Where it all began for two of the four eventual Gestures of Mankato. In 1961-62 Bruce Waterston and Tom Klugherz were part of the Mark Vs, a band put together by their friend Pat Regan (second from the right). Most of the boys were 14 at the time. Bruce was 12! Pat Regan tells how the band started, Bruce, Tom and I were the ones who originally formed the band. We used to practice in my basement because it was big enough to hold us all. In the winter of 62 we had our first gig at the YWCA. Theres only three places I can think of that the picture might have been taken; at the YWCA on a Saturday night, the old hall next to Loyola High School on 5th Street on a Friday night, or the Mankato Armory on either of those two nights. Given the white shirts, my bet would be that it was Loyola, simply because of the very strange rules and dress code at Loyola at that time, and the fact that I dont recall us ever getting so flashy for the Y or the Armory. Pat eventually left the Mark Vs when he got a chance to go do Folk music, which is what I really wanted to do. I traded in my Fender for an acoustic Martin, which I later learned was one of only two ever made, and I still have it. I teamed up with my friend Neil McLean and formed a duo called The Shadows, and we too recorded our first single Putting Me Down at K-Bank studios and went on the SOMA record label just ahead of the Trashmen. Everything ended for me musically when I was drafted in the spring of 1966 and served 2 years in Vietnam as a Medic from 1968 to 1970. The above was shared from the new permanent facebook group called THE GESTURES ... come join us and share your stories about Mankato rock & roll history.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 01:26:02 +0000
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