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Sound Tracks | Maypole City Paper, Baltimore, Maryland
by Tim Ellison
California reissue label Anopheles has just re-released a great hard-rock album from the following year by Charm City's own Maypole. Originally released on MGM subsidiary label Colossus, Maypole's only album would seem to have a fairly low profile as a psychedelic obscurity, but it turns out to be a surprisingly grand affair.
Rooted heavily in English rock of the era, Maypole nevertheless managed also to foreshadow certain strains of '70s pop rock. Group leader Dennis Tobell's (Demian Bell)songwriting is surprising in its consistently high inspiration throughout, including some long, involved tunes that have more to do with the burgeoning rock-opera aesthetic of the time--though The Real is itself not thematic--than with prog rock. Driven by adept and tough rhythm guitar, this all sounds like a strange accomplishment for a band with as minor a profile as Maypole's. The Real also evinces a certain wistful pathos that was possible with psychedelic music but perhaps ultimately only manifested itself in rare instances like The Notorious Byrd Brothers and the 13th Floor Elevators' Easter Everywhere.
Maypole - The Real
Clearspot
file under Prog/sympho metal
Evil Dr. Smith: Don't confuse this band with the recently folded hardcore band from Eindhoven, Holland. This band is an American band from the very early seventies. Their progressive seventies rock leans sometimes to pure traditional hard rock, but contains also the occasional psychedelic elements and in the vocal harmonies we can hear even Blood, Sweat & Tears and The Band. That gives this album a diverse sound, which is sometimes pretty raw, but in the next (part of the) song is almost sweet, slick and smooth. Not every song is a winner, but lead singer Demian Bell has an enjoyable timbre and even a better Fender (Telecaster). He sounds like he's the missing link between Jimi Hendrix and Frank Marino. This sole Maypole album was originally released on the tiny Colossus back in 1970, and will do about hundred bucks on eBay (sometimes even more than two hundred!). It was the very first full-length album from a white male band in Baltimore, but back then nobody knew, because there wasn't any information written on this album. Nobody knew who or what this band was.
We're 35 years further and a lot wiser, just like the Gear Fab, the record label that is specialised in reissuing extremely rare rock records from the late sixties, early seventies, and wrote an informative biography in the booklet. Two band members couldn't edit this text on type errors etc, one of them just passed away a few months before this re-release, but the three surviving band members don't have to be ashamed of what they've recorded, mixed and delivered to the record label within three days, 35 years ago. According to a very honest Demian it should have sound a lot harsher and harder, because due to lack of recording time it never got the sound what they had intended. The two added bonus tracks, recorded prior to the album songs, shows that Demian didn't talk nonsense: especially the furious rocking 'Who Was She' beats with aggressive freshness that makes Sir Lord Baltimore a Sissy Madame.

No film of the early Maypole is known to exist, so here is photo montage of the group.From 1969-1974

The Maypole-1971

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole_%28band%29

Wikipedia Link

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Notice: There are 4 other bands from 4 countries calling themselves Maypole... "WE ARE THE ORIGINAL MAYPOLE from 1970-Present". There are two others on MYSPACE, but they refuse to change their name. One from San Francisco and the others from Poland,Holland and Sweden. They weren't even sperm when we started our group!! These people have no respect and are not "The Real Maypole" I mean what's up with that?

Demian's guitar style has been compared to Jimi Hendrix,Frank Marino, and Carlos Santana. The reality is, that Demian was playing just as long as the afore mentioned players. His influences were what was going on around him. The hardships of his early life made him sensitive and thoughtful about life.He was run over by a bus in Baltimore when he was just 4 years old and suffered severe injuries. Long rehabilitation helped to build his concentration, endurance and his character. His ability to make his guitar sound in so many different ways is what made the guitar interesting for him. A way to express himself with no boundaries.He lives in Germany at the moment,where his new version of The Maypole is based.

