Streetlamp Halos

 

Peter Cohen and Uri Arenberg met in middle school in Newark, New Jersey in 1956.  Seemingly old beyond their years, they shared a love of the new vocal pop and quickly formed a musical act called Heckle & Jeckle.  In 1964, they changed their name to Streetlamp Halos and, for the next seven years, they never really stopped--despite developing a very deep, almost visceral antipathy toward each other.  

Cohen was a prodigious songwriter, and Arenberg had an unusual, vibrato-laden high tenor voice that perfectly complemented the material.  In addition to several chart hits, the duo even scored the soundtrack to ae seminal 1968 counterculture film ("The Reluctant MBA Student").  

The duo was on the outs in 1970 when California promoter D. J. Hugh approached their manager about a headlining slot at the upcoming PLUS Fest in San Bartolomeo.  The manager convinced the duo to "give the crowd what it wants" and their combined egos were strong enough to temporarily ignore their differences.  They put on a stellar performance at the festival, including the now-classic live rendition of the title song to their latest (and last) album and their unexpected radio hit "The Fencer."

The duo broke up three weeks after PLUS Fest.  Cohen had considerable commercial success in the '70s and '80s, while Arenberg focused on reading all of the Narnia books.  The duo unexpectedly reformed in 1982 for an outdoor performance at Newark Main Park, attracting an overflow crowd of 5,100.