Remembering "Nymbus"

Erik Blum, who hosts the West Coast Fog online radio show that specializes in obscure west coast psychedelia, recently asked me for my rememberances of the Hayward band Nymbus. Some live tapes of theirs from ~1970 have recently surfaced and transfered to vinyl and CD for sale. Search "Nymbus" on YouTube for further details.

BTW, If anyone knows the whereabouts of Laura Hill (who is mentioned in the piece below), please contact me. I'd just like to know how her life turned out.

Here's what I wrote for Erik:

Remembering Nymbus


I grew up in Hayward, CA, a blue collar suburb 28 miles southeast of San Francisco on the Eastern shore of the Bay. A one time farming community, Hayward was famous for the Hunts Tomato Cannery. During canning season the town smelled of ketchup. It was growing and prospering with new suburbs and industrial parks and schools.

I believe I first came across Nymbus during the year of 1969. I was 16. The earliest reference to the band I remember was a discussion with a friend of my brother. He played guitar and was talking about light gauge Gibson strings and said that was what the local guitar heroes used and one that he mentioned was Joel Anderson. The bass player, Mike Filloon was the son of one of the popular teachers I had at Calaroga Junior High.

I had a friend named Frank Burt who everyone called “Squirrel” (my handle was “Firehead.”) who had friends that went to Tennyson High School. We were younger and attended Mt. Eden High. Through him I began to meet different people who went to the rival school.

I don’t remember the first time I saw Nymbus, but it was probably one of the dances at the recreation center at George Weekes Park. “The Rec Hall” was one of our usual haunts. There was the “Teen Drop In” on one week night and from time to time there were dances on the weekends. The Drop In was a time to meet up with friends (girls) and go out into the park and get high and be silly. For the most part I went to the dances at my High School and the Rec Hall. I was learning guitar and checked out every band around. I also liked to dance. It was a good way to meet girls. (Sense a common theme here?)

I’m trying to recall the other popular local bands at the time, but so many came and went. I was also expanding my horizons by spending my weekend nights at places like the Fillmore West, The Family Dog on the Great Highway and Winterland in San Francisco among other venues. That year I first saw groups such as the Grateful Dead & Led Zeppelin. I might add that I survived Altamont, but didn’t stay for the Stones. Maybe that’s why I survived.

So, Nymbus appeared on my radar and I started going to see them. The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck had been favorites and I recognized Joel’s Beck influence. “Jeff’s Boogie” was on their set list and Joel nailed it. Other songs were originals and I never really learned the names of them. I recognized them by the guitar riffs more then the lyrics.

Being a gear head, I always checked out what bands used onstage. Most local bands used Fender or Sunn or Vox amps. Marshall’s were still exotic and weren’t seen much. Nymbus played through Ampeg amps. Both Joel and Mike had matching rigs, possibly V-22 heads through 2 x 15” cabs? Mike had an Ampeg bass, the kind Rick Danko of the Band used. I think he sometimes used a Fender bass as well. Joel was playing a Fender Telecaster and sometimes a blue (?) Rickenbacker 360 six string that had Gibson humbucking pickups installed. I don’t remember what Brian played. I was pretty oblivious to the drums. I think he had a double kick kit, but I couldn’t tell you what brand or anything. Joel got a good overdrive sound and I once asked him how he got it and he said he had a “preamp.” As I recall it was a homemade box that boosted the signal from his guitar overdriving the amp.

Unlike a lot of bands at the time who played covers, Nymbus was an original band with an upful vibe. I think that was the attraction for me. Good songs, good singing and a smoking lead guitarist. I talked ‘em up every chance I got. I remember telling some friends how good I thought they were and one who’d been a singer in a bunch of bands said, “Jesus, you act like they’re Cream or something.” I don’t know how I answered, but in my mind, I thought they were kind of the local version. I remember the first time I heard Led Zeppelin, I thought Jimmy Page sounded a lot like Joel Anderson.

While I usually saw them at the Rec Hall and maybe a concert at the Hayward Municipal Park bandshell, Nymbus played one gig out of town that I attended. There was a big rock festival in San Jose with Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix I believe at the Fairgrounds. Nearby there was a counter-festival in a park. Kind of a protest at the ticket prices of the big festival. There was camping there, and a lot of people stayed the night at the park who were attending the festival. They had a stage and a PA cobbled together and every local band who could get there played and among them was Nymbus. I had hitch-hiked down from Hayward with “Squirrel” and his girlfriend, Angelica. I think they had tickets for the big festival. I ran into some friends from Hayward and hung out at their campsite while they went to the big festival. I’d dropped acid and when Squirrel and Angelica came back to start home, I decided to stay the night.

