Unlimited Few - 1967 - '68

Playing in Rushville, Indiana 1968 (altho the ad says 1967, it's a typo), The Unlimited Few. I know of the Idle Few, The Chosen Few, The Fewdle Lords, but this is new to me.
Any info appreciated, as with all of these blind listings. Join in and keep these guys or gals dream alive!

Poverty Programme - '67 -'68 -

Sometimes things just work out. Laura writes because she knew Judy in The Bomarcs and was looking for best buddy Jeanne from the Shy Ones. Laura spilled the beans about her band "the International Silver String Submarine Banned" and mentioned the Poverty Programme. Band member Dan Modlin notices the mention and provides some info about the band. I search the papers and find an ad for the band, and just maybe, it will generate another lead and we'll uncover another nugget out there!
Band members included:

• Dan Modlin - bass
• Jay Wilfong - Lead guitar
• Jerry DeRome - Drums
• Dave Scott - Rhythm
• Steve Benefiel - organ

Dan offered this info on the band:

"We started playing together as the Poverty Programme
in the summer of '67. Jerry DeRome played drums,
Dave Scott played rhythm guitar, Steve Benefiel played organ, and I
played bass. As mentioned earlier, Jay was the lead guitarist.
Jerry and I had played together in a short-lived band
called The Temperance Union before we got this band going.
The Poverty Programme developed quickly and we played
on a very regular basis. We played a lot of jobs after high school
football and basketball games at schools in the region. For as young
as we were, we also got some pretty serious bookings at the
Holiday Inn Weekender Club, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Raccoon Lake,
and our favorite------ fraternity parties at Indiana University.
I also recall some good gigs at the Skateland in Shelbyville....and at the
Regionals in Rushville.
As I recall, we were booked in Rushville at least a couple of times by an
Indy booking agent.... and those gigs might have been for the basketball
sectionals and regionals in 1968. It seems like he put us in a community
building where people could hear us play between game sessions.... or
after the finals. I remember that they billed us as "a psychedelic" act,
largely because we played some fairly progressive stuff (Hendrix, Cream, the
Who, etc.) and because we worked a strobe light and smoke bombs into the last
song of the set. It was a lot of fun..............
We played in the Indianapolis area, but most of us were based in
Hancock County. (New Palestine High, Eastern Hancock, and one from Warren
Central in Indy)

You asked what song we recorded with the recording session we won in the
Battle of the Bands. I had written a song called "Two Years Ahead of
My Time" that we recorded--- in hopes of getting a serious label to pick it
up. The song opened with a three/four time pattern that sounded kind of
East Indian.... so we thought it was fairly progressive for the time.
Jay had a friend who worked in radio in Anderson who liked the song and
encouraged us to shop it around. We sent it to Mercury Records, but they
passed on it. I honestly don't know if a tape copy still exists of that
one."

Thanks Dan for all the info! The sharp-eyed will have noticed that Dan Modlin & Dave Scott did an LP "The Train Don't Stop Here Anymore" at the legendary 700 west studios in the '70s. Dan and Jay are still heavily in the music biz. Jay Wilfong was behind the stunning "Primevil" and "Bucccanner" lp's. Someone has to do the '70s, maybe me someday....................

As for the "Why Us", I don't know anything yet, but maybe it's the next lead!

Tallys - Tally's - Indianapolis - 1965 - '66

With the addition of bassist Mike Blines, the Cavemen evolved into the Tallys. Starting in Sept. '65, and playing at least thru 1966.
Pictured Left to right:
Jerry Prescott - lead Guitar
Dave Warsham - drums
Jeff Crawford - guitar

The Tallys played the normal college campuses, frat parties, and
as seen in the ad, the Purple Panther (which until today, I didn't know as a teen dance venue).

Now the really cool stuff...
The Tallys traveled to Dayton to make demo tapes at a sound studio there. The demo tapes were picked up by a recording company and told that they could record for that label two weeks later. That would most probably be Prism records. Another Indianapolis band told them that the label had "not good" distribution, and decided to wait awhile. and that while became forever.....

I know that the Noblemen (McCordsville) and the Tribu-Terrys (Rushville) both released 45s on Prism (and maybe the Buckinghams, but I need confirmation on that!), and I'd love to hear the tapes the boys had. Time to step up to the plate and be heard!

***Lord William and The Wisdoms**** anyone? Never even heard a whisper about this (sept.66 ad).

Velvet Infinity - 1968

The Velvet Infinity, another unknown band, with no leads. The pic is from a early 1968 dance at Northwest High School (34th street in Indianapolis). I'm told that the band was hired, and I assume that they most probably did not attend that school.
Check out the threads, fab gear man! I'm stunned that a band that wanted to be "psychedelic" would be using what looks like a gold top Les Paul and ES 335/345s, so I'll bet these guys had played for some years.

