There are far too many bands that pass our way that we forget to recall. In their time, they made have built rabid cult followings or contributed to the whole of rock in their own way, but they never made a big enough splash to preserve their memory. Just think about those ‘little’ bands that you adore and have been championing for years; there is lots and lots of music out there the masses has never and may never hear.
Kelakos is a band not so well known, but featured solid players with good singing voices who could certainly write a wide range of tunes. They get a 15-song airing on Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage 70s Rock Band. George Michael Kelakos Haberstroh, Mark Converse Sisson, Lincoln Palmer Bloomfield, Jr. and Carl Patrick Canedy formed Kelakos in the mid 70s in Massachusetts then rolled down to play New Jersey and Long Island before finally settling in Ithaca, NY as their base of operations. They released a single in 1976 and then the 11-song Gone Are The Days album in 1978.
Songs from that album, plus a few extras, are on Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage 70s Rock Band. The mix of songs consists of good time, easy rockin’ rollin’ pop alongside more intricate rock fusion workouts. So you get “Boogie Bad Express,” which is more aligned with fusion with “All You Need Is A Ticket,” one of the catchier songs that assures one that “All you need is a ticket and life can be a very fine time.”
“Funky Day” is a swampy mid-tempo mover suffering from a muddy low-end too prominent in the mix. Still, it showcases the solid double bass drum dexterity of Carl Canedy and some solid backing vocals from bassist Line Bloomfield underneath the lead vocals of George Haberstroh. Time and again, both Canedy and Bloomfield’s playing pushes these tunes to the fore. They are masterful players with Bloomfield especially able to play lead bass lines as well as just provide an unobtrusive yet effective rhythm.
“Frostbite Fantasy,” the instrumental heavy “Persephone’s Poison,” and the too-short funk of “Break of Day Coda” all showcase the band’s stellar musicianship. To be sure, at no time do the snyths get in the way, while the lyrics deal with good times and lost love, not prog rock fantasies. With Haberstroh’s soaring leads, Sisson’s rhythm guitar behind him, and that rhythm section in the pocket, we get some truly magical musical moments. The fact that the songs are written by different combinations of band members also adds an edge to the variety.
There are clear attempts at mellower pop songs with harmonies, clean lead playing, and even strings on “How Did You Get So Crazy” and “Change Your Mind.” The melodies are solid, even if the songs are forgettable. It wasn’t enough to keep Kelakos going, and the band’s players went on to bigger and better opportunities. Haberstroh continues to write and record original music; Canedy plays drums for heavy metal vets The Rods, and has also dabbled in production with such bands as Anthrax, Overkill, TT Quick, Exciter, and Possessed; Sisson became a sales professional and has played pedal steel on Haberstroh’s recordings; and Bloomfield went to work for the government, but has performed charity concerts with a band that includes other officials and guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan fame. As a whole, Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage 70s Rock Band is a fascinating peak into an American band few know of.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
