June 10, 1972: The Nite Riders
And now for something completely sweet and innocent:
June 10, 1972
‘Nite Riders’ Follow the Beatles Trail
Fame Is Their Goal, Too
SOME OF THE
most idyllic moments on TV these days come in shows about rock groups. Like The
Partridge Family. It’s the stuff that dreams are built on.
The Beatles started it all. Before them, rock was
anti-social, the root of all evil. But then along came “A Hard Day’s Night” and
“Help!” and suddenly being a rock star looked like the best riff on earth.
Fantasy, yes, but very real fantasy. I mean, all you had to
do was make it and you could do anything you wanted. Girls, clothes, big
houses, cars, fun. You could goof on the whole world. Nobody knows how many
frustrated teenage guys saw those movies and went out to find salvation by
buying electric guitars.
These days, with The Beatles broken up and rock stars dying
or high-pressure living, the dream has evaporated somewhat. The Monkees kept it
alive for a while. Now it’s The Partridges.
* * *
AS YOU PULL UP
to the Gould home, a comfortable ranch affair in a big lot on a shady side
street in the tiny village of Holland, some 30 minutes south of Buffalo, you
can almost imagine someone filming there.
Husky, sideburned Colin Gould is a little more down-to-earth
than most TV fathers, however.
“The boys are downstairs,” he says, leading the way through
the Early American warmth to the cellar stairs. “Would you like some lemonade?”
The boys call themselves The Nite Riders and they’re all set
up in one paneled corner of the basement. Not a lot of equipment (yet), but
enough so that Mrs. Gould thinks they should turn it down.
Both Gould boys are in the band. Dwight, a 13-year-old
seventh grader, plays lead guitar, while brother Colin Jr., 11, on drums, is in
sixth.
Colin’s good friend Lee Closson, a sixth-grader who just
turned 12, is on bass guitar, while Donnie Hogate, 14, a classmate of Dwight’s,
plays rhythm guitar and handles the singing.
What the TV shows never tell you is what happens the first
time some big-city critic comes down to hear your group. So the band is
understandably nervous as they run through a few numbers.
* * *
REMARKABLY
like early Beatles instrumentally, Colin has that Ringo Starr shuffle down
perfectly and Dwight picks out simple but intriguing guitar licks.
Donnie’s high voice is pleasing, but gets hidden behind the
instrumentals. Lee’s bass could come out more, too, if he had a bigger amp. Now
if they had a PA system instead of running mikes into the guitar amps …
“They’re saving for more equipment,” Mr. Gould says.
They do Guess Who’s “Bus Rider,” “Dance to the Music” and
Ringo’s “It Don’t Come Easy,” along with instrumental versions of “Sunshine of
My Love” and “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida.” Occasionally, their drive weakens, but it
never disintegrates. They always pull back into gear.
* * *
MRS. CLOSSON
drops down as they’re playing. Mrs. Hogate looks in. On hand also is the
group’s earnest manager, diminutive 13-year-old Don Zorechak, tireless promoter
and staunch fan.
After some picture-taking around the above-ground pool in the
backyard, Mr. Gould brings the boys some cans of cold pop and the rock star
dreams start to materialize as they settle down in the shade at the edge of the
field they’ve made into a backyard mini-bike track.
“I wish we were famous enough so that they could charge $5
for people to come hear us,” Colin says.
“We want to get a house, psychedelic lights and buses,” adds
Dwight.
“When we get older and we can drive,” Lee says, “we’re all
gonna have choppers.” He twists an imaginary motorcycle throttle.
* * *
THEY’RE GETTING
a touch of stardom already in their hometown. It started coming around when
they played the junior high school talent show this spring.
Last year the judges couldn’t take the volume and thumbed
them down. But this time the panel included some younger teachers. There was a
full house for the show. Some 400 people, biggest crowd they’d ever played to.
“We did three songs for the judging,” Donnie says, “and when
we were done the kids were yelling encore, encore. Then we played while the
judges were voting. They announced: ‘First place, The Nite Riders.’”
