Welcome to the IMPULSE Web site!
Updated May 10, 2008
It all started in Tarkio, Mo. when I started playing drums on my mothers pots and pans when I was 4 years old. The Beatles landed in America when I was 6, I immediately wanted to be in a band. My mother commented "If your hair is ever that long, you will not be a member of this family!" Of course, no one ever saw my ears again and my mother came to really love my long hair. Mom and Dad bought me my first set of Ludwigs when I was 10. All I did was play those drums.
The summer after 8th grade, I was at the Tarkio pool and was approached by Rod McGehee and Bob Enos. They were trying to start a band and had heard that I was a pretty good drummer. After 1 jam session Bob disappeared and was replaced by Rob Pierson who was soon replaced by David Peterson.
Tawny Port was born sometime during my sophomore year in Tarkio High School. Everyone in town thought we were a joke although we continued to get better and better. We added Ken Jones from Maryville on Keyboards, While Ron Watson made guest appearances on rhythm guitar. We changed our name to IMPULSE, hoping to end our hometown reputation as a joke.
We traveled to Cavern Sounds in Kansas City and cut a demo album. The Tarkio Avalanche (local paper) came to the house during rehearsal and interviewed us. Maybe our luck was about to change.
The headline read:
Group Makes Demo
Impulsiveness May Bring Band To The Top
IMPULSE in 1975
After graduation, I moved to Kansas City, Mo. to attend college. David and Rod joined the house band at "The Blue Spur" in Shenandoah, Iowa. I completed electronics school early and came back to Tarkio to revive IMPULSE. David soon left the band and was replaced by Frank Moyer. The touring years began.
Frank Moyer, Rod McGehee, Clark Evans
By this time we are doing 3 and 4 shows a week, traveling the Midwest. We played colleges, State Fairs, Concerts, Holiday Inns....Just about anywhere we could. A lot of agents wouldn't handle a 3 piece band so we added Butch Durlin from Red Oak, Ia. on guitar. Rod and Frank soon left the band, so Butch and I regrouped and added Scott Petry from Elliott, Ia. on guitar and Danny Meek from Red Oak, Ia. on Bass.
We added elaborate special effects and makeup to the show. We wanted to be the wildest stage show anybody had ever seen at the club level.
Butch Durlin, Clark Evans, Danny Meek, Scott Petry
We cut our second record, 2 singles, "Impulse" and "Baby I Need Your Love."
Baby I Need Your Love was received anxiously by the critics.
Listen to IMPULSE (Lead vocals Clark Evans)
Listen to Baby I Need Your Love (Lead vocals Danny Meek, Clark & Butch on chorus)
"Coming soon" One of IMPULSE'S signature songs was Clark singing "The Martian Boogie"
I have located a LIVE recording from Atlantic, Iowa and as soon as it's digitized I'll get it on here.
We were playing dates through the Central and Northern US. We were managed by Dawn Talent out of Chicago which gave us a lot of exposure. This article appeared in the Chicago paper.
We encountered a lot of bad luck over the next year. Butch and Danny left the band shortly before the record was released which squelched that project. Scott and I made numerous member changes. When that finally settled and we were back on the road, a flash pot special effect, exploded during loading and left our light man and guitar player seriously injured. Not to mention the huge fine from the Iowa Fire Marshall.
That summer, while Impulse was recovering from the explosion. I replaced Carl Moyer as the drummer for Tarkio, Missouri based NASTY HABIT. The band featured David Peterson on Guitar, who played in the original IMPULSE. Kirk Wallace on guitar and Allen Eddie on bass. We played Pig roasts and clubs all over Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa.
Late that summer I received a call from an Omaha, Nebraska band called "The Wingnuts". I auditioned but they were a little too "pop new wave" for me. Shortly thereafter, I got a call from Scott Petry wanting to put Impulse back together.
Scott and I searched on......We found Mark Farmer from Clarinda Ia. and Kelly Golden from Omaha, Ne.
Mark would handle lead vocals while Kelly and Scott played guitar. We then picked up Drew Powers on Bass and David Kyle to run our sound. Back out we went on a grueling pace playing every night of the week. I ended up in a car wreck and that ended that. Scott formed his own band and Mark and Kelly went to Omaha and formed the Corvairs ( a sixties band).
I moved to Omaha in 1980 and Kelly, Mark and I put Impulse back together while the Corvairs finished their few remaining gigs around town.
Mark, Kelly and I found Rob Humphrey in the neighborhood who knew how to play bass. We were in luck. He was as crazy as we were and the wildness continued. Luke Michael & Assc. picked us up as our management company headed by Owen Rosenberg.
Rob Humphrey, Kelly Golden, Clark Evans, Mark Farmer
The band kept this lineup for a couple of years. Owen always had us in some big project. He was also managing bands called "Tight Fit" and "On The Fritz." The 3 bands did a lot of dates together including IMPULSE'S ROCK AND ROLL PIGNICK in Omaha featuring Tight Fit, On The Fritz, and Hit n Run.
Rob finally left the band and we found Mike Taylor of Council Bluffs, Ia. to handle the bass. We then added Todd Beardmore from Omaha, as a second guitarist.
Todd Beardmore, Clark Evans, Mark Farmer, Kelly Golden, Mike Taylor
This lineup took Omaha by storm. Jimmy O'niel, former host of the TV show Shindig and radio DJ from WOW, took quite a liking to the band and agreed to do a radio commercial for us. Jimmy NEVER did commercials, so this is a rare one.
JIMMY O'NIEL IMPULSE COMMERCIAL
A couple of years later, 1985 I think, the whole thing fell apart once again. I reunited with Butch Durlin, we hired Curt Vanderwilt from Seattle, Wa. on guitar and vocals. Then added Steve Bruno on bass.
Steve Bruno , Butch Durlin, Curt Vanderwilt, Clark Evans
This lineup remained until February of 1986, when I had finally had enough of all this craziness.
I accepted a job with Chevrolet and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
I am employed by Tom Jumper Chevrolet, the Worlds Largest Chevy retailer.
Systems Administrator - IT Director - Security Coordinator - Asst. Controller
THAT'S a title !!!!!
I am still very active in the music business, playing drums with several projects as
well as recording and production. Currently, I am helping my friends
13 Stories, as Stage Manager and Sound Technician.
This site is dedicated to members of IMPULSE who have departed us and are now with the Lord;
MIKE MCGOWAN - SOUND ENGINEER (1987)
CRAIG MICARI - LIGHTING DIRECTOR (1995)
MARK FARMER - LEAD VOCALIST (2004)
BOB ENOS - FIRST BASS PLAYER (2008)
Please check out www.impulseband.com for Schedules, Dates, Contact Information, Pictures, Music and Videos
for the NEW IMPULSE featuring Steve Carroll, formerly of 3 Dog Night.
Steve Carroll - Keyboards & Vocals
Kevin Anderson - Lead Guitar & Vocals
Robert Smith - Bass & Vocals
Clark Evans - Drums & Vocals
Holli Brooks - Sound Engineer - EVCO Productions
Greg Parde - Art Direction and Logos
Allen McMullen - Art Direction and Logos
THANKS EVERYBODY
Clark Evans
VISITORS:
Updated 5-10-2008