See the Original Promo Page here
It truly was...
'97
 The Official Heepvention '97 Logo by Jesse Lowe |
...and engraved in the tile were the words "Uriah Heep"...
Thank you to Scott Sanders and Laurel Camera for DONATING ! the Pics displayed here
The Heepvention '97 Jam Band!!!
Alex Gitlin/Jesse Lowe - Keyboards ! |
Heepvention '97 was a wonderful success !
There are so MANY stories to tell, and so many things to remember that I am going to add to this page the e-mails from the Heepsters that attended, so if you wish to contribute, just e-mail me, or post it to the list, and I will add it here...
I need to thank St. Louis Music Co., and Ken Hensley's "The Upperroom Studios", for the incredible support they gave to all of us there, both in terms of lending us one FANTASTIC P.A. system for the "Jam Band", and for their support during the entire weekend.
In particular, I wish to thank Andy O' Conner for his tremendous help during the weekend, in
providing EVERYTHING we needed for the Jam. Without his support, it would not have been
possible. Also, I want to thank Bud Martin, for the studio tour, and his support as well.
Most of all, I wish to thank Ken Hensley for allowing the use of his equipment and
facilities.
Well....where do I start?....maybe I should go backwards.... With tears in my eyes, I
left my friend Rich Wagner and started my trip back to Ohio. Scott Sanders and I were tired, as
were ALL the Heepsters, and we simply sat for a bit and quietly reflected. I kept hearing the
opening of the start of the jam, when Jesse Lowe, who acted as our MC for the evening said "
Will you welcome please. the Heepsters On the Web!!! "
But that is the end of the story so to speak, and as I sat in the car in silence, I wanted to remember
all of it...
Scott and I arrived in St. Louis Thursday night...Joe (BAM BAM) Doran , his wife Bev, and Paul
Kubler and his friend Betty were already there, but we didn't hook up with them until Friday.
The 1st thing Friday Morning, Hani So called from Singapore !!!!! Just to say Hi to all the
Heepsters, and to send his Best Regards...WOW !!!!!
My airport excursions produced Dave (Big Dog) Griffin, Mac (I really DO) love to fly,
Alex (would someone PLEASE find me a Hammond) Gitlin, and Richard (who stole my lighter?)
Wagner.
...trips to the airport to pick up Dale (Return to Fantasy) Fredericks, and Muzzy (I
love that Rick, Man) and Gail Fedysky.
Bob (Rock and Roll) Dreher and his Family, Bob (I made it !) Winward (Bob was juggling a very
tight schedule) and his family, Paul (Mick Friggin Box, Man !!) Kubler, and many many more
were there as well. John Parisi and Kevin Julie drove in from Canada. Moshe Lavi attended
from Israel, and Richard Wagner from Germany. A full listing of the attendees will be
published tomorrow.
Friday night was filled with reunions for some of us who had met before, and wonderful meetings
for those of seeing each other in person for the 1st time.
We socialized in the pub at the Cheshire...the place is truly Gothic in it's motif...Ken picked it
well !
We were enjoying each others company, and toasting a few, and someone noticed that up at the
bar, engraved in one of the tiles, were the words "Uriah Heep". That REALLY blew me away
!
The magic had started !
The Bartender was encouraging us to take over for the house piano player, and Alex stepped right
in ! I don't I remember a sing along in the pub that night, and some other bits and pieces, and lot's of
smiling faces... Saturday was taken up with moving all the band equipment from my room, and Alex's room
over to the banquet room. It sure was heavy ! Ken had lent us a 350 pound PA rack, with the
amps, and mixer in it, and we had to get it up about 30 steps !! But we did !
We set up for about an hour, and then started to fool around a bit, playing separately, tuning up,
and trying to get the levels correct for the jam later. Bob Dreher manned the rack, and did all
the connections of EVERYTHING, it seemed ! Scott Sanders took the recording duties from
there ! And Also took about 100 pictures !
Alex ended up with 3 keyboards, I had about ½ of my gear there, and I remember Richard coming over and looking at all my
pedals and rolling his eyes...he simply said "Daaavvvveee!!"
