The Stillroven
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founder | John Howarth, Mark Moorhead, Rock Peterson, Dave Dean, Phil Berdahl |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Robbinsdale, Minnesota , United States |
Area served | United States (Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, Washington DC) |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
The Stillroven were a garage and psychedelic rock group originating from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, active between 1965 and 1969. They gained regional acclaim in the Twin Cities with their rendition of "Hey Joe." In pursuit of wider exposure, the band briefly moved to Tucson, Arizona, before settling in Denver, Colorado. There, they signed with A&M Records and recorded an album that was never released. Subsequent sessions took place at Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico. In 1969, they relocated to Washington, DC, and auditioned in New York City for recording opportunities that ultimately did not come to fruition. After disbanding, their music garnered appreciation among collectors of garage and psychedelic rock through various reissues and compilation albums.
Minnesota
Formed in 1965 at Robbinsdale High School near Minneapolis, the band initially called themselves the Syndicate. The founding members were John Howarth and Mark Moorhead on guitars, Rock Peterson handling bass duties, Dave Dean playing keyboards, and Phil Berdahl on drums. Vocals were shared among the group members. After Moorhead's departure in 1966, the group adopted the name Stillroven and brought in guitarist Danny Kane.
They collaborated with local radio personality Peter Huntington May, who served as their manager and producer. Their debut single featured "She's My Woman" backed with "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," released on Falcon Records with only 50 promotional copies pressed. Their follow-up single was a spirited version of "Hey Joe" paired with "Sunny Day," recorded at Bloomington's Dove Recording Studio. This release achieved substantial airplay within the Minneapolis area and became a local hit. Despite this momentum, Peterson and Kane exited the band in 1967; Jim Larkin (rhythm guitar) and Dave Berget (bass) joined as replacements. Their next single, "Little Picture Playhouse" backed with "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone," showcased strong psychedelic elements. During this period, they also served as an opening act for Sonny and Cher at the Minneapolis Auditorium, although Cher was absent due to illness.
Relocating to West
Efforts to extend their reach beyond Minneapolis were hampered when their manager moved to Tucson, Arizona and continued managing them from afar. Following this shift, Larkin and Berget departed; Mike O'Gara (guitar) and Mike Flaherty (bass) took their places. In 1968, this lineup recorded a single featuring Moby Grape’s "Come in the Morning" with "Necessary Person" as the B-side; both tracks had O'Gara on lead vocals. Due to internal disagreements within the band or label issues, only about 100 copies were initially pressed before the single was withdrawn. It was subsequently reissued with Small Faces’ "Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me" replacing "Come in the Morning" as the A-side; Dave Berget provided vocals on this track. This release marked their final original single.
The Stillroven then moved to Tucson where they played regularly at the Dunes club on Speedway Boulevard, including an April 1968 performance opening for Buffalo Springfield. In July of that year, Flaherty left and Berget returned to the lineup. Under new management by James Reardon and Associates, they continued performing throughout Tucson and secured a contract with A&M Records for an album that ultimately went unreleased. By November 1968, they relocated their base to Denver, Colorado. In April 1969, they recorded several songs at Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico—among them a cover of the Temptations’ "Get Ready."
East Coast
In May 1969, the group relocated to Washington, DC, where they stayed with Bonnie Diamond, a prominent figure in the music industry who facilitated an audition with producer Phil Ramone and executives from Electra Records in New York City. They were invited to record a cover song from the Broadway production Oh! Calcutta!, but declined due to a lack of enthusiasm for the project. After a short return to DC and turning down a residency offer at the Scene in Greenwich Village because of inconvenient scheduling, the lineup—comprising Phil Berdahl, Dave Dean, Dave Berget, Mike O’Gara, and Dave Rivkin—headed back to Minnesota. With only Berdahl and Dean remaining from the original members, their final show took place in July 1969 at the Prison club in Burnsville before they disbanded soon after.
Post-breakup
After the band dissolved, their recordings attracted attention from collectors of garage rock and psychedelic music. In 1996, Sundazed Music issued an anthology titled Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stillroven, which included both popular tracks and previously unreleased material. Later, in 2005, their unreleased 1968 album from A&M was made available on CD under the title Too Many Spaces.
Membership
- John Howarth (vocals and guitar)
- Mark Moorhead (guitar)
- Rock Peterson (vocals and bass)
- Dave Dean (vocals and keyboards)
- Phil Berdahl (vocals and drums)
- Danny Kane (vocals and guitar)
- Jim Larkin (vocals and rhythm guitar)
- Dave Berget (vocals and bass)
- Mike O'Gara (vocals and guitar)
- Mike Flaherty (vocals and bass)
- Dave Rivkin (vocals and lead guitar)
Albums
- Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stillroven (Sundazed, 1996)
- Too Many Spaces (Sundazed, 2003)
Singles
- "She's My Woman" b/w "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (Falcon 6–7926, December 1966)
- "Hey Joe" b/w "Sunny Day" (Falcon 69, April 1967; Roulette 4748, June 1967)
- "Little Picture Playhouse" b/w "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone" (August 101, November 1967)
- "Come in the Morning" b/w "Necessary Person" (August 102, June 1968)
- "Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me" b/w "Necessary Person" (August 102, June 1968)