The Chocolate Watchband
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1965 in Los Altos, California, United States |
| Headquarters | Los Altos, California , United States |
| Products | Garage rock, psychedelic rock music |
| Website | www |
The Chocolate Watchband is a garage rock group from the United States, established in 1965 in Los Altos, California. Their signature sound combined elements of psychedelic rock with garage rock, prominently featuring David Aguilar’s lead vocals and songwriting alongside arrangements that anticipated proto-punk. Their defiant approach earned them a reputation as one of the more aggressive bands of their time, with some commentators referring to them as America's counterpart to the Rolling Stones.
After signing with Tower Records in 1966, the band issued their debut single, "Sweet Young Thing," in 1967, followed by their first full-length album, No Way Out. Although it failed to chart on a national scale, they cultivated a devoted fan base in San Jose and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Their 1968 release, The Inner Mystique, featured their best-known track, a rendition of "I'm Not Like Everybody Else". In 1969, with Mark Loomis departing during recording sessions, they released One Step Beyond, an album that notably lacked Aguilar's vocals and diverged from their earlier style. The group dissolved in 1970 but reunited decades later in 1999.
1965: initial formation
The band was formed in the summer of 1965 by Ned Torney and Mark Loomis, who had previously played guitar together in The Chaparrals. The original lineup also included Rich Young on bass, Pete Curry on drums, Jo Kemling on organ, and Danny Phay handling lead vocals. Their band name was initially chosen as a joke. Each member brought experience from rock and blues backgrounds and had performed extensively on the local club scene. Their live shows often featured covers of British Invasion acts such as The Who. Shortly after formation, jazz drummer Gary Andrijasevich replaced Curry. Although this lineup never produced official commercial recordings, some rare demo tapes emerged in the 1990s. The group gained local traction until Torney and Phay left to join The Otherside, followed by Kemling’s departure, which effectively disbanded this first incarnation.
1966–67: Loomis–Aguilar era
Following the breakup of the original Chocolate Watchband, Mark Loomis briefly joined The Shandels before reviving the Chocolate Watchband name. He assembled a new lineup featuring bassist Bill 'Flo' Flores, returning drummer Gary Andrijasevich, and guitarist Dave "Sean" Tolby. David Aguilar, then studying biology at San Jose State University, was recruited as lead vocalist and frontman.
Loomis assumed an informal leadership position by organizing rehearsals and managing equipment while key decisions were made collaboratively. The group began performing around San Francisco's South Bay area, focusing on obscure British imports rather than mainstream Top 10 hits. This approach helped shape their distinctive sound and linked them with lesser-known tracks.
After opening for the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore Auditorium, promoter Bill Graham offered to manage them and include them alongside acts like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. However, having already aligned with local promoter Ron Roupe, the band chose a different path. Roupe secured a contract with Green Grass Productions in Los Angeles and introduced them to producers Ed Cobb and Ray Harris.
In Los Angeles sessions, they recorded Chuck Berry’s "Come On," a track also famously covered by the Rolling Stones, aiming to highlight their style. Cobb provided "Sweet Young Thing," which was released in December 1966 on Tower Records with a B-side cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." Uptown Records handled distribution; although primarily an R&B label featuring mostly black artists.
Aguilar began contributing original songs such as "Right By My Side," "Gone & Passes By," "Don't Need Your Lovin' Anymore," "No Way Out," and "Sitting There Standing." Their follow-up single showcased the more subdued "Misty Lane" paired with the orchestrated ballad "She Weaves a Tender Trap." The band appeared in two films produced by Sam Katzman: Riot on Sunset Strip and The Love-Ins. The latter inspired their next single, "Are You Gonna Be There At The Love-In," written and recorded within a single day. Its B-side, "No Way Out," originated from an impromptu studio warm-up featuring spontaneous vocals later credited to Cobb.
After releasing their debut album No Way Out (1967), Aguilar departed to continue his academic pursuits in science while the remaining members experimented with new musical directions.
1967–69: reorganization and disbandment
After Aguilar's departure, Loomis and Andrijasevich also exited, leaving Tolby and Flores to complete about a month of scheduled performances. They brought in Tim Abbott, Mark Whittaker, and Chris Flinders from the San Francisco Bay Blues Band to fill out the lineup. This formation earned opening gigs for The Doors and appeared at the KFRC Magic Mountain Festival—the pioneering rock festival in the United States—in June 1967. The group continued with several shows, including one at the Oakland Coliseum, until conflicts arose between Abbott and Flinders on one side and Tolby and manager Ron Roupe on the other regarding financial matters, which resulted in the band's indefinite dissolution in December 1967.
