Genoa was Greg Asbury drums and vocals, Jeff Asbury guitar vocals and flute, Tom Bringle lead guitar vocals, Steve Foster Bass and Pat Scandalis Guitar.

Genoa was the first gigging band that I played with. During my senior year (1976) Jeff Asbury and I started to hang out a bit. Jeff taught me how to finger pick. I'm not sure how Genoa got together. I seem to recall some rehearsals before school got out. I also remember that we used to have a keyboard player named Mike Valentine and that we would rehearse in his garage. I think that the name Genoa came from something that Jeff and Greg saw on a toy train in Mike's garage.

Here is the story that Tom Bringle recently told me about how Genoa Formed:

TOM: 90% of this is probly accurate: Greg, Mike V, Jeffy, Greg West, me and bro' Jeff got together somehow (school, their church or our moms, I can't 'member) as Sierra. Mike, Jeffy and West decided it wasn't for them so we picked up Mr. Ravell, John Pillow (!) and Rex Fritz. Bear with me... Rex and John left, leaving the classic Sierra lineup. Then Jeff and Fred quit & Jeffy came back on. I think we also had Steve Foster then. Valentine was still in and out and I think it was at that point we asked you to come by his house to jam. I remember that rehearsal also. 3 guitars was so cool. Then Mikey split and we were Genoa.

I recall that we had our first gig in the Mission Plaza San Luis Obispo.

I think that Greg did a most of the work to get us gigs, and coordinate everything. I learned the ropes of how a gigging band operated from playing in Genoa. When I listen to the tapes now, there are two things that really jump out at me. One is that its pretty amazing that Greg is doing most of the vocals and drumming at the same time. The other is that Tom's Guitar playing was really good. I can't think of the last time that I've heard a 17 year old guitar player that played as well as he did.

Here are some of the photos and material that I had in my scrap books.

• Genoa Posters
• Genoa Mission Plaza, San Luis Obispo (Nov 20, 1976)
• Genoa UCSB (Feb 12, 1977)
• Set Lists (Covers from Tom Bringle's Tape Collection)

 

Genoa playing at San Luis Obispo High School, June 1977 Greg Asbury, Pat Scandalis, Steve Foster
and Tom Bringle. I'm playing my ES-175 for the first time here. I'd bought it from my
teacher (Jerry Coelho) just a few hours before this gig. (I seem to recall that
Mrs. Asbury took this photo. Tom passed a copy to me in Feb, 2002)

 

My gig suitcase (photographed February 2002)