Iconic 1960’s era purveyors of psychedelia and more, The Strawberry Alarm Clock are one of this year’s headline performers at Tiki Oasis, taking place August 5 – 9 at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley. Best known for their #1 1967 hit, “Incense and Peppermints,” the band has been quite active over the past few years and in fact are currently promoting their brand-new album, Where’s One, out on CD and vinyl as well as digital platforms, via Big Stir Records. It’s a worthy addition to the band’s canon, with a strong first single, “Monsters.”
On Sunday, August 9, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Strawberry Alarm Clock will host a Record Release and signing party in the Town & Country Resorts Pacific Ballroom Foyer. The band will then perform at 7:45 p.m. as part of Tiki Oasis’ annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Party held in the Pacific Ballroom, it’s a terrific bill, emceed by Mike Stax, that also includes The Loons, The Pandoras, and DJ Tony the Tyger.
The band has been no stranger to San Diego over the decades, playing shows at the Community Concourse (01/20/1968) with The Brain Police, at the Street Scene Music Festival (September 7, 1990), at the Starlight Bowl (06/16/2001) as part of a festival celebrating 1960’s era bands (also on hand: Country Joe McDonald, Iron Butterfly and more), at the Adams Avenue Street Fair (September 29, 2012) and San Diego County Fair (July 2, 2018). They also took part in a television special, Love-In: A Musical Celebration, which was taped at the North Park Birch Theatre on September 6 – 9, 2007. Other guests included Ben Vereen, Peter & Gordon, Jesse Colin Young, Eric Johnson, and Earl Thomas.
Amazingly, the Strawberry Alarm Clock still contains five original members: Gene Gunnels (drums, percussion, vocals), Randy Seol (drums, vibes, percussion, vocals), Mark Weitz (keyboards, vocals), George Bunnell (bass, rhythm guitars, vocals), and Steve Bartek (guitars, flute, producer), joined by Howie Anderson (lead guitar, vocals) who has been aboard since 1986.
What’s the meaning of the new album’s title? “It’s kind of an inside musician’s joke,” said Weitz. “Where’s one is like, you know, when you’re counting a bar, it goes one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. When everybody’s playing and having too much fun, sometimes the “one” can change. It gets lost. So, Randy would yell out over the PA, “one,” when we were jamming or even on stage sometimes and he would put us back on track. So, when we were coming up with the name for the album, somehow we got into talking about the numbers on the clock. And where’s one became kind of a catchphrase. And then the next minute we knew, hey, let’s take the one off of the clock and make it kind of a double entendre.”
What inspired this new release? “Between our fans asking and the tunes we put together for live shows, we finally started thinking, you know, we might have enough here for an album,” said Seol. “We know our fans were wanting (a new album). But it’s difficult to afford it these days. It’s not like the record company just comes in and knocks it out for you. So, we pretty much took it on our own and started a GoFundMe. We decided “let’s make another album before it’s too late.”
Everyone agrees, the key to Where’s One’s success is down to Steve Bartek’s production, alongside his songwriting and playing. “I think Steve is the only person on the face of this earth that could pull this band together and produce us and get us to the point where we are today,” Weitz noted. “He and George grew up together. They wrote songs on the first album when he was 15 years old. And so, if anybody knows the band and what our limitations and what our aspirations are here, I think Steve does.”
With band members living around the country, the Strawberry Alarm Clock only gets together a few times a year. How difficult was it to get the album finished? “Well, it wasn’t being put together except for the last couple, two or three years,” Bartek said. “Before that, it was sporadic. We went in and recorded stuff. They went in and recorded stuff when I wasn’t available. And so, there were all these tracks lying around. (But then) George connected with Michael Stern for some studio time, and we went in and recorded four tunes. Suddenly it felt like it was a band. It was like the band (actually) recording as opposed to these other one-off tunes that we had (done) over the last 15 years. Suddenly we had four tunes that we had just recorded. And that got the ball rolling, where George forced me into being responsible. Once we knew it was a project, we went in and did the same process with Michael Stern and recorded four more. It took some inertia to get it finished.”
Playing live was the catalyst for the album’s recording. “Because at that point we’ve rehearsed, we’ve played. And after we did that, everybody decided it sounded good. We need to put it out,’ Bunell said. “You know, Gene is in Vegas and Randy is in Mexico. So, when we have a gig, we get together the week before and just, you know, whatever you want to call it. We cram. And we thought, okay, let’s go in the studio and lay all this down right now while we are hot on it. So that’s what we did.”
He notes there was a difference between the two main recording sessions. “The first recording of four songs, those we had been playing for the last five years. Okay. They’re written and the band had been playing them. And so, we’re ready to go. The next time we went in, we had four brand new songs that the band hadn’t played before. And so, it was a different experience.” Bunnell considers a slight preference for recording over performing. “We do like playing live,” he said. “It’s just, you know, it’s you play and then it’s gone. Whereas in the studio, you’re creating this thing that gets to live on.”
For his part, Anderson is happy to be in the studio and performing. This year the band’s newest member is celebrating four decades with the Strawberry Alarm Clock. How does he feel about being a part of such a legendary group? “It’s kind of surreal,” he said good naturedly. “Just addressing what’s gone on lately, to see everything come together and be, I don’t know how to say this, but like a real Strawberry Alarm Clock that’s creating and recording. And it’s had a big impact on me. It’s like, wow, I’m part of a band that has an album out. I held the album in my hands. It’s thrilling. As years have gone on the importance of being in this band has grown as opposed to, you know, going the other way.” Does everyone get along as well as it seems? “We do all get along,” Anderson continued. “We have little things here and there, but everybody does.”
How does the band feel about their legacy? “I think one of the most rewarding things is that there are still young people singing along with our songs and it is wonderful,” Anderson said. “It feels good to see an audience enjoying what had been developed way back then. For instance, when we played the Whiskey a Go-Go awhile back, the crowd in the front was very young, practically in their teens, waving our first album in the air and wanting us to sign it. They were mouthing every word to songs like “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow.” And so, we’re always really happy to see them and it really eggs us on and motivates us to keep doing what we’re doing.”
What’s it like working with Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko at Big Stir Records? “They’re great people,” Bunnell said. “All they care about is the musicians. They’re musician centric and their whole focus is to try to make something happen. We’re blessed in that department because we’re an indie rock band, right? That’s what they are. They’re an indie rock label. It’s a perfect marriage.”
What are the Strawberry Alarm Clocks hopes for Where’s One? “We really do hope that the album gets heard and gets out there and it’s recognized,” Seol said. “We’re hoping that people enjoy it and like it and so far, the reaction has been really great. You know, we’ve been real happy with it and I know that we tried hard,” he remarked. “I think we’re also hoping that we get the opportunity to do it again.”
https://strawberryalarmclock.com
