The Fugitives
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USA: The Fugitives were a famed 1960s era Sacramento-based band featuring lead guitar and lead singer Tony Powell. The band's wild yet professional sound is apparent on Blowin' My Mind, a song written by The Fugitives' bass player Allen Purdy and sung by Frank Galindo, which is on the CD titled The Sound of Young Sacramento, a compilation from Big Beat Records. The band made Sacramento history in October of 1964 when they appeared at the "Surfer's Convention", a Dick LeVenton-produced show at the State Fair's Merchandise Mart. At that time they set the attendance record for Sacramento rock and roll shows. Riding a huge crest of popularity The Fugitives opened for many famous acts(The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Beau Brummels, to name a few)and eventually got into the studio to record "Blowin My Mind". The original version was cut and recut, with the final version being produced by famous Beach Boys producer, Chuck Britz, at Western Recorders in Los Angeles. The band recorded nine songs during those 24 hour sessions, under the pseudonym "The Grimfacqles", and all of them have disappeared. Later, The Fugitives returned to LA to film "Hollywood A-Go-Go" a popular network TV show of the era. Neophyte manager Dan Steward tried unsuccessfully to interest a major label in the Western sessions but was met with indifference. The band began re-organizing and eventually drifted in to club dates playing popular covers. It is widely believed that "Another Time, Some Other Day" , and "Los Angeles"(both recorded at Western) had hit potential. The Western Sessions have remained lost after many years in spite of several research attempts to find the master recordings. The rough, 2-track version of Blowin My Mind featured on Big Beat Records was recorded in Sacramento at Bill Rase Studios. The later edition, from Western,was considered a far more polished, folk-rock potential hit. Oddly, modern California punk bands have embraced the song,possibly because of the near-psychotic lyrics, and cover the Bill Rase version in live performance.
Canada: The Fugitives are a 4-part music/spoken word ensemble from Vancouver. Its members are Barbara Adler, Brendan Mcleod, Mark Berube, and C. R. Avery. All sing and speak poetry, Avery, Berube and Adler are accomplished poets from the Vancouver Slam Team. Avery beatboxes and plays the harmonica (often simultaneusly). Other instruments used include accordion, guitar and keyboard. The Fugitives have released 2 CDs, and have toured Europe twice.