Besides the local bands playing, there was a surprise guest band. After their set at the big festival, Jefferson Airplane came over and played. They previewed songs from their forthcoming album “Volunteers” and were rocking out when the PA went down. Paul, Jorma, Jack and Spencer got into jam mode and played in a way I never heard before or since. More like Quicksilver or the Dead then the jams I’d heard them play before. What I remember most is the way they weaved the 12 string, bass and lead guitar together. The PA got sorted out, and they played a great set.

I don’t remember when Nymbus played, but I remember that they played well and were well received. The next morning I ran into them and managed to catch a ride back to Hayward. It was one of the first times I actually hung out with them for any length of time. I was pretty spaced from the acid and however much pot I’d smoked and little to eat, so I probably wasn’t the best conversationalist. And I was pretty shy at the time. I don’t remember much about the ride home other then getting dropped off a ways from home and having to hoof it back to my own neighborhood.

Over the months I continued to see the band. One gig I’ll never forget was one at the Rec Hall where I set eyes on this lovely young blonde girl in baggy jeans. Her hair was down to her ass and she had the most beautiful smooth skin. Her name was Laura Hill. We got to talking and over time developed a sweet high school romance.

As time went on there were changes in the band. I remember a Hammond Organ player with them a time or two and maybe a different bass player? I got involved with a band doing Country-Rock who thought Led Zeppelin were totally un-cool. I started playing more and hanging out with different people who liked to go to the beach to play acoustic guitars and pound on conga drums. Nymbus faded from my consciousness and I didn’t really hear much about them until a few years later after I moved away for college in Humboldt County. I read BAM Magazine and saw ads and mentions of a group called “The Awesome Light Band.” And there in the band picture was Joel Anderson. The circle turned again.

Nymbus were part of the soundtrack of my life in a time when the world was on fire, and anything was possible. The old world was dying and a new one was being born. And I’m glad we were there for each other. Thanks for the music guys!

RIP Mike Filloon

And On We Go into the New Year

It's been a while since I posted. Here we are in the year 2012. If it contiunes like it's started it will be memorable.

Friday and Saturday I was playing with Lalla Rookh up in Estes Park, CO for the Winter Festival. Friday night was tough, playing in a fairground pavillion with little heat. The wind was howling outside and the bathrooms were about a half mile up the road. Luckily there was hot apple cider that I used as a hand warmer and hot chocolate to give me the energy to get through the last set. It was cold, but not as cold as the gig with Tuatha at Beltainia in 2010. We were provided rooms in the form of a couple of condos. I shared one with our bass player, Jim, his wife Megan and their almost two year old son Parker. I got the upstairs suite. Parker is a fun kid. We then played a long set on Saturday. It was a lot warmer and we actually donned the kilts.

After playing and changing out of gig clothes I hung out a little to listen to SHEL, a girl group consisting of four sisters and their father, then drove down the canyon home. I turned on the radio just as E-Town was coming on and I was treated to sets by Mumford and Sons along with Fort Collins locals, Danelle Ate the Sandwich. There was traffic but the drivers were acting civil and it was smooth ride along the Big Thompson River. I always think of my father when I drive this road. He lived in Loveland at one time and his parents are buried there. I still think of a family vacation when we went to the Dam Store (still in business) and to a couple of lakes in the foothills.

Instead of driving through Loveland, I took the Masonville road that goes through the foothills and Horsetooth Lake. There were few other cars, just a few bicyclists taking advantage of a warm winter day. The music was good and with new tires my car was running fine. Masonville is a little community with horse ranches, small farms and a feel that is totally different from most of the Front Range. Kind of the town that time forgot. Just one of those little perfect moments.

Last year was much better then the year before. I'm able to travel again. We took a trip to Jackson Hole to visit extended family and to help with the Swan Roundup which assists transfering trumeter swans to different places and reintroducing them to former habitats. The good news was, I didn't end up in the hospital like I did in the previous year's visit. We took a daytrip to Yellowstone for wildlife viewing seeing lots of bison, elk and even a mama griz and her cubs (from a safe distance). Even though it was early June, there was a lot of snow on the ground and one of the lakes was still frozen. I love seeing Yellowstone in different seasons.

