Rock Legend Janis Joplin used to live near the
border of Corte Madera and Larkspur until she
died in 1970. Before that, she and her band, Big
Brother and The Holding Company (BBHC),
lived together in a large home in West Marin,
writing songs, rehearsing, and partying with
some of the most well-known figures of the
Psychedelic era.
SAM ANDREW, the guitarist for BBHC and
Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band, still lives out in
West Marin. He often spends his mornings at
the AROMA CAFE in San Rafael, enjoying a cup
of coffee and painting.
“The Aroma Café is like a 19th century salon
thing,” says Andrew, “where the painter is
painting and his friends all come, sit around, and
make a lot of noise. It’s a great pleasure,” he
says of his morning painting sessions. “I’ve
gotten to know every homeless person in San
Rafael, stock brokers and politicians too, and
the cross section is really great. They come
talk to me and they’re all the same. The
homeless person is as interesting as the guy
who lives in Tiburon who is a championship
swimmer as well as a stockbroker. Both of
those people are really interesting. They both
have a story.”
You may get a story or two yourself if you visit
Andrew while he’s painting at the Aroma Cafe or
if you visit his art show at THE DEPOT in Mill
Valley for the entire month of November. He
invites everyone to come by and say hello.
Yes, you read that correctly. So, if you’re
already getting the impression that Andrew is a
nice and friendly guy, wait until you meet him in
person. His kind and humble demeanor is
striking. Not a trace of cynicism, celebrity, or
ego.
In 1960, when Andrew was 18, he and his
military father moved to Hamilton Air Force
Base in Novato from Okinawa. Andrew, already
a trained musician, began taking classes at the
University of San Francisco and exploring the
San Francisco folk scene.
ON HAMILTON AIR FORCE BASE IN THE
EARLY 60s:
JASON: Did you actually live on the base?
SAM: I lived in Hamilton immediately and then
moved across the freeway to Ignacio Valley
Road. But that was just through the summer. I
then went to the University of San Francisco and
lived in the dorms for a while. I then moved into
an apartment at 251 Ashbury and became one of
the first Haight Ashbury people. But I always
came back (to Marin) for summer and
Christmas. I learned to play a lot of
instruments at Hamilton AFB in the Service
Clubs. You could go in there and check out any
instrument you wanted. It was really heaven for
a musician.
JASON: And you were in a band at the time?
SAM: Yes, during that time I played in a band with John Cippolina (later to
play with The Quicksilver Messenger Service). This was really early,
maybe 1960, and I played saxophone. I don’t remember the name of the
band -- it was short-lived. That was my first run-in with John and we both
had short hair (at the time). I didn’t see him again until 1965.
JASON: How much music was going on in Marin back in 1960?
SAM: Quite a bit. Audie DeLone was playing. The Sons of Champlin
were playing but they weren’t called “The Sons” yet. A lot of music was
going on but I didn’t really see it because I’d go back to the City and play at
a coffee gallery in North Beach or something like that.
JASON: What San Francisco music were you listening to during that time?
SAM: I was very aware of the Kingston Trio but I was listening more to The
Weavers, The Limelighters, The Beau Brummels and a band called We
Five.
JASON: Tell me about living in West Marin during the mid-Sixties with Janis
Joplin and the band.
SAM: When we (Janis Joplin and entire Big Brother band) moved out to
Lagunitas in 1966 it definitely felt like driving out into the country. We were
really happy because we were driving down Sir Francis Drake and saw
beautiful girls on horses with long straight hair and we thought, “What is this?
Paradise?” I don’t think you could do that today (on Sir Francis Drake) on a
horse. It would probably be too frightening. The roads were very little-
traveled (back then) and to go over White Hill into the valley was a big deal...
It really felt like a pioneering trek... Marin always had this dreamlike
atmosphere. When they painted the Waldo Tunnel with that rainbow it was
perfect because that’s how we all felt, like we were going to this 'golden land'.
JASON: Why did your band decide to move to Marin rather than live and
work in the City?
SAM: It was getting kind of scary in the City and the Haight. The “Summer
of Love” was over before it began. People were coming to SF from all over
the nation after the Chronicle and Time magazine starting writing all this stuff
about it.... So San Francisco was changing. We just wanted to go
someplace where it was nice and calm so we decided on Marin. I have to
admit that The Dead and The Quicksilver moved out here first and we were
just copy-catting...
