New Wing

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Origin: Edmonton, Alberta, 🇨🇦
Biography:

The New Wing
Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, The New Wing evolved from a Canadian garage-pop group known locally as The Sons of Adam - not to be confused with the more famous L.A. band of the same name. When the group relocated to California in the late 1960s, they were forced to adopt a new name due to the existing claim, and thus became The New Wing. The group had earlier included guitarist John Ede, who departed prior to their recordings with Gary Paxton.

Fronted by singer Davy Peters, the band also featured:

Henry La Liberte: guitar, vocals
Al Wilson: keyboards, vocals
Doug Policha: bass, vocals
Leonard Saidman: drums, vocals

Their first single on Pentacle Records (a Gary Paxton-run label under his Bakersfield International studio umbrella) was the psych-pop-leaning “The Thinking Animal” b/w “My Petite”, both showcasing a lighter, psychedelic side of the group. That single was written by Ken Johnson, Jerry Ritchey, and Bob Hopps, a songwriting team also responsible for Chocolate Tunnel’s “The Highly Successful Young Rupert White” and “Ostrich People.” The track received modest promotion, including a KRLA Beat ad placed by Pentacle or band rep Pete Manuele.

Their second and more aggressive release in 1968 cemented their reputation as a garage rock outfit: “I Need Love” b/w “Brown Eyed Woman” on Pentacle Records 45-1002. “I Need Love”, written by Al Wilson and Henry La Liberte and produced by The Social Climbers (a Gary Paxton alias), features sharp “mosquito” guitar lines and urgent vocal delivery reminiscent of Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. The B-side, “Brown Eyed Woman”, written by Al Wilson, Henry La Liberte, and Doug Policha and produced by The Social Climbers, is a gritty, hard-edged garage rocker, contrasting the A-side with a raw, scuzzy intensity.

The band made their way to California in a beat-up orange hearse emblazoned with the name “Sons of Adam” in white lettering on both sides. Loaded with instruments and attitude, they headed south for the promised land of Los Angeles. Legend has it the engine blew outside of Bakersfield in a cloud of smoke as they neared the studio, forcing an improvised finish to their journey. They eventually recorded at Paxton’s converted Bank of America building, which doubled as his Bakersfield recording studio.

Gary Paxton’s involvement in this release is notable; while The New Wing were the only known garage act on Pentacle, Paxton also recorded similar groups for his other imprints, including Churchill Downs on Amazing 3 and others via his publishing arms, Garpax and Maverick.

Despite a brief recording career, The New Wing stand as a fascinating cross-border garage rock anomaly—Canadian expats navigating the West Coast scene under the guidance of one of California’s most eccentric producers.
-Robert Williston