It’s been almost a year since Jim Velnosky (the Poisoned Squirrels Drummer) passed… in that time, I’ve thought a bit here and there about what our band and the friendships between it’s members meant to me and to the people who loved coming out to hear us. It was a rather tumultuous time in my own life (I didn’t yet know what made me jerk and shake or what to do with it), but one thing I noticed was that Jim and I had both moved to the Colorado high country to have a closer relationship with whatever each of us considered God to be. There were some great times and some difficult times, but I’m pretty sure everyone in the band grew from the experience, personally and spiritually as well as musically- I know I did. One of the most interesting and intense things we did as a group was our 1992 road trip through Utah and Nevada to play at a huge anti-nuclear testing rally in the desert outside of Las Vegas. We had shifted the focus of our music away from experimental noise toward a more “accessible” sound, often with a political or spiritual message in the songs (while retaining the twisted jams we were known for), and our work was starting to get through to a larger audience. We pitched tents on a sandy hillside above the main stage area, and the parking area “scene” rivaled anything I’d seen at a Grateful Dead show. This was adjacent to the Red Rocks area and I’m told it’s since been swallowed up by development, but in 1992 there were wide, sweeping desert views with incredible rock formations just west of us, and the city off to the east. The PA system was powered by 30 yards of solar panels, and some really interesting, talented acts showed up. There was a march through downtown (photo above- that’s Jim on the right), as well as all sorts of educational stuff at the festival, and what seemed like decent media coverage. The Colorado contingent in the crowd made sure we knew how much we were appreciated! After the 3 day event ended Ken (our bass player) headed to California for a retreat while the rest of us spent the obligatory night walking around the Strip (followed by seedy motel) and then headed east. On the way home we hiked in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, and went through Capital Reef (before it became a national Park) where I somehow managed to drive an Izuzu Trooper while sitting on the driver door window sill. Camping in Kane Springs Canyon outside Moab made for a nearly perfect desert night, and Jim and I talked about the sorts of things people often do under millions of stars after an adventure… I’d been to the desert before this (including a 1987 rally at the Nevada test site), and I’ve been back many times since, mostly for climbing and hiking, but that trip with the band was, well, quite a trip! And the US eventually stopped nuclear testing.
Peter Stokes 