely original was "In A Gadda Da Vida" by the Iron Butterfly. Some kids liked my rendition of the drum solo & some were frustrated because they just wanted to dance.. We were not a dance band... I use to play my drums like a maniac, A couple of time I was rocketed of the stage complete with the drums following me at the ending a one of our songs.
9. What happened next for you after that in the 70's, 80's and so on…
In 1970 I left the band & never looked back. I bacame the Church drummer for Ventura Peoples church choir. We traveled to London England With the Bill Severn Evangelistic Organization in 1973. The choir performed all over London. I remember playing next to a giant statue of a lion in Trafalgar Square. I then became the Christs Church of Venturas Worship drummer for a number of years. I lost contact with the band for almost 35 years until one night at work a few years ago I typed in Children of the Mushroom 1967 in an internet search engine & was very surprised to find out our songs had been picked up on several comp albums & were being played around the clock on various internet stations. That led to an invitation from Hans from "Beyond The Beat Generation" arranging for an interview. In a short time all of the members of Children of the Mushroom were back in touch. Our lead player Jim Rolfe organized the Thousand Oaks Band Tree. Children of the Mushroom along with various local period bands performed once again. I raised 5 kids in the 70s & 80s, remarried & began raising 3 more kids in the 90s.
10. What are you doing these days?
I spend a lot of time on the internet. It brings me great joy to be in touch with young music friends around the world sharing my band experiences. Its kind of my hobby.
11. I would like to thank you for taking your time. Would you like to add something else perhaps?
I would like to thank you Klemen for the opportunity to share a little about Children of the Mushroom. What a great opportunity we had to be one of the thousands of 1960s groups to cut a 45. Being in a garage band gave us a fantastic place to express our creative abilities. A real life school of rock.
Dennis Christensen Swanson
Drummer, Children of the Mushroom
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