The Lehigh University fraternity house group, The Shrooms, (a precursor to the group, The Progressive Shamanists) performed at the Catacombs in the basement of Packard Chappel, Lehigh Unverisity, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 28, 1981. The band opened with the Who song, I Can't Explain, to a packed audience of approximately one hundred spectators jammed into the small space. As the group formed in late November, 1980, the band members, Jim Jordan (percussion), Keith Swanson (bass guitar, vocals), Huw Roberts (guitar), Scott Keller (vocals) and Greg Pichler (guitar, vocals), vigorously practiced in the basement of the Annex at 216 Warren Square over the course of the Spring semester of 1981.

The Shrooms' performance at the Catacombs on Saturday, March 28, 1981 was the group's first such performance and was one of two with Huw Roberts as regular member of the group. In the case of Huw Roberts, Roberts transferred out of Lehigh University at the conclusion of the Spring semeber of 1981.

The performance at the Catacombs was in the contemporaneous words of percussionist, Jim Jordan, class of 1982 alumni, "an assault of the senses".

The group's more respectable renditions include I can't Explain // Summertime Blues (K Townend), Brown Sugar (Mic Jagger, Keith Richards), Nine to Five (E Lefcowitz), Twenty-One Years (GE Pichler), and Head Over Heals (Kevin Keagan).

Although Scott Keller was the group's lead vocalist, Pichler assumed the lead vocal duties on one of the songs he originally composed, namely Hey Lis'.

Huw Roberts; circa 1981.

Promotion

Michelle, a host on WLVR, promoted the upcoming performance of the Shrooms at the Catacombs over campus radio in her interview with Andrew. [1]

Journlists, Anne Fitzpatrick and Kathy Benner, of the The University student newpaper, the Brown and White, mention the event in the weekender section in the March 10, 1981 edition of the paper. [2] The journalists had mis reported the day of the week of the performance.

Huw Roberts created the artwork behind the advertisement for the performance on Saturday, March 28, 1981. [3]

Music Contributions

The following contributions were applied to the music video:

• Jim Jordan: percussion
• Keith Swanson: bass guitar, vocals
• Huw Roberts: guitar
• Greg Pichler: guitar, vocals
• Scott Keller: vocals, ** percussion

The list of songs from the performance in the order the group performed it includes:

1. 00:00:02 (Track 1) I Can't Explain // Summertime Blues** (K Townsend)
2. 00:05:12 (Track 2) Good Times Bad Times (Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page)
3. 00:07:52 (Track 3) Brown Sugar (Mic Jagger, Keith Richards)
4. 00:11:07 (Track 4) Nine To Five (E Lefcowitz)
5. 00:14:08 (Track 5) Hey Lis'** (GE Pichler)
6. 00:18:56 (Track 6) Twenty-One Years (GE Pichler)
7. 00:27:45 (Track 7) Teacher (Jethro Tull)
8. 00:31:35 (Track 8) My Girl (GE Pichler)
9. 00:35:22 (Track 9) Johnny B Goode (Chuck Berry)
10. 00:39:38 (Track 10) Head Over Heels (Kevin Keagan)

more information

[1] WLVR Radio Announcement of the Shrooms appearance at the Catacombs on Saturday, March 28, 1981.
[2] Fitzgerald and Benner's article in the Lehigh University's Brown and White, dated March 10, 1981
[3] Catacombs Performance Advertisement, dated Saturday, March 28, 1981