Father Yod and the Spirit of '76

Biography

Father Yod And The Spirit Of '76 represents Father Yod's first step into music, just before the Ya Ho Wha 13. They released three albums during the first half of the 70's: Kohoutek (1973), Contraction (1974), Expansion (1974) and All Or Nothing At All (1974). All albums have been published in Hollywood (at the Father house garage). In itself, the music delivers an explosive fuzzed out krautrockin' trip, including a lot of psych improvs, odd vocals, groovy-sensual moves and primordial-beatific at...

Father Yod And The Spirit Of '76 represents Father Yod's first step into music, just before the Ya Ho Wha 13. They released three albums during the first half of the 70's: Kohoutek (1973), Contraction (1974), Expansion (1974) and All Or Nothing At All (1974). All albums have been published in Hollywood (at the Father house garage). In itself, the music delivers an explosive fuzzed out krautrockin' trip, including a lot of psych improvs, odd vocals, groovy-sensual moves and primordial-beatific atmospheres.

members:
Ya Ho Wha - vocals, kettle drum, gong
Pythias - lead guitar
Djin - rhythm guitar
Sunflower - bass
Octavius - drums

The Source family came into existence in the late 60s, after James Edward Baker left Yogi Bhajan and created his own philosophy based on Western mystery tradition. Changing his name to Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha, Baker became the patriarch to a commune of young people who considered him their spiritual father. The community lived in two spheres. During the day they moved among the Los Angeles elite, serving organic food to celebrities at their acclaimed Source Restaurant, but back home in their Hollywood Hills mansion, the family explored the metaphysical world and experimented as Father Yod And The Spirit Of '76, Children of the Sixth Root Race, Ya Ho Wha 13, Fire, Water, Air, Yodship (with the key players - Djin on rhythm guitar, Octavious on drums, Sunflower on bass, Pythias on lead guitar).

The Source family bands recorded more than 12 LP's (+3 unreleased in time), and demonstrated their extreme psychedelic sound with tribal drums and distorted guitars, mostly unrehearsed and completely unedited. Members of The Source Family, a communal religious group living in the Hollywood Hills in the early 1970's, decided to fuse their musical talents and spirituality by forming an improvisational, psychedelic music group. They began to make LP's in 1973, all of which were recorded after hours of meditation at 3-6 AM in a soundproofed garage that served as the musicians’ studio in the family's communal residence. All of the records with Father Yod’s participation were mostly improvised, with few rehearsals or overdubs. Most of the albums were small-press runs, with only 500 to 1000 copies made under the Higher Key Records imprint. They were sold to the general public in Father Yod’s wildly popular vegetarian Source Restaurant for $1 each. Though only 12 LP's were produced and released, it is rumored that more than 65 albums were recorded by the group and have since been destroyed.

As Father Yod And The Spirit Of ‘76:
-Kohoutek(1973), Contraction (1974), Expansion (1974), All Or Nothing At All (1974).

As Children of the Sixth Root Race (without Father Yod):
-Songs From The Source (1973 / 2008)

As Ya Ho Wha 13:
- Ya Ho Wha 13 (1974), Savage Sons Of Ya Ho Wa 13 (1974), Penetration: An Aquarian Symphony (1974), I’m Gonna Take You Home (1974), To the Principles, For the Children (1974), Magnificence In The Memory (1974 / 2009), The Operetta (1975 / 2005).

After Father Yod / Ya Ho Wha’s hang-gliding accident and death in 1975, the band mostly dissolved, though many of the members continue to make music.

as Fire, Water, Air:
- Golden Sunrise (1977) - The first recording after Father Yod’s death and the first featured appearance of Arelich (Sky Saxon of The Seeds).

as Yodship:
- Yodship Suite Pt's 1, 2, & 3 (1977) – The last Ya Ho Wha-related album to be released. The record was a private pressing and the specific family members involved are unknown.

Today the original recordings of all incarnations of Ya Ho Wha 13 are now very rare and valued highly by music collectors, with some LP's priced around $1000.

Sky Saxon, singer of the seminal garage band The Seeds and a Source family member still devoted to the teachings of Ya Ho Wha, collaborated with Japanese label Captain Trip in 1998 and produced a deluxe 13 CD box set entitled "God and Hair", including the original Source Family records and some unreleased material.

Now, musicians Djin, Sunflower, Octavius, and Pythias started making music as Ya Ho Wha 13 again. They already released - The Feather Of Wisdom (2007), Sonic Portation (2008). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.