Category Archives: Springfield

Categories: New Jersey, Springfield, Venture

The 40 Fingers

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The 40 Fingers began playing in the middle sixties in Springfield, New Jersey. The original group consisted of Teddy O’Connell, lead vocals and keyboard, Bruce Colandrea, lead and background vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, Bruce Gerstein (officially called the Slug), bass guitar, and background vocals, and Wayne Massiello, drums and background vocals.

The 40 Fingers appeared on such TV shows such as Clay Cole, and Zacherley, along with appearing [billed as the Forty Fingers] at Summit High School with Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground and the Myddle Class.

On or around 1968, the group decided to add high school friend Al Fridkis on B3 Hammond organ, and have Ted O’Connell on stand up vocals. Al does not appear on this 45 for the Venture label. The single has the 40 Fingers version of the Myddle Class and Blues Project’s “Don’t Let Me Sleep Too Long”. The flip “Low Sunday” has a “Stormy Monday” kind of thing Bruce put lyrics to.

Thanks to Arnold for sending in the sound clips, scans and history of the band, co-written with Lenny.

Categories: CBM, Gray Sounds, New Jersey, Sound of Soul, Springfield

The Abstrack Sound / Abstract Sound “Blacked Out Mind”

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scan courtesy of Brian Kirschenbaum
The Abstrack Sound or was it the Abstract Sound, made two fine 45s in 1966 and 1967. Although their second 45 has a Brooklyn, NY address on the label, the band was actually from Springfield, NJ. There were something of a mystery to me when I first wrote about the group.

Members included:

Bill Monetti
Denis Dreher
Gene Destafano – lead singer
Tony Cicconi – keyboard
Ira Ryner

Comments on the page have filled out their history somewhat, but I’m not certain of which members were on the records other than Bill Monetti and Denis Dreher.

The misspelled “Your Gona Break My Heart” has some cool slide effects on the intro, a fine guitar break and lots of echo. It was released with the band listed as the Abstrack Sound, on the CBM label in 1966, with a moody “Judge Him If You Can” on the flip.

On their second record, the stomping “I’m Trying” backed with the wild “Blacked Out Mind”, they’re called the Abstract Sound. This one was released twice in 1967, on the Gray Sounds and Sound of Soul labels, and was produced by E. M. Gray.

Bill Monetti and C. Catena (Carmen Catena who was one of their managers) wrote their songs, along with Denis Dreher on the second 45. However, the Gray Sounds release lists Dreher as co-writing “I’m Trying” while the Sound of Soul release gives him co-credit on “Blacked Out Mind”. BMI lists him on both songs along with Monetti, and drops Catena altogether! Obviously someone mixed up the credits somewhere along the way. To make things still more confusing, the labels are reversed on my copy!

Anyone have a photo of the group?