rotorooterband's Channel

38 subscribers

20,498 video views

Play All

Uploaded videos

1-10 of 23

1997 25th Anniversary Roto Reunion LIVE at db Coopers, Burbank, rotorooterband 87 views All 7 original Rotos gathered for a short, very short set. Dr. Demento was the emcee at this live event held in the parking lot of db Cooper's Music and Video store, Dr Ma...
Beethoven's 9th - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band in HD rotorooterband 183 views Sgt. Chart's outdid himself in giving us this concise breakdown of the master's finest work. Our translation of the "Ode To Joy", however, some consider strays too far fr...
Happy Trails - (VAN HALEN RIPPED US OFF version) - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band rotorooterband 1,329 views Bum-ba-dee-dah, etc. That was US back in 1973, for goodness sake, Of course, there was Roy and Dale, way back in the day, but our arrangement went on to be ripped off not...
Swamp Lake (Delibes Coppélia) - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band in HD rotorooterband 186 views From da soup to da nutz its Delibes. Really. From the Vanguard LP a sprightly reworking of this beauty. From the traditional trombones and saxes plowing through the them...
Strawberry Fields Forever - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band rotorooterband 143 views We discovered the "original" version the Beatles adapted for their own use. Here's the lounge version ala Dave Pell. Hip jazz! Can you dig, cat?
Purple Haze - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band - LP version rotorooterband 383 views Help me! Oh, no! Here's an all-time Hendrix classic given the Roto Rooter treatment.
The Martian March - Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band (LP Version) rotorooterband 148 views A Roto original written by Awf d'Walle his bad self. Here, as "Captain Out There", Awf d' describes extraterrestrial customs and mores. That's Dr. Mabuse on the "Dornopho...
The Martian March - Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band "demo" version rotorooterband 36 views A Roto Rooter original,here in its demo form featuring Sgt. Charts on ultra-space trombone while Captain Out There (Awf d'Walle) describes ingalactic fetishes.
Mack The Knife - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band "Live" @ the Ice House 1976 rotorooterband 128 views It's Awf d'Walle again, this time crooning his way through the classic "Mack The Knife". Recorded "live" at Pasadena's Ice House way back in 1976 this track features the s...
Bubbles In The Wine/21st Century Schizoid Man - The Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band rotorooterband 293 views Move over, King Crimson! Here comes Lawrence "Elk" and the "Shampoo Music Makers", hell-bent on tanking music back 1000 years, and doing a pretty darn effective job of it....

About '70s L.A. Doctor Demento Fave Band

Started Christmas, 1972 as a "street band" playing a limited bag of carols to unsuspecting shoppers at Century City. "Discovered" by Dr.Demento. "Signed" by Vanguard; album released 1974. Videos here from KOCE Public TV show recorded 1975. Enjoy!

Created by

rotorooterband

Latest Activity

Sep 27, 2011

Date Joined

Dec 3, 2007

About this user

Late 1972 the band was formed and made their initial mark as a street band playing Christmas carols for unsuspecting shoppers at Century City, Los Angeles. Reformed in spring 1973 the band returned to the streets with a full repertoire of diverse tunes all arranged for 4 trombones and 3 saxes. Venues included Century City, the L.A County Museum of Art, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the L.A. Music Center. Chrirstmas, 1974, the RRGTCB shared the stage with THE MYSTIC KNIGHTS OF THE OINGO BOINGO at the Hollywood Palladium..s "KPFK Merrie Christmas Faire". The RRGTCB made appearances at the Ash Grove, the Troubadour, Busch Gardens, Knott's Berry Farm, The China Trader and the Ice House, where we became somewhat of a fixture playing there well into 1976. Most disastrous gig was The Aladdin in Las Vegas. Boy, were THEY surprised! We lasted 1 1/2 sets before we were advised "not to play anymore". In 1974 we submitted our tape of "Laurel and Hardy" to Dr. Demento which he premiered on his radio show. He continued to feature our music regularly. "Discovered" by Tom Hensley at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Swap Meet, the band was signed by Vanguard and made their only "official" LP. At this time we recorded various short pieces for Dr. Demento in exchange for him writing the back liner notes on the LP. A special version of "Pico and Sepulveda" was adapted and became the Dr. Demento theme that he uses to this day! Barry has been our most valued ally in our quest to "set music back 1000 years". We were Demento's first "discovery", even before Weird Al. The band was invited to Expo '74 in Spokane, WA, for an impressive 7 week gig as the headline attraction. In 1975, just at the departure of Sgt. Charts from the band, Roto taped a Tv show for KOCE Public TV. Clips can be viewed NOW at YouTube (see link on this page). By early 1976 we became simply "ROTO" (the "wonder band") and went on the road throughout the North West. By spring, 1977, Mabuse left the group, and the focus turned primarily to original songs written by Walle and Baxter. ROTO appeared (and lost) on The GONG SHOW. 1977. A 2nd LP was proposed and the band recorded 20 new selections that continued in the trend of the first record. These "demos" are the basis for the 1997 self-produced CD "RETRO ROOTER: 1972-1976". 6 of these tunes are represented here for you dining and dancing pleasure. The CD is available if you are daring. Contact me for details. Nowadays all have gone on to greater "glory" - educator, corporate VP, insurance sales, independent music production, entrepreneur, retired Tv sound engineer, and dilatant. On occasion 5 of the original members get together to jam be-bop.

Here's a review by Doctor Demento of our CD --

"...the first unreleased tape I ever aired on my show..."
Doctor Demento reviews our "RETRO ROOTER: 1972 -1976" self produced CD, available now on GEMM.
THE ROTO ROOTER GOOD TIME CHRISTMAS BAND: Retro Rooter
A six-piece band featuring brass and saxes, the RRGTCB was a major part of our show's first decade (the Seventies). I played a couple dozen of their songs on the air, and they made numerous concert appearances with me in Los Angeles and elsewhere. They recorded several "jingles" for me which I use to this day: the opening theme, the fanfare that heralds the Funny Five, "It's Time For Number One," and the little "stinger" heard with the words "Stay Demented!" at the very end of each show.
The RRGTCB made one LP, for Vanguard, which hasn't shown up on CD. However, one of the original members, Geoff "Dr. Mabuse d.o.a." Cooper, has just put together a CD of the band's numerous demo tapes, many of which were very popular on our show. The sound quality is first rate (Geoff was a pro sound engineer for many years) and the performances are every bit as good as the LP if not better. The disc gives us all sides of the band's huge repertoire, from the Spike Jones-y versions of classical pieces they used to play at outdoor events around L.A. to more pop- sounding studio novelties like "Martian March" and "Jungle Boogie." Also included is the first unreleased tape I ever aired on my show, the RRGTCB's cover of the Laurel & Hardy theme "March Of The Cuckoos," together with my actual on-air introduction.

Country

United States

less

Featured Playlists

23 videos Play all(23) Uploaded videos by '70s L.A. Doctor Demento Fave Band

view all