One day, unexpectedly, a band appeared

The Damnation Army Band drew a large crowd for an impromptu performance in front of Chapin Hall in 1968. Band member Mike “Minty” Kearsey’71 describes the group as “a nutty folk rock quartet” that played political, anti-war songs on campus and beyond that were “a bit bawdy and sometimes sentimental, with a touch of John Cage and The Fugs thrown in.” Allan Kohl’69 says the group coalesced around a series of anti-draft events held on and off-campus. Their popular, original songs ran the gamut from silly to socially conscious, including “He’s Weird,” “Saliva,” and “The R.O.T.C. Marching Song.”

Band members, from left, are Allan Kohl’69 (tambourine), Dan Raymond’71, the late Stan Planton’69, and Kearsey, who played guitars, washtub, flute, piccolo, and extra bits and pieces borrowed from Beloit’s Pep Band. The photo is courtesy of Allan Kohl, who also directed Beloit’s Pep Band.

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