R.I.P. Ethan Reilly (Sept 30, 1955 - Jan 24, 2010)

[Carl I Fornia]

lyrics 'a salty dog' (Procul Harum)

(brooker / reid)

'all hands on deck, we've run afloat!' I heard the captain cry
'explore the ship, replace the cook: let no one leave alive!'
Across the straits, around the horn: how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many junes have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seaman's log: your witness my own hand

[Rusty Ray]

JOHN CLEEK, ebenfalls langjähriger "Boys"-Weggefährte, blickt zurück:

This is John Cleek. I played drums with Ethan in The Boys; I wanted to share some thoughts with you on this, the day of Ethan’s memorial service in Germany . It is a collection of memories about the time I spent in The Boys. I wanted to give you a sense of the breadth of Ethan’s effect on the lives of (one of) those he worked with and, perhaps, remind you of some of his achievements.

I met Ethan at my audition for The Boys in his Manhattan Beach garage in 1988, and I can truly say that he was instrumental (“So to speak!” as Ethan might have said…) in changing my life.

I joined The Boys after Ethan, Bob, Pete and Dan had already laid the groundwork for our “occupation” of Bavaria in the early Nineties. My first trip to Germany – my first trip anywhere outside the US – profoundly influenced who I am today, for better or worse (and, literally, “in sickness and in health…”—I met my beautiful wife there). It was my shared love, with Ethan, of Bischofshof Pils, Schweinebraten and Regensburg ’s broken Roman walls that tempted me to stay in Germany , and the fascinating Bavarian dialect that directed me seven years later toward my new and current (pre-)occupation in linguistics.

I also had a chance to work with Ethan on his Abbaxabba project during my time in grad school, one recording of which has Ethan’s very enthusiastic (if exaggerated) praise for my drumming in the liner notes. Ethan was like that. He could be a demanding band leader, driven by a vision of musical (especially vocal) perfection, undaunted in his efforts to “be the best,” but he was just as likely to heap unexpected public praise on those around him, musician colleagues and band friends alike. He couldn’t seem to say enough nice things about my awkward keyboard playing, either, in the last incarnation of The Boys to include me. His encouragement allowed me to challenge myself instrumentally and vocally and to test the limits of my ability. I learned much from working with Ethan.

And I have many, many fond memories of those days: memories of four sweaty Americans in a rented van traveling through the Fatherland, stopping at every rest stop to pee, getting lost and arriving late; eating in just about every Italian restaurant in southern Germany; asking ourselves right before our first gig what we sounded like (we had up to that point only rehearsed vocals, without amps or a PA, in Ethan’s garage); sharing beer-soaked, smoke-filled evenings in the Alte Maelzerei and Straubing Bahnhof with raucous fans; appearing on Spanish television, performing in front of thousands around the corner from Mad Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein castle, playing “Back in the USSR” in the Kaiserkeller in Nuremberg the night the Berlin Wall came down, meeting Jerry Lee Lewis as his opening band and the words he said to me (“What are you looking at???”); the time Ethan diverged from the set list and began “Johnny B. Goode” in Augsburg, which I somehow heard as “Revolution” (a rendition later dubbed “Johnny [i.e. moi] be Revolting”) and entered on bar 3.5, or the night in the Mizurb when the keyboards (but not the guitars) went up a half-step during the pipe organ solo in “Let it Be; the ten-minute (it seemed like thirty) gesticulation session at 3:00 in the morning with the angry Italian toll booth operator who refused to let Ethan, Pete Sheppard, Don and me through without paying in Lira (“Oh, they love the D-Mark in Italy,” they had told us back in Regensburg!); the night that Ethan, despite a cold, sang his heart out for the bigwigs at Radio Schleswig-Holstein, including Peter Maffay, Die Fantastischen Vier und Dr. Alban; the friendly people we met throughout Bavaria, the wonderful friends who helped us survive, and too many inside jokes to list.

