Text of Holy Modal Rounder entry from the "Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll"
Text of Holy Modal Rounder entry from the "Rolling Stone Encylcopedia of Rock and Roll"
The Holy Modal Rounders Formed 1963
Peter Stampfel (b. Oct. 29, 1938, Milwaukee, Wis.), banjo, fiddle, voc.; Steve Weber (b. June 22, 1942, Philadelphia, Pa.), gtr., voc.
The Holy Modal Rounders, a loose group centering on Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber, are gonzo traditionalists who mix folk and bluegrass tunes with their own bouncy, absurdist free associations. The Rounder's closest brush with commercial success came when their "If you Wanna be a Bird" appeared on the Easy Rider soundtrack, but such songs as "Boobs a Lot" and "My Mind Capsized" kept folk rock from taking itself too seriously. Stampfel was previously with groups like MacGrundy's Old Timey Wool Thumpers. He and Weber met in 1963 on the East Coast. They recorded albums for Prestige and then began working with the Fugs and contributed to the Fugs first record on the Broadside label. In 1965 the groups went their separate ways; Stampfel formed the Moray Eels, and Weber revived the Rounders moniker and added other musicians for the first time (including playwright Sam Shepard, who played drums and wrote songs) for Indian War Whoop on ESP. They also scored Shepard's play Operation Sidewinder. Around the same time, the group's freewheeling lineup included Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, later with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. In the early Seventies their Good Taste is Timeless, featuring "Boobs a Lot," got some FM airplay. Shortly thereafter, Fantasy Records released Stampfel and Weber, followed in 1976 by a reunion LP, Alleged in their Own Time, on Rounder Records (named in their honor). In late 1981, still folk-cult favorites, Stampfel and Weber did some East Coast dates as a duo to support Goin' Nowhere Fast, and Stampfel continued to appear around New York City with his group, the Bottlecaps. Stampfel now works in publishing in Manhattan and has recorded several albums with the DuTels and the Bottlecaps.
Holy Modal Rounders, vol. 1 (Prestige) 1964 - Vols. 1 and 2 available as one CD - with two more songs - on Fantasy
Holy Modal Rounders vol. 2 (Prestige) 1964 - Vols. 1 and 2 available as one CD - with two more songs - on Fantasy
Indian War Whoop (ESP) 1967
Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders (Elektra) 1969
Good Taste is Timeless (Metromedia) 1969
Stampfel and Weber (Fantasy) 1972
Alleged in Their Own Time (Rounder) 1976
Last Round (Adelphi Records) 1979 - reissued 2000 on CD with original liner notes, an update written by Peter Stampfel, lyrics, etc. Also, there are three tracks that didn't fit on the original record, including the classic Snappin' Pussy!
Goin' Nowhere Fast (Rounder) 1981
Too Much Fun - (Rounder) 1999
With Others:
With Michael Hurley and Jeff Fredericks / Clamtones: Have Moicy (Rounder) 1976 - available on CD
Rounders and others - I Make a Wish for a Potato (Rounder) 2001 - classic recordings from the Rounders, Hurley, Jeff Frederick, the Bottlecaps, and Have Moicy, some never before available on CD
The first couple of Fugs albums feature the Rounders
Peter Stampfel solo:
Peter Stampfel and the Bottlecaps (Rounder) 1986
Peoples Republic of Rock and Roll (Homestead) 1989
Steve Weber solo:
Aren't they gone yet? (reissued as "Are they gone yet?" - details?)
Note: Above Discography clearly incomplete; assistance needed
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Modified July, 2001