 |
| From the San Francisco Examiner, October 31, 1965: "JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, the folk-singing team which was recently at the Matrix, will be interviewed by Rolfe Peterson (Bay Area Critic and Wit Extraordinaire) on "POW," Sunday at 3 p.m. on Channel 5, KPIX. Left to right are Jorma Kaukonen, Bob Harvey, Marty Balin, Signe Anderson, Paul Kantner and Skip Spence." (note--Jack Casady had replaced Bob Harvey by the time the photo was published). |
Jefferson Airplane remain a foundational group in the history of rock and roll. They were the first and most famous of the San Francisco bands, and besides their numerous hit singles and albums, the band members were important cultural figures as well. Even their name was influential, as they were the first popular group to have a non-linear name, one that caused the squares to say "who"? Pretty much every other band in the '60s followed that lead. In the '60s, when Jefferson Airplane came to town, it was an event. It wasn't just the great songs and the psychedelic sounds, it was Grace Slick's magnetism, and Paul Kantner's willingness to get into it with any cops, and the band playing free in the park and just generally raising hell. Jefferson Airplane stood for something, if anyone did.
Yet the live concert history of Jefferson Airplane is surprisingly hard to pursue on the internet. If you search, the best available version was mine, done about 15 years ago. I built on some existing efforts, for which I was grateful, but even my first effort was thin. It still took 9 posts to try and cover Jefferson Airplane concerts in the 1960s, but I figured someone out there would do an upgrade on my research. Yet here we are, and no one has taken care of the update, so it's left to me. This post will begin an ongoing chronicle to the concert history of Jefferson Airplane from 1965 to 1969. This initial post will look at every live performance of Jefferson Airplane from their debut on August 13, 1965 through the end of '65 (for links to the older posts, see below). Anyone has additional information, corrections, insights or intriguing speculation about Jefferson Airplane concerts from this period, please include them in the Comments. Flashbacks encouraged, and possibly required.
 |
| Jeff Tamarkin's Got A Revolution!-The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane (Simon & Schuster 2003) remains the definitive history of the band |
Airplane Pre-History
The history of Jefferson Airplane cannot be summarized in a blog post. The story of the Airplane, with so many characters, and the dramatic encore of Jefferson Starship that followed, would require an entire book. Fortunately, that book has been written. Jeff Tamarkin's indispensable Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane (2003, Simon & Schuster) covers the whole saga from early days to the strange end, from really high highs to low-down low, and is a must-read for anyone interested in 1960s rock bands, regardless of how much you like "3/5 Of A Mile In Ten Seconds." Thanks to Mr. Tamarkin, however, I can leave readers to his excellent history and focus on capturing the live concert timeline in detail.
 |
| Jefferson Airplane as they took off, some time in 1966. (L-R) Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Jack Casady, Marty Balin, Signe Anderson and Skip Spence. |
Jefferson Airplane Flight Plan
Jefferson Airplane (without a "The" preceding it) was founded by two folksingers, Marty Balin and Paul Kantner. Balin had been working out of San Francisco with a quartet called the Town Criers. When they folded in early 1965, he wanted to form a folk-rock group in the vein of The Byrds. Balin met Paul Kantner, who was then mostly based in San Jose and the Peninsula, at a "Hoot Night" at a club called The Drinking Gourd (at 1898 Union Street). Jefferson Airplane was no casual enterprise. The ambitious Balin decided the new ensemble needed their own venue, so he had found three investors to help him buy a moribund pizza joint in San Francisco's Marina district. While Balin, his investors and their friends worked on renovating the new club, he and Kantner auditioned and rehearsed musicians for the un-named band.
Per Tamarkin, Balin knew Bob Harvey, who was playing bass in a bluegrass band. Kantner wanted a vocal trio with a female voice, and Harvey knew a singer named Signe Toly. Drummer Jerry Peloquin came along, and then they tried out various lead guitarists, whose names are now forgotten. Eventually, Kantner invited his friend Jorma "Jerry" Kaukonen, who was the best guitarist in the South Bay folk scene. Jorma had been planning to leave town, but his wife got arrested and he had to stay in San Francisco because of her probation. So Jorma was on board. When it came to a band name, Jorma suggested "Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane," which was shortened and kept.
Balin opened The Matrix at 3138 Fillmore Street, near Filbert Street, on August 13, 1965. Jefferson Airplane was the first band to play The Matrix, and they played almost every night for months on end, often sharing the bill with other performers. The initial lineup was:
Marty Balin-vocalsAt the start, although Jorma Kaukonen—hitherto the hottest solo acoustic blues picker in the South Bay—played electric guitar (including an electric 12-string), Kantner and bassist Bob Harvey simply played amplified acoustic guitar and string bass. The band were all basically folkies, except Peloquin, who had drummed with various jazz groups. They had all heard The Byrds, the Beau Brummels and other such bands, but folk-rock was still uncharted territory.
Signe Toly-vocals
Jorma Kaukonen-lead guitar
Paul Kantner-guitar, vocals
Bob Harvey-bass
Jerry Peloquin-drums
 |
| Fans waiting to get into The Matrix at 3138 Fillmore Street, some time in 1966 or '67 |
August 13-15, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Friday-Sunday)
The first show for both Jefferson Airplane and The Matrix was on Friday, August 13, 1965. The Matrix, a tiny place that hardly held more than 100 patrons, would remain open through 1971, albeit under a series of different owners. Although no one in town could have previously heard Jefferson Airplane, as they had no record and had never performed publicly, the Matrix was packed from the very beginning. While Balin and Kantner had been putting together the music and re-painting the Matrix, the ambitious Balin made sure that the word was out about The Matrix before it opened. Today, we would call it a "viral sensation." Jefferson Airplane were ahead of their time, as always.
Balin's roommate, Bill Thompson, worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, so he made sure that Chronicle reporters knew about the Matrix. The most important writers were music critic Ralph Gleason and his younger colleague, John L Wasserman. Both of them became supporters of the Airplane from the very beginning. Kantner and Balin were hooked into the underground folk scenes in the Peninsula and San Francisco, and they had got the word out that way. Balin had also brought in a manager named Matthew Katz, who was experienced in working with the press. Jefferson Airplane would ultimately regret their relationship with Katz, and would remain in litigation with him from 1967 until 1987, but Katz was good at spreading the word, too, in more conventional entertainment circles. It was Katz who insisted on the "Jefferson Airplane Loves You" tag line, and hired attractive young women to hand out buttons with the phrase. Today we would call it a "meme," but it wasn't understood as such at the time. Jefferson Airplane at The Matrix was A Thing before they had even opened the room. They did not disappoint.
