This
band was formed due to my love of instrumental Surf Music
We wore candy apple red paten leather shoes. They were cool but we got a lot of grief over them.
The Shifters recorded songs on several occasions. Mercury Records took an interest in us for a short period of time, as did Cleveland's number one agent. One of our records "Night Rider" was on the jukeboxe at the Agora, the # 1 college club on the East side run by Hank LeConti. We played at the; Birdcage Lounge, The Cask, Ciros, Cozy Corners, Can Can Lounge, Cucamonga Lounge, Do Drop Inn, Nagles, Poodle Lounge, Town & County, Yankee Bar, and many more that no longer exist. Then there were the college gigs at Case and Western Reserve. School parties in student lounges and Frat parties. Oh the Frat Parties
Jane Scott of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote us up a number of times. The largest audience we ever played for was 1500 people at Lyndhurst day. Dave and I had matching Gibson Melody Maker Guitars. They were a brand new model at the time. Today they are a collectors item and are being reissued. Mine got propped up against a wall in a recording studio. It slid down and hit the floor and the neck snapped. A friend of mine actually epoxied it together and made it work well again.
I was mockingly nick name 'Mr. Sound" by band member Dave Tanno. Dave's stock statement , as he waited for me to set up my rigg, was why can't you just plug in and play like the rest of us. I had my amp hooked up to two horns through a crossover , a custom made treble box, an Echoplex and Fuzz tone. I used the Fuzztone for over a year before the Stones made it popular on" Satisfaction." The Ventures used it on "Two Thousand Pound Bee". This was the first record I know where fuzz was used.
This first incarnation of the Shifters include Marty Block sax, bass and background vocals Dave Brandt on guitar Jim Chrencik on drums, and myself covering lead vocals and guitar. Jim, aside from being the best drummer I ever worked with, was a hemophiliac. He was the cool head in the band and one of the bravest, finest and positive people I ever was blessed to know. He passed away as the result of an auto accident a number of years ago. We do not know what became of Dave. Marty, was always the jokester and is still playing in Cleveland Jazz clubs.
From left to right: Marty Block, Dave Brandt, Jim Chrencik, Jeff Janning
A later incarnation of the Shifters
From left to right: Jeff Janning , Jim Chrencik, Neil Blasse, Randy Gerzeny
.
This weathered picture ran twice in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in articles written by premier Rock Critic Jane Scott
"Here's a SWIFT SHIFT" Saturday August 21st 1965
"Before and after of a pop singer" Friday August 2nd 1974
Jane also featured JJ of the Shifters in two other articles in the Cleveland Plain Dealer
"J.J. Strikes again" Friday August 29th 1975
"Old Days to return as Agora marks 14th" FridayJune 20th 1980
"Me like Jane! hang ten Jane, hang ten"
