The Load

Personnel:
DAVE HESSLER Guitar, Bass (doubleneck)
STERLING SMITH keyboards, Vocals
TOM SMITH Drums

ALBUM:

1(A) PRAISE THE LOAD (Owl Intermedia) 1976 R1

NB: (1) reissued together with an unreleased album Load Have Mercy from 1976/7 on CD (Lasers Edge ) 1996.

The Load started in March 1973 in Columbus Ohio. Sterling had previously played in The Grayps, J.D. Blackfoot, and Osiris; Dave Hessler in The Esquires and Osiris; and Tom Smith had been playing with The Bob Paas Blues Band who were schoolmates of Raven. Originally a trio with keyboards as the lead instruments, Dave built a double neck guitar in 1974 and Sterling added a minimoog synthesizer, enabling the band to play with different combinations of sound, switching at will between synthesized bass and bass guitar.

The Load played concerts around Ohio, and opened for Bob Seger, Brian Auger, The Michael Stanley Band, and Rick Derringer. The Load also shared a bill with Strongbow and Joy Token at the Ohio Theater in 1976. They moved to Los Angeles in 1977, and worked briefly with singer Meatloaf that Summer.

Returning to Los Angeles, the Load played gigs at The Troubador, the Fox Venice Theater, and recorded with Dennis Wilson, The Beach Boys, and Terry Reid. They also backed singer Baron Keith Stewart on an MCA album.

Unable to find a market for their "progressive rock," the band eventually split up, though they continue to collaborate and are planning a new CD sometime in the 21st century. Sterling is still a musician in Los Angeles, and Tom and Dave have a very successful band in Columbus Ohio called, The Danger Brothers.

As part of the partnership that built and ran Owl Recording Studios, The Load recorded two albums. Only one was released on vinyl, but both are now out on CD. Other Owl releases included albums by Raven and Tom Wachunas.

Taken from Fuzz, Acid & Flowers by Vernon Joynson. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.