Circle Game

Paul and Peggi in Milton Avenue house, Bloomington Indiana 1973
Paul and Peggi in Milton Avenue house, Bloomington Indiana 1973

Here we are in our first house, a small rental in Bloomington, Indiana. Peggi was finishing up school and I was working construction. From here we moved to Rochester and eventually got married. Today is our anniversary.

Bloomington was a one horse college town but we found some magic there. I rounded up some photos and a few movies from this period and posted them here. Sort of an anniversary card to the two of us and the friends we made there.

6 Comments

6 Replies to “Circle Game”

  1. Congratulations. I look forward to a day when we can take a walk along the beach together.

  2. Bloomington, as unlikely as it may seem, was indeed magic in the late 60s and early 70s. The films and photos brought up a lot of memories. Thanks for posting them.
    I know it is a slim chance but do you happen to have any photos of the first (1969) version of the Screaming Gypsy Bandits? Probably not but I have to ask.

    And of course, Happy anniversary!

  3. To Michael, I wish I had photos of the band. My father, who worked at Kodak, bought me my first camera, an Instamatic, when I dropped out of IU. I went to Europe for a bit, on the remainder of my school loan, and eventually returned to Bloomington with my camera.
    I remember an early version of the band with a harmonica player, Tommy Harmon maybe. They were bluesier. Tommy moved out in the country to a commune or something. Seems like I visited him there.
    What was the name of that room, somewhat of a ballroom but dark, in the Union where Screaming Gypsy Bandits used to play in 1969. I loved those shows and the people they attracted. Thank god the school had a big gene pool. The band played in my dorm, outside, in front of Foster. Jeff Amour was in the band then.
    I saw them every chance I got. I loved Caroline Peyton and Mark Bingham’s material. There were some gigs at a little church somewhere near Dunn Meadow. The band did a really great version of “The Creator Has A Master Plan.” Saw the band at Ludlow’s Garage with Captain Beefheart in 1970. And didn’t SGB get kinda fusiony after McLaughlin? Added a burly drummer. Maybe played as a trio? All great, fuzzy memories. I know I saw/heard you play with the band. Would love to hear your recollections. I’m happy you liked the Bloomington stuff I posted.

  4. Happy Anniversary, you two!
    btw, The commune was in Needmore, where we all lived in a band house courtesy of Larry & Cathy Canada. The ballroom was Alumni Hall and next to it, the Solarium. Rick Lazar was the burly drummer who played later in a trio with Bruce Anderson and Eric Hochberg (all from SGB) called Neutrality. During that Ludlow gig, which also featured The Hampton Grease Band, we all stayed at Ludlow’s mansion with the Magic Band and road around Cincinnati together in a school bus – a memorable time was had by all.

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