Samron Records had a great run, releasing only a handful of singles but all that I’ve heard are top-notch rock ’n roll. Thee Avantis’ “I Want to Understand” / “Nancy” on Samron S-103, recorded in late 1965, is one of the best.
“I Want to Understand” is the kind of single I never get tired of, featuring a neat guitar hook, solid bass and drum playing, the right amount of organ and great vocals. There are fine guitar and organ breaks, the entire song clocking in at 2:27.
The other three singles on Samron are:
Samron S-101: The Wizards “Don’t Trust A Man” / “Sad Little Girl”
Samron S-102: Ognir & the Night People “I Found a New Love” (Nehring, Marusak) / “All My Heart” (Nehring, Molinaro) released October 1965
Samron S-104: The Five Flys “Livin’ for Love” / “Dance Her By Me”
Samron was run by Ronald Magazzu, and Sam Lesante was also involved. The first two singles listed Magazzu Productions in Hazleton, PA, while the label for the Five Flys changes the town to Coaldale, PA.
I’ve read Thee Avantis were from Scranton, but I found a notice in the Hazleton Standard-Speaker from March 5, 1966 listing the band for a Sunday Dance at the Fiesta Room in Hazleton, about an hour’s drive southwest of Scranton.
I only know the names of three members of Thee Avantis: Nick Fata on bass and Robert Schnessel who wrote both songs, plus Tom Flanagan. Magazzu Music Co. published both songs.
Thank you to Mike K and Mike Markesich for additional info on the label in their comments.
There is another Samron release:
The Wizards “Don’t Trust A Man” / Sad Little Girl (Samron 101) 1965
I’ve only heard the A side, a moody midtempo vocal duet by two sisters singing with a garage-y backing group, a wurlitzer organ is the prominent instrument.
I have a bunch of small snapshots of The Avantis…will try & post one…I’m working on a photo book of mostly band promo photos plus some misc stuff as well…
Hey PYRO You said you have snapshots the the AVANTIS.. My sister is married to one of them. Tom Flanagan. I recall the other 2 names posted above. I would like to see the other photos you have. Thanks
The “Sam” in Samron stood for Sam Lesante.
Ronald Magazzu is alive and well in NJ (my husband). He has copies of most of the records. He can be reached at ramagazzu [at] hotmail [dot] com.
Sammy and I were in the HHS band and good friends after high school. He donated SAM and I donated RON, and wala SAMRON!
The names of other band members are Dominic Setaro and Ronnie Parker.
Dom is my nephew’s father-in-law, living in NJ. I was wondering what happened to Ronnie. I think he was from Shreveport, Louisiana, originally Is he still alive? I think he is/was married to a woman, Lorraine. Ronnie was a sax player too. The Avanti’s played gigs in DC and other areas, as far as I know. If anyone knows what happened to Ronnie and where he is now, please let me know. Thanks,
GB.