Raunch live at the Cellar in Ossining, 1966. From left: Tommy Walker (on drums), Jay Manning, Sandy Katz (playing the Vox Mark VI “Teardrop”) and Frank Taxiera on bass
Sandy Katz – rhythm guitar and vocals Jay Manning – lead guitar Frank Taxiera – bass Tommy Walker – drums
Raunch were from Ossining with the exception of Sandy Katz, their lead vocalist and songwriter, who was from Briarcliff Manor. Raunch’s great cover of Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Hungry” leads off the fabulous Ren-Vell Records Presents Battle of the Bands Vol. 1 LP.
Raunch recording at Ren-Vell Studio 317 N. Central Ave, White Plains Even better is a 45 they cut for Bazaar Records, “A Little While Back” / “I Say You’re Wrong”. The A-side is a great song featuring heavy fuzz guitar and a blistering solo by Jay Manning. Jay kindly provided the photos here, including the first I’ve seen of Ren-Vell’s studio, and the story behind the band:
The Synners was the first band I had, while still in high school. It was myself (lead guitar) and my two best friends David Perugini (rhythm guitar) and Alan Raycraft (drums), and later another high school friend, Curt Mienel(bass guitar). We played at our high school a couple of times and parties. I don’t think we ever got paid, but in those days the motivation was impressing girls, not financial rewards.
I have a recording from 1965 of us playing at an Ossining High School Spanish Club banquet. Dave’s dad got a hold of an old Wollensak reel to reel and, unbeknownst to me, recorded three songs.
We graduated in 1965 and in the fall David went to college, in New Paltz, New York, so the band evolved. Alan and Curt stayed, I think we called ourselves the Invaders. I don’t really remember all the iterations of the bands. I do remember that Alan was still playing drums when we met Sandy Katz. I don’t remember how we found him, but he and I clicked. He had a great voice and wrote decent songs. His dad was in business for himself so was very savvy about copyright and publishing rights, so all of Sandy’s songs were copyrighted.
Alan finally quit, we replaced him with another Sandy, whose last name I don’t remember. Curt left and eventually we added Frank Taxiera as bass player. He couldn’t play and didn’t have equipment, he was just cool and he fit. He became a really good bassist and now plays some great blues lead, in Colorado, with some renowned bluesmen.
That’s when Raunch was born. Sandy’s dad wanted us to be The Four Seasons (clean cut, stylish), I had very long hair for 1966 and was not interested in being clean cut.
Raunch played all over Westchester County. Ossining, of course, Tarrytown, Yonkers, White Plains, Armonk, Briarcliffe Manor (that’s where Sandy lived). “The Cellar”, the Ossining Recreation Department’s teen hangout had live music almost every weekend. I can’t remember all the places we played, but it was a lot. Just about every weekend and some weeknights all over the place. I don’t remember playing any bars at that point, but we did banquets and lots of dances and teen clubs.
We were very egocentric. We considered ourselves the best band in the area and thought of all the others as pretenders to the throne, at least I did.
There were a lot of “battle of the bands”, at high schools. recreation departments, clubs, all over the place. We won most of the ones we were in, so didn’t really pay attention to second place.
The two I remember not winning was one for all of Westchester County, NY in the summer of 1966, at the base of Kensico Dam, in Valhalla, NY, we came in 4th. Not really a “battle of the band” but a tryout to open for the Beach Boys, at Iona College in New Rochelle. The best bands in Westchester, New York City and from Connecticut were there. We lost out to a band called The Young Savages, really great band and they lost out, in a second round of tryouts, to a band called Chain Reaction. The lead singer was Steven Tallarico (later Steven Tyler – Aerosmith). I remember them playing “I’m Not Talking”, by the Yardbirds.
Marty Katz, Sandy’s dad, really got into it. He knew his kid was good, but he had never been in a really good band before that could showcase his music. Marty Katz owned a corporation already, so he just created a record label, Bazaar Records, he paid for everything. The actual name of the band was Raunch Inc. and we really were part of a small corporation.
Raunch at Ren-Vell StudioWe recorded everything at Ren-Vell. We were, I believe, Joe Renda’s first project. I really don’t remember the other bands on the album, there were so many bands at that time and so many places to play.
Sandy Katz wrote “A Little While Back”, and on the record, sang the harmonies. I sang the harmony when we played it live.
