The In Room, Swiss Chalet, 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 1965

Warlocks, In Room, Belmont, Fall 1965 (photo probably by Paul Ryan)

The Warlocks made themselves into a real band with a two-month stint at a Belmont, CA, "Lounge" called The In Room. The In Room was a bar attached to a Steak House restaurant called The Swiss Chalet, at 635 Old County Road. Old County Road was a frontage road across the railroad tracks from El Camino Real. El Camino Real ran from San Jose to Daly City (where it would turn into Mission Street), and was the main commercial district for all the towns in between. During the 60s, there was a general trend to make El Camino a center of entertainment like the Las Vegas Strip, so there were hotels, bars and restaurants in each Peninsula city. By the 1970s, the Peninsula had quieted down, and El Camino nightlife faded away.

The Warlocks' time at the In Room has been immortalized by Dennis McNally and others, and all the band members have told stories about how it was where they really became a band. Playing five sets a night, six nights a week for eight weeks, maybe sometimes backing touring singers or burlesque dancers, the Warlocks got a crash course in the 60s music biz, most of which they promptly set out to blow up as the Grateful Dead. The In Room, tacky name and all, was a seminal experience in the Grateful Dead zeitgeist. 

The only actual artefacts of the Warlocks' performance at the In Room, however, are some posed photographs (one of them is above). These were clearly done for promotional purposes, probably by the club itself, as the Warlocks couldn't have afforded it. Note the bright lighting, a clear indication that these were not real "performance" shots with the dark lights of a night club. Still, we can see the band's gear, their clothes, and at least a whiff of their on-stage demeanor. The only hint of things to come is the not-standardized lettering of the "Warlocks" band name. The drum head was painted by roommate, future banjo legend and artist Rick Shubb.

Further non-standardization would follow shortly. Given the importance of the In Room, let's figure out what we can about the brief history of the lounge.

A rare outdoor shot of The Chalet and The In Room marquee, from 1965 (source unknown)

The Warlocks at The In Room
The Warlocks were booked at the In Room for an 8-week stint in September and October of 1965. Deadcast host Jesse Jarnow and I looked in vain for any advertisement of the Warlocks. We are certain of the timeline, but neither Jesse nor I have never found an ad for the Warlocks at the In Room (and we tried). Per Dennis McNally, they earned at most $800 a week, but that was real money back then.

Their first week, the Warlocks backed the Coasters. It's not impossible they backed other singers during that time--it was common practice for a "house band" to back up a local singer--and they apparently backed some burlesque dancers. They probably weren't topless, but no one exactly knows. By the end of their 8-week shift, the Warlocks were a real band. Not exactly tight, maybe, but they had a groove.

Dennis McNally interviewed Dale O'Keefe, one of the managers of The In Room, so his description reflects the reality rather than the legend:

The Warlocks had found a home at a club halfway between Palo Alto and San Francisco in the town of Belmont. The In Room was a heavy-hitting divorcee's pickup joint, the sort of swinging bar where real-estate salesmen chased stewardesses and single women got plenty of free drinks. Dark, with red and black as the color scheme, it was the kind of place that sold almost nothing but hard liquor. The Warlocks' agent at the time, Al King, booked the headliners, like the Coasters, Jackie DeShannon and Marvin Gaye. Managed by Donald Johnson, also known as Whitey North, and Dale O'Keefe, it was a hot room, with bouncers escorting the waitresses through the crowd. 

At first the Warlocks seemed a mistake, playing too loud and too strangely. As O'Keefe saw it, the band would be okay for the first two of their fifty-minute sets, but by the third they'd be high, and by the fifth they'd be "barbaric." But in some sort of mysterious transference, they began to develop their own audience, and held their own, avoiding the management of the bar, except for Larry, their favorite bartender. Each night they'd show up with their equipment stuffed into Kreutzmann's Pontiac station wagon, set up, and get to work. One of the complications to their lives was that Kreutzmann and Weir were not only considerably but obviously underage. [Band friend] Bobby Petersen stole some draft cards that somehow passed muster, and the cops would look at the ID, chuckle and warn them not to drink. O'Keefe swore that he did not pay off the cops, so such tolerances could only be ascribed to providence.

Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)
McNally: "The In Room was located quite near the railroad tracks that run up the Peninsula to San Francisco, and as the band grew more and more attuned to the schedule, they learned to play with, instead of going against, the sound of the trains as they rumbled by."  [p92]

Between sets at the In Room, the band would cross the street and smoke (something) next to the railroad tracks. According to legend, there was a large sign that said "Caution: Do Not Stop On Tracks." The Warlocks heard Them's single "Mystic Eyes," took the chord changes and stapled them to their chugga-chugga train rhythm, and named it after the sign. Versions of "Caution" would appear in Grateful Dead performances at least as late as 1981, a legacy of the In Room. 

Kentucky writer (and Kesey pal) Ed McClanahan

Visitors
Writer Ed McClanahan, a friend of Ken Kesey and the Pranksters, dropped by the In Room to see the band. In an infamous August 1972 article in Playboy magazine called "Grateful Dead I Have Known." McNally excerpted McClanahan's description of the Warlocks at the In Room (p. 89)

Even though the Warlocks bohemian pals were hardly In Room material, a few friends did drop by. Tom Constanten, who had been friends with Phil Lesh since meeting him at UC Berkeley in 1962, was now in the US Air Force, stationed at Las Vegas. Constanten was also friendly with Garcia and the others, and had hung out a little at the Chateau. TC did find an opportunity to see the Warlocks at the In Room, however.

Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson, later of Moby Grape, were in The Frantics in 1965. They released the "Human Monkey" single on local Action Records in 1966, with lead vocals from bassist Bob Mosley.

Another late-night visitor at the In Room, was guitarist Jerry Miller, then leading a group called The Frantics. The Frantics had moved from Tacoma, WA, and were currently living in the mountains of San Bruno, not far from the In Room. The members of the Frantics (Miller, organist Chuck Schoning and drummer Don Stevenson) and their wives had gone to the Steak Pit to eat, only to find out there was a band playing. Miller loved hearing the Warlocks, and hung out a little with Garcia and the others. The Frantics would become regulars on the El Camino Real in early 1966, and would later evolve into the band Luminous Marsh Gas. By the end of '66, Miller and Stevenson would be in a rising band called Moby Grape, jamming with Garcia at The Ark in Sausalito and playing gigs at the Fillmore and Avalon.

[update 20240326: I forgot that I had 2013 email exchange with Wayne Ceballos]

Guitarist Wayne Ceballos was another young musician in the El Camino circuit. His first band was The Ethics, and by late '65 he had joined the Noteables, who played at the Fireside, also on El Camino. Ceballos was later in the band AUM, and jammed with the Dead on stage a number of times in 1969. In an November 2013 email to me, he recalled his days with the Warlocks: 

There was a club called "The Inn Crowd" [sic] on the Belmont/San Carlos border where I first heard and met The Warlocks.  They were backing up Bobby Day. ("Rockin' Robin.")  I saw them and thought to myself:  "What a mismatch!!"  lol.  But I liked the fact that the Warlocks played R & B and Blues, in spite of their looks.

In spite of our difference in dress, I made friends with the Warlocks, but especially Pigpen, while we were playing the Fireside.  A funny story:  One night I invited Pigpen to come to the Fireside to sit in with the Noteables, to sing and play some Blues.  One of the owners, an Italian guy named Phil, read me the riot act after Pigpen left.  "Don't you ever bring in hippie scumbags like that to my stage again!  This is a class joint!!"  ; )   

Bobby Day had scored a huge hit with "Rockin' Robin" in 1958, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart. Most modern rock fans, myself included, are more familiar with the 1972 Michael Jackson version, which had a similar arrangement, and also peaked at #2. Day never had another hit. It's hard to imagine Jerry, Bob and Phil singing "tweet, tweet" but we can dream, can't we?

 

The first ad for The In-Room was in the San Mateo Times on February 12, 1965

The In Room, 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA (Opened February 1965)
The first notice of the In Room was an (in the San Mateo Times) for the weekend of February 12, 1965. The Furys were advertised as "Young America's Top Entertainment," along with "Leslie, Demonstrating Bay Area's Leading Dance Craze." It adds: Your Hosts: "Rich Romanello and Ralph Silva." Although Romanello and Silva had surely left by the time the Warlocks were booked in September, Romanello's career, at least, is worth noting in the context of 1965 Bay Area Rock and Roll. 

A San Mateo Times ad (June 19 1964) for the Beau Brummels at the Morocco Room, on 2010 El Camino Real in San Mateo (near W. 20th Avenue). The hosts were Jimmie and Rich Romanello (father and son).