So...we tuned up, and launched in Return to Fantasy, to see if we could sound like a
band.....BAM I was STUNNED !!! !st by the sheer volume of it all, but then by the realization,
that it sounded GOOD!
We cooked !!!!
The lady from the Cheshire came running up from downstairs to tell me that it sounded like
thunder downstairs, and people were trying to eat, and couldn't even THINK !! OK, cool...we
quit and were told we could start at 9 or so....it was going to be a GREAT night, I thought.
Well....7:00 rolled around, and we met in the banquet room for our one hour of before dinner
drinks and stuff.
My wife had picked out the food we were to be served, and the guy that setup the food said to
me.."You know, you guys sounded really good downstairs", and he winked.
We had 4-5 tables for dining, and soon enough it was time.....
I went to one of the mics, and welcomed everyone, and gave a little talk to them about the
evening, it's meaning, etc.
I thanked them all for being a part of one of the coolest things in my life, and turned it mic
Jesse had printed awards, for virtually everyone there...for the furthest distance traveled (Rich),
for the Bravery award (Mac), for all kinds of stuff...wish I had written them down...perhaps some
one will remember...Jess was cool...he coordinated the next hour of the night, inviting each and
every Heepster there up to the mic for a little speech themselves. Each did, and it was
wonderful.
If there was a theme to the talks by everyone, it was that each of had thought we were alone and
the only Heepster left, and now look at where we were !!!
Moshe pulled names from a hat, and Mac won Moshe's Heep book.
Jesse presented me with an award, and I was up there for the last time, and the clock said nine...I
think I ended whatever I said simply with "Rock On"...
And so we did...
Joe, if there EVER was a drummer that sounded like Lee Kerslake...you ARE him, Dude ! Scott
and I bought Demons and Wizards in a gas station somewhere on the way home, and he says to
me.."He (Lee) sounds just like Joe Doran !" Dave (Big Dog), did almost all the vocal, and his voice ranged from silky smooth, to
powerful and commanding...David would have been proud. Big Dog had us goin !
Easy Livin, Return to Fantasy, Rain, July Morning, The Wizard, Circle of Hands, Stealin,
Rainbow Demon, The Easy Road...they were all there.
I have to tell you that the bartender from downstairs, told me that we sounded really good, and he
didn't know Heep tunes before, but he was gonna go out and get some ! Also, our bartender in
the room IS a Heepfan, and she loved it all !
There was a time that 4-5 of the crowd was huddling around one of the mics, and were doing the
chorus to something, but I forget what...I was there with them too !
Jesse on the Keys and Big Dog did a few numbers as well...sounded GREAT guys !
Mick had sent in strings and pics for Bob Dreher and Me..Doin Heep...with the Heepsters...with
Heepstrings! Cool, Eh? Thanks Mick !
There were about 10 cameras there, video cams, too, and I recorded a lot of it on my 8 track, and
from what I have heard so far, it sounds great! As soon as I get it all sorted out, I will pop some
samples up on the site for
I could write for an hour more, but I think I'll let you hear it from some of the others like I said
above.
In closing, let me just say this...Heepvention '97 was fantastic, and thanks to all of you who
chipped in your time, ideas, money, muscle, and encouragement, it was sucessful !
I'm sure we will have one on '98, and if all goes well...maybe we ALL can be there !
This review is written for those that could not attend and those that
did. A special thanks to Dave White for putting the Heepvention
together, Uriah Heep who we all love, and Ken Hensley for his support.
It truly was.....A GREAT TIME!
It was Friday in St Louis at the Cheshire. About 6pm I went to the
front desk and asked which of the Heepsters had checked in. The clerk
said Dave White was here, Alex, Bob Winword, and about that time Dale
was checking in. The magic had begun.
Most of the Heepsters were on the 3rd floor of the Cheshire. I scouted
about looking for the new arrivals, I found Joe from Ottawa, Canada in
the beer & wine graden along with I believe Kevin and his lady.
Everywhere there was Heep talk and Heep lovers which was like a
Heepvention!
A Heep Party erupted in room 320 that Friday night! This was a Hotel
party that packed about 30+ Heepsters, Heep Music and rare Heep stuff.