Sandy is playing the Vox [in the photos], he also had the 12-string model. I had a Phantom, the odd, irregular hexagon shaped guitar, but it was a real pig. Thick neck, weak pickups, tinny sounding. Unfortunately that’s what I played at the battle of the bands, because it was “cooler” than my Hagstom, which was a much better guitar.
I was a terrific guitarist, for the time, if I do say so myself. That was really all I lived for, that and girls of course. I learned everything by ear and watching better players, never had any lessons, still haven’t and I still play quite a bit. Now it’s classical and fingerstyle jazz.
Jay Manning
Update April 2016: Jay Manning reports that Tommy Walker died in 2014, and that recently Sandy Katz’s father Morris “Marty” Katz also passed away.
Thank you to Jay for his help with this article. Scan of the Raunch 45 from David Perugini. Thanks to Patrick Lundborg for his help.
14 thoughts on “Raunch”
Jays my Dad and he’s still a great guitar player! In an alternate universe you’re still touring like the Stones Dad.
After this group, Jay toured Alaska during the Viet Nam Era. I had just beaten up my lead guitarist and was looking for fresh meat. Haha. The only reason I was the leader of the band is I owned most of the equipment.
I can’t remember how Jay and I met, but I recognized his talent immediately and brought him on board. But Jay needed a guitar. We visited a Pawn Shop and the old guy running it said, “I have an old electric back here, but it doesn’t work, I’ll let you have it for $75.” I wasn’t impressed with it, but Jay’s eyes were bugging out. How was I supposed to know it was a Les Paul.
He not only picked up on our songs but also aptly taught us many he new. I hated it when Jay went on leave because I had to play lead. Thankfully the places we played echoed so much it drowned out my mistakes.
Jay became my best friend. We hung out in Terris Moore and Scarland Hall a lot. Terris Moore was a co-ed and Scarland was a girls dorm. Jay and I perfected the klutz moves where we walked into a lot of things and pretended to hit our noses. It got laughs and helped us meet girls. While the College kids hated G.I.s somehow Jay and I worked our way into the hearts of the college guys and girls. I was elected Social Affairs chairman of Terris Moore and given a budget so I hired our band to play each weekend. It was a lot less risky that playing the bars where I was shot at one night because I couldn’t play Wooley Bulley.
Jay and I had our best reoccurring gig at the Officers Club I think. We introduced College Girls to the young officers and got that joint a jumping. We made some very worthwhile connections there.
It was the Summer Solstice and it never got dark that day. At Midnight Jay and I went outside to watch the “Sunset”. The sun barely dipped below the horizon and then started its ascent. This is a photo of Jay and I precisely at Midnight. http://www.gregcornish.com/postgraphics/alaska/Jay-Greg.jpg Behind us is a tunnel that went from one building to the next for troops to move through. http://murphydome.tripod.com/74457.jpg It got to -110 degrees in the winter and you’d easily freeze to death if exposed.
That night we dined on Caribou, Bear and Moose. There were huge roasts. We were the only enlisted men at the party.
When we walked outside at midnight we were deafened by a roar. We had no idea that the Thunderbirds had scheduled a surprise aerial show at the dome. They had cut their engines, coasted up to the mountain, kicked in the engines and afterburners and all spiraled above our head at 90 degrees from the earth. We were looking up the rear ends of F-14 fighters. During some of their maneuvers we were actually looking down at them.
I got to share some of my most memorable moments with Jay. When I left he gave me his Hagstrom. I let my dad use it and he traded it for an accoustic and forgot who he traded it to.
as sumone who grew up in ‘The bLaNk GeNeRaTiON’… ( read: mid 70s ) and yet had quite a reverence/fondness fer obscure 6Ts schtuff… esp th’ LeGeNdaRy LokeL-YoKeL ’66 KeNSiCo DaM battle ‘o’ the bands… that was always lorded over us younger twats by one P. KaNZe… i was EXTReMeLy happy t’ see this post… ESP th’ PiCs of band… both ‘iN ACTiON’ as well as @ 317 N. CeNTRaL AVe ReN-VeLL STudio… literally pissing distance fum where i’m now typing this… but 48kbs eMPee3s… whut gives? Th’ A-Side is musically XLNT but th’ vokels… one of th’ band members had contacted me a few yrs ago… in ref to the label scan on mi site… but i did not kno where i had the tape i made of th’ 45… when Rick Lynch of ynkrs ( where are yu pls get in touch! ) dropped o’er back in 2003/2004… band member nvr responded back… ( ? ) anyway whut seems t’ run thru thread of Raunch post… is that sum-one in band seems to think… that 45yrs on this is somehow gonna ‘race up the charts’… bizarre!
