To all of our interested parties here is the announcement

Our Posters AreHere!

 Availablenow on our websites

Palm Beach PopFestival and Miami Pop Festival 1

The reissuedposter digitally re-mastered by the Original Artist can be yours for $19.95,

Or we have ourLimited Signed Numbered Edition of 1,000 by the Artist for $119.95.

For our MiamiPoster a Double Signed version by Artist and Michael Lang is $169.95

  www.themiamipopfestival.com   www.palmbeachpopfestival.com

Peace,Jack Connell and Ken Davidoff

Here is What Eric Albronda ( Blue Cheer Original Drummer and Producer) has to share with us
about what happened around and during The 1968 Miami Pop Festival May 18th 1968:


1. What concerts did you do before Miami Pop 1?

 Eric Albronda :
MIAMI WAS ABOUT 3/4 THE WAY THROUGH BLUE CHEERS FIRST NATIONAL TOUR 

WHICH LASTED A GRUELING NINE MONTHS ---

PREVIOUS TO THIS GIG WE HAD PLAYED THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM AND AVALON 

BALLROOMS IN SAN FRANCISCO , GIGS IN PORTLAND AND SEATTLE AND LOS 

ANGELES , DENVER , CHICAGO AND NEW YORK TWICE AD PITTSBURGH AND 

DETROIT AND BOSTON AND ORLANDO AND MANY MIDWEST GIGS IN AND AROUND 

CHICAGO AS OUR RECORD COMPANY WAS IN CHICAGO, MERCURY RECORDS 

RELEASED ON THE PHILLIPS LABEL,

2. How long had Summertime Blues Been Out ?
Eric Albronda: 

SUMMERTIME BLUES HAD BEEN OUT SINCE FEBRUARY 1968, IT WAS RELEASED IN 

THE WINTER , WOLFMAN JACK BROKE THE RECORD AS WELL AS TONY PIG ON SAN 

FRANCISCO'S RADIO STATION KYA IN SAN FRANCISCO, TONY PLAYED DOCTOR 

PLEASE , ONE OF THE HEAVIEST DOPE SONGS I KNOW OF FOR THE COMPLETE 12 

PLUS MINUTES AT 5:00 PM IN THE AFTERNOON, THIS WAS A STRAIGHT TOP 40 

STATION AND HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FIRED FOR DOING  THIS BUT HE DID NOT 

CARE AS HE WANTED TO GO TO WORK AT KMPX , A NEW FM FORMAT RADIO 

STATION IN SAN-FRANCISCO WHICH LATER BECME THE PROTOTYPE OF FM MUSIC 

STATIONS AT THE TIME.

3. Was that the beginning of the general public getting to know you?
Eric Albronda :

AT THE TIME OF BLUE CHEERS RELEASE OF SUMMERTIME BLUES THEY HAD ABOUT 

50,000 ADVANCE ORDERS BECAUSE THEY HAD PLAYED LIVE EXTENSIVELY IN SAN 

FRANCISCO, AND LOS ANGELES AND MOST OF THE WEST COAST , INCLUDING THE 

OPENING OF THE DENVER DOG  WITH JANIS JOPLIN AS AN ASIDE JANIS LIVED 

WITH US IN NEVOTO CALIFORNIA FOR A SPELL AS SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH PAUL 

WHALEY THE DRUMMER OF BLUE CHEER----

4. Do you get to do any other gigs with Jimi Hendrix ? Describe the

experience of being on the same bill as JEH.
Eric Albronda :

WE HAD SEVERAL ENCOUNTERS WITH JIMI AND BAND ---FIRST WOULD HAVE 

BEEN THE GIG AT THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM  IN LOS ANGELES ON THE BILL WAS 

ALSO THE ELECTRIC FLAG WITH MICHAEL BROOMFIELD ---OF PARTICULAR NOTE 

WAS THAT JIMI AND NOEL AND MITCH  CAME OUT OF THEIR DRESSING ROOM AND 

SAT JUST OFF STAGE AND LISTENED TO THE ENTIRE BLUE CHEER SET AND WERE 

VISIBLY MOVED AT THE PERFORMANCE ---I WAS STANDING NOT TWO FEET 

BEHIND THEM THE ENTIRE TIME ---THE SECOND TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN WHILE 

RECORDING AT THE RECORD PLANT IN NEW YORK WITH EDDY  CRAMER AS 

ENGINEER BOTH BANDS WERE RECORDING ALBUMS AT THE TIME AND EDDY WOULD 

PLAY US THE HENDRIX TAPES JUST AS THEY WERE DONE SO WE HERD THE 

ENTIRE AXIS , BOLD AS LOVE ALBUM BEFORE IT WAS MIXED AND RELEASED ----

ALSO WE WERE STAYING AT THE SAME HOTEL WHICH WAS THE LINCOLN SQUARE 

MOTER INN IN NEW YORK CITY WE CROSSED PATHS SEVERAL TIMES IN THE 

LOBBY OF THE HOTEL.

HENDRIX WAS NOT ONE TO SOCIALIZE MUCH, HOWEVER NOEL REDDING BECAME 

FRIENDS ---THEN NATURALLY AT THE MIAMI POP FESTIVAL WE HUNG OUT WITH 

ALL OF THE MUSICIANS FROM THE SHOW AND LINDA EASTMAN---ALSO IN LOVE 

WITH PAUL WHALEY AT THE TIME AND WENT ON THE ROAD WITH US IN THE 

MIDWEST IN OUR BUS FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS BEFORE WE SENT HER TO LOS 

ANGELES INTO THE GRASP OF PAUL MCCARTNEY WHO HAD BEEN PURSUING HER AT 

THE TIME.

