John Michael Roch | Interview | Los Angeles mid-1970s “pop-rock-psych” private press treasure
John Michael Roch is one of those rare “real people” musicians that released “pop-rock-psych” private press treasure in 1976.
Subliminal Sounds did a fabulous job uncovering this long forgotten gem of an album. ‘With You In My Arms’ is a document of time, a time capsule that will take you to a different place. John Michael Roch has been an active musician since the 60s and it turned out that there’s more to the story, including a lot of unreleased material.
“I think that playing at the Starwood in Hollywood were the best gigs of our time”
It’s really fantastic to have you. I first came across your music thanks to Stefan Kéry at Subliminal Sounds. How did Stefan find you? Were you surprised there’s an interest in reissuing your privately pressed album from 1976?
John Michael Roch: First of all, thank you for the opportunity to share my musical life with you and your readers. Some years ago, I started to receive emails from people from around the world, Scotland, Japan, et cetera. I don’t remember all of them, but several. They were asking about the ‘With You in My Arms’ album from 1976 and this really surprised me. I was not aware that there was a community of record collectors around the world and much less that anyone would be interested in this particular album. Since I was on a very limited budget at the time, we only pressed 100 copies and all of them were given away to friends and relatives. I kept one copy (which I still have) and I know my brother has a copy, the other 98… I don’t know. Apparently, though, it seems like some copies have traveled around the world and that’s how some of the collectors became aware of its existence. I received an email from Stefan Kéry of Subliminal Sounds around the end of 2014 asking about the record and proposing that his label re-issue the original record. After confirming that he was not joking we agreed to re-release the album. I sent him what original recording and artwork I had (I saved almost everything musical) and added some information for the additional sheet included in the album jacket and Stefan took care of the rest. Was I surprised? Of course, I had no idea anyone would have any interest in those ten songs from so long ago.
Comparing the original, how do you like the sounds of the reissue?
Honestly, I don’t know. I have not played it… I received my copy (that Stefan sent me) and I looked at the work that went into it and was very pleased with the result. I haven’t had a turntable for years now and I gave my record collection away to friends and my brother. I have to assume that with today’s technology, it has to be a better recording than the original. I have it in my recording studio in a place of honor, now that I know what its value is to collectors worldwide.
Would you like to tell us about your upbringing? You were born in Spain, but your parents moved to Cuba. What was it like to grow up there? What did your parents do?
Wow, a trip to the past! I was born in Barcelona, two years after the end of World War II. Like the rest of Europe, Spain was trying to recover from its own civil war. My father lost his job with American film company RKO and with two brothers who had moved to Cuba telling him how wonderful the “new world” was, convinced him to move there.
In 1950 the three of us got on a ship and traveled to Cuba. It wasn’t the paradise that my uncles described, but too late, we were there.
We struggled for a long time, I learned how to speak Spanish (Catalan is my original language) and finally my father got work as a hotel manager. So, we moved from resort to resort around Cuba with my father managing hotels, it was a very interesting life. Eventually we settled in Havana. My mother, as was typical in those years, was a housewife and took care of me and my brother who was born in one of the hotels in 1955. Cuba was a nice place (for me as a young boy) . I went to school, played sports (not very well), made good friends who are still in my life after all these years and overall was a good experience… until the communist revolution. It was time to leave!
Do you feel that you experienced Cuban music, and did it have any influence on you later?
Of course, Cuban music is known all over the world and is very rhythmic and intoxicating, the kind of music that makes you tap your feet. To this day I try to always include a “Cuban style” track on all of my albums and often use Cuban instrumentation (congas, bongos, and others) in many of my songs. You are probably familiar with the American band Santana who blended Cuban rhythms with rock ‘n’ roll and all the others that appeared around the same time and became quite popular.
Do you still remember when you first heard rock ‘n’ roll music? What did it make you feel?
