COVENSTEAD - AL


.	.		.	.

.
.

The Jesse Caine Band
1974
Dighton, Massachusetts

Joey Parent - guitar
Les Brown - bass
Frank Costa - drums
Al Tavers - lead vocals (later), keyboards (upright acoustic piano, Hohner organ)
Mark Mendonca - lead vocals (initially) *

* Mark later formed "Vengeance" with excellent area guitarist/ vocalist Dave McCarron - these guys stayed together, musically, for quite some time thereafter. They formed another band, "Bo Hunter" I think their name was - it's been MANY years now, so I'm not positive that was the exact name - but they were quite successful, locally, for a number of years. Area bassist Barry Johnson played with them a lot, over the years. Barry, Mark and I (Al) all went to grade school together. I'm not sure how Mark met Dave - he lived on the other end of town, when I met him later on - in high school, thru Mark's knowing him - but he and Mark had been friends for a long time, too. I never did get to hear their other band, because both they and we were always gigging - but I DO distinctly remember, just sitting here now and thinking about it - that I used to be driving home from either practice (in North Carver) or from a gig somewhere out that way, and I'd go past this club which (used to be?) on Rt 44 - and their name would be on the sign out front. This was when I was singing in "Riff Raff" - the late 70s. Yeah - I'd see their name a lot too, at that time.

(both Bob Moltedo and Darryl "Strawberry Fields" also played bass on occasion)

Both of these guys were hot shits. Bob lived right down the street from me, and was a good friend of Joey's. I remember that those guys used to love Rolling Rock. We all did, I guess. haha Bob had a really nice van, I remember. Kewl guy, really. Quiet-mannered. But then he'd say something which would really crack us all up.

Darryl was really kewl, too. I forget where the hell he was from, now - Attleboro, I think - but I'd run into him now and then, for years later, too. He had the most adorable daughter, Sarah. Wow - it's scary to think that she may very well have kids WHO HAVE KIDS now... Darryl was, well - psychadelic (sp?) I guess you might say. I like that in a person. haha One hell of a bass player.

Anyhow, I'm not too clear now on the chain of events - but, we finally got Les, as our bass player. Les also lived just down the street from me. My cousins, Lois and Linda, went to school with him - and I'm pretty sure that I'd at least heard of/ knew of him, even BEFORE I met Joe and Frank. The 3 of them had already been in a band together, and all went to school together, down here. (I finished at Taunton High, even though I lived here during my senior year). I forget the name of that band, but Mark was actually the one who had introduced me to those guys - even though I knew people who knew them, and even though I had spent a good part of growing up, down here.

Classification: Hard Rock/ Progressive Rock - Covers & Originals

Most Memorable Original Song: probably "The Prince Of Dilemma" (writer: Al)

Most Memorable Moment: Battle of the Bands at Beckwith in Rehoboth-
        we did a searing version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll"
        which pretty much blew the (somewhat "sheltered"?)audience away - they knew that this was going to be someone new coming onto the local scene, I think - that's the feeling I got that night - and it was the first time I'd had that feeling - I never knew it, that I had it in me to sing like that. Those guys were the ones to encourage me, initially;throwing the handcuffs out the truck window; drinking Rolling Rock beer; Joe breaking the dog's leg (accidentally) from playing withhim too hard; Al's driving through a blinding snowstorm all theway to Boston to see Deep Purple and Nazareth with Les; freezingat winter practices in the Dighton garage; sweating to death
        at summer practices in the Dighton garage; Grandma always coming
        out to the garage to listen to us - and being so encouraging;
        Al dancing around and jumping up and down with Josh (his dog) when
        he'd just come out of the shower and suddenly heard DJ Billy Lincolnstein
        play his solo material "Dreams" and "Scorpio Suite, Part 13" on WBRU radio -
        getting lots of phone calls and positive feedback about that; Al performing
        "It Isn't Me" on Community Auditions - getting lots of phone calls/
        positive feedback

"Warped In Space And Time" excerpt

Seafire
1975
Dighton, MA & Riverside, RI

Mike McGuire - bass
Glen McPhearson - guitar
Bob Stozz - drums
Al Tavers - keyboards (piano, Hammond X5 organ w/ Leslie 910, ARP Odyssey
synthesizer, Univox echoplex unit); lead vocals

Classification: Hard Rock/ Progressive Rock - Covers & Originals
Most Memorable Song: "Seafire," and "Sons And Daughters" (both: Al)
Most Memorable Moment: party performance of The Who's "Behind Blue
Eyes" and also the Summer's End Keg Party at Rick Bacon's house;
the never-ending ballad of Jayne & Gene ... (haha) just kidding

Blackstone Union
1976
Berkley, MA & Tiverton, RI

Rob Boudoin - vocals, flute, keyboards
Steve Boudoin - guitar, vocals
Ray Boudoin - drums
Mike Tinkham - guitar, vocals
Al Tavers - keyboards (piano, Hammond X5 organ w/ Leslie 910, ARP Odyssey
synthesizer, Univox echoplex unit); vocals

