This 8″, six song acetate of the Juveniles on Century Custom Records was found at the estate of a music teacher who had a small studio at his home in Palo Alto, California. 
“Let Me Tell You Girl” has a great opening fuzz riff and a fine solo. “Goodbye Girl” is also excellent garage.
The other four songs feature trumpet as the lead instrument. One of these is very good: “Don’t Kid Around”. The others are decent instrumentals, titled “Work Song”, “Bosa Nova” (sic), and “What Now My Love”, which is basically “Tequila”.
For years I didn’t know anything about the group or where exactly this was recorded, only that these kids sound young, like 14 or 15 maybe. As it turns out, most of them were even younger than that, ranging from 11 to 14. Geoffrey’s comment below about Ed Rod let me to search the San Mateo Times and I came up with the article seen below, something far beyond my expectations!
Members were:
Scott Beall (San Mateo) – guitar
David DeVee (San Mateo) – guitar
Don Schneider (Burlingame) – bass
Lester Lovitt (Hillsborough) – trumpet
Jim Sanchez (Redwood City) – drums
According to the article by Barbara Bladen, David and Scott took lessons from Eddie Rod in Redwood City, then found Don Schneider and eventually Jim and Lester joined. The group played the Cow Palace, the Burlingame Exchange Club, and the Circle Star Theatre among other venues.
Thanks to Derek for loan of the acetate.
The Juveniles – Let Me Tell You Girl
The Juveniles – Goodbye Girl
The Juveniles – Don’t Kid Around
The above article from October 1968 is interesting, – either the San Mateo Times mixed up the band names, or the Juveniles, now a couple years older, took on a new name, the Renaissance, and gave their Juveniles name to a new band of youngsters, consisting of Steve Grippi, Bill Weber, Mike Trantham and Pat Loeb.
WOAW these guys sound pretty good. Can we find these recordings on any comp ?
Not yet, but “Let Me Tell You Girl” will be on an upcoming volume of 60’s garage acetates to be released by Norton Records sometime this spring. The transfer for the comp was made by Tim Warren, it should sound fantastic.
Oh yeah ! Very nice ! Thank you for the information. It’s very cool for a french teenager to listen rare american bands from 60s ^^
Where can this be brought at? Or any of there songs/ records?
I think the teacher was Ed Rod and was originally from San Mateo, Calif.
He taught in Burlingame, Calif. at a Store called “Wollmer’s Music” in the early mid- 6O’s.
I knew Ed Rod very Well!
In fact, he sold me his 1960 Green Gretsch in 1987!
I was a member of the band ( the fakers ) and ed rod was our manager at the time .. Around ’64- ’65 I remember he wanted us to change our name to the hell’s angels and we went to Oakland to ask sonny barger who was the head of the hells’s angels for permission . He said no and that was a crazy thing that Ed did. We were scared out of our minds waiting for him to get back to the car! This was pre juveniles . I wonder if ed rod is still teaching?
CAN’T BELIEVE I found this as the Juveniles were a major reason why I picked up the guitar. Up to that point…’playing’ felt unreachable. I saw
The Juveniles at Marine World/Land (?) and my local mall and they blew my mind. I vividly remember their manager Ed Rod standing stage right nervously evaluating their every move.
Ed ironically became my first guitar teacher and he indeed did work out of Wollmer’s music store on Burlingame Avenue (at $5 per half hour).
I still have the music book with his weekly handwritten lessons
So grateful to have found this site. Can’t wait to give it a listen.
Rest in peace Ed.
Long live The Juveniles.
Your fan…David Culiner
lovethislife.Net
I was the drummer in the Juveniles. How and when did Ed die?
I was in the Juveniles when I was going to Jr High through sophomore year in H.S. I too had Ed as a teacher and then band manager when asked to join the band. we’d rehearse at my parents’ home at the time. …and just played a gig (now 58yo)last night in San Diego.
I am the original guitar player in the band, started in mid early 60’s. Yes, later as we got “older” (high school) we disbanded and our manager/teacher assembled another version of the band under that name with different players. I’m speechless to see this site and interest in our music. Too cool….
I believe Chris Camozzi played in a later version of The Juveniles, in 71-72. Chris and I made our first band in 7-8th grade.
I was in 7th grade with Chris at Nataniel Bowditch in Foster City and saw him play many times at the Marina and at Sea World. I was so envious of Chris that I picked up the guitar too and worked my way thru college doing same. Now, because of my envy for Camozzi (who was all the girls delight), my son has the fever and is recording and playing a in a very successful band in LA called Sincerely, Me. Thanks to Chris I have a house full of amps and guitars keyboards etc.. blah blah blah. check him out https://soundcloud.com/bcas-band
https://soundcloud.com/bcas-band
Hi I’m Susan Fast who played piano in the Renaissance with Lester Lovitt
We lived on the same street in Hillsborough
I used to go to school and pass Lester playing trumpet everyday
I played piano solo Rakmoninof for Burlingame High piano recital
I hope Lester gets this message
My email is sfast155@gmail.com