claudepate.com FAQs (frequently-asked questions)

Claude Pate is the name of a band that existed in the early 1980's. It started out as two guys (drummer and guitar player) that wanted to just jam on some songs for fun. This was done between the elevators on the seventh floor of Knapp Hall, a dormitory on the campus of Iowa State University. Long story short, Claude Pate found a bass player, which resulted in Claude Pate Version 1.0. After a short year the bass player had to leave school and a search was on for another bass player. The drummer recruited his best friend from high school to play bass. Then the result was Claude Pate Version 2.0. Then the drummer (for which the author of the FAQ does not remember) needed to leave the band. Which resulted in finding a drummer that was a music major. The result was Claude Pate Version 3.0. It was this version that the band started to tour and make records under the independent record label, Pravda Records. Version 3.0 existed for a couple of years, then folded and the members went their separate ways. The members of Version 2.0 and 3.0 remain friends and keep in touch through email, this website and the occasional phone call.

Yes, there was a reunion. It was held in May of 2003. (Around Memorial Day, if I remember correctly.) Members from versions 2.0 and 3.0 got together for a one night show.

Howdy, tl (whoever you are):

The reunion was held on May 24th, 2003, in Ames, IA. Specifically, it was held at People's Bar & Grill (formerly People's Drug) at the corner of Welch and Lincoln.

I believe the consensus of the attendees was that the reunion went about as well as could be expected. Ron Hahm played drums for the first set of older material; Jon Hahn drummed for the second and third sets of later Pate and All the Fixin's tunes. The guys managed to knock off most all of whatever rust there was in a single practice on the 23rd. If you take a gander at the reunion photos in the Gallery (and I must get around to adding some more of those...) I think you'll see that it looked pretty much like the Pate concerts of yore, except that everyone looks a little older, and some have kids who weren't born then.

Indeed, the reunion was also successful on the level of old college chums getting reacquainted, getting to meet kids and parents, etc. There was a barbeque/picnic in the park during the afternoon that was fairly-well attended, as was the concert afterparty at Perkins.

There was talk of having another reunion this past Memorial Day weekend, but Jon Pratt's work commitments precluded it. AFAIK, there are no current plans for a reunion, but claudepate.com is one of the first places you'll hear any news on that front!

Thanks for asking,
KB (Karl Bade)

Coming up with a name for the band is probably the hardest thing to do.  It is harder than learning how to play Adrian Belew's, "Momur".  The name Claude Pate originated from the old english word clodpate.  Which is another way of saying block head.  Jon Pratt's friend said, "That is a clodpate thing to do."  He thought that was a great name for a band.  Jon had presented this to the band, we thought it would be better to make it into an actual name (in the Lynard Skynard tradition).  So, Claude Pate was born.

(Maybe if I get time I may embellish this story some more, but I am getting old and this is as best as I can remember it.)

No. You would think as a veteran of the business, Sir Paul would not have to float these sorts of rumors to fill a stadium.