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Another round: Whisky concert in February

It’s all for “One” as the Strawberry Alarm Clock returns to the Whisky a Go Go for a mid-February concert.

It’s the first L.A. booking for the band since the August release of its “Where’s One?” album on Big Stir Records. SAC recently brought its “inner-ear freakout” to the Tiki Oasis festival in San Diego. (Read a review of that show.)

Meanwhile, the band has added a support date for the mid-October charity event an “Orchestrated Tribute to the Beatles” in Santa Barbara.

The Whisky performance marks the L.A. band’s 12th appearance in more than a dozen years at the historic Sunset Strip rock venue, headquarters for the psychedelic scene of the 1960s and still going strong.

Tickets for the Saturday, Feb. 20, show at the Whisky are now on sale.

The band will perform original songs from the new album, as well as many of their classic tracks, including the famed “Incense and Peppermints.”

“Where’s One?” highlights from the San Diego show included “Tahitian Gardens,” “I’m Not the One” and the band’s fiery cover of “Day Tripper.”

The benefit show in Santa Barbara sees The Tribe, along with the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara and some very special guests, return to Santa Barbara for its second annual charity concert for Adam’s Angels and Santa Barbara Humane on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Arlington Theatre. Buy tickets.

This year’s theme is an Orchestrated Beatles show + Hits of the 60s, and Strawberry Alarm Clock was invited to perform a mini-set along with a few other ’60s stars doing their hit songs, including Dennis Tufano of the Buckinghams, Ron Dante “Sugar Sugar” of the Archies, and more still to be announced.

Billed as a “sensational multimedia experience,” this show will feature songs from two all-time favorite Beatles’ albums: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Magical Mystery Tour,” performed by The Tribe, an L.A.-based collective founded by drummer Kevin Wachs, owner of Rock Cellar studios, where SAC recorded their latest album.

> Buy tickets for the Strawberry Alarm Clock concert at the Whisky.
> Buy tickets for the Beatles tribute show in Santa Barbara.
> Buy the new album on vinyl or CD.

Top illustration via Gemini AI.

‘Where’s One?’ It’s here and now!

News/blog

The wait is over. The time is now. The Strawberry Alarm Clock’s highly anticipated new album, “Where’s One?” has dropped, bringing 11 new originals from the psychedelic pioneers.

It’s the follow-up to to 2012’s acclaimed comeback album, “Wake Up Where You Are.” While “Wake Up” mixed new band originals with several rerecordings of band classics, “Where’s One?” consists of all-new originals, topped off with a pair of Beatles covers. The album was released Aug. 7 by Big Stir Records.

“Where’s One?” formats:

Digital album (unlimited streaming via the Bandcamp app) plus 16-bit/48kHz download;
Single CD in a digipak, plus streaming and download;
Double LP — Beautiful gatefold jacket. Side 1’s disc features a “Clock and Logo” etching by the band, while sides 2-4 feature the musical program. Plus streaming and download.

The album’s 13 songs include the recently released singles “Monsters,” “Blow Your Mind” and “The Sky Isn’t Falling.”

> Buy the “Where’s One?” album now on Bandcamp.
> Buy the “Where’s One?” album and merch now on the Big Stir Records web site.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock are keyboardist Mark Weitz, bassist George Bunnell, drummer and percussionist Randy Seol, guitarist Howie Anderson, drummer and percussionist Gene Gunnels, and multi-instrumentalist Steve Bartek.

Check out the lyrics to the “Where’s One?” album.

Recording session photo by Laura Calcaterra

Tiki torches lit: SAC sets show in San Diego

News/blog

Time to get fired up in San Diego: The Strawberry Alarm Clock is set to close the Tiki Oasis festival on Aug. 9.

An “inner-ear freakout” is promised for that Sunday night, complete with go go dancers and plenty of tropical cocktails “curated by top mixologists.”

Update. The Scene SD offered a rave review of the show: “As befits an album-release show, the majority of the night’s set was built around “Where’s One?” with eight of its 13 tracks played. … What the band achieved at this show was nothing short of stunning, with fans seriously impressed with how good it all sounded. … Best of all you could tell the band was having as much fun as the audience, who remained pressed up against the stage from the show’s start to finish.” /update

The five-night, four-day fest is billed as the “original and largest tiki event in the entire world.” The Town and Country Resort is the venue.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock is appearing in support of its new album, “Where’s One?” The show comes two days after the album’s release. Opening the final-day concert are another L.A. act, the Pandoras, known for their ace garage-rocking in the 1980s.

