8:05

Listen to 8:05 by Moby Grape.

Today's Folk Rockers are Moby Grape, a San Francisco group who could play just about anything. Now, before you run away with visions of endless acid jamming in your head, take a listen. I ignored these guys for way too long myself just because they hailed from the Bay area. Unfortunately, due to an intraband implosion (not to mention Skip Spence, their unhinged Canadian drummer, attacking other members with an axe in the studio landing him in Bellevue for a while) these guys were not able to deliver on the impressive promise of their eponymous debut record.

Moby Grape could do rock, folk, country, blues, R&B and psychedelia equally well, and they often deftly combined them all in the setting of tight three-minute pop songs. Today's song, "8:05" from their 1967 debut shows the band's quieter side. It has some lovely guitar playing and singing and strikes a nicely melancholic tone. It is my favorite cut from a very impressive album.

Photo: Santa Catalina Casino.