The next trip took me home to California for my brother's 60th birthday. I was going to take the train out, but there was track out in Nebraska, so my train got cancelled. After getting a refund, I found a cheap flight on Frontier airlines. They let me take my guitar onboard but they speared my soft bag somehow. I didn't discover it until I was unpacking. I have no idea how they managed to do that. I was met at the airport by OMO Brother Bill Russell. We stopped in San Mateo and found a little Vietnamese restaurant. Yum!

I didn't get out as much as I'd have liked to on the trip. I was still dealing with fatigue and lack of endurence. We did get in a trip to Bean Hollow Beach for some personal time with Our Mother Ocean. So good to recharge at one of my "power spots." That was followed by a drive up to Skyline Drive through the redwoods.

My brother's 60th was a blast. Besides meeting my Great-Nephew for the first time, I got to see a bunch of friends who I don't think I've seen in 35 years. I also met my brother's new girlfriend. (Welcome to the family!) It seemed like everytime I turned around there was someone I haven't seen in years.

The next adventure was a day of sailing thanks to Capt. Gary Hall who took Bill and I out on his 35ft. sailboat. We went from Alameda, under the Bay Bridge (while I'd been over the bridge hundreds of times, it was the first time I went under it) behind Alcatraz and on the back side of Angel Island where we "parked" for lunch where a CD of The Grateful Dead's "Soundcheck at the Cow Palace" played as we ate lunch and sat in the sun. Talk about "perfect moments." From there, we sailed around the island and caught the wind coming through the Golden Gate and flew across the water back to the bay bridge where we lost the wind and motored back to port.

The next day I was picked up by my "Driver for the Day" in a '74 Cadillac, Mr. Jim Davis and his wife Pat. We took the Sunol canyon road out to Livermore to the Eckert Winery where Mike Eckert makes wine. Mike was another one of the "haven't seen in 35 years crew." We were joined by two more, Mark Horning and Tom Tidwell. After sampling the tastey wines, we went to a restaurant where my old pal Richard Sinkler and his band were hosting an open mic. Gary Hall joined us again as did my brother and his sweetie. I played two songs with the band and during the break, Richard and I played a few songs as a duo. For not having played together in 35 years, I'd say we done good!

It was great to be surrounded by old friends, connecting the ones who hadn't met and getting to play some tunes. Thank you, Richard Sinkler!

I took the train home. I love that trip, especially going throught he Sierras and the Rockies. I woke up somewhere in southeastern Utah as the sun was rising in what they call buttermilk skies contrasted with the red rocks of the landscape. And I had the feeling that I was getting near my home. I'm a long ways from the ocean, but Colorado has really become home.

Those were probably the highlights of 2011. My health continues to improve, I'm doing more and more music and I feel more connected to friends and family. And there's been a lot of reconnecting with old friends. Life is good. As we near the beginning of "The Year of the Dragon" I feel that we're living in auspicious times.

Farewells

Mourning the deaths of Beth Eisenhauer, friend and one of Lalla Rookh's biggest fans, and Kyle Dyas, Music Director of KUNC-FM in Greeley who first played our music on the air. Beth was found dead in her home after friends hadn't heard from her. Kyle jumped off a 42 story building in Denver Sunday.

There're a couple of holes in the fabric of the Universe today.

Music News Update

I have left the band Tuatha, at least as far as playing with them on a regular basis. While my health continues to improve, I still don't have the energy that is required to keep up. They practice twice a week, and there are festivals that require camping, and I'm just not up for it. They have been nice enough to invite me to sit in from time to time, so I can see that happening. It's been a good ride. We created that band from nothing. Got together, fleshed out things William had and some things Traci had some too and we and wrote most everything else. Recorded a kick-ass CD produced by Tierro Lee of Kan'nal. I feel very grateful to have those opportunities.

Two days after I left, Tuatha, I got a call from Mary from Lalla Rookh, the Celtic band I've been part of for over ten years saying she want's to put the band back together. Since our fiddler, Kay, is teaching school in Abu Dabi right now, I'm a little skeptical. But they say when one door closes, another opens. All I can do is stand in the hall and peek in the door that's open a crack and see if it's somewhere I want to go. (I'll take door number three, Monty!)

