Ides of March -

The Ides of March are an American brass-rock band from Berwyn, Ill., that scored a 1970 hit with “Vehicle” from their album of the same name. They released four albums through 1974 on Warner and RCA. Guitarist-singer Jim Peterik became the later backbone of Survivor and Pride of Lions.

Members: Jim Peterik (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, saxophone), Larry Millas (keyboards, guitar, bass, organ, flute, vocals), Bob Bergland (bass, saxophone, vocals), Michael Borch (drums, percussion, vocals), Ray Herr (guitar, bass, vocals, 1964-70), Chuck Soumar (trumpet, congas, harmonica, percussion, vocals, 1969-73), John Larson (trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophone, 1969-71), Dave Arellano (keyboards, flute, 1972-73), Tim Bales (trumpet), Henry Salgado (trombone), Steve Eisen (saxophone, percussion)

Background

The Ides of March formed in 1964 in Berwyn, Illinois, when guitarist–singer Larry Millas recruited guitarist–singer Jim Peterik into the Shy-Lads, a school group with bassist Bob Bergland and drummer Bob Erhart.

Millas had watched Peterik play a Fourth of July program at Morton West High School with the Renegades, an eighth-grade group Peterik formed with guitarist Scott Sindelar and drummer Eddie Skopek. Bergland knew Peterik through Cub Scouts, while Millas had known him since third grade. The three also shared grade-school band activity under instructor Mr. Boker, with Peterik on saxophone, Millas on percussion, and Bergland on clarinet.

The Shondels

Peterik renamed the group the Shondels after encountering the name in Melody Maker and connecting it with American singer Troy Shondel. Borch entered after an audition on “Game of Love,” replacing Erhart with a drummer Peterik knew from school band. Peterik later dated the quartet’s first Berwyn VFW Hall appearance to October 16 of that year.

The Shondels rehearsed in the basement of the Millas family home and worked recreation centers, church events, school functions, and teen clubs around the western Chicago suburbs. Morton West booked the group for sock hops after basketball games, while other early dates included the Red Feather Building and Tiger Hall. The group built sets from current rock, R&B, surf, and harmony material, then inserted Peterik-Millas originals such as “Corruption” and “Torque Out.” Their local schedule expanded to the Keynote Club in Lyons, where the quartet earned $500 for a two-day engagement.

The Shondels issued the Peterik-Millas originals “Like It or Lump It” and “No Two Ways About It” in 1965 on the self-financed Epitome 7195 single, billed as Shon Dels Unlimited. They pressed roughly 200 copies and sold the record for one dollar at performances. The quartet abandoned the Shondels name in early 1966 after hearing Chicago disc jockey Dick Biondi announce Tommy James and the Shondells on local radio.

Name Change

Cellar proprietor Paul Sampson proposed Batt Mann and the Boy Wonders to manager Mike Considine, and the group briefly accepted the name. Ginny issued “You Wouldn’t Listen” (b/w “I’ll Keep Searching”) under the Batt Mann billing in March. Bergland soon proposed the Ides of March from Julius Caesar, which the members were studying at Morton West. Harlequin issued the same single under the new name in April. The Ides reached No. 7 on WLS in Chicago and No. 42 nationally on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after Parrot took the record national the following month.

The Ides stayed with Parrot through early 1968 with “Roller Coaster,” “You Need Love,” “My Foolish Pride,” and “Hole in My Soul.” Ray Herr joined within this period as an additional singer and rhythm guitarist and first recorded with the group on “Girls Don’t Grow on Trees.” The band moved to Kapp for their April 1969 single “Nobody Loves Me!” (b/w “Strawberry Sunday”). By that point, the Ides had expanded beyond the original guitar-bass-drums format with trumpeters John Larson and Chuck Soumar, while Bergland doubled on tenor saxophone. Millas added keyboards and bass to his guitar role within the enlarged lineup. Peterik and Millas traced the brass arrangement to the R&B and soul material that had entered the group’s live repertoire.

Beacon Artists head Herb Gronaur introduced the Ides in 1968 to Columbia promotion representative Frank Rand and Warner Bros. executive Bob Destocki, who planned a management venture. Rand and Destocki watched the group at Glenbard East High School on November 29, then heard the band at the Millas home and became its management-production team under Lee Productions.

The Ides moved to Warner Bros. for the September 1969 single “One Woman Man” (b/w “High on a Hillside”). Destocki subsequently pressed Warner for another release, while he and Rand financed a four-song demo at Columbia Studios. The Ides placed a new Peterik composition, “Vehicle,” fourth on the demo tape. Warner chief Joe Smith selected the song after hearing the four tracks. The Ides released “Vehicle” (b/w “Lead Me Home, Gently”) on Warner Bros. in March 1970. The band entered Columbia Studios that month to record its first Warner Bros. album.

Vehicle

The Ides of March released their debut album, Vehicle, in June 1970 on Warner Bros.

Vehicle pairs the founding quartet with Herr, Larson and Soumar. Peterik supplied six songs and shared “Bald Medusa” with Borch, while Larson wrote “Time for Thinking.” The album also combined Crosby, Stills & Nash (“Wooden Ships”) with Jethro Tull (“Dharma for One”) and recast The Beatles (“Eleanor Rigby”) within “Symphony for Eleanor/Eleanor Rigby.”

“Vehicle” barrels through a hard beat, emphatic response phrases, a forceful brass figure, and a prominent guitar break. “Wooden Ships/Dharma for One” erupts with percussion before settling into calmer ensemble passages. “Time for Thinking” careens through syncopated accents and terse ensemble replies. “Symphony for Eleanor” coils from a dark opening figure into suspended pauses, broad swells, and a delayed lead entrance.

A1. “Vehicle” (2:58) – Peterik
A2. “Factory Band” (3:04) – Peterik
A3. “The Sky Is Falling” (2:50) – Peterik
A4. “Home” (3:40) – Peterik
A5. “Wooden Ships/Dharma for One” (7:15) – Crosby, Stills, Anderson, Bunker

B1. “Bald Medusa” (3:03) – Peterik, Borch
B2. “Aire of Good Feeling” (3:16) – Peterik
B3. “Time for Thinking” (2:31) – Larson
B4. “One Woman Man” (3:15) – Peterik
B5. “Symphony for Eleanor/Eleanor Rigby” (9:45) – Lennon, McCartney

Sessions took place in March 1970 at Columbia Studios in Chicago, where Frank Rand and Bob Destocki produced for Lee Productions with engineers Dick Dearborn and Richard Brayfield. Chicago arranger Hoyt Jones, an NBC staff veteran whose earlier clients included Harry James and Les Brown, scored the strings and horns.

Art director Ed Thrasher, then part of Warner’s in-house design staff, directed the package and photographed the cover; John Pavletic supplied the liner images. Thrasher’s front photograph placed a porcelain doll in grass beside a blurred automobile.

Warner issued “Vehicle” in February 1970 (b/w “Lead Me Home, Gently”); the single reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the Cash Box Top 100. The label followed with “Superman” in May (b/w “Home”) and “Melody” in August (b/w “The Sky Is Falling”). Vehicle reached No. 55 on the Billboard Top LPs chart.

Real Gone Music issued an expanded CD in 2014 with “High on a Hillside,” “Lead Me Home, Gently,” “Melody” and the original single version of “Vehicle.”

Common Bond

The Ides of March released their second album, Common Bond, in April 1971 on Warner Bros.

Common Bond features a trimmed sextet without Herr. They perform ten Peterik originals, accented by the two-trumpet section of Larson and Soumar.

“Superman” charges through rapid brass punctuations, gravelly lead phrases, and a compact answer figure. “L.A. Goodbye” glides on triple-tracked harmonies and acoustic guitar beneath a clear lead. “Hymn for Her” lingers over strings and trumpet accents as syllables stretch through bent notes. “Tie-Dye Princess” careens through tempo turns, extended ensemble passages, and a brief drum solo.

A1. “Friends of Feeling” (3:47)
A2. “Ogre” (4:10)
A3. “L.A. Goodbye” (2:49)
A4. “Hymn for Her” (3:53)
A5. “Mrs. Grayson’s Farm” (5:12)

B1. “Superman” (2:58)
B2. “We Are Pillows” (3:11)
B3. “Prelude to Freedom” (0:29)
B4. “Freedom Sweet” (3:27)
B5. “Tie-Dye Princess” (11:31)

Lee Productions retained Frank Rand and Bob Destocki as producers. Sessions took place at RCA Recording Studios in Chicago with engineer Brian Christian, whose contemporary work included records by the Guess Who and Poco. The brown Warner sleeve framed a vertical group photograph beneath gold lettering and ruled borders.

Warner issued “L.A. Goodbye” in January 1971 (b/w “Mrs. Grayson’s Farm”); the single reached No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. The label lifted “Tie-Dye Princess” in June (b/w “Friends of Feeling”), then paired the non-album “Giddy-Up Ride Me” with “Freedom Sweet” in September.

Outside the band, Peterik composed “Boys and Girls Together,” recorded by fellow brass-rockers Chase for their 1971 debut album.

World Woven

The Ides of March released their third album, World Woven, in October 1972 on RCA Victor.

