Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Dec 21, 2023 9:40:33 GMT
Betty's Music Shop, Venice, CA May 19th 1966
Sometime between the bands short residency at The London Fog and their stint at The Whisky A Go Go, they found themselves at a local musical equipment store called Betty's checking out gear.
After the heady heights of being contracted to the famous Columbia Records back in October 1965, collecting equipment from the Vox Factory that the label owned, then being unceremoniously dumped 5 moths later
this tiny music store may well have been about their limit for a band who were pretty broke having to play a dead end joint for eating money.
A lot had happened to them since the demo they recorded at Aura records which led to Billy James signing them on a provisional contract for the lowest royalty rate possible.
Not that it mattered to the band as they were never going to record anything with Columbia and they dropped in February 1966.
James who genuinely had faith in The Doors gave them the news and they opted to end the contract immediately even though it was worth a decent sum of money to ride it out.
So this pretty much unknown band looking at equipment at Betty's play an 'impromptu' set of about 5 songs to the small audience of folks hanging around the store in the street.
How this came about is not known. Had the owner made a deal with them if they played.
It was a Thursday around 4pm but on the street or inside the shop isn't known.
Whether they had flyers in the shop window promoting their Whisky stint is also unknown.
But Ray was savvy and it is hard to imagine he had not grabbed this opportunity to promote his band.
The band in Venice 1966
Sadly no photos or audio exists as far as we know and we have no idea what they played.
Their own tunes or blues covers? We don't know.
The period between being dumped by Columbia and The Whisky residence isn't well documented but the band must have been promoting themselves around Venice in an attempt to attract
attention.
Whilst this wasn't something of U2 proportions this short set 'impromptu' or otherwise gave an indication that the band was starting to take itself more serious.
##could not find any mention or photos of Betty's other than the obvious Doors connection.
Sometime between the bands short residency at The London Fog and their stint at The Whisky A Go Go, they found themselves at a local musical equipment store called Betty's checking out gear.
After the heady heights of being contracted to the famous Columbia Records back in October 1965, collecting equipment from the Vox Factory that the label owned, then being unceremoniously dumped 5 moths later
this tiny music store may well have been about their limit for a band who were pretty broke having to play a dead end joint for eating money.
A lot had happened to them since the demo they recorded at Aura records which led to Billy James signing them on a provisional contract for the lowest royalty rate possible.
Not that it mattered to the band as they were never going to record anything with Columbia and they dropped in February 1966.
James who genuinely had faith in The Doors gave them the news and they opted to end the contract immediately even though it was worth a decent sum of money to ride it out.
So this pretty much unknown band looking at equipment at Betty's play an 'impromptu' set of about 5 songs to the small audience of folks hanging around the store in the street.
How this came about is not known. Had the owner made a deal with them if they played.
It was a Thursday around 4pm but on the street or inside the shop isn't known.
Whether they had flyers in the shop window promoting their Whisky stint is also unknown.
But Ray was savvy and it is hard to imagine he had not grabbed this opportunity to promote his band.
The band in Venice 1966
Sadly no photos or audio exists as far as we know and we have no idea what they played.
Their own tunes or blues covers? We don't know.
The period between being dumped by Columbia and The Whisky residence isn't well documented but the band must have been promoting themselves around Venice in an attempt to attract
attention.
Whilst this wasn't something of U2 proportions this short set 'impromptu' or otherwise gave an indication that the band was starting to take itself more serious.
##could not find any mention or photos of Betty's other than the obvious Doors connection.