The Inner Sanctum is a lost artefact from the psychedelic 60s. Their recordings can be heard on the fantastic compilation ‘Psychedelic Moods Part Two: Journey Thru Inner Space’.

Cicadelic Records recently got in touch with Vincent Taggart who sent them some unreleased acetates which sounds really impressive. The label will announce some exciting news about that soon. The Inner Sanctum played with The Velvet Underground among many others and were a big part of the NYC scene. The band was originally formed in Greenwich Village.

The band’s only release was released via ATCO Records. They are featured on the record by Tom Sankey called ‘Tom Sankey Sings The Songs From The Golden Screw’ and was released in 1967.

After record producer Mark Barkan worked on ‘Psychedelic Moods’ by The Deep at Cameo-Parkway Studios, Philadelphia, he did work with The Inner Sanctum to do a follow-up to The Deep, much like Rusty Evans did with The Freak Scene and the release of ‘Psychedelic Psoul’ on Columbia Records. The Inner Sanctum was sadly never released, although they backed up Tom Sankey on his ATCO album. There you can hear some truly impressive guitar work by Sanctum’s guitarist.

Mark Barkan produced seven songs recorded in April of 1967. The songs were ‘The House Of Yesterday’ (written by The Inner Sanctum), ‘Id’ (with lyrics done by Tom Sankey and Mark Barkan), ‘Hydro Pyro’ (half the lyrics written by Tom Sankey, the rest by the band as well as the music), ‘Purple Floating,’ ‘Snow Petals,’ ‘Little Tin Soldier,’ and ‘The Man Who Shot Your Mother’. These are the seven tracks they recorded with vocals, onto 4-track, half-inch tape, plus the early band tracks that were later condensed into 1-track from 4-tracks and/or edited out. There are also the seven tracks that Barkan produced with sound effects and overdubbing that were released on ‘Psychedelic Moods Part Two’ and the two acetate demos of’ House Of Yesterday’ and ‘Id’. So all together there are twenty three different takes of The Inner Sanctum.

The Inner Sanctum were Kevin Michael (lead guitar), Gerry Michael (drums), Vince Taggart (rhythm guitar) and Frank Thumhart (bass guitar).

There is a fantastic in-depth article about Tom Sankey at styrous.blogspot.com. Tom Sankey was a folk singer, playwright and actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is known for the off Broadway production of The Golden Screw. As written by styrous, “The Golden Screw was a folk rock musical documenting the progress of a fictional folk singer, Bob Dylanesque, who starts from folk music roots to sell out to almost achieving the height of commercialization.” The article continues; “The complete score for the show was recorded by Sankey on Atco Records and was the first rock theatrical recording of its kind. Hair is cited as the first rock musical but the Golden Screw opened nine months before it; although Screw does sound more folk than rock. The show’s band was called The Inner Sanctum.”

“The Golden Screw opened on January 30, 1967 and only had 40 performances. It was directed by James Grove, produced by Paul Stoudt, with scenery and costumes by C. Murawski and a cast of only four: Tom Sankey, Janet Day, Patrick Sullivan and Murray Paskin. The musicians were Tom Sankey (autoharp), Jack Hopper (guitar) and members of The Inner Sanctum: Kevin Michael (lead guitar), Gerry Michael (drums), Vince Taggart (rhythm guitar). The script was published as “The Golden Screw, Or That’s Your Thing, Baby.” – styrous

Where and when did you grow up? Was music a big part of your family life? Did the local music scene influence you or inspire you to play music?

Vincent Taggart: I grew up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950’s. This was the time of “Free Range” children when we were out of the house all day and home by dark. Everyone’s father was an alky and so was mine. Mother mentally ill, improved considerably after father died in 1961 at 49. No one called the police if you were on the street alone or with pals. The cold war was in effect but mostly in school, when we would drill getting under our desks. I heard music on the radio and tried to reproduce it by singing. My voice hadn’t even broken at that age. The local scene was New York broadcast music. Alan Freed was still on the air along with Cousin Brucie, Murray the K, and B. Mitchel Reed although he was later. The 1950’s in Brooklyn felt safe and we found a thousand things to do. Couple of times a year there would be a rock and roll show at the Brooklyn Paramount or the Brooklyn Fox where you could see live performances. I was the youngest person in line. For sure I wanted to sing and play like them.

When did you begin playing music? What was your first instrument? Who were your major influences?