JASON: Where exactly did the band live in Lagunitas?
SAM: We lived in a house that is now lived in by the Levi Strauss people.
That was around 1966. I think we leased it. It seemed huge, like an old
hunting lodge that Teddy Roosevelt might have lived in. It really was a
beautiful place.
JASON: What were you paying in rent?
SAM: Very little. It could not have been (more than) $100 a piece.
JASON: So, what was a typical day like out in Lagunitas with Janis and the
band?
SAM: When we first moved into the house I showed up late and everybody
already had their rooms staked out. I really lost out and said, “Where am I
going to be?” They said, “There’s this little cabin out in the back. You can
go live out there." The cabin turned out to be the best place to live (on the
property). Eventually everybody (in the band) wanted the cabin because
they were all in each other’s hair. Some of them were married and had
babies. And there was Janis -- would didn’t even have a boyfriend -- staying
up all night long, raising hell...
JASON: Drugs?
SAM: Yeah, all that stuff. Mostly the women. The women really got
together on the drug part. I would stay up all night in the cabin and write
songs and then we would start rehearsal in the house at about 10 in the
morning. I’d come in with a song and say, “What do you think about this?”
and we would try it and rehearse for maybe 8 hours daily. Then we’d pile in
the cars and go do a gig at the AVALON or FILLMORE.
JASON: Did living in that cabin in Lagunitas inspire any of your music?
SAM: There’s a ballad I wrote called “Call on Me” which I wrote in that cabin.
It was a tender ballad that was definitely influenced by Marin. I'd (purposely)
walk way out into the woods alone a lot and get lost...
JASON: Any memories of hanging out with other famous bands in West
Marin?
SAM: There was one Christmas party I remember where all the other bands
came. Country Joe and the Fish’s Barry Melton was there and I asked him
a lot of questions about how I should approach the solo to a song called
“Piece of My Heart”. We spent hours talking about that song. BBHC played
in Scotland about a year ago and Barry was there. The local terrain in
Scotland really reminded me of Marin and I said to him, “Doesn’t this remind
you of Lagunitas?" He said, "Yeah" and we reminisced about that Christmas
party and talking about that song.
ON THE LION'S SHARE IN SAN ANSELMO:
JASON: Can you describe what the The Lion's Share club in San Anselmo
was like?
SAM: It was this crowded hot room with kind of a low ceiling. For some
reason I was walking down the street about two years ago and I went by
there and said, “Hey, this is the Lion’s Share!” I walked in and it (had
become) this metal refinishing shop or something. I asked them, 'Do you
have any idea what used to go on in here?' Some of them did and some
didn’t. I said, 'Mose Allison was in this room. We had a party for Janis
Joplin after she died in this very room and everyone was snorting coke in the
bathrooms. It was insane.'
James Gurley was one of our guitar players. His son was only 3 years old
when he played drums with us at the Lion’s Share. It was his first gig and he
could barely sit on the seat. He played an incredible shuffle, kept the beat
and it was amazing. A lot of really crazy things happened there.
JASON: Like what else?
SAM: Me chasing a woman into the bathroom, you know. Or several
women. It seemed like the bathroom always had 15 people in it, you know
what I mean? And sometimes I’d go knock on the door and say, “Hey, I
gotta get in there” and two or three voices would say “Not yet”.
JASON: What was happening in there?
SAM: They were doing coke and, you know, smoking pot all the time. One
time I knocked and John Cippolina came out of the bathroom with about 10
women.
JASON: Do you think Marin was more permissive than other places in the
country?
SAM: Yes, definitely Marin was more permissive by far. Maybe more
permissive than San Francisco. So it was always a shock to go to the
South (of the U.S.) where it still (felt like) the Fifties. I’m trying to think if we
ever had any trouble with the (Marin) police. I don’t think so. I don’t
remember any run-ins with them that early. Marin was just very relaxed.
DO YOU THINK THERE WAS A 'MARIN SOUND'?
