Hilton Valentine and the NYC Garage Scene

While the news of Hilton Valentine‘s passing a few weeks ago was a somber reminder that no matter how timeless The Animals‘ songs were, the clock is always running. On the less somber side, it also reminded me of what an honest, kind, and gentle person Valentine was to both fans and other musicians. Having weathered the London scene of the mid-60s, Valentine was no stranger to unfettered adulation and its assorted trappings at an early age. However, to his credit, once fame faded away, he continued performing original music and even formed a skiffle group in his later years to delve back into the music that inspired him all those years ago. Relocating to Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1997, he even graciously found time to talk and even perform songs from his Animals days with admiring fans.

Hilton cutting loose onstage with The Animals. Courtesy and ©HiltonValentine.com 2001.

The Animals were always held in high esteem by garage punk fans everywhere. While the nostalgia circuit bands were content to churn out “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” the edgier young bands in the garage scene picked “I’m Cryin” or “Boom Boom Boom” as a gritty homage to their heroes.

New York’s Secret Service performing The Animals’ I’m Cryin’ in 1986.

Even as the 80s moved into the 90s, it was not uncommon to hear a band take on a song from The Animals’ vast catalog. In some way, it was almost a rite of passage. One of those bands was The Lynchpins. A clever portmanteau of leader Michael Lynch’s unique name.

The Anything People 2010 CD Anythology.

While Michael is probably not as well known outside of the NY/NJ area, his uncanny musical ability (and talent) are well known among garage music fans in this area. Among Micheal’s many amazing achievements is writing for Ugly Things magazine, performing at various International Pop Overthrow events, fronting The Anything People and The Lynchpins, and even playing sideman to literally hundreds of other musicians such as Palmyra Delran. So it was only natural to find yourself seeing a Michael project at some point.

One particular evening at a performance space under the Acme Restaurant on Great Jones Street (titled appropriately enough UnderAcme), The Lynchpins found themselves on yet another bill. After they performed a bunch of originals to a group of very appreciative (if slightly tipsy) friends, they suddenly introduced a guest performer. To everyone’s surprise, that person turned out to be Hilton Valentine. And, while it was certainly shocking to see a 60s icon standing right in front of you, to hear those songs come out of his guitar was beyond description.

Hilton Valentine & Doug Mayer performing
Hilton Valentine and Doug Mayer of the Lynchpins at UnderAcme, NYC. June 15, 2002.

I asked Michael’s bandmate in both The Lynchpins and The Anything People, Doug Mayer, recently his thoughts about Valentine and how that whole performance came about.

A poster for Bompstomp June 15, 2002. The night Hilton Valentine played with the Lynchpins. Poster courtesy of Doug Mayer.

“I’m not 100% sure if it was Michael or Lynchpins drummer Elliott Goldberg who contacted Hilton who was living in Connecticut at the time (June 2002). Since Michael was planning a 1960s music fest at Acme Underground, I’m pretty sure he was the main impetus behind asking Hilton to participate.  Philadelphia’s Mondo Topless was on that bill, but the rest of the acts were not as well known. While Michael designed the poster, the main illustration of The Rolling Stones is actually taken from a mid-1960s teen magazine. One name notably absent from the gig poster is Hilton Valentine himself. I suppose we were not entirely sure if he would be able to make it, and so we did not update the poster in time. We did write down ‘Special Guests?’ just in case.

“Much to our delight, he did accept, and we went full speed ahead with preparations. Prior to the gig, Michael, Hilton, and I (as a power trio!) rehearsed once at a Long Island rehearsal studio and went over the three songs Hilton agreed to do with us: ‘I’m Crying,’ ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’ (which Hilton introduced at UnderAcme as a Dylan song The Animals modified), and ‘Outside Looking In.’ For the show, Hilton requested a large Vox amplifier to use on stage. Michael rented this for Hilton and returned it the same night to the gear rental place.

“Hilton was very friendly with us before the show and unassumingly sat in the back of Acme Underground with his wife, eating a sandwich he brought to the gig. We were respectful with our guest and didn’t bother him with too many questions or recollections about his old Animals days. He was so down to earth that seeing him hanging out in person seemed very familiar in a funny way.