When I was living in Havana during the 1950’s we had a local radio station, Radio Kramer, that exclusively played American music. In those days you could hear Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and his Comets, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, Chuck Berry, Little Richard… the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll music. I started listening to this station and liked the music, but I also listened to Cuban music stations. Music, for me, was always something that I enjoyed and had some kind of emotional feeling which I cannot explain, like enjoying a beautiful sunset by the ocean or looking at a gorgeous woman walking by (sorry, old habits are hard to break) so music creates a “feeling” that is pleasant. But it wasn’t until 1970 when I first heard Black Sabbath that I knew what I wanted to do.
When did you move to the USA? You went to Los Angeles?
Leaving Cuba was very difficult. As some of you may be familiar with existing communist countries, things like the Berlin wall and other government impediments are meant to keep the population in the country, Cuba, as an island, gave very few choices. We applied for exit visas to leave as a family, but the government decided that only I could leave… I was 14. My parents (and I will always be grateful for their decision) agreed to let me go. And so, I came to the U.S.A. by myself in 1962. I was in a refugee camp for a few months near Miami, Florida and then to Los Angeles, to live in a foster home… with a very nice family that would care for me while I waited for my parents to be allowed to leave Cuba. I would wait close to 5 years for that to happen. In the meantime, I lived in two foster homes and a boarding school until I was 19 and then my parents and brother were allowed to leave. I lived in Los Angeles until 2021 when my wife and I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where I now live.
“I’m a Catalan boy from Spain with Cuban roots and an American perspective of life who became an old man doing what I love most… making music.”
That must have been a tough start for you. What did you do at first?
Well, imagine being 14 years old, arriving in a country where you don’t speak the language and don’t know anyone, everything is strange, the food, the people… everything. I didn’t know if I would ever see my family again, but I knew that I needed to adapt and assimilate to the new culture and “become an American” … I did. I went to school, learned to read and write again in this new (very difficult) language, love the food, the sports teams, whatever, but never forget your roots, where you come from and what makes you who you are. So, I’m a Catalan boy from Spain with Cuban roots and an American perspective of life who became an old man doing what I love most… making music.
How did you join your first band The Agents? You played the drums. What are some clubs you played and what did your repertoire look like?
When I was living in the boarding school, Saint John Bosco, in Los Angeles, we had an assembly for the students. I don’t remember the purpose but there we were. We were all gathered in the dining hall which was quite big and waiting for the speakers to come up and talk about whatever we had got together for. There was a band that was going to play first to provide some musical entertainment and the musical equipment was kept in one of the rooms near the dining hall. One of the brothers (almost a priest in a Catholic school) gave me the key to the room and asked me to open it so the band could get the gear and set up. I did but was informed by the band leader that the drummer had not shown up. Not really my problem until he asked… would I like to play the drums. Surprise! I had never even been close enough to touch a drum kit let alone play one but for some strange reason I said “yes!” and that is how it started. I managed to set up the drums and play along (probably very badly, I don’t remember). We played a song called ‘Telstar’ by a group called The Tornados from 1960 – this was probably 1965 or 66, I’m not sure. The audience reacted positively and clapped, and I loved it. I was asked by the band members to join the band (a shock to me) I agreed. The band rehearsed in the school music room which was good for me since I lived in the school. We called ourselves The Agents since secret agents were very popular at the time with all the James Bond and other spy related movies. We never again played in front of an audience, but it was great fun making music with these young men whose names I don’t remember anymore. Neither can I remember what songs we played but The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were very popular at the time so I guess we may have played some of their music.
If I understand correctly, you changed your Spanish name to John Michael Roch?
Having been born in Barcelona where we spoke Catalan (although Franco had made it illegal at the time) I was named Joan Miquel Agusti Roch Serra, that’s a lot of names! When we moved to Cuba, where they speak Spanish… I was known as Juan Miguel Agustin Roch Serra, still a lot of names. When I came to the U.S. and became an American citizen back in the 1980’s I had the choice to “Americanize” my name, so I chose the translation… John Michael Roch (Americans only use one surname, the father’s and not the mother’s).
Was there a certain moment when you knew you wanted to become a musician?
It was probably when the audience clapped for us when I played the drums for the first time at the school assembly. I truly don’t remember but the fact that I continued to pursue playing the drums and became more interested in music would probably mean that. The start of a wonderful addiction.
