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Hoi’ Polloi interview

October 31, 2013

Hoi’ Polloi interview

The band’s lone 1972 self-titled album, recorded over spring break at Earlham College by means of “bouncing” between two stereo tape decks, is a fantastic collection of country twangers, breathtaking singer-songwriter material, and bizarre tape cut-ups. With five songwriters in the band, what could have felt like another grab-bag student compilation instead feels like lost tapes of Emitt Rhodes hanging with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young while Faust producer Uwe Nettlebeck makes a guest appearance in the control room.


Interview with Charlie Bleak and engineer John Schuerman.

You were all from Richmond, Indiana and you formed when you studied at Earlham College. Were you in any bands before forming Hoi’ Polloi?

Charlie Bleak: To keep the record straight, none of us were born and raised in Richmond, Indiana. We met there as students of Earham College. Speaking for myself, I was in a number of bands between age 12 and 18. One was the Cheerful Earful. We appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show: The Upbeat Show. We did a rock version of “Five Foot Two”.

How was the scene in the college city? 

Charlie Bleak: I helped form two other bands while at Earlham College prior to the Hoi Polloi project. One was called Ralph, the other was called Waste. No recordings of those bands exist. There wasn’t really a “scene” musically in Richmond that I was aware of.

“Hoi’ Polloi was basically a studio creation.”

Can you elaborate the formation of Hoi’ Polloi?

Charlie Bleak: Hoi’ Polloi was basically a studio creation. Dan Mack and Bruce Wallace were living in a farm house with some other folks and they started to write together as well as writing songs on their own. We all knew each other, and we appreciated each other’s music. I don’t recall who said, “Hey, let’s record all this and make an album”, but one thing lead to another. The only person on the album who didn’t attend Earlham was the bass guitar player, Jeff D’Angelo (AKA Sid Stoneman). I called him, and he agreed to participate.

Who were your major influences?

Charlie Bleak: The influences are very diverse. Who knows what sticks in your mind from the time you first start listening to music and when you start trying to write your own? For me, what I can tell you is that I got hooked on rock n roll from age 6 or 7, and I loved the same artists that I found out years later that the Beatles loved growing up as well. Like Elvis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Isley Brothers, The Everley Brothers etc. I was and still am a huge Beatles fan, but I was also into Traffic, Frank Zappa, Spirit, Lovin’ Spoonful, The Youngbloods, The Young Rascals and many others.

Please share your recollections of the sessions.

Charlie Bleak: What I recall is that by the time we brought Jeff D’Angelo in, the songs were pretty much set. We rehearsed the songs out at Dan and Bruce’s farm prior to going into record them. We weren’t jamming all that much; we were just learning the tunes to record them. As far as songs co-written by Dan Mack and Bruce Wallace, you need to talk to them. At that time, the songs I wrote were written and complete when I brought them to the others.

“Basically we recorded the album in a lecture space usually reserved for music and arts during Spring break.”

What’s the story behind your album? Where did you record it?

Charlie Bleak: We had the great good fortune to have a friend who was the Guru of all things audio and visual at Earlham College, Mr. John Schuerman, who is the unsung hero of this whole saga. He was also responsible for the in house radio station. Once we had the idea to record, we approached John and he immediately embraced the idea. Basically we recorded the album in a lecture space usually reserved for music and arts during Spring break. We had just so many days (7 to 10) to finish. Then the students would be back and we would be kicked out. I do recall that on one of the last sessions, it was the the day the students were back, and I kept trying to hurry things up before someone crashed through the doors and ruined a take. It was the final overdub with about 8 people on “Who’s Gonna Help Me?”

When recording was complete, everyone pretty much scattered. We did one concert on campus to try and sell some albums and that was it.I heard recently that an original Hoi’ Polloi album can sell for 500 to 600 dollars (US) in Europe! But between the end of recording and the concert we did, John Schuerman and I programmed and mastered the final album. I am responsible for the side 1 editing of various bits and pieces that get a little screwy and weird. Like Hoi’ Polloi Peeks Out, Instead Boogie, which was a 4 AM in the morning spontaneous jam (when we were stoned and basically sleep walking) and would have been considered an out take. And the end of that, when it speeds up and then breaks down at the end, you can hear Jeff D’Angelo’s voice saying, “Lost … lost” right before the big chord CRASH! (which I instigated specifically for the purpose of a segue, kind of like the big chord at the end “A Day in the Life”) which cross fades into a fade IN of “Satisfaction Guaranteed”. The scraping sound that persists when the chord dies out is John Schuerman swirling a marracca while he was manning the control board! The fade in of “Satisfaction Guaranteed” was in fact the fade OUT of the song when it was originally recorded. I took the fade out, put it at the front, and then let the song go on from there.