Hilton Valentine and Doug Meyer at UnderAcme, NYC June 15, 2002.

“After the show, Elliott drove him back to the train. Hilton actually complimented us on our playing as a group, and that felt really nice to hear! A year or two later, I noticed he had started his own website for his music projects, and he posted a bunch of the photos that you had taken of the gig. It felt cool to know that he seemed happy to have done the gig. 

“Overall, my big impression of Hilton that night we played on the same stage was his professionalism, experience, and showmanship. He told each of us exactly where would be a good place to stand on the stage while he played with us. But, he didn’t say it in a bossy or condescending manner. More like an older brother who knew what would be best for us. I was lucky to be standing the closest to him and playing the only other stringed instrument on stage (a bass guitar). There definitely were moments where I felt both of us were communicating visually and emotionally on stage.

“The other big impression I had is related to Hilton’s guitar playing style and tone. There was something about his level of experience from the rock and roll past that gave him a monster tone and feel on the electric guitar. I was listening to some early Animals albums recently and was thinking again how his playing is just as good as anything Keith Richards did back then, and how it was a shame that Hilton did not get more recognition overall. He could still produce that sound live.”

Hilton Valentine, Doug Mayer, Eliott Goldberg (hidden), and Michael Lynch at UnderAcme, NYC. Note the makeshift stand under Eliott’s snare drum. Photo: ShakeSomeAction.nyc.

Doug’s bandmate Michael had an even more amusing anecdote about the show. Especially when I asked if that really was a stool standing in for a snare drum stand in some of my photos. “HAHA! Yes, that was Elliot! He forgot to bring his snare stand, and no one else was around to ask—or willing to offer one. So, he just grabbed the nearest barstool and asked the soundman to boost the highs on the snare.”

Hilton Valentine 30th Ann
Hilton Valentine at The Headless Horsemen’s 30th Anniversary show, November 5, 2017, at Brooklyn Bowl, NYC.

While that was a welcome surprise, little did any of us realize that Valentine would reappear not once but several times in the following years performing Animals hits with NYC garage veterans The Headless Horsemen. I asked Elan Portnoy for his thoughts on the passing of Hilton as well as how he came into their orbit.

“It’s never easy when you lose a friend. Although sadness threatens to overshadow the magic they contributed to your life, you take solace in the memories made while they were still here. In that way, they live eternally in our hearts and minds. My friendship with Hilton shines brightly in my treasure chest of musical and personal memories and will surely maintain its glimmer for the remainder of my life.

The Moving Sidewalks’ Cavestomp! show where Elan met Hilton Valentine.

“I met Hilton backstage at B.B. King’s in NYC when The Headless Horsemen shared the bill with The Moving Sidewalks in 2013. Amid the thick dressing room chaos, I could immediately sense Hilton was an extra-cool cat; meeting him was momentous for me. When he later called and invited The Headless Horsemen to play his 70th birthday celebration, I was thrilled and honored. Hilton’s wife, Germaine, put together an amazing party. At the shindig, Hilton jumped onstage for a bunch of tunes with us, and I flashed back to when I was about nine, playing House of the Rising Sun with my first band. Hilton was much more than a guitar idol to me; he was also gigantic in his coolness and kindness, always optimistic and a true English gentleman at all times.

Headless Horsemen and Hilton Valentine
Hilton Valentine, David Ari, Peter Stuart, and Elan Portnoy performing at Cavestomp, November 23, 2013, The Bowery Electric, NYC.

“Hilton joined The Headless Horsemen onstage once again at The Bowery Electric where we played a whole set of Animals’ numbers together. As we played, he and I glanced at each other and smiled while the magic flowed through our hands and into our guitars; it was one of those perfect moments that will replay in my head, in slow-motion, forever. Several weeks before Hilton left this world, my band The Overdrive Five had the honor of collaborating with him. Hilton played ‘Apache’ in his first band and with us. Our version will be released as soon as the final touches have been touched. ‘Am, C, D, F’ should be on his stone. Hilton passed away on the exact day my dad would have turned 100. Tough day for me.”

