Progressive / underground rock band performed mostly original music. They frequented the Bluesette, as well as the Latin Casino, People’s Place, and No Fish Today.
Members included Mark Johnston (lead guitar, vocals), Harry Orlove (vocals, harp, guitar), Mark Gardner (guitar), Greg Henry (bass), Lonnie Ephraim (vocals, guitar, recorder), Hal Pendergrass (drums), John Harris (drums)…
The band also performed in many open-air concerts around the area including a Putty Hill free concert on September 20, 1970 with Quinn, Aux, Meat, and Calhoun… A Latin Casino gig featured the band along with Scorpio, and Aux. They also performed at the Corpus Christi Church Benefit Concert on February 21, 1971 with Grin, and others.
Pendergrass recalled that he would “always remember Nils Lofgren jumping up on the stage after one of our gigs in D.C. and roundly congratulating Lon and Mark… It was a good band!”
Harris was later a member of Pynz. Ephraim went on to other bands including the ‘80s wedding band Fresh Air. He continued his musical career as a teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. Ephraim also played guitar with the Twilight Little Big Band, and recorded with artists such as Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer (“Air Guitar” 1993), Jon Simon (“Shabbatjazz,” “From Broadway to Hollywood” 1996), Robyn Helzner, Jim Van Slyke (“Open Road” 2006), and a children’s recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (“Stories in Music: Juanita the Spanish Lobster” 2006)…
