A
lot has been said about the past Champaign-Urbana, Illinois music
scene. To a person, everyone who has witnessed or participated in it
over the years agrees that it was, at one time, magical. Stories abound
of music seven nights a week from a core group of clubs with bands
playing three to four sets a night and then supporting each another on
their off nights.
The genesis of that fabled time seems to be 1979. REO Speedwagon was
already long gone from town and on the cusp of becoming superstars. The
Elvis Brothers and The Vertebrats were to come. Bands like The Farmboys,
Bowery Boys, Titanic Love Affair, Honcho Overload, Hum, Poster Children
and Mother were a distant dream. Yet, one group rose to the top and led
the charge—The Rave.
Known for their creative marketing, The Rave existed for only three
years, but was recognized as a crowd favorite and a local musical force.
“Our roadies were psychotic … or maybe driven is a better word,” said
singer/guitarist/resident jester Herbert “Herbie” Tareyton.
“They would hit campus town at 5 a.m. and just plaster the place with
our fliers … and people kept them. It got the point where the local
radio station [WPGU] recognized a good thing and asked us if we would
promote the station on our fliers in exchange for radio support. That
was a huge win for us and really helped us increase our visibility.”
In 1979, at the height of their powers, the band decided to record a performance at their home away from home, The Red Lion.
“We
somehow secured a one-inch reel-to-reel 8-track recorder,” said Herbie.
“We didn’t really know what we were doing, but it seemed better than
putting a couple mics on the crowd and recording to a cassette deck.”
And, as they say, history was made … but not immediately.
The band never did anything with the tapes, and after they parted
company in 1981, the tapes ended up in the hands of someone not even
associated with the band. In 2006, a concert was organized to remember
The Red Lion. The Rave reunited and performed for the first time in 25
years. Following that performance, drummer Tommy Domino opened a dialog
with his compadres about doing something more … and it all revolved
around the missing tapes.
It took some time, but the tapes were located, and as word spread excitement and support started to build.
“We talked to Mark Rubel [Pogo Studios] about how to play the
tapes—no one had a machine,” said Herbie. “We found out that even Mark
didn’t have one, and if you’ve ever been to Pogo, that’s somethin’. Mark
has everything you’d ever need or want in terms of recording gear. But
he assured us that knew lots of people and he located a machine …
actually had it shipped in from Chicago or someplace.”
And then the magic happened. The tracks were painstakingly brought
back to life after nearly 30 years of lying dormant and unheard. In
actuality, the entire project was untested. The band wasn’t sure about
the quality of the performance on the tapes or even whether or not
anything could be salvaged after so long. What they heard was
monumental, a fully preserved time capsule from 1979.
“The live stuff has the emotion and the energy and all that stuff you
hear people talk about,” Herbie enthused. “It really was an event. That
night was a very special night, and the fact that we taped it was just
kind of serendipitous.”
Champaign
label Parasol Records was soon on board, and the set is now available
on CD and as a digital download: 14 power-pop tracks, mostly original,
with two Talking Heads covers. It’s a gem of a package and an all-out
great live album. To get a little mushy, I would say it’s a must-have
for anyone who was there to witness The Rave in all their glory; anyone
who has heard the stories about this fabled music scene; power pop fans
in general; or even the mildly curious music aficionado. It really does
have something for everyone … a top notch, energetic performance; an
over-the-top audience; humorous banter and more.
And the impact of making these songs available after all this time is
not lost, at least on one person. In the bigger picture, this music
shines a light on that magical time and gives a peek back in time to
when live music, at its core, was cherished and supported.
“Back then, if you liked live music, Champaign, Illinois was the
place to be,” recalled Herbie. “I can’t imagine many towns its size
having that many outlets for live music every night of the week. If you
wanted to go out on a Monday night and see a band, you could. It was an
amazing time, and I’m so fortunate that I was able to be around and
experience it.”