Dwight
was shaking when they gave him the $20 prize money.
They
also tried out for the Variety Club Telethon and got to play on Cable Channel
10 in
* * *
“AFTER WE
played,” Colin says, “all these girls came up and asked us for autographs. One
girl didn’t have any paper so I signed her arm.”
“You dotted the ‘I’ kinda hard,” Lee laughts.
Their parents borrowed a flatbed truck and a generator so the
boys could play in the Holland Tulip Festival float parade. They got a second
prize and Congressman Jack Kemp came up and complimented them.
Bunches of kids in school offer to do things for them to be
part of the group. They want to be managers, drum setter-uppers, music
carriers. Don Zorechak has the manager’s spot sewed up, however.
“When we practice in the garage,” Colin says, “we tie up
traffic in the street. We have kids go around town and see if they can still
hear us.”
The Nite Riders play every other week at the Holland Boys
Club’s Friday night dances, alternating with the village’s other rock band.
They’ll be there next Friday and June 30. They’re also line up for a parade in
Strykersville and Lee’s mother’s factory picnic Aug. 6.
This sunny afternoon they’re going to take a quick swim in
the pool, then ride off to
Wearing matching red, white and blue outfits (Mrs. Gould’s
idea), the boys look forward to the time when they don’t have to keep their
long hair neat and dress alike.
* * *
“SOMETIMES
we get called sissies because of our hair,” Donnie says.
“They
don’t want us dressing like hippies,” Colin says. “People around here don’t
like that.”
“We
won’t have to worry about that when we get to play in
“I’d
like to get famous so we wouldn’t have to go to school,” Colin proposes. “Like
The Osmonds. Then we’d have a living and we wouldn’t have to worry about going
to college.”
“Everybody says that bands are gonna be out in five years,” Lee says, “along with long hair and everything. Well, we tell them that isn’t gonna happen ‘cause we’re gonna keep it up.”
The
box/sidebar:
Forming Rock Band
Santa
Claus got The Nite Riders started back on Christmas 1970. Under the tree at the
Goulds’ was an electric guitar for Dwight, who had been fooling around
acoustically, and a drum set for Colin, who immediately sent his toy drums into
retirement.
Within
three days they’d line up their close friend Lee Closson, who played tambourine
until he put his hand through the head. Then he got a bass guitar for his
birthday.
And
they called on Donnie Hogate, whose group was breaking up anyway. Donnie
yielded lead guitar chores to Dwight so he could concentrate on singing.
* * *
THEY BEGAN
by picking up songs from Beatles books and Creedence Clearwater Revival books.
They played in the Gould basement for parties and soon were getting invited to
play for other events.
Practice in the basement comes three days a week. On Saturday
mornings, they get a one-hour lesson from Bob Sutz, a former philharmonic
player who quit classical music for rock (“I’d do the same thing,” Colin says.).
He teaches at a music store in
* * *
“MY DAD
called up,” Dwight says, “and said he’d heard about the guy and how he’s good
with kids. He said he’s always wanted to work with a group so now we’ve had
about 20 lessons.
“He gives us songs to work out and exercises. He shows stuff
to us fast first, then does it slow.”
As for their name, they’re thinking of changing it. They got
it off a sports car poster Dwight had and the car was called Nite Rider. “It’s
all right,” Dwight says, “but it doesn’t sound like a rock band.”
* * * * *
IN THE PHOTO:
From left, drummer Colin Gould Jr., bass guitarist Lee Closson, lead guitarist
Dwight Gould and singer Donnie Hogate.
* * * * *
FOOTNOTE: The Nite
Riders didn't hit the trail. They wound up staying close to home instead. Dwight Gould is CEO for Magic Paperbox
in Holland, which makes neat-looking custom cardboard packaging in all shapes
and sizes. His brother Colin lives in nearby Glenwood.
Lee Closson and Don Hogate also stuck around
Comments
Post a Comment