The Chocolate Watchband

The Chocolate Watchband. An American garage rock band formed in the mid-1960s, they are celebrated as one of the definitive acts of the San Francisco Sound and the broader psychedelic rock movement. Despite a relatively brief initial career, their raw, fuzztone-driven sound and rebellious image, often conflated with the more polished recordings of studio musicians, have earned them a cult following and significant posthumous acclaim. The band's story is a quintessential tale of the 1960s counterculture, marked by artistic clashes with producers and a legacy cemented through compilation albums and later reunions.

History

The group formed in 1965 in Los Gatos, California, from the remnants of several local bands including The Other Side and The Topsiders. They quickly became a popular live act in the burgeoning San Francisco music scene, performing at iconic venues like The Fillmore and The Avalon Ballroom alongside groups such as The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Their recording career began with Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, but was fraught with conflict; producer Ed Cobb and manager Bill Rinehart frequently overdubbed their recordings with session musicians from The Wrecking Crew, leading to tensions. After releasing several singles and two albums, internal strife and the changing musical landscape led to their dissolution around 1970. The original lineup reunited in 1999, spurred by renewed interest from collectors of garage punk and has performed intermittently since, including at festivals like Cavestomp! in New York City.

Musical style and influences

Their sound is a primal fusion of British Invasion garage rock and American psychedelic rock, heavily influenced by the raw energy of The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds, as well as the raga rock explorations of The Kinks and The Beatles. Characterized by snarling vocals, aggressive fuzz guitar, driving Hammond organ, and lyrical themes of social alienation, their music stood in stark contrast to the more polished folk rock prevalent at the time. Key influences also included The Pretty Things and American blues artists, filtered through the lens of the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic experience. This combination created a template for the darker, more rebellious side of the San Francisco Sound.

Band members

The classic lineup during their peak recording period (1966-1968) consisted of lead vocalist David Aguilar, guitarist Mark Loomis, guitarist Sean Tolby, bassist Bill Flores, and drummer Gary Andrijasevich. Other significant contributors included vocalist and harmonica player Danny Phay, who appeared on early singles, and keyboardist Mark Whittaker. The later reunions have been anchored by Aguilar and Andrijasevich, with various other musicians filling roles. The complex history of the band's recordings means that session players like guitarist Richie Podolor and vocalist Don Bennett are also listed on official releases from the 1960s.

Discography

Their core studio albums are *No Way Out* (1967) and *The Inner Mystique* (1968), both on Tower. These LPs, alongside seminal singles like "Let's Talk About Girls" and "Sweet Young Thing," are considered classics of the genre, though they often feature contributions from outside studio musicians. The compilation *The Best of The Chocolate Watchband* (1983), released by Rhino Records, was instrumental in reviving their reputation. Later archival works, such as *This Is My Voice* (2000) on Uptown Records, have presented more authentic recordings of the actual band. Their music has been extensively featured on anthology series like *Pebbles* and *Nuggets*.

Legacy

They are now revered as one of the most important American garage rock bands, name-checked by later artists in the punk rock and garage punk revival movements, including The Cramps and The Chesterfield Kings. Their recordings are cornerstone entries in essential compilations like the *Nuggets* box set curated by Lenny Kaye. The band's story of artistic compromise has been analyzed in documentaries and books on 1960s rock, such as those by Richie Unterberger. Their influence persists, with contemporary bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols citing their work, ensuring their status as enduring icons of 1960s countercultural music.

Category:American garage rock groups Category:Musical groups from San Jose, California Category:Psychedelic rock musical groups