by Achille Brunet
Known for their tremendous but scarce rendition of "Hey Joe", The Violet Wing was a garage/psych band from Phoenix, Arizona seemingly active from 1967 to 1968. Some members hailed from Scottsdale, AZ and possibly Glendale, AZ.
The group was formed by David Frankus (lead guitar and vocals), Larry Cagle (keyboard), Jim Vowell (bass and vocals), and Marc Romero (drums & vocals).
I didn't find much on the band members themselves apart from David Frankus who attended Coronado High School in Scottsdale, AZ in 1962 and 1963.
The first gig I found was a show hosted by KRUX in Sept 1967, where they shared the bill with Bobby Vee, pre-Alice Cooper band the Spiders that had just changed their name to Nazz, Your Friends (discussed HERE) and Superfine Dandelion—among others.
By November, they were managed by Jerry Capp, who was part of the Teens Of Phoenix committee, formed to help Phoenix youth to find entertainment as there was according to them only one Teen Club in the Valley.
Capp joined forces with Chari Zellman who was the manager of Twentieth Century Zoo, and a Methodist minister and an attorney. The association aimed to help booking big venues and provide the teens in need with legal help.
However I don't know if they kept up with Jerry Capp for long as he's never mentioned again and didn't produce their single in 1968. The band also played after sports events at Washington High School in Glendale, AZ.
(1968 yearbook - Washington High School)
In early 1968, the band recorded at Audio Recorders in Phoenix and released one single on Sound Gems, produced by John Collins and Stan Butcher. TeenBeat Mayhem dates it from January but "Lasting Love" was only copyrighted in March so I'm not sure.
Stan Butcher was a local musician, member of the Wanderers from 1964 to 1967 (dedicated article coming soon), a band that played a Battle of the Bands with Floyd & Jerry and The Spectrum, and was also one of the owners of a coffee house on 16th street. I don't know who John Collins was.
Sound Gems had been one one of the labels of Presta Records owner Earl Perrin (with only one single in the mid-60s to my knowledge) but I'm not sure he was still behind the brand for the two 1968 releases. He passed away in October that year.
The A side is a very good cover of the Music Machine version of "Hey Joe" recognizable by its slower pace and parts of the lyrics added by Sean Bonniwells that differs from the usual version. Here the Violet Wing pushed the song to the threshold of Acid rock.
The flip side, "Lasting Love", is reportedly a garage original by the band with a good organ riff by Larry. TeenBeat Mayhem calls it "fast anglo-esque pop beat" but rates it pretty low. (I haven't actually heard that side so I'd appreciate a file)
The last gig I found was in August 1968 for the "113th Annual Roman Orgy" at the Desert Hills, in double bill with the Yellowjackets. The article points out that, unlike most Roman Orgies, ties were mandatory.
The only journalist to mention The Violet Wing seem to be Troy Irvine's section Swing Around The Valley, who kept a minute eye on the local rock scene throughout the 1960s. The Violet Wing possibly disbanded at the end of the summer.
(The Arizona Republic - Aug 3, 1968)
In December 1968, Larry and David were arrested on narcotic charges in a raid at a house on West Buckeye Road in Phoenix with eleven other people. I guess they were rapidly released as nothing more was printed in the press on that event.
Ironically, their manager Jerry Capp had written a vehement anti-drug piece in the Arizona Republic only a month prior. Drug issues then might have motivated Capp to drop the band earlier, and if the band still existed by that time, the incident was probably enough to end the deal.
(The Arizona Republic - Nov 22, 1968)
[extract, this is only the last paragraph]
Larry Cagle was locally successful in the late 80s/early 90s with the Larry Cagle band in Flagstaff, AZ. Jim Vowell, later going by the name of Edric Aziz, played with Phoenix ethnic music/rock band Traveler in the 2010s.
The Violet Wing reformed in 2015 as a 60s music cover band and played several venues including in Tempe, AZ. Jim Vowell has since passed away.
The reunited Violet Wing in 2015.
1963 yearbook)
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