The Rave Ons: We are a audience pleasing rock n' roll dance band. Over the last 45 years, we have been home to many great local musicians. Some who have gone on to great levels of success & achievement. 1963. The Rave-Ons smiling faces include Lonnie Knight, Dick Wiegand, Larry Wiegand, and Skip Novacs 1965 Harry Nehls left the Crestmen to join the Rave Ons Lonnie left the band to join Jokers Wild. Dave Wagner & KInk Middlemist left Jokers Wild to join the Rave Ons   Harry left the band to join TC Atlantic. Dennis Craswell left the Castaways to join the band. Now we have CROW   2002 The Rave Ons rockin' The Medina Entertainment Center. Dick Wiegand, Lonnie Knight, Dave Hesse, Terry Ahlstrom, Larry Wiegand, Bill Miller

Fuzz, acid and flowers   has this to say about the RAVE-ONS:

Personnel:
LONNIE KNIGHT gtr
HARRY NEHLS drms
DICK WIEGAND gtr
LARRY WIEGAND bs

ALBUM: 1(-) THE RAVE-ONS (Dove Acetate no #) 1965/66 NB: (1) remains unreleased.

45s: 1 The Line/Baby Don't Love Me (Re-Car 9016) 1965 2 I Want You To Love Me/Everybody Tells Me (Twin Town 702) 1965 3 Whenever/Love Pill (Twin Town 710) 1965

A Richfield, Minnesota group who formed in the early sixties as the Knights. Around 1964 they became The Rave-Ons and embraced the Invasion sounds. They released three quality 45s, mainly original compositions, before breaking up in 1967. Members went on to Jokers Wild, South 40 and T.C. Atlantic.

Dick and Larry Wiegand would achieve success with Crow, releasing four LPs and a pile of 45s. Larry remains an in-demand bassist - in 1996 he worked with the reformed Canoise on their Plugged In CD. Whenever, Love Pill and I Want You To Love Me feature on the mid sixties Bud-Jet label Minneapolis sampler LPs Top Teen Bands Vol. 1 (LP, Top Teen Bands Vol.2 (LP) and Top Teen Bands Vol. 3 (LP) respectively. Baby Don't Love Me is on Root '66 (LP) and an unreleased 1965 Lonnie Knight composition I'll Come Back To You has resurfaced on Project Blue, Vol. 5 (LP).

It has been confirmed by Lonnie Knight that they are NOT the Rave-Ons who feature on several Columbine label LPs including The Now Sounds Of Today (CRH-14) 197?. This was a Hollywood label who specialized in song-poem music and employed the services of mainly local area acts. Any information about the Columbine Rave-Ons would be appreciated. Lonnie Knight had earlier been a founder member of The Castaways. For more information on Lonnie Knight, check his website: http://www.lonnieknight.com

From Radio Rumpus Room 1999 SAVVY SHOW STARTER (always locally recorded!)
Rave-Ons -- Love Pill (Top Teen Bands, Vol.2; Bud-Jet)

The Rave-Ons heralded from Richfield, Minnesota -- a southern suburb of Minneapolis. According to the essential-to-all-Midwest-garage-fans publication "Lost And Found, Vol.3," in '64-'65 they adopted a strong British (i.e., Beatles) influence, even wearing Beatles suits and speaking in British accents at gigs. It reports that in 1965 they got into a contest with the Underbeats to see which band could learn all of "Rubber Soul" first. (The Rave-Ons won.) This song originally appeared in July '65 as the A-side of a Twin Town 45 . We played it off of the second LP of a three-volume compilation of Twin Cities rock bands that was released on the Bud-Jet label in 1965-66.

Radio Rumpus Room 2002

THE RAVE ONS ARE ALWAYS A SAVVY SHOW STARTER!

The Rave-Ons -- Love Pill (Top Teen Bands, Vol. 2; Bud-Jet). The Beatleesque "Love Pill" was released on the Twin Town label in 1965.

Flash! "The original Minneapolis lineup of the Rave-Ons have reunited for a show this Sunday at the Medina Entertainment Center."

 

 

Rave Ons Song List November 2002

A very special thanks to all of the many musicians who have performed in The Fabulous Rave Ons. Some of these great artists include:

Cadillac Sally (The Ventures, The Fendermen, & The Rave Ons), Doni Larson (Underbeats, Gypsy & The Rave Ons), Dave Hesse (Guitar, vocals, harmonica for the current Rave Ons), Tim Beldon (Alphalfa Males), Tim Murray (The Lancers, Slim Hippos, The Rave Ons), Chris Hutton (Bass, vocals, keys for the current Rave Ons), Brian Glasscock (The Motels, The Bee Gees, & The Gods), Denny Craswell (The Origional Castaways & The Origional Crow, & The Origional Rave Ons), Dick Ratcliff (The Citations, G-Spots, & The Rave Ons. Business Manager for the Rave Ons), Jeff Hill, Terry Ahlstrom (Teen King & Drummer for current the Rave Ons),Frosty (One World, The Other Brothers, & The Rave Ons), Jim Melby (Current Guitar, vocals, bass for the current Rave Ons), Glenn Manskie (Boogiemen, The Other Brothers, & The Rave Ons), Garr (Rockin Hollywoods,The Other Brothers, & The Rave Ons), Gerry Francis (The Lancers, The Accents, Joe Juliano, & The Rave Ons), Larry Suess (Keys,vocals, guitar for the current Rave Ons), Mike Waggoner (The Bops), Ace Barton (The Bops), Teen King (Teen King & The Princes), Dave Berget (Stillroven & The Rockin' Hollywoods), Scott Quittem (TJ Kramm Band) Larry Wiegand (Origional Rave Ons, South 40, Origional Crow, Bruce Willis Band 617 Band, The Other Brothers), Dick Wiegand (Origional Rave Ons. South 40, Crow, & G Spots), Robert Wiegand (G Spots), Lonnie Knight (Origional Castaways, Origional Rave Ons, Jokers Wild). Alex, Bill Miller (Accents, Underbeats, Gestures, F Troop, & The Rave Ons), Dick Roby (Origional Castaways, White Sidewalls, The Rave Ons), Dave Malascar (Crow, Cain, Copperhead), Gary Lopac (What, & The Rave Ons), Mike Morden,

Rest in peace Tommy Nystrom & Froggie Nelson),