Jan & Dean — Blog City

ARTIEKORNFELD-WOODSTOCK.COM

“I will probably call 32 times today. The Jan Tribute made a tear or two come to these eyes that have seen soooo much.”

Artie Kornfeld
Co-Writer of “Dead Man’s Curve”

2009 is a big year for our friend, Artie. It’s the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, and a number of projects are in the works.

Barbara Koppel is producing a brand new documentary that will air on VH1 in August . . . and a new DVD set on the Woodstock film (which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1970) will also be out in August.

The Woodstock DVD will feature many extras; and Artie says that he and co-producer Michael Lang were blown away by the new treatment of the film.

Adam Pally will portray Artie in director Ang Lee’s new comedy, Taking Woodstock, due out this summer. It’s a film about Elliott Tiber’s role in helping the Woodstock producers secure Max Yasgur’s farm for the concert in 1969.

To cap everything off, Artie is putting the finishing touches on his new memoir, Spirit of the Woodstock Nation. The book covers Artie’s life and career leading up to Woodstock and its aftermath.

Encomium co-producer Mark Moore has read a draft of the manuscript, and is assisting Artie with the editorial process. — (Originally Posted March 9, 2009)

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GENESCULATTI.COM — DJ Gene Sculatti (Vic Tripp) will play a track from Encomium on his radio show Atomic Cocktail — from Luxuriamusic.com.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
6:00-7:00 p.m. (Pacific) . . . 9:00-10:00 p.m. (Eastern).

Tune in online . . .

Gene is a rock journalist and veteran writer for Mojo, Crawdaddy, Creem, and the Los Angeles Times.

Gene has also worked for Warner Bros. Records, Billboard magazine, and Ice magazine.

His published books include The Catalog of Cool and 100 Best Selling Albums of the ’60s.

Gene’s liner notes include albums by Madonna, Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Harper’s Bizarre, Leslie Gore, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. — (Originally Posted February 10, 2009)

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DR. DON ALTFELD

“I spent hours and hours listening to your masterpiece [Encomium] . . . and want you to be certain that I really appreciated what you’ve done to honor Jan.

Hearing those songs really took me back to the days . . . and you should be really proud of the excellent job that you’ve done.

Thank you so much for bringing Jan back . . . or more precisely ‘re-invigorating’ Jan and his tremendous contribution to music.”

Don Altfeld
January 19, 2009

As a friend and co-songwriter, Don Altfeld was at Jan Berry’s side from the very beginning. Jan and Don wrote a lot of material together — from Jan & Arnie in 1958, through the early phase of Jan & Dean, to some of the duo’s biggest hits and best album cuts in the ’60s.

Some of Don’s writing credits with Jan include: “Gas Money” (Jan & Arnie), “Jeanette, Get Your Hair Done,” “She’s My Summer Girl,” “The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena),” “My Mighty G.T.O.,” “Bucket T,” “It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3,” “Anaheim, Azusa …,” “A Surfer’s Dream,” “Freeweay Flyer,” “It’s A Shame To Say Goodbye,” and “Batman” (among others).

Don also co-wrote the entire Jan & Dean Meet Batman album (1966) with Jan Berry, Fred Wieder, Jill Gibson, and George Tipton.

PHOTO: Don Altfeld (right) with fellow medical student Vic Amira, at the penthouse apartment they both shared with Jan Berry in the early ’60s. Photo by Jill Gibson. — (Originally Posted January 19, 2009)

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THETIMEMACHINE.FM — Hau’oli Makahiki Hou !

Air talent Michael McCartney has been spinning Encomium from the Paradise of Hawaii.

So far, he’s aired “She’s My Summer Girl,” “Anaheim, Azusa” (Tripsitter), “I Found A Girl,” “Ace of Hearts” (Vic Diaz of the Matadors), and “It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3″ (Lisa Mychols).

Says Michael: “Those are the ones that have been played so far a few times . . . Other DJs have been spinning what they want to in addition to those songs so we don’t keep track of those extra spins. :=) . . . KEAO FM and KPMW so far . . . It sounds sooooooo great on the air.”

Encomium made The Time Machine’s Most Played Albums of 2008.

Broadcasting from Paradise online and on the following radio stations . . . KEAO / KONI / KPMW / KTOH . . . The Time Machine is a radio program that uses a nonsense name as an excuse in order to play music from all over the musical spectrum. The show plays a lot of new stuff in addition to covering over 70 years of POP sounds.

Visit The Time Machine Website, and check out the amazing array of guest artists that have appeared on the show . . . and be sure to tune in each Saturday.

