(Author of the definitive biographies of both the Unknowns and the Crawdaddys, Ray Brandes explores the connection between these two essential San Diego bands as they prepare to revisit San Diego after 30 years. Buy your tickets now!)
During the past three decades of rock and roll music in San Diego, two groups — the Crawdaddys and the Unknowns — can arguably claim to have had the most influence over the bands that followed in their wake. Both groups looked to the past, to the greats of early rock and roll and rhythm and blues for their own inspiration, and had a mutual respect for each other that transcended local band competitiveness.
The Crawdaddys and the Unknowns are looking forward to sharing the stage this coming Labor Day weekend as the Che Underground presents their historic reunions at the Casbah. I spoke with the members of each band about their love and respect for the other group.
Unknowns guitarist Mark Neill had this to say about the Crawdaddys: “The first time I saw them play I was sitting there with my jaw on the floor, thinking, ‘These guys are better than the Flamin’ Groovies!’ And Ron [Silva]’s guitar playing is peerless. There’s nobody better.”
“San Diego has always pretty much been just about beer and salsa, and so the two bands had that in common, that we were underappreciated. We knew at the time this was a thing whose days were numbered, but it felt good, it felt fraternal for a minute.”
Unknowns vocalist Bruce Joyner is equally complimentary of the group. “Ron Silva has always loomed large in my list of friends, people I thought were cool. I remember watching Super 8 Beatles movies at his apartment and drinking small bottles of Coke like it was 1965!
“I loved the Crawdaddys — [bassist] Mark [Zadarnowski] is a great guy and a good friend of mine, and [drummer] Dan McLain was someone I miss dearly and someone I thought very highly of. The Crawdaddys are back, and that’s cool!”
Read a 1982 Unknowns interview by Dan McLain!
The Crawdaddys’ Ron Silva had this to say about the Unknowns: “My earliest memory of them is from February or March 1980, walking past the Mandolin Wind, corner of University and 4th in San Diego. The door was open and I heard live music. I seem to remember them playing ‘Please Please Me,’ but it could’ve been ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ or ‘The Kids Are Alright.’ ” Any one of those songs would’ve easily caught my attention.
“I guess they sort of knew me, and I’d probably heard about them. I couldn’t swear, but Mark was probably playing a Mosrite through a Vox amp. In those days I was still fairly aroused by the sight of a Vox amp. Soon Mark and I were talking on the phone. I remember discussing, of all things, easy-listening maestro, Billy Vaughn, and of course Vox amps.
“The Unknowns were really good — I truly wish I’d paid more attention back in ’80 and ’81… I might’ve learned something. They were already on Sire when I was still trying to figure out what to order at El Indio’s!”
Crawdaddys guitarist Peter Miesner was 16 years old when he first saw the Unknowns play. “I was very young when I met them at the Skeleton Club. I think I was in bit of a fog at this age, but I finally came to realize this was a group of some intensity and impeccable musicianship.
“For all his intensity,” Miesner says, “Mark has proven to be a sweet guy who has been very encouraging when I have interacted with him.”
You can catch both bands in concert at the Casbah, September 2-3. Tickets are available now from the Casbah site!
— Ray Brandes
Music history from Ray Brandes:
- The return of the Unknowns
- The Tell-Tale Hearts: From the vaults
- It’s 1985: Do you know
where your bell-bottoms are? - ‘Sweet Kisses from Mommy’: An introduction to an old friend
- The Mystery Machine in motion!
- ‘You’re way on top now’: Gary Heffern meets Iggy Pop
- Tell-Tale Hearts take on New Colony Six!
- The train keeps a-rollin’: The story of the Nashville Ramblers
- Hallelujah! The story of Glory
- The Tokyos over San Diego
- The Hitmakers’ hit that never was
- Sensational: The All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars and the roots of Country Dick Montana
- The Penetrators: Walking the Beat
- Dream Sequence: The history of the Unknowns
- Let the Good Times Roll: The untold history of the Crawdaddys
- The Zeros: I Don’t Wanna Be a Hero, I Just Wanna Be a Zero
- Lend Me Your Comb: A short history of the Hedgehogs
Music and culture by Ray Brandes:
- Remember Walking in the Sand? Sunscreen, lemonade and summer radio
- No Particular Place to Go: Four-wheeled memories
- Everybody Is a Star: The ideal supergroup
- Radio days
- “Puberty Principle”: First sonic crushes
- Helter Skelter: Tate-LaBianca at 40
- Guess who’s coming to dinner?
- My favorite things: What are you listening to?
- Footloose: Rockin’ the ’80s
- “I don’t get it”
- Me and my monkey: Guilty pleasures
- Man-eaters and mad crushes
- Our Lady of Chula Vista
- You Never Give Me Your Money: IOUs and the Che Underground
And tho’ they played few bills together, that’s how I first encountered them. In my mind, the names are inextricably linked “Crawdaddys and Unknowns”.
The first flyer I got from the time was for a show they did together. Was that the California Theatre gig? Dave Klowden was sitting on Michael Rapaport’s orange Vespa SS between the hair cutter and Aesop’s Tables, that spring of ’80. He waved me over, with his hand outstretched, profering a Xerox.
“Are you a Mod?” Heh. The question prolly had to be asked of me, ‘cos I had the Bowie-mullet from “Pinups” and a grey, double-breasted suit. This was already a life-risking venture in San Diego, in those days.
I didn’t meet Dave properly again, for over a year. But the intro to these guys changed everything.
The first time that I saw both bands was also sometime in the spring of 1980. The SD Concert Archive shows they both played the North Park Lions Club on 5/23/80 with the Puppies, so that’s likely the first time I saw them. It’s vaguely familiar, but my memory is hazy. Does anyone recall that show?
Jerry, great story! I love hearing your recollections.
I have HUGE respect for both of these bands.
heff
I am confused. If the Crawdaddys are one night and the Unknowns are another night, how does that constitute them “sharing the same stage”? And will Bruce Joyner be with the Unknowns or not? He is not listed on the Casbah’s gig page.
>>I am confused. If the Crawdaddys are one night and the Unknowns are another night, how does that constitute them “sharing the same stage”? And will Bruce Joyner be with the Unknowns or not? He is not listed on the Casbah’s gig page.
Jackie: Well … It will be the same stage, just one day older when the Unknowns get on it! 🙂
And yes indeed, Bruce Joyner will be with the Unknowns.