Classification: Hard, Soft, Southern, and Progressive Rock

Most Memorable Song: "Berkley" (writers: Boudoin brothers)

Most Memorable Moment: Smashing the mirrors on stage after our
        performance at the Silvia's field in Dighton, just for the hell
        of it; Al's getting in the cop's face, singing - a blaring
       rendition of Zep's "The Rover," who was trying
        to tell the band to turn down (or stop) at an outdoor party at
        Jack and Eunice's in Berkley; Mikey's T's; general debauchery
        and carefree gypsy-like lifestyle; the Tall Ships Bicentennial
        visit to Newport, RI; hangin at "The Common;" hangin down at
        "The Neck" (Assonet Neck); Teddy and Keith; Rob and Betty;
        Chris; Kevin G.; the vans; Fogland; The 4th of July UFO at Profile Rock

Four of Us Plus
1977
Taunton, Massachusetts

Rene and Fred Cormier - horns, percussion, vocals
Steve ? - bass, vocals
George ? - drums
Al Tavers - keyboards (piano, Hammond X5 organ w/ Leslie 910, ARP Odyssey
synthesizer, Univox echoplex unit); lead and backing vocals

Classification: General Business band which played wedding receptions, formal events

Most Memorable Song: "Teen Lover" (Al)

Most Memorable Moment: "Nadia's Theme" on the grand piano at Ames Memorial
        Hall in Easton, MA., for the state police Christmas Ball - the
        crowd went bananas (this tune is also known as "Cotton's Dream"
        and is from the 70's movie "Bless The Beasts and The Children" and
        it has also been used as the theme for the afternoon soap opera
        "The Young and The Restless" for MANY years now) ; when
        Al had a little too much to drink (Singapore Slings) at a State
        Police Ball event, and after the gig went around just a bit
        too cheerily from table to table asking everyone if they had a
        good time; Aste Spumanti as a regular thing ... Ah, the joys of
        youth !!! Playing all the way down in Truro...

Duel
Late Autumn 1977 / Early Winter 1978
Dighton & Taunton, MA

Terry Bradley - acoustic guitars, vocals
Al Tavers - keyboards (piano, Hammond X5 organ w/ Leslie 910, ARP Odyssey
synthesizer, Univox echoplex unit); vocals

Classification: Folk and Psychedelic Progressive Rock - Original

Most Memorable Songs: "Canada Land," "With The Wind" (Terry)
"Make Me A Star," (Al) "Warped In Space And Time Suite" (Terry & Al)

Most Memorable Moment: Recording in the garage in Dighton -
especially the incredibly kewl results of the ad-libbed "Warped..."

Riff Raff
1977 - 1979/80
North Carver, Massachusetts

Greg Ford - lead guitars
Doug Ford - rhythm guitars, vocals
Bob Geloran - bass, vocals
Rick Quirk - drums, vocals
Al Tavers - lead front vocals, synthesizers

Classification: Hard Rock and Popular Rock - Covers and Originals

Most Memorable Song: easily "She's So Young," (written by Al/ Greg/
Doug/ Rick/ Bobby) also "Take A Chance" ( Al/ Greg/ Doug)

Most Memorable Moment: MANY - Skinny-dipping with the setup crew
        and "groupies" in Robin's Pond behind the Casa Loma; when
        members of the Hell's Angels, Sidewinders, Bold Ones, and other
        motorcycle gangs were going to beat the shit out of a guy at
        their "Gathering of the Clans" cookout at Watson's Pond in
        Taunton because he kept harassing Al on stage; being the house
        band for weeks on end at the White Sands; ousting the house band
        "Southern Comfort" (who we did really like, incidentally) from
        the Casa Loma when we just about started playing out; perhaps
        best of all though was when the Riot Control showed up at a party
        in Plymouth with full riot regalia: dogs, riot masks & clubs,
        guns, paddy wagon, the whole nine yards; When the owner of the
        White Sands, Bob (God rest his soul) used to yell, "OK people -
        motel time...!" at the end of every night; "Muth" (Greg and
        Doug's mother - God rest her soul) always coming to see the band
        and in general being very supportive of our endeavor; going to
        the "Angel" concert together; backing STEPPENWOLF in concert;
        when Al got the idea of dressing more like Jethro Tull's Ian
        Anderson, or like Queen's Freddie Mercury - namely
        the "TIGHTS" - and putting these on in the backstage dressing
        area, Greg's girlfriend Louanne and Doug's wife, Diane started
        cracking up because you could see everything right through them
        when they stretched after putting them on; some guy heckling Al
        at the Casa Loma saying, "I like your shirt, cutie ..." and
        Ricky's brothers - who helped the band a lot and basically were
        our bouncers all the time - kept asking if I/we wanted him thrown
        out (like they were just dying to - hahaha); hanging with Keith;