Novo Combo was a band of music veterans, most notably Michael Shrieve, the drummer for Santana’s iconic Woodstock performance, who released their debut record filled with new wave and power pop tracks in 1981. The group disbanded after a follow up record, but they are back now with a long-awaited release 45 West 55th and drummer Shrieve along with guitarist and singer Jack Griffith took some time to talk about their unique journey.
Please press the PLAY icon below for the MisplacedStraws Novo Combo interview –
On how the band came together – Michael – My chronological order is not with the best of them. However, for me, I lived in London for a while and I was doing two projects over there, one called Go with Stomu Yamashta and Steve Winwood and Al DiMeola, and then I had a band called Automatic Man and we were both recording for Island Records at that time. Came back to the Bay Area and Automatic Man broke up and I decided that, okay it’s time for me to go to New York finally. So, within that year I picked up and moved to New York. I’m not even sure what year it was. 77 maybe. At any rate, I started thinking about putting another band together. I still wanted to see if I could do something nice in the rock pop arena. I had a band with my brother Kevin for a while. We were being looked at by Bill Aucoin who was the manager of Kiss. That didn’t work out, but I told Bill I’d like to do something and he recommended Stephen Dees. I’m not sure how they met, but he gave me a phone number and I called him. He was in Florida, but actually he, he was on his way up to New York City where I was living. So, we met then and started talking, then we would play a little bit. Then we started that search that goes on and on. Jack, didn’t Steven hook up with you in Florida first?
Jack – Yeah. I answered an ad for an audition. I just flown from LA to Miami and I was looking for a job, so I answered this ad for an audition for a hotel band. I go down and do the audition and it’s Ronnie and some blonde. I’m giving my best R&B music. There was a kid there that worked with him as an engineer named John. John says to me, “Michael Shrieve and Stephen Dees are going to be here tomorrow auditioning guitar players”. I was like, “Oh my god”, you guys were my heroes, man. I would have probably never gone on my own cognizance. I went back home that evening and Stephen calls me out of the blue, says, “Hey Jack, Stephen Dees, come down and jam with me and Michael tomorrow”. So I was like, “Okay”. I was on the spot, so I had to go. That’s how it began then we started jamming every day
On why the band broke up after the second record – Michael – I just went through this the other day with Steven. What happened was the record company started losing interest in the band. We did the first album. There was high hopes for that. We played all over New York City. It was good. We opened for The Who in Cleveland or Cincinnati or somewhere. Pete Townsend was a big fan of the band. He’d always come to the gigs. You could always see him because he’s the tallest guy jumping up and down in the back. So we went through some changes. Second album did not sound like the first album. Jack had left for personal reasons. We got another guitar player named Carlos Rios, wonderful guitar player. I just saw him on Saturday Night Live with Stevie Nicks the other night. But it was a different sound. Between management and just all these things that happen in the life of a band there just wasn’t enough juice to hold the thing together. That’s the way it is, which brings us to this record for me to listen to everybody again. It’s just like about five years ago, six years ago, I did a Santana reunion with the original guys. It’s this thing called chemistry, man. It’s a real deal. In listening to this stuff that we put together for this record, 45 West 55th, This was the band with Jack on guitar, frankly. The thing about when we were rehearsing and doing all these things, we practiced a lot, right, Jack?
Jack – We sure did, every day.
Michael – It was like serious business, but it was great because that’s the only way you get to get that weave, that tight weave in a band, in a rhythm section. Jack was playing aside from lead guitar stuff, he was part of the rhythm section. So, everything he did was really based on the song and the parts that he constructed. After however many years it’s been I realized, even with that new song, Jack, the one that opens the album. I realized, this is Jack Griffith, man. This is the sound.
Jack – I liked what the people said in comments. They were just wowed by the fact that we just sounded like we didn’t miss a beat when we got back together. We sounded exactly the same. I thought that was really cool.
Michael – It’s a chemistry thing. I don’t have a problem with a lot of my solo records and things like that, make complete left turn direction. This that or the other. If we had been a band that was playing like a this is our fifth or six album and stuff, I’d probably be or even less than that, I’d probably be the one fighting for change.
Jack – I think we’d be much further along though had we stayed together that long.
On if the record is new songs or leftover material – Jack – Well, we were all introducing material. We all had songs to introduce and. We waded through quite a few songs, plus we had the music that we had in the can that we recorded in the early 80s still.
Michael – A lot of these things were demos before we did the album, and we were based mainly around Midtown, at least just my apartment, 45 West 55th was right in Midtown, so it’s where all the record companies were, and the studios were around there. We got management and we were able to have some money to get really good studios, really great engineers, and we were so well rehearsed. By this time, Pete (Hewlett) had come in the band, and we’d just go in and record it. We didn’t really do overdubs or anything. This was like kind of us live. A lot of these tracks on this new album are takes of tracks that were before the album came out and different takes. Most of them were just two track masters. We can add to them now if we wanted, we talk through and, and thought would be best.
Jack – Well, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. If you wanted us to be able to just deliver a song, just cut it, do it live and do it, do it the same way everywhere.
Michael – We were a good, strong live band too.