For the first few months of the Matrix, Jefferson Airplane played just about every night, even sometimes when they weren't listed on the bill.
August 4-31, Mother's, San Francisco, CA: Lovin Spoonful (Wednesday>Tuesday)
This chronicle is about Jefferson Airplane's performing history, but the way in which the Airplane appeared fully formed and immediately intrigued San Francisco is best demonstrated by noting some of the other musical events happening in the City at the time. There's no doubt that in a few places like London, Greenwich Village and West Hollywood, some things were definitely happening. Suddenly, Jefferson Airplane took off, and San Francisco was happening, too.
In early 1965, nothing was hotter than Bob Dylan and The Beatles. In April, 1965 The Byrds had released "Mr Tambourine Man," and the two most important threads of youth culture were merged. The single soared to #1 in the US and UK, thanks to mighty Columbia Records. When folk musicians figured out they could be in their own Hard Day's Night, the change was on. Kantner and Balin, for example, formed Jefferson Airplane to follow the lead of the Byrds. This was hardly hubris--Byrd David Crosby had been Paul Kantner's roommate in Venice Beach around 1963. But the Airplane weren't even the first progeny of the Byrds.
 |
| The August 12, 1965 SF Chronicle advertised the ongoing appearance of the rock n' roll sensations Livin' Spoonful, along with "Topless" Daughter Maria |
The Lovin' Spoonful was a folk-rock quartet from Greenwich Village, who had figured out that folk was going to merge with Chuck Berry and end up in-between. Their iconic debut single "Do You Believe In Magic" had been released in July 1965. By August it was racing up the charts, and the Spoonful played a month at a Broadway club called Mother's. Mother's, at 430 Broadway was the first "psychedelic" club in San Francisco, on Broadway, amidst the topless joints and jazz clubs. It was owned by DJ Tom Donahue, who would later start "underground" FM radio with KMPX (and afterwards KSAN). Mother's had psychedelic murals, a primitive light show and sorta semi-nude dancers. Lovin' Spoonful was a cool as it got. A Palo Alto band called The Warlocks dropped by one night, and immediately added "Do You Believe In Magic" to their set.
Jefferson Airplane opened at The Matrix the week after Lovin' Spoonful. The Marina wasn't Broadway, but it wasn't far from it, either. Folk-rock was happening. LA had The Byrds, Greenwich Village had the Spoonful, and it turned out that San Francisco was in the game, too.
August 16, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot Night: Jefferson Airplane/unnamed band (Monday)In the tradition of folk clubs, "Hoot Night" was a chance to try out aspiring locals (and, of course, not pay them). This was a little different for a rock club than a folk club, as bands had to actually be invited and bring their equipment, unlike a folk musician who could just borrow a guitar. It's important to remember, however, that even casually recording a demo, much less a live performance, was beyond the technology and resources of a new band, so dragging your gear to a club and playing a few songs was the only chance to get heard. Most of the early rock clubs, save for the Whisky A-Go-Go, had a hoot night, usually Mondays.
 |
| Berkeley's Notes From The Underground released an EP on Arhoolie Records in 1967, and later would release a 1968 album on Vanguard. |
Initially, Jefferson Airplane mostly played Hoot Night themselves. Truthfully, they needed the practice, plus at this early juncture there was quite literally nowhere else in town for them to play. The first night's guest band did not yet have a name. Ross reported, however, that this unnamed band was a proto-version of what would become Notes From The Underground, themselves later Berkeley legends. That night's band, per Marty Balin, was Sandy Rothman, Fred Sokolow, Jody Stecher, Brantley Kearns and Bing Nathan. Fred Sokolow was the anchor of Notes, and bassist Bing Nathan (a well-known jazz bassist in San Francisco circles for many years) would be in the initial lineup of the group. The others were more folkie. Sandy Rothman passed on folk-rock and would become a professional bluegrass musician for many years. He had played with Jerry Garcia prior to this, and he would play with Garcia again in the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band in 1987 and '88. Stecher had also played bluegrass with Garcia, and Kearns would do so a decade later. Both would have extensive careers in acoustic music.
 |
| English jazz bassist Peter Ind had released one album in the US, Looking Out (Wave Records, 1960). After he moved to Big Sur in 1963, he mostly played unaccompanied. |
August 17, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Tuesday)
August 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Peter Ind (Wednesday)
August 19, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Thursday)
August 26, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Thursday)
August 27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss/Peter Ind (Friday)
August 28, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss/Peter Ind/Jean Ball (Saturday)
 |
| A San Francisco Chronicle ad for upcoming shows at The Matrix, from Sunday August 29, 1965 |
August 29, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Sunday)
August 30, 1965 The Committee, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/The Charlatans (Monday) "The Limits Of The Marvelous" Don Sturdy and The Big Snake Hunters Present
Prior to Jefferson Airplane, The Charlatans were perhaps the most important band in San Francisco in 1965. After having formed earlier in the year, they had ended up playing most of the Summer at a crazy place called The Red Dog Saloon, in Virginia City, NV. Virginia City was effectively a ghost town left over from the Silver Boom in the 19th century, which not coincidentally had been financed by San Francisco Gold Rush money. One Mark Unobsky, heir to a little money, had bought an old hotel and tried to turn into a sort of psychedelic resort, about 40 years too early. Bill Ham was hired to do the light show, The Charlatans were hired to play every night and everyone dropped LSD every night. The whole San Francisco hippie thing, right down to the Edwardian thrift shop clothes, was incubated at the Red Dog in the Summer of 65.
On August 30, 1965, their Red Dog residency over, The Charlatans played a show at The Committee theater. The Committee were a hip improvisational theater troupe, an offshoot of Chicago's Second City crew. The Committee didn't perform Monday nights, so they were free to book music. There was an arty poster to promote the show, too, thus triggering the San Francisco tradition of having cool posters to promote underground shows. All the San Francisco hipsters dropped by, and the San Francisco psychedelic revolution was afoot.
The Beatles were in town the next night. In retrospect, none saw it as coincidental.
