[Interviewer’s note: Though The Argonauts were together for only the better part of a year, they were one of the top bands in the
Newburgh, New York area during the mid-Sixties. During their time together, the band traveled to New York to record a single that
unfortunately was never released. Drummer Joe Mack doesn’t perform much any more, but has fond memories of his time spent with his
teen rock band.]
An Interview with Joe Mack
Drummer for one of the top bands in Newburgh, New York during the ‘60s.
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Joe Mack (JM): I started playing clarinet in the third grade. I listened to the latest music of the times—late ‘50s. I loved rock and roll. Then, when the Beatles happened, that did it for me.
60s: Was The Argonauts your first band?
JM: The Argonauts was my first band. I walked along with my band mates calling ourselves a band before we even had instruments.
60s: Where was The Argonauts formed?
JM: The band was formed in Newburgh, New York, in the summer of 1965.
60s: Who comprised the band?
JM: Joe Mack - drums; Steve Clemente - lead guitar; Jimmy Crisci - rhythm guitar; Terry Barberie - bass guitar; Clifford Smith - vocals.
We had a keyboard player, Dave Kurz, for a bit of time. He started on the accordion, of all things. We also had a singer before Clifford. His name was Frank Biengardo.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
JM: We played at school, parties, dances and block dances.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What band's influenced you?
JM: We were pretty rock and roll at the time: Stones, Animals, Dave Clark 5, McCoys . . . that sort of thing.
60s: Did you play any of the local New York teen clubs?
JM: No. We didn’t play any New York City clubs. We were upstate New York.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
JM: Only Newburgh. We were only like 14 and 15 years old at the time.
60s: Did The Argonauts have a manager?
JM: We had a manager, Cookie Vari. She was a hairdresser.
60s: How popular locally did The Argonauts become?
JM: At the time we kind of blew away most of the competition.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
JM: The Sapiens were big. (I also remember) The Stingrays, MG and The Knockouts, Phaeton IV, which Armand Assante was in, and an assortment of others.
60s: Did The Argonauts participate in any Battle of the Bands?
JM: We did do Battle of the Bands kind of things in the summertime—outside kind of gigs. The first one we did we were horrible but as we got better we were always a hit. I remember doing some Beatles and Stones stuff, and the one that got the audience moving was "Shout."
60s: What were the circumstances leading the band to New York to record your single?
JM: We had a couple of originals and our manager put up the money for us to record two of them. It was quite the experience.
60s: What were the titles of the songs on the single?
JM: The A-side was a song called "Kabasie." The B-side was "Be My Girl." They were never picked up by a label, I'm sorry to say.
60s: What do you remember about the recording sessions?
JM: We were amazed, being so young and in a studio. I was pretty pissed actually, because we all brought our own equipment with us, on the bus no less, on taxis through the city, and who has the most to lug? The drummer. When we got there, I found out I never needed to bring my kit after all. I was supposed to use the set they had there and that was miked already.
60s: Who wrote the songs?
JM: Most of the stuff we did was collaborations. We (wrote) quite a few.
60s: Do any other Argonauts’ recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased songs?
JM: I wish there were, but no. They were acetates and time has not been kind to them. You can't even play my copy, and I am not sure [if] any of the other guys have their copies.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances?
JM: No.
60s: Why did the band break up?
JM: Bands have their way of breaking up and breaking up friendships. We were together for the better part of a year. But Steve and I had words on one last gig and didn't speak for the next two years. We finally renewed our friendship.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Argonauts?
JM: Well, for a time I was in a group called The Banned. This friend of mine called me up and said, "Hey Joe, do you need a guitar player?" I said, "no." He asked, "Do you need a bass player?" I said, "No." He then said, "Well, you got them. We need a drummer." I played a few months with them.
60s: Was that the same Banned that recorded some singles for Fontana?
JM: It wasn't the same band. We never recorded. The names, as I remember them, are Jeff West on guitar and vocals, Bill Wright on guitar, and Paul Mctamaney on bass. We were just a three-piece group. I think they had another drummer before me. I don't know why he left and don't really remember why it broke up. We played some parties, and a school function from back then called "Up with Christ" of all things. That was an every-couple-month thing that seemed to take the place of weekly religious instruction. We were the musical entertainment in the cafeteria, as I remember.
Then that was it until the early ‘70s. I played in Mothertrucker, a funky kind of bluesy band, then The Jack Daniels Group (we all loved that stuff), [and] then The Worms. My son now is a bass player in a local band and on and off I still get to jam with him and some friends. We did a couple shows together with a few other guys doing classic rock stuff. Oh yeah . . . and my son and I had a garage band kind of thing when he was like 16. He’s 28 now [and] his name is Mike. We called it Sons and Moses. His band now is Nuts in the Blender. They’re one of the top Newburgh area party bands.
60s: What keeps you busy today?
JM: I am a Construction Project Manager and Estimator for the Federal Government at West Point. I don't really play much (other than) a couple times a year with my son.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Argonauts?
JM: What a way to spend a couple years at that age. (We were) never in trouble and had a ball. We got to feel like rock stars when the field was wide open, and we got a lot of attention.
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