StationWagon’s founding members were friends before we ever played in a band. The band changed names (and personnel) over the years, but deep friendship has always been at our core. Here’s a brief history.
One of our first incarnations was as Dead Pig, which featured the guitar wizardry of Mike Otten (aka Trippy aka many other names). Trippy’s virtuosity inspired the Pig to master the art of hour-long, three-chord, Hendrix-inspired jams.
The Pig, and other pre-Wagon versions of the band, played a few small parties now and then, but the biggest gigs occurred in Union Square. Playing to tourists, shoppers, and assorted riff-raff, the Pig blazed through the loudest sets ever experienced on the streets of San Francisco.
Known for a short time as Planet of the Apes, we played a mix of covers and originals before becoming a full-time cover band. Did you know? Brian, our front man for this incarnation of the band, came up with the name StationWagon.
One memorable early gig saw us play (as a band without a name) at the holiday party for our friend Dave’s company. Band members for the evening included the incomparable Johnny B. Ryan on drums. This gig will forever go down in StationWagon lore as the show where a former Olympic gold-medal-winning figure skater graced our dancefloor.
Some might say that StationWagon hit its stride in the early 2000s, playing parties, clubs, weddings, fundraisers, and any other gigs we could land.
After a long hiatus, StationWagon reformed for three special birthday bashes.
In 2019, a small StationWagon crew rolled out of the garage to rock a retirement party. So, there’s no telling where or when the band will show up next.
Huge thanks to everyone who’s been part of StationWagon over the years.
