I just found out: Ian Whitcomb has passed, on 4/19/20...

His song, “You Turn Me On” reached #8 on the Billboard charts in 1965.

Back around 1995 or so, I was part of a large dinner group, somewhere around 20 plus people, that, after leaving the restaurant we had dinner in, relocated to my house in Sierra Madre, CA.

One of our fellow diners was Ian Whitcomb, who, accompanying himself on ukelele, performed and told stories for almost an hour in my living room.

It was one of the top 5 most memorable experiences of my life!

RIP, Ian.

"See How We Are" by X...

"Sickness & Death" by Scott Thomas Lowe & Atascadero...

...which was the first band I was in, way back in 1978.

When we would play live (mostly around the Los Angeles area), I would be seated at a table in the club, and when the lead guitar solo started, I would leap up on the stage, grab the vocal mic and start ranting and raving about nuclear war, pollution, overdosing on drugs - whatever I felt like in the moment. Eventually the audience understood it was all part of the show.

I thought it would make a good "pandemic song," so here it is:

Sickness & Death - recorded in 1979 (link to mp3)

Also, here's a flyer for a live show in Hollywood back in '78.



I'm on the far left, Dewey Martin (Buffalo Springfield drummer and Atascadero's first drummer) is 6th from the left, striking a goofy pose, and Scott, the songwriter and lead singer, is 2nd from the right, behind me.