The New Music Sundays: The Urbations

Getting away from Toronto for a change. This was a South Eastern Michigan band that started around 1980 and which I saw once live at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor in 1990. They sang songs with Michigan as the subject including one about going to Alpena the concrete capital of the world. Robert Christgau described them as neoclassicist white r&b.

http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=3988&name=The+Urbations

Andy Boller was with them through most of the 80's and had this to say about the experience:

In August, 1980 I joined the Urbations in their formative stage, playing keyboards, and singing back up vocals and contributing most of the arrangements. After the departure of original lead vocalist Dan Mulholland, in Spring of '83, I became the principal vocalist. I began writing and arranging the bulk of the original material for the band and was the primary lead singer as well as producer of all subsequent recordings.

In 1986, Celluloid Records released and internationally distributed their "Hot Foot" 12" EP (written, arranged by me and produced by me and Ben Grosse) Under the guidance of their manager John Sinclair, (known in the 60's for his management of the MC5, leadership of the White Panthers, victim of "10 for 2", author of "Guitar Army", & subject of a John Lennon song)

Here's a link with an interview with John from the late 90's.
< http://www.westword.com/1997-08-07/music/surviving-the-sixties/2 >

The Urbations (which included future Howling Diablos, Tino and Johnny Evans) spent much of 1985 (before the release of "Hot Foot") and 1986, and on into 1987, touring the US in support of this release, extending their following to Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, St. Louis, Kansas City, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, Washington DC, Boston, and New York City. (We even did gigs in Wichita and Omaha! uh remember Clinton, Iowa, guys?) I left the Urbations in May, 1987.


He is on MySpace here: http://www.myspace.com/andyboller

Other former members of the band include: Dan Mulholland - Vocals, David Swain - Saxophone, Peter Klaver - Tenor Sax, Kalle Nemvalts - Trumpet, Terry Silver - Bass, Ian Vatet - Guitar/Bass, Buzzy Klingenberger - Keyboards/Vocals, Rich Dishman - Drums, Martin Gross - Drums, John Evans - Alto Sax, Doug Koernke - Guitar, Drew Howard - Guitar, Oni Werth - Bass, Chris Casello - Guitar, Randy Baker - Guitar, Fred Klein - Keyboards, Andy Klein - Alto Sax, Tim Brockett - Tenor Sax, Don Rimmer - Bass, Bill Newland - Drums, Charlie Monroe - Bass

The band is on MySpace here: http://www.myspace.com/theurbations

Member Ian Vatet is on MySpace here:http://www.myspace.com/ianvatet1