Biography
An obscure outfit from Phoenix put out an unusually accomplished self-released psychedelic LP in 1971. Although mostly instrumental, Folkstone Prism mixed surf music, spaced-out psychedelia, and whimsical pop into an eccentric, at times comical yet occasionally striking whole. Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ken Walker supplied unsettling touches of melodica, zither, and studio effects, creating an eerie atmosphere throughout. Keyboards on “I Don’t Know” echo the Chantays’ surf classic “Pipeline,” while “Goodbye Pamela Ann” features searing psychedelic guitar suggestive of a union between the Electric Prunes and Haight-Ashbury; the vocals on “Mother of My Children” evoke a Lee Hazlewood parody. In hindsight, Kennelmus can be viewed as a loose antecedent to later Arizona post-punk groups such as Black Sun Ensemble, Friends of Dean Martinez, and Scenic, whose instrumental rock often serves as a quasi-psychedelic desert-movie soundtrack. Few of those acts, however, were likely familiar with the record, which appeared in a pressing of only one thousand copies and remains little known even among collectors.
Kennelmus grew out of the more conventional garage group the Shi-Reeves, whose repertoire consisted of British Invasion covers and surf tunes. In 1969 Ken Walker—whose full first name supplied the new moniker—renamed the project and, alongside singer-guitarist Bob Narloch, began laying down tracks for Folkstone Prism late the following year with assistance from bassist Tom Gilmore and drummer Mike Shipp. Walker composed every song except one. Three of the four members held jobs at a pressing plant, allowing the musicians to participate directly in manufacturing their own discs. The album made scant impression at the time, the band dissolved by the middle of the decade, and Sundazed reissued Folkstone Prism on CD in 1999.
Kennelmus grew out of the more conventional garage group the Shi-Reeves, whose repertoire consisted of British Invasion covers and surf tunes. In 1969 Ken Walker—whose full first name supplied the new moniker—renamed the project and, alongside singer-guitarist Bob Narloch, began laying down tracks for Folkstone Prism late the following year with assistance from bassist Tom Gilmore and drummer Mike Shipp. Walker composed every song except one. Three of the four members held jobs at a pressing plant, allowing the musicians to participate directly in manufacturing their own discs. The album made scant impression at the time, the band dissolved by the middle of the decade, and Sundazed reissued Folkstone Prism on CD in 1999.
Albums