The other musical project, Paul and Tom's Green Band, is still going strong as far as getting tight. We've played two open mics to get our feet wet in front of an audiance and may have some other gigs coming up. Our violinist, Fiona Pace, is still getting settled with work and housing stuff, so she hasn't been able to practice as much as we'd like. We're willing to wait. Everyone waited for me when I was sick and Deb, our drummer had shoulder surgery right after we first met, so waiting for Fiona doesn't seem like a problem. The Green Band is mostly acoustic, so it's easy to do. Deb plays a stripped down drum kit and Tom plays a fretless electric through a small amp. I'm playing acoustic guitar so we aren't carrying tons of gear and can play anywhere from a living room to a theater. Throw up a few microphones and were ready to go.

In the meantime, I'll get out a few instruction videos and keep practicing. You can always improve. Geeze, now I have to remember how to play all of those mandolin parts for Lalla Rookh...

Medical Update

I saw the doctor last Monday. Weighed in at 171 lbs. The blood counts are up and while a couple of catagories could use improving, over all, things are good. He's keeping me on the same medication and doesn't want to see me for three months. I'd call that good news.

Holiday Greetings!

2010, the year I almost died, got divorced and got to eat as much of anything I wanted with a license to smoke dope!


The year started out much like any other year. We had a long winter with snow on the ground for the whole season. In February, I got a nasty fever (as high as 103) with “flu like symptoms.” I figured it was one of those 24-hour viruses that kick your ass and move on. But then it happened again. Then again and again. Finally I saw our family doctor about it. After having some blood work done she referred me to an Oncologist. After taking blood, bone marrow and other bodily fluids I was diagnosed in March as having Large Granular Lymphocyte Leukemia. Leukemia is one of those buzz words that freaks people out. For some reason I wasn’t scared. I knew I’d get through it once I knew how to deal with it. Besides, I knew what I had was rare and while life disrupting, it wasn’t life threatening.

What is LGL Leukemia? First of all “Leukemia” covers a wide spectrum of blood diseases. What happens with the form that I have is that the white blood cells form a sand-like crust around them and quit working. They don’t fight off infections, they take up space healthy cells could use and they don’t die off. I think of them as a bunch of old soldiers who sit around at the VFW, drink whiskey, smoke cigars and congratulate each other for defeating the Hun without acknowledging the young soldiers who are out fighting today. They put me on a chemo drug, Methotrexate, which I take once a week in pill form. No blood or bone marrow transplants, no IV chemo drugs. I got off easy.

In April I went with Laura and a couple of friends to Jackson Hole, WY for some wildlife viewing with our friends, Ralph, Louise and their daughter Susie who were hosting us. The first night there I noticed my ankle had swollen up and the next day we decided to have it looked at. After trying to decide if we should go to a clinic, we chose to go to the hospital. They looked at it, took my vitals and put me in ICU. My blood pressure had dropped and my temperature spiked. They put me on IV wide spectrum antibiotics and I was there for several days getting poked, prodded, X,Y&Z-Rayed, Cat Scanned (a nice English Tabby), you name it. They decided that I had a secondary infection in my ankle and pneumonia. They were afraid that I’d get blood clots so they had a continuous massage machine on my legs. Every so often they’d let me out of bed to sit with my leg raised. A couple of ski-babes came by to give me physical therapy teaching me how to use crutches. They didn’t want me to put weight on the swollen ankle, so when I was released, it was with crutches.

Only I wasn’t released to go home, I was released to check into our local hospital. Since our friends who brought us up to Jackson had already gone home, our hosts offered to drive us back to Fort Collins and take me to Poudre Valley Hospital. Since their grandchildren are in Fort Collins as well, it was a perfect opportunity for them to spoil them a little more. I spent a few more days in the hospital where I could be taken care of by my own doctor. When I was released I had in-home care for ten days where a nurse would come by twice a day to give me IV antibiotics. Did I mention I had a tube inserted that ran from my mid arm to near my heart? Makes it easy to hook up IV bottles or give injections. After ten days that was removed and I was back at home and on my own. That’s when things got interesting.

