I joined
Clear Logic in January of 1972. I was very lucky to join an
established
band. They had gigs all over Washington. We played from
Neah
Bay to Walla Walla, mostly at high school dances. We also played
at Lake Hills Roller Rink in Bellevue, my favorite all time gig.
Dave Reeves was a very solid drummer with great meter and feel. I
worked with Dave in a number of bands and he is still a close
friend.
Paul Jacobson was very talented. He sang well and played guitar
and
trumpet. Ken Husted was a founding member of the band and stayed
with it until the end. He played guitar, keys and flute. He
was an excellent musician. Bill Davenport played solid saxophone,
especially the baritone sax. I had a lot of fun playing with
Clear
Logic. We caught the tail end of the one-nighter market which was
so popular in the 1960's. I left the band in August 1974.
Joe Cox,
June
2002
I joined the
band
in January 1977 and the band worked steadily until about September of
1979
when it finally disbanded. When I got into the group, I had just
graduated with a degree in music ed from Central but was dying to play
trumpet professionally like my friends Bobby Speer with Push and Dave
Brown
with Burgandy Express. Clear Logic was working very steadily and
for several years had been doing six night a week bar/lounge gigs
instead
of the high school on e nighters that Joe Cox was describing. We
played all over western North America. I joined while we were in
Olympia and then on a Sunday night we left and drove (in January)
straight
to Winnepeg, Manitoba where we played for a month. We played
cover
tunes that leaned heavily on the horn bands of the time like Chicago,
Earth,
Wind and Fire, The Commodores along with Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and
a number of originals (that didn't go over very well in places like
Helena)
that we recorded in a session at Eastern Washington State College.
Over the next
nine
months we played everywhere from Butte to Sacramento to Nanaimo,B.C.
and
then Kenny Husted and Doug Hamilton decided they'd had enough of the
road
and wanted to go to school so they both enrolled in Cornish School of
the
Arts. This is about the time that Brian Hutchison took over the
bass
chair from Randy Jacobson and Robin Crane replaced 'Bimmy' Bjornson.
Overnite, we
morphed
back into a rock band doing high school dances and playing our
originals
and rock tunes by Boston etc. We produced our own single, were on
the album 'Seattle Grown' produced by radio station KYYX, played at the
Paramount in a KISW 'Catch a rising star' concert with Rail and Company
and, yes, even played Lake Hills Roller Rink again, arriving in a limo!
The band
finally
broke up in late 1979. I had a great time with the band and
fufilled
my dream of making my living as a professional musician, if only for a
while. For the last 20 years I've been a music teacher for
Snohomish
Schools and played trumpet for the Seahawks '80-'87 and Latin
Expression
Orchestra '87-'01.
Pete Wilson,
September
2003
I went looking
for
Ken Husted's e-mail address and ran into this web site. I'm the
trumpet
and guitar player that was in the band from 1970 to 1973. I went
to high school with Ken Husted, Bill Davenport, Bob Gudgel, John
Birdlebough,
Dave Reeves, Ron Peyser, and someone you missed, Jon Glastra - Sound.
I remember
practicing
in the Lake Forest Park area at Ron Peyser's home, across the street at
Ken Husted's home, then at Bill Davenport's, and eventually in my
basement
in what is now Shoreline. There was even a time where I played French
Horn,
but the trumpet worked out so much better playing Chicago, Sly &
the
Family Stone, and Buddy Miles tunes.
I vividly
remember
the first time we played at Lake Hills. It was on a side stage with
Merilee
Rush and the Turnabouts. We thought we'd hit the bigtime. Little did we
know we'd be headlining there just a few years later. I don't think we
had any idea how big the music scene was in Seattle or how much of an
impact
it would have in the future. I'm still playing guitar and singing with
my church worship team in the Lower Yakima Valley of Washington State,
but haven't touched a trumpet in years.
Paul
Jacobson,
July 2005
Ken, Dave, Ray
and
I founded Cement in 1966, it evolved into The Sands of Time in 1967,
that
lasted until Ron Peyser joined in 1968, and he came up with Clear Logic
the opposite of Blind Faith!. We had many fun adventures
traveling
and playing all over the PNW. Marrianne Backer was our first
manager
and she introduced us to Merrilee and Neil and got us started with gigs
on a regular basis before we joined the union in 1968, the UNICAM took
it from there. We usually spent 2-3 hours every day after school
practicing at the Husteds, Birdleboughs or Davenports basements or
barn.
The we worked 2-3 nights a week playing for folks all over the
PNW.
We toured Jackson Hole and parts in between. It was a
blast.
Later in life Bill and I worked together at Tektronix. I still
see
Dave and Bob frequently and any time Sandy or I see one of the old band
members are in town playing, we stop by to say hello.
Clear Logic was
a
great collection of players, and a great band to be a part of.
To all our many
fans
and supporters, thanks for the great memories.
John
Birdlebough
– Keyboards (Yes I can still pay the full lite my fire and color my
world!)
Sandy and I have
relocated to 330 Gulden Road, Mabton, WA 98935.
On 30 acres, we
are
building a vineyard and observatory, with no neighbors and a 4 acre pit
soon to be concert amphitheater in process. Our long term plan is
a small lake and concert stage for new groups to break in and free for
the community.
We are in
contact
with Bob Gudgel, George Marshall, and Dave Reeves, but have lost track
of Bill Davenport, Ken Husted and Paul Jacobson. Ron P we know
your
looking down from up there and laughing your ass off. (RIP my
friend)
We have a nice
big
house, guest rooms, many classic guitars, amps and keyboards as well as
studio recording gear. A new moog voyager arrived last Christmas
as well as a therimin for Beach Boys tunes.
PJ we hear you
live
in the Valley drop us a line.
Ken mom bumped
in
to you a few weeks back.
We can be
contacted
at 509.643.6501 or 425-231-7726
We always have
a
room for the weekend for a fellow CL member. Usually do the wine
tour as well.
ROCK ON!
John &
Sandy
Birdlebough, May 2008
