Renee Fladen Photo

Interview with Tom Finn of The Left Banke - Rock Edition | Rock ...

When The Left Banke broke up in 1969 with only two albums under their belt, few would have guessed how lasting their legacy would become. They all but invented the genre of baroque pop, which their hit song “Walk Away Renée” is probably the best-known example of. In the years since, countless artists have praised The Left Banke and spoken of their influence. Characterized by gorgeous vocal harmonies, intricate orchestral arrangements and a healthy dose of adolescent energy, The Left Banke’s music sounds as fresh today as it did in 1967.

After not having played on stage together for over 40 years, original Left Banke members Tom Finn and George Cameron recently reformed The Left Banke for two landmark performances at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Rock Edition caught up with Tom Finn and got the scoop on Renee, the band’s troubled history, and their plans for the future.

I met George [Cameron, drummer & vocalist] in ‘64. Then I met Steve [Martin, lead vocalist]. I was singing with Steve, teaching him Beatles songs and stuff like that. I felt sorry for Steve — he didn’t have any friends in New York, and his father had just died. So, I brought him down to Greenwich Village and introduced him to some people at this place called Downstairs Figaro’s, which was a place where young kids hung out. Upstairs Figaro’s is a very famous coffee house, but Downstairs Figaro’s was for kids. We were 16. I introduced Steve to George, they hit it off, and then they started singing together. At that time, I was in a group called The Magic Plants with a drummer named Warren. We joined The Magic Plants because I met this guy named Mick Wexler, who was playing guitar on MacDougal Street. He was great. He sang really well, and he played really well. The only guitar player at that time who was better than him was Jimi Hendrix. He asked us to join up with him, and we said, “Cool.” So he took us up to this studio where the producer was Harry Lookofsky, father of Michael Brown [pianist & songwriter]. This is where it started to mix in. We went on a small tour with Mick, to Baltimore and Philadelphia. But Mick was basically an impostor. He pretended he was British. He wore big sunglasses, and he was actually telling people that he was Mick Jagger. In those days, a lot of young kids didn’t even really know what Mick Jagger looked like.

So you wanna be a rock & roll star, how I machine-gunned a roomful of record executives and other true tales from a drummer's life

... Rebecca Carpenter, Rick Fabian, Lee Humphries, Renee Fladen-Kamm, ... Mimi Lauber- sheimer deserves extra thanks on account of the jacket photo, ...

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