Here were the Heepsters! I was like a reunion of all the friends you
never met! Jesse was nursing a bottle of blush wine and someone was
always sitting on the cooler of beer. After a couple hours Moshe and
(was it Dale?) sang "Gypsy" although we enjoyed it, I guess some
non-Heepsters didn't and we were dismissed after a call from the hotel
desk. I remember Dave White saying "they're (the Hotel) never going to
let us back here".
You can't keep a good Heepster down! We ventured to the Fox and Hound, a
pub at the Cheshire. The Heepsters packed this small pub. Alex (can't
stay away from a keyboard) Gitlin took over the piano that was available
as the regular performer was on break. Alex played "Rain" and Dave
Griffin did a great job on vocals. The bartender (Mark) was so cool to
let the Heepsters Heep! The audience of non-heepsters seemed to love it
too. Moshe danced and sang with a lady patron even! It was a great time
of socializing and getting to know the Heepsters. Alex played several
Heep songs and many Heepsters sang, I like to say it was Heepsters
Unplugged!
The magic was there!
I ended the evening with a fine conversation with Bob Winword.
Saturday, it was even better. After making $50 at the President's
Casino (River Boat Casino) we watched the set up for the Heepvention
Jam. Ken Hensley and Visable Faith allowed the Heepsters to use some
stuff which was picked up at Ken's studio. After a fine dinner served
by the Cheshire the jam began. For a group of guys that never played
together before they sounded GREAT! Mike "Muzzy" did a great job on
guitar, Joe was perfect on drums, and Alex was a sensation on
keyboards. Dave White sounded like Mick (should I say it?) Box! Bob
Dreher and Richard Wagner are abosolutely great musicains! Dave Griffin
did some job on vocals, I remember saying this was like a Heep Show.
Ken Hensley and Uriah Heep would have been proud. Yes, Alex, Ken should
hear the tapes.
Thanks to all of you, the Heepvention was a complete success. I had the
time of my life, Let's do it again!
I just wanted to tell you, that I had the best time of my life!!
Thank you Dave White for giving us all a chance to meet other in the
"REAL", and share what everyone truly loves......URIAH HEEP!:)*BIG HUGS*
Thank you Dave Griffin for singing my favorite songs, (The Easy Road, and
Rain).....they were absolutely beautiful.:)) *BIG HUGS*
HEY GUYS......I REALLY like July Morning now too!!! I do believe I am now
an official "Heepsteress"....what do you think??*LOL* Comments please!!:)))
Thank you Dale and Jesus*lol* for letting everyone congregate in your room,
and being such great hosts.:)
Thank you Mosey*lol*...and Gail for giving me the beautiful angels.....they
are very special to me and I will cherish them forever.*BIG HUGS*
I never realized I could make so many wonderful friends all at the same
time! Everyone got along great and that made it even better.:))
Thanks for the memories guys, and hopefully I will see you at Heepvention
'98!
Love and Hugs to all my new friends,:))
~Chrissy~
I just got back from St.Louis, and I would like to tell
everybody that Heepvention 97 was a smashing success! You will be hearing MEGA amounts of
info from this event including pictures, soundbytes, and loads of written info on the events that
transpired this weekend. About 4000 pictures were taken, many video's being shot, and much
audio recording of the now infamous " Jam". I won't try to tell everything here, I'll let each person
tell their own stories. Most of all, we missed everybody who couldn't attend! You have all got
to try to make it to the next one, it's gonna get much better from here! Sit back and take in all the
info headed your way, and enjoy yourself. Many, many stories to be told. I wanna be the first
to thank Dave White for all of his butt bustin hard work, Ken Hensley for the use of the " Jam"
P.A., Dave
" Bigdog" Griffin for saving my butt at the jam ( hell of a singer, wait till you guys hear him),
Andy at Ken's studio for bending over backwards, sideways, and every which way but loose for
us! Joe " Lee better keep up on his chops" Doran, a truly awesome drummer AND vocalist who
just blew me away! This guy has the talent for the Big Time! Mike " Muzzy " Fedysky, my buddy,
who is a Helluva bass player, we have some memories to share from this weekend! Alex" Oh no
Dave, don't put any of that stuff on your website! " Gitlin, a very excellent keyboardist, comedian,
and a " Regular" kind of guy. He's just a big marshmellow... don't let his posts scare you ;-)
Richard Wagner all the way from Germany, helluva musician and defintely had the coolest t-shirt
of the weekend! Ask me about it in a personal e-mail. Mac " I love to fly! " Steagall, a very
kind and generous guy who had a good word and a smile for everyone, ( not to mention a couple
too many on the flight to St. Louis! ). Gail Fedysky, a very kind and ALWAYS smiling young
lady ( Gail, thanks so much for the present! I'm going to wear it tommorrow on my birthday. I'll
take a picture and send you). Scott Sanders, who worked his butt off trying to photograph
everybody, tape the " Jam ", which was no peice of cake, and just generally keeping us in line.