You’re a multi-instrumentalist? Which are your instruments that you’re the most comfortable with?
Well… kind of, although I started playing drums (more or less) I became a bassist first. Again, while living at the school, I met a nice family that invited me to spend Christmas vacation at their home which was great since I usually spent holidays alone in the school. Their oldest son, Tommy, had a band and was in need of a bass player. He asked me if I was interested and again, I said yes although I knew nothing about playing bass. He played guitar and said he would teach me. Remember, we were kids, maybe 16 years old. I borrowed a 6-string electric guitar (no one had an available bass) and I learned to play with the top 4 strings. We learned a few popular songs and even wrote our first original, a song called ‘Smokey’ … why I remember that I don’t know. We did play one gig and I was so nervous playing “bass” I kept dropping the pick on stage but enjoyed it just the same. By coincidence, Tommy’s younger brother grew up to become the bassist for the hard rock/glam metal band Ratt.
I saved up the bit of money I received weekly and eventually bought a used Danelectro bass and a small Kalamazoo bass amp. I became a bass player. Eventually moved up to Fender basses and amps. I played bass with a band called The Shadows (not the famous ones) and The Cats Brothers Blues Band and eventually with Wax. During a slow night at a club gig the drummer (Dale) and I decided to switch instruments (he truly was a multi-instrumentalist – played drums, guitar, bass, trumpet, keyboards and could sing!) we enjoyed it and made the switch permanent. I sold him my bass rig and he sold me his Ludwig kit… I was now a drummer… again.
When I played for Mighty Dog, we used to rehearse at my house, a converted garage with soundproof cork on the walls. Since our complete equipment setup was always at my house (except when we had a gig) Herb, our keyboardist left his Hammond organ and primitive Oberheim synthesizer and an electric piano at my place and occasionally on our days off I would go in the “studio” and play the keyboards, teaching myself simple triads and create melodies… I loved it. That’s how I started writing songs, music and lyrics that would later be perfected by the rest of the band.
How did a band called Wax come about? Who were the members of the band?
The band already existed but were looking for a bass player. Tom (a different Tom) who sang lead and played keyboards happened to be at a local music store asking if anyone knew a bass player and someone in the store (to this day I have no idea who it was but thank you!) gave him my name and phone number. Tom called, came to my apartment, and invited me to audition for the bass player position. I went and auditioned; I remember we played ‘Nights in White Satin’ by The Moody Blues. I played well enough to be invited to join the band, but they took away my microphone (I was trying to sing backup) and was asked never to sing again – I love to sing but I’m horrible at it.
Tom, I already mentioned Dale, the drummer who passed away a few years ago. Curt, lead guitar and vocals and Mike, rhythm guitar and also vocals… everyone sang but me. I still keep in touch with Tom and Mike and have collaborated on a few projects with both.
How much original material did you have? Did you record any? What clubs did you play and when was this?
I don’t recall having any original material with Wax, we didn’t go into the studio to record anything but we did play a variety of clubs in the Los Angeles area. Including The Raintree, Cinnamon Cinder, The Amber Light and many others. We primarily played top 40 current radio hits. This was around the late 1960’s.
How did the band transcend into Creation? Did creation record anything? You actually did some touring. What was your management?
Curt, our guitarist, was drafted, inducted into the military and the rest of us decided against replacing him thus putting an end to Wax. Tom went on to do solo performances in clubs and Mike became a staff songwriter at Warner Brothers Music in Hollywood. Dale and I decided to continue playing, we recruited a new bass player, Richard (Dick) Robinson and a lead singer, Dave Christy. We put an act together with new material, obtained new management, Johnny Robinson from Hollywood who was associated with Gary Van Zeeland, a big booking agent based in Wisconsin and after playing a few gigs in L.A. Went on the road to tour the middle of the country for a few months. We called ourselves Creation, never wrote or recorded anything and (like Wax) played popular radio contemporary music. However, four young men in their early 20’s, in 1969, getting paid to do nothing but play music night after night, from town to town, getting free drinks and meeting many young ladies… an unforgettable adventure!!!