I managed to see Ethan several times before I moved back to the United States in 2006 but had lost touch with him when I got the shocking news of his illness and death. Now all the happy memories of Ethan and his bands are swirling around my head like the purple haze we used to sing about. I don’t think I will ever be able to walk along the narrow cobblestone streets of the Regensburg Altstadt, in and around Weisse Hahn Gasse and the historische Wurstkuchl, or stroll over the Steinerne Bruecke to the Alte Linde beer garden on the Danube, sites he loved so much, without thinking of Ethan, the man who ultimately introduced them to me. I miss Regensburg and those days, and I will miss Ethan.

John Cleek

Minneapolis , January 24, 2010

Im Namen ALLER Rockantenne-Hörer möchte ich seiner Familie, Verwandten und Freunden mein herzlichstes Beileid aussprechen.

In the name of ALL Rockantenne listeners I would like to pronounce to his family, relatives and friends my sincere condolences.

[Carl I Fornia]

I grew up listening to The Kingston Trio, The Beach Boys and then of course, The Beatles. My brother brought home the PH album (on Deram) in '67 and I pretty much kidnapped it (brotherly banter here and here!). While I was a fan of The Move, I never followed Pink Floyd or Moody Blues as many PH fans seemed to – to be honest I always thought they paled embarrassingly when
juxtaposed with PH.

I had my first group in 1967 at age 12, playing guitar and singing many of the songs I still sing today. By 1970, having seen a live performance of former Monkee Mike Nesmith and (his) First National Band, I began to take a great interest pedal steel guitar (which I apparently have in common with Brooker’s father: (see here and here)).

I began playing steel at 17 and within months, I was performing with it professionally. By 19 (at the time of Rhinestone Cowboy) I was working in Glen Campbell’s group, and throughout the next ten years I made my living primarily with steel. During that time I performed on television, in the studio,
or on stage with the likes of Willie Nelson, Albert Lee, Delaney and Bonnie, Leon Russell, Dwight Yokam, Ronnie Milsap, Dr Hook, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Loretta Lynn, among others.

Throughout the years I have played in such venues as The Hollywood Bowl, The Las Vegas Hilton main showroom, Olympia Halle and Circus Krone (Munich, Germany), and many others throughout the US, Europe and New Zealand.

By age 23 I began to yearn for my old rock roots and started to put together the group I still have today; 'Ethan Reilly & The Boys'. Specialising in Beatles, Beach Boys, Stones, Cream, Hendrix and just about everything 60s save (oddly) PH.

I was performing with this group at a Manhattan Beach, California club when a man with a German accent walked in one night and asked if we would like to come to Germany. That was about 13 years ago, and his hunch that we would be quite successful here proved to be quite a good one. He
lived in Regensburg, so we simply followed like puppy dogs, eventually setting up shop full time here, and I still don’t seem to be able to take my leave.

I originally played rhythm guitar with The Boys, but eventually picked up a Höfner bass, in the interest of adding a keyboardist/rhythm guitarist to get the most diversity out of a four piece group.

I’ve done a bit of orchestration sequencing throughout the years to augment our performances. Yesterday (Scrambled Eggs as McCartney originally called it) on the Salty Sequence CD was done for The Boys. Others have included A Day in the Life, All You Need is Love, Penny Lane, Touch Me (The Doors), Classical Gas (Mason Williams) sections from the Abbey Road medley, as well
as portions of the tracks on our CD, Ethan Reilly & The Boys – Baby Blue (which by the way, is likewise available for purchase to any who might be interested).

[Rusty Ray]

Michael ´Mike´ Drake, zeitweiliger "Boys"-Gitarrist, mit seiner Reminiszenz:

I worked with Ethan and "The Boys" (then comprising John Cleek, Don Bruner and me) from 1992-94. I know most of you only through Ethan's stories. But you figured vividly in that lore, and whether or not he described you accurately, he certainly made you all out to be people I'd like to meet!

As others here have already made clear, Ethan had charm, drive, talent, skill, humor, and a fierce integrity. (E himself might have added extra sibilance to the word "fierce" here for effect, which works just fine.) He knew what he wanted, and what he didn't, and you always knew just where you stood with him. I've never met anyone more honest.