August 31, 1965 Cow Palace, Daly City, CA: The Beatles (Tuesday) 2:00pm and 8:30pm
At the end of August, The Beatles concluded their 1965 American tour at the Cow Palace in Daly City. Their movie Help! was in the theaters, and the single and album of the same name were soaring in the charts. The event was pandemonium. The Beatles, futilely seeking privacy, stayed in the Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto, and the town has never gotten over it. The evening show was madness, with girls rushing the stage while John and Paul asked everyone to cool it. Amazingly, according to the Examiner, the afternoon show (2 pm) was not sold out, with 4000 tickets (of 15,000) remaining the day of the show.
 |
| In 1965, it wasn't uncommon to have a group that played every single night in their own club. A pop-lounge trio called The Casuals played every night at their own club, Casuals On The Square. The club, at 100 Franklin Street in Oakland's Jack London Square, had opened in January 1965. |
In August and September of 1965, Jefferson Airplane generally played The Matrix six nights a week. Monday was "audition night," a tradition going back to folk hootenannies, although the Airplane sometimes played on that night anyway. An act owning a club and also being the featured act almost every night was hardly uncommon. San Francisco, for example, had Earthquake McGoon's, owned by longtime New Orleans-style jazz man Turk Murphy. Turk Murphy's band played almost every night at Earthquake McGoon's. Oakland's Jack London Square had the club Casuals On The Square, featuring The Casuals almost every night.
Meanwhile, Balin's roommate Bill Thompson had done his job, and Chronicle music writer John L Wasserman wrote an enthusiastic appreciation of Jefferson Airplane in the August 29 edition. The Chronicle was far and away the largest and most influential morning daily paper in the Bay Area, so the impact would have been immediate. Looming even larger was senior Chronicle music writer Ralph Gleason's September 13 article. Gleason wrote "I don't know who will sign them, but somebody will." Matthew Katz, in turn, had also done his job, and there were record company scouts many nights, checking out both the Airplane and each other. Bob Harvey said that RCA had an A&R rep there as early as September 7 (Jeff Tamarkin reports the interplay between newspaper publicity and record company interest in much greater detail).
September 1, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airpane/JC Burriss (Wednesday)
Record company scouts were hovering around Jefferson Airplane, inspired by the press coverage from Wasserman and Gleason. On this night, Barry De Vorzon of
Valiant Records was at the Matrix to see the band. Katz told the band he was offered a $2,500 advance but he had rejected it.
Record companies were extremely interested in Jefferson Airplane, as The Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful were bigger than ever. The Airplane singers were great, and Jorma Kaukonen was a terrific guitarist, but the rhythm section wasn't as stellar. While Jefferson Airplane was playing almost every night at The Matrix, dramatic changes were afoot in the foundation of the band. These tales have been re-told many times by most of the principals involved, but dates are impossible to confirm. Jeff Tamarkin's account (published 2003) seems to be the closest to nailing down the foggy memories of everyone involved, so I will summarize his version of what happened to Jefferson Airplane personnel in September 1965. Convoluted as this may seem, this is still merely the outline. Ross Hannan's archival work narrowed down the specific dates for when Jefferson Airplane actually played the Matrix, but the exact timeline will remain forever elusive.
The biggest problem appeared to be the rhythm section. Harvey and Peloquin were older--nearly 30!--and not really rockers. Peloquin's background was jazz, and Harvey came from bluegrass. It couldn't have helped that record companies thought folk-rock was aimed at teenagers, and two older guys weren't what they wanted to see anyway. Also, Peloquin was an ex-military cop and thought the other members of the band spent too much time sitting around smoking pot--a fair observation--, and complained about it regularly.
We do not have an exact date but it is likely to be the first week of September 1965 that singer-guitarist Skip Spence was seen by Marty Balin when auditioning for a then unnamed band that would become Quicksilver Messenger Service. Marty Balin said it was a weekday - and it was a week before his debut and he told him then and there he would be the new drummer. This memory only approximately lines up with other foggily recalled details unearthed by both Tamarkin and Hannan, but the general time line is clear that the drum chair fell apart in the first week of September but had been resolved by the second week.According to Tamarkin, Peloquin left an afternoon rehearsal to do a favor for Kantner (getting him new glasses, as Peloquin worked for an optometrist), only to find when he returned that Kantner was interviewing new drummers. An angry Peloquin punched Kantner, quit the band and left. With nightly shows and record companies hovering around, Kantner and Balin needed a drummer, fast.
Jefferson Airplane would rehearse almost every afternoon at The Matrix. A few other musicians were rehearsing there as well. David Freiberg, another folk musician from the San Jose scene, and also another former roommate of Crosby and Kantner back in Venice Beach, was trying to form a band with two guitarists from Marin County, John Cipollina and Jim Murray. They would use the Airplane's equipment to rehearse. On the day when Kantner and Peloquin got into it, the trio were watching with another musician whom they had met the day earlier that day, and had invited over to check him out (Tamarkin says the Peloquin-Kantner fight happened the day that they met Spence, whereas Ross has Spence meeting the band a few days earlier).
Alexander "Skip" Spence was a guitarist from San Jose, and he had played with a rock band called The Topsiders. Skip was there with a young woman named Martha Wax (later infamous herself). Spence had jammed with Freiberg, Cipollina and Murray in Sausalito and Wax had brought him along to the rehearsal. No one in the Airplane had apparently met him, though they likely knew Martha Wax already. Spence had played the same folk circuit as Jorma Kaukonen, so they may have crossed paths (they had a mutual friend in one Billy Dean Andrus), but that has gotten lost in the mists of time.
As Tamarkin describes it--based on speaking with many people there--when Peloquin stormed out of the room, Marty Balin asked Freiberg, Cipollina and Murray if any of them played drums, and they shook their heads. Balin said to Skip Spence "you look like a drummer." Spence was a guitarist, but he'd played drums in his high school marching band, and was a natural musician. On the spot, Spence agreed to join Jefferson Airplane as the drummer, an instrument he'd never really played. In the meantime, based on research by Ross Hannan, some other drummers subbed for the departed Peloquin.
Ross Hannan's assessment, some years after Tamarkin's research, was that Guy Duffy or Barry Lewis played three shows between Peloquin's departure and Spence's insertion into the band. Guy Duffy, newly arrived in San Francisco after playing folk music at Notre Dame University, seems to have been the first to step in.Jefferson Airplane did not play Sunday (September 5), as Billy Roberts and Jean Ball were booked. Monday (September 6) was Hoot night (for a full list of 1965 Matrix shows, including non-Airplane bookings, see the Appendix below).
September 8-9, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Wednesday-Thursday)
 |
| A flyer for "Jerry" Kaukonen at The Shelter, at 438 E. William St in San Jose, on Tuesday, September 14, 1965, between Airplane gigs at The Matrix (the flyer is from Cam Cobb's definitive article on Billy Dean Andrus' band Weird Herald, from the Winter 2024 issue of Ugly Things). The quote says "Hear the fantastic stylings of a blues singer's blues singer." |
September 14, 1965 The Shelter, San Jose, CA: Jerry Kaukonen (Tuesday)
September 17, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Friday)
September 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Jean Ball/others (Saturday)
September 19, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts (Sunday)
Besides the drummer, the other problem for Jefferson Airplane was bassist Bob Harvey. For one thing, not only was Bob Harvey several years older than the rest of the band, he was playing upright bass. The Beatles, The Byrds and the Spoonful all had electric bassists. Grudgingly, Harvey agreed to switch over to electric. Bob Harvey's first time on electric bass seems to have been Friday, September 17. He wasn't very serious about electric bass--acoustic bass players rarely were--and merely plugging in didn't seem to solve any problems.
