The Stillroven

The Stillroven originated in Robbinsdale, a Minneapolis suburb in Minnesota, during 1965 under the name the Syndicate. Mark Moorhead’s departure as guitarist in 1966 prompted both a lineup shift and the adoption of their permanent moniker, with Dan Kane recruited to fill the vacancy. At that time the remaining members were bassist Rock Peterson, guitarist John Howarth, keyboardist Dave Dean, and drummer Phil Berdahl. The new configuration cut “She’s My Woman”/“(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone” for Falcoln, though the pressing was limited to fifty radio-station copies. Their first commercially available single, “Hey Joe”/“Sunny Day,” enjoyed hometown success in Minneapolis, yet Peterson and Kane left the group the same year. Dave Berget and Jim Larkin arrived on bass and guitar, enabling the band to record “Little Picture Playhouse”/“Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone,” later celebrated by garage-rock collectors as a hallucinogenic masterpiece even though its appeal stayed confined to the Minneapolis area. After the manager relocated to Tucson, Arizona, and continued directing affairs from afar, Larkin and Berget departed in turn; bassist Mike Flaherty and guitarist Mike O’Gara took their places. Under this lineup the band issued a fourth single that initially paired “Come in the Morning” with “Necessary Person,” but after the first hundred copies “Come in the Morning” was withdrawn amid internal friction and replaced by the Small Faces cover “Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me.” The group disbanded quietly toward the end of 1968. A 1996 retrospective titled Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stillroven collected numerous unreleased tracks plus several numbers previously available only on compilations, satisfying long-standing demand from garage enthusiasts. An entire album recorded in 1968 is rumored to remain unreleased, and Sundazed Records has indicated plans to issue it.