Well before the advent of the world wide web, and even years before the popular distribution of zines and fan newsletters, many bands never expanded beyond their own regions, limited to touring and selling/distributing demos and self-produced records at their shows. Oftentimes, great music was never widely released, and the only way most people knew about it was by word of mouth and the occasional rare find at a garage sale.
Thus is the case with Fresh Blueberry Pancake, a Pittsburgh band formed in 1968 and featuring Tony Impavido on bass and the mic, Geoff Rydell on skins and John Behrens on guitar. They toured the Allegheny area for a few years, penned a few songs, and went to Philadelphia to record a rather lengthy demo. The nine song record, limited to roughly fifty copies, was released in 1970 as "Heavy."
The offering was a mixed affair stylistically, but no matter how you look at it, the group had a style built for the 70s. The first song is "Hassles," a heavy bluesy, groovy song that could easily fit in with the best stoner rock. However, over half the album is a mix of jazzy or Grateful Dead style rock. In fact, outside of the aforementioned "Hassles," the hard rock "Stranded," and the devastating "Clown on a Rope," the record does not really live up to its name. Still, for a 1970 release, most of the songs foreshadow the trends further down the road. Arguably, Fresh Blueberry Pancake was ahead of its time, but fame and fortune were not theirs to have, and they disbanded in 1972.
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