Mondo Bando
Spokane - Seattle, Washington
1973 - 1978

Members
 

Electra Blue ~ Vocals
Brad Butler ~ Drums
Robert Chavez ~ Drums
Warren Ferger ~ Harp, Vocals
Gary Herrmann ~ Drums
Mark Maye ~ Guitar
Roger Williams ~ Vocals
Carl "Joe" Seltice ~ Bass
 

In Memory of

Carl "Joe" Seltice

I was in a band called Mondo Bando and we appeared with the Fruitland Famine Band and Uncle Cookie at an old VFW hall on Capitol Hill Seattle in 1977 or early 1978.   I remember that night that they came on stage dressed like the early British Invasion bands, wearing suits and the lead singer who was a female was wearing a red dress. They did a few upbeat numbers and then went into total choas with lights dimmed very low and a strobe light flashing to a heavy throbbing beat. They were chanting "Change it...Change it...Change it" and at the same time were stripping down to the nude or close to it and changing clothing. It was very hard to see until the lights blasted on again and they were totally punked out and rocked on the rest of the evening. I will never forget what an impact that had on me because it was truly amazing.

Mark Maye (Meteor Marvel)  Mondo Bando Lead Guitarist, Jan 2004

My name is Roger Williams and I was part of the music scene in Seattle from about 1974 to about 1980.   I was the Lead Vocalist for this band for a while.  I remember they were from Spokane.  Originally we were a four-piece guitar bass and drums, Brad Butler played drums and the bass player was Native American.

Also I played drums for Keeper with Peter Vanbooven and Robert Ferrero in about 1974.

Roger Williams, 26 March 2006

Mondo Bando originally started in Spokane, Washington in 1973) and played mainly a blues/boogie mix of songs. The original vocalist was Warren Ferger who also played harmonica and Robert Chavez who played the drums. The bass player, Joe, and I migrated west to Seattle, Washington in 1975 and reformed the band with Brad Butler on drums and Roger Williams as vocalist.

Our music moved towards a hard rock sound with some originals thrown in and we went through a period of time where we wore theatrical paint on our faces during our shows.

In 1976, we moved to the Federal Way area and that is when Gary & Electra joined up and we began to write and perform our own music with a few cover tunes thrown in.

The stacks of Marshall amplifiers were not window dressing, but fully engaged in our shows. That may explain why many of the middle aged people in the Seattle area suffering hearing loss these days.

Unfortunately, Disco was just coming on strong right when we were dishing out our version of heavy metal rock and roll and we only lasted another 1 1/2 years before disbanding and going our own ways.

We never compromised our sound or mission and I will always remember the fun we all had playing in the Seattle area.

Joe passed away in 1985 in Seattle. Electra performed with a few more bands in Seattle before relocating to San Francisco and Gary eventually moved to Portland, Oregon and started a restuarant. I have lost track of them both and wish them well.

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Last Update:  23 May 2010
Credits:  Mark Maye, Roger Williams