Chuck's Song (Live)

1974 was a pivotal year in Spokane, Washington -- as well as for the rest of the country. The OPEC Oil Embargo ended only 36 days before this concert began and Nixon resigned in disgrace only four months hence. On the home front, things were changing, too. The school’s mascot was changed from the Eastern Savages to the Eastern Eagles less than a year before – and a World’s Fair, Expo 74, was only ten days from its beginning. Eastern was still a state college. It finally became an accredited university three years later. I had been the editor of the campus newspaper, The Easterner during the 1972-73 school term. During that period, I got to observe the way student government worked and how it could be run more effectively for its constituents. So I decided to run for Associated Student President. My campaign platform included an ambitious idea to create a non-profit student bookstore co-op to compete with the existing bookstore, reducing the cost of books & sundries for the student body. Back then, there weren’t any formal debates to help students decide whom they should elect – it was a rather haphazard affair. I needed a creative way of making my name and ideas stand out. I was attending school while working part time at a local paint factory in Spokane and got to know a fellow employee who was part of a band – a rather good and unique musical group called Abiqua. I convinced the band to play a free concert for my candidacy under the condition I could get a lot of people to attend. So I put up posters everywhere, sent out press releases to all the newspapers and radio stations and a lot of people came to the concert. We had to hold it at the Pence Union Building (PUB) instead of the 5000 seat, acoustically-superior Fieldhouse arena, which would have been far more ideal. But the band, bless their hearts, put their best face forward and put on a show the audience would never forget. Fortunately for all of us, the moments were captured in time by a Teac A-3340 four track reel-to-reel tape recorder. The original recording was remastered on a Otari MX-5050 nearly 40 years later and digitized with a Zoom R16 Multi-track Recorder for album release. Abiqua’s concert consisted of some excellent cover songs from the Beatles, Carly Simon, It’s a Beautiful Day, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Moody Blues and Yes -- as well as their own original material. With powerful vocal harmonies and magnificent musicianship, the band created a special kind of musical magic that can only be captured live on stage. Sure, there are a few technical glitches and maybe a few faux pas here and there. But it was one of those moments in time that represented an era of change, hope and excitement. I’m sure you’ll agree it truly was an epic concert.
— Ed Bruneau