Dragonwyck -

Dragonwyck was an American heavy-psych band from the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted that recorded two privately circulated albums between 1970 and 1973, followed by additional sessions under alternate names through the mid-1970s. Their moody, organ-laden sound drew frequent comparisons to The Doors, though their music incorporated heavier fuzz guitar, tempo shifts, and Gothic overtones more aligned with emerging hard rock and proto-prog. Though overlooked at the time, Dragonwyck’s recordings later earned cult status through archival reissues.

Members: Bill Pettijohn (vocals), Tommy Brame (guitar), Kenneth Staab (keyboards), Michael Gerchak (bass), Jack Boessneck (drums)

Background

Dragonwyck evolved from local teen rockers the Mortycyans, whose guitarist Tom Brehm (often spelled Brame) teamed with singer Bill Pettijohn in the late 1960s group Sunrise. With keyboardist Skip Foster, bassist Jeff Richards, and drummer Gary Sanger, Sunrise recorded a rare single (“Fire Climbs” / “Flowers Grow Free”) on the tiny EJ label. After a brief incarnation as Speed, Brehm and Pettijohn formed Dragonwyck in 1968 with keyboardist Kenneth Staab, bassist Michael Gerchak, and former Mortycyans drummer Jack Boessneck. The name derived from the 1944 gothic novel Dragonwyck, adapted in 1946 into a Vincent Price film.

Dragonwyck

Dragonwyck’s self-titled debut consists of seven songs recorded and privately issued as a no-cover demo LP in 1970. The album captures the Cleveland quintet’s moody, organ-heavy blend of heavy psychedelic rock, influenced most prominently by The Doors but with a heavier edge reminiscent of early Atomic Rooster and Deep Purple. Guitarist Tom Brehm (credited as J.T. Brehm) matches Kenneth Staab’s brooding Hammond organ with alternating fuzz-toned riffing and fluid leads, while vocalist Bill Pettijohn delivers poetic, baritone vocals in the Morrison mold, balancing grandeur with menace.

The material ranges from trippy, slow-burning epics to compact organ-guitar workouts, with shifting tempos, Gothic imagery, and a melodic sense rooted in late-60s psych. “Fire Climbs” and “Ancient Child” form the centerpiece with extended, exploratory structures, while shorter numbers like “Ideas (Within You)” and “The Vision” provide contrast in tone and texture. The rhythm section (Gerchak and Boessneck) favors tight grooves with jazz-inflected movement, avoiding the plodding heaviness of some contemporaries.

A1. “My Future Waits” (6:00) – Slow-building opener with descending Hammond runs and Morrison-esque vocals atop a hypnotic fuzz-rock pulse. The bridge enters a dreamy, minor-key mood with wah guitar licks and ambient organ swells.
A2. “Ideas (Within You)” (1:50) – Short, lyrical instrumental with chiming organ arpeggios and clean-toned melodic guitar in a contemplative, folk-psych mode.
A3. “Fire Climbs” (8:45) – The album’s centerpiece and longest cut, built around a cyclical, ascending riff that blooms into extended organ–guitar interplay. Vocals invoke symbolic flame metaphors over a dirge-like groove, shifting into freeform psych jamming before reprising the main theme.

B1. “Run to the Devil” (3:55) – A driving psych-blues number with echo-laden vocals and descending chord riffs; organ and guitar trade leads over a martial rhythm with hints of doom and proto-metal.
B2. “God’s Dream” (5:04) – Lush, minor-key ballad with soaring vocals, reverberated piano/organ layers, and an emotive, slow-burn chorus. Noted by reviewers for evoking early Pink Floyd (Barrett-era).
B3. “Ancient Child” (6:00) – Sinister, carnival-like progression with shifting rhythms and a haunted-house organ tone. The arrangement moves through dramatic tempo changes and modal soloing, conjuring a theatrical, almost proto-prog mood.
B4. “The Vision” (2:21) – Somber closer with eerie chordal organ, minimal percussion, and an echo-drenched vocal narrative. Ends the album on a ghostly, unresolved note.

Privately recorded in Cleveland, Ohio, 1970. Pressed in an edition of 85 copies with no sleeve. Matrix/pressing by Pama Custom Pressing (ARLP-257). Production was likely handled in-house with no official credit.

Though unreleased beyond a local pressing in its time, the album gained cult status after a 1990 Rockadelic Records vinyl reissue and later CD restorations on World in Sound, often cited as a prime example of Midwest heavy psych’s darker, more dramatic side.

Chapter 2

Dragonwyck recorded their second album across late 1972 and early 1973 at Audio Recording in Cleveland. Though fully produced and sequenced, the album never saw proper release in its time, circulating only as an anonymous acetate with no label, matrix number, or sleeve. Compared to the heavier, fuzz-toned acid rock of their 1970 debut, Chapter 2 reflects the band’s shift toward Mellotron-laden, proto-symphonic psych with stylistic nods to The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, and late-period Doors. Guitarist Tom Brehm produced the sessions, while newcomer John Hall handled all keyboard parts, broadening the group’s tonal palette with piano, Hammond, and Mellotron.

Singer Bill Pettijohn evokes Justin Hayward as often as Jim Morrison this time, softening his delivery on ballads like “Lady” and the orchestral closer “Forever Only Last a Little While.” Instrumentally, the band stretches out on songs like “Relics” and a revamped “Fire Climbs,” reimagined as a slow-building, tribal psych epic. “Run to the Devil” also reappears, re-recorded in a more polished, keyboard-forward arrangement. Though the album remained unreleased for decades, it highlights Dragonwyck’s transition from heavy psychedelia to more layered, progressive textures in line with the emerging Midwest art-rock scene.