Scott, thanks for the mixing advice, you were the real soundman Saturday night!
If I didn't get everybody here, I'll get to you soon. I figure I'd better finish unpacking the car now.
Thanks to EVERYBODY who came, and everybody who couldn't make it, you were with us in
Spirit! Goodnight, Bob " I wish I could play them skins like that Doran guy" Dreher
Ebenezer awoke with a start! Quickly he sprang out of bed,
jerked open the curtains and threw up the window. "Boy....boy!
What day is it?" "Me, sir?"the wispy child in the street exclaimed.
"Yes, son, what day is it?" "Why it's October 12, sir!" he replied.
"My stars...I can't believe it! The spirits did it all...they did it ALL
and in only one night." First there had been the spirit of Heep past;
ever-present, and ever-inspiring. The spirit of our childhood that led
us through adolescence. The spirit that comforted us through our
losses and inspired us to our victories...the Heep of our youth.
Then there was the spirit of Heep present. "Sea of Light" and "Spellbinder"
coming to call and show us that the spirit has never left us. Showing us that
we _weren't_ alone. Words in the distance from Heepsters were all around
us! Suddenly Heepsters materialized from all over the globe. Israel, Germany,
Canada, California, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Carolina, Mass, Ohio,Tenn-
essee, New Jersey! And they were singing and playing beautiful music! They
were casting their spell! The night was ending far too soon and it almost
seemed
like a dream, a dream that was ending too soon!
Then suddenly the spirit of Heep-future was in our midst. It became clear
that the best was yet to come! We have the wonderful music of the past, the
wonderful music of the present and the wonderful music of the future! What's
more, we had incredible Heep-friends to share it with! Really _great_ gals and
guys...not a bad one in the entire bunch!!! The spirit of Heep-future was here
to say we will meet again somewhere on that lonely road.
"And I will dream of my magic night,
And the million silver stars that guide me with their light." -Ken Hensley
Hi gang! Thought I would jot down my experience at the wonderful
Heepvention '97. I arrived at the Chesire in St. Louis at about 5 PM.
It didn't take me long to find the hallways riddled with Heepsters. The
first big thrill was the initial meetings. Actually putting a face and
a body with each name. Real people instead of words on a screen!! Wow!!
I even borrowed Dave Crookham's old line "Are You the Heep guys?".
That night we all exchanged pleasantries and took over the piano when the
80 year old pianist went to the bathroom. We did some informal singing
and it was special. We ended up in the bar, because the 25 of us got
thrown out of Dave White's room for being too Heepstrous!!!! Also Scott
discovered tiles on the bar of famous english literature characters. Can
you believe there was one for Uriah Heep!!!!!
Saturday, I took my family to the Arch and a boatride on the Mississippi
River. After that we went to the St. Louis Zoo. There we saw a
Heepopotamus named Alex, taking a dump! Hee, hee!!! After the zoo, we
went to drive by Ken's studio. At that point Dave Griffin was with us.
I parked in Ken's reserved Parking spot. My wife took a picture of Dave
and I, right by the sign. We will scan it and make it available soon.
Somebody caught us out there in the parking lot and invited us up to see
the studio. What a thrill that was! Imagine that, Ken's parking spot
and studio. I didn't sit at his desk or use his bathroom though, but I
bet Alex did! Hee, Hee!
