Biography
Hackamore Brick rank among the overlooked connections from the late-1960s New York rock circuit. The quartet, formed in Brooklyn, earned notice in certain circles for the clear imprint of the Velvet Underground that runs through their lone Buddha Records release on the Kama Sutra label, the album One Kiss Leads to Another. Chick Newman’s characteristically even vocal delivery mirrors Lou Reed’s approach, yet other elements point ahead toward the stripped-down appeal later associated with Jonathan Richman, while tracks such as the Bob Roman and Tommy Moonlight composition “Peace Has Come” suggest an early version of Television. Considerable ability and sound judgment about its application were plainly present from the outset. Even the reactivated Buddha imprint declined to bring the album back into print.
Contemporary coverage in the rock press was favorable, and the band secured a week-long engagement at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village plus a seven-week run in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Their sets mixed original material with numbers by Chuck Berry, Leiber & Stoller, and Curtis Mayfield, along with standards such as “I’m in the Mood for Love.” After further local appearances around New York, they released the single “Searchin’,” yet plans for a follow-up album collapsed amid disputes over recording location, prompting cancellation of the 45. The group disbanded shortly thereafter. Newman and Moonlight remained active, performing at CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City, and Folk City, and they completed a full album of songs together in Austin, Texas, during the mid-1980s.
A tentative return in 2003 came to nothing, but Moonlight and Newman resumed activity under the Hackamore Brick name in 2008, producing their first new recordings in roughly 38 years. The resulting six-song CD appeared in 2009, shortly after the original Kama Sutra album received its own compact-disc edition. Additional sessions slated for later that year were reportedly under way by the summer.
Contemporary coverage in the rock press was favorable, and the band secured a week-long engagement at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village plus a seven-week run in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Their sets mixed original material with numbers by Chuck Berry, Leiber & Stoller, and Curtis Mayfield, along with standards such as “I’m in the Mood for Love.” After further local appearances around New York, they released the single “Searchin’,” yet plans for a follow-up album collapsed amid disputes over recording location, prompting cancellation of the 45. The group disbanded shortly thereafter. Newman and Moonlight remained active, performing at CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City, and Folk City, and they completed a full album of songs together in Austin, Texas, during the mid-1980s.
A tentative return in 2003 came to nothing, but Moonlight and Newman resumed activity under the Hackamore Brick name in 2008, producing their first new recordings in roughly 38 years. The resulting six-song CD appeared in 2009, shortly after the original Kama Sutra album received its own compact-disc edition. Additional sessions slated for later that year were reportedly under way by the summer.
Albums
