Afterglow was an American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band in the late 1960s. The band emerged from the Medallions, formed in 1965 in

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...

, by guitarist Tony Tecumseh (Anthony Vernon Tecumseh, October 27, 1940–January 29, 2012), drummer Larry Alexander and a bassist named Mike, later joined by vocalist Gene Resler. Tecumseh was a

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language ** Modoc Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc * Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Modocs", ri ...

, born in Klamath Agency, Oregon. "Pioneering Indian musician Tony Tecumseh dies", ''Herald and News'', February 1, 2012
Retrieved 4 March 2018 The group played at local events, before disbanding to attend college. In 1966, Tecumseh, Alexander and Resler reconvened and added bassist Ron George and keyboard player Roger Swanson. After a period of rehearsal they changed their name to Afterglow and began recording an album at Leo Kulka's

Golden State Recorders Golden State Recorders was a San Francisco recording studio owned by Leo De Gar Kulka. Some of the albums recorded at the studio were Brewer & Shipley's second album ''Weeds'' in 1969, sessions for The Beau Brummels originally recorded between 1964 ...

studio in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The band performed in

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

but, because of members' studies, they were unable to complete the album until 1967. "Afterglow", ''Bad Cat Records''
. Retrieved 4 March 2018 Most of the tracks were written by Tecumseh, with Resler taking most of the lead vocals. The self-titled album was released in 1968 on the small New York-based MTA label, but was not successful at the time and the band split up shortly afterwards. In later years, the album acquired a cult reputation, being described as "a classic example of California pop and psychedelic", and "like a sampler of American psychedelic styles", recalling the music of

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

and others.Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Afterglow", ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 4 March 2018 In 1995, it was reissued by

Sundazed Music Sundazed Music is an American independent record label founded and based in Coxsackie, New York. It was initially known as a '60s-centric surf, garage, and psych label. Over time with the additions of imprints such as Modern Harmonic, American ...

, and members of the band reunited to perform, though without Tecumseh because of his poor health. Tecumseh came to be regarded as "a forerunner in Native American involvement in rock and roll music", and was awarded the Native American Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He died in 2012.

References

External links

Official website
Psychedelic rock music groups from California {{US-rock-band-stub