September 17, 2019

One day, unexpectedly, a band appeared

As the semester started in the fall of 1968, the Damnation Army Band performed on the steps of Chapin Hall.

The Damnation Army Band drew a large crowd for an impromptu performance in front of Chapin Hall in 1968. Band member Mike “Minty” Kearsey’71 describes the group as “a nutty folk rock quartet” that played political, anti-war songs on campus and beyond that were “a bit bawdy and sometimes sentimental, with a touch of John Cage and The Fugs thrown in.” Allan Kohl’69 says the group coalesced around a series of anti-draft events held on and off-campus. Their popular, original songs ran the gamut from silly to socially conscious, including “He’s Weird,” “Saliva,” and “The R.O.T.C. Marching Song.”

Band members, from left, are Allan Kohl’69 (tambourine), Dan Raymond’71, the late Stan Planton’69, and Kearsey, who played guitars, washtub, flute, piccolo, and extra bits and pieces borrowed from Beloit’s Pep Band. The photo is courtesy of Allan Kohl, who also directed Beloit’s Pep Band.


Do you have a photo and memory from your time at Beloit? Send it to us at belmag@beloit.edu.


Also In This Issue

  • Monica Smith’19 interning with Brownfield Environmental Engineering Resources.

    Focused on the Environment

    more
  • Cover of “ALS Saved My Life until it didn’t” by Dr. Jenni Kleinman Berebitsky’98.

    ALS Saved My Life until it didn’t

    more
  • Commencement speaker Ruth Hamilton’07 acknowledged students’ place on a cusp as they waited to graduate in mid-May.

    On the Verge of the Next Big Thing

    more
  • Cover of “Represented: The Black Imagemakers Who Reimagined African American Citizenship” by Brenna Wynn Greer’94.

    Represented: The Black Imagemakers Who Reimagined African American Citizenship

    more

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read our Web Privacy Policy for more information.

Got it! ×