World Woven welcomes keyboardist-flutist Dave Arellano into the reconfigured sextet, where Soumar stands as the sole trumpeter in Larson’s absence. They perform eight Peterik originals and the Soumar contribution “Mellow Your Soul.”

“Mother America” strides through electronic figures, cowbell accents, and a broad group chant. “All Join Hands” swells through repeated group responses and a broad lead. “Diamond Fire” settles into measured keyboard phrases and a sustained closing chord. “Children” unfurls through shifting sections, sustained chord beds, and long ensemble passages. “Flipside” pivots from string backing toward a featured trumpet solo.

A1. “Mother America” (3:38) – Peterik
A2. “Baby’s Gonna Grow” (5:44) – Peterik
A3. “Diamond Fire” (4:37) – Peterik
A4. “Children” (7:01) – Peterik

B1. “Mellow Your Soul” (3:22) – Soumar
B2. “Landlady” (4:29) – Peterik
B3. “Flip Side” (3:48) – Peterik
B4. “Colorado Morrow” (3:49) – Peterik
B5. “All Join Hands” (3:20) – Peterik

Lee Productions continued the Rand–Destocki partnership. Engineer Brian Christian worked with recording technician Richie Schmitt, extending the production team established on Common Bond. Illustrator Kinuko Craft designed the painted cover, which placed six figures within an arched landscape of rocks, trees and water; Chicago photographer Marc Hauser supplied the group image.

RCA issued “Mother America” in October 1972 (b/w “Landlady”).

Midnight Oil

The Ides of March released their fourth album, Midnight Oil, in May 1973 on RCA Victor.

Midnight Oil retains the World Woven sextet and features five songs by Peterik, who co-wrote three with assorted bandmates. The Lehman brothers supplied “Do What You’ve a Mind To” while Soumar wrote “Quicksilver.” Poco player Rusty Young added steel guitar and dobro to “Lay Back” and “Roadie Ode.”

“Hot Water” barrels through a boogie rhythm and blues-edged phrases. “Quicksilver” races through brisk ensemble passages and bright accents. “Lay Back” glides on pedal-steel turns beneath a restrained lead. “Roadie Ode” eases through unhurried phrasing and subdued accompaniment.

A1. “Hot Water” (4:07) – Peterik, Borch, Arellano
A2. “Nothing Love Won’t Cure” (3:30) – Peterik, Millas
A3. “Do What You’ve a Mind To” (2:35) – O. Lehman, J. Lehman
A4. “Chicago’s Got the Blues” (3:10) – Peterik
A5. “Quicksilver” (3:26) – Soumar

B1. “Heavy on the Country” (2:40) – Peterik, Borch
B2. “Lay Back” (4:20) – Peterik
B3. “Birmingham 2:35 A.M.” (4:00) – Peterik
B4. “Roadie Ode” (3:10) – Peterik
B5. “Funny How People Change” (3:20) – Peterik

The band retained Frank Rand and Bob Destocki as producers for sessions at RCA Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Brian Christian served as recording engineer, with Richie Schmitt credited as recording technician. Album Graphics Inc. handled the package under designer Des Strobel. Photographers Patti Reynolds and Ted Staidle placed the group around a table in a dim stable interior, while John Cabalka supplied the lettering.

RCA issued “Hot Water” in October 1973 (b/w “Heavy on the Country”).

Choice Collection issued World Woven and Midnight Oil in November 2024 as a single-disc pairing.

Later Activity

The Ides of March closed their first phase with a November 1973 concert at Morton West High School in Berwyn.

Peterik played an auxiliary role on the 1974 third Chase album Pure Music, which features his ballsy vocals on the defiant “Run Back to Mama.” Sadly, a subsequent charter plane crash killed four Chase members, including leader Bill Chase. Peterik went solo with the 1976 Epic release Don’t Fight the Feeling and played on the 1977 partial-Chase reunion album, Watch Closely Now. In 1978, he formed Survivor, which scored Eighties hits with “Eye of the Tiger,” “I Can’t Hold Back,” “High On You,” “The Search Is Over,” and “Burning Heart.”

Berwyn invited six earlier members to headline the 1990 Summerfest. More than 20,000 people attended the concert, which returned the group to live performance with keyboardist Scott May and trombonist Dave Stahlberg. The 1991 cassette EP Beware—The Ides of March introduced four new songs.

Further studio work produced the 1992 album Ideology and the 1997 EP Age Before Beauty. Later releases included the double live set Beware! The Ides of March Live, Still 19, the archival box Last Band Standing and Play On. Four founding members remained active within the expanded concert lineup.

Discography: