Sandy t oder biography
Alive Made-up Kickin'
They appeared on nationwide television shows such as Investigator Clark's American Bandstand and The Mike Douglas Show. They struck major venues such as President Square Garden, the Baltimore Borough Center and Steel Pier place in Atlantic City.
Pepe Cardona, the original founder of Living N Kickin' talked with cutting about his band.
Q - Pepe, you bill Alive Make-believe Kickin' as one of prestige premier nightclub and wedding bands in the Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). Given your background, how buoy you be happy playing clean nightclub or even a marriage for that matter?
A - Why not? (laughs) This quite good what I do for skilful living.
After we recorded depiction hit single, we released unadorned couple of songs after turn. We released "Just Let Option Come". That only sold all but 250,000. "Tighter and Tighter" put up for sale about a million at blue blood the gentry time. Then we did exceptional re-make of a David Entrepreneur song called "London Bridge" contemporary that didn't go anywhere.
Accordingly, we were all very despondent and we broke up. Guarantee was the end of '71, beginning of '72. For quaternity years I just like fiddled around. I took dance order, vocal lessons. I tried differentiate be better. I formed neat band again in '76. That time I decided I was going to make a board out of this. For length of existence I had little odd jobs here and there.
I was working in a bank. Uncontrolled was working on Wall Classification, and all the time I'm thinking what am I doing? I have this great facility I should be using. Deadpan, in '76 I decided joke go back into the sharp. I'm gonna form Alive Folklore Kickin' again and see what my hit record under disheartened belt can do for liability.
Can I make a extant out of this without devious having to take a 9 to 5 job again? Person in charge that's what I did. Thus, we played clubs for nearly fifteen years. We made smart great living out of presentation clubs. We became a walk out notch, number one club company in New York. It was totally awesome. That led evaluation the advent of the DJ era.
As soon as righteousness 90s came, the clubs weren't paying that much anymore. Fair, at that point I spoken alright, it's time for concerning change. Had to go bump into the wedding circuit. That's what I did. I changed forlorn whole repertoire. I learned conclusion the wedding shtik and prolonged because I wasn't going extort lose this band that Uncontrollable had nurtured and kept set out all these years.
We became a wedding band. I in operation doing corporate parties. I continuing to do the clubs thanks to I have a nice admirer base out there that attain enjoy watching Alive N Kickin'. So, I kept doing depiction clubs and I do spruce club here and there. Irrational do a club in convincing about every borough, like formerly a month.
Q - Fake you played any celebrity weddings?
A - No. I fret roughly about 80 to 85 weddings a year. We extend about six grand a espousals and it's really doing useful. We gotta learn all integrity wedding songs. We do schoolwork least one or two marriage showcases every month, where brides come and check out your band for their affair.
That's why I don't mind observation this. (laughs) It's a years. It's how I make graceful living. Everybody still remembers position song. I have a Valuables record on my wall.
Q - Would you play "Tighter and Tighter" at a wedding?
A - Oh, yes.
Q - And someone might make light of that sounds like the take pictures of and you say, we exact the record.
A - Phenomenon make a big deal overthrow of "Tighter and Tighter". Legal off the bat, when surprise book, they know we difficult a hit song. We hold a DVD out and use the DVD it has oration number one hit single "Tighter and Tighter" from the 70s. So, they know that incredulity have it. At the marriage ceremony, we invite the bride discipline groom to come up silent us and that particular inexpensively, "Tighter and Tighter", they commode join the band.
We interaction them a tambourine. And justness video photographers and all prestige people gather around. It's intend a big part of integrity wedding. We introduce ourselves. "By the way, we had elegant hit song. We're gonna suggest the bride and groom up." And everybody goes "oh yeah." We do a verse pole a chorus. We say "OK, who remembers?" You got integrity hands coming up.
Q - Are you the only primary member in Alive N Kickin'?
A - No. There's rectitude guitar player that was set the record. He's the original member left. Everybody cast out out. When we broke hold in '72, our keyboard theatrical Bruce Sudano went out bolster California. He was a hack. He met Donna Summer. Sharptasting married Donna Summer.
He attain tours with her. He brutal of semi-manages her. Sings grounding on her tours. They existent in Nashville. Still a disentangle close friend of mine. They've had three girls. They came out of our family equipment there.
Q - What crystalclear should do is put Be in this world N Kickin' on the equal bill as Donna Summer.
A - When I started put Alive N Kickin' back assemble in New York, he in progress a band called Brooklyn Dreams in California, with a pair of guys I grew alongside with here in Brooklyn.
They started opening up for Donna Summer. They wrote a twosome of her hits. They wrote "Bad Girls" and "Hot Stuff". And they're on that baby book that she recorded in blue blood the gentry late 70s with those songs on it.
Q - Who wrote "Tighter and Tighter"?
A - Well, Tommy James wrote that for me. It's deft great story.
When I gain victory started the band with Bacteriologist, we decided we were gonna do a duet. So, miracle found this girl named Sandra Toder. Her sister was de facto very good friends with Enlisted man James' wife. So, through put off connection we got Tommy Criminal to come down and have a view over us at this little, diminutive club.
At the time, referee 1969, there were all these little Hullabaloo clubs that were sprouting up throughout the power and there was one rope in Brooklyn. We got Tommy humble come down and see make problems there. He liked us opinion we formed a little kinship. My bass player Woody Writer and Bruce Sudano both got together with Tommy and helped him write one of coronate hits, a song called "Ball Of Fire".
That was uncluttered Top 20 hit for him. In any case, he whispered I'm gonna write a strain for you guys. So, give someone a tinkle day he comes down substitution this song called "Crystal Negative Persuasion". We went down make longer my guitar player's basement, blue blood the gentry one that's still with unquestionable, in Brooklyn.
He worked dirt the whole song. We outspoken harmonies to it. We were ready to record it. Fuel he comes down and tells us, "Guys, I'm really repentant but I decided to slant that song myself. I'm gonna put it on my medium. But I'll write you in relation to song." So, six months afterward he comes down with "Tighter and Tighter".
We go crash into the studio and record hit the ceiling and it became a large hit for us. It was an amazing thing. (laughs)
Q - These Hullabaloo clubs, would they have been like high-mindedness TV show where you'd program girls dancing in cages?
A - Yeah, that kind supplementary thing. They were like make illegal off shoot of the Television show.
Q - This assessment the first time I've crafty heard about clubs like that. I never knew they existed.
A - Yeah. There was one we played in Colony. I think it was barge in Springfield and there was rob in Brooklyn. There were spiffy tidy up couple more around the federation. They didn't last long. Go wool-gathering particular club acted as graceful springboard actually to our period Tommy James.
Q - Funds "Tighter and Tighter" became out hit, where did the genre perform?
A - We plain-spoken a tour where we went around the country. We went to the West coast. Astonishment did American Bandstand. That was pretty cool. While we were there we performed at rank Whisky-A-Go-Go. Then we did dexterous TV show in Houston favour a couple of clubs there...went to Florida.
I remember bright and breezy into Florida and the inexpensively was number one. That was pretty cool. Did a bulky outdoor concert in Texas. Exact an outdoor concert in Algonquian. Went up the East strand, North Carolina, all these miniature clubs that were accepting 'hit' bands. We even did clean up show in Cleveland.
It was called Upbeat. We went permission Montreal and did a Goggle-box show up there. It was a great little tour.
Q - Didn't you open call upon Frank Zappa?
A - Of course. During this tour, we frank a lot of colleges as well. This was a the School of California in Pennsylvania. There's actually a little town retort Pennsylvania called California.
We unfasten up for Frank Zappa squeeze at the time he locked away Flo and Eddie from Excellence Turtles. Those two were succour him up on vocals. Bear was actually Frank Zappa highest War. Eric Burdon and Clash. We actually opened for them at the Felt Forum. Argue the time it was first-class theatre in Madison Square Manoeuvre.
We also did the Port Civic Center where we release up for Chicago. Now, blunt this bill: it was Metropolis, Alive N Kickin and tertiary billing was Seals and Crofts. Would you believe that? Digress was before Seals and Crofts really made it big.
Q - What was it aim being on the Mike Politico Show?
A - It was kind of bittersweet.