How much original material did you have?
Nothing… sadly it had not occurred to me to write a song and I regret it immensely. I think the time was right for new music and would have been much easier then to sign up with a record label but, content with playing other people’s music and getting paid was good enough at the time… very sad.
There seems to be an interesting story about how you joined Mother Funk, which self-released one album in 1971 under the label name of Black Fungus Records. How many copies were pressed?
Yes, that was a strange occurrence. I had just come back to Los Angeles from the Midwest tour with Creation and the band was no longer together. I was driving one day and saw a young guy by the side of the road hitchhiking and carrying a guitar case. I normally never pick up strangers looking for a ride on the side of the road, but his very long hair and guitar case identified him as (probably) a musician… so I gave him a ride. His name was Jake, was from Nebraska and lived in Venice (a part of Los Angeles near the beach) with his dog, also named Jake. We became immediate friends (we still are) he mentioned that he and a few of his friends (also from Nebraska) had a band but needed a drummer. That’s all I needed to know. I joined the band, and we picked the name Mother Funk. The album we recorded was the first time I was in a recording studio and the first time I wrote any material for recording. The name of the record label was made up (we thought it was cool) and I believe that we pressed probably 100 units which was the minimum we could get and all we could afford. It’s only a one-sided record (side B is blank) we didn’t have enough material at the time.
Who were the members of the band?
Let’s see, me, of course, on drums. Jake on rhythm guitar and vocals. Joe, who played lead guitar, trumpet and also sang. Richard (different than Creation’s Richard) played bass and sang, Stockton who played saxophone and on occasion could play two saxes at the same time (phenomenal) and Slim, although he was not slim at all, (I can’t remember his name) he was not an official member of the band but would usually join us at gigs to sing blues and play harmonica. As you can see the pattern, everyone sings but me… I believe that Slim has passed away and Richard also died in a motorcycle accident. Stockton lives in Australia, and I speak with him regularly by phone… he’s from New Orleans originally, but now has a beautiful Australian accent.
Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?
It was October 23rd, 1971, the first time I walked into a recording studio. George Rex studio in Huntington Park, California. It consisted of a small control booth with electronic equipment unknown to me at the time and a large room with a microphone hanging from the ceiling in the middle of it. We all set up our musical equipment in a circle around the mic and proceeded to play. Most of the songs were recorded in one take since we had been rehearsing constantly for this day. We recorded the whole album in one afternoon…this would never happen again. Mother Funk was a fun band, with horns and lively music and played many clubs, beer bars and beach festivals. The tracks on this album were primarily written by Joe, Jake and Richard. I think the song ‘Debra’ was written by Slim. ‘For What It’s Worth’ was a cover tune originally recorded by Buffalo Springfield. But we had our own version. Only two of the tracks have my name appended to them. ‘Black Mass,’ which is actually the ending of a complete song which didn’t turn out as we expected (so we kept the ending only) and ‘Swamp Dream’ which I co-wrote with a friend of mine who was not in the band.
What are some of the bands you shared stages with? What clubs did you play?
As far as clubs, aside from the previously mentioned ones, there were quite a few but mainly local as well as the ones I’ve played while on the road/tour. The better-known stages were Gazzarri’s on the Sunset strip, Hollywood and The Starwood (where Van Halen was discovered by Gene Simmons) as luck would have it, he was there when they played but not when we played. I was with Mighty Dog at the time and our then guitarist (Greg Moore) was a good friend of Eddie Van Halen so we would go and follow them at their gigs.
They were the house band at Gazzarri’s until they left for Starwood and then we did the same. We also played The Rock Corporation after Van Halen as well. These were the rock n’ roll years. Later on, after I started my solo career, I played a series of concerts with Uruguayan pianist Sebastian Sidi as his keyboard player, that was also a lot of fun especially since the band members were in their 20’s and 30’s and I was the over 60 old man in the group!
Are you still in touch with the band members? What did they do after that in the 70s and what currently occupies their life?
