By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

Sometimes happy circumstance and sheer dumb luck combine to expose an itinerant, sporadic club-goer to both a superlative musical and ultimately haimische experience.

At least that’s what happened in the case of the Bevis Frond, a British trio spearheaded by lofty singer/songwriter Nick Saloman and rounded out by ex (iconic rock ensemble) Hawkwind bassist Adrian Shaw and drummer Andy Ward. (Saloman, born in London in 1953, writes all the material for the band, and on the recordings, plays all the instruments, does all the singing, producing, editing and promotion.

Long a college-radio staple, the Frond mixes stellar 60s-style psycho-pop with acoustic and electronic splendorifica, all within a decidedly edgy context far more "alternative" than any superficial, one-or-two-hit wonder bands currently in vogue.

Whether seated and strumming or upright and thrashing, the Bevis Frond have astounded, with their lyrical and technical brilliance, those fortunate enough to either catch one of their rare shows or latch on to a recording.

Saloman and Shaw’s family backgrounds are as fascinating as their panoramic work. Both had fathers who were inexorably caught up in the tumult of their times.

According to Shaw (nee Schmulinsohn), "Nick and I both had Jewish fathers. Nick’s was from Berlin and mine from Vienna."

"My father," he goes on, "was actually in both Buchenwald and Dachau, having spent some time fighting the fascists in the street battles in the thirties. He was a committed Socialist. Both his parents died in camps.

"After my father was smuggled across the Swiss border and into France, he joined the French army until they were overcome, joined a tramp steamer ending up in wartime Casablanca and eventually landed in the UK where he was incarcerated for a while as well."

(And we think we have it rough?)

"I … have always had a fascination with my Jewish roots."

At T.T. the Bear’s last Wednesday, the group shone. Alan Mellen, a limo driver who had wandered in on a break, was blown away. "These guys are really GOOD!" he exhorted. The crowd was rapturous as Nick entertained solidly with a collage of gems including "This Corner of England," "He’d Be a Diamond" (covered by Scottish band Teenage Fanclub), "The Lights Are Changing" (covered by local star Mary Lou Lord) as well as constant banter. "My songs tend to fall into three categories," he quipped. "Growing older, the 60’s, or how men treat women."

Saloman’s own father had it none too easier, coming over from Berlin when he was 15 years old and being promptly sent off to Australia as an "undesirable alien".

The coincidences between the two are uncanny. "Both our fathers were Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe who married London girls," says Saloman. "We both injured our arms in motor bike accidents, we both have one child, and our houses are extremely similar. The clincher however, for me, came when Ade’s aunt from Vienna died recently and he received some family papers. It turns out that his great, great grandmother’s maiden name was, you guessed, Salomon, which is how my grandparents spelled their surname. It was my father who cunningly anglicised it to Saloman."

Saloman and Shaw operate the record label/company Woronzow, which features artists Country Joe Mcdonald, Tom Rapp (ex Pearls Before Swine), Alchemysts, Green Pajamas and more.

"We are just delighted at our ripe old ages," Shaw marvels, "to still be earning a living out of music. If you'd told me 30 years ago that I'd still be out on the road…."

Bevis Frond gigs, mainly in Europe or the U.S., are unfortunately "few and far between," as laments fan Rob Hancock of Birmingham, England. "I've been a fan since Triptych [1988] and have only seen them once. Other UK fans feel we are getting a poor deal." However, their records, which include a recently released "Live in San Francisco" show, can be easily obtained at Newbury Comics and other local record stores.