btw mi mom went t’ hi-skool /w/ s. tallerico… roosevelt in ynkrs yu can read mor bout that… here: http://the-rockin-rex.com/blog/?p=24 ( cand cert unnerstan if mebbe this mite not get post’d – let’s mebbe edit then? )
What an amazing site. I was in Raunch and what fun we had. We were a great band! Just recently I reunited with Jay Manning and thru him talked to Sandy Katz. We are all still playing. My site: http://www.roccodfranco.com I want to thank you guys for this site, the mid 60’s was an exciting time for live music and local talented bands all over the world. It was the musical Renaissance and I was happy to be part of it. Thanks for preserving it.
Thinking back I seem to remember The Reptiles being in a Battle of the Bands with Raunch once. It might have been the first time I had seen them and was impressed. I believe Rauch won and we didn’t hear much more of them until they appeared on the Ren-Vel Battle of the Bands with us later on. The things I remember about Raunch was that they played with more power than us which looking back was attributable to bigger maps and a better PA. I remember Tom Walker somewhat as being a pretty good drummer and and also Sandy’s vocals were unusual. I know the group was supposedly built around Sandy and his songs but to me the center of the band was Jay. He had the hair going pretty good and was an excellent player. He really stood out. When I think of Raunch I think of Jay.
Hi; Your dad was the Best guitarist at O.H.S. My band the Vandels were in that battle of the Bands, We came in last place. Raunch came in 1st place. I can still remember their set-list. I’ve been playing guitar for 45 years, and your dad was my hero. I’ve been trying to contact your dad, I don’t know if he remembers me? Maybe you could tell him i said Hello. Yours truly, Bob Pavelka. 914-439-6815.
Hi Ron; How are you? That’s right My Band The Vandels borrowed you from The Reptiles that night, (you’re an Excellent Drummer). We came in last place, I’m sure you remember Paul Brehm on Bass (who could really sing), also Mike Moseley on a broken lead guitar, and your’s truly on rythm. Raunch was awesome, Jay was my Guitar Hero. I still have my 45 of “A Little While Back”. I’ve been trying to contact Jay to talk with him. I’m still playing Guitar, and I have been teaching part-time Theory, and improvisation. My Les Paul is still my favorite. I see Steve Worthy every once in a while, and talk about the old-day’s. I was in a Band with Roy Ellingston 1989-1993 call “The Attitudes” we were a really good cover band. I hope that you’re still playing, It would be good to keep in touch. Your friend Bob Pavelka Rgoldtop@aol.com 914-439-6815
Let’s see now, it’s 2014, so I’ve had an original ‘Raunch, Inc.’ business card, given to me by guitarist Jay Manning sometime around 1966, which makes it roughly 48 years old. Check out the ‘WI’ telephone exchange: that stood for Wilson, which served the villages of Briarcliff and Ossining, NY in those days. If you’d like a scanned image of the card, you may download a JPEG version with the following URL: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4681203/FileChute/Raunch_BusinessCard.jpg
It’s De ja vu all over again. I got a call from Sandy Katz today. He has sold a few Raunch things on Ebay. In particular it sold some things to someone in Italy. Well that person knows someone in Germany who wants to release A Little While Back, I presume, on a 45 in Germany. I’m totally flabbergasted. I know it’s a really good ’60s song, but to re-release it now is a trip. I’m looking forward to corresponding with the person interested. I’ll be contacting Sandy tomorrow to get more details. What a hoot!
My band played at that Battle of the Bands,also. But, I don’t know if we made the print as we were a last minute sign-up. It was either “The Town Criers” from Larchmont-New Rochelle or “The Gremlins” from Yonkers. Does anyone have pictures from that gig?? The Young Savages were around the area often thanks to their very aggressive manager. I remember seeing them at County Center in White Plains after leaving for college in 67 or 68, and Chain Reaction was at “The Apogee” teen nightclub in New Rochelle.
More Raunch (Inc.) than you ever thought you’d hear….check out this listing on eBay as of 7-16-2023. 3 Acetates, 5 unreleased performances, and Sandy Katz’s name, address, and phone on the sleeve:
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Sandy Katz – rhythm guitar and vocals
We graduated in 1965 and in the fall David went to college, in New Paltz, New York, so the band evolved. Alan and Curt stayed, I think we called ourselves the Invaders. I don’t really remember all the iterations of the bands. I do remember that Alan was still playing drums when we met Sandy Katz. I don’t remember how we found him, but he and I clicked. He had a great voice and wrote decent songs. His dad was in business for himself so was very savvy about copyright and publishing rights, so all of Sandy’s songs were copyrighted.
