'70s rockers reunite for benefit concert

The beat goes on for sons of two Brainchild members. The teens have formed their own band and will play at their fathers' reunion concert.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Drummer John Sferra was exuberant as he recapped Glass Harp's recent, popular reunion concerts in Youngstown for an old friend, Bill Bodine.
It stirred something in Bodine's rock 'n' roll soul.
"It sounded like a wonderful thing to do, to play music that hadn't been played in a long time," said Bodine, a founding member of local super group Brainchild.
Wistfulness gave way to will. Now the musicians -- all eight, including two who replaced original members -- are rehearsing for Brainchild's first concert in 30 years. The "Heavier Than Ever Tour," a benefit for Youngstown State University's Rich Center for Autism, will be Saturday at Yankee Lake Ballroom in Brookfield.
Brainchild existed from 1969 to 1972. That was an active era in local music, highlighted by bands such as Glass Harp and Left End. It was also the beginning of an eclectic national music scene that was defined by the likes of Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, the Beatles and Elton John.
Traits
"Brainchild was known for being really good musicians," Bodine said from his office in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
"Unpredictable," chimed in bandmate Dan Marshall, now a professor of education at Penn State University.
"Really crazy and fun onstage," Bodine added.
Brainchild graduated from local clubs such as The Apartment, Gazebo Room and Varsity Club to working with Sly and the Family Stone, Three Dog Night and Ted Nugent, among others. "By 1972 it was unusual for us to even play in Youngstown," Marshall said.
You won't find any Brainchild albums on eBay. None was recorded. That was a contributing factor to the band's breakup.
"We weren't developed writers; we were budding writers," Bodine said. "It kept us from signing a deal. We could play anything, but writing was not yet our fort & eacute;."
"We also didn't have a clearly definable style," Marshall said. "And we weren't willing to just sign [a contract]." Brainchild had worked without a producer, manager or signing on with one talent agency, in an effort to control its destiny. "In the end, we didn't," Marshall added.
Stayed in touch
Brainchild may have run its course, but contact among the musicians continued.
Marshall, who played keyboards, left the band and moved to California, where he took a job in a musical instrument factory. Bodine, a bass player, and vocalist Joe Pizzulo drove there in January 1974 and first stayed with Marshall and his cousin.
Bodine found so much performance work in California that he called guitarist Larry Paxton and encouraged him to move there. Paxton heeded his advice, stayed with Bodine for a while, and eventually relocated to Nashville. That's where Paxton bumped into John Grazier, who had become a session drummer, Bodine said.
Dave Freeland, drummer and vocalist, also spent time in Nashville, Marshall said.
Ronnie Lee Cunningham, keyboard and bass player, became a Californian, and Bodine saw him from time to time.
"Whenever we were in Youngstown, we could see Odie Crook, who was singing in a band somewhere," Bodine added.
Brainchild alumni have made hundreds of recording and stage appearances with many musical stars. Four of them (Bodine, Pizzulo, Cunningham and Paxton) are still in the business.
Discussions
Reunion discussions began last fall, while Bodine was in Nashville working with songwriter and Liberty native Bob DiPiero. Bodine decided to call Paxton and make a pitch. "Paxton, amazingly, was open to it," Bodine said.
The next hardest sell, in Bodine's opinion, was Marshall. After he agreed, the rest "started to tumble like bowling pins," Bodine said.
Marshall had one stipulation, however: that there was a cause to go with the concert. Bodine found it when he ran into a longtime friend, Geri Kosar, a founder of the Rich Center. Autistic children receive intensive training there. It's also a source of research and support for families and working professionals.
The reunion wouldn't be happening if Brainchild's musical bond weren't intact.
Marshall finds it interesting that all eight musicians will be onstage as a unit, not as early Brainchild and the later version. Some of the men really don't know each other, he said.
After rehearsing on their own for months, they're coming together here this week "to get tight and get good," Marshall said.
As he's been writing, arranging and producing songs, Bodine has reminisced about where he learned "the integrity of this type of music," he said. "So much of that happened in this band. ... I do savor the opportunity to acknowledge how much it means to me, how much it continues to mean to me" as a musician and writer.
Guests
Special guests Saturday will be Youngstown natives Maureen Collins and her accompanist, Tom Manche, who once was Bodine's bandmate; Jim Gerlach; Rick Young; and Beth Andersen, Bodine's wife, who has worked with Joe Cocker as well as her own band, Barely Urbana.
When Brainchild takes intermission, rock music will be performed by Linear A of Los Angeles. Founders are Bodine and Pizzulo's teenage sons, Billy and Giuliano. They've played at the Roxy and Whisky A Go Go, Bodine noted.
Unlike Glass Harp, now recording a studio album, Marshall says the Brainchild reunion is a one-time occurrence for him. Planning the concert has been fun but time-consuming. "Hell, I could have written a book," he said.
Bodine agrees that once is enough. "Oh yeah, I just want to visit and say 'hi'," he said.
shaulis@vindy.com