Pitche Blende Reunites:
Legendary Michigan Band Slated to Perform at White's Bar Saturday July 13th
for Dick Wagner's 4th Annual Rock 'n Roll Barbecue
Jinny and Laurie Seaman circa 1971 with Pitche Blende
It is no secret back in the late 1960s and early 1970s Michigan was
a simmering hotbed of music & politics. Groundbreaking musicians from the
MC5 to Iggy Pop, Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, and Dick Wagner & the Frost were
attaining national notoriety while routinely performing in clubs throughout
the Mid-Michigan area, and teenagers everywhere were forming 'garage bands'
with hopes of cashing in on the fun.
Unlike today and with the exception of Suzi Quatro, back in the
early 1970s there was not a glut of female rock 'n roll musicians
saturating the market. And precisely at the time women were redefining
their roles within American society, Saginaw was fortunate to give birth to
a group known as Pitche Blende.
Consisting of sisters Laurie and Jinny Seaman, Dennis Malenfant,
Tom Morris, Dan Quinan and Mike Volker, the group evolved and rose from the
broken pieces of an earlier band featuring Jinny known as The Purple Gang.
Managed & spearheaded by the Seaman's mother Jean (whom from personal
experience I can attest was one of the hippest Mom's in the tri-cities),
Pitche Blende rapidly became the perfect band for the perfect time,
forsaking contrite three minute songs in favor of a more exploratory sound
along the lines of more progressive bands such as Traffic.
At the center of the spotlight was Laurie, a 16-year old vocalist
with a soaring vocal range that hit you like lightning, yet was also
capable of capturing the tone and ambiance of a soft summer day. As a
classmate of Laurie's at Arthur Hill High, I can recall how she stood out
from the crowd of cheerleaders and sorority girls at school - walking into
class with purple Lennon sunglasses and a microdot-floral miniskirt, she
exuded a coolness that was approachable and a talent that was undeniable.
Years later, as Laurie's career progressed, she managed to join
arms with some of the biggest names and groups in show business, performing
in the mid to late 1980s with The Buckinghams and later joining John
Phillips and Denny Doherety with The Mamas & the Papas.
And now 30 years later, thanks to Bo White and Dick Wagner, Laurie
and original members from Pitche Blende will be performing live at White's
Bar this upcoming Sunday, July 14th as part of Dick Wagner's 4th Annual
Michigan Rock "n Roll Barbecue.
Running from 1 to 9 PM, this exceptional event will also feature
performances by The Dick Wagner Band, The Mark Arshak Band featuring Pete
Woodman, The Donny Hartman Band, along with the Purple Gang/Pitche Blende
reunion.
Recently I spoke with Laurie about both the reunion and her current
outlook on the music scene.
Review: So what to your mind was Pitche Blende all about?
Laurie: That's a good question. Basically, it grew out of The Purple
Gang, which was having problems finding drummers. One day after finding
Mike Volker, they were rehearsing downstairs in the basement. Dennis
wanted me to try this song out and everything just connected and came
together.
One day I was busted by my parents for doing some crazy thing or
another, so Mom thought what a great idea it would be to have Tom and
Laurie in the band. Actually, I'm not certain if that's how I ended up in
the band, but that's what I recall. My Mom thought it would be a good way
to keep me off the streets and involved with something positive in life.
At that time I'd played guitar, bass, and piano, but never access
to thinking I had any type of singing voice.
Review: How long would you say Pitche Blende lasted?
Laurie: Things moved quickly. We were pretty innovative at the time
because we took pop music and turned a twist into it. Dennis was very
creative in that area. We had a lot of original music and released a
record called My World Has Stopped that got some radio play at the time.
Funny enough, the flip side of that record was a song titled simply Stop.
We toured around Michigan a lot. I can't remember how many times we
opened for groups like Bob Seger and Alice Cooper.
The Frost was huge back then and I idolized that band. Gordy Garris
used to come knocking on the door when he was ice skating in the park and
we adored him. And Dick Wagner was gracious and nice, always encouraging
my sister and I.
There were two or three summers that I totally recall these huge
rock festivals. We would perform and there would be these incredible groups
backstage. I have so many stories from that period, just from being an
observer.
Review: So what happened to the other members of the band?
Laurie: This reunion will consist of all the original members except Tom
Morris and Dan Quinan. Dan lives up in Grass Valley in California and is
happily hanging out in Death Valley and Tom I was able to locate about a
year ago living in Florida, but I don't think he's doing much musically.
We just decided to re-group as a four-piece instead of making this into
some big comeback production.
Review: Is it true that Meatloaf was living in your basement for awhile?
Laurie: (laugher). No, that's rumor. He used to come to our house and was
performing with his band Popcorn Blizzard a lot in Saginaw at the time. He
blew into town and wowed the whole city. I remember he had this amazing
voice and never wore shoes. But yes, he definitely frequented the scene at
home.
My Mom was very nurturing. She was in her 40s at the time and
wanted to see her kids be big in music. As our manager she would network
and stay in tune with what was happening and dressed the part the best she
could. She tried to 'stay young' in that aspect of drawing younger people
towards her. She hit some bumps and made some mistakes, but everybody loved
her and called her 'Ma'.
Review: What are you up to musically right now apart from this reunion show?
Laurie: Right now a lot is going on. I have a band that I play with in
California called The Living Stones and we'll be heading to Idaho towards
the end of July and then moving on to New York City for this Post-911
concert. My husband and I just built a recording studio and I'm also
involved with a Gospel band. Plus I teach music in elementary school, which
is an amazing thing in itself.
Pitche Blende will be performing at Dick Wagner's 4th Annual Michigan Rock
'n Roll Barbecue on Saturday, July 13th. The event is at White's Bar and
runs from 1-9 PM. Also performing will be The Dick Wagner Band, The Mark
Arshak Band featuring Pete Woodman, and The Donny Hartman Band.