Yes, I’m still in touch with Jake and Stockton from Mother Funk. Tom and Mike from Wax .Chuck Russo who sang on the ‘With You in My Arms’ album in 1976 and the re-make of ‘With You in My Arms Again’ in 2020 – same songs 44 years later. Jim, Bob and Herb from Mighty Dog and Sebastian and Javier from the more recent Sebastian Sidi Band. Most still dabble in music. Sebastian still plays concerts, Tom and Mike still write and play and sing (lucky, they can sing!), Chuck is retired from music. Jake still plays part time in a band in North California. Herb lives in Texas and is retired from music, Jim lives on his boat by the beach in L.A. not playing but he can still sing! Bob Cubillos, one of our various lead guitarists with Mighty Dog is also semi-retired from music although I’ve seen a few recordings online where he’s still playing and singing (of course).
When did you form Mighty Dog and who were members of the band?
Mighty Dog was born from a band called Cosmic Eye that I played with in the early 70’s. I was working for a company at the Los Angeles airport, LAX and the owner’s son, Steve Matsukawa also known as Captain Japan, was a guitar player looking to form a band. Another friend from the airport, Rick Fox was a bass player and Steve had a friend, Bob Bisceglia, who sang (of course) and also played drums. We got together and decided to form a band and called it Cosmic Eye. I tried to sing a couple of times while Bob played drums, but it was too horrible to endure so I stuck to my drums and let Bob do the singing… of course, Steve and Rick sang back up. Story of my life! Bob eventually left the band and for a while we had a girl singer, Robin Perry who was not too bad, petit, blonde good-looking girl. For a while we changed our name to Robin Starship but that was not very good, so we went back to Cosmic Eye and by that time Robin had left the band. I’m not too sure how and when I met Jim McKay who eventually became the lead singer for Mighty Dog. I know that he was in a band called Christopher Whitefoot along with Herb Corn (Mighty Dog’s keyboardist) and Neshan Mashikian who eventually joined Mighty Dog on guitar after Steve left. So, somehow and I don’t exactly remember why, we all joined forces and the five of us decided to work together and eventually changed the band’s name to Mighty Dog.
What were the circumstances surrounding Republic Records?
We had become pretty well established as a band during the early to mid 1970’s in the Los Angeles area. Had started to write material which was incorporated into our copy material and which we used when playing concerts instead of clubs (where people just want to drink and dance to songs they already know) We attracted the attention of ABC records, and they wanted us to record a single (a 45 with 2 sides) We proposed ‘Street Dancer’ one of my songs and ‘Wasted’ one of Jim’s. They approved and assigned a producer to our project, a young man last name Brown, but I don’t remember his first name. I do remember that he was the nephew or grandson of a famous big band leader by the name of Les Brown. We started recording at the ABC studios in Hollywood. There were three studios in the building. We were in one, The Elvin Bishop Band was in another and Steely Dan in the main room. We were soon informed that Steely Dan did not want anyone in the building while they were recording so we had to leave as well as The Elvin Bishop Band. Everyone was pissed off about this. We ended up in a beautiful studio in the mountains north of Santa Barbara (California) in a house that was converted into a studio and every room served a purpose, drums in a bedroom, vocal booth in the bathroom, the main board in the living room and our guitarist (at the time Heinz Schmidt from Stuttgart Germany) he recorded outside, his amp by the mountains with natural reverb… we spent a few days there and created a nice record. I’ve never bought a Steely Dan record. Somehow it was decided (not by us) to release the record under the name “Republic Records” not sure why, many were pressed but never saw the shelves of a record store.
Why was the album shelved? Do you still have the recordings? Can you share some words about the sound and songs of Mighty Dog. Is there a chance that you will release the Mighty Dog album?
