1970. Cedar- Riverside, South Mpls is called the West Bank, as it's on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, across the river from the ‘U of M’.
My favorite bars- The Triangle, The Viking, and on the corner of Cedar-Riverside, was the 400 Bar. Up the street was the drugstore ‘Richters’. Hundreds of wannabe, barefoot, dirty-ass hippies panhandled on the corner. Across the street was “The Electric Fetus”. Besides record albums, the “Fetus” could outfit you in the latest hipster style, with a shitload of smoking paraphernalia- pipes, bongs, roach clips and the peace symbol on everything!And there was the “free store” too.
Anyhoo, I lived on 7 corners in an old flop with my football scholarship buddies from Delano. Having spent the last five years in the Marines and VA Hospital, I would try to attend “Gen College” on rehab and my GI Bill. Oh yeah, I owned a 1968 900 CC XLCH MAGNETO FIRED HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER! Sent home from San
“Franciscuss”, I called her the ”Harlot”. She was black with drag pipes, sissy bar, custom Seat I used to strap Chris (aka Shlepcar) to it, and we rode!
The Triangle was the shape of the building. It had a little stage and every night local musicians jammed. The stage was right in the corner near the entrance. After they had put a piano up on stage, it left enough room for one singer besides the piano player.
Anyhoo, Dave and his little brother Tommy Ray, or John Koerner or Willie Murphy played their version of old
black blues. They were the only white dudes who could pull this off… Dave Ray (RIP) died of cancer a few years ago. Spider John Koernor is still jammin’. Red House Records of St.Paul owns the rights. This album had been recorded in the early 60s. Anyhoo “PEACE ON YA”....
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