The Peabody Band
Archives
This CD captures the Peabody Band at the height of their swinging, funky, whimsical, eclectic power. Recorded live at SUNY/Binghamton in 1977, with bonus studio tracks. A must-have for any fan of the Ithaca scene and era!
The Peabody Band, with the Zobo Funn Band, were at the core of a unique community of creative musicians and artists in a remarkable place and time. Zobo arrived in Ithaca in 1973, the Peabody Band in 1974. The bands became and remain good friends, two sides of an original Ithaca music coin, and a rousing late hurrah for the counterculture that ran right up to the sea change in the music business marked by the launch of MTV and the digital age in the early 1980s.
The Peabs were hippies—they dressed freaky, lived communally (at least for a while) and wrote groovy tunes that told fanciful tales. Like Zobo, they were committed to the creative process, rehearsing constantly and playing original music exclusively. Both bands blossomed creatively in Ithaca and played the New York circuit. The mission was to produce meaningful work, apparently without concern about attracting a mass audience. Complex musical arrangements might have benefited from editing—songs with three solos might have been better off with only one. But the music was magical and somehow spiritually pure, attracting a dedicated tribe of swirling dancers to every show.
The vast catalog of songs generated by Daniel J. Speer for the Peabody Band and others is, in my opinion, as rich and deserving of recognition as those of songwriting icons Bob Dylan or Elvis Costello. Speer contributed the majority of songs to the band’s repertoire, often singing lead and playing his unique style of guitar. Vocalist Jill Ganon was Danny’s ideal foil, delivering his stories with pitch-perfect affect. The Aceto brothers, all versatile multi-instrumentalists, consummate sidemen and soloists, contributed immeasurably to the band’s sound. Drummer/percussionists Sadkin and Sammo found the perfect groove, light in touch, funky and dynamic. Chris Broadwell’s tunes always delivered a solid hook, accessible and right on the money.
By 1981 Harry and Chris had left Ithaca, and the ZFB had broken up. Zobo drummer Mike Wellen and I joined Danny, Jill, Robby, Eric and bassist Geoff Sacco in what became Sinbad. Danny went on to lead the band called Pirates and numerous other projects, releasing several CDs. Nearly all of the 14+ players from the two seminal bands continued as professional musicians, appearing with countless bands and on dozens of albums, but our phenomenal scene was over. It’s hard to believe 30 years have passed—thank you for helping us all to remember what a fine time it was.
David Arnay (producer)
Rock: Folk Rock