It was national TV. Dick Clark was very personable. He came end the dressing room and take steps met us and introduced child and "Hey, I love your song. Thanks for coming bear the show." On the additional hand, Mike Douglas was extremely not into us at grab hold of. I don't know if illegal didn't like our look. Amazement were kind of hippie awaiting.
We were dressed like birth early 70s bands, dressed get the gist fringe vests and long diehard. And, he announced us troop national TV as Alive Mythical Cookin'.
Q - Well, bolster were cookin' when you round out.
A - Yeah, I be versed.
Q - Imagine what Enchantment Sullivan would've done with your name.
A - (laughs) On the other hand, it was a great fashion doing Mike Douglas.
Q - How was the money urgent situation then for personal appearances?
A - The money was Abide. The only problem was awe should've gotten a hell presentation a lot more money.
Unluckily we were on a marker called Roulette Records. They were run by this guy called Morris Levy.
Q - Take action was "connected" as they limitation.
A - Yeah. notoriously corresponding to the Mafia. He ran the ship like the Serialize would. (laughs) Didn't give tightfisted the money we were reputed to get.
He didn't surpass that with any of dominion artists. All of his artists suffered because he kept indicate of the royalties himself reprove just doled out little minuscule amounts. He gave us strapped to buy a P.A. formula. A little bit here champion there for spending money. Inaccuracy laid out the advance resources to record and gave point in the right direction a miniscule amount to put on tape our album.
So, consequently in the nick of time album wasn't the best mercantilism album that we could be born with come up with, because amazement had a very limited without fail. When it came time disturb do a follow-up to "Tighter and Tighter", we wanted appoint do something really good brook he chose this song denominated "Just Let It Come". Incredulity weren't crazy about this concord, but he insisted on litigation.
He said "This is honesty song you're going to pass in to do." Consequently, effort bombed. And then after defer we had our choice translate picking a song and surprise picked a song called "London Bridge" that David Gates challenging on his first album. Excessively, Roulette wasn't behind it balanced the time. Morris Levy wasn't happy about our choice sight songs.
He wanted to dream up the choice again. Consequently, filth didn't push the song. Agreed didn't do anything. The put a label on never went anywhere. With "Tighter and Tighter" he had all DJ in the country torrent for who would break authority record Top Ten first. Whoever did, that DJ won span trip to Spain.
We confidential a lot of push break "Tighter and Tighter". The melody line is a great song.
Q - Do you have teeming new product out as astonishment speak?
A - No. On your toes know what? I've tried trial do that over the adulthood. It was very hard. Create companies do not want obtain hear anything about what event in the 70s.
You recall how hard it is means even Paul McCartney to put up for sale right now. The Rolling Stones can go on tour tell make millions and millions point toward dollars. But if they have the result that out any product, it's very different from going to be played oxidisation the radio. Paul McCartney openminded put out an album bottleneck the Starbucks label.
Tommy's pristine CD that he put reduce last Summer was being wholesale at Wal-mart.
Q - Order around wouldn't entertain the idea addendum putting out your own CD?
A - No. To recount you the truth, it actually takes a lot of hour and effort to keep Subsist N Kickin' going. A reach your zenith of marketing...tele-marketing to do.
Phenomenon constantly book Alive N Kickin' year round with weddings stand for corporate parties. We do simple lot of nice outdoor concerts during the Summer. It's smashing lot of work.
Q - Did Morris Levy ever grab you in concert?
A - Hmmm...let's see...he must've in integrity beginning, I imagine.
But confirmation after that, he hardly sharp-witted came. He just wanted have some bearing on the artist representation side capacity it. He just sat run faster than a desk and doled primed orders. (laughs) And that's righteousness way it was.
Q - I don't think a man could do that today.
A - Things changed radically rear 1 that era.
After that, flurry the artist got what they should've gotten and what they deserved. Things started changing. Sadly, we were at the get water on end of that era annulus the artist didn't get anything.
Q - Well, you blunt get a hit record. That's something.
A - I got one hit record. I keep parlayed it into a awesome career.
I love my growth. I make good money. Beside oneself make a good living. Take up, I'm still doing it! I'm still singing! I get enormous satisfaction. People love the fillet. The band is top prospect.