With their first release occurring in a year highlighted in many peoples' memories by protests against the Vietnam War and the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, the rock band Spirit has maintained its place in history as one of the most talented and creative acts to emerge from this turbulent era. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Bernice Pearl, mother of the late Spirit founder, Randy California, about an upcoming album featuring songs performed and recorded by Randy before his accidental death in early 1997.

The New Release
On half of the tracks of this long-awaited album, Randy not only composed the works but also played all the instruments. All of the tracks are previously unreleased. According to Bernice, "There are strong messages in all of the songs," which convey an optimism and hopefulness about life. This is a common echo heard  throughout the Spirit oeuvre and epitomized in the hit "Nature's Way." The new album will be distributed through the Internet by Indiespace.com (formerly known as Kspace.com). "Prophesy," possibly the last song Randy wrote, will appear on another CD to be released in the near future.

The Ash Grove
In the mid-'50s, Bernice's house on David Avenue near UCLA was the scene of regular Friday night hootenannys. Inspired by contacts with the talented musicians that took part in the informal gatherings, Bernice and her brother Ed Pearl found a deserted mattress factory on Melrose Avenue to use as a musical venue. They named it the Ash Grove, and it officially opened in July 1958. The Carter Family and Taj Mahal were just a couple of the early performers. Bernice reminisces, "It was wonderful. Off the back porches from the South, so many talented musicians passed through." Years later in Ojai, using the name Family Tree Productions (named in honor of the Ash Grove), Bernice produced monthly concerts -- which included performances by luminaries David Lindley, the Chambers Brothers, Doc Watson, and others.

How Spirit Was "Discovered"
The family was living on Bay Street in Santa Monica, and Randy had formed his own music group with a few friends.
(See http://indiespace.com/spirit for additional biographical info about Randy's New York experiences playing with Jimi Hendrix, who gave him the nickname Randy "California."). Randy (guitar), Ed Cassidy (drums), Jay Ferguson (vocals and tambourine), Matt Andes (bass), and John Locke (keyboard) began jamming together in Santa Monica. Curious about the interesting sounds he heard, neighbor Brian Berry (brother of Jan Berry of the group Jan & Dean) stopped by one day during a session. Brian knew producer Lou Adler, who ended up signing the band and releasing the first three Spirit albums on his Ode Records label. (It turned out that Bernice had gone to Hollenbeck Junior High School the same time as Lou!) The family was still living on Bay Street when "I've Got A Line On You" went to #1 on the charts. Randy's decision to name the band "Spirit" was influenced by a book he owned called Spirits Rebellious (by Khalil Gibran), which currently graces Bernice's bookshelf. Later, feeling screwed by the record labels, the band decided to do it all themselves and formed the independent record company W.E.R.C. C.R.E.W.

 

Bernice's Advice for Independents
"All the consolidation within the music industry is not a good sign for new bands. Go with your own label and do it yourself. Hire an attorney, a good manager, and have a strong belief in yourself and your music."  Recommended reading: "All You Need To Know About The Music Business," by Donald S. Passman