MATT FARRAR REMEMBERS .......

Starting from the beginning ...

"Hi, My name is Matt, I would like to correct a few things about the Chayns from San Antonio. First off, Wayne Gustafson was an original founding member of this great group. Wayne and I met while he was working as the night watchman for a swim club behind the apartment complex that my parents and I lived in. I used to visit with him all night long and help clean the pool . We started discussing forming a band in the summer of '66 ( if memory serves). He would bring his guitar (an acoustic) and he and I would play and sing (after the work was done). Wayne was a student at Sam Houston High School, and his friends, Miles Wells and Edleman, were also from Sam Houston High. Wayne and I came up with the name "The Chaynes" for the group, being southsiders, we were accustomed to a little rough living and the name Chaynes was created because we were going to wear Beatle Boots with a dog chain around our ankle. The idea was that we could use the sound of the chains in our music, as we tapped our feet to the beat, or danced around on stage. It also reflected that we were southsiders and ready for a fight. (Get it?) The spelling had the obligatory "Y" that represented the revolutionary spirit of psychodelic music. I was never granted an official membership in the band, as they wanted me to play keys and my parents weren't about to put out that kind of money on me to have fun. Anyway, as I remember it, at least three members of the group were from Sam Houston High, the drummer was from Oliver Wendell Holmes High. The band did change membership through the years, they recorded for IA (Leland's lbl out of Houston, but recordings were done and pressings were done at TNT Studio's in SA; thanks to Mr. Bob Tanner, a man who should be well remembered by anyone in the music business in South Texas.) The Teen Canteen was owned by Sam Kinsey, and he was also the Teenage Musician Association, so most SA bands were members of his organization and were booked by him. I did make several appearances with the Chaynes, different Catholic school dances that they played, at one particular gig, They had forgotten the mike-stand, and I ended up holding the mike for Myles as he played guitar and sang, I wa known as the "singing mike-stand" after that night. Another time, at an Incarnate Word High School dance, I was invited up, sang a little with the band and helped to hang Myles upside-down on the basketball hoop as he wailed away on lead.
Wayne played rhythm guitar. I later was lead singer in several bands, including the Undecided Mynd, which included a 15 year old Jimmy Spacek on lead, and he was killer. This band played as the Official Friendship Band of HemisFair '68. We opened for most the groups who played Project Y, and we played in several different locations around the fair. We had a group of kids called the Friendship Corp, and they would start dancing as we played to encourage visitors to join in. It was a great year!We never recorded but we did play all across the area. My singing career was cut short by an invitaion to protect my nation in '69, but every chance I get, I form some kind of group to play special events. Last one was for my 35 High School reunion. I graduated from Central Catholic H.S. in '67. I attended San Antonio College and hung out in the Fine Arts area where most the other band members from SA hung out.(McFarland Building) Some of the forgotten groups I played with were, The Breakaways, we did surf covers, Thee Eyndd, we began to delve into the new punk and psych scene, and the Undecided Mynd, Spacek played Hendrix covers like a pro. Members from these bands included Stanley Teel, Brenden Fluitt, Terry Thompson, Yankee and Ronnie Coleman, Wayne Goertz, me Matt Farrar, and Jimmy Spacek. Stanley stills kicks on bass and guitar, Jimmy is a living legend in blues guitar, I still sing up a storm, play a little rythm guitar, drums, harmonica. I own a record shop in SA at Windsor Park Mall Bazaar, I still see Jimmy and Stan occassionally. Hope I was helpful to your list, may add some more info later concerning Bubble Puppy, Sweet Smoke, The Mysterians(not Sam Samudio's group)".

- Matt G Farrar - May, 2003