At Left: Michael McCartney with Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, who rang in the New Year of 2009 with a concert on Oahu . . . Photo courtesy of Jay Roach. — (Originally Published January 8, 2009)

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SHINDIG-MAGAZINE.COM — The current print edition of Shindig! magazine (January-February 2009) features a half-page piece on Encomium.

It’s a review of the album followed by Pat Curran’s Q&A with co-producer Mark Moore.

Shindig! is published in the UK (London, England), and is available in the U.S. via Barnes & Noble bookstores. —

Here it is in PDF format:

Pat Curran talks with album co-producer and Jan Berry biographer Mark A. Moore.

(Originally Posted January 19, 2009)

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SHINDIG-MAGAZINE.COM

Produced by Jan Berry’s biographer Mark A. Moore and Cameron Michael Parkes and featuring a plethora of Jan and Dean cohorts like PF Sloan, Vic Diaz (Matadors), Jill Gibson, Mike Deasy, David Marks, Don Grady (Yellow Balloon) and Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson band) and Lisa Mychols this is a wonderful tribute to the late singer.

Based on the original versions arranged and produced by Jan and transcribed from his personal music scores the intention is to illustrate how good Jan’s arrangements were and to inspire listeners to re-examine the original recordings.

Eschewing the big hits in favour of more complex tracks like ‘Anaheim Azusa’ etc., and ‘When It’s Over’ and post crash tracks from the unreleased ‘Carnival Of Sound’ this is a wonderful album. Containing three previously unreleased songs and audio snippets of Jan with Arnie in the garage and in the studio, this is essential for all fans of Jan and Dean.

Pat Curran

Shindig! Magazine
Vol. 2, No. 8 — January-February 2009
London, England

(Originally Posted December 19, 2008)

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NUSHUMUSIC.COM — Nushu are Lisa Mychols (left) and Hillary Burton. They offer fun power pop reminiscent of the Go-Go’s and the Bangles.

On Encomium, Lisa — called a “primo pop princess” by Creem Magazine — sings lead on “It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3.”

Nushu’s album is entitled Nevermind Lullabye.

Below are a couple of videos featuring our ladies singing acoustic versions of their songs “PopSound” and “Spill.” Dig how the tiger matches the couch . . . or maybe it’s the other way around !

You can hear studio versions of these songs on Nushu’s Download Page.

See Also: LISA MYCHOLS

PopSound:

NUSHUMUSIC.COM — Nushu are Lisa Mychols (left) and Hillary Burton. They offer fun power pop reminiscent of the Go-Go’s and the Bangles.

On Encomium, Lisa — called a “primo pop princess” by Creem Magazine — sings lead on “It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3.”

Nushu’s album is entitled Nevermind Lullabye.

Below are a couple of videos featuring our ladies singing acoustic versions of their songs “PopSound” and “Spill.” Dig how the tiger matches the couch . . . or maybe it’s the other way around !

You can hear studio versions of these songs on Nushu’s Download Page.

See Also: LISA MYCHOLS

PopSound:

Spill:

(Origianlly Posted December 17, 2008)

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POP GARDEN RADIO — DJ Adam Waltemire played two tracks from Encomium on Pop Garden Radio, November 29, 2008.

“It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3″ (Lisa Mychols) and “Anaheim, Azusa” (Tripsitter) were featured on the show, along with music from other great artists such as the Smithereens, the Wondermints, Ben Folds, the Rubinoos, Fountains of Wayne, Michael Carpenter, Jeffrey Foskett, Cheap Trick, Tony Rivers & the Castaways, and many others.

Pop Garden Radio airs on WMEL AM 1300 from Cocoa Beach-Melbourne — the Space Coast of Florida. — (Originally Posted November 30, 2008)

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MEDLEYVILLE.US — “He knew how to produce records very well. He had a very strong spirit for recording music. He was a great producer.”

When no less an authority on making records as Brian Wilson spoke those words, he was paying tribute not only to a dear friend and respected contemporary, but to a man whose contributions to the creation of American West Coast music is somehow seldom ever given [its] rightful place alongside the achievements of, say, Phil Spector or Wilson himself.

Wilson was speaking, as he often does, of Jan Berry, whom as half of Jan and Dean (with Dean Torrence) was churning out hits back when those Beach Boys were still learning to blend voices in their parents’ Hawthorne, Calif., garage.