Eric Albronda : YES WE WERE SCHEDULED AND BY THE WAY THE PROMOTER REFUSED TO PAY ANY 

OF THE BANDS IN A MOST RUDE MANNER , NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN BUT THE 

SPECIFICS WILL BE LEFT OUT FOR FEAR OF LEGAL ACTION


6. Did the band get the chance to do the jam at the Castaways Bar with

 Zappa, and Jimi?

Eric Albronda :
WE WERE ALL THERE WHEN THAT WAS GOING ON BECAUSE THE PROMOTER HAD AN 

ENTIRE WING OF THE CASTAWAYS BLOCKED OFF FROM THE PUBLIC , 

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THE POLICE --A BIG ROOM WHERE WE ALL HUNG OUT AND 

SOCIALIZED AND JAMMED -

I DO NOT RECALL BLUE CHEER ACTUALLY PLAYING IN A JAM BUT THAT IS NOT 

SURPRISING AS MOST MUSICIANS WERE INTIMIDATED BY THEM AND NOT LIKELY 

TO ASK THEM TO PLAY----

7. What was your Impression of The South Florida= area, did they  give you guys any problems being LONG HAIRED FREAKS!
Eric Albronda:

AS I SAID WE WERE COMPLETELY ISOLATED FROM THE PUBLIC AND FELT SAFE 

---THEY DID NOT WANT ANY INCIDENTS AS YOU DESCRIBED TAKING PLACE --I 

DID MAKE A CAB EXCURSION OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF NO PLACE TO PROCURE 

SOIME SMOKE WHICH WAS SOME OF THE BEST I EVER HAD-- COLUMBIAN GOLD , 

AND PANAMA RED ----NOEL REDDING CAME INTO MY HOTEL ROOM AND ASKE IF 

HE COULD ROLL ONE AND I NATURALLY SAID YES ---HE PROCEEDED TO ROLL 

THE ENTIRE LID IN ONE JOYNT AS ONLY THE ENGLISH  COULD DO WITH ABOUT 

10 PAPERS AND COMPLETE WITH A FILTER AT THE END ---JUST TOO FUNNY AND 

OH SO GOOD .

8. I would like to get a idea of exactly what your role was with  the band at the time of the festival.
Eric Albronda:

MY JOB WAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING EXCEPT ACTUALLY PLAYING 

THE MUSIC --I WOULD JAM WITH THEM A LOT ON DRUMS AS THAT WAS MY 

INSTRUMENT  AND THEY SEEMED TO WELCOME THE CHANGE IN STYLE WHICH I 

OFFERED ---

9. I would like to know what Eric Albronda = has been doing lately, and briefly for the last 40 years. Are you still involved in the Blue  Cheer ? 
Eric Albronda:
YES I AM STILL INVOLVED WITH BLUE CHEER AS TRY AS I MIGHT SOMETIMES

IT IS NOW PART OF MY SOUL AND I WILL ALWAYS BE PART OF THE BAND ---

THEY NOW MOSTLY PLAY IN EUROPE AND AT FESTIVALS  BUT I AM IN PHONE 

CONTACT WITH DICKIE A LOT OF THE TIME ----THEY HAVE ASKED ME TO HELP 

THEM PRODUCE SOME OF THEIR MUSIC HOWEVER THEY CANNOT PAY ME WHAT I 

WOULD REQUIRE AND I ALSO HAVE A LIFE ----I WILL GO INTO THE RECORDING 

STUDIO ON OCCASION ABOUT EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS TO DO ONE PROJECT OR 

ANOTHER AS CAN BE SEEN AT THE FOLLOWING :

http://www.bluecheer.us/archive/ericalbronda.htm 

MY GOOD FRIEND GEORGE MICHALSKI WAS THE MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR THE NASH 

BRIDGES TV  SHOWS AS HE IS TIGHT FRIENDS WI= TH THE ACTOR DON JOHNSON 

SO WE WOULD GO INTO THE STUDIO AND RECORD BITS AND PIECES FOR THE 

SHOW --THAT WAS GREAT FUN----I ALSO HAVE A BUSINESS OF RETAIL 

CLOTHING WHICH I IMPORT FROM INDONESIA, NEPAL, ECUADOR AND NEW 

ZEALAND --MOSTLY I DO CRAFT FAIRS IN CALIFORNIA  AND OREGON----WEB 

SITE FOR BUSINESS:
http://www.vickibrennerent.com/

FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT OF THE TIME OF THE MIAMI POP FESTIVAL-

AS A CO FOUNDER OF THE BAND BLUE CHEER I ALWAYS  FELT THAT THERE WAS A 

TRUE MUSIC RENAISSANCE AT THE TIME AND MANY OF THE ESTABLISHED 

BOUNDARIES IN MUSIC WERE BROKEN AND NEW AND EXCITING MUSIC CAME OUT 

OF THAT ERA.

BLUE CHEER HAS BEEN DUBBED AS THE ORIGINATORS OF HEAVY METAL MUSIC 

AND I BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE.

NEEDLESS TO SAY THE MIAMI POP FESTIVAL WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS 

EVER AND I FEEL SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THAT EVENT . RUBBING 

ELBOWS WITH HENDRIX, ZAPPA , JOHN LEE HOOKER , LINDA EASTMAN ( NOT 

ELBOWS IN HER CASE), AND THE REST WAS MOST ASSUREDLY THE MOST 

EXCITING TIME OF MY MUSIC LIFE.

ERIC ALBRONDA