I don’t think that we ever found out why the record was shelved. We had an attorney and tried to work something out, but to no avail. However, we owned the master, so we then decided to continue recording and do an album. We of course had enough material and went into Media Arts studios in Redondo Beach where Supertramp had been recording and rehearsing. From October 1977 until January of 1978 we recorded our first album. 11 tracks of which I wrote or co-wrote 6 of them. I enjoyed writing songs. But still not allowed to sing. I have the tapes of the sessions, but they are very old. I do have the tracks digitized in my studio computer and I did have some CDs pressed so I could send to band members and friends. Of course, the technology is ancient and the sound is not as good as what is achievable today but still good enough to hear. Mighty Dog was a very good band, with lots of vocal harmonies and strong guitar and organ riffs. I guess we were modeled after British bands like Uriah Heep and Deep Purple but with our own identity. Our songs ranged from love ballads to science fiction themes. I would love to be able to release the album ‘Canis Validus’ which is Latin for Mighty Dog but not sure how it would fare in today’s market… these are 1970’s rock tracks that may be dated for today’s audience.
What kind of gear did you have in the band?
Herb played a Hammond BC organ with 2 Leslie speakers. A 4 voice Oberheim synthesizer also a portable electric piano that sat on top of the Hammond (don’t remember the brand) as well as a Mellotron. Rick played a Rickenbacker bass which he had specially made since he played left-handed but a right strung bass (very weird) and an Ampeg bass amp. Heinz played a Gibson Les Paul thru a Mesa Boogie and a Marshall cabinet. Jim used a white Peavy mic and occasionally played a miked acoustic guitar in some songs. Although sometimes we would turn down the volume on his amp because he was prone to screw up… he didn’t know. I played a 9 piece chrome Pearl kit with Zildjian cymbals, gong and assorted bells and I finally was given a mic so I could do oooH andaaaH – sometimes. Finally!
If I’m understanding correctly several songs from Mighty Dog ended up on your solo album, ‘With You in My Arms’?
Actually, no. These were songs that I was writing while also writing and playing with Mighty Dog. Songs that I and the band thought were not Mighty Dog material. Mostly romantic ballads but without the “heavy rock vibe.” So, one day talking to Chuck, one of our friends who followed the band (we had a few who would come to the shows because girls were always around…) I was telling him about these songs, and he said he could sing them. I had no idea he could sing (I knew I couldn’t) so I then asked another friend of mine, Henry, who played guitar and he knew someone, Luis, who played bass, so I decided to make a solo album with the songs I had written… mostly about girls I had known and inspired the lyrics and mood of the songs.
What led you to record the album ‘With You in My Arms’ under your own name? Were there members of Mighty Dog on it?
Well, like I was saying, these were songs that didn’t fit the Mighty Dog format and I thought that a different voice and different players would create a different musical feel. I did play drums and percussion and piano and synthesizer so it was mostly new to me to write, produce and play on a record that was mostly self-contained. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the other guys, of course.
Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?
Let’s say that almost every song has a name attached to it, but it’s been so long that I don’t remember exactly what song was for whom, truly. I do know that ‘A Song for Paige’ was written for one of Jim McKay’s girlfriends that he had a relationship with when he lived in Memphis, he told me the story and I wrote the song. Not my “problem.” ‘Lonely Lady’ was about a girl I met at a club while playing with Mighty Dog, I remember her name was Kathy and she was divorced, her husband was a fireman who left her for a “younger woman” not sure how much younger since we were in our 20’s. We never had a relationship; we were friends but her story inspired the lyrics to ‘Lonely Lady’. The rest of the tracks will remain a mystery but probably based on true life events.
How many copies did you press? Did you send it to any labels or radio stations? Did you receive any feedback?
100 units were pressed (until Subliminal Sounds took over). I gave them all away to the ladies who inspired the songs as well as my brother and other friends. I only kept one copy. Of course, everyone who heard it said they liked it and I assume they were sincere, so I was happy with the results. I never pursued any commercial release, I didn’t think it was that good to begin with, but it was fun making it.
There’s a modernized version of it as well. What was it like to re-record it?
