The Nonstop
From The Secret History of the Cedar Valley
History
THE NONSTOP was a Rockabilly band, dedicated to an authentic and spirited presentation of the early roots of American rock n' roll music. Scott, Kip and Ed had previously worked together as the rhythm section of Ziploc And The Incredible Sandwich Boys.
Their repertoire drew from the classic Rockabilly artists of the late 1950's as well as many artists of the Rockabilly revival that was thriving in the early to mid 80's. Adding to their authenticity, Skibo played an upright bass that took as much room in the equipment truck as another guy – it became known as “Big Joe”, the band's fifth member.
They were well received in college towns, but when venturing into Iowa’s agricultural and blue collar communities, audiences reacted as if the band had come from Mars!
The Nonstop was a talented group with a dedicated following, but unfortunately not prolific song writers. They recorded two demo sessions at Catamount Studio in Cedar Falls and also were recorded while broadcasting live on KUNI Radio.
An interesting side-note in the history of The Nonstop is that in 1984, together with The Blue Band, they were the first rock n’ roll act to perform at the annual Sturgis Falls Days Celebration in Cedar Falls. What should have been no big deal actually turned out to be a matter of contention and controversy.
Prior to 1984, the only bands entertaining at Sturgis Falls Days were of the Dixieland style. Those who organized that aspect had taken it in to their minds that this community event was a “Jass” festival with no provision for alternative musical styles.
When Jay Stoddard booked The Nonstop and The Blue Band to perform, the Dixie organizers went ballistic. They fought to keep rock n’ roll out of the event and made outrageous claims that rock n roll would attract criminal “biker gangs” and would turn the weekend in to some kind of out-of-control hippy festival.
But Stoddard didn’t back down, he moved forward with an alternative music venue for Sturgis Falls Days. The Dixie organizers did however succeed in getting the rock n’ roll stage placed at the furthest point away from the Ice House, at the northern most edge of Island Park, next to the tree line.
A flat-bed trailer bed with no canopy and no shade was supplied as a stage. By the time The Nonstop was set-up and tuned-up to play on that hot and sunny afternoon, a crowd of nearly a thousand people were ready to rock! Amazingly, the city was not ruthlessly plundered by criminal biker gangs. In spite of that disappointment, a good time was had by all.
Band Members
- Eddie “Scott” Esbeck - Guitar & vocals
- Al “Bufonse” Schares - Guitar & vocals
- Kip “Ski-Bo” Powell - bass & vocals
- Ed Flack - drums & vocals
- Al Heires - sound
Photos
 Live at Steb's |
