The Stillroven
| The Stillroven | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Robbinsdale, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1965-1969 |
| Labels | Falcon, August, A&M |
| Past members |
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The Stillroven were an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis, who were active in the between 1965-1969. They enjoyed local success, but relocated in hopes of reaching a wider audience. They played for a short time in Tucson, Arizona, but then moved their base of operations for to Denver, Colorado, and were briefly signed there to A&M Records, recording an unreleased album for the label. They eventually traveled to Washington, DC and New York City to secure another recording arrangement that never materialized. In the intervening years since their breakup in 1969, the group's work has become well-regarded amongst garage rock and psychedelic enthusiasts and has been included on various re-issues and compilations.
The Stillroven was founded by students at Robbinsdale High School in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis in 1965 and was at first known as the Syndicate. Their original lineup consisted of John Howarth and Mark Moorhead on guitars, Rock Peterson on bass, Dave Dean on keyboards, and Phil Berdahl on drums. Lead vocals usually alternated between various band members. It was soon after Mark Moorhead departed in 1966 that the band decided to change their name to the Stillroven. They brought in Danny Kane on guitar as his replacement.
It was also at this time that they met local disc jockey Peter Huntington May who would become their manager and produce their records. In 1966 they went to a studio located in a basement to cut their first single, "She's My Woman" b/w their version of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," which was released on the Falcon label. Only 50 promotional copies were pressed for radio stations. However, their next single, cut at Dove Recording Studio in Bloomington, Minnesota, featured a raucous version of "Hey Joe" b/w "Sunny Day," and gained significantly more exposure than their first, becoming a hit in the Minneapolis area. The success of the single was not enough prevent Peterson and Kane from departing in 1967. They were replaced with Jim Larkin on rhythm guitar and Dave Berget on bass. Their next single, "Little Picture Playhouse" b/w "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone," displayed the hallucinogenic influence of psychedelia. The band opened for Sonny and Cher (though Cher could not attend due to an illness) at the Minneapolis Auditorium.
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