While Tiki Oasis San Diego sprawls over five nights, tickets for the SAC concert are available separately.

Already in the spirit, SAC’s George Bunnell says the band “will definitely be playing ‘Tahitian Gardens’ at Tiki Oasis,” referring to one of his tracks on the “Where’s One?” album.

The long-running L.A. psychedelic band played San Diego’s Street Scene festival several times. The group also took up residency in the city during filming of its spots in the 2009 concert movie “Love-In: A Musical Celebration.” Other local appearances were the Adams Avenue Street Fair and the San Diego County fair in Del Mar.

‘Sky’ high

Count the BILLCS Music Blog among the fans of the Strawberry Alarm Clock’s latest single, “The Sky Isn’t Falling”:

“Gone may be the psychedelia of the band’s early days nearly 60 years ago, but what’s present in ‘The Sky Isn’t Falling’ is the keen sense of melody and harmony, as well as some downright impressive guitar work. The song is about the inter-connectedness of everything right down to our souls, and the guitar work and vocals are by the group’s newest member of 40 years, Howie Anderson. ‘The Sky Isn’t Falling’ is the well-executed sum of all of its parts which includes great band chemistry.”

The blog is penned by Bill Smith, a historian, researcher, “chart-phile” and former college radio station programmer from the Toronto area.

> Stream or purchase “The Sky Isn’t Falling” single from SAC.

‘Blow Your Mind’ with new SAC single

News/blog

Get ready to “Blow Your Mind” with a fun yet cerebral single from the Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Click on the image to access all streaming options (via the Orchard web site).

The digital release, which dropped Dec. 19, features two songs from the band’s new neo-psychedelic album “Where’s One?” due midyear.

“Blow Your Mind” comes from keyboardist Mark Stephen Weitz, who developed the song over a decade. He calls it a “fun little ’60s psychedelic composition.”

“I was inspired to write a happy song that had nothing to do with my real life,” Weitz says. “More of a set of fantasy lyrics. The ‘blow your mind’ lyric reference? … Still a mystery where that came from!

“I gravitate toward writing upbeat, happy songs, so the lyrics came pretty naturally,” Weitz says. “And, it’s fun to sing.”

The song itself did not come so easily. Weitz tells of a “long and arduous journey” that began when he came up with the embryonic song idea back in 2015.

“Guitarist Howie Anderson and I worked on tweaking the arrangement for several months … then it became several years!

“(Bassist) George Bunnell helped create a new bass line and a perfect spot for Howie’s lead guitar solo section midway through the track. Gene Gunnel played some snappy drums and there you have it.” Production went down at several L.A.-area recording studios, extending to a whopping 14 previous versions of the song.

“I would not give up on this track,” Weitz says. “I had faith that it would be a worthwhile track for the SAC if I could only finish it to my satisfaction and to the approval of my bandmates.”

The group effort extended to a pair of family members: Multi-instrumentalist and producer Steve Bartek’s son Christopher programmed “some cool additional drums” and Howie’s son Ian contributed baritone sax.

“Finally, 10 years later, we had a finished track! Thank you Steve Bartek and all involved for sticking with it.”

It’s an intoxicating sonic brew blending catchy guitar hooks with harmonica, sax, electric sitar, electronic loops and of course Weitz’s vintage 1967 Vox Continental organ.

“Blow Your Mind” joins Bunnell’s “Monsters” as an emphasis track from the new Strawberry Alarm Clock album, expected in June. “Monsters” was released in the fall.

“Blow Your Mind” is paired with “Live Water,” fronted by the band’s Randy Seol. The song effortlessly toggles to double time and back, with layers of psychedelic slide guitar, delicate piano and fluttering flute floating above the beats.

“It’s a celebration of water being the life-giving element that loves to be positive,” Seol says of his lyrics. “I’ve learned water has a memory and is telepathic, just like my wife.”

All tracks are released by Burbank-based Big Stir Records.

