{"id":3221,"date":"2024-06-16T20:20:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T20:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=3221"},"modified":"2024-06-20T00:39:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T00:39:01","slug":"ftv-walrus-special-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=3221","title":{"rendered":"FTV: Walrus Special Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In several past <\/span>From the Vaults<\/span><\/i> I have talked about what a cool music town Marquette was to grow up in.\u00a0 Featured prominently in those memories was the band Walrus.\u00a0 I will come back to the mechanics of how guitarist Mike McKelvy and I reconnected in the next <\/span>FTV.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Mike sent me an extensive version of his band history and graciously gave me permission to print it in this space.\u00a0 Even if you are not familiar with the band, it is a fascinating journey from Mike\u2019s life as a high school rock and roller.\u00a0 Thank you to Mike and Randy Tessier for their recent contacts – what they told me filled in a lot of holes in what I thought I knew about their band.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>A\u00a0 HISTORY OF WALRUS \u00a0 (Revised and updated edition)\u00a0 \u00a0 By Mike McKelvy<\/span>\u00a0 Remember the song \u201cSmokin\u2019 in the Boy\u2019s Room\u201d? \u00a0 The original version was a hit for the Brownsville Station and was later covered successfully by Motley Crue.\u00a0 What is the connection to Walrus?\u00a0 The song was written and performed by Mike Koda, a great musician and entertainer, who attended NMU briefly in the late 60\u2019s and later went on to form Brownsville Station. He was really responsible for the roots of Walrus. While at Northern Koda performed with local musicians including Kim French, Les Ross, and Warren and Gordon MacDonald. \u00a0 In the spring of 1968, Koda formed The Mike Koda Corp. which featured Kim French, Les Ross, and myself.\u00a0 Kim and I were still in high school and Les was married with a family and had no desire to hit the road. He was soon replaced by Don Kuhli who was a freshman at NMU.\u00a0 At that point Koda had assembled 3 members of the future Walrus (Kim (bass),\u00a0 Don (drums),\u00a0 and myself (guitar). So thanks to Mike Koda (deceased), a huge influence on me, Kim, and Don and the Marquette music scene. The band played a few local gigs including the Venice in Ishpeming, the Baraga Dance, and several appearances at NMU.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In June of 1968, Mike Koda\u2019s father, a really nice guy who recognized his son\u2019s talent and supported his musical career, drove up to the U.P. from Manchester (near Ann Arbor) with a U-Haul trailer. The band moved to Manchester and lived and rehearsed in an empty office space below the Koda\u2019s apartment. During the summer of 1968 the band played a few local gigs while trying unsuccessfully to gain recognition.\u00a0 In the fall of 1968 Koda disbanded the group and a few years later formed Brownsville Station.\u00a0 Kim and I remained in Ann Arbor while Don returned to NMU.\u00a0 I survived by playing in \u201cThe Happiness Ticket\u201d, a U of M fraternity band. Koda was their original guitarist and passed the gig on to me.\u00a0 Thanks again Mike.\u00a0 Don eventually dropped out of Northern and returned to Ann Arbor to reunite with me and Kim. We formed a trio (Triad) and played one gig, a fraternity party,\u00a0 but we were lacking a strong vocalist.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In January 1969 Kim, Don, and I returned to Marquette and auditioned two vocalists. Randy Tessier and Bill Etten. Kim and I knew Randy from high school era musical projects and we were familiar with Bill who had been lead singer for The Henchmen. Although Kim, Don, and I liked the distinctive styles and personalities of both singers, we eventually decided on Bill.\u00a0 Randy would later resurface, but when Bill joined up with Kim, Don, and I, Walrus was born.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0During the winter and spring of 1969, Walrus played quite a bit around the U.P. (Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Manistique). \u00a0 There were numerous appearances at NMU which were often accompanied by the Left Banke Light Show.\u00a0 In October the band played what we thought was probably our farewell gig in the Great Lakes Rooms at NMU.\u00a0 I then followed my high school sweetheart, Tret Fure, to Berkeley.\u00a0 Don returned to Chicago to work at The Daily News, and Bill (now married ) and Kim remained in Marquette.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the spring of 1970 Don and I returned to Marquette from Chicago and Berkeley and Walrus came back to life.\u00a0 Don\u2019s job at the Daily News had enabled him to get a van for hauling gear. This was a truly exciting time for the band.\u00a0 John Metz and Randy Tessier were added on guitars making the band six piece (Etten, Kuhli, French, McKelvy, Tessier, Metz).\u00a0 Three guitars.\u00a0 I think we wanted to be Moby Grape or Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.\u00a0 We played a good set opening up for Savage Grace in the NMU Field House in May of 1970.\u00a0 The six piece band was short-lived however when Kim got married and moved downstate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At this point Randy switched to bass and the band was five-piece.\u00a0 That line up, (Etten, Metz, Kuhli, Tessier, McKelvy) was arguably the best version of Walrus creatively and personally.\u00a0 We flourished from the summer of 1970 through the summer of 1971.\u00a0 Several members of the band and friends and roadies (Nick Gualazzi, Bruce Strughold (deceased), and Nathaniel Luttenton (deceased)), along with manager Dave Perkins, lived on a farm in Sundell (about 20 miles from Marquette).\u00a0 We rehearsed in the barn and developed our repertoire with a growing emphasis on original material.\u00a0 In the winter we moved the gear into the house.\u00a0 We played a few gigs in Wisconsin and placed second in a huge Battle of the Bands in Duluth.\u00a0 Locally, we performed at NMU, the Clifton, Ishpeming Armory, Houghton, and the Marquette Armory.\u00a0 That five piece version of Walrus peaked out about May of 1971 when we opened for Richie Havens in the Field House at NMU.\u00a0 A packed house of enthusiastic friends and fans made the concert high energy and emotional, a sweet memory for everyone.\u00a0 The band members all met Richie, a really nice guy who was seen dancing to the music of Walrus before his stage appearance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the summer of 1971 we were introduced to a wild force of nature by the name of Walter \u201cMac\u201d McCracken, who I believe is now deceased.\u00a0 He was a good hearted but slightly whacked (mostly drug induced) Walrus fan who became our manager.\u00a0 He arranged a short downstate tour which included a Gordon\u2019s Creek Biker Festival and several gigs in the Saginaw area.\u00a0 We parted ways with Mac when he wanted to drive to New Orleans at 2:00 a.m. (high and no sleep) where he was convinced we would be able to appear the next day at The Festival of Life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Near the end of the summer of 1971 John Metz left the group due to musical differences. John was a good musician and a sweet guy with a great sense of humor who was well liked by all band members.\u00a0 He eventually moved to Wisconsin, had a long happy marriage, and was involved in a few musical projects there.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly a few years ago.\u00a0 He will be fondly remembered by Walrus and friends.\u00a0 John was a high school buddy of mine and we were arrested in Spring of 1967 outside Lambeau Field for being runaways from home.\u00a0 We spent the night in the Green Bay City jail and our fathers came to get us the next day. The reason we ran away (ages 16 and 17) was that our parents were going to break up our band because we had been caught drinking.\u00a0 So we were on our way to California with about ten dollars.\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 A few years before he died John and I reconnected and spent a few joyful hours on the phone.\u00a0 He reminded me that one night, about 1967, we were drunk after a gig in Ishpeming and we stole a car.\u00a0 I guess it was just a joy ride but I had completely forgotten about it until he mentioned it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> Fall of 1971 finds Walrus back to a four piece line up (Etten, Tessier, McKelvy, Kuhli).\u00a0 Alan Robertson was also added on guitar for a brief period.\u00a0 We continued our eclectic approach to music and experimented with our jazz influences and original acoustic songwriting.\u00a0 There were several successful concerts at the Church Theatre in Marquette.