On Saturday, September 18, Signe Toly married Jerry Anderson. Anderson handled the light show for The Matrix. According to Signe (via Tamarkin), Skip Spence took LSD for the first time at the wedding and it did not go well. Apparently, per Ross, Spence was unable to perform that night. Who, if anyone, played drums for the Airplane that night remains obscure.
 |
| The SF Chronicle Sunday Datebook listing from September 19 shows that Jefferson Airplane was starting to share the nights with other folk or blues acts |
September 23-26, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Lightnin' Hopkins or JC Burris (Thursday-Sunday)
Early in this week, Jefferson Airplane flew to Los Angeles to record audition tapes for various record companies, including meeting with and recording for Phil Spector. Mathew Katz, for all his suspicious accounting, was very good at using press interest to escalate bidding between record companies. Jeff Tamarkin describes the back and forth of the different auditions and negotiations in great detail. Suffice to say, even after having only performed for just over a month, the record industry was ticketing the band for stardom. They were very, very right.
 |
| September 23, 1965 Chronicle ad. "Jefferson Airplane Loves You" was Katz's tag line for the band, kind of a slogan. |
Lightnin' Hopkins, from Centerville, TX, headlined at The Matrix in the Airplane's absence. Hopkins had been "re-discovered" in the late 1950s, living around Houston, and had recorded for a variety of folk labels. JC Burris opened for Lightnin', when he showed up.
Also, some time around this period, after a Matrix set, Jefferson Airplane lugged their equipment over to the nearby Coffee Gallery on Grant Street, and played there. Why isn't exactly clear, but it's important to remember that it would have just been a drumset and a few amps, nothing like it would have been even just a year or two later.
 |
| Barbara Bladen's September 27, 1965 article in the San Mateo Times helped publicize the Airplane's shows at the Matrix as well as the suburban Circle Star |
September 27, 1965 Circle Star Theater, San Carlos, CA: The Animals/Jefferson Airplane (Monday)
By this time, Jefferson Airplane were already reducing the number of nights they would play at The Matrix. What appears to be their first "outside" booking was at the Circle Star Theater in suburban San Carlos (at 1717 Industrial Way, right off US-101). The Circle Star, with a capacity of about 3700, mostly booked Vegas-style acts, as well as musicals. The stage was in the center of the hall, with seats in a 360-degree circle around it. In 1971, the Circle Star would introduce the peculiar feature of the room where the stage rotated throughout the performance. I can assure you that it was a strangely alienating experience.
In the '60s, the Circle Star sometimes filled in left-over dates with "teen" rock acts. The Animals were on the harder edge of the "British Invasion," with hits like "House Of The Rising Sun" and "Boom Boom." Although Animals lead singer Eric Burdon would visit San Francisco in August 1966, and become a psychedelic convert, at this early juncture he was just passing through town. At this time, The Animals current hit single was "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place," which would reach #13 on the Billboard charts.
Barbara Bladen, the entertainment writer for the San Mateo Times, wrote up a detailed preview of Jefferson Airplane for the Monday (September 27) edition. It was clear that she had already seen them at the Matrix. She notes that they play two Dylan songs ("Walkin' Down The Line" and "Lay Down Your Weary Tune"). According to Bob Harvey, Bladen was one of Katz's journalistic connections, no doubt why she praises his "excellent business management." Still, Bladen says "They want to say something with their music, and not just pop the tunes and make the loot. And their emotional impact is more than just a broken eardrum."
October 1-2, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Lightnin' Hopkins/Jefferson Airplane/Jean Ball/JC Burriss (only Oct 2) (Friday-Saturday)
Lightnin' Hopkins was booked for about two weeks (see the full list below), but didn't play all the dates. Jefferson Airplane returned from Los Angeles to play the weekend. Ross Hannan was able to determine who played by seeing who actually got paid each night.
October 5-7, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: The Charlatans/George Cordoba (Tuesday-Thursday)
October 8-10, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: The Charlatans/Jefferson Airplane/George Cordoba (Friday-Sunday)
The Jefferson Airplane were playing the Matrix and two guys came in wearing leather who I thought were Hells Angels. Marty Balin started laughing. He said, "Bill, you're not going to believe it. Those guys have a band." It was Pigpen and Jerry Garcia (p.99)
October 15, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/Jefferson Airplane/George Cordoba (Friday)
We know from the Examiner ad that Jefferson Airplane was booked at The Matrix for this Friday night. Phil Elwood noted that the Airplane were now "playing weekends" at the Matrix, and other acts filled the weeknights. Comedian Larry Hankin had been part of The Committee, who were a key part of the hip underground.
October 16, 1965 Longshoreman’s Hall, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Great Society/Charlatans/The Marbles (Saturday) The Family Dog Presents “A Tribute To Dr. Strange: A Rock and Roll Dance Concert”
On Saturday, October 16, Jefferson Airplane headlined perhaps the most important concert in the history of San Francisco rock. Some proto-hippies lived in a sprawling Edwardian house at 2111 Pine Street, and they kept taking in stray dogs, so they called themselves The Family Dog. Bill Ham, their landlord, had been putting on light shows in the basement, and when he came back from the Red Dog, they decided to put on a Red Dog type show in San Francisco. There were really only a few bands who were ready for this. The Charlatans had been the essence of the Red Dog, and Jefferson Airplane were happening and cool. The Marbles were a sort of Beatles-style band managed by Luria Castell, one of the Family Dog organizers.
The other band was a bunch of hipsters who called themselves The Great Society. The Longshoreman's Hall show would have been the band's debut, except that they played an unscheduled set at the Coffee Gallery the night before. The organist for Great Society was Palo Alto's Grace Slick. Grace's husband Jerry Slick played drums, and his brother Darby played lead guitar. Vocals were shared, but Grace sang a little bit, too. Grace, at least, saw herself as an Artist, and thought being in a rock band would be more interesting than doing "Happenings" (which is what performance art was called back then).