Blow Your Mind

Written by Mark Stephen Weitz, Howard Anderson, George Bunnell

Mark Stephen Weitz: keyboards, lead vocal
Howie Anderson: lead guitar, electric sitar, vocals
George Bunnell: bass
Randy Seol: percussion, vocals
Steve Bartek: harmonica
Gene Gunnels: drums
Ian Anderson: baritone sax

Producer/engineer: Steve Bartek
Co-producer: Shane Soloski
Additional engineers: Christopher Bartek, Kerry Brown, Joe “Pants” Wohlmuth, Brian Liesegang
Mastering: Ira Ingber

Live Water

Written by Randy Seol, George Bunnell, Howard Anderson and Steve Bartek

Randy Seol: drums, vibes, lead vocal
George Bunnell: bass, vocals
Howie Anderson: lead guitar, vocals
Steve Bartek: flute
Gene Gunnels: drums, percussion
Mark Stephen Weitz: piano

Producer/engineer: Steve Bartek
Additional engineering: Christopher Bartek, Kerry Brown, Joe “Pants” Wohlmuth, Brian Liesegang

‘Monsters’ unleashed: Get the new single

News/blog

“Monsters,” the new Strawberry Alarm Clock single, is now available for preorders and pre-saving.

Outlets include Spotify, YouTube, Tidal and Amazon Music.

Click on the image at right to access all streaming options (via the Orchard web site). Or listen to the track right now, via the YouTube player above.

Bassist George Bunnell takes the lead vocal on “Monsters,” a tale of primal fear the band has been previewing in concert.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock will debut its album “Where’s One?” in mid-2026. The psychedelic rock pioneers recently signed with the L.A.-area label Big Stir Records.

The virtual B-side is “White Light.”

SAC readies ‘One’ album, one single

New music, News/blog

Strawberry Alarm Clock in recording studio

A new album for the new year: The Strawberry Alarm Clock will debut its neo-psychedelic “Where’s One?” in mid-2026.

The band plans to celebrate the long-awaited album with a combo preview party and concert at L.A.’s Whisky a Go Go on Feb. 28.

Update: “Where’s One” is set for an Aug. 7 release. The band plays in San Diego two days later. /update

The psychedelic rock pioneers recently signed with the L.A.-area label Big Stir Records, which will release the single “Monsters” on Oct. 3 (digital and CD formats). A limited-edition vinyl single will follow.

“Monsters” and its virtual B-side “White Light” are now up for preorders and pre-saving.

The “Monsters” track will appear on Big Stir’s Halloween comp “Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies” a week later (vinyl and CD). The virtual B-side is “White Light.”

Bassist George Bunnell takes the lead vocal on “Monsters,” a tale of primal fear the band has been previewing in concert. SAC also is working up a video to promote the track.

“The lyrics explore the lingering impact of fear, trauma or anxiety — both in childhood and and adulthood,” says the band’s longtime lyricist David Glück. Check out the lyrics for the “Where’s One?” album.

Planned “Where’s One?” formats are digital, CD and vinyl.

Bunnell says all of the album’s songs have been recorded, most of them produced by longtime band member Steve Bartek (Oingo Boingo). Mixing is under way.

Among the dozen tracks on “Where’s One?” are “Blow Your Mind,” “Primordial Soup,” “I’m Not the One” and “Live Water.” The Beatles covers are the instrumental “Day Tripper” (already an SAC concert favorite) and the psychedelic touchstone “Within You and Without You.”

The Strawberry Alarm Clock are Bunnell, keyboardist Mark Weitz, drummer Randy Seol, guitarist Howie Anderson, drummer and percussionist Gene Gunnels, and multi-instrumentalist Bartek.

Photos by Laura Calcaterra

> Help support production of SAC’s new album via a GoFundMe page.

> Read the press release about the upcoming “Monsters” single:

abelglenn

Another round: Whisky concert in February

‘Where’s One?’ It’s here and now!

Tiki torches lit: SAC sets show in San Diego

‘Sky’ high

‘Blow Your Mind’ with new SAC single

Blow Your Mind

Live Water

‘Monsters’ unleashed: Get the new single

SAC readies ‘One’ album, one single

About the band

Recordings

Merch table