Jays my Dad and he’s still a great guitar player! In an alternate universe you’re still touring like the Stones Dad.
After this group, Jay toured Alaska during the Viet Nam Era. I had just beaten up my lead guitarist and was looking for fresh meat. Haha. The only reason I was the leader of the band is I owned most of the equipment.
I can’t remember how Jay and I met, but I recognized his talent immediately and brought him on board. But Jay needed a guitar. We visited a Pawn Shop and the old guy running it said, “I have an old electric back here, but it doesn’t work, I’ll let you have it for $75.” I wasn’t impressed with it, but Jay’s eyes were bugging out. How was I supposed to know it was a Les Paul.
He not only picked up on our songs but also aptly taught us many he new. I hated it when Jay went on leave because I had to play lead. Thankfully the places we played echoed so much it drowned out my mistakes.
Jay became my best friend. We hung out in Terris Moore and Scarland Hall a lot. Terris Moore was a co-ed and Scarland was a girls dorm. Jay and I perfected the klutz moves where we walked into a lot of things and pretended to hit our noses. It got laughs and helped us meet girls. While the College kids hated G.I.s somehow Jay and I worked our way into the hearts of the college guys and girls. I was elected Social Affairs chairman of Terris Moore and given a budget so I hired our band to play each weekend. It was a lot less risky that playing the bars where I was shot at one night because I couldn’t play Wooley Bulley.
Jay and I had our best reoccurring gig at the Officers Club I think. We introduced College Girls to the young officers and got that joint a jumping. We made some very worthwhile connections there.
I think our most memorable evening was June 21, 1968. We played at Murphy Dome, AK, an early warning radar station built atop a 3000 foot naturally occurring dome with a 360 view of the Alaskan wilderness. http://www.gregcornish.com/postgraphics/alaska/ToMurphys.jpg http://www.gregcornish.com/postgraphics/alaska/ToMurphys2.jpg I’m amazed we ever found the place.
It was the Summer Solstice and it never got dark that day. At Midnight Jay and I went outside to watch the “Sunset”. The sun barely dipped below the horizon and then started its ascent. This is a photo of Jay and I precisely at Midnight. http://www.gregcornish.com/postgraphics/alaska/Jay-Greg.jpg Behind us is a tunnel that went from one building to the next for troops to move through. http://murphydome.tripod.com/74457.jpg It got to -110 degrees in the winter and you’d easily freeze to death if exposed.
That night we dined on Caribou, Bear and Moose. There were huge roasts. We were the only enlisted men at the party.
When we walked outside at midnight we were deafened by a roar. We had no idea that the Thunderbirds had scheduled a surprise aerial show at the dome. They had cut their engines, coasted up to the mountain, kicked in the engines and afterburners and all spiraled above our head at 90 degrees from the earth. We were looking up the rear ends of F-14 fighters. During some of their maneuvers we were actually looking down at them.
I got to share some of my most memorable moments with Jay. When I left he gave me his Hagstrom. I let my dad use it and he traded it for an accoustic and forgot who he traded it to.
as sumone who grew up in ‘The bLaNk GeNeRaTiON’… ( read: mid 70s )
and yet had quite a reverence/fondness fer obscure 6Ts schtuff…
esp th’ LeGeNdaRy LokeL-YoKeL ’66 KeNSiCo DaM battle ‘o’ the bands…
that was always lorded over us younger twats by one P. KaNZe…
i was EXTReMeLy happy t’ see this post…
ESP th’ PiCs of band…
both ‘iN ACTiON’ as well as @ 317 N. CeNTRaL AVe ReN-VeLL STudio…
literally pissing distance fum where i’m now typing this…
but 48kbs eMPee3s… whut gives?
