Happy Together Tour Returning This Summer

After a three year hiatus, the Happy Together Tour is returning for a local engagement this summer. The tour which always features the legendary 60s rock band The Turtles, is always stocked with bands from the early the mid 60s through the early 70s playing unforgettable classic pop music.

It is a fun show featuring Flo and Eddie, the heart and soul of The Turtles, who went on two play in Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention and have stayed active in the seen.  Eddie, of course, is Howard Kaylan who has lived here in the Seattle area for many years.

The concert is set for July 9th at the Snoqualmie Casino.  Joining The Turtles will be The Association, former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron, The Boxtops, The Cowsills, and somehow, the real live version of The Archies.

Turtle Autograph

Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan, whose classic 1960s hit "Happy Together" became a pop classic, is a Seattle resident and a customer at our Bellevue UPS Store.  He was kind enough to autograph a copy of his 2013 book, Shell Shocked.  Kaylan also played in Frank Zappa's band, "The Mothers". He was on stage in Switzerland when the venue caught fire.  That was the inspiration for the band Deep Purple to write the rock classic "Smoke On The Water".

2014 In Review Part III July To September

July   19th Anniversary dinner at the Space Needle (above).
Frequent UPS Store customer Howard Kaylan in concert with his band, The Turtles. Barers Of Maple Valley was there.
Celebrated my birthday with concert at White River Amphitheater  watching Tower Of Power, The Steve Miller Band and Journey.
Watched a great fireworks display with my family at Safeco Field following the Mariners game
Former Seattle Mayor Paul Schell died.
Longtime Seattle DJ Bob Rivers Retired.

August  Watched the Blue Angels return to the Seattle area at a friend's house in Mercer Island.
Recovered and blogged the old Denney's Hi-Spot commercial with "Singin' Joe Denney.
Beloved commedian Robin Williams found dead from a suicide.
Challenged by my nephews and sister-in-law, I stepped up to the "Ice Bucket Challenge" raising awareness for ALS.
Watched the Cougs play Rutgers at Century Link.

September      Visited Walla Walla with the Todds over Labor Day weekend, took limo tour of area's wineries.
Helped celebrate Deb's grandma's 95 birthday with a surprise party.
Got away for a weekend on the Oregon coast.
Watched Eythan Frost's new snowboard film premier at Fremont tavern, Woodsky's.
Helped my Dad celebrate his 85th birthday at Bellevue Club.
Mariners just miss baseball play-offs

Happy Together Tour 2014 Hits Jackpot At Snoqualmie Casino

No summer is complete, in my opinion, without watching an outdoor concert, and to lead this season off, we headed East to Snoqualmie to watch the Turtles and a group of guests on this year's version of the Happy Together Tour.  A young at heart crowd  was singing, clapping, and dancing to songs bringing back memories of a first date, prom, graduation, or lunchtime on the oldies station. 
The concert started off with Gary Lewis And the Playboys, a mega hit maker in the 60s until Lewis went in the Army, squashing his career.  Mitch Ryder was next doing classics like "Devil With The Blue Dress On".  Mark Farner (bottom picture in blue shirt), once the lead singer of Grand Funk, took the stage, he looked older in years, but young in spirit, moving across the platform like a teenager.  An artist I hadn't heard of, Chuck Negron, was better known as a member of 1970s  hit machine 3 Dog Night, (middle picture) sang a sample of  the Dog's great hits.
Rounding out the show was the headline group, The Turtles.  Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman have lead the band and have been it's mouthpiece since it's inceptions.  They combine memorable hits like "Eleanor" "She'd Rather Be With Me", and the rock classic, "Happy Together" with a Smothers Brothers type comedy shtick that made them a popular booking on mainstream variety shows of the 1960s.
Next week, we "journey" to the White River Amphitheatre to see Journey and Steve Miller in concert.

Local Artist Involved In Sattelite Radio Lawsuit

The Wall Street Journal reports that the popular band from the '60, The Turtles, has filed a 100 million dollar lawsuit against sattelite broadcast giant Sirius XM, claiming that the groups music was played without it's permission.  While, what is known as terrestrial radio does not have to pay performers for playing it's music, assuming that the airplay will boost it's sales,  sattellite radio is bound by copyright laws,  however, while federal law protects work done after 1972, works prior to the year are protected by state law. The lead singer of the Turtles is Bellevue based Howard Kaylan. His longtime bandmate Mark Volman is to his left. You can read the specifics of the case by clicking here.

Shell Shocked: Review

Shell Schocked is the autobiography of Howard Kaylan, subtitled, "my life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa.'  Howard was lead singer of the 60s hit making group, The Turtles.In this book, he takes you on his Rock and Roll journey, along the way, you meet The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper and many more of your favorite rock artists.  Although, maybe not thought of generally of a Rock And Roll "bad boy", he has lead a tumoultous life of excesses, which in the book, he gives himself a written tsk, tsk.  Still performing partners with fellow Turtle Mark Volman, Kaylan was in the Mothers Of Invention with Frank Zappa, part of Flo And Eddie with Volman, as well as a back up singer in Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart.  Ever wonder about "how is the weather" in the fade out of classic "Happy Together"?   It's in this book.
Today, Howard still performs live shows in the latest version of the Turtles, he lives in suburban Seattle with his wife, Michelle, who often comes to our store with their dog, Poochifer.

Turtle Pokes Head Out Of Shell--Pens Book

 

When I was little, I used to love the teen dancing shows  The Beatles were emerging and bands had cool names like The Animals, The Grass Roots, The Byrds, and The Turtles.  I remember exactly were I was when I first heard the monster hit "Happy Together", a song that brighten  your day just by hearing it, I loved the phrase "no matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be", it conjures images of walking through the park in the sunshine.  The Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan lives in the Seattle area and I was fortunate to meet him and his wife.
Howard's new book Shell Shocked chronicles his years as a giant in a very important era in the growth of Rock as an entertainment force.
Howard was also a member of "The Mothers Of Invention" and was performing when the Swiss casino burned down, an event that was referenced in the Deep Purple classic "Smoke On The Water".
He also returned to perform with fellow Turtle Mark Volman as Flo and Eddie as by contractual agreement at the time, they could not perform as "The Turtles" or even use their actual names.
From what I can see, Howard lives a pretty modest life in the area, you may have seen him in a store and not noticed, but his contributions to Rock And Roll are extraordinary.  You can order his book on Amazon by clicking here.  By the way, I would be remiss not to mention Howard has a cool golden doodle named Pouchifer who loves to come to our UPS Store in Crossroads.
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