The antibiotics totally screwed up my digestive tract. Whenever I’d eat, it felt like there were two fists in my stomach punching each other. It got to a point where the only things I could eat was rice, my friend Kay’s chicken soup, mashed potatoes, honey-vanilla yogurt and interestingly enough, Indian food from our local Indian restaurant, Taj Mahal in small quantities (I think the rice pudding for desert made the difference). During the next several months I was extremely weak, dehydrated and malnourished. I was given different nausea drugs that helped to varying degrees, but all of them had a common side effect, they put me to sleep. During this time I remembered that a friend had given me a “green” brownie that had been wrapped in the freezer. I ate a chunk of it and it helped more then any of the prescription drugs. And while it altered my consciousness a bit, I could dose myself to get the most relief and the least of the high. In August I applied for my MMJ license, and though I haven’t really needed it in the past few months, it’s there if I things change. (I know some of you who knew me in High School might find it hard to believe, but I make Mormon Missionaries look like party animals as far as intoxicants and caffeine go.)

Well, with the stomach problems and other side effects, I lost weight. I got down to 134 lbs. I looked like a skeleton with flesh or a just liberated P.O.W. My friends and family were worried. With a compromised immune system, if I got sick, it could get real serious fast. I was going in several times a week for IV’s to rehydrate me. Slowly I turned the corner. I started to eat more different things and the stomach war wasn’t so intense. If I had problems after I ate, ginger ale or ginger cookies would take care of it. On Saturdays, I’d go to the Farmer’s Market to get some exercise, socialize and to try to eat different things (Noosa Yogurt became one of my best friends!).

In September, I was put on steroids for eight weeks. That’s when things began to change. I was scouted by both the Rockies and the Giants and was hitting over.400 easy. (Not really…) What happened was I began to have energy again. At one point I’d been so weak that I couldn’t even lift my bass let alone play it. I kept a guitar in the living room and was playing it when I could, but the pressure of it against my ribs, hurt. But after the steroids some good things happened. The stomach problems went away! I could eat. Before long I was eating like a teenager, just non-stop munchies. I drank Boost nutritional supplement beverage twice a day for the calories and I could tolerate a bunch of foods I couldn’t stand the taste of before. I could eat bananas again, salsa, tortillas, tomatoes… It was a lot better then plain rice and saltines that’s for sure. More importantly, both my red and white cell counts went up!

Since then, things have gotten much better. I’m still taking the chemo drugs every Sunday morning with few side effects. After going off steroids the swelling in my ankles went away, the doctor has been putting more time between appointments, first six weeks then three months. I’ve played some gigs with the world fusion band, Tuatha, and I’m working on another project called “The Green Band.” Oh, and I weigh in excess of 170 lbs. But best of all I feel good!

In other news, our divorce became final the other day. “But wait a second, Pablo,” you say. “You and Laura never got married.” There’s an Irish fiddle tune called “You Married My Daughter, But You Didn’t.” The law in Colorado is something like that. Since we bought a house together, we’re considered “Common Law.” Nothing like the Government making choices for you, is it? But that’s another rant for another time. So in order for me to be eligible for certain benefits and programs to help us with medical expenses, we had to get divorced. Nothing has really changed. We’re still together as always. Friends have suggested that we have a divorce party to celebrate our new life together. Might just happen…

While 2010 was a year I’ll long remember, though there’s much I’d like to forget, I survived with a little help from my friends and extended family. Laura was with me every step of the way. Sometimes screaming and pulling her hair our, or afraid she’d come out to the living room in the morning and find me dead, but she’s been there. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for that. So many friends have put up with my illness and madness and called, sent cards, visited me in the hospital or at home. Thank you one and all! I am a lucky man. As Laura and I said in the middle of this, “We have the best friends in the world.”

So, I’d like to wish for you and yours many blessings and love for the New Year (and beyond!). Words fail me, but the feelings are strong. Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, or puts you on the talk show circuit.

One Love, Blessed Be!

-Paul

More Health News

Since I last posted on things, I've been doing better. I last saw the doctor in November and he dosen't want to see me until February. I still have a little fatigue and I need to exercize more, but I'm up to around 170 lbs. and I'm concentrating on eating well, not just eating a lot like I was when I was just trying to gain weight.

I had that sinus cold that's been going around. I saw our family doctor for that and she said I should get a flu shot. I never had one before, but since my immune system isn't as strong, I went along with it. Within five hours I had the chills and shakes for a couple of hours before having a fever. After a rough night I was OK. Hmmmm...

So (knock on wood) things are going well.