Band Transportation
Lone Star Cattle Company - Penticton, BC - 1975 - 1986
We all had to haul our gear around. In one of my first bands our guitarist's father had a glass business, and we got to use his truck. It was fitted with a frame in the back to hold the large sheets of glass, and inside in was totally encloses. We fit all our gear in there, and usually at least one of us would have to ride back there, sitting on the equipment. There was no door at the back, and it had an open view of the road just travelled. I remember one Halloween when we shot roman candles out the back.
Some bands had one van, other two, or sometimes a van and a car. We used U-Haul trailers behind cars and vans. We used 5 ton trucks, and finally a bus. We never put our names on the vehicles because that invited thiefs. Even without a name on the side, a bus parked in front of a club still spells 'band-bus' and is an easy target. We got hit several times and lost expensive equipment.
One year we logged over 50,000 miles on the road. Booking agents have no concept of distance between gigs
Ha det bra,
Roger Stomperud, bass with The Burke Street Band, The Young & Restless, Delta Hoovercraft, and Stepp & Stomp.
The
Regents - Tacoma
1963
- 1967 & 1997 - Present
Everybody seemed to use their own vehicles for band equipment transport. These were the days before BIG equipment bands and the need for roadies (band boys, as we called them then). There were certain vehicles among the group members that wound up being the main band vehicles. First was Dave's VW Bus... which was absolutely necessary to handle Dave's drums and the Leslie speaker cabinet.
The number two vehicle was Sammy's 60's Pontiac Bonneville with a U Haul tagging along behind. That darned car could seat six comfortably as it was the widest production passenger car ever produced in the USA. It had a huge trunk.
Of course, most carried their own equipment in their own automobiles to nearby gigs.
Chinook
- Tacoma WA ?
1970
-1978
1963
Miller Meteor Cadillac hearse
Was
this your band vehicle?
Which was the the NW band that used this hearse? This is a 1963 Miller Meteor Cadillac hearse. I purchased her from a man in Tacoma who got her from Rector's Antiques in Tacoma. She seems to have sat outside in bad weather for a number of years by its appearance. I've been told she was driven by a Western WA rock band to and from their engagements and may even have appeared on an album cover produced locally - most likely in the 70's or early 80's. She is my pride and joy and I am slowly restoring her, but finding background info has been difficult and I'm looking for any info I can about her Rock star life or what Funeral Home she originally belonged to. Anyone with any info please email. Thank you!
Steve Goupil sgoupil@hotmail.com (07/31/06)Webmaster Note: There was some thought that this might have been the band vehicle for Chinook.
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 The Shadracks |
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This series of pages on band transportation was the idea of Gunnar Roger Stomperud in June 2008 and is dedicated in his name