John Schuerman: The recording was made on the Earlham College Campus. The Hancock Room in which we recorded the album is a large classroom in the fine arts building (Runyan Center) used for large classes in all the fine arts. It is also a rehearsal room for the various school choirs and other musical groups. We also used the projection room in Lilly Library to record a few overdubs when the Handcock Room was no longer available to us. We did the recording over spring break. We did not finish before classes started so that is why we moved to the Library projection room. That room no longer exists due to renovations of the area some years ago.

What kind of equipment did you use?

John Schuerman: As far as the recording gear goes we were recording live to two-track on a Revox A-77 1/2-track recorder which was an incredible machine for the time. We had a tube Ampex 4 channel mixer and solid state electronics from a Crown tape recorder. It had 2 inputs to each channel. I ran the outputs of the Ampex mixer into one of the inputs of each channel and had the other two inputs available for two more mic inputs giving us a total of six microphone inputs. The Ampex inputs had switchable left-right-center inputs (no pan-pots). The outputs on the Crown electronics were sent into an Advent Dolby B Noise Reduction Unit, in order to have clean, quiet tracks which was going to be needed for the overdubs. The overdubs were accomplished by playing back the first two tracks (decoding them with the Dolby unit}, and then encoding the next tracks, mixing live mics with the playback. The final Dolby-B two-track master was taken to Gilfoy Studios in Bloomington, IN for final channel and level balance and equalization of each song plus the use of an EMT plate-reverb to add some ambience. The microphones used were Sony ECM-22 condensers, an RCA 77-DX ribbon mic and an Electro-Voice 684 dynamic microphone.

Charlie Bleak: Basically, John Schuerman stripped out every available piece of equipment extant at Earlham College at that time and pieced together the rig that recorded what exists today. We got it done in about 10 days.

How did you decide to use the name “Hoi’ Polloi”?

Charlie Bleak: The term Hoi Polloi is, I believe, Greek for “the common people”. However in the 1920’s and 1930’s the term somehow got turned around and came to refer to the rich and famous. Like the “Jet Set” of the 1960’s. I first became aware of the term from a song by The Lovin’ Spoonful: “Jug Band Music”

The band didn’t play any gigs before recording the album. Was it 100% DIY?

Charlie Bleak: It was strictly a DIY studio project. 100 per cent.

You played just one gig after the record was out. 

Charlie Bleak: We had no distribution or promotion scheme.

How about the cover artwork?

Charlie Bleak: A woman by the name of Marsha Osborne designed the Hoi’ Polloi lettering. The little guy scratching his head below the lettering was drawn by Jeff D’Angelo. He would do these little drawings and just leave them laying around.

Folk Evaluation Records reissued your album.

John Schuerman: First of all, I was thoroughly amazed when, ten years ago, I was contacted by Patrick for information on the “Hoi’ Polloi” album and its creators. He also urged me, and with the permission of Dan and Charlie, to issue a CD version of the album which I produced from the Gilfoy master. Since then I have sold thirty copies of the CD. And now, we have the LP re-release from Folk Evaluation Records. In comparison I think this pressing is better than the original. I knew that good music was being made back in 1972 but I guess I did not realize how good it was, at the time, and had no idea that it would have such interest 40 years later.

Charlie Bleak: I am thrilled by the renewed interest. I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication that Jason and Jordan at Folk Evaluation have brought to the re-issue process. Their attention to detail and quality control are second to none!

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

“Who’s Gonna Help Me?”
Wrote about a lost love. Definitely influenced by Paul McCartney… like Martha My Dear.

“Old Bootstrap”
By Dan and Bruce.

“Seven Deviations”
Me stumbling on guitar with Jeff D’Angelo on harpsichord at about 3 AM one day.

“Last Laugh”
By Dan and Bruce.

“Hoi’ Polloi Peeks Out”
Again, a function of a very LONG night, smoking jazz cigarettes and a HUGE contribution by John Schuerman who did all kinds of crazy things with his recording rig the manufacturers would NEVER approve of.

