Nov. 21, 1970: Parkside

 

Yes, Joe Scinta, Parkside's bass player, is one the famous Scintas, darlings of the Las Vegas Strip for decades. He died in 2017. And yes, pianist Steve Nathan is the son of concert promoter Jerry Nathan, featured in the first of these stories back in April 1970. Steve went to Muscle Shoals, Ala., became part of Rick Hall’s legendary house band at Fame Studios, then moved on to a long career as a leading session musician in Nashville.

All of us in my old band, Lavender Hill, were stage buddies with Parkside and regularly did alternate sets with them at the venue they’re playing in this article – The Club in Niagara Falls. It was our favorite gig. 

Nov. 21, 1970

Parkside

There’s Bouncing, Clapping, Dancing 

“There’s about 300 people here tonight who haven’t been here before,” bass guitarist Joe Scinta announces at the start of Parkside’s third set last Saturday.

“Now we have a lotta fans here and we want ya to loosen up a little. Nobody’s gonna call ya funny lookin’ and nobody’s gonna beat on ya, so WAKE UP!”

* * *

PARKSIDE RIPS into “Dance to the Music” and the back room full of longhairs at The Club on Falls Street in downtown Niagara Falls starts bouncing and clapping and dancing, just the way Parkside likes it. Somewhere along the line they kick on the flashing lights so that even the back tables can’t hide.

“OK, this is the heavy part,” Joe says. “We want you to get down.” The band stops playing and the handclapping grows softer, just enough to keep a beat as Joe and guitarist Joe Lococo start harmonizing: “Dance to the MEW-zic!”

* * *

THE CLAPPING swells, the harmony grows into a crowd chant and the tension tightens until the rest of the band explodes it music. The dancers go wild and exhilaration floats over the room.

It’s been harder than usual this Saturday. The music isn’t feeling right, pianist Steve Nathan was saying between sets. And there’s all these strangers. And Parkside’s playing by themselves instead of sharing the night with Lavender Hill like they did the night before.

Parkside’s at The Club Wednesdays, Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Thursdays are spent in Buffalo at Aliotta’s.

* * *

THE ESTIMATE of 300 newcomers is from Eddie Ghougasian, who owns The Club and who manages, somewhat frantically, to maintain a happy balance between the longhairs and the rest of the world.

The longhairs show their appreciation by becoming regulars. So it’s unusual to see 300 new faces.

Complicating matters is urban renewal, which has kept Eddie from renovating The Club since he got his first 90-day notice in 1964.

Now that renewal has darkened the two movie theaters across the street, however, Eddie figures he has until February. Then he’s thinking about a place in Buffalo.

* * *

STEVE AND JOE Scinta played The Club when they were in Cisum Revival. So when Parkside was ready to play last spring, they came back and found The Club had fallen on hard times.

“His old band had moved to another place and took the crowd with them,” Joe Scinta recalls. “He was getting five or six people on a weekend. The musicians and the bartenders used to outnumber the customers.”

“Eddie came out with this factor sheet and he listed 25 reasons why we shouldn’t and couldn’t play here,” Steve puts in. “He was testing us psychologically. He gave us all the reasons why we’d fail.

* * *

“BUT FIRST of all, we felt it would be a good way to get the group tighter. We built up crowds gradually. Now you need a shoehorn to get in here Friday or Saturday.”

“Unless you got a dollar,” says Jimmy Poulin, the whimsical organist. The group plays its second “It’s No Good to Cry” in two sets. A request.

Parkside keeps close to The Club’s crowd. Between sets they’re out talking. Steve estimates he knows 70 percent of the regulars personally. A good crowd of longhairs can inspire all sorts of things.

“When we do ‘Cry Me a River,’” Steve says, “well, not just that, but there must be 10 songs that when we come to the end they’re out there clapping the beat, so we bring the song in again.”

“They want to see how long they can make us go,” drummer John Grapes laughs.

“Or sometimes we let them count down a song,” Joe Scinta says. “Last night they started too fast, so we told them, ‘You’re rushing. You’re rushing.’”

Parkside cranks up Joe Scinta’s “Homemade Honey,” which rocks just as nicely as their other stuff. So does the next one – Joe Lococo’s “I’m Happy Tonight.”

* * *

THERE’S A LOT of rhythm and a lot of bottom in Parkside’s sound. Joe Scinta’s voice rings at times like John Fogarty’s of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The organ, bass and drums create so thick a background it’s hard to hear the piano. Joe Lococo lays concise guitar frills on top.

Part of the sound is the instruments, the group says. John plays an inexpensive set of drums for a heavier sound. Steve has a white acoustic piano jammed with contact mikes. And the organ once was used in a Buffalo church.

“Whatever we do,” Joe Scinta adds, “we try to make it ‘feelgood.’ That’s the old Stan Szelest word.”

* * *

“THE WHOLE group,” Steve points out, “is concerned with the whole sound that comes out. I wouldn’t say there’s no ego in it, but we’re always after what SHOULD be played, not what COULD be played.

“Like in a certain section of a song, John could put in some different drum beats. But if it’s too complicated or stands out too much, it doesn’t fit into the groove. So he plays what SHOULD be played.”

Now it’s time to close up the set. “This is feelgood music,” Joe Scinta announces. “I want you all to feel good.”

It’s a wild “Bo Diddley” with a “Who Do You Love” in the middle of it. The back room rises again with the music and now those 300 strangers start feeling a lot more like good old friends. 

The box/sidebar:

A New ‘Super Group’ 

Pertinent and impertinent information about Parkside:

Joe Scinta, 22, lead singer and bass guitar, Canisius and Lafayette High Schools, attended Buffalo State, single.

Joe Lococo, 21, guitar, Bennett High, attended Bryant & Stratton, single.

Jimmy Poulin, 22, organ, Bishop Gibbons High, attended UB, single.

Steve Nathan, 19, piano, Bennett High, studying music at UB, single.

John Grapes, 19, drums, North Tonawanda High, single.

* * *

PARKSIDE FORMED as Parkside Revival about a year ago from the pieces of Parkside Zoo and Cisum Revival, two of 1969’s moderately prominent bands locally. “We had battles of solos,” Steve recalls.

Joe Scinta and Steve were Cisum Revival veterans and Joe Lococo and Jimmy played in Parkside Zoo.

Another drummer had the idea of bringing them together for a “super group,” but John, who had jammed with Joe Lococo and Jimmy on occasion, was the drummer who finally stayed.

* * *

COMMON USAGE was what dropped the “Revival” from Parkside Revival. Everybody was calling them Parkside, Joe Scinta says, and if it’s good enough for everybody else, it’s good enough for the group.