Any ideas, leads, real or imagined, e*mail me and let's get these guys some respect that's due!

UPDATE:

Left to right

Steve "Mac" McNally (later of Roadmaster - deceased)
Mike Shepard (drums)
Bob "Tito" Salinas
Mike Milligan
Rex Cruea (bass) deceased also I'm afraid

I'm pretty sure that Rex was from the Kokomo area, the others I don't know yet. Steve should be easy to find info on.

UPDATE the UPDATE!

From Mike Milligan - Lead guitar and trombone:

"My name is Mike Milligan. I am the one in the picture of the Velvet Infinity. The information that you have is correct for the most part. The members were Steve "Mac" McNally who later became lead singer for Roadmaster. Mike Shepard was the drummer. Bob"Tito" Salinas was the lead singer. I, Mike Milligan played lead guitar and occasional trombone for effect (notice the trombone case in the picture). That's an Epiphone Casino that I am playing in the picture. Rex Cruea played bass. Rex, Steve and Tito had some incredible vocal harmonies. There as another guy that was in and out of the band playing guitar then organ by the name of Bill Bird. We were from Kokomo and played about every high school in mid central Indiana. We won the Howard county Battle of the Bands in '67 or '68 and then went on to place 3rd or 4th in the state fair competition. We claimed to be the first Psychedelic band in Indiana playing Who, Cream, Hendrix etc. and had a great time and made a lot of memories. Rex and Steve moved to the Bloomington area in the early 70's and formed a band called Nebula Spoon with Ricky Bennick who played guitar for Roadmaster. Steve and Rex have both passed away. I continued playing through the years and did a short tour with the Drifters. My best musical days were in the 90's to 2000 playing with my sons, Michael and Shaun, and a drummer named Don Bunn in a band called Milligan Stew. Thanks for the recognition and God Bless.

Monte Carlos '65 Greensburg - Franklin - Columbus

The Monte Carlos, circa 1965. The band formed in late '64 or early '65. I have seen ads that show they played thru '66, don't believe much later though. Played a mix of top 40 and their own songs.

The lineup as the pic shows:

Mike McPherson - Jackson (???) High School - drums
Ron Freeman - Columbus High School - guitar
Arnold Brown - St. Paul High School (Greensburg) - guitar
Drew Wood - Franklin High School - Lead Singer - guitar
Don "Monty" Montgomery - piano - organ - Manager

Pretty darn sure no recording exist for the boys, but a big salute for just doing it!

Eliminators - Students - Greenwood - Franklin 1966-67

Cut back to early 1966, The Eliminators are born and ready to play. Surf and Hot rod were the sounds of the day, and these kids nailed it.
Founding members (from left)
Jim Moore
Joey Hutchinson
Larry Hobson
Mike Wiggin
Released one 45 on their own TE label:
Move Out Lotus
She's All right

The band was sponsored by 2 time Indy 500 winner "Rodger Ward". He won the '59 and '62 races (for the unaware). I have a newspaper article

that claims the 45 (recorded at Jan Eden Studios
in Indianapolis) was to have been released on the Hickory label (a subsidiary of Decca). But 1000 were released on the bands own label.

Mike Wiggin left the band and Dale Young joined the lads. The drum head of the second band shows "the Mystics", but the the band was renamed The Students.

The new line-up included:

Joey Hutchison - Drums
Jim Moore - Lead Guitar - group manager
Dale Young - Organ
Larry Hobson - Rhythm Guitar

The Eliminators released two more 45's that completely changed the sound of the group.

1966: Rodger Ward records

Indiana Calling
I Couldn't Help Falling (1:59 version)

1967: Gold Brik records

The Letter Home
I Couldn't Help Falling (2:56 version)

The Students formed in May 1966 and were very active in the Indianapolis area. They played often at Franklin Skate Club, and had appeared on The Billie Boucher Show on TV. Pretty heady stuff for teens in the mid '60s!
Somehow, like most, the Students faded from the radar and into
history. It's our job to applaud them for giving it a go!

Sorry for the lack of action!

Tons of great bands, music, and more is on the way! I'm on holiday in Germany, and will return soon. Thanks for the e*mails, and keep the info coming, I look forward to a great summer. And to "Dan"...no it doesn't have to be all rock and roll, I do have some country and pop, and I'll figure out some R&B (but I don't remember many...where are my notes?)

Prost!
Tim