In the liner notes for ERUPTION, drummer Corky Laing says it was “impossible to try to fill Felix Pappalardi’s shoes in Mountain” as he was the leader, manager, writer, publisher and the producer for the group. Still West and guitarist Corky Laing are musicians and believe in getting Mountain on the road. And that’s what they’ve been doing for the past 35 years.
ERUPTION features live classics from the Mountain catalog as well as Moutain-ized covers from contemporaries including the Animals, Joe Walsh plus Robert Johnson, a hero to many musicians from that era.
Disc 1’s live jams are from 1985 shows in New York City when Mark Clarke (Uriah Heep, Rainbow) was the featured bassist and the second disc is from the group’s 2003 European tour with Richie Scarlet (solo, Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley) playing bass.
Originally Mountain formed in 1969 with Pappalardi, West, drummer N.D. Smart (replaced by Corky Laing right after Woodstock, their fourth gig) and keyboardist Steve Knight.... After Woodstock the group signed to Windfall Records and released MOUNTAIN CLIMBING in 1970 which netted rock standards, "Mississippi Queen" and "Theme For An Imaginary Western." Leslie West's guitar playing and husky vocals were front and center, with Pappalardi and Laing contributing greatly to songwriting. The 1971 follow up album was NANTUCKET SLEIGHRIDE and that featured both the song “Nantucket Sleighride” and the single "The Animal Trainer And The Toad." They broke up in 1972. After two more live albums, band members did collaborations with other classic rockers including Paul Rodgers and Jack Bruce.
In 1983, Felix Pappalardi was killed, and West and Laing continued on in the music scene, including tours as Mountain.
This summer Mountain continues their music, celebrating their 35th Anniversary, with a VH1 Classics-sponsored tour throughout the United States.
So far dates are as follows:
8/05/04 The Funk Box Baltimore MD
8/06/04 Amos Southend Charlotte NC
8/07/04 Variety Playhouse Atlanta GA
8/08/04 The Mercy Lounge Nashville TN
8/10/04 Cactus Cafe Austin TX
8/14/04 Jim Kelly's Nugget Lake Tahoe, NV
8/15/04 Slim's San Francisco CA
8/17/04 Belly Up Solano Beach CA
8/19/04 Coach House San Juan Capristrano CA
8/20/04 Angel's Roadhouse Yucaipa, CA
8/21/04 Yesteryear's Ponoma CA
8/24/04 Rhythm Room Phoenix AR
8/26/04 Gene's (Hamburger Harbor!) Gordonville TX
8/28/04 B&B Backstage Youngstown OH
8/29/04 Steel Music Hall Rochester, NY