Rich Romanello
Rich Romanello is actually an important name in Bay Area rock and roll, and I did not realize until recently that he had any connection to the In Room, and hence by extension to the Grateful Dead story. Since Romanello has been interviewed various times (for good reason) about his rock and roll history, and never mentioned the Warlocks, we can be confident he had no part in booking the Warlocks. Nonetheless he seems to have co-founded the In Room, which made the band, so it only adds to his interesting saga.

In 1964, Romanello's father James ran a club called The Morocco Room on El Camino Real in San Mateo. The address was at 2010 S. El Camino Real, near W. 20th Avenue. San Mateo is halfway up the Peninsula, midway between Stanford University and San Francisco, and near San Francisco Airport (SFO). The name and pitch of the Morocco Room had a Vegas slant, a cocktail lounge with entertainment and dancing all night long. Rich Romanello had discovered a new San Francisco rock band called The Beau Brummels, who performed original songs in a kind of Beatles-style, and the Morocco Room packed them in. 

Word about The Beau Brummels filtered up the line to KYA dj Tom Donahue, one of the biggest disc jockeys in the Bay Area. KYA (1260) and KFRC (610) were the two big rock stations in town. Donahue, transplanted from Philadelphia, was partners with another Eastern transplant, Bobby Mitchell. The two of them held down the afternoon and evening shifts at KYA, so everyone heard them. They also promoted concerts at the Cow Palace, ran a radio "tip sheet" and also race horses. Donahue and Mitchell had also started Autumn Records, and they had scored a big hit with Bobby Freeman's "C'mon And Swim" in 1964, produced by KSOL dj Sylvester Stewart, later better known as Sly Stone. 

Donahue later claimed to have heard about the Beau Brummels gig in the Morocco Room from a prostitute ("I always listen to prostitutes," he would say). In any case, El Camino Real and San Mateo was not a likely place to find a hit act, but find them he did. Rich Romanello acted as manager for the Beau Brummels, and Donahue and Mitchell knew hit songs when they heard them. Their song "Laugh, Laugh" would reach #15 after it was released on Autumn Records in December, 1964. The Beau Brummels went on to have other hits in 1965. Romanello would later lament that it was too bad that neither he, nor the Brummels nor Donahue and Mitchell knew anything about running an actual business. 

The February 17, 1965 Redwood City Tribune had an ad for the Grand Opening of The 'In' Room, describing The Furys as "The NEW ENGLISH SOUND by America's Top Entertainers DANCING 7 NIGHTS." The small print explains how to cross the tracks from either Freeway exit--there was no GPS.  Note the "FURYS", not FURIES, and no "Lesley."

In December 1964, a notice in the San Mateo Times indicated that James Romanello had sold the Morocco Room. But in early '65, Rich Romanello would have been right in the center of the action, and that action appeared to be on El Camino Real. The suburban Peninsula might seem an unlikely place for a rock and roll explosion, but it was happening on the El Camino just as it was everywhere else. After the Morocco Room and the Beau Brummels, The In Room would have been the second rock joint on the boulevard, and it was started by the proprietor of the first one. Fall '65 saw the Cinammon Tree in San Carlos, and the Tiger A-Go-Go in Burlingame, near SFO. By 1966, it was followed by the Big Beat in Palo Alto, the Nu Beat in Redwood City (which was later the Spectrum) and The Trip in San Mateo.

The Tiger A-Go-Go lounge at the SFO Hilton in Burlingame was a hopping scene, with future Fillmore players (Joel Scott Hill was later in Canned Heat, and his band included Lee Michaels, Bob Mosely [Moby Grape] and John Barbata [Turtles, CSNY, Starship]. This ad is from the Nov 12 '65 San Mateo Times.

The El Camino Real clubs were rising in exact parallel with the Family Dog, Fillmore and Avalon underground scene in San Francisco. The El Camino clubs tried different angles: the In Room and the Tiger A-Go-Go were bars for adults, primarily pickup joints (the Tiger A Go Go pointedly emphasized that stewardesses hung out there. In the 60s, stewardesses were understood to be glamorous unmarried party girls, fairly or not), The Cinnamon Tree was a "teen club," no liqour. The Big Beat and its sister club, The Trip, were pizza-and-beer places that allowed 18 year olds. There isn't any doubt that they were competing with the Fillmore. The Trip ads offered "LSD: Lights, Sounds, Delicious Pizza."