That was a lot of fun. While I have been recording new material and releasing new albums approximately every year, I thought it would be interesting to re-record the tracks from so long ago and see what they would sound like with more modern equipment and me having a better handle on how to use the recording studio. So, I started little by little to record one song at a time until I had re-done the whole album. I thought it would be interesting too if I could get Chuck to sing the same songs, same key, same tempo, new instrumentation. I called him (he lives in Northern California). He was on board and agreed to come down and spend a weekend at my house so we could record the 10 vocal tracks. I decided that we should call the album ‘With You in My Arms Again’ since it seems to fit. And so, 44 years later we recorded the same songs all over again.
Did you play any shows as a solo artist back then? Playing your own songs…
No, never had the opportunity and nobody asked…
You must have had a lot of fun experimenting with synthesizer while working on your tracks? What kind of synth did you have?
Yes, I still do have fun and am always amazed at the intricacy of the sounds. I started with a Roland D-50 and a Korg M1 also added a Kawai rackmount. I think it was a K1r, not sure. I evolved with several other synths like the Yamaha Motif 6 and the Roland Super JV-1080 which I still love dearly. A CME UF 6 controller for the rackmounts and live shows. I now use a lot of software from various companies and a Native Instruments KOMPLETE Kontrol controller along with a Korg Karma and a Yamaha Motif XS 6
Where was the album ‘With You in My Arms Again’ recorded and what equipment was in the studio?
‘With You in My Arms Again’ was recorded in my studio (The White Room) in Chatsworth, California in the Los Angeles area. (before I moved to Las Vegas) I have a computer that I helped design, and had it built specifically for the studio. Dual curved AOC 32-inch(81 cm) screens–Steinberg UR-RT audio interface. MXL R-144 microphone plus several other Audix mics. Alesis Mk2 studio monitors, Alesis MR12 rack-mixer and Optimus MPA-250-watt power unit.
There’s even a second Mighty Dog recorded but unreleased?
Actually, Mighty Dog, as a group, didn’t write any new material or record together again after that first album. Years later Jim, Rick and I got together to try and revive the band. Jim had written a new song ‘Pain,’ actually a very good song, we started to record it but after several days gave up and we never recorded or wrote together again. In 2019 I released an album titled ‘Until We Meet Again’ which I thought of being Mighty Dog’s second album. No one from the band played in it, had a new singer and new guitarist and a number of songs that perhaps could have been Mighty Dog’s material (maybe not all) I did re-record three original Mighty Dog’ tacks…’Come To Me,’ ‘Street Dancer’ and ‘Saturday in May,’ three of my favorite songs that I wrote while with Mighty Dog… as I mentioned before you can hear them on YouTube or probably any Internet radio available.
Were you inspired by psychoactive substances like LSD at the time of writing the album?
Good question… truth is that in my 75 years on earth I have never ever dropped acid and as far as I’m aware neither did any of the members of Mighty Dog… at least not while we played together for about five years. I think vodka, beer and women were the major inspiration.
Was there a certain concept behind any of the albums?
I don’t think so. Mother Funk’s album was basically a collection of songs we had and decided to record so we could sell or give away a few records at our gigs. ‘With You in My Arms’ had no theme except the relationship to girls I knew… probably not a concept and Mighty Dog’s album and single was an attempt to get signed to a major label.
What happened after the band stopped? Were you still in touch with other members? Is any member still involved with the music?
I’m not sure why the band broke up… I think after five years or so everyone wanted to try something new (maybe) Heinz and his wife moved to the north of California and last I heard he was involved in a recording studio but I’m not sure. Herb and his family moved to Texas, we’re in touch by phone and email. Rick and I stayed in touch for a few years, he was playing with a band called The Rolling Clones, a Rolling Stones tribute band and then he just disappeared and I haven’t heard from him in a long time.
Steve Matsukawa, the original guitarist moved to the east coast, started a family and I just recently heard that he had sadly passed away. Greg Moore, the other guitarist, I have no idea whatever happened to him. Bob Cubillos, who replaced Heinz on guitar, went on to have a wonderful career in academia. We are in touch occasionally. Jim and I keep in touch regularly. As far as I know, only Steve stayed in music and Rick, for a while.
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?
