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 I Don't Care


Warren, 1973-6

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I Don't Care brought high powered jazz-rock to NE Ohio and had a lot of dedicated fans. The band was formed from WIllis The Zipper, with members Pete Knapp (trumpet), Paul McDonald (flute, sax), Gary Boggess (keyboards), and Jose Ortiz (drums)  from that band adding Frank Pellino (guitar), Tim Grazino (bass) and Doug Thomas (lead singer). 

The band's setlist included King Crimson and Jethro Tull that was a big part of Willis The Zipper's repetoire, but what set the band apart was their covers of songs by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, and others in that style. Among the songs they covered was Frank Zappa's infamous sex tale "Dinah-Moe Humm", probably unique for local bands.

The band played many NE Ohio gigs at places like the Round Table, Agora, and opened for national touring act, including Larry Coryell. They got a lot of mentions in the Plain Dealer, with support from  PD writer Anatasia Pantsios.  They were managed by Energy Talent, the successful Cleveland agency run by former Damnation of Adam Blessing member Jim Quinn.

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For a short time in mid-late 1975 they tried a different approach, playing a set or two of more standard rock songs to appease the dance club scene. Around the same time they changed lead singers with Frank Bayzie replacing Doug Thomas

During the band's time they recorded a number of demos and had discussions with major record companies. The band decided to have a final show that occured on February 17, 1976 at the Agora. The show included I Don't Care and many people who were connected to the band thrugh earlier bands, going back to the Holes In The Road, which had Doug Thomas as a member. 

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A few months after the last show, the band heard from Tom Cossie, a former RCA employee who moved to Buddah records. Cossie had liked the demos and wanted to release some of them. Later in the fall, the band's lone LP, "Ask Anyone", was released on Kama Sutra records. The band's sound man, Anthony Stabile, was the main producer The band got back together and played a few more shows. 

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The band's family tree extends into many local NE Ohio music projects. In 1981 Pellino, Ortiz, and Graziano formed a more straight rock band, Graf, that made an LP for Precision records, a CBS funded label run by Tom Cossie. 

Pete Knapp is deceased

Discography:
(LP) Ask Anyone - Kama Sutra 2617, Aug 1976