(pictured: Dorm Room Patry[sic] flexi-disc, 1972) Applications for Groupies Now Being Accepted
Legendary Doswell pop combo “The 5 College Guys and Larry” are re-forming and embarking on a major 6-city tour of Hanover and Caroline Counties this summer.
Spokesman and Manager of the combo Eddie Sloven said the “touring 6-city gruel” will include Montpelier, Beaverdam, Ladysmith, Bowling Green, Carmel Church and Aylett, although technically Aylett is in King William.
“I’ll have to make a note of that,” said Sloven, who also admitted to being mildly dyslexic.
The “5 College Guys and Larry” was originally formed all the way back in 1970 by a group of Doswell residents who have all moved out of the area and could not be tracked down. Plus, no one remembers their names. What is known is that in the late 1970s they were briefly known as “The College Guy Experience Featuring Larry”, when their musical repertoire switched from 2-minute pop ditties to longer, more experimental “flower power” songs, featuring long, rambling bass solos and nonsensical lyrics. They released a “flexi-disc” in 1972, which was included for free in that year’s May issue of Teen Tune Time Magazine. Only one copy of the Russian-made flexi-disc is known to exist, and it is unplayable because it is stuck to the magazine, which got rained on sometime in the 1980s according to owner Dave Floyd.
The current incarnation of the band, comprised of College students Allen Kingley, Brad Mustoe, George King, Freddie Bleasdale, Rip Dodsen and non-collegian Larry Mufflin, claim their brand of musical stylings encompasses such diverse styles as ragtime, scat, barber shop, be-bop and smooth jazz, sometimes all together in one song.
“All of our music is original, written by Allen and Brad,” says the mustachioed bass singer King. “Freddie is our ace lead guitarist, and Rip is our drummer and lead singer.” And what of Larry? “Larry has a van.” Said King, with no further explanation. “We will also be performing some of the original selections from the original band, including their minor hit, Dorm Room Party, which was written by another Doswell performer, Mac Wiseblood.”
Dorm Room Party gained quite a bit of airplay on local radio upon its release in 1972. It was a reputed favorite of legendary WRVA host Alden Aaroe, who frequently played about half of the song before interrupting it with confused banter with Millard the Mallard, who was a guy talking in a duck voice.
Here is an actual snippet of transcript of the June 9, 1972 broadcast which featured the band, courtesy of WRVA radio:
Aaroe: “. . . says his prostate is back to normal. It’s now 6:12, no make that 6:13 AM. Uh . . . well now, here’s the Five College Boy group . . . with the Dorm Room song, here on 1140, WRVA.
Band: “We had a party in our dorm room / It was the best party all semester long / Stinky brought . . .
Aaroe: “This song is from their 45 record.”
Band: “. . . the popcorn / Lardo brought the sodas / and Lonnie passed out drunk on our . . .”
Aaroe: “Well look here . . . Millard the Mallard just came into the studio here at 1140 WRVA . . . Millard, how are you this morning?”
Millard the Mallard: [unintelligible duck voice] Donuts used cars [unintelligible]
Aaroe: Ha, ha . . . good one Millard.”
“I think the lyrics of Rorm Doom Party perfectly captured the waning societal turmoil of the 60s, which had pretty much dissipated by 1972,” commented Sloven. “People were ready to settle down, get jobs, forget all that silly social unrest stuff and smooth to the groove sounds of the band.”
The band will kick off their 6-city tour at the Saddlebags Nursing Home in Montpelier Tuesday, June 3. They will perform in the Assisted Living wing at noon before dismantling and setting back up in the Dementia unit for a performance at 2 PM and again at 4 PM for those who forgot the 2 PM show. The public is invited.
“And tell all the women who read your website,” added Sloven with an eerie wink, “We’re hiring groupies.”
Anyone interested in a groupie position with the band should contact this blog.