Saturday evening finally rolled around.. The air was thick with
anticipation. The food was really good and I packed away quite a bit.
After the food there were some awards and speeches and then the jam. I
had originally thought this was going to be boring and an ego type thing.
Boy was I wrong, these guys were good!!! They went for about 3 hours
straight and it was great. Moshe was the life of the party on vocals.
He sang like he was in prison (always behind a few bars and never
found the right key). Dave "Big Dog" Griffin really took his vocal
chores serious and displayed some incredible pipes. Well into the jam, I
got my nerve up (I waited until everyone was drunk, and wouldn't care), I
joined in on background vocals. Boy was that fun, just singing Heep
tunes to our hearts content. At the end of the evening, I donned a wig
and everyone got the chance to meet Robert Warren.
I am so glad I got the chance to do it and hope that the next time I can
get to meet more of everyone. The next day I called "Return to Reality".
I was faced with an 18 hour drive home. Just after we left the hotel and
I got on the expressway, my wife informed me that she left something in
the room. So I got off at the next exit, only to get stuck in a traffic
jam. I would have to pick the street of the St. Louis Marathon. I had to
wait until 690 plus joggers ran past. At that point, my wife felt what
she left was not worth going back for. We therefore continued our trip
home. Once we got home, we found out the dog is dead and the Internal
Revenue Service wants $4,000. more for 1996. But you know what, this
would normally get me down, but the weekend was so splendid that I am
still on cloud nine. I think I will send the dog carcus to the IRS and
tell them to call it even!!
The whole way home I sang "Heepin" to the tune of the Grateful Dead tune
"Truckin".
"Living on Uriah Heep, Hot Dogs and Coca
Cola............Heepin,............What a long strange trip it's been"
I wonder if the Dead Heads got a list???
It was great!!
I had my own adventure getting back. I drove out of St. Louis early Sunday
morning (well not as early as I wanted to because I didn't get to bed until
sometime after 3:30 am I pulled over, checked the map,and realized that I had
driven about 100 miles north instead of east. For some reason that I-72 sign
must've looked like an I-70 sign earlier! All those same looking cornfields
don't help either. I made up for it by flying across Illinois at close to
triple digits. I actually managed to make it back in a few minutes less time
than it took me to drive out despite going about 110 miles farther
altogether.
It was great to meet everyone though, and the jam was superb. Much thanks to
Dave White (and all who helped him) for getting this together.
Dave
HeepJam Thanx!!
You guys made my weekend! It was very special to me for alot of
reasons, some of which I'll try to communicate to you...
I haven't sung in a _real_ rock and roll band in over 15 years...I've
sung in school doing classical and choral, and in church singing hymns
and Contemporary Christian Music in those 15 years...I never really felt
led or had the opportunities to get into a Christian band...
The last band I was in, we were doing covers of Sabbath, Iron Maiden,
Whitesnake, UFO, Def Leppard, Scorpions, real screamin' stuff...
I had been in previous bands too, of course, but never any HeepTunes...
I take that back...In the 10th grade, I was in a "band" for about 1
gig...A dance at my high school...We actually did "Dreamer"!
Then when I was in the 12th grade, I was the 1st Tenor in my high
school's male quartet...Another guy in the group was also a big
Heepster...He had The Magician's Birthday songbook and he could also
play piano...
We talked our director into letting us do "Rain" when the quartet would
go out and perform...Him on keys and me doing vocals...She relented, and
here we were doing Heep for social groups, senior citizens, and even our
school's big Spring Performance Festival...Little did they know who/what
they were really listening to...So, if you thought "Rain" was special to
me, that's why!
Going back even further, I found out I could sing real early on...My
mom's a musician, as was her father...So what I have came from Above and
from them...
When I started getting into R&R, I soon gravitated to those singers I
could get into and even semi-imitate...Then came Demons &
Wizards...David Byron soon became my vocal idol and hero...
As you know, he was so exceptional in every way...To me he WAS
Heep...That's why I had such a hard time accepting anything Heep after
he left...
So...Now here's the opportunity for me to do Heep all these years later
at the HeepJam...I really appreciate Dave White listening to my
"audition tape" and supporting and encouraging me along the way...