When it came to performing, Ethan was über-pro. By that I mean more than that he was a good singer and a stickler for parts (which of course he was). I mean that he didn't let anything get in the way of putting on a good show. Even after we'd had it out real good (which we did, from time to time, for Ethan - God bless him - could be a gigantic pain-in-the-ass diva), we'd go right on up and have a great concert (by our lights, anyway). I doubt anyone ever left a Boys show believing we were anything but the best friends in the world - namely, because when we were up there playing, we really were the best friends in the world, having the time of our lives.

I've kept in touch with Ethan over the years, and became better off-stage friends with him too. He was warm and generous, angered by life's injustices, aggrieved by its tragedies, wary of its absurdities. I wish he were with us now to share in our anger, grief and incredulity. I will miss him.

[Herr Crazy]

An Ethan muß Dir ja wirklich viel gelegen haben, Ray. Offenbar war ein ein wirklicher, echter Rocker.

Leider kannte ich ihn nicht aber trotzdem erbiete ich ihm hiermit die besten Rockergrüße. Auf dass er dort, wo er jetzt ist, genau so abrockt wie auf Erden.

Und ich freue mich auf Deine Sendung am Sonntag. Dort kannst Du uns Unswissendenden zeigen was wir verpasst, und den wissenden zeigen, was sie verloren haben.

Ich bin mir sicher, daß Du diese Sendung im Sinne Deines Freunde bestmöglichst gestalten wirst.

[Carl I Fornia]

The idea of bringing an unknown American band to Germany was born when I saw and heard the Band in Manhattan Beach/CA. Although most of my friends wanted to ‘convince’ me that such an intention was quite a crazy idea I was absolute sure this project will work out….

The main contractions I received were like‘ 'noone knows this band’, 'Ethan who??', ‘what do you want?, music of the 60s – who is going to listen to it’ and others…

But the project was clear to me… yes, the beginning wasn’t that easy… However it was fun, a lot of fun, and, i must admit, also stressy in certain ways… Anyway, we started. ‘We’ was my good old pal Hubi (Hubert) and me. With Hubert I stayed in close contact when the idea was born in summer 1985 (he was in Germany, I was in Los Angeles… at that time no internet existed, even fax machines were not that common, but the good old telephon was working…)

Meanwhile I returned to Germany and I was able to put things together. With Ethan and the band we established a suitable period… what is the best time for Californians to come to Bavaria without being shocked by the weather… ?? late summer sounded good. We agreed to start for 2 weeks, arriving around Sept 16 and leaving Oct 1st….

So we started working on the project… Hubi and me.. mainly me, smile, although Hubi was a big part and help in all the first years…

I remember the discussion I had with Karlheinz Mierswa, at that time the owner of the ‘Ohm’, the musicclub in the centre of Regensburg (later called ‘Mizurb’, presently they name it ‘Filmbuehne’ to my knowledge).

Step by step Hubert and me filled the touring plan. We wanted and needed approx. 6-7 gigs in 2 weeks. We believed (or I did) that 6-7 gigs will recuperate our invested money.
Anyway, the two Saturdays were crucial for us as we needed a good crowd to enjoy and appreciate the band and of course to have a good revenue…

I went to Heinz at the Ohm.. We never met before… I told him about the Americans and asked if they could perform on Saturdays at his place… Heinz was (and is) a great guy and we met often even after the success of the Boys ‘forced’ us to take bigger locations..