\u00a0 We added Mark Skubick (trombone) and Al Serran (tenor sax) when we opened up for Bob Seger and Teegarden and Van Winkle in the Field House. The band survived late 1971 and spring of 1972, including a jail term for Randy on a minor drug charge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In early summer of 1972, the band decided to move to Ann Arbor.\u00a0 Why Ann Arbor?\u00a0 Once again, Koda\u2019s influence played a part.\u00a0 While playing with Koda earlier, Kim, Don, and I fell in love with Ann Arbor and had made a few connections.\u00a0 We were also recognized by people from Ann Arbor, including John Sinclair\u2019s wife, for a solid performance at a Michigan Marijuana Initiative concert in Escanaba.\u00a0 The move seemed to be a pretty good fit for us.\u00a0 The four band members and Randy\u2019s wife Marcia moved into a house with only two bedrooms.\u00a0 We rehearsed in the basement (where I\u00a0 also lived)) and Bill turned a dining room into a bedroom.\u00a0 Walrus loved Ann Arbor and had some success for several years.\u00a0 We added Jim Bowers on sax and keyboards which made us a five piece and improved our sound tremendously.\u00a0 Jim was a really good musician and a beautiful person who was adored by everyone.\u00a0 Another friend and multi-talented Ann Arbor musician, Les Bloom, joined us part time on alto sax, flute, and clarinet.\u00a0 We played several concerts in the park for huge crowds and had steady gigs at the Odyssey, the Golden Falcon, and the Primo Show Bar.\u00a0 We also played The Blind Pig and The Ark and placed first in an Ypsilanti Battle of the Bands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The band also recorded a 45 rpm single (Delighted \/ Rape and Plunder) at Morgan Sound Studios in Ann Arbor.\u00a0 The session was engineered by Glenn Quackenbush, the organist for SRC, a popular Michigan band.\u00a0 We followed the 45 with a full album of 15 original tunes including several written with Marquette native Russ Fure.\u00a0 Les Bloom also contributed some great work on the project.\u00a0 Forgotten and left on the shelf, the album is somewhat unfocused and experimental and features music in many different styles and genres.\u00a0 It was recently (2019) released by Fervor Records.\u00a0 It only took 45 years to get a record deal.\u00a0 Individual cuts can be accessed on YouTube under Fervor Records \/ Walrus.\u00a0 Unable to obtain the success of our Michigan contemporaries Bob Seger, MC5, Grand Funk, Iggy, Amboy Dukes, The Frost, and SRC, (along with some personal conflicts), Walrus disbanded in the summer of 1974.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After a brief trip to California, I returned to Marquette and formed the band Punch with Bill. Don, Randy, and Jim remained in Ann Arbor and were involved in various musical projects including the jazz fusion group, Synergy, which also featured Les Bloom.\u00a0 In May and June of 1976 Walrus reunited for a total of four weeks at Scarlett O\u2019Hara\u2019s in Marquette. Kim returned on bass and Randy moved back to guitar.\u00a0 The band rehearsed in Big Bay and once again were best of friends, which showed in the music.\u00a0 To me, that particular and final line up (Etten, French, Kuhli, McKelvy, Tessier), would never sound quite that good again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 1977 I moved to L.A. and spent 8 years as the only white member of a 9 piece R&B\/Disco show band called Love Chain. They were excellent musicians who were more advanced than me so I went to Santa Monica College for two years to study music so I could keep up with them.\u00a0 I was recording, producing, songwriting, and working full time while trying to break into the music business.\u00a0 In 1985, I returned to Michigan to manage Studio Eight Recording Studio in Ishpeming.\u00a0 I went from R&B in South Central L.A. to the Country Tradition Band in Ishpeming, enjoying both worlds equally and happy that I was once again able to survive solely with music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Kuhli returned to Marquette from around 1977 until about 1983 when he moved back to Ann Arbor.\u00a0 Randy remained in Ann Arbor, got married again, had a couple kids, continued his education and is currently teaching English at U of M.\u00a0 He has continued to perform, record, and write music, and is a well known figure in the Ann Arbor music scene.\u00a0 His band Fubar became a popular local band.\u00a0 He also played bass for Michigan guitar hero George Bedard for many years and fronted a Joe Cocker Tribute band.