The Orkustra Show List

Bobby Beausoleil's "Orkustra"

This information was compiled by Bruno Ceriotti with the help of Bobby Beausoleil.

Bruno Writes: "This story is the work of Bruno Ceriotti.
Help in putting this together has been provided by Jaime Leopold and Bobby Beausoleil, to whom I'm most grateful".

"One of the most unusual bands in history. In early 1966, Bobby BeauSoleil originated an electrified psychedelic chamber group that over the course of the following year and a half would become widely known in the San Francisco Bay Area as The Orkustra".

The Orkustra Show List 

THE ORKUSTRA #1 (SEPT 1966 - DEC 1966)

1) Bobby Beausoleil electric guitar, bouzouki with magnetic mandolin's pick-up, sitar

2) David LaFlamme vocals, violin

3) Terry Wilson drums, percussion

4) Jaime Leopold double-bass, electric bass

5) Henry Rasof oboe amplified with harp's pick-up

6) Neal flute

September - October 1966: The Coffee Gallery, 1353 Grant Avenue, North Beach, San Francisco, CA

The band, billed as 'The Electric Chamber Orchestra', debut playing regularly for a few weeks at this coffee house located in the North Beach neighborhood, in the northeast of SF

October 6, 1966: Panhandle Park, Oak Street at Masonic Avenue, near Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA with Big Brother And The Holding Company, Grateful Dead, Wildflower "Lunatic Protest Demostration - Love Pageant Rally"
The group played for free during an outside Thursday afternoon unauthorized protest demostration held in the park and organized by local hippie communities (among others, the "notorious" The Diggers) after having learned from the news media that the US Government had just declared LSD illegal.

THE ORKUSTRA #2 (DEC 1966 - JUN ??, 1967)

1) Bobby Beausoleil

2) David LaFlamme

3) Terry Wilson

4) Jaime Leopold

5) Henry Rasof 

December 24, 1966: St. John's the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Mission District, San Francisco, CA

This Saturday concert was also recorded and the tape was originally in the hands of David LaFlamme (singer and violinist of the band) but then he passes it to Henry Rasof (playing the oboe with the band) and the latter still keeps the tape jealously in her house at present. Two songs from the aforementioned tape were later released posthumously: 'St. John's Cathedral Jam' on the album: 'Light Shows For The Blind' (2006) and 'Gypsy Odyssey' on the album: 'Adventures In Experimental Electric Orchestra From The San Francisco Psychedelic Underground' (2009).

January 1, 1967: Panhandle Park, Oak Street at Masonic Avenue, near Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA with Big Brother And The Holding Company, Grateful Dead, Wildflower (not confirmed) "The New Year's Wail/Whale!" (free concert)

January 6-8, 1967: Cedar Alley Coffee House, 40 Cedar Street, San Francisco, CA
Two different posters exist for this weekend gigs (evening show on Friday and Saturday and afternoon show on Sunday): in one the band was billed as 'The Orkustra A Concert Of Electronic Chamber Music' and in the other they was billed as 'Electronic Chamber Orchestra The Orkustra'.

January 27-29, 1967: Cedar Alley Coffee House, 40 Cedar Street, San Francisco, CA For this weekend gigs (evening show on Friday and Saturday and afternoon show on Sunday) the band was billed as 'The Orkustra Electronic Chamber Orchestra'.

February 3-5, 1967: Cedar Alley Coffee House, 40 Cedar Street, San Francisco, CA
Same as above.

February 24, 1967: Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, San Francisco, CA "The Invisible Circus / Rite Of Spring Event"
The group, joined on stage by unknown congas players, played for free in an artistic and musical happening held on days 24-26 (Friday-Sunday), co-organized by The Diggers and not advertised (except for a couple of radio spot). The famous film director Kenneth Anger was present at the performance of the band and was impressed especially by their leader Bobby Beausoleil and by the end of the evening, while the band was in the parking lot ready to go home, Kenneth went to Bobby and after introduced himself, he offer immediately to Bobby the leading role of 'Lucifer' in his new underground film "Lucifer Rising" (actually the director had already assigned the role to another actor but once he saw Bobby he fired the first exactly).

March 4, 1967: Sokol Hall, 739 Page Street, Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, CA with The Charlatans, Lynne Hughes
The band was billed as 'Electric Chamber Orkustra'. The poster of this gig not specify the year and the name of the day hence some sources think wrongly that the exact year is "1966" but the band is not yet born on March 1966 hence the exact year is "1967" exactly.

March 5, 1967: California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA with The Steve Miller Blues Band, Dino Valenti, Richard Brautigan, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, The Committee, The San Francisco League For Sexsual Freedom, The Radha Krishna Temple, The Diggers "Bedrock One - A Benefit for the Communication Company - A Rock Dance Happening Enviroment"

March 30-31, 1967: California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA with Hedds, Sparrow, Outcasts, Santana Bluz (sic) "April Fool's Dance-Concert and Costume Ball"

April 4-9, 1967: The Rock Garden, 4742 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA with The Steve Miller Blues Band, The Only Alternatives

April 9, 1967: New Orleans House, 1505 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA with The New Age, Congress Of Wonders, Annie Johnston and The Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Malvina Reynolds. Paul Arnoldi, Larry Hanks, Notes From The Underground, Eric Vaughn (afternoon show)

April 11-16, 1967: The Rock Garden, 4742 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA with Buffalo Springfield
The band was billed as 'Electric Chamber Orkustra'.

April 19, 1967: Sproul Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (morning show)

April 19, 1967: 101 California Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA "The Friends of Mingus Present" (evening show)

April 28-30, 1967: New Orleans House, 1505 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA

May 5-7, 1967: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, San Francisco, CA with Big Brother And The Holding Company, Sir Douglas Quintet

May 9, 1967: 'The San Francisco Scene', CBS TV Show (broadcasting date)
A television documentary of the 'San Francisco rock scene' produced by famous TV host Dick Clark and broadcasted today at 10:00pm. A few local psychedelic rock bands appeared and The Orkustra was among them.

May 22-25, 1967: Both/And, 350 Divisadero Street, Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, CA

May 28-30, 1967: California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA with Sandy Bull, Sparrow, Epics, Flying Circus, CIA, Outfit, Bearing Straight, Ancestra Spirits, Loading Zone, Richard Honeman Quintet, New Salvation Army Band, Notes From The Underground, Lightning Rod and the Circuit Breakers, Little Bo and Co., San Geet "Ancestral Spirits Festival - Benefit for Haight-Ashbury Karmic Bail Fund and the Church of One"
The band was mispelled as 'The Orkestra' on the poster of this event.

June 2-3, 1967: New Orleans House, 1505 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA

June 10, 1967: New Orleans House, 1505 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA

June 10-11, 1967: Hunter's Point District, San Francisco, CA with The Charlatans, The Steve Miller Blues Band, The Loading Zone, Ulysses Crockett and The Afro Blue Persuasion, Phoneix, Anonymous Artists of America, SF Mime Troupe, The Committee, Sonny Lewis Quintet, Haight Street Jazz Band, Raquels, Earth "Muhammad Ali Festival"