Ron Silva and Steve Potterf of the Crawdaddys, together with Ron’s brother Russell Silva played rock and roll in the Silva garage all through high school. Ron Silva began obsessively studying album covers, magazines, vintage photographs, and other sources in order to authentically capture the look of the Sixties, from the hair to the clothes to the shoes; this desire spread to the other bandmembers as well over time.
Ron Silva connected with Mark Zadarnowski – who was just learning to play bass guitar – through a mutual friend and fellow Beatles enthusiast named Tim LaMadrid. The first gig by the newly formed band the Crawdaddys was at Abbey Road in September 1978, with Ron’s brother Russell Silva – who went by the name “Scuzz” – sitting in on drums. By their third concert at the Lions’ Club in North Park, the line-up was Ron Silva (guitar), Steve Potterf (guitar), Mark Zadarnowski (bass), and Dan McLain (drums); McLain ran a local record store called Monty Rockers.
(January 2015/2)
