What was great about the early Bongos, to me anyway, was the extreme sense of spontaneity
What was great about the early Bongos, to me anyway, was the extreme sense of spontaneity and recklessness onstage. There was no second-guessing. There was zero self-consciousness. Believe me when I tell you this. And, if I recall correctly, on the rare occasions that we rehearsed, we hardly ever played our own songs, focussing instead on covers that we may or may not perform in front of an audience. So, when the Bongos went on stage, it was always a new experience.
Phil Marino captured the essence of the early Bongos like no one else. He understood the sweet roughness. And because he could see it, he allowed us to. He showed us who we were.
The Bulrushes video is my favorite of the several we made. Instantly archival-looking, even new, it had the appearance of lost footage... like The Beatles at the Cavern Club. Besides the sense that Phil was documenting moments with the urgency of someone who knows they will never happen again - matching and complimenting our energy with his camerawork - the look and feel of this video was truly influential: Grainy, saturated Super-8 footage was simply not seen much in the early 80s, when the emphasis was on florescent colors, sharp edges, and and the false clarity of videotape. I got more than one phone call from other bands asking how we got that Super-8 effect in our new video. "We used Super-8," I would answer, in a tone that can only be described as... well... impish.
Phil may not have been trying to start a trend, but like all truly creative artists, he did, unintentionally, just by being himself. Just by not second-guessing, and with zero self-consciousness.
Richard Barone
June 20, 2008
New York City
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Released by The Bongos originally as a Fetish Records single Bulrushes / Automatic Doors FET009 1981 and subsequently on Drums Along The Hudson. I shot this on Super 8mm film stock during live performances at The Peppermint Lounge and Trax, intro sequence coming down stairs, instrument close ups and end credit sequence (also used for the back cover of Drums Along The Hudson) were shot at Maxwell's. Editing was originally done at Skyline Studio on the 82nd floor of the Empire State Building. The original super 8 film was digitized in 2006 and the video was recut using Final Cut Pro. ...Phil
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Added: 2 weeks ago
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The Bongos recreating their classic "Drums Along The Hudson" album at Joe's Pub in NYC. Sp
The Bongos recreating their classic "Drums Along The Hudson" album at Joe's Pub in NYC. Spring 2007
If you were a subscriber, you'll have to subscribe again. See my review at www.hoppersmusic.com
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Added: 3 months ago
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The Bongos performing "In The Congo" live at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, 9/30/07.
Added: 9 months ago
Views: 1,256
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NY all stars Marc Bolan tribute night @ Joe's Pub in the Park 2007
Added: 9 months ago
Views: 1,380
This is one selection of a tribute concert for T- REX (aka Marc Bolan) held in NYC Central
This is one selection of a tribute concert for T- REX (aka Marc Bolan) held in NYC Central Park's Delacorte Theater on Sept 29th, 2007.
In this video Moby, Richard Barone, Sylvain Sylvain and others perform the song "20th Century Boy" Sorry about the bad video quality...
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Added: 9 months ago
Views: 1,530
Richard and Deni in an acoustic performance during Richard's guest appearance on Deni's TV
Richard and Deni in an acoustic performance during Richard's guest appearance on Deni's TV show, "DUETS WITH DENI". This version is directly from the show archives and features Richard's entertaining banter. Richard Barone is best known as the founder of the legendary group THE BONGOS, one of the first "MTV" bands. Richard has a distinguished career as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and producer on numerous projects.
For more info on Richard, visit his website: www.Richardbarone.com.
Deni Bonet is a singer/songwriter and world-class electric violinist. She was an original cast member of National Public Radio's premier music show, MOUNTAIN STAGE and has performed with Cyndi Lauper, REM, Sarah McLachlan, Robyn Hitchcock, etc. before forming her own highly regarded band. She's appeared at Lilith Fair, performed on Saturday Night Live, Conan, and the Today Show.
Deni quit the classical world to pursue a solo career because she hated wearing black and having to sit still! The Wall Street Journal recently described Deni's music as "like Sheryl Crow meets the B52's". She's got a new CD called "LAST GIRL ON EARTH" that will be released in early March.
Check out: www.denibonet.com for more info on DUETS WITH DENI and Deni Bonet.
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Added: 1 year ago
Views: 768
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Richard and Deni in an acoustic performance during Richard's guest appearance on Deni's TV
Richard and Deni in an acoustic performance during Richard's guest appearance on Deni's TV show, "DUETS WITH DENI". This version is directly from the show archives and features Richard's entertaining banter. Richard Barone is best known as the founder of the legendary group THE BONGOS, one of the first "MTV" bands. Richard has a distinguished career as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and producer on numerous projects.
For more info on Richard, visit his website: www.Richardbarone.com.
Deni Bonet is a singer/songwriter and world-class electric violinist. She was an original cast member of National Public Radio's premier music show, MOUNTAIN STAGE and has performed with Cyndi Lauper, REM, Sarah McLachlan, Robyn Hitchcock, etc. before forming her own highly regarded band. She's appeared at Lilith Fair, performed on Saturday Night Live, Conan, and the Today Show.
Deni quit the classical world to pursue a solo career because she hated wearing black and having to sit still! The Wall Street Journal recently described Deni's music as "like Sheryl Crow meets the B52's". She's got a new CD called "LAST GIRL ON EARTH" that will be released in early March.
Check out: www.denibonet.com for more info on DUETS WITH DENI and Deni Bonet.
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Added: 9 months ago
Views: 313
1983 video from Steve Almaas and the original members of Beat Rodeo. Note cameo by Richar
1983 video from Steve Almaas and the original members of Beat Rodeo. Note cameo by Richard Barone.
http://www.myspace.com/stevealmaas
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Added: 1 year ago
Views: 1,847
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