New Year's Eve 1966-67 at Winchester Cathedral, 3033 El Camino Real in Redwood City, with Sly and The Family Stone

The last of the important El Camino Real nightspots was also a "Teen Club," called Winchester Cathedral. Winchester Cathedral was at 3033 El Camino Real in Redwood City. It opened around December 1966, managed by Rich Romanello. Lots of fine band played there, including the Chocolate Watch Band and the Santana Blues Band. One of the first acts booked at Winchester Cathedral, however, was Sly And The Family Stone, who first played on December 16, 1966, and shortly after headlined New Year's Eve. They were an instant sensation. Sly and The Family Stone played all over the Bay Area, but at the beginning of 1967 they also played "Breakfast Shows" at Winchester from 2-5am every Friday and Saturday night (Saturday and Sunday morning). All of the local musicians showed up, including Mickey Hart, and were totally knocked out.

Romanello had an early management role with Sly And The Family Stone, too, but he lacked the clout to move them up the entertainment ladder. Joel Selvin's oral history of the band goes into this in some detail, but the short version of the story is that Columbia Records swooped in and made the band into huge stars. Winchester Cathedral didn't last until Summer '67, as far as I know, and El Camino Real more or less gave up on rock and roll. The Fillmore and Avalon won decisively. Since suburban kids would have to get into their (parents) cars to go to El Camino, driving another 30 minutes to the city seemed more enticing.

An ad for Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell's club Mother's, at 430 Broadway (from the Dec 19 '65 Chronicle). Reputedly the first "psychedelic" nightclub, Mother's generally booked standard Broadway nightclub acts rather than hip rock bands

Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell were still thriving when the Warlocks left the In Room in Fall '65. They had signed numerous local bands, such as the Great Society with Grace Slick, and seemed very tapped in to local happenings. They also opened a club at 430 Broadway in San Francisco, amongst the local topless joints. Mother's has been recognized as the first "psychedelic" nightclub, but I think it was mainly for the decor. The usual Broadway lounge acts were booked there, along with a few rock bands, including the Lovin Spoonful. Rhoney Stanley describes going to Mother's in her book, but the context is a bit fuzzy. 

Donahue and Mitchell must have heard about the In Room, since they recorded a Warlocks demo in San Francisco on November 3. The tape is now legendary, of course, but while The Warlocks showed promise, they were still an inexperienced rock band somewhere in between the style of the Beatles and the Stones. Autumn Records passed on the band. Within a few months, Autumn would go bankrupt, and their master recordings would be sold off to Warner Brothers.

 

The last sign of the In Room was an ad for a New Year's Eve party, with the band Group Therapy.  The Chalet itself closed shortly afterwards. In January, the San Mateo Times reported that Chalet owner Phil Martinelli was going to start a "Teen Club" at the site selling memberships and putting on dances on weekends. In fact, versions of this business model were tried out up and down El Camino throughout 1966, but this one failed pretty quickly.

April 11, 1966 Redwood City Tribune

A headline in the April 11, 1966 Redwood City Tribune exclaimed "Teen Club Closing Asked By Neighbors." The owners and tenants of the two office buildings next to the Chalet petitioned the Belmont City Council to revoke the permit of the Chalet Teen Club due to vandalism. It must have happened, since the club was closed shortly afterwards.

August 13, 1966 San Mateo Times

By August, a headline in the San Mateo Times said "Debris-Ridden Chalet 'Filthy,'" with a picture of the derelict club. At this point, 635 Old County Road truly was on the wrong side of the tracks. Soon there was no sign of the Chalet building. The Madison Apartments, at 649 Old County Road, first appears in listings in 1968. The Madison Apartments remain on the site.

The railroad has changed hands over the decades as well. I do not know if the Caution: Do Not Stop On Tracks sign is original.

April 21, 1965 San Mateo Times, listing the marriage license issued to Ralph N. Silva, 23, of Millbrae, and Leslie J. Renta, 20 of San Mateo.

Appendix 1: Ralph Silva
I know almost nothing about Ralph Silva, but searching "Ralph Silva" gave me some links, so I'm assuming the "Ralph Silva" from Peninsula newspapers is the same one. If anyone knows better, please hit up the Comments and I will add to or change anything I've written here. 

The April 21, 1965 San Mateo Times lists marriage licenses, and includes "Silva-Renta--Ralph N. Silva, 23, of Millbrae and Leslie J. Renta, 20 of San Mateo." Millbrae was two towns North of Belmont, and up the hill a little bit. One has to wonder if Leslie Renta was the same Leslie who had demonstrated the Bay Area's leading dance crazes when the In Room opened. I am going with "pretty likely."