On keeping the feel of the band while recording remotely – Michael – It wasn’t difficult. It’s kind of like, we know what needs to be done. I know what the guys expect from me. I know kind of what to play in Novo music. That was never a question of, “Well, we don’t sound like we used to”. We didn’t even question the fact that it was remote either. We’d be listening to everything it took this process took a couple of years to do. Stephen Dees is the one that put it together and he and his wife Patty and you have to drag me kicking and screaming to dig up the past. So I was kicking and screaming for a while. “Don’t take me there That’s done We’ll move on”, but after a while I’m pretty stubborn, after a while I saw the amount of work that first of all, Stephen was putting into it and then that the other guys were doing it and then at a certain point for my myself in the process of doing this record. I just surrendered. I just completely surrendered and said, “Okay, there’s too much energy being put into this thing for me to be the asshole”.
On if they plan any live dates – Michael – No, I don’t think so.
Jack – Some of us are hoping he gets to feel a little bit better about it at some point.
Michael – Maybe we could do something remote, maybe like during a pandemic type of technology or something like that. But I don’t know. Don’t push it.
On if Michael was able to grasp the importance of “Soul Sacrifice” at Woodstock or if it took some perspective – Oh, yeah, it definitely took perspective. Of course, you’re aware when that many people respond to you without even having a record out. That’s special. When the movie came out and you’re on a cover of a magazine, well, something’s going on. Nothing prepares you for the length of time the duration of time where people still derive joy from it. I think it’s one of those magical moments that was caught on film, although we played like that every night. I could show you a clip from another festival a year later where my drum solo is much better, the band is playing much better, stuff like that. But yeah, in perspective, what gets me is how moved people are still by that performance. It still holds a special place in people’s hearts. Somebody put a post on Facebook last week saying, “Happy birthday Michael Shrieve”. My birthday’s in July, go figure. But there were still hundreds of comments about, and this was the bane of my existence, Jeff, for a long time. It’s like, Woodstock, Woodstock, Woodstock. I’m gracious and try to be gracious about it. I’m glad that I could do something that people enjoyed and still enjoy.
On Jack’s career outside the band – Jack – I need to set that straight. I’ve had to do this twice already. I didn’t play or work with Mick Jagger. I only hung out with Mick in the studio. We were produced by Chris Kimsey and of course, Michael’s close friends with Mick and Chris and everybody, but it enabled us to spend a lot of time around him and those people in the studio where we’d hang out in the studio and jam, talk and stuff and hang out, but I never worked with him or play with him just for the record.
Michael – Once you associate yourself with them, Jack. It never, never leaves you.
Jack – But it was still pretty wonderful being around them. I got to spend a lot of time with Pete (Townsend) on his first solo record. Was that RCA studios? Atlantic. Him and Gene Paul and it was just man. What a great time that was.
Michael – I remember doing demos with Pete for his next album and they set it up in Atlantic studios and what’s it that famous engineer? No, it was the guy who worked with the Stones and this brother anyway, Pete was set up like in a surround setup, I mean, holy shit. It was serious volume, A man who really understood the power of the music. This is what I demand that it sound like, it wasn’t halfway. It was really something I’ve never experienced. Even with Mick and stuff like that, it’s a different thing.
Jack – He’s the master of power chords.
Michael – It was all power. I saw him last time he was in town. I took my youngest son who’s 24 and they had like a 20-minute talk on all the Greek philosophers Serious, serious discussion My son was into it and it was very sweet.
On if Novo Combo will continue – Michael – I told Steven the other day when this came up, I’d be happy putting another project like this together. I wouldn’t mind continuing some output and see where we can go, more new material, As long as we don’t rehash the past.
Jack – I want to go forward.
Michael – That would be my only criterion. But I’d be happy to make more music with these gentlemen. I’m not trying to be cold or anything like that. I just think the reality is I don’t play much, so much anymore. A lot of the music I make is on electronics. I do have a new record out for myself, but this one I’m playing 16 toms in a semi-circle and it’s almost a new agey vibe. But for the most part, I’ve had some health issues. I cramp up, tighten up and have arthritis and it’s just age things that. I think there comes a time when I see people my age, someone really works great for and others. I think, dude, know when to bow out gracefully. It doesn’t mean you can’t stop creating just different, that’s all.
Jack – There was some talk Stephen and Pete was talking about maybe trying to get together and do a five-song ep Yeah That could be nice. Yeah, sure It’d be fun.
On Jack’s upcoming plans – My friend Randy Brown who also worked on the Novo record. He and I are putting a studio together in my hometown, Charleston. See if I can pull this up and give you a little zoom. I’m in the studio now. There’s our board. It’s real cool. We just got our our new diffuser in. This thing’s a hoot. It’s got it’s got The Beatles in it like cubism. It’s so funny because when you walk away from it, it just looks like art. But then when you walk right up to it, then you see The Beatles. It’s great. We can cut big guitar tracks without blowing the speakers out. I’m focusing on that. Maybe some new music, of course, with Novo and I don’t know. I’d like to do another, get another CD before I get too old. I just turned 70. No turning back. No turning back now. No. I’m heading the other way now. But I love it. I’m so happy we got back together to do this. I would really like to do more. Definitely. It’s in us,