Tragically, however, at the absolute peak of his powers and fame in 1966 – just as he was poised to create even more ambitious sounds that very year of Pet Sounds and Spector’s “River Deep, Mountain High” – Berry, like the protagonist of his own song “Dead Man’s Curve,” suffered severe injuries in a horrific car accident that left him in various stages of debilitation for the remainder of his life.

Now, thanks to the Berry-knowledgeable team of producers Cameron Michael Parkes and Mark A. Moore, those sounds are finally being exhumed, replenished, and lovingly created anew across Encomium In Memoriam Vol. 1, a collection of fresh recordings mixed with vintage Jan and Dean session snippets that far transcends the slapdash retread ethos of your typical neighborhood-indie-band “tribute” album.

Read the full article at Medleyville.

Gary Pig Gold is a renowned Rock journalist and musician, founder of the Pig Paper (1975), the infamous “Pigshit” column, and To M’Lou Music.

Gary has written, performed, and produced for groups such as Simply Saucer, Dave Rave Conspiracy, Alex Chilton, Ghost Rockets, and The Masticators, among others. — (Originally Posted November 27, 2008)

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ARTIE KORNFELD

Jan Berry was a great friend and a wonderful man to share an apartment with. My first hit ["I Adore Him"] was written with Jan . . . many more. He was without a doubt a prince amongst men. I miss him greatly. He was one of the important points in my life that led, by example, to my creating Woodstock in 1969. I dedicate all my 100 plus platinum albums to my dear friend forever, JAN BERRY. PEACE JAN. Your pal,

ARTIE KORNFELD
October 18, 2008

In 1963, Artie Kornfeld was one of Jan Berry’s main sonwriting collaborators. As writers for Screen Gems, they co-wrote “I Adore Him,” a Top-30 hit by The Angels (Smash Records, #25 Billboard, #23 Cash Box).

Jan and Artie also co-wrote “Come On Let Yourself Go,” Parts 1 & 2 (Colpix, 1963) for The Matadors — a trio that also sang harmonies on Jan & Dean’s early Screen Gems era recordings — and “Judy Loves Me” for Johnny Crawford (Del-Fi, #95 Billboard, 1964).

Jan and Artie penned “Drag Strip Girl” and “Hot Stocker,” two cuts from Jan & Dean’s 1963 Drag City LP (#22 Billboard, #17 Cash Box); and they co-wrote the Top-10 blockbuster “Dead Man’s Curve” with Brian Wilson and Roger Christian.

When he was working with Jan in 1963, Artie lived with Jan and Jill Gibson, and Jan’s fellow medical students Don Altfeld and Vic Amira. They had a big penthouse apartment on Occidental Avenue near downtown Los Angeles. Jan’s piano was front and center in the living room; and the roommates brought the beach to their patio, with the help of about 200 pounds of sand.

Artie went on to write and produce for many other artists, and was director of A&R for Mercury Records, and a vice president at Capitol Records.

With Michael Lang, John Roberts, and Joel Rosenman, Artie produced the historic Woodstock Festival in 1969. (The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, An Aquarian Exposition, August 15-17, 1969, Bethel, New York).

SOME OF ARTIE’S MANY MUSIC CREDITS INCLUDE:

The Shirelles — “Tonight You’re Gonna Fall In Love With Me.” Co-writer with Toni Wine. Scepter, 1964 (#44 Cash Box, #57 Billboard).

Crispian St. Peters — “The Pied Piper.” Co-writer with Steve Duboff. Jamie, 1966 (#4 Billboard, #4 Cash Box).

The Cowsills — “The Rain, The Park & Other Things.” Co-writer with Steve Duboff. MGM, 1967 (#1 Cash Box, #2 Billboard).

The Cowsills — The Cowsills LP. Producer and co-writer. MGM, 1967 (#31 Billboard).

The Cowsills — “We Can Fly.” Co-writer with Steve Duboff, Bill Cowsill, and Bob Cowsill. MGM, 1968 (#17 Cash Box, #21 Billboard).

Bert Sommer — “We’re All Playing in the Same Band.” Producer. Eleuthera, 1970 (#48 Billboard, #59 Cash Box).

Bert Sommer — Inside Bert Sommer LP. Producer. Eleuthera, 1970.

The Bangles — “How Is the Air Up There?” Co-writer with Steve Duboff. I.R.S., 1982.

Survivor — Manager and creative director. “Take You On A Saturday.” Co-produder. B-side of the #1 smash “Eye of the Tiger” (from the motion picture Rocky III). Scotti Brothers, 1982.

Felony — “The Fanatic.” Associate Producer. Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1983. (#42 Billboard, #56 Cash Box). — (Originally Posted November 23, 2008)

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