Here's also the opportunity to fall flat on my face...It's been a LONG
time since I've done this, and who knows how I'm going to do...About the
Monday before HV, I began to get the Hershey squirts just thinking about
the Jam...It finally hit me that we were really going to do this...
I tried to be as prepared as I could...I've heard a couple of comments
about me really taking the vocals seriously...You better take it
seriously if you're going to sing Heep!! You're not going to sing that
stuff halfway...
Also as a vocalist, you always hope and pray your "instrument" is in
good shape, especially when you're going to sing Heep...
So with all those things in mind, I approached the Jam with an
excitement I hadn't felt in many years...
From the first chord of our brief runthru on Sat.afternoon, I knew we
were in for something special...It felt so dang good!!!
The Jam itself was like nothing else I've been involved in...To be
singing these great tunes with and to a bunch of fellow Heepster nuts
was almost too much to handle! What a thrill!!
The other thing I kept thinking about during the Jam was David Byron
himself... I dedicated the second runthru of "Rain" to David, but I was
thinking about him all the time, trying my best to do him justice...He
meant so much to me as a singer...
Guys, none of this would have been possible for me if not for your
presence and your great love of Heep...I thank every one of you for your
hard work, your musicianship, and most of all, your friendship...
I'm so grateful for our time together...
Thanx a great big load of Heeps...Please know that I'm looking forward
to it again!
God bless you all,
Dave "Big Dog" Griffin
Hi All,
Jo-Ann and I made it back today after battling horrific rains & winds. For
me the HV was so surreal as to still seem unreal--a return to fantasy, as it
were. I so enjoyed meeting everyone, and I totally enjoyed the jam session.
Those of you who actually were performing have no idea how fabulous you
sounded when you began with "Easy Livin'. Besides the sound which was
excellent from all performers, the Feeling was there--that sort of
enthusiasm and--really, I call it magic--the aura that was present in the
early days of the band in both the albums and live performances. This was
not some jaded group "covering" someone's material, this was what real music
was supposed to be. I'm not an overtly demonstrative person, but I really
enjoyed the jam session beyond reason!
It was so so great to see other people as nuts as me about Uriah Heep, and I
wish to thank you all for really cheering up Jo-Ann and me after what has
been a really hard year for us. Thank you again to those who really went to
extraordinary efforts to make this come off, particularly Dave and Jesse who
spent an unreasonable amount of hours ensuring this event actually took
place. Despite their protests that it came off because of the rest of us,
the truth is that we wouldn't have all met if it were not for them. I hope
we can do it again! Also, thank you to everyone else who made this come off.
Flapper
And with that, the sound of "Easy Livin' " filled the room...and it surprised me because of the
volume, and the energy behind it all...it felt great, and we sounded great, and it went on and on
and on....
remember the songs now that he played, and I think Dave Griffin sang, but I do
remember that the room got awful quiet when they played...the crowd LOVED it !!! I remember
saying to myself, "Damn, they sound good".
I ended up in Jesse and Dale's room, listening to Heep tapes, gawking at Kevin Julies's cassette
collection, and just talking up a storm....
including Jesse Lowe's Mini Moog! Joe Doran rented a
drum kit, and was all set. Muzzy had his '71 (I think) Rickenbacker bass , Mac had his Gibson
SG bass, and Bob Dreher had his "Destroyer" there.
over to Jesse, who proceeded to take control of the festivities for the next hour. Jess, from me to
you , Man...you were GREAT !
Bob Dreher is a fantastic guitarist, and vocalist, and held our side of the band together!
Mac, Rich, and Muzzy shared the Bass Guitar duties and Alex had those keyboards just hummin
!!
The jammers did a great job, and I would be proud to do it all again...ANYTIME !
ALI you to hear.
Following is a few of the 1st E-mails to come from the vention:
From Paul Kubler
Hi guys,:)
Hello fello Heepsters and Heepsterettes!
From: Mac Steagall
From Bob Winward
Bob Winward
From Dave Crookham
From Dave (BIG DOG) Griffin !
From Jim Lynch !!!