Th’ A-Side is musically XLNT but th’ vokels…
one of th’ band members had contacted me a few yrs ago…
in ref to the label scan on mi site…
but i did not kno where i had the tape i made of th’ 45…
when Rick Lynch of ynkrs ( where are yu pls get in touch! )
dropped o’er back in 2003/2004…
band member nvr responded back… ( ? )
anyway whut seems t’ run thru thread of Raunch post…
is that sum-one in band seems to think…
that 45yrs on this is somehow gonna ‘race up the charts’…
bizarre!
btw mi mom went t’ hi-skool /w/ s. tallerico… roosevelt in ynkrs
yu can read mor bout that…
here: http://the-rockin-rex.com/blog/?p=24
( cand cert unnerstan if mebbe this mite not get post’d – let’s mebbe edit then? )
What an amazing site. I was in Raunch and what fun we had. We were a great band! Just recently I reunited with Jay Manning and thru him talked to Sandy Katz. We are all still playing. My site: http://www.roccodfranco.com
I want to thank you guys for this site, the mid 60’s was an exciting time for live music and local talented bands all over the world. It was the musical Renaissance and I was happy to be part of it. Thanks for preserving it.
This was a new one on me…great 45!
Thinking back I seem to remember The Reptiles being in a Battle of the Bands with Raunch once. It might have been the first time I had seen them and was impressed. I believe Rauch won and we didn’t hear much more of them until they appeared on the Ren-Vel Battle of the Bands with us later on. The things I remember about Raunch was that they played with more power than us which looking back was attributable to bigger maps and a better PA. I remember Tom Walker somewhat as being a pretty good drummer and and also Sandy’s vocals were unusual. I know the group was supposedly built around Sandy and his songs but to me the center of the band was Jay. He had the hair going pretty good and was an excellent player. He really stood out. When I think of Raunch I think of Jay.
Hi; Your dad was the Best guitarist at O.H.S. My band the Vandels were in that battle of the Bands, We came in last place. Raunch came in 1st place. I can still remember their set-list. I’ve been playing guitar for 45 years, and your dad was my hero. I’ve been trying to contact your dad, I don’t know if he remembers me? Maybe you could tell him i said Hello. Yours truly, Bob Pavelka. 914-439-6815.
Hi Ron; How are you? That’s right My Band The Vandels borrowed you from The Reptiles that night, (you’re an Excellent Drummer). We came in last place, I’m sure you remember Paul Brehm on Bass (who could really sing), also Mike Moseley on a broken lead guitar, and your’s truly on rythm. Raunch was awesome, Jay was my Guitar Hero. I still have my 45 of “A Little While Back”. I’ve been trying to contact Jay to talk with him. I’m still playing Guitar, and I have been teaching part-time Theory, and improvisation. My Les Paul is still my favorite. I see Steve Worthy every once in a while, and talk about the old-day’s. I was in a Band with Roy Ellingston 1989-1993 call “The Attitudes” we were a really good cover band. I hope that you’re still playing, It would be good to keep in touch. Your friend Bob Pavelka Rgoldtop@aol.com 914-439-6815
Let’s see now, it’s 2014, so I’ve had an original ‘Raunch, Inc.’ business card, given to me by guitarist Jay Manning sometime around 1966, which makes it roughly 48 years old. Check out the ‘WI’ telephone exchange: that stood for Wilson, which served the villages of Briarcliff and Ossining, NY in those days. If you’d like a scanned image of the card, you may download a JPEG version with the following URL:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4681203/FileChute/Raunch_BusinessCard.jpg
It’s De ja vu all over again. I got a call from Sandy Katz today. He has sold a few Raunch things on Ebay. In particular it sold some things to someone in Italy. Well that person knows someone in Germany who wants to release A Little While Back, I presume, on a 45 in Germany. I’m totally flabbergasted. I know it’s a really good ’60s song, but to re-release it now is a trip. I’m looking forward to corresponding with the person interested. I’ll be contacting Sandy tomorrow to get more details. What a hoot!
Jay, I talked to Sandy today. It is very cool indeed!
My band played at that Battle of the Bands,also. But, I don’t know if we made the print as we were a last minute sign-up. It was either “The Town Criers” from Larchmont-New Rochelle or “The Gremlins” from Yonkers.
Does anyone have pictures from that gig?? The Young Savages were around the area often thanks to their very aggressive manager. I remember seeing them at County Center in White Plains after leaving for college in 67 or 68, and Chain Reaction was at “The Apogee” teen nightclub in New Rochelle.
I used to go to The Apogee in New Rochelle every, I think it was, Friday night. What memories. I never thought I’d find anything online about it!
More Raunch (Inc.) than you ever thought you’d hear….check out this listing on eBay as of 7-16-2023. 3 Acetates, 5 unreleased performances, and Sandy Katz’s name, address, and phone on the sleeve:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285385481750