A1. “Kimberly” (0:32) – Brief piano-and-voice introduction, opening the album with a hushed mood reminiscent of early-70s British art rock.
A2. “He Loves You” (3:18) – Driving minor-key rocker with thick organ fills and a dramatic vocal delivery. Pettijohn’s phrasing strongly recalls Morrison in the verse and chorus cadence.
A3. “Fire Climbs” (6:41) – Reworked from the debut, this version slows the tempo and adds Mellotron and percussion textures, giving the piece a hypnotic, ceremonial atmosphere.
A4. “Relics” (5:11) – Shifting organ/guitar interplay underscores a mood of existential reflection. Incorporates dynamic contrasts and modal changes that hint at proto-prog structures.
A5. “Freedom Son” (3:57) – A soul-influenced hard rocker with melodic bass runs and layered harmony vocals. Carries a more direct, anthemic energy than most of the album.

B1. “Lady” (3:47) – Romantic ballad with Hayward-like vocals, swelling Mellotron strings, and restrained guitar flourishes. Resembles Days of Future Passed-era Moody Blues.
B2. “Run to the Devil” (3:45) – Second version of the 1970 standout, now played with tighter structure and a more defined keyboard arrangement. Retains the original’s apocalyptic mood.
B3. “Dead Man” (4:15) – A dark, theatrical piece framed by minor-key piano and Mellotron. Pettijohn narrates with somber dramatics, evoking a Gothic folk-psych tone.
B4. “The Music” (3:14) – Piano-led rocker with syncopated rhythms and vivid, metaphor-laced lyrics. Features harmony vocals and a rising chorus. Later remade for their final single.
B5. “Forever Only Last a Little While” (4:42) – Lush, chamber-pop closer with swelling Mellotron, acoustic guitar, and bittersweet lyrics. Climaxes with full-band dynamics and layered harmonies.

Tracked at Audio Recording, Cleveland (Sept 1972 – Jan 1973). Produced by Tom Brehm; executive producer Jack Boessneck. Engineered by George Stage. No commercial pressing in its original form; approximately 5–10 acetate copies made.

The 2006 World in Sound CD reissue includes the full album plus both sides of Dragonwyck’s final 1974 single:

11. “Lovin’ the Boys” (3:14)
12. “The Music” – Alternate studio version with a more polished arrangement and tighter vocal harmonies.

Fun

Dragonwyck’s third and final album, Fun, was recorded in 1974 and circulated in acetate form with no label, sleeve, or commercial issue. Self-consciously lighter in tone than the band’s prior two efforts, Fun finds Dragonwyck diverging from the moody psych-prog of Chapter 2 and embracing a more eclectic mix of glam, baroque power pop, and mainstream rock with eccentric stylistic flourishes. The songs retain progressive structure and cryptic imagery but are now laced with upbeat motifs, oddball synth breaks, faux-advertisement interludes, and even proto-new wave moves years ahead of schedule.

Tom Brehm and Bill Pettijohn rework several tracks from Chapter 2, now updated with whimsical or idiosyncratic production choices: a calliope-style break in “He Loves You,” a surprise synth burst in “One More Goodbye,” and a looser, punk-adjacent drive in “Relics.” “You Gotta Have Fun” functions as a self-referential radio jingle for the album itself. The closing track, “Forever,” reprises the Chapter 2 closer in a more richly arranged, triumphant version. Though it marked the group’s quiet endpoint, Fun shows Dragonwyck evolving into a sharper, more self-aware outfit, hinting at glam and new wave transitions that would become prominent in Cleveland’s underground later in the decade.

A1. “The Music” (3:04) – Brighter, more pop-oriented version of the Chapter 2 cut, framed by electric piano and vocal harmonies in the vein of Sparks and late-era Raspberries.
A2. “One More Goodbye” (3:53) – A soft-rock ballad disrupted by an unexpected, unbalanced synth interjection, lending the track a surrealist, demo-like edge.
A3. “He Loves You” (2:45) – Reimagined with a “player piano” bridge that veers toward carnival glam; maintains the vocal dramatics of the earlier version.
A4. “I Shall Stay” (3:54) – A chaotic, tongue-in-cheek reinvention of “Dead Man,” merging faux-operatic vocals with jittery arrangements.
A5. “Relics” (4:17) – Sharper and more rhythmically charged than the Chapter 2 take, featuring synth overlays that foreshadow new wave elements akin to early Stranglers.

B1. “No Name” – (time unlisted) Obscure interlude or jam piece; track remains undocumented on reissues.
B2. “Doncha’ Cry” (3:21) – Mid-tempo rocker with major-key guitar motifs and a laid-back vocal delivery.
B3. “You Gotta Have Fun” (1:00) – Spoken-word pastiche styled as a radio ad for the album, complete with period-authentic voiceover and jingle styling.
B4. “Ain’t That the Way She Goes” (2:59) – Loping rock groove with power-pop hooks and a sardonic lyrical tone.
B5. “A Dream for Me” (3:30) – Light psych-pop ballad with wistful harmonies and floating keys.
B6. “Forever” (4:22) – Reworked and expanded from Chapter 2; a sweeping, symphonic coda with full vocal and instrumental layering.

The 2008 CD reissue contains two bonus tracks credited to Flying Turns, a 1976-era Dragonwyck follow-through with Bill Cavanaugh.

11. “Not Over: Flying Turns” (5:07) – Polished symphonic rocker with multi-part vocal arrangement and keyboard fanfares.
12. “I Am You” (5:05) – The final Dragonwyck-related recording; melodic prog-AOR with sleek production and anthemic chorus, marking their most commercial-leaning output.

Recorded 1974 at Audio Recording, Cleveland (tracks 1–10). Original acetate issued privately; no commercial pressing until World in Sound’s expanded CD reissue.

Discography: