When I was not studying or doing research papers in high school, I was listening to all sorts of "new wave" or "alternative" music. Shows like Night Flight and the movie Urgh - A Music War sufficed in helping me learn more about various types of music while MTV did not get introduced into the area until August 1983. I remember waking my mother about being able to get MTV and her getting mad at me. What can I say? I loved music and I wanted my MTV!
I was introduced to "ska" music by watching the wonderfully funny band, Madness. Their mainly instrumental song "One Step Beyond" had me smiling and jamming to the two-tone sound. More similar bands came into the fray: The Specials, Selector, and my very favorite, The English Beat.
Before I go much further, according to Wikipedia, ska is defined:
Ska (pron.: /ˈskɑː/, Jamaican [skjæ]) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae.[1] Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads
I never really identified with the "skinheads", but I did love the rhythm of the beat. Still to this day, I think the lead singer is pretty damn handsome. He reminded me of a young Robert Redford. So, there was my other reason for being interested in the band.
I fell head over heels over the songs "I Confess", "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Save It For Later", and many others. Basically, I wore out the albums from constant play. However, I never could go see the band play because they would play venues for over 19 year olds.
Thirty years later, the band is not the same. In fact, the lead singer is the only original member. Back in 1983, the band split. The two lead singers created General Public and had success with Tenderness and I'll Take You There. The guitarist and bassist created Fine Young Cannibals and had success with Johnny, Won't You Come Home, She Drives Me Crazy, and Don't Look Back.
So, now that I have given some background on this band, my first concert to attend in 4.5 years was The English Beat at the Granada Theater. There were two opening bands: I-Drenz and Rude Kings.
I got to the venue when the doors opened, which was probably a bit too early, but I was excited. The last time I had been in the Granada Theater, I was there in 1998 to see "There's Something About Mary" with a friend. The outside still looks the same, but once I entered the venue, it was a bit different. There were some seats, but mainly, the area is general admission - basically - you are going to stand wherever you can find some space.
I ordered a soft drink from the bar. The one thing I remembered the bartender telling me was that if I returned with the cup, I could get a free refill. Later that evening, I did and sure enough, I got a free refill. I do not think that applies to mixed drinks and beer. :-) I noted that the venue did offer brisket tacos, but make sure you get them early. I went to get one after the second opening act and they were sold out.
There are three video screens. Two display advertisements for KST 91.7 radio station, upcoming events, information regarding "Sundown at Granada", the restaurant Granada purchased next door. Food looks very appetizing. I liked the main screen where the venue would play videos from the upcoming acts to appear at the Granada. I have heard snippets of various artists on Granada advertisements on The Ticket (1310), but never heard the full blown songs. This was amazing and very much appreciated. I actually have thought of going there to see Bob Schneider play on 3/30. Also, I fell in love with The Eels. I had seen their CDs at Best Buy, but never really heard them. I even tweeted and put on Facebook - I have obviously been missing out on some pretty fantastic music these days - where is my head?!
The two opening bands were good. I cannot find on iTunes for I-Drenz, but I am sure it will be coming at some point. Band is based in Lewisville. Rude Kings does have a release on iTunes. They were definitely a very fun band from Dallas.
Around 10:30 pm, it was time for the headliner. The place went from being a bit sparse at 7 PM to packed at 10:30 PM. Apparently, the show finally did sell out - Congrats for the band on that one! It was well deserved because the band came out and really put on a great show. I found myself dancing around along with everyone else and it was great hearing all of those "old" songs. Even though it was not the same band as back in the '80s, it was like they never left. There was a lot of energy and the lead singer talked to the audience and was very engaging. I loved that.
After the show, I did try to wait to meet the lead singer. However, I had left Bo and Chloe for far too long and it was extremely chilly. Maybe next time - I will get to meet him. This time, I left the venue thinking what a great time I had. I had forgotten how much fun small clubs could be. Also, I had a chance to see how lower Greenville had changed and in some ways, stayed the same.
Going through all of this spiritual inventory, I saw something at the Granada that really touched me. I tried to take a picture of it, but it was just too dark. Above the stage, there is a sign that simply says:
Love Yourself
You know - that is what we all need to do. Love ourselves. Perhaps that is why there is so much positive vibe within the venue.
One last note - about 10 years ago, I had just started doing the blogging thing on another site. One guy that would follow me had his PhD in Physics. He seemed like a rather nice guy, but very quirky. I had posted a review of the Peter Gabriel concert and he posted that I needed to see more concerts. I was more upbeat when writing about music.
So... :-)
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