ˈæftɚ bɹˈiːfli tˈʊɹɹɪŋ wɪððə ɡɹˈuːp æz ɐ pɚkˈʌʃənˌɪst ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti ˈeɪt, kaʊˈɔlski plˈeɪd hɪz fˈɜːst ʃˈoʊ ˌɔn dɹˈʌmz æt ðə bˈɪɡ sˈɜː fˈoʊk fˈɛstɪvəl ɪn mˌɑːntɚɹˈeɪ, kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə ˌɔn ɑːktˈoʊbɚ θɹˈiː, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti, fˈɪlɪŋ ɪn fɔːɹ wˈɪlsən, hˌuː wʌz ðˈɛn fˈɪlmɪŋ mˈɑːnti hˈɛlmənz tˈuːlˈeɪn blˈæktɑːp nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti wˈʌn.
After briefly touring with the group as a percussionist in 1968, Kowalski played his first show on drums at the Big Sur Folk Festival in Monterey, California on October 3, 1970, filling in for Wilson, who was then filming Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop (1971).