The Original Members of Maypole:

Dennis Tobell- Under the stage name of Denny Romans, later to be known as Brian Romans, then Demian Bell. Principle writer and Lead Guitarist and Vocals. Born near Chicago, to a show business Father and Mother, grew up in Maryland, Ohio, and California. First started piano at age 7, then guitar at 13. First professional gig at 14, with 'The Rogues' at the Gold Horse Saloon in Folsom California. He was a member of 'The Moss' a Baltimore Blues band that won many competitions known as 'Battle of The Bands' at 15. He founded the 'Psychedelic Propellor' at 16, in Baltimore Md. Played with 'Van Morrison' and 'Moulty and the Barbarians' at 18 and 'Maypole' when 20, with Paul Welsh

Paul Welsh- Drummer and writer and co-founder with Dennis Tobell. Born in Frankfurt Germany, to a French mother and American father. Raised in Towson , Maryland. A brilliant student in History, Literature, Languages and music. His first love was music as he saw it, as a tremendous way to communicate with the masses. Playing drums since age 10, he first played with 'The Paupers', 'Daddy Warbucks'and then with 'Maypole' Paul commited suicide in 1988.

Steve Mace- Writer, singer and second guitarist. Born in Baltimore, raised in Towson , Paul and Steve were next door neighbors all their lives. He also was a member of the 'Paupers', 'Daddy Warbucks', before joining 'Maypole'

Kenny Ross- Singer, songwriter. Born in Baltimore and grew up in the Govans area of Baltimore. Kenny was also a member of 'The Paupers' with Paul and Steve. Kenny passed away in May 2005.

John Nickel- Bass Guitar was born in Baltimore, was from the Essex area of Baltimore, and played in many area bands before joining 'Maypole'.

The Story of Maypole Demian says 'Maypole' was about freedom, people being natural, true to themselves and the others around them. We told the truth about things and what we saw. The beauty, the ugliness, the injustice, of the times.The plight of hungry hearts on their journey seeking to find true happiness. Demian "Maypole was not a typical group. Our approach was artistic and on a spiritual level. We could give a hoot about making a hit single and even though they tried to push us to do it. It was the music we felt and believed in. We weren't concerned with song lengths and snappy hook lines , we were searching for a whole new way to express ourselves.We played with power and conviction, inside of many new styles. Some of these things are universal. Genres are nonsense. Music is music, and you'd be amazed at all the ways there are to play it. Why limit yourself? That's a form of slavery."

Demian is determined to carry on the legacy of Maypole. It has carried in many forms and with different people from many different places. But that's another story and now this was how Maypole began. . . . . .

Demian and Paul had met in 1966 while both playing on the same bill together in different bands at a local Baltimore teen center. Demian in the "Psychedelic Propellor" and Paul in "The Paupers". They liked each others playing, became friends, and had many occasions to talk about music and to jam together. In late 1969 after Demian returned from Boston, they decided to form a new group. They would call it "Maypole" after the famous story by Nathaniel Hawthorne called the "Maypole of Merry-Mount" which describes how some Puritans went off into the woods to erect a Maypole and danced around it in complete violation of the rules of the day. They were arrested and punished for the crime of dancing and basically having a good time. They saw the parallel to the times they were living and the principle of freedom that it represented.

They first practiced in John the bass players tiny bedroom, in his apartment of St. Paul St., in downtown Baltimore Maryland. The cops came almost everytime they rehearsed. They first recorded a demo in Washington, D.C. The place was terrible and in spite of the radio stations coming through their guitar pickups, they got the 4 songs needed, and waited to see what would happen. Their manager Pat came back to them in a couple of weeks and told them they had a deal with Colossus MGM records in New York. They had three days to complete the project. Pat would be the producer. He didn't know squat about producing a record. He had bragged that he would have a finished album on their desk in three days. Later we would find out the real reason. It allowed him to pocket the money budgeted for the recording sessions. Demian "The circumstances that occurred during the recording were, that Paul had contracted hepatitis, and was running a very high temperature (104 F)during the recording, but there was no way he was going to miss the session. He played the shit out of his drums nevertheless, and his performance still stands in my mind, as one of the highlights of the album.
I ended up having to do the entire mix in 8 hours." The first side of the album was recorded as one song and the music was recorded live with no overdubs whatsoever. The vocals were then overdubbed also live, with all the vocal parts at the same time. They did all of this in 19 hours. Demian used a 1953 Fender Telecaster with a Fender Twin Reverb Amp. A Vox tone bender to boost the gain and a hardly known thing at the time called a wha-wha pedal. He used it on "Stand Alone". Steve played a Les Paul Studio guitar with a Marshall amp. John used a Fender Precision with an old Ampeg bass amp, and Paul used a set that he had built with Ted's Drum shop in Baltimore. A 26" Bass drum and all over sized toms. Zildian Cymbals, all away around. A new concept in those days, quite common now.The studio was A&R Studios New York. Dave Green was the engineer. It was a recorded on an 8 track machine on what was in those days considered to be state of the art. Paul McCartney was recording his solo album "Ram" across the hall. He would pop his head in once in awhile and give encouragement.