Gone too soon: Roy Loney and Hilton Valentine at The Headless Horsemen’s 30th Anniversary show, November 5, 2017, at Brooklyn Bowl, NYC.

So, while the media world will eulogize Hilton for his well-deserved reputation as one of the architects of the 60s London R&B scene, the majority of us here in NYC who met him will remember him as that very kind person who was only too happy to make our dreams come true. Thanks again, Hilton.

Out of Our Tree, Eh? The Gruesomes Visit NYC

While the local groups I tend to focus on this site tend to lean towards the bands loved by the garage music followers of Manhattan, Jersey, and L.I., I often get the urge to feature other areas. In fact, quite a few East Coast groups happened to make their way through NYC during the 80s heyday. Some stuck around for a few years, others just as quickly toured and disbanded. While band styles varied wildly, the one thing all the bands shared was an intense desire to play “NYC”. A sentiment mirrored by locals that welcomed not just the new sounds but also people who shared the same interests as them. Something quite special in the pre-internet age.

Despite the fleeting nature of touring, these groups had just as much of an influence on the tri-state scene than one might think. While most came from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Connecticut, D.C., and Massachusetts, every once in a while we would be treated by some bands who made the long trek from Canada.

The Gruesomes were one of those bands. Hailing from Montreal Quebec, the band instantly gained a strong local following after the debut of their first album, 1986’s Tyrants of Teen Trash. Due to their irreverent stage show, and relentless touring (as well as excellent songs) the band slowly began to get noticed outside of Canada. Their increase in popularity dovetailed into the release of their sophomore effort Gruesomania in 1987.

Soon after finishing the album, original drummer Eric Davis departed and was replaced by John Knoll. Without missing a (ahem) “beat”, the band soon embarked on their first tour of the USA. On Wednesday, May 20, 1987, the Gruesomes hit NYC and took the stage of Tramps at it’s original 15th St. location, sharing the stage with NYC’s Headless Horsemen.

When recalling this time bass player John Davis said “The Gruesomes show at Tramps (The Mind’s Eye) was our first ever gig in NYC. It was also our first gig with our new and understandably nervous drummer, John Knoll. We found the NY audiences, more than Montreal, to be very knowledgable about our source material, loudly commenting on each song as it was announced. We appreciated their wisecracks and banter with the band. We were delighted to see that the Headless Horsemen, whose records we always loved, were also funny and irreverent onstage like us! We have remained good friends with them to this day. 

It was a source of pride for Montreal bands to get a gig in NYC – playing there gave us bragging rights back home on the local scene. We have played NY many times since, and have always had great memorable shows.”

As John mentions, the band returned several more times to the New York area and played Cavestomp! sponsored shows at Westbeth Theater in the West Village and The Village Underground.

John Davis, Bobby Beaton, John Knoll (background) and Gerry Alvarez of The Gruesomes on stage at Cavestomp! 2000 at the Westbeth Theater, 151 Bank St., Manhattan. Friday, November 3, 2000.
Gerry Alvarez, Bobby Beaton, John Knoll (background) and John Davis of The Gruesomes on stage at the Village Underground, 130 W 3rd St., Manhattan. Saturday, October 27, 2001.

Showing no signs of stopping, The Gruesomes have a 45 coming out in Spain and will be touring there from Feb 27 to March 9, 2020.

Alas, much like matters of the heart, that first experience always refuses to fade away. So, here in glorious monophonic sound is a song from that Spring night set in 1987 which gives you a taste of what the early young band was capable of…even with a nervous drummer.

Full Setlist: Je Cherche [Les Lutins], Cry in the Night, (Theme from) Bikers From Hell, Til The Following Night [Screamin’ Lord Sutch], Unchain My Heart [Ray Charles/Undertakers], Leave My Kitten Alone [Little Willie John], You Broke my Heart [The Vibrators], That’s Your Problem [The Outsiders], Bloodhound [Downliners Sect], Jackknife, Get Outta My Hair, No More Lies, Til the End of the Day [The Kinks], What’s Your Problem?, I Never Loved Her [The Starfires], I Can Tell [Johnny Kidd].