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Welcome to the home of 700 West Studios!
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Between 1972 and 1983 dozens of singles and albums were recorded at
Moe Whittemore's New Palestine, Indiana-based 700 West Studios.
Today, many of these records sell amongst collectors for hundreds
of dollars. You, however, may browse through the catalog and listen
to some tracks here, for free!
RIDE THE COUNTY ROAD (MOE'S SONG) - 2004
Dan Modlin 2004 ASCAP
![[listen to RIDE THE COUNTY ROAD]](http://www.700west.com/images/iconMP3.gif) Download
You had to know just where to turn
It was a little county road with a driveway that wound thru a cornfield
Out at 700 West, he gave the bands a chance and they gave it their best---
and it sure showed.......
If you get the chance to take it
Ride the county road, someone's gonna make it
Some played metal, some played steel
They played it from the heart and he caught it on reel---on an 8 track
I'd like to tell you if I could about the ones you never heard
They sure sounded good on that old farm
So If you get the chance to take it....
On summer nights, if the song was right
You'd feel there's nothing you can't do
When the light turned red, the lyrics in your head
You'd feel the magic inside you
Now collectors stand in line, bidding up the price on the records they're
buying---
from the old days.......
The bidding's up, the bidding's down, but the only thing that matters
Is the way that it sounds in the long run........
So if you get the chance.........
On summer nights.........
Even though the odds were long, everybody wonders how far they'd have gone
with some airplay
But I'd like to tell you if I could about the ones you never heard....
They sure sounded good on that old farm..........
Dan Modlin
daniel.modlin[at]-remove-wku.edu
A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT 700 WEST
By Kevin Stonerock
March 1999
I first met Moe in 1976. I had written several songs and was looking for
someplace to do a demo.
I knew that my classmate, Mel Cupp, had recorded an album there with
Primevil, and I liked
what I heard, so my friend Paul Herr and I decided to check it out.
I had never been in a real studio before, and that big farmhouse at the
end of the lane sure didn't
look like any I had imagined. We knocked on the door and were greeted by
a tall, lanky fellow
wearing a white V-neck t-shirt and fly away hair. We were invited inside
and escorted to the
control room where we arranged an appointment to do my first professional
demo session.. an
inauspicious beginning to what was to become a milestone in my life.
From the beginning, I always felt a sense of camaraderie at 700 West. Moe
was not just the
engineer, but also the producer, arranger, vocal coach (you haven't lived
until you've witnessed
Moe demonstrating a high harmony pad!), guitar tech, session player,
publisher, promoter, and
guidance counselor. Nobody's fool, I'm sure he saved many of us from
being eaten alive by the
industry sharks.
One of our favorite pastimes during recording session lulls was to come
up with parodies of the
popular songs of the day or whatever project was currently in the studio.
No one could best Moe
at this game. I used to feel sorry for the sensitive "artiste" types
who's lyrics were sacred to
them, because I knew that after about three listens, Moe would rework it
into some uproariously
bawdy parody (anybody remember the "many physicians" or "floating lily
pads" lines? He still
has insulting titles for most of my tunes. In later years, when producing
projects for other artists,
I've had to be careful not to fall into Moe's pattern in that regard.
..some of those guys are way too serious!)
I spent a great deal of time at 700 West in the late seventies and early eighties and I can't
remember not having fun. Moe, Betty, Bobbie, Maury, David and Mark all made me feel like
part of the family, sharing their food and even putting me up for the night when the power
steering belt broke on my 1970 Bel Air.
Here are afew things I learned from Moe:
1. If one of your kids messes up, send them all to bed, because "it's the army way!"
2. Kalamazoos really can sound like Marshall stacks!
3. Don't take yourself too seriously
4. There's always a way to fix it (but let's do it BEFORE we mix!)
5. Take care of your livestock. Goats got milk too. (This one in memory of Thor, the wonder horse)
6. Don't be a clock watcher
7. Overly busy rhythm parts just add clutter
8. The wonders of high-string guitar
9. The difference it makes when somebody believes in what you're doing
10. A lack of gadgetry can be overcome by creativity
11. I could be better than I thought I could be (thanks for the push)
12. Do it until its right
Since my days at 700 West, I have recorded or produced a fair number of albums and several
hundred demos for myself and other writers all across the country. The roots for much of my
production and recording work can be traced directly to what I learned from Moe. Of all the
projects I've been involved in, nothing surpasses the pride and satisfaction I take in my first LP,
Day Before Tomorrow, on 700 West Records. There was just something special about those
days when dreams were so alive and "the music mattered more than the bottom line".
Thanks Moe!
P.S. Oddly enough, about two weeks before I knew about Moe's website, I
wrote a song about
those days. Here are the lyrics:
DREAMING AGAIN
Young man on a bridge with a stick in his hand
I wonder what ever happened to him?