While working on their sophomore album, The Inner Mystique, the band opposed producer Cobb's depiction of them as more polished instrumentally than their live sound suggested. Fewer than half of the studio recordings featured official band members; instead, session musicians dominated, with Don Bennett contributing vocals on "Let's Talk About Girls." The album also contained Cobb's composition "Medication," a track previously recorded by The Standells, another group managed by Cobb.
In late 1968, the band briefly reunited with original vocalist Danny Phay returning alongside guitarist Ned Torney; bassist Bill Flores and guitarist Sean Tolby remained part of the group. Their third release, One Step Beyond, once again heavily utilized session players and ghost bands under Cobb’s supervision. Commercially, it failed except for tracks penned earlier by David Aguilar. A notable guest appearance was Jerry Miller from Moby Grape on "Devil's Motorcycle."
1999–present: resurgence
After disbanding in 1970, growing enthusiasm for psychedelic and garage rock throughout the late 1980s and 1990s rekindled interest in the band; original vinyl pressings became sought-after collectibles commanding prices over USD $100. Rhino Records issued a compilation in 1983, while Sundazed and other labels re-released their albums on CD with added bonus material. Following the breakup, members moved into careers outside music; notably, Aguilar pursued a profession as an astronomy professor.
In 1999, the band reassembled with Aguilar, Abbott (filling Loomis’s role), Flores, Andrijasevich, and newcomer Michael Reese replacing Tolby on guitar. They embarked on international tours starting in 2000, highlighted by a performance at New York’s Cavestomp festival and the release of the live album At the Love-In Live! (2001). Between these events, they issued a studio album titled Get Away. The ensemble continues to perform throughout Europe and the United States. In 2005, a comprehensive two-CD set titled Melts in Your Brain . . . Not on Your Wrist, compiling their Tower and Uptown recordings, was released.
In June 2013, they returned to a studio in San Jose to record new material. Since 2015, the lineup has consisted of Abbott (lead guitar/vocals), Andrijasevich (drums), Aguilar (vocals/keyboards/harmonica), Alec Palao (bass/backing vocals), and Derek See (guitar/vocals). Their 2019 release This Is My Voice garnered critical praise; its lead single "Secret Rendezvous" was honored as 'Coolest Song In The World' on Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Their debut recording paid homage to the recently passed Sky Saxon. Founding member Mark Loomis passed away on September 26, 2014, in Hawaii.
From David Aguilar:
This is a sad moment for all of us in the band... I always marveled at his guitar work... Thank you Mark for making the Watchband happen and selecting me as your lead singer. Your musical notes will always play on.
Studio Albums
- No Way Out (Tower ST 5096) (1967)
- The Inner Mystique (Tower ST 5106) (1968)
- One Step Beyond (Tower ST 5153) (1969) (credited as The Chocolate Watchband)
- Get Away (Orchard 3716) (2000)
- This Is My Voice (Dirty Water Records DWC1117) (2019)
Compilation Albums
- The Best of the Chocolate Watchband (Rhino RNLP-108) (1983)
- Forty Four (Big Beat WIKA 25) (1984)
- Melts in Your Brain...Not On Your Wrist! (Big Beat CDWIK2 249) (2005)
- Revolutions Reinvented (Twenty Stone Blatt BAMF 41) (2012)
- I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Purple Pyramid) (2015)
Live Recordings
- At the Love-In Live! (Roir 8272) (2001)
Singles
- "Sweet Young Thing" / "Baby Blue" (Uptown 740) (1967)
- "Misty Lane" / "She Weaves a Tender Trap" (Uptown 749) (1967)
- "Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)" / "No Way Out" (Tower 373) (1967)
Band Members
- Danny Phay – lead vocals (1965; 1968–69)
- David Aguilar – lead vocals, harmonica, keyboards, guitars, synthesizers (1966–67; 1999–present)
- Bill Flores – bass guitar, backing vocals (1966–69; 1999–2001)
- Mark Loomis – lead guitar, keyboards (1965–67; 1968–69)
- Sean Tolby – rhythm guitar (1966–67; 1968–69)
- Gary Andrijasevich – drums, backing vocals (1965–67; 1968–69; 1999–present)
- Chris Flinders – lead vocals (1967)
- Tim Abbott – lead guitar (1967; 1999–present)
- Mark Whittaker – drums (1967)
- Ned Torney – guitar (1965; 2003–2004); keyboards (1968–69)
- Michael Reese – guitar (1999–2001)
- Alec Palao – bass, backing vocals (2001–present)
- Derek See – guitar, vocals, keyboards (2015–present)
- Jo Kemling – keyboards (1965–66)
- Rich Young – bass guitar (1965)
- Daryl Hooper – keyboards, guitar (2012–2015)