Weba and the Wailing Turbans

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WEBA & THE WAILING TURBANS: Music (1989-1990)

Selected songs available for download NOW on Bandcamp!!

promo photo by Nathan Stein for the first version of the show presented and the first Largo

promo photo by Nathan Stein for the first version of the show presented and the first Largo

Featuring: Weba Garretson, Keith Joe Dick & John Garretson

In “Come to My Heaven” and “Adventure Amour” Keith Joe Dick and my brother, John Garretson, were the original Wailing Turbans. The idea for the show was loosely based on the road movies with Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour and Bing Crosby. We were exotic, funny. I was also very inspired by Terry Gilliam’s movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and I created painted backdrops for each song. I wanted the show to have this old fashioned, theatrical feeling.

Keith and John wore turbans that had a cup with dry ice placed inside so that when they entered, smoke would cascade down from the top of their turbans. We would go from one exotic local to the next: a tropical island, the planet Venus, the city of Venice…and with each transition, a new backdrop (painted by my sister-in-law Sarah Todd Garretson) would descend from the “rafters.” All this took place in the tiny club Largo on Fairfax. The two shows: “Come to My Heaven” and “Adventure Amour” ran for several months each with much popular and critical success.

Before Adventure Amour one of the Turbans was replaced by Jeff Oetjen Pictured here:

with Jeff Oetjin. the show was titled Adventure Amour and was also presented at the first Largo

with Jeff Oetjin. the show was titled Adventure Amour and was also presented at the first Largo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the turbans also performed at the Japan American Theater (Los Angeles, CA), the Santa Monica Museum of Art (Santa Monica, CA) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA)

The Big Butt Cassette Cover

Artwork for Big Butt and I’ll Show You My New Bra by Carl Smool

Prior to the Wailing Turbans, Weba was performing various shows in LA Clubs and had developed the novelty songs “Big Butt” and “I’ll Show You My New Bra” She created a limited edition cassette release of these songs with woodcut art created by Seattle Artist Carl Smool who was an old friend of her husband Mark.