It was a long time ago in a fairy tale land
Sometimes I wish I could go there
again
When the songs we sang were real and they came from our souls
And the music maflered more than the bottom line
It was a lifetime ago but I remember it well
Late at night when I am all alone
Dreaming Again
Beneath this calm exterior lies a frantic man
Frightened by the things that he don't know
With dreams too wild for dreaming out loud
But every now and then I let them show
When I get out on the road with nothing but time
An echo from the past comes calling me
And the years just melt away until I find
That who I was is what I'll always be
When I'm dreaming again
Dreaming again
Sewing patches on my jeans or patches on my dreams
Either way the stitches come undone
Try to save them as you may, they soon fall away
And leave the threadbare remnant in the sun
But when I get out on the road with nothing but time
An echo from the past comes calling me
And the years just melt away until I find
That who I was is what I'll always be
When I'm dreaming again
Dreaming again
Copyright 1999 Kevin P. Stonerock (BMI)
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<< Auxiliary Materials >>
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Kevin Stonerock
-
Day Before Tomorrow
(1978)
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1.
Kevin Stonerock's thoughts, March 1999
A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT 700 WEST
By Kevin Stonerock...
2.
Review - Indianapolis News, 3 March 1979
Lend me your ear
By ZACH DUNKIN
Kevin Stonerock...
3.
Review - Guitar Player, June 1979
Kevin Stonerock, Day Before Tomorrow, 700 West...
4.
Review - The Indianapolis Entertainer, 28 August,...
Review
"Day Before Tomorrow" is a calming,...
5.
Review - Tri-County News, 21 March 1979
Tri-County News, 21 March 1979
Music Career On...
6.
Period Photograph of Kevin in the studio
Kevin Stonerock in the studio
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zerfas photos
corvidconcentric[at]-remove-gmail.com
- tyler indian santa fe, nm
10May2009 10:52 PM
(273 days 19 hours ago)
do you have any photos of zerfas? my uncle mark was in the band. i have a memory of being at the farm, transfixed by all the gear set up!
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Primevil
iwantvinyl[at]-remove-gmail.com
- james
12Oct2008 7:10 AM
(1 year 119 days ago)
Cool website. I found an original copy of Primevil LP in a thrift store a couple of years ago which I didn't expect since I live in the Pacific Northwest. Records can still be found anywhere. Great lp.
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For your In Memoriam Section
bluntforcetrauma[at]-remove-att.net
- Rick Jones- Edinburgh, Indiana
19Feb2008 10:55 PM
(1 year 354 days ago)
In the late 80's I played in Larry Bryant's band. He recorded an album with you in 1976. His albums have been re-released as cd's. I engineered and recorded his second record.
Larry and his wife Linda both passed away in the early 90's while still in their early 50's.
They always had a good word about your work. Please add them to your memorial page.
Rick Jones
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Buccaneer
terrypowerz[at]-remove-yahoo.com
- Terry Powers Westfield,IN
29Sep2007 10:02 PM
(2 years 132 days ago)
In trying to find information on a band from my youth I came across this amazing site!
It is such a wealth of information that I was not aware of.
I saw Jack Phelan mentioned (a life long friend) and it brought back memories of seeing him perform with his daughter Susan shortly before his passing...
If anyone can help... I am trying to obtain a copy (either physical or digital) of the Buccaneer release. I saw the show in Indianapolis as well as HAD the album at the time and I am yearning to hear the work again!
Feel free to email me at terrypowerz[at]-remove-yahoo.com
Thank you for keeping the history of possibly the finest musical era of Indy alive!
Terry
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Primevil Memories
jos229[at]-remove-sbcglobal.net
- Jeff stephenson
7Sep2007 3:01 PM
(2 years 155 days ago)
Hi, I just located this awesome
site. I remember the guys, the music, the late nights, the great band Primevil. I knew these guys pretty well, I was a roadie with them for a few years in the mid 70's.
My name is listed in the credits simply as Jeff, along with a couple of my good friends that helped also.
We worked for free just to be around such good musicians and to learn as much as I could.
I was with the band at Moe's studio during various sessions when all kinds of erratic events would take place.( Yes there is a fart mixed in on the album as Jay mentioned in his blog.)
I went on to work with Jay at the music store making speaker cabinets that became the Dr. Fong line. I also was involved in some of the thought process and the beginning of the construction of staging for Jay's secret project.
Simply put, we worked hard at touring regionally in the midwest, but Primevil should have been touring nationally.
I was still in school and it was so cool to hear Mike Griffin play Pretty Women on WNAP Radio during shop class and then tell my buddies where the gigs were that weekend.
Greetings to all of the people of the Primevil family. I am very much looking forward to the re-release of "Smokin' Bats At Campton,s". In the meantime I still have (2)copies of the original.