If you could call it playing music it was in the period before ten years old when I would sing to the radio blasting at high volume; so you could say my voice was my first instrument. Made all kinds of mistakes that destroyed voices permanently but if I couldn’t make the note I gave up on it. Jackie Wilson was one who drove me mad with his performances and was also a major influence. During the sixties before the British Invasion rhythm and blues was what I most liked to listen to. It was the only place I heard emotion. Jackie Wilson, early James Brown, Chuck Jackson, Ray Charles (‘Georgia on My Mind’) and many I can’t remember. Once the Beatles hit I was older and jumped in with both feet. On the days I went to school (I remember the third high and third year; don’t know if that was the year I went to school 51 days or was absent 51 days). When I did go I would think of the possible chords and be eager to get home and do so. Couldn’t play much at 15 but quickly and by 16 was playing in bars with chums. Sang in the bars before that. Friendly groups liked a song or went off to rest their throats. A real highlight of my life (to me anyway) was I walked into a popular local bar and the band asked me to do a few songs. Never played with them before. I was received well and the girls wanted to talk to me. All the bars were local to neighborhoods and had their regulars. Elton John gave me goosebumps with ‘Talking Old Soldiers’. I think all the bars in the world have one, at least in Brooklyn, absolutely. By 16 I’d gotten better on the guitar and was playing gigs at these local bars at $15 a man and free drinks. We played the songs of the day (Never in my life will I play ‘You Belong to Me,’ but we did it well). I hate the word eclectic but it does have meaning that applies to me.

What bands were you a member of prior to the formation of The Inner Sanctum?

Prior bands of the other members, I know nothing and I don’t remember anyone at all mentioning prior bands. When I played the bars we must have had a name for the act but I can’t remember one. We played covers of the hits. Something I should mention: 15 and 16 were the years of experience/discovery for me. If I went to school after, I would head for Manhattan and spend time in Greenwich Village and more. There was a club called the Night Owl on right off Macdougal street on west 3rd where I saw The Lovin’ Spoonful before they became famous. ‘Do You Believe in Magic’ has already been written and performed. There was another group called The Magicians and how they didn’t make it is a mystery to me. Their signature song was: ‘Invitation to Cry’. If not downtown I would go to Broadway. The Metropole Café was a club with large glass doors that gathered a large outdoor audience for all the jazz greats that played there. I was dressed to the 9’s and went in to drink for a few hours. The stage was directly behind the bar so you could almost think you were up with them. After a time there I would head to the Peppermint Lounge, the sixties famous venue for excitement and celebrities. Tons of publicity, society page talk. Again, I handled myself well and folks liked me there. If I wasn’t too blasted, late, I would head to 46th street to visit Joey Dees club. They are the Peppermint Twist group. I have to say you can learn a lot of music by just watching; the shape of the hand and where it moves.

What’s the story surrounding the name of Hydro-Pyro?

We were the Inner Sanctum and Michael, of Cicadelic Records, told me that when things were reissued in the eighties he, off the cuff, said: “Call them Hydro Pyro.” This supposedly was for legal reasons related to the music. None of our names are attached to the music. Even now, fifty years out, not on the CD’s or vinyl. Mark’s estate (Mark Barkan) must own these and should correct this, if only for our prestige, not money. If I ever wanted to strangle Mark that would be the moment. The Hydro Pyro name is repugnant to me. The ”band that sounds like shit” would be more well received by me. I knew nothing at all that our music was out there. One night I was on the net, going to read about old clubs we played (Ondines, under the Queensboro Bridge, was one. We played there the week after The Doors played their first New York date). I found our music on YouTube. This was 2015. It had been posted years before. I can say I was actually stunned, stopped, thought, and got a full body sympathetic outflow.

We weren’t doing clubs early on, mostly rehearsing with Tom Sankey for The Golden Screw. Opened in September ’66 at St Marks Theater Genesis. There are two articles in Wikipedia: “The Golden Screw, and Thaeter Genesis.” Good reads. I can boast of being in Wikipedia, if only as a name as a cast member.

“Nico and I remembered each other”

What sort of venues did you play?

I should tell you about a gig we did on New Years Eve in 1967. Don’t know how we got it but we traded sets with the Velvet Underground and Tiny Tim. Kevin Michael (lead guitar) went off with Nico and came back saying she was “weird.” This was a time I first really saw people groove to our covers. There was a man in rhythm with the chords as I struck them and, for me, this was a great boost to my ego/self esteem. Covers. This is why I think 80% of bands fail is that they don’t or can’t write. We certainly didn’t to our loss. Lou Reed said not a word to us and looked out of sorts.

