Gary Narducci

My Musical History

The one constant in all these bands is Gary Narducci The Count Downs and The Chymes (Same band, different musical style) 1963 – 1966 Late, 1963: Four guys from Johnson High School in St. Paul get together and form a new band, The Count Downs. The original lineup is: Gary Narducci (junior) on lead guitar and lead vocals; Ted Tollas (sophomore) on lead/rhythm guitar; Tom Casale (sophomore) on bass guitar; and Doug Meyer (freshman) on drums and lead vocals. The band plays instrumentals by The Ventures and also songs by Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys and other popular artists. The group plays high school dances in the St. Paul area, the East Side YMCA and the Lion’s Den in Maplewood. January, 1965: The band goes through some personnel changes and changes names to The Chymes. Gary comes up with the new band name, based on a song by The Byrds and Bob Dylan called “Chimes of Freedom”. The new lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar and lead vocals; Ted Tollas on lead/rhythm guitar and now also on lead vocals; Doug Meyer on drums. Ted gets drafted and is replaced by Jerome Goveronski on lead/rhythm guitar and Mark Zmuda on bass guitar. The band has a change in musical direction, influenced by the British Invasion and the new folk/pop music. The band’s song list now includes songs by The Beatles, The Kinks, The Searchers, The Byrds, The Turtles, The Bea Brummels and Buffalo Springfield. In addition to the high school dances and the east side venues where The Count Downs played, the band plays Bobby’s (upstairs), a teen club in Mendota Heights, various Union Musician Trust Benefits in hospitals and a private party in a banquet room in the basement of the Prom Ballroom on University Avenue. Summer, 1966: The Chymes break up and go their separate ways. 1966 – 1981 Fall, 1966: Gary Narducci, former band member with The Count Downs and The Chymes, from St. Paul, enters Anoka Ramsey Junior College in Circle Pines. Gary spots two students who appear to be musicians (based on their clothes and length of their hair): Bob Ebbert and Ron Farrell. Gary’s hunch is correct; they are members of a basement band called The Blueberry Patch. Gary joins the four members of the band and convinces them to change the band name to Stone Faces, to reflect the more progressive music of the times. The original lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Peter Graham on rhythm guitar; Don Colberg on bass guitar; Bob Ebbert on organ, lead and background vocals; and Ron Farrell on drums and lead vocals. Fall, 1966 – 1969: The band features three-part harmonies and plays cover songs by The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix., among others. Gary Narducci makes frequent phone calls to Dick Shapiro at Central Booking Agency, looking for band jobs. Through the booking agency, the band plays out state Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Western Wisconsin. Some of the venues include: the University of Minnesota Duluth; the Eveleth Armory; the Virginia Civic Arena; the Mayo Civic Auditorium and The Playmor Ballroom in Rochester; The Fargo/Moorhead Auditorium; Proach’s Popular Ballroom in Ellsworth, Wisconsin; The Turf Club in Holten, Wisconsin and various schools in Iowa. In town, the band performs at The Bel-Rae Ballroom in Mounds View; More Downstairs in downtown Minneapolis, the Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota and the New City Opera House, a teen club on Nicolette and Lake Street in Minneapolis (formerly Mister Lucky’s). The band goes into Universal Audio and record a number of original songs, including: “Singing was Easy” and “Tomorrow is another day”. In addition, the band records a cover version of “What’s Going On?” by Rory Gallagher. No records are released from this recording session. 1969 – 1970: Don Colberg leaves the band. The new lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Bob Ebbert on keyboards, lead and background, Ron Farrell on drums, lead and background vocals; Jeff Techler on bass guitar, lead and background vocals, Peter Graham on rhythm guitar. 1970 – 1975: Jeff Techler and Peter Grahan leave the band. The new lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Bob Ebbert on lead and background; Ron Farrell on drums, lead and background vocals; David Hix on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Joseph Aguirre on bass guitar, lead and background vocals. 1977 – 1978: Ron Farrell, Dave Hix and Joe Aguirre leave the band. Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Bob Ebbert on lead and background; Steve Winge on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Dan Dropik on bass guitar, background vocals; Peter Larson on drums, later replaced by Mark Pearson on drums. 1978-1979: Steve Winge, Dan Dropik and Mark Pearson leave the band. The new lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Bob Ebbert on lead and background vocals; Gary Hovey on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; David Olinger, Mark Anderson (Andy) on drums, later replaced by Mike (“Taco”) Velasquez on drums. 1979 -1981: Bob Ebbert, Gary Hovey and Mike Velasquez leave the band. The new lineup is: Gary Narducci on lead guitar, lead and background vocals; Dan Lipka on rhythm guitar, lead and background vocals; Rob Campbell on lead and background vocals, Mark Zmuda on bass guitar and background vocals; Mark Pearson on drums, marimba and background vocals. 1981: Clocking in with a run of 15 years Stone Faces come to an end. 1981 – The Present At the end of the run of the Stone Faces Gary starts doing jobbing gigs in various Metro area bands. He becomes the “go-to” guy because of his expansive repertoire of songs. The fact is he has been playing those songs since he was a teenager and virtually required little or no rehearsal. Among the bands Gary has performed with is The James Zackary Band, The Hot Half Dozen, Sneakers and Tight Shoes (currently known as Memphis), Bob and the Beachcombers, Fire and many more. He has done session work on recordings of friends whose work has virtually not seen the light of day. The only recording that has been available to the general public is one by Billy R. Rubble called the New Riverside Café. He played electric 12-sting on that recording. It is available at The Homestead Picking Parlor in the Richfield area of the Twin Cities. Gary currnently teaches guitar at a Minnesota music store called Schmitt Music. He has been teaching guitar since 1966.

Profile

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What is music to you? What does it give you?

Music speaks to me in every way. It changed my life for the better. I became more open, more friendly and outgoing.

What is your music dream?

I want to leave a legacy of my guitar playing.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

I would like to see the need for any and all war materials and war to be eradicated from the planet.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

Ghost Riders In The Sky.

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Jeff Beck , Ritchie Blackmore, The Beatles and The Yardbirds

What inspires you to make music?

I am literally learning something new about it every day.

What is the message you want to send with your music?

I love music, no other words are needed.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

I feel like I am alive.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

Too little pay for the work musicians do for their art. Take music out of the hands of corporate America and put it in the hands of the artists.

What do you think of Drooble?

It's nice to have a place to show off your art.

What frustrates you most as a musician?

Not being able to practice more and get better.

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

When I am not in a band I rarely go out to see other players because I would rather be on stage. I do like seeing my idols play live.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

What I believe would be highly criticized if I spoke the way I really feel. I see too much shredding and too little technique and taste. Also, when I go to see a good band I am not interested in them being slobs on or off stage.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

James C. Johnson - guitarist for Gypsy and a local Twin City band called the Underbeats.