SAM: That’s a good question... The two most talented bands to come out of
Marin by far were The Sons of Champlin and Moby Grape. The Grape came
from somewhere else but they started to make it at places like THE ARK in
Sausalito. The next band after The Sons of Champlin and Moby Grape was
way down below and I don’t even know who that would be. Definitely not The
Grateful Dead.
JASON: You're ranking bands in terms of musicianship?
SAM: Yeah, musicianship. And I can say that because I’m lumping us in
that same category too. I think that The Dead tapped into sort of a
bluegrass/country consciousness and they played a lot of free concerts.
They did a lot of the right things and more power to them. That was a
beautiful thing they tapped into but they weren’t musicians like The Grape or
especially Sons of Champlin.
JASON: So, in a fair world, the most successful Marin band of all time
should be...?
SAM: The Sons of Champlin. They had a ‘Marin vibe’. First of all, they were
from Marin which was rare in itself. Most of the other bands would come
from other places. As far as I know The Sons were all from Marin... When
they came around you always had this feeling these were real Marin natives,
you know what I mean? Terry Haggerty and David Schallock were great
people to hang out with, really relaxed and easy.
JANIS IN MARIN:
JASON: If Janis were here today what would she say about Marin?
SAM: Well, she loved Marin. We lived in Lagunitas and she loved that
experience. We really loved having all the artists, more than the musicians,
come over to our house and talk to us. (Later) She bought a house in Corte
Madera. It was on Baltimore Canyon Road all the way at the end. That’s
when she had the Full Tilt Boogie Band and met Kris Kristofferson, who
was not famous at all. He was just this really nice guy who was a Rhodes
scholar and really bright and he loved to sing country songs. So we’d sit
around and sing country music in her house in Corte Madera and then we’d
go out and ride in her car. She had a painted Porsche that just screamed
Marin. The three of us would ride in that car together -- which was hard in
that Porsche -- through downtown San Rafael. Janis, Kris, and me, driving
down the street, waiving. It was like the procession of the Queen.
Everybody knew who Janis was. Nobody really knew who I was or Kris but
we had a really fun time.
JASON: Do you remember any local places you and Janis liked to hang
out?
SAM: Well, she loved THE SILVER PESO. Janis loved to be with people
and drink and have a good time. She either put a piano in there or she
bought the piano that was in there and put it in her house...If you and I
walked into the Silver Peso this afternoon I’d probably see someone from
those days. I mean, that’s a loyal clientele. And of course we all went to
the THE TRIDENT. (To read Andrew’s notes on The Trident, visit the
Spotlight section or click HERE.)
THE BERMUDA PALMS HOTEL:
SAM: I played at THE BERMUDA PALMS HOTEL in San Rafael in 1969
with Janis and it was a Hell’s Angels thing. They (the Angels) were doing
security or it was their party and they were real stoned. There was a
murderous vibration in the air....(Janis’ new band Full Tilt Boogie Band) was
the headliner and Big Brother (the band that Janis had recently left) was also
on the bill. Everyone was really edgy...and probably drinking too much or
something... Janis got into a fight with a Hell’s Angel.
JASON: What????
SAM: He tried to grab her bottle and she hit him over the head and broke it.
Weird times.
JASON: Did you see it happen?
SAM: Yeah.
JASON: What did you think when you saw her hit a Hell’s Angel on the head
with a bottle?
SAM: “Gee, I wonder where the exit is? How do you get out of here really
fast?”
JASON: What happened after she hit him?
SAM: Well, a lot of (The Hell’s Angels) were her friends. Indeed she had
lived with one of them at one time so I guess (other members of the gang)
calmed both parties down. (The Hell’s Angel) wasn’t afraid to attack her
physically and she wasn’t afraid to attack him physically. They were a
match.
JASON: Did he actually hit her?
SA: Yeah, he did hit her as a matter of fact.
JASON: In the face?
SAM: I can’t remember.
JASON: Was Janis a violent person?
SAM: No. She slapped me really hard one time but, no, in general she
wasn’t a violent person.
JASON: Why did she slap you?
SAM: I can’t remember but I can tell you for sure I deserved it. I was just
popping off. I just gotta say so that things aren’t misinterpreted -- I really
liked Janis a lot. She was fundamentally a good person. She was highly
intelligent and fair...so that’s why I know that whatever she slapped me for I
know I deserved it.