Longshoreman's Hall, at 400 N. Point Street, near Fisherman's Wharf, was a local union hall, built in 1959 and available for rent. The only advertising was a flyer drawn by Alton Kelly, another of the Pine Streeters. October 16 had been a tumultuous day, as there were protests against the Vietnam War at college campuses nationwide, including UC Berkeley. Yet people showed up to the Longshoreman's show, many of whom had been at the Berkeley protest and were looking to blow off some steam. Ralph Gleason was there, and praised how much fun everyone had, dancing together as the lights and music played, so different than the alcohol-soaked jazz scene.
The "theme" of the concert was a tribute to the Marvel Comics character Dr. Strange, drawn in a psychedelic style by Steve Ditko, and an underground hit in its own right. In the early 2000s, Dr. Strange started to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Jefferson Airplane had already been on the bill with the Sorcerer Supreme four decades earlier.
October 22, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/Jefferson Airplane (Friday)
At this point, Jefferson Airplane just played Friday nights at The Matrix. By this time, the Airplane had decided to replace Bob Harvey. He wasn't really interested in playing electric bass, and he was a few years older than the other band members anyway. Without telling Harvey, Jefferson Airplane made plans to replace him. This subterfuge about replacing members was a strange, integral part of the Jefferson Airplane story for many years, as band members would find out their replacement had already been auditioned.
This Friday night show at The Matrix was Bob Harvey's last performance with Jefferson Airplane. Nobody told him, however. He showed up to the next gig, October 30 at Harmon Gym in UC Berkeley, to find out that he had been replaced. This odd detail does tell us that the Airplane had no gigs between October 22 and October 30. It's worth pointing out that there was basically no place for a hip folk-rock band to play back in Fall 1965 beyond The Matrix.
October 24, 1965 Longshoreman's Hall, San Francisco, CA: Lovin' Spoonful/The Charlatans/Larry Hankin (Sunday) A Tribute To Sparkle Plenty
On Sunday night, the Family Dog put on another event at Longshoreman's Hall, as worlds were beginning to collide. Sparkle Plenty was a character in the Dick Tracy comic strip, another reverse-hip reference. Jefferson Airplane weren't on the bill, but it was another major event. This time the Lovin' Spoonful were the headliners.
During the show, founding Family Dog member Luria Castell was cornered by a guy with glasses, with a bunch of friends, who told her "lady, what this seance needs is us." It was Phil Lesh. He was right.
 |
| An ad in the Daily Cal for Jefferson Airplane at UC Berkeley's Harmon Gym on October 30, 1965. Note that Larry Hankin is a bigger name than the Airplane (as noted above, bassist Bob Harvey was in the promotional photo, but he was replaced by Jack Casady) |
October 30, 1965 Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA: Larry Hankin/Jefferson Airplane (Saturday)
Jefferson Airplane knew they needed a good electric bassist to replace Bob Harvey. Jorma Kaukonen was the best musician in the band, so he seems to have had the most sway. Jorma's first choice for bassist was his brother Peter Kaukonen, then an undergraduate at Stanford. This suggestion was vetoed by their father. Mr. Kaukonen was in the State Department--or maybe, just possibly, that's just what he told his family, but in any case he worked for the US Government--and he assured his sons that Peter was better off in college, in order to avoid getting drafted to fight in Vietnam.
Jorma's next choice was an old friend from Washington, DC. Jorma had spent his teenage years in Washington DC, where one of his best friends was Charles "Chick" Casady. Chick's younger brother Jack was also a musician. Jack Casady, then a guitarist, had formed a group with Jorma called The Triumphs. The Triumphs played their first gig on New Year's Eve 1958-59. Jorma moved on to college (Antioch and then the University of Santa Clara), while Jack had become a professional musician in DC. By 1965, Jack had switched to bass and was an experienced professional, and he also taught music.
Jorma called his old friend Jack and offered him the job. When Jack found out he would get paid weekly whether Jefferson Airplane gigged or not, he took the next plane. In fact, since Jorma hadn't been back to DC, he had not actually yet heard Casady play electric bass. Jorma met Jack at the airport. He told him "if you can't play bass, I'll kill you." It turned out that Jack could play bass really, really well.
Jack Casady's first show with Jefferson Airplane was at Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley's basketball arena. Opened in 1933, Harmon held about 6500 for basketball. This show would be the biggest venue the Airplane had yet played, by far. According to Jeff Tamarkin, Bob Harvey went to the show, only to find that Jack Casady was there, already rehearsed and a member of Jefferson Airplane.
 |
| An SF Chronicle ad from Friday, November 5, 1965, for The Great Society and Dino Valenti at Mother's |
November 5, 1965 Mother's, San Francisco, CA: Great Society/Dino Valente (Friday)
The San Francisco music scene was rapidly changing, although it wasn't yet obvious. The main nightlife district was on Broadway, just between the Financial District and North Beach. Broadway was the home of City Lights Books, and had numerous jazz and cabaret clubs. By 1965 it had gotten considerably sleazier, and its main feature was clubs featuring topless dancers. DJ Tom Donahue had opened the "psychedelic" nightclub called Mother's, at 430 Broadway. It had fantastic murals on the walls, a light show, and nearly nude dancers doing their thing. Yet there weren't really any bands to play the appropriate music for that kind of club. They had gotten Lovin' Spoonful back in August, on their way up, but there just weren't that many such bands around.
November 5 was the beginning of a month-long residency by The Great Society, joined by folk singer Dino Valenti. Valenti was a legendary Greenwich Village folkie character whose career had been undermined by some drug busts. He had to sell the rights to his song "Get Together" to make bail, a decision that would come back to bite him. In any case, Valenti was busted again on a probation violation partway through the booking. Great Society apparently completed the month. According to Jerry Garcia, the Warlocks auditioned for the gig at Mothers, but lost out to the Great Society.
 |
| SF Chronicle ad November 5, 1965 |
For this Friday's Jefferson Airplane show, they shared the bill with a Bossa Nova group. Brazilian music had been hip and popular in the early 1960s, so performing along with a folk-rock group was not the stretch it would become in less than a year.
[During this period], Permit and license issues related to rear exit access through a very narrow alley to Pixley Street [behind the club] restricted the Matrix to being used for rehearsals during the day (with a maximum number of people present), and allowing for hoots and only non-paid performances during many of the planned King Pleasure, Jim Young Quartet and Peter Ind shows during a two week run in November 1965 - as such most were "postponed". However Peter Ind had details of and recalled playing some of these dates at the Matrix with the Mystery Trend and Jefferson Airplane. Three Mystery Trend shows are known - and four Jefferson Airplane dates. He said the final week of the planned shows did happen. Tip jar only for these shows. Marty Balin said that there were also restrictions on the number of people allowed in for a week or two.
