New exhibit rocks historical museum

The beat goes on at the Hancock Historical Museum. A new exhibit, "Findlay Rocks: 1960s Garage Bands," features photographs, history and even musical samples of 11 rock 'n' roll bands that got their start in Findlay basements and garages during the 1960s. Curator/archivist Joy Bennett said the exhibit might never have seen the light of day had it not been for Hancock Common Pleas Judge Reginald Routson, who came looking for photographs last year. A musician himself, Routson is a member of The Reunion Band, which plays '60s and '70s music in and around Findlay. But back in the '60s, he started out playing with The Kalculated Rysq. "I remember going to a battle of the bands at the American Legion. We actually played there one of our very first gigs of our band. We made it big when we got to play in the Y basement," he said, laughing. Routson said The Reunion Band actually learned a song by local 1960s band The Night Watchmen, and played it for a reunion event. He said that's one of the reasons he decided to start collecting history about Findlay rock bands. "The Night Watchmen and some of those other bands were just a couple years ahead of me (in school), but I went to as many of those shows as I could," he recalled. While he couldn't get into bars yet because he was underage, Routson could watch the shows at the club his dad ran, called The Hollywood. "I got to hear bands that played there. So I had an interest, plus I knew most of these people and went to school with them and had played music with a lot of them since then in various bands and whatever," he said. "I just decided, you know, nobody knows about these groups and how well they did or not how well they did." Routson decided to try and collect as much information as he could to preserve this era in Findlay's musical history. That was what took him to the historical museum as he searched for photos of the groups. Bennett said she started working on the topic to help Routson. "And the more I looked into it, the more interested I got," she said. At the time, Routson was thinking of putting the exhibit up at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. "I was like, 'How would you feel about it being at the historical museum first?'" Bennett asked. As she began searching for more information, Bennett found a Facebook group called Northwest Ohio Bands of the 60s and 70s and put out a post asking for information and photos. She checked old copies of The Republican Courier and found a few advertisements for musical events at places like the Rusty Nail, The Roadhouse and Green Mill Garden. But most of the information, she said, came from people and their memories. Bands highlighted in the museum's exhibit include Children of Tyme, The Challengers, The Chex, The Mixed Emotions, The Night Watchmen, Raging Storms II, The Roadmen, Roni & The Shadows, The Vagabonds, The Variations and The Wanderers. "The names are great," said Bennett, adding that The Night Watchmen probably had the longest career. "Some guys, they formed bands when they were in high school. And then one of them would get drafted or one would go off to college. And then the other two, they'd join another band or they'd start another band. So they're all like connected," she said. "I thought about making a map of who went where and who was in what band, but it got too confusing. I gave up on that." The exhibit also brings back some of the long-gone venues where bands performed such as The Pub, the Armory, the Anchor Teen Center and a teen club on Trenton Avenue known as the Trojan Club. Artist Phil Sugden recreated the names of the bands on actual drumheads for the exhibit. Each band also has an associated QR code that visitors can scan and listen to a sample of music online. Bennett is continuing to collect oral histories from former band members to publish on the website. Routson said he's glad to see the opening of the exhibit. He's currently working on phase 2 of the project, which will feature a concert honoring Findlay's '60s bands as well as national and regional bands like The Kingsmen, The Outsiders and Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels that performed here during that same time period. Routson will also present a Brown Bag Lecture on the topic May 5 at the museum. The exhibit will remain on display through the end of the year. Wolf: 419-427-8419