Lost In Tyme Blog

My Baby
Take Me To The Mountains
Homesick Armadillo Blues
Ripple
Song For Peace
Ebeneezer
North Austin Strut
Come With Me
Good Time
Kaleidoscoptic

In 1967, Shiva's Headband became the house band at the legendary Vulcan Gas Co. (also home to Roky Erickson & The 13th Floor Elevators). They were big part of a psychedelic scene in the heart of Texas and built a large following of loyal fans all over the state and opened for such luminaries as Spirit, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat and Steve Miller on their national tours. The also partnered with the group to open the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters and were the first band to play there. Ultimately, they signed with Capitol and released this first LP, produced by band leader Spencer Perskin with Fred Catero.

I always saw Austin as a potential music town. The political atmosphere coupled with the interest in folklore at UT together with the rising anti-war movement promised an especially fertile ground for the kind of scene already in full swing in the San Francisco area. In fact, there has always been a firm Austin/San Francisco connection. I, for one, wanted a similar cultural/fun experience for "our people." "It's like a tribal thing, and the kind of music we played just could not be nurtured by the Cali soil." Like Sue says, "I don't hate California; it just ain't my style." So I suppose that's why we had to begin the band in Austin.
If we were to gather all the folks who played with the Headband, and all the folks who worked at and helped with the Armadillo or with Shiva's, we would have a group of thousands. Over the years nearly one hundred musicians, managers and roadies have worked and played with us. The Headband for 1993-Steve Whitfield, James D. Speer, Ron Hafter, Susan Perskin and myself are continually aware of the history we represent; and though there are some aspects of the scene we don't care much for, still we've seen the infant grow into adolescence, and we share the concern that the end result should be a healthy and mature music scene/industry that encompasses the values of the community that gave it birth. The past, as they say, is prologue. My next bumper sticker will say "Remember the Future."

excerpts from "25 Years of Shiva's Headband - Notes From a Rocker" by Spencer Perskin, Austin Chronicle, 1992