I would like to catch up Jay and anybody else from this era. My e-mail is jos229[at]-remove-sbcglobal
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Long Lost Recordings???
specktron[at]-remove-sbcglobal.net
- Jon Dembroski
14Mar2007 11:22 AM
(2 years 332 days ago)
Mo,
Jon Dembroski here. I don't know if you remember me. I think I did some recording with you but am not sure. I worked with Jay Wilfong for quite a while, and played in J.D. Redmond's Band, also subbed for John Whittemore at Franklin Place occasionally. That's where I met Jimmy Guilford. I then played with Jimmy at a few other places. Anyways, I have my own studio now and am getting ready to record some new songs with Jimmy. Jimmy said he remembers having done some stuff at 700 west with a group called "Three Way Street". It was for a movie that never happened so I don't know if it was ever released. Group included Mingo Jones (or possibly Jack Phelan), Danny Smith, Errol Grandy, and Jimmy. Produced and paid for by Greg Callahan. Do you still have access to any of that stuff? What we're really after is Errol Grandy's stuff. I have the only known recordings of Errol except for the ones you may have. I am trying to come up with enough material to release something. Any help would be appreciated. Jimmy would also like to talk with you. Thanks,
Jon Dembroski
specktron-at-sbcglobal.net
317-596-1892
http://www.myspace.com/specktron
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=274342
Jimmy's phone number is still 317-251-1603
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Just to say Hi
rasjohns[at]-remove-indiana.edu
- Steve Johnson, Bloomington IN
29Jan2007 11:24 AM
(3 years 11 days ago)
Hi Moe, just ran across your website. I'm a bass player in Bloomington and used to work in Tommy Wills' road bands a lot with your brother John in the '80s. I saw John a while back at Bill Overman's 80th birthday party where we both performed, but he cut out after the first set and I lost him. He used to talk about you all the time when we were on the road. One of my fondest memories was a gig we played in Quincy, Illinois and we had a night off. It was raining all day and we were sitting around the motel watching ESPN2 where these guys were racing these giant three wheeled ATVs which have since been outlawed because so many guys got killed. (But I digress.) John's sitting in his bathrobe at about 2 p.m. smoking cigarettes and drinking beer (totally decadent) and looks up and sez, "Steve, do you realize we're watching grown men ride tricycles in the mud in the name of SPORT!?!" Perfect moment and a quote for the ages.
It got so boring there that Bill Witherington (trombone) came in with a magic marker and started drawing more birds on the paintings in the room 'til soon they looked like the Alfred Hitchcok movie (but I digress once more).
Anyway, good to see your site and maybe we'll run across each other sometime.
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An enquiry
raanan78[at]-remove-gmail.com
- Ra'anan Chelled, Israel
16Jan2007 8:04 AM
(3 years 24 days ago)
Hello dear people of 700 west,
My name is Ra'anan Chelled and I'm a writer from Israel. I am currently in the process of writing a book called "Demons, Fairies & Wailing Guitars" - a book documenting the best 100 obscured rock bands from the years 68-75. I am happy to report that the legendary Zerfas have been chosen to be one of those 100 bands thanks to their immaculate album.
The book is schedueled for a local publishing only (atleast in the meantime) and will be published privately in small quantity. I am doing this out of love for the music and for the opportunity to expose readers to great bands they had no idea existed prior to that.
I have a small request from you: I would like to use the Zerfas album cover to illustrate my book (There will be a few full color pages presenting the albums cover art). I need your permission to do that since you hold the rights for that album.
Bests wishes,
Ra'anan Chelled
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Ist session at 700 West
gtrgeoff[at]-remove-aol.com
- Geoff W. - Oakland CA
16Feb2006 5:28 PM
(3 years 358 days ago)
My first recording session was 1978, for Charlie Crosby's single. Wow,almost 30 years ago. I remember Mo's glaring at me as I layed down a lousy guitar solo - he was right! Charlie & I came back a week later & re-cut. Best of luck - wonder what happened to Chalie?
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PRIMEVIL ROCKS MY FACE OFF!!!
tnsportsman[at]-remove-comcast.net
- Mount Juliet, TN
3Jan2006 3:58 PM
(4 years 37 days ago)
Jay Wilfong (Dr. Fong) is a mind-blowing musician. All 8 tracks on Smokin' Bats At Campton's are insane, but, by far, "Your Blues" portrays the band's skills best. It is truly a Blues-Rock masterpiece on all counts. I live in TN and got the album through Jay's son. He (The Doctor) still plays without limitation. Dr. Fong is writing music and running a blues jam down here in TN. To many here in and around the Music City, he is a living legend, myself included. ROCK AND ROLL FOREVER!!!
-John, 17, TN
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