Nico was out late drinking in a bar called The Dom on East 8th street,St Marks Place. It was after one and Nico and I remembered each other. She was there with Paul Morris, her manager, and Andy Warhol’s film man. He did The Chealsey Girls, an obscure sixties movie. We talked a good while and I came away with an invite to the Factory, Warhol’s creative venue.
For some reason I didn’t go. It could be I was kicked out of the band by then or was already in the Army with some time still left on the streets before reporting. The Army ended my musical career, but now they pick up my healthcare, thousands and thousands, and thank God Almighty I went. Missed Vietnam, spent a year in the SStates and two years on the East German and Czechoslovakia border. Good duty. I think The Factory scared me. I was deeply clinically depressed, a problem I’ve lived with my entire life. A place I went to for help recognized the intelligence in me (6 points from MENSA, and I wound up working for them first in maintenance then clinically. The director’s wife ran a nursing school and they sent me there after a year of sobriety. I was first in my class. I worked as a Psychiatric Nurse for forty years and I can sat without reservation that Nursing saved my life,

Tiny Tim had a normal voice, friendly, all the girls sat at his table.

I found us mentioned in reviews, Reading Village Voice,founded by Norman Mailer. We almost passed out at being referred to as charming hermetic supercool. Last line in the Times says a lot.

How did you decide to use the name “The Inner Sanctum”?

Our name was The Inner Sanctum. Hydro-Pyro is repellent to me. I’ m told that Mark Barkan picked and used it, and didn’t have time to pick a proper name. I really liked the guy, but that name repels me.

What influenced the band’s sound?

We did a lot of experimentation with our sound. Mixing separated the tacks to better sound. Live, we were more improvisational and could go quite a while.

Did the size of audiences increase following the release of ATCO album?

Hard to say. We were with The Golden Screw, taking up much of our time. Did stuff like college gigs. Largest audience 2-3 thousand in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village in Summer of 67.

How did ‘Psychedelic Moods Part Two’ come about?

‘Psychedelic Moods Part Two’ was the second of Mark’s Psychedelic compositions and he picked the Inner Sanctum.

You also have an unreleased acetate? Where did you record it? Please tell us more about it.

You also have an unreleased acetate? Where did you record it? Please tell us more about it.

We did some tracks for Mark (and certainly for ourselves). Fame, money, girls. Just after doing Mark’s stuff we’d use some time. Who has these I have no idea. It seems that as we broke up everyone purloined what they could.

I bought the Hollywood Screen Parade Magazine in a store. We were all together. I said to Frank Thumhart (bass guitar), “Hey, we’re in this” magazine.” I was the only one to buy it. Our interviewer was very kind to us (the interview was about The Golden Screw).

Please share your recollections of the sessions. What were the influences and inspirations for the songs recorded?

Sessions were fun. Singing/ playing our own compositions. Improvising.

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

The tracks are Mark’s 7 tracks for his second part. Have to say I didn’t really understand what he was doing. I sang lead on three songs on the album, but I was out at sea sometimes. ’Snow Petals’ especially. I’d love to record that again.

Was there a certain concept behind the album?

Concept was Mark’s vision of a completed work.

Was there any artwork prepared for it?

Not that I know. The artwork used now is great. Makes me feel good about what we did.

Were you inspired by psychoactive substances like LSD at the time of writing the album?

Not at that time. We played the Montreal World’s Fair in ’67 and for the first time took some LSD. We then went on a ride to make you feel you’re in outer space. Sure did that! Music we did at the show sounded quite good, not like alcohol that degrades your playing.

What are some of the craziest stories that you can share?

Playing a gig in a nice hall they were out of beer, keg empty. I attempted to tap another keg and we all got a nice shower of beer. One gig we played at a bar way uptown. The guys there (only about a dozen folks) were jealous of the effect we had on the girls. Actually had beer bottles thrown at us. We packed up to leave twice but the girls convinced us to stay twice.

What happened after the band stopped? Were you still in touch with other members? Is any member still involved with the music?

Being thrown out was cyanide for my ego. Didn’t hang with anyone.

Looking back, what was the highlight of your time in the band? Which songs are you most proud of? Where and when was your most memorable gig?

Highlight is The Golden Screw (you can hear us from about midway. It’s on YouTube. Best songs are ’That’s Your Thing, Baby’. Hear the whole show at YouTube. Show won an Obie for Tom. It was amazing reading paper and seeing your name (Times, Post, Journal American).

What are some of your favorite memories from the 60s in general?

Loved the 60s for my youth, it was easy to get very attractive girls. Bad, I didn’t get sober until ’75.