November 6, 1965 Calliope Ballroom, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/The Fugs/Sandy Bull/John Handy Quintet/The Committee/Lawrence Ferlinghetti/others (Saturday) Benefit for The San Francisco Mime Troupe.
The first Mime Troupe Benefit was another seminal, seismic event in San Francisco rock history. The San Francisco Mime Troupe, founded in 1959, performed fun, ribald, overtly political theater in halls and public parks around the Bay Area. They were part of the loose underground scene that included The Committee, folk musicians and others outside the mainstream. Rennie Davis, the Troupe's founder, had been indicted for performing in the park without a permit.
The Troupe's business manager, a Hungarian immigrant born Wolodia Grajonca, had escaped the Holocaust and managed to emigrate to New York, where he had changed his name to Bill Graham. After some time as a struggling actor, Graham had come to San Francisco, where he became the Troupe's business manager. It was up to Graham to organize a Benefit to fund the Mime Troupe's legal bills.
Various underground factions came together to support the Mime Troupe, including Jefferson Airplane. There were folk and jazz musicians, Beat poets and The Committee. The event was held at a loft at 924 Howard Street (at 5th), temporarily dubbed the Calliope Ballroom. A surprisingly large crowd was there, and those who attended recalled not only a fun event, but a warm feeling of community from the hitherto disparate groups of fans.
The packed event raised $4200, the equivalent of $41,000 today. More importantly, the ambitious Graham, struggling with the anti-capitalist bent of the Mime Troupe, figured out that he was on to something.
 |
| The Mothers, led by Frank Zappa (MGM would not add "Of Invention" until the next year), headlined the third Family Dog dance at Longshoreman's Hall on November 6 |
November 6, 1965 Longshoreman's Hall, San Francisco, CA: The Mothers/The Charlatans (Saturday) A Tribute To Ming The Merciless (Saturday) MC: Don Sturdy
Meanwhile, over at Longshoreman's Hall, just 2 miles North of Howard and 5th, the Family Dog held their third event. This one didn't go as well. Some local greasers showed up and hassled some of the mellower hippies and it wasn't such a good scene. Of course, headliner Frank Zappa, unphased, made fun of the toughs while The Mothers cranked out the blues, although it's unlikely the crowd noticed. In any case, the Musicians Union had heard about the Family Dog and was sniffing around, and maybe things weren't so copascetic. Founder Luria Castell thought it a good idea to go to sunny Mexico, leaving the Family Dog in the hands of a Texas transplant named Chet Helms.
MC Don Sturdy was a leading member of The Committee. In a subsequent decade, he became better known as Howard Hesseman, the star of the CBS-TV series WKRP In Cincinnati. As for Ming The Merciless, he had been introduced in a Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934, and as the Emperor of the Planet Mongo, had status as an eternal villain. This was another "Pop Culture" reference, although no such term existed at the time.
November 19-20, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Peter Ind (Friday-Saturday)November 26-27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Peter Ind (Friday-Saturday)
By the end of October, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen had signed a management contract with Matthew Katz. Jack Casady and Signe Anderson, however, were both holdouts to signing with him. Tamarkin discusses this interesting, muddy topic in great detail but it is outside my scope to go into it here.
December 4, 1965 San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA: Rolling Stones (Saturday)
December 5, 1965 Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA: Bob Dylan (Sunday)
The weekend of December 3-5, 1965 was a seminal rock 'n' roll weekend in the Bay Area. Bob Dylan and The Hawks played Friday and Saturday at Berkeley Community Theater, and Sunday at the Masonic in the City. Dylan began each night's show with a solo set, and then The Hawks--with Levon Helm still on drums--joined him for an electric set. Highway 61 Revisited, released in August, was Dylan's current album.
Meanwhile, on Saturday (December 4), the Rolling Stones played two shows at the 3,000 seat San Jose Civic Auditorium. Their current album was December's Children, and the band was riding high on the #1 hit "Get Off Of My Cloud." Even now, if the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were playing the Bay Area on the same weekend, it would be a big deal, but this was 1965, when both were still just reaching their peaks.
I don't think Jefferson Airplane played Friday, December 3 at The Matrix, as the venue had no ads or listings, and Ross' data doesn't indicate anything for the weekend.
December 4, 1965, house, San Jose, CA: Acid Test with The Grateful Dead (Saturday)Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, meanwhile, had migrated from Menlo Park to Soquel, near Santa Cruz. The previous weekend they had held a giant party with films, music and still-legal LSD. They had called it an "Acid Test," and about 60 friends and curious locals dropped by. The next weekend, they had an Acid Test at someone's house in downtown San Jose (at 43 S. 5th Street, now the site of City Hall). They passed out flyers at the Rolling Stones concert, hoping some Stones would drop by. They didn't. But a writer for the Daily Cal named Jann Wenner checked it out. He mentioned a band called the Grateful Dead that were playing in one of the rooms.
The Grateful Dead had just changed their name from the Warlocks. Jerry Garcia had been a friend of Jorma and Paul Kantner from the South Bay folk circuit, and Garcia had "gone electric" around the same time as Jefferson Airplane.
The house where the San Jose Acid Test was held remains intact, but it has been moved to 635 James Street (it can be seen at Google Street View here).
 |
| SF Examiner Ad for Sunday, December 5, 1965 |
December 10, 1965 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Great Society/Grateful Dead/John Handy Quintet/Mystery Trend/Gentlemen’s Band/Warlocks/Vipers (Friday)
After the hugely successful Mime Troupe benefit, Bill Graham produced another one. This time he rented the Fillmore Auditorium, at 1805 Geary Blvd (at Fillmore St). The Fillmore had opened in 1912 as Majestic Hall. After some name changes, it had become the Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. By the 1960s, the lease was held by Charles Sullivan, one of the most successful promoters of African-American popular music on the West Coast. Artists like BB King and James Brown had regularly played for Sullivan at the Fillmore and his other West Coast venues. The Fillmore officially held about 1300, but way more than that had (and would) be crammed in there on various nights.
This benefit showed how rapidly Bill Graham picked up on trends. The first benefit had Beat Poets and folk musicians, along with rock and jazz groups. The December had more rock groups, and some R&B, but no folk and no poetry on the bill. Popular jazz man John Handy was booked, but apparently had a huge argument with Bill Graham before the show--he was not the last to have one--and did not play in the end. Jefferson Airplane were just under Handy in the billing, Great Society was there, a hip local band called The Mystery Trend was on the bill and there was Sam Thomas and The Gentleman's Band bringing some R&B.
Ralph Gleason enthusiastically reviewed the event on December 13, praising the well-behaved crowd and the dancing. He noted the Warlocks (even though they had changed their name to the Grateful Dead), as well as a Palo Alto band called The Vipers. Rock and roll was the order of the day. Folk music and poetry was last year's news.