Shortly after the session they fired their manager. It was released at the start of 1971. Their new managers were London Records promo men who knew how to get airplay and did a great job. The band did dozens of interviews on the air and played concerts to try and promote an album that had no company behind it. because Colossus went bankrupt.Without the support of a solvent record company the record could go no farther.They did several TV shows in the Baltimore Washington area. The high points were, that they could push any button on the car radio and a "Maypole" song was playing at the same time in the Baltimore, Washington, and Virginia area. The review by legendary record-rater Bill Gavin, spoke of a "Great Band". "The American Led Zeppelin"as he called them. Dave Marsh of "Rolling Stone Magazine" spoke well of their record. They did some local and national TV shows.They toured with Bob Seeger, Nils Lofgren and Grin, Elephant's Memory,and several other acts. There was no one to distribute the album. It showed up in cut-out bins years later.But the music refused to die. It became a collectable. Showing up in record collecting guides throughout the 80's and 90's Finally reaching upwards of $250.00 usd per copy on EBay,and finally got bootlegged by the notorious Radioactive Records in the UK.

Then he had a chance to re-issue the legal versions. In early 2006 it was released on Gear Fab on CD, and later in October 2006 on Anopheles on Clear Vinyl with the sound and artwork restored to better than original condition.

Demian said ''Never would we dream that all these years later, people would be so passionate about our record, collecting it and paying very high prices for it. It's a mind-blower''. Demian wants you all to know''We deeply appreciate the interest by our loyal fans. We worked very hard to write great music that would stand the test of time, and it looks like it has done it, so far. We thank you for this'' Paul Welsh took his own life in 1988, leaving behind a note, which said that "He was tired of all the assholes". Kenny Ross passed away in May 2005 from Liver Cancer.

There are only three of them left, John Nickel, Steve Mace and Dennis Tobell(Demian Bell) "The guys who made this music with me, are very special to me. We shared great and bad times.Some downright hard times. Even though the other guys have past from this life, I cherish their memory and their contribution to my music and my life. They were dedicated artists and musicians, their work deserves to live on, as I humbly wish mine to do. I want the people to know how special these times were, and the people who shared them with me." Demian "There is hardly a week or two goes by, that someone gets in touch with me and tells me how great they think the album is.This is a bittersweet victory for what we started and believed in all these years. Fate can be a very strange thing"

I started to play under the name of 'Demian Bell' these last 30 years, because of the contracts coming from the 'Maypole' era. I'm comfortable with that, I never liked the name Dennis for some reason anyway. My close friends call me Denny.I am still playing my music without compromise and with the same dedication and passion as always.

I feel I have grown tremendously over the years and I am better than ever at what I do. I hope you will check out my later work.

I reformed "Maypole" in 1974 with some of the original members and we recorded many songs for some years afterward, some of which are in pre-release mode and will be released, starting in the fall.

We play about 6 concerts a month, sometimes more in Europe these days, in Germany, Holland, Spain, and Switzerland, and we are expanding into other EU countries this winter''. I hope also to get back to the States before the end of the year, to do some concerts there. Ready to kick some ass!!
Come and visit my "Demian Bell & The Maypole Blues Band" site for lovers of Kick Ass Psychedelic Bluesrock at

www.myspace.com/demianbell

Link to our preview site of the new CD "Falling Angels"

coming in June on Gear Fab Records.

www.myspace.com/maypolebluesband

Visit My Film Music Site:

www.myspace.com/scorefilm