Heinz was listening to the demotape and read the biography of the musicians. He agreed to take them for one Saturday night.. The first step was done, but I needed a second Saturday… Heinz answer was categorical: no way, Wolfgang, noone here knows the band, Saturday is a very important evening for my club, the income, the atmosphere… No way I can take the risk to book them for two Saturdays… I tried to convince him, that the Boys are great musicians, the audience will love them and and and… Our little ‘dispute’ went on for 15 minutes… I told him I won’t leave the Ohm before the Boys also get the second Saturday…. Heinz is a great guy, always smiling, but he slowly became impatient and irritated by my persistency…. Finally he told me: Wolfgang, ok, I give you the second Saturday. Under the condition that you please leave now…

That was all I wanted… And the story ends as following: Ethan and the Boys played the first Saturday and after the show Heinz came to me: Wolfgang, we need a third evening, we need an additional performance, an encore night.. Look at the people how they enjoy, what a great night…

And Ethan and the Boys played an additional show, on Sept 30th, Ethans 31st birthday. An encore performance for the people of Regensburg who started to love the musicians and vice versa. I remember the third gig was hold on a Tuesday night…. The plane back to L.A. left the next day from Frankfurt and we did not sleep one minute at that night….

YouTube- Wipe Out / Waltons Theme

YouTube- Ethan Reilly - California 9 to 5

[Carl I Fornia]

It was in 1987... Raimund Wagner was 'director of programming' at the new radiostation in Regensburg, at that time called ‘Radio Donauspatz’, now Gong FM. Raimund than already aired his famous ‘Raimund golden oldies show’. Surely it was our big interest to introduce the band to Raimund.

Therefore we tried our best to get Raimund to one of the shows. However, due to the fact that the Boys just had few gigs in the Regensburg area it was difficult for Raymond to attend one of the gigs offered. He was very busy building up the new radio station and simply his available time did not match with a concert of the Boys

Finally we came together…. I remember that Ethan and the Boys were booked to play at a so called ‘riverboat shuffle’. On a big boat to sail around at the river Danube. Again we invited Raimund and his wife Gabi to attend this special Saturday evening. And both agreed to join us. Finally the time has come…

Immediately Raimund and the Boys had a common understanding. Raimund was very quickly taken with the musician and their ability in playing ‘the sound of the sixties’… He invited the four Californians to visit the radio studio and doing some interviews… Soon Raimund changed to the new and biggest private radion station ‘Antenne Bayern’ located in Munich. At Antenne he became one of the top moderator airing weekly his famous ‘Raimuns golden oldies…’ The mutual respect between Raimund and Ethan was already very strong so although moving to Munich he never lost touch with band. A permanent exchange of ideas and advises was going on.

Raimund recommended Ethan many songs which were big hits in Germany in the 60s and 70s. He advised the Boys to perform this songs and soon they were attached to the song list.

Radio Antenne Bayern engaged Ethan and the Boys for many events. In particular I remember the party Antenne arranged the evening the german parlament was elected in 1990 (the second performer at this party were the famous 'Jetzendorfer Hinterhofmusikanten'. Oh, what fun, what a great evening..) The Boys played many business fairs on behalf of Antenne Bayern(i.e. Erdinger Weizbier - the Calfiornian even were taught to perform live the famous slogan of the brewery….) Above all of course have been the big events the Boys were invited to perform. Olympia hall Munich, the hockey arena in Fuessen in front of 6.000 people… I remember Ethan was most impressed by the crowd and the athmosphere…

Without the meanwhile longlasting friendship between Raimund and Ethan , without Raimunds intervention in songs and performance this long range and successful development would never have been possible. Raimund definitely led the Boys to a higher level. Also to a higher degree of popularity.

Dear Raimund, once again thank you so much for all your help and patience you had with Ethan and his band. ‘The Boys – the sound of the sixtie’. Warmest regards also to Gabi who was often with us.

In September 1989 me, my girlfriend Uschi (which I married in Las Vegas at that trip) and Raimund and his wife Gabi arranged to meet at San Francisso. Everywhere we went Raimund was interesting in record shops. He ‘disappeared’ for some time looking for records and ideas for the huge collection he has. In S.F. he suggested to visit a party he was invited by a guy at a record shop. We went there to find us in the midst of a big street festival arranged by the S.F. gay community… Two german couples amongst 1000s of dancing and celebrating people at a glamorous gay street festival. Oh, I remember with much joy ‘these good old days….’ Raimund, thanks for all you did….