December 11, 1965 Muir Beach Acid Test, Muir Beach Lodge, Muir Beach, CA: Acid Test with the Grateful Dead (Saturday)
The Grateful Dead followed up their first meeting with Bill Graham at the Fillmore--he hated their name change, having thought he had booked The Warlocks--with another Acid Test in the wilds of Western Marin.
December 11, 1965 Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA: Bob Dylan (Saturday)
Bob Dylan returned to the Masonic Auditorium on Saturday night, having played Long Beach and San Diego in between. The Masonic was on Nob Hill (at 1111 California), and had opened in 1958. It had a capacity of 3,481. It is a nice hall, but in my experience the acoustics are not good for electric music.
December 12, 1965 San Jose Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA: Bob Dylan (Sunday)
If any fans had been too busy seeing Jefferson Airplane, the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead, and has missed Bob Dylan, they got another chance on Sunday night in San Jose. What a week.
Signe Anderson and Jack Casady had finally signed management contracts with Matthew Katz, and Jefferson Airplane began their recording career in Los Angeles at RCA Studios at 6363 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, with Dave Hassinger as engineer. They recorded "Runnin' Round This World" and "It's Alright," neither of which would end up on their debut album ("Runnin' Round This World" would end up the b-side of their first single). Once again, Tamarkin's book is the gold standard for the story of the recording, but it is too far outside the scope of this blog post.
 |
| SF Examiner ad, December 29. 1965 |
December 29-31 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/The Charlatans (Dec 31 only) (Wednesday-Friday)
Jefferson Airplane had not yet played The Matrix in December, as it was functionally closed. It was re-open by year's end, however. So their re-appearance at The Matrix for three nights was significant, probably why the Matrix advertised "Jefferson Airplane is back."
There are no eyewitness reports of Jefferson Airplanes' New Year's Eve show at the Matrix in 1965. Of course, Jefferson Airplane played New Year's Eve at the Fillmore in 1966, and Winterland in '67 and '69, and there's no eyewitness account of either of those events either. Hmmm--why do you think no one remembers? Still, everybody probably had a really good time. A really, really good time.
 |
| "It's No Secret," Jefferson Airplane's first single, was released by RCA in early 1966 |
Jefferson Airplane Status Report, New Year's 1965-66
At the beginning of 1965, the listening public had no concept of "Folk-Rock." By the end of the year, The Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful were competing with the Beatles on the radio, and Bob Dylan had an electric band. Marty Balin and Paul Kantner had seen it coming, and had conquered San Francisco right when the record companies came hunting. Thanks to the prescience of opening The Matrix, Jefferson Airplane were star attractions in San Francisco before almost anyone had heard them. RCA Records had signed Elvis back in '56, and in '66 Jefferson Airplane was the company's first rock band.
After sorting out their lineup, Jefferson Airplane were establishing themselves as live performers in San Francisco, exactly when San Francisco was about to become the nexus of live rock music. 1965 had been a great year for Jefferson Airplane, but it was nothing compared to what was to come.
Jefferson Airplane Concert History January-June 1966 [forthcoming]
Jefferson Airplane Concert History January-April 1966 [Airplane II-2009]
Jefferson Airplane Concert History October-December 1969 [Airplane IX-2009] |
| An ad from the August 12, 1965 SF Chronicle portends the coming of The Matrix |
Appendix: Matrix Shows, August-December 1965
In his role as archivist for The Matrix, Ross Hannan constructed a detailed log of every known show at The Matrix from 1965 through its closure in 1971. His sources included newspaper ads, the memories of people who were there and some account books that detailed who got paid. I was fortunate to get a copy of his log in 2022. Since Ross died on 9 November 2024--date noted English style, as Ross would insist--I am making part of it available here. I have included a few comments from Ross' log, but I have generally not repeated what I included in the text above.
The Matrix Performance List: August 13-December 31, 1965
August 13-15, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Friday-Sunday)
August 16, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot Night: Jefferson Airplane/unnamed band (Monday)
August 17, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Tuesday)
August 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Peter Ind/Jefferson Airplane (Wednesday)
August 19, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Thursday)
August 20-21, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts (Friday/Saturday)
August 22, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Byron Walls & Howard Albertson (Sunday)
August 23, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
August 24, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot/Peter Ind/Steve Talbot (Tuesday)
Guitarist Steve Talbot was the friend of Jorma's who had dubbed him "Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane"
August 25, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Wednesday)
August 26, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Thursday)
August 27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss/Peter Ind (Friday)
August 28, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss/Peter Ind/Jean Ball (Saturday)
August 29, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Sunday)
August 30, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
August 31, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Tuesday)
September 1, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airpane/JC Burriss (Wednesday)
September 2, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Thursday)
September 3, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Friday)
September 4, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Saturday)
September 5, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Sunday)
September 6, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
September 7, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Tuesday)
September 8-9, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burriss (Wednesday-Thursday)
September 10-11, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Friday-Saturday)
September 12, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jim Smith (Sunday)
Presumably Jim Smith was a folksinger, but I have no information about him and (by virtue of his name) he is ungooglable.
September 13, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
September 14-15, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Tuesday-Wednesday)
September 16, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/JC Burris (Thursday)
September 17, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane (Friday)
September 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Jean Ball/others (Saturday)
September 19, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Billy Roberts (Sunday)
September 20, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
September 21, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Lightnin' Hopkins (Tuesday) JCB no show
Per scholar Bruno Ceriotti, Lightnin' was joined on a few songs by bassist Martin Beard and drummer Norman Mayell, both later in Sopwith Camel.
September 22, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Lightnin' Hopkins/JC Burriss/Jean Ball (Wednesday)
Jefferson Airplane canceled--they were recording a demo for Columbia
September 23-26, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Lightnin' Hopkins or JC Burris (Thursday-Sunday)
September 27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
September 28-30, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Billy Roberts/Jean Ball (Tuesday-Thursday)
October 1, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Lightnin' Hopkins/Jefferson Airplane/Jean Ball (Friday)
October 2, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Lightnin' Hopkins/Jefferson Airplane/Jean Ball/JC Burriss (Saturday)
October 3, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: JC Burriss/Jean Ball (Sunday)
Lightnin' Hopkins was booked but did not play, as he was recording in Los Angeles for the next few days.