\u00a0 Kim has played music in Ann Arbor, Marquette, and Florida, where he was a member of Bounty Hunter, a popular southern rock band.\u00a0 He is presently involved in several musical projects in Ann Arbor.\u00a0 In 1994 Kuhli moved to San Diego where he continued his education and became a music teacher in the public school system.\u00a0 Don, who is the most accomplished musician from Walrus, has been involved in symphonic work, musical theater, and big band jazz projects.\u00a0 He was recently selected to be the drummer for a Louis Belson tribute concert at San Diego State.\u00a0 Etten remained in Marquette where he has been involved in many musical projects including the bands ReEntry and Punch.\u00a0 In the late 80\u2019s he recorded a song at Studio Eight in Ishpeming which was released as a 45rpm record.\u00a0 \u201cWe Go Green Bay\u201d by Bill Etten and the Heritage Band became a regional hit in the U.P. and Wisconsin and can still be heard on the radio occasionally.\u00a0 Bill still has a great voice and remains active in the local music scene.\u00a0 He was recently inducted into the Marquette Music Scene Hall of Fame. He is also a retired State corrections officer.\u00a0 I have performed with numerous groups on cruise ships and on the casino\/dance hall circuit but in the last few years have developed a solo career as a keyboardist\/guitarist\/entertainer in Central Florida.\u00a0 After more than 50 years all members of Walrus continue to be involved in various musical projects and are in touch with each other on a regular basis. Playing music with people creates a mysterious and unique bond..<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 2000, Walrus held a reunion at The Village Pub and The Shamrock in Marquette.\u00a0 2001 brought the first of 4 successful appearances at Up Front and Co. in Marquette (2001, 2005, 2006. 2007).\u00a0 Ann Arbor keyboardist Andy Adamson joined the band for the 2005 gig. Marquette favorite Fast Eddie sat in with the band on harp for several of these gigs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the summer of 2013 Walrus was invited to perform at HarborFest in Marquette.\u00a0 This would be our farewell performance.\u00a0 Once again, Fast Eddie sat in with the band and we also joined Tret Fure for a few tunes.\u00a0 Good weather and a great turnout made the event a successful celebration for a group of talented Marquette-loving musicians and their loyal fans.\u00a0 In true Walrus tradition the city police showed up to shut us down because of a noise curfew, but the show was already over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Walrus was a product of the time and I don\u2019t believe anyone involved has any major regrets.\u00a0 Like any band or family, there have been disagreements, and occasional personality clashes, but we were always united musically and the good memories far outweigh the not so good.\u00a0 Walrus had their chance on the stage, and with a little more personal and musical maturity (and some luck), certainly had the potential to become a national act.\u00a0 Growing older just reinforces the feeling that it was all a great experience and a really good time being young, confident, occasionally reckless, and creative, doing what we love.\u00a0 Hopefully, we added some joy and a little spice to this crazy world.\u00a0 Walrus sends love and thanks, to all their fans, friends, and fellow musicians, for all their support through the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0January 13, 2022\u00a0 Our beloved brother in music Kim French passed away.\u00a0 Randy posted my Thoughts, Feelings, and Reflections about Kim on the Walrus Facebook page.\u00a0 Rest in peace Kim. We love you.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Top Piece Video – From the last official Walrus show at Marquette Harborfest . . .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In several past From the Vaults I have talked about what a cool music town Marquette was to grow up in.\u00a0 Featured prominently in those memories was the band Walrus.\u00a0 I will come back to the mechanics of how guitarist Mike McKelvy and I reconnected in the next FTV.\u00a0 Mike sent me an extensive version […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-local-music-news","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3221"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3226,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3221\/revisions\/3226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}