The February 21, 1964 San Mateo Times also includes a notice for the wedding of Thomas Coster of San Bruno, and Ralph Silva is listed as an usher. Those who know too much will recognize the organist later made famous in Santana (who also played with Loading Zone, Larry Coryell, Steve Kimock and many other fine artists). San Bruno is the next town North of Millbrae, so this suggests that young Ralph Silva was a music guy early on. 

January 7, 1966 San Mateo Times

The January 7, 1966 San Mateo Times has a brief note that "Bob Mitchell and Ralph Silva, former owners of "Mother's" in San Francisco, have opened up a new night club in Redwood City called The Nu Beat." Bobby Mitchell and Tom Donahue's "Mother's" club was at 430 Broadway, and history has marked it as the City's first "psychedelic" night club. If Silva was a co-owner, it seems logical that as a young man partnering with two busy radio station djs, Silva probably actually ran the club for Mitchell and Donahue. The Nu Beat was 1836 El Camino Real in Redwood City (between Belmont and Palo Alto). The address was near "Five-Points," where Woodside Road intersected with El Camino Real.

Starting with the Morocco Room and the Beau Brummels, El Camino Real seemed like a ripe location for a rock and roll explosion. The In Room would have been the second rock joint on the boulevard, started by the proprietor of the first one. Fall '65 saw the Cinammon Tree in San Carlos (at 900 American Way, near El Camino), and the Tiger A-Go-Go in Burlingame, near SFO. By 1966, it was followed by the Big Beat in Palo Alto (on San Antonio Road), the Nu Beat in Redwood City (which was later the Spectrum) and The Trip in San Mateo (at 4301 El Camino). Note that the Nu Beat opening features acts from Autumn Records, including the Mojo Men and the Beau Brummels, and "Leslie, Our Go-Go Girl," most likely Mrs. Silva. 

When Mitchell and Donahue's businesses went bankrupt, the Nu-Beat seems to have become The Spectrum, and probably changed owners. One of the bands that played The Spectrum was Luminous Marsh Gas, a somewhat more psychedelic version of The Frantics. Ken Kesey gave them their name. Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson were in the band, along with organist Chuck Schoning, joined by singer Denise Kaufmann, soon to lead The Ace Of Cups.

Appendix 2: 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA
The Belmont Casino, 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA (circa 1959)
As near as I can figure out, the Chalet was originally called the Belmont Casino, and seems to have opened about 1959. I don't know if the building was new or remodeled. Presumably, no gambling was allowed. I believe the "Casino" name invoked Las Vegas, however. I'm not sure if there was initially entertainment or not. Old County Road was the former main road, on the opposite side of the train tracks from El Camino Real. Thus the location was broadly part of the El Camino Real "strip," but not on the boulevard itself (as noted above, the train tracks would turn out to play a role in the conversion of the Warlocks to the Grateful Dead).

San Mateo Times, October 27, 1954

[update 20230529] Exceptional researcher and friend-of-the-blog David Kramer-Smyth found that the Belmont Casino opened on October 27, 1954. The featured act was The Pratt Brothers Quartet.

From 1959 onwards, there were various mentions of events at the Chalet such as Singles Club dances. For example "The Peninsula Guys And Dolls Club," a club exclusively for divorced people, announced that it had expanded its membership to include widows and widowers (bonus points if you figure out the connection). The Peninsula Guys And Dolls Club held a private dance on a Tuesday night, when the Casino was closed. The Casino's draw on the El Camino was thus established early on.

The March 8, 1963 San Mateo Times announced the opening of Phil Martinelli's Steak Pit restaurant at the historic Chalet, 635 County Road, Belmont (San Mateo was one town South of Belmont)

The Swiss Chalet, 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA (circa 1962)
The Belmont Casino was re-named to The Swiss Chalet, or sometimes just The Chalet, around 1962. By 1963, it principally advertised as a Steak restaurant, with a heavy emphasis of the "steak pit" on the premises. Steaks were the height of luxury dining in 1963 California, and the "Steak Pit" presumably allowed diners to see their dinner being cooked, instead of just kept in a freezer somewhere. The Chalet advertised itself as a family restaurant, and encouraged diners to bring their kids. By 1964, The Chalet advertised "Phil Martinelli's Steak Pit." Martinelli also had Steak Pit restaurants in other cities on the Peninsula. 

The Chalet continued to hold various private dances, presumably in an adjacent room. I assume the financial draw was that many of the attendees had dinner or drinks at the Steak Pit. I also assume that the adjunct building was later converted into the In Room.