Floating Bridge

Grunge Seattle shuddered to the gifted Floating Bridge that regularly opened for Jimi Hendrix. Musicians comprised ex Rooks/ Fabulous Wailer guitarist Rick Dangel, a secondary lead guitarist from the Checkmates called Joe Johansen and a crafted vocalist called Pat Gasson who really knew how to sing them blues. Bassist Joe Johnson and drummer Mike Marinelli from the group Unknown Factor completed the lineup. Bursting with vibrancy this urgent guitar quartet put out their 1969 cult single “Don’t Mean A Thing” which gave way to the self titled debut, also known as Brought Up Wrong. The standouts include the immaculate twin lead guitar workout expressed instrumentally on Lennon & McCartney’s “Hey Jude” while a bridging session carried into the Byrd / Stone fusion “Eight Miles High” /”Paint It Black” with Dangel and Johansen spinning like spiders on heat.( the web was multicolored) The groups gigs at the Freemont Hotel were legendary as they sizzled through a psychedelic artillery of nugget’s namely “Crackshot” and “You’ve Got The Power.” while astounding blues riff can be heard on “Three Minute & Ten Second Blues”.

The same can be said for the Delta slow “Gonna Lay Down N’ Die” with Pat and Joe reaching from the bottom. After little success Rick left the band and travelled with Time Machine that included ex Checkmates Larry Coryell. He was replaced by Denny Macleod for the second album. Denny would later be replaced by trumpeter Andrew Lang and electric cellist, saxophonist Michael Jacobsen. By the seventies Rick had formed Sledgehammer with Tim Scott of Tower Of Power until his peace with Richard Dangle & the Reputations backing Etta James. Johanson would feature with Jerry Garcia, Johnson played with Easy Chair and Blind Willie. Andrew moved onto Marblehead and Bazarak.