The Woodrose Presents MC5
Item #4644
Deerfeld, MA: Woodrose Ballroom, 1970. 10 1⁄2 x 17 in. Offset poster. With bent
bottom right corner and small open tear to the top right. Missing top left corner.
Nevertheless in very good condition.
The Woodrose Ballroom was a former roller skating rink turned concert venue in
Deerfeld, Massachusetts that hosted numerous legendary musicians from the
late 1960s and 1970s, including The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, J. Geils
Band, Iggy Pop and many others. This poster is for a show the MC5 performed
at the Woodrose alongside Slag and Vale, with a light show from Captain Video
on February 6th, 1970.
MC5 was a Detroit rock band known for energetic, loud, and politically charged
songs, which proved incredibly influential on nascent punk music. Their sound
was influenced by garage rock, blues, R&B, and psychedelic rock. Founded by
guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith, the two joined their separate bands
together and enlisted Rob Derminer as a front man. Their name was short for
Motor City Five; referencing their home city. Along with Marxism and the Beat
generation, MC5 was deeply affected by the Black Panthers, whose influence
would push them into an active involvement with the White Panther movement.
Much of this occurred under the management of John Sinclair, poet and founder
of the White Panther Party. The band released three studio albums, followed by
numerous compilations and live recordings.
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