I think that playing at the Starwood in Hollywood were the best gigs of our time since we got to play to large audiences and play our original material. I like most of my songs but from the Mighty Dog era I mostly like ‘Come To Me’ which was also based on a true story. As far as a highlight… I think that every time I stepped on a stage with the rest of the guys was a highlight and a great moment. I think bands become family and are connected by music, I always loved that feeling.
What are some of your favorite memories from the 60s and 70s in general?
Well, in 1962 I came to the U.S. all alone and managed to survive. In 1966 I finished school and had to go out into the world, get a job and again… survive. I started playing music in the 60’s and that was fun and educational. I have wanted to be an architect since I was a little boy, but when I discovered that I had an ability for playing music… a new dream was born. 1969 / 70 went on tour and that was great. My son was born in 1974 – I was in the recording studio that day so I rushed to the hospital to meet him. Most of my musical gigs happened in the late 60’s and the 1970’s with the last band studio recording in 1981. I also have three beautiful daughters and nine grandchildren… none of them play music – not yet anyway.
How much unreleased material is there left?
There’s a lot of music that was recorded by Cosmic Eye, before becoming Mighty Dog. I’ve been working with Mike Umholtz who runs Little Stones Records in San Diego and he’s processing several reel-to-reel tapes that I had in my studio, recorded in the early 70’s and hopefully some can be salvaged. I believe they will be releasing a single/45 RPM with a couple of my tracks with Cosmic Eye… ‘Buried Alive’ and ‘When the Battle is Over’.
You’re still an active musician. Are you working on something new?
At the beginning of this year I released my latest album ‘Welcome to the Music’. I invite you and your readers to visit my website… www.RochMusic.com and previews this album as well as (as mentioned before) YouTube, Deezer, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, Apple Music… and probably many more – always under John Michael Roch.
I’m currently in the studio finishing a new album for release later this year… this one could have been Mighty Dog’s third album… great vocal tracks and all around music. The new album will be called “A World Without You” and I think it will be one of my best… I hope everyone gives it a listen hopefully out before Christmas 2023.
What else currently occupies your life?
Well, let’s see, today I went to the hardware store to buy an electric switch that I think I can try and fix… maybe not. Clean the backyard and the outside of the windows, go with Giovanni (my dog) to get the mail. Regular everyday things. Remember, as a married man (we will celebrate 40 years this August) I always have something to do and my lovely wife, JoAnne makes sure that I am as handy as possible around the house… I really try, after all, she has been the inspiration for many of my songs, now and forever. And when I’m done, I’ll get a glass of wine or limoncello and go hide in the studio and try to create new melodies for future tracks. All very “normal” I think.
How do you feel about the fact that people know your music more than back when it was recorded?
It’s both strange and very satisfying to know someone (no matter how many people) but someone, other than family and friends have discovered my music and are listening to it and hopefully like some of it, at least I hope they do. I’m very happy that my music is still “alive” after all these years and the memories I have of friends and bandmates, those who are still with us and those who are hopefully still playing… wherever they are. Those memories are priceless, and I will always treasure them and the many musicians I was honored to share those many stages with.
Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.
No, no… Thank you for reaching out and asking these very intelligent questions that have made me think and remember… take a trip down memory lane as they say and while I write I’m reliving many of those moments that didn’t seem particularly interesting at the time but so many years later I can look back and realize how important those moments in time have been like little pieces of a puzzle that scattered may seem meaningless but once they are correctly put together they can show a big, interesting picture that I call my life… so far. More to come.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Mother Funk (1971) | “A few days ago, an old friend named Jake called to catch up and keep in touch. He sent me the poster/photo of which I had a copy but had somehow misplaced… glad he sent me a copy. Let me explain… in early 1971, I had recently got back from tour and was taking a break from music. Driving down Sepulveda Blvd., near Century by LAX, I did something I had never done before, nor have I done it since… I picked up a hitchhiker. A young man with long hair and a guitar case (Jake). Making a long story short we became friends; he was putting a band together and needed a drummer. Have a lot of good memories from those days… Venice Beach based “Mother Funk” was a good and fun band. I was 23… can’t believe where time goes when you’re playing drums. “
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Thank you for this unknown.