October 4, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
October 5-7, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: The Charlatans/George Cordoba (Tuesday-Thursday)
October 8-10, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: The Charlatans/Jefferson Airplane/George Cordoba (Friday-Sunday)
October 11, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot with Jean Ball (Monday)
October 12-14, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/George Cordoba (Tuesday-Thursday)
October 15, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/Jefferson Airplane/George Cordoba (Friday)
October 16-17, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/George Cordoba (Saturday-Sunday)
October 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
October 19-21, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/Jean Ball (Tuesday-Thursday)
October 22, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Larry Hankin/Jefferson Airplane (Friday)
 |
| The Mystery Trend were one of the first underground San Francisco bands, along with Jefferson Airplane. The quartet played moody, jangly rock, not at all based on folk music. They only released a 1967 single on Verve. In 1999, Big Beat Records released So Glad I Found You, a collection of demos and live material from the band. |
October 23, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Mystery Trend/Larry Hankin (Saturday)
Mystery Trend were one of the earliest of the SF underground bands. They played jangly, droning songs, not at all the bluesy folk-rock of their peers. Mystery Trend were fronted by guitarist Ron Nagle, later well-known as a sculptor. The Mystery Trend did release a single on Verve in 1967 before they broke up ("Johnny Was A Good Boy").
October 24, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jean Ball/Jim Smith (Sunday) Larry Hankin cxld
October 25, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot with Ro Wills/others (Monday)
October 26-27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Mystery Trend/Jean Ball (Tuesday-Wednesday)
October 28-30, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Caco Velho Do Brazil/Mystery Trend (Thursday-Saturday)
October 31, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Caco Velho Do Brazil/Mystery Trend/Jean Ball (Sunday)
November 1, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
November 2-4, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Caco Velho Do Brazil/Mystery Trend (Tuesday-Thursday)
November 5, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Caco Velho Do Brazil/Mystery Trend (Friday)
November 6-7, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Caco Velho Do Brazil/Mystery Trend (Saturday-Sunday)
November 8, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
November 9-10, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Mystery Trend (Tuesday-Wednesday)
November 11-13, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Mystery Trend/Peter Ind (Thursday-Saturday)
As noted above, permit and license issues related to rear exit access through a very narrow alley to Pixley Street restricted the Matrix to being used for rehearsals during the day (with a maximum number of people present), and allowing for hoots and only non-paid performances during many of the planned King Pleasure, Jim Young Quartet and Peter Ind shows during a two week run in November 1965 - as such, most were "postponed".
However Peter Ind had details of and recalled playing some of these dates at the Matrix with the Mystery Trend and Jefferson Airplane. Three Mystery Trend shows are known, as well as four Jefferson Airplane dates. Ind said that the final week of the planned shows did happen (Tip jar only for these shows). Marty Balin said that there were also restrictions on the number of people allowed in for a week or two.
The Matrix was likely closed November 14-17.
 |
| Sandy Bull's debut album was Fantasia, on Vanguard in 1963 |
November 18, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Sandy Bull/Peter Ind (Thursday)
Sandy Bull (1941-2001) had moved from Greenwich Village to San Francisco around 1963 (his roommate was Hamza Al Din). Bull played guitar and other stringed instruments, and he played instrumental music, sometimes accompanied by a tape recorder and some effects. His long solo pieces were precursors of the psychedelic sound to come, even though Bull mostly played acoustic. Ind recalled sitting in for part of Sandy Bull's show.
November 19-20, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Peter Ind (Friday-Saturday)
November 21, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: King Pleasure/Jim Young Quartet/Peter Ind (Sunday)
King Pleasure had been booked for November 19-20, but had canceled or was bumped for Jefferson Airplane. King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks) was a jazz vocalist who specialized in "vocalese," scat singing jazz instrumental solos.
 |
| Jym Young's Puzzle Box, by the San Francisco Avantgarde, was recorded in San Francisco in 1966. It was only released on German Polydor in 1967. Young went on to play organ for Boz Scaggs, the Steve Miller Band and many other rock bands. |
Jim Young was a jazz pianist, who would release a 1967 trio album called Puzzle Box, credited to Jym Young's San Francisco Avantgarde. By the 1970s, usually as Joachim (or Jymm) Young, he played organ for local rock acts like Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller, among many others. In fact, Young played one of the most familiar organ licks of the 1970s. If someone says "Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping/Into the future," those swirling Hammond notes that automatically play in your head are Young's.November 22, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
November 23-25, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: King Pleasure/Jim Young Quartet/Peter Ind (Tuesday-Thursday)
November 26-27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Peter Ind (Friday-Saturday)
 |
| The Warlocks on stage at the In Room in Belmont, September 1965. Although this promotional photo was taken with the lights on, the In Room photos are the only pictures of the Warlocks with their stage gear. The drum kit was painted by Garcia's housemate, artist and banjo legend Rick Shubb. |
November 29, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: The Warlocks/Hoot (Monday)
The Warlocks appearance would not have been advertised, besides perhaps a sign on the box office. Per the restrictions, it's unlikely many attended.
 |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service, probably from early 1967. From L: David Freiberg, Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore, John Cippolina, Jimmy Murray. |
November 30-December 2, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Vulcan (Tuesday-Thursday)
This was the early, embryonic version of Quicksilver Messenger Service. They did not have a name yet, and were probably on the marquee as "Vulcan." At this time, the band was a quintet. There were three guitarists (John Cipollina, Jimmy Murray and Gary Duncan), but they did not have enough guitars, so the players (including bassist David Freiberg) alternated instruments depending on who was singing lead. Ross noted:
QMS rehearsed at the Matrix in September, October and November and they played mid-week at some point in November or December (probably as Vulcan). An early list of Matrix shows identifies them playing as Vulcan but there has been no confirmation. [Drummer] Greg Elmore had said the first few shows were at the Matrix like the rehearsals, but he did not have dates at all. Marty Balin recalled the rehearsals but not any evening performances - but it was 50 years after the fact
December 6, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
December 8, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead (Wednesday)
Ross noted "Owsley has agreed that there was a Wednesday show at the Matrix in December 1965. Later he denied the Grateful Dead ever played the Matrix (may be a different Wednesday in December - but this seems most likely - probably billed as the Warlocks)." Keep in mind that Owsley did not meet the members of the Grateful Dead until December 18, at the Palo Alto Acid Test. The circumstances were probably similar to the event in November, no publicity, no admission charged and thus just a tiny crowd of friends and fellow hipsters.
December 13, 20, 27, 1965 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Hoot (Monday)
There were likely some hoots and perhaps some informal gigs in December, but The Matrix was effectively closed until New Year's Eve.
December 29-31 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/The Charlatans (Dec 31 only) (Wednesday-Friday)
For a complete list of Matrix shows, see Ross' earlier list here
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment