Rendezvou With Reggae

A co-worker of mine had achieved the ultimate dream a musician can have. Playing his favorite instrument for a band that will be making his favorite kind of music. A bass player in a reggae band, Cale had really come into his own. This band was also being fathered along by a member of The Specials; a band Cale had listened to and admired basically his whole life. Not only are you making sweet music, but you also get to perform next to a rock star while you do it. I’m desperate to make a parallel for my own life, but it’s a tough one to really make. The idea is just so amazing.
After securing his spot in the band, immediate work went into their debut, which was booked in a building that had been a tiny theater at one time and since been turned into a bar. By the time the show rolled around Cale was proudly announcing his club date, hoping everyone at work would come and see him be a rock star. The problem was that since it was a bar, only those of us over twenty-one could go. That limited his options greatly. They also weren’t supposed to go on until midnight, which then cut the crew down to those of us under thirty.
As it turned out only two of us from work ended up being there for him. I had promised him back when he had first made the band, that I would see all his shows. Having never gone to see live bands, it would be a great excuse. This would give me perfectly good reasons to hit up new clubs and venues that I’d never been to, and see other live bands. The whole affair had the promise of being a great adventure and besides I could say I knew Cale back before he was famous. Now that I was headed out in my pre-approved Reggae colored Puma shirt and shiny Fender belt buckle, I realized I was tired as hell. I had been out the night before with Patrick and work that day had been long as well.
As is my terrible pet peeve I had to find the club first, only to realize it was more of a hole in the wall than I had originally thought, and on a Friday night that area was a nightmare to try finding parking in. Pulling into the first pay lot I found, the company only got three of the eight dollars I technically owed because I had been silly and only brought a small amount of cash with me. Checking to make sure I had enough for the cover charge, I got a call from Cale saying I had better hurry because the seating was filling up. The idea that I had come all that way, battled with parking and traffic only to sit outside because the show was sold out, was not something I wanted to deal with.
Breaking out to a run I met Cale out front of the club who was looking nothing close to the panic he had just instilled in me about the whole situation. I did have to smile when I stopped long enough to take in his whole appearance. The man was looking good in his designated black and white band attire. Black slacks and white button down shirt, he looked classy. The look gave him the sort of professional ease that a musician should have. Calm, cool, and comfortable these clothes would help him survive both on and off the stage.
The average sort of t-shit and jeans male, Cale had asked for assistance in finding said attire for this upcoming gig. Claiming to have no fashion sense he also wanted help in order to look more like the rock star he was going to be. I’ve never been the sort to jump up and down squealing for joy at the idea of a makeover, yet the idea that a guy would come to me asking for some “style” tips was seriously flattering. So away we went, shopping our way through what we started calling the “Pimp My Rock Star” project.
Now there he was, looking great in the outfit we had put together and sporting the hat we touted as a “lucky find”. Cale had been under the impression that hats were not his deal, with a couple exceptions. Everyone else in the band had their own funky hat going on, and he had high hopes to find his own version. I admit now, that at the time, I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to happen. When we stumbled upon the hat he was soon to call his own, it had been the last thing on either of our minds as we walked through that particular store. Yet that too had fallen into place for him. This was the night all this preparation had been for. Things were about to start rolling. I was excited for him suddenly and very happy that I had come down to support him.
From the front little patio area we headed inside. Knowing that he was underage, it was semi-odd watching him maneuver his way through the bar with ease while I stood planted in one spot as if I’d never been out of the house before. I had no idea where to go or what to do suddenly. The theater half was through a set of doors that looked more like the back stage area. From the bar I could see a table set up to sell tickets, but there were so many people milling around that the whole make-shift lobby area looked more like a greenroom than the entrance. Cale disappeared to figure out if he could get me into the show as his guest and I stood there, not moving while I continued to get a grip on my surroundings.
The place looked really run down. The leather for the booth seating was all cracked and doctored with duct tape. All the tables were chipped and weathered. The whole atmosphere of the place was gloomy as if the smoke had taken its toll on the air permanently. It must have been a beautiful theater once, but over time the bar crowd probably just let the building go. This whole overview was starting me make me feel gloomy. The crowd holding down the bar was a more tattooed and heavy metal sort than I was use to. I was completely and totally out of my element.
About the time I came to that conclusion Cale reappeared and dragged me back stage with him. Even though he had told stories about his band mates at work, they were nothing like I had pictured in my mind. The drummer was in a full on suit with a tie, which seemed so odd with his dreadlocks that were as long as he was tall. The keyboardist was exactly how I pictured him, but not his personality. Keyboardists have always been the serious ones. This guy was very laid back and had the signs of being a total prankster. The other guitarist didn’t have much to say, he drank his beer and kept to his friends. Everyone was extremely friendly and all my anxiety of where I belonged started to melt. Talking a little with each person I started to really miss all the performances I had done in the past.
There’s just that vibe of excited anticipation that can fill a room to overflowing. The eagerness to go out and prove all the hard work you’ve done has created something wonderful, can be thick enough to cut with a knife. I hadn’t done anything like that since high school, which seemed so terribly far away at that moment. From that point on it was like being an invisible spectator. I followed silently behind and listened into to the pre-show last minute detailing. I could sit about and watch each member deal with his or her nervousness. Watching how nervous the lead singer was made me miss the idea of going out to be center stage in something. I envied her for a moment knowing exactly what would be going through my mind at that moment, and where I would be if I were her.
The band that was the main act was taking forever to sound check and get ready. This was only pushing back the whole show. An all-Asian girl band, they apparently had a large fan base because the seating was all but packed right up to the stage. The sound check guy was running about trying to do a million things at once, and enlisted our help in setting up chairs. We all joked around as the chairs were pulled from the dressing room in order to make more seating for the crowd waiting. Then it was back to waiting some more.
Cale started talking to Lynval Golding who had been a member of the band The Specials. Asking him about when the last time he had preformed in such a tiny venue, started the man on a listing of tours that he had done and left me in shock. “When we toured with The Police we did everything from stadiums and big arenas to small little clubs like this one.” I checked to make sure that my mouth hadn’t dropped as he continued to list people and bands that were mere CDs buried in my collection at home. I’d never had doubts the man was a celebrity but standing there talking to him was really when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Besides Cale’s ultimate achievement of playing on stage with the man, here I was standing in the back hallway of a rundown club talking with the man about the band’s potential for greatness. Life is so very odd sometimes, and the world does become a small place.
Cale got a call that Christian was indeed on his way and I was eager to not be the only person sitting in the crowd that was crushed into the performance area. Both of us headed out to meet Christian and his woman. There was a moment when we all didn’t know what to talk about. From a work stand point we were still getting to know Cale, and from an “off the clock” idea he had just started hanging out with us not two weeks ago. As I stood there talking with the three of them, it seemed so weird. At work Christian and I had gotten to know Cale in very different lights and the fact that we stood there at a loss for something to talk about made it all seem so very surreal. I had also never hung out with Christian and any of his ladies, so I felt a little out of my realm as well.
Cale disappeared to go help some more and the keyboardist J.C. came out to get another beer. He and I talked for a moment about the band and how impressed the rest of the members were with both Cale’s talent and eagerness to give everything. Being the youngest out of all the people, this was also Cale’s first professional gig. The rest were old timers to the scene and the hazards that the road to stardom can have. Then J.C. too disappeared back into the crush of people waiting for the girl band to go on and start the show.
I sat out in the bar talking with Christian and his woman. He bought us all a round and I knew the moment I ordered my drink I was in trouble. She seemed confused by my request and then went to another bartender. Mixing the drink for her, we were all joking that what I had asked for no one had ever heard of. Set down in front of me I knew disaster was all I got in that glass. It was a very pale pink color when normally it should have been deep purple. That was going to be a strong ass drink. Something about having your mouth want to turn inside out, and you body make this internal uncontrollable shudder when you take a sip, that’s just never appealed to me. I felt terrible, I did want a drink to relax a bit and Christian was being so great for buying it for me in the first place. But all I wanted to do was pour the thing out and use it to eat paint.
When the girl band went on at last, they were broadcasting the music into the bar area. I thought that was kind of cool since the whole performance area seemed so shut away and hidden from the rest of the building. One could sit at the bar and see a nice little spot and never realize there was more. Crushing into the seating area it was standing room only, and that was including the aisles and any other place a person could squeeze themselves. Christian and his woman followed behind but after one song headed back to the bar. I wanted to go with them, but I felt torn. I was going to take pictures of Cale’s performance and if it was going to be this packed, I was hesitant to give up the little niche that I had made for myself at the moment.
So I stuck it out, standing crammed against a table and not really appreciating the music that the girl band was playing. The lyrics were mostly in Japanese I figured and the lead singer was screaming them into the microphone. The band playing behind her were all very talented it, it was just odd to watch. Four Asian girls dressed like Scottish lasses and cranking out punk rock style noise. When it ended and the change over for other band was taking place I made sure to move forward and grab some seats close to the front. I also called Christian to let him know that he’d better hurry up if he was going to get seats this time.
So there I was sitting with Christian and his woman, feeling pretty smart for having snagged the chairs close to the front. Yet when the rest of the crowd filed in, they all sat in front of us, only to stand and start dancing when the band started playing. We couldn’t see shit! I stood up several times to take some quick shots of Cale playing. Most of it was spent sitting down, staring at the backs of the people in front of us while we listened.
I was happy to recognize the Specials’ covers that they opened with. I wasn’t completely Reggae ignorant. Then came the entrance and debut of the lead singer and the band that, Lynval was shouting into the mike, would be the next “biggest thing” to come out of this city. I knew she was nervous from having talked to her not fifteen minutes before, but when her mike didn’t work that was a start that would throw any performer. I was so proud of her though. This was the first time she’d ever preformed on stage and instead of freaking out or losing her grip, she dug her heels in and stuck it out. She may have dropped words, or sang a little off once or twice but she was in it for the whole nine yards. Her talent really showed through any mistakes. As I listened and watched, when I could, there was a genuine feeling that this was a band that could really go somewhere. Everything is a matter of chance, but the talent was there, as was the vibe from the band that this was something they truly loved doing.
Only a half hour set, the band filed off the stage while the crowd cheered and took a break from the dancing they had been doing for the entirety of the set. Christian and his woman slipped past me and headed back to the bar. Promising to stick around to say goodbye I watched them join the flow of people that were exiting the theater. I suddenly felt lost again. There I was standing in an emptying room and I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. I didn’t feel like I could just waltz backstage and yet I felt like I was walking out for good if I left and went to the bar. A gentleman came up to me and asked if I was with the bass player. When I nodded he smiled and introduced himself as the manager of the band. Walking me back to hallway where the band was celebrating, we talked about what a great find he considered Cale to be, being so young yet talented and driven to see the band succeed.
The band was a collective glowing ball of happiness. Every single person was exploding with joy about how the set had gone. Although I was standing outside looking in, I could remember competing in contests and performing in musicals. The moment you walk off the stage having completely surpassed your own expectations, the world is full of goodness. When you can surprise yourself like that, there is no limit to what else you could tackle. The world is a beautiful place.
Cale and I headed back out to the bar to see if Christian and his woman were still there. He had to stand on the other side of the half wall that separated the bar area from the entrance. The four of us talked for a bit before Cale disappeared to sit through the rest of the girl band’s second performance. Their bass player was using his amp so he had to wait for them to finish before he could pack up to call it a night. I continued to sit with Christian, feeling a little left out from an alcoholic standpoint. Most of the band had been drinking and Christian and his woman were more than toasty. The most I had gotten was a couple mouth twisting sips from the drink Christian had paid for which I had promptly abandoned on the table that had been stabbing into my side throughout the girl-band performance. Yet the idea of another drink that had been mixed like the last one wasn’t any more appealing. It’s moments like those that I wish I could enjoy a simple beer. It’s in a bottle and they only have to chill it so it’s pretty much guaranteed to taste the same way every time.
The three of us sat around talking some more. Christian went to light a cigarette and realized that Cale had walked off with his lighter. Sending me on a mission to find matches I walked the length of the bar looking around for the usual jar that most places have set out. The bar itself was pretty packed in so I was ducking around people to eye up the counter. About to the end, I happened to look down at the girl that was sitting in front of me. We stared at each other for a moment and I knew immediately who she was, a girl by the name of Sarah, we were the same graduating class from high school. “I went to high school with you didn’t I?” I stared at her a little offended for a moment. But then I love the idea that I am no longer recognizable as the geeky little girl I had been back then. Deep down I wanted people to see that I had blossomed into a super model by comparison. The idea was totally silly of course. “I don’t remember your name at all.” At that point I was offended. I had gone to school with the Sarah since kindergarten and had known her first and last name the moment I recognized her. Reminding her who I was, she merely nodded like she had figured.
We started to talk about people we knew from school; a whole “Where are they now” sort of deal, but we had run in totally different circles so it was tough trying to find mutual names to bring up. Her overall attitude was very cocky, and mostly arrogant. After a moment she seemed bored with me and asked if I was with the base player from the band that had just played. When I nodded her friend jumped into the conversation seeming very interested at that point. As they asked questions about Cale I had this odd feeling that they were impressed. “I knew I had seen you back stage.” I was pretty much done with both of them at that point.
Mentioning that I had only come by looking for matches Sarah looked about her area for me and then tapped the random guy that was standing next to her. “Do you have a lighter?” Handing over his lighter, the guy wore a hopeful expression that he was in good now and could start hitting on her. Handing the lighter to me, she gave the guy a bright smile. “Thanks, she’ll bring it right back.” The poor guy looked at both of us knowing he’d just been had. I brought the lighter back to Christian who was momentarily impressed. “I sent you for matches and you come back with a lighter. You rock!” I didn’t rock anymore when I let him know that he couldn’t keep the lighter.
Even though I felt tired, I wasn’t exactly ready to go home for some reason. Patrick had text me saying he was at Trinity and that I should come by. I knew I didn’t have the energy for that. I sat talking with Christian and his woman for a while longer, but in the end I had to call it a night if I was going to make it home. Cale wandered by again for one last goodbye and the three of us headed out.
Christian, with woman in tow, walked me to my car and I felt thankful to have friends. For as tough as I like to play at work I was glad that Christian was willing to go a block (or more) out of his way to make sure I made it to my car safely. I was also glad that I could be there for Cale. To us he was a rock star and we were there at his show to prove it to him.
Driving home I was nodding off as was expected since it was nearly one o’clock. Two nights in