“Instead Boogie”
Based on a riff by Denny Murry (AKA Ace Correcto)

“Satisfaction Guaranteed”
By Dan and Bruce.

“It’s a Nice Day”
Written about the same lost love (see Who’s Gonna Help Me?). My lost love actually plays cello on that song.

“Devil Song”
By Dan and Bruce.

“Sid Stoneman Gets Scale”
Written and arranged by Jeff D’Angelo (Sid Stoneman). One of my favorite cuts.

“15 Miles to Mexico”
A masterful piece of writing by my friend Dan Mack! Tells a story which is like a 3 minute movie directed by John Ford starring John Wayne. I wish I’d written that.

How about other members? Patrick Lundborg mentioned a few other albums including “Attention Span”, “Sequoiah Stream”, “Shaggy Joe/Crucible 1” and “Crucible 2” which includes some Hoi’ Polloi members. 

John Schuerman: The Crucible was the student produced literary magazine. The editors at the time decided that they wanted do more than publish student literary works. So they planned a concert featuring students performing original music. They asked me, as the Director of Earlham College Audio-Visual Services, to record the concert and have records pressed for distribution to the student body. I had, as a student, recorded two folk music albums by the Earlham group the Clear Creek Singers, so they knew I had the equipment and the “expertise.” So I recorded the “Shaggy Joe/Crucible 1” and “Crucible 2” albums.

The albums “Attention Span” and “Sequoiah Stream” were completely done by students including the recording. The producer had access to a studio in Cincinnat, Ohio and took the performers down there to record using multi-track recorders and all the “bells and whistles” of a recording studio.

Again, in 1980, I was contacted by the Crucible editor, Wendy Seligmann, my future spouse, to record the last album the magazine sponsored. That album was entitled “Tape’s Rolling” and was recorded live to two-track in the Hancock Room.

Charlie Bleak: I don’t remember. It was a long time ago.

Is there anything else released?

Charlie Bleak: None that I can think of.

What are you currently up to and what are some future plans for you?

Charlie Bleak: Still writing and recording. Hope to have a website set up soon for people to sample and download my songs. I have hours of unreleased material. It will be on my website. Not up yet.

John Schuerman: For the past 23 years I worked in public access television in Richmond, IN which included the recording and airing of music performances of music groups appearing in the area.I retired two months ago and move to Asheville, NC where my wife is the Director of Career Development at Warren Wilson College. I have started and on-line service called Moments In Time. I create “electronic memories” from client supplied photographs, videos and music.

John Schuerman

I would like to thank to Jordan Burgis at Folk Evaluation. Would you like to share anything else with us?

Charlie Bleak: Thank you for your interest! Hope that I have given you something to work with.

– Klemen Breznikar

2 Comments
  1. Larry Hosack says:

    Thanks such a great set of interviews. I was at Earlham class of 1971. In 69 and 70 I was guitarist and lead vocals for a 5pc rock band at Early am called “Backstreet Carnival”. We played weekend gigs at clubs in Cincinnati called Pickle Barrel and Alexander’s. We even had a professional agent. We also were booked at frat parties at Miami U and others including EC dances. We were given a fulltime practice room in the back hall of Runyan basement. We played all 60s covers from jethrol till Steppenwolf Spirit Bob Dylan Ten Years After and Donovan. We never did any studio recording but did some rough 2 track demos with one Mic, very rough on 1/4 inch Sony reel to reel. I kept those tapes and transfer the tracks to digital and CD. I think there are about 12 songs, complete and a few partials. In February of 1970 we all went different directions and the band broke up
    Members were, me, Dave Nelson drums, Dan thurler, bass and mgs, Ken Praiger -keyboard. And Dave philbrick – jazz flute. I put one song and photos on YouTube under Larry Hosack – Back Street Carnival. Please send me any questions or comments!

  2. Larry Hosack says:

    Thanks for such great interviews! I was in a rock band at Earlham from1969-70 called.Back Street Carnival. a cover band. We played clubs in Cincinnati, frat parties at Miami U, dances at Earlham. I, Larry Hosack, was on vocals and guitar, Dan Thurler on bass and Mgr., Ken Praiger – keyboard, Dave Philbrick – lead jazz flute, and Dave Nelson – Drums. We never recorded in a studio situation, but made a few demo tracks on a 1/4 reel to reel with one mic that I saved for 20 years and then transferred to digital on computer and then CD. I put one song on You Tube under my name with some related photos

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