A WILD AND DANGEROUS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND!!! That's what the Kingsnakes were in San Francisco in 1980, part of a local music scene comprised of punk, new wave, and hard rock acts. Led by Frenchman Daniel Jeanrenaud (aka The Camden Cat), a fervent disciple of Gene Vincent, the Kingsnakes also featured James Ferrell (guitar), Ze Moita (bass), Danny Mihm (drums) and Karl Malinowski (guitar). This previously unreleased live set captures the band opening for Robert Gordon at the Old Waldorf, just a few months before they supported Chuck Berry at the same venue. Local KALX deejay Terry Hammer was on hand to record the raucous soundboard mix. The final two songs on this album are bonus studio sessions. Live at the Old Waldorf: June 5, 1981, is part of Liberation Hall’s ongoing “Sounds from the San Francisco Underground” series.
Here's what front man, The Camden Cat-Daniel Jeanrenaud says in the album notes: I never thought the band would last more than six months when we first started as we were all about just having fun—there was no money to be made. We always got into trouble wherever we went, wrestling together and such... Let’s say, it wasn’t just backstage that got trashed!!! By the way, I remember the band playing at the Palms Cafe on Polk Street. When it was over, the manager said “You’ll never perform here again.” Two months later I got a phone call from him asking for us to do another gig, “due to popular demand.”
Our drummer, Danny, would always say that “a band is like an army—it needs a general, and that general is ME!” That didn’t sit well with us, so we’d rebel against Danny during shows by jumping on his drum kit as he was playing the night’s last song. He’d stab us with his drumsticks, but still manage a solid beat!
This album is one of the rare live recordings from that period. This particular night we performed at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, a club owned by Bill Graham. (We opened for rockabilly-punk extraordinaire, Robert Gordon.) The house soundman was legendary recording engineer, Terry Hammer (Pearl Harbour, The Jam, and The Mutants, to name a few). A few months later we were the backup band for Mr. Chuck Berry himself in that same exact venue!
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Daniel Jeanrenaud
Daniel Jeanrenaud is Camden’s Last Rockstar. He toured with legends, partied with Sly Stone and held a residency in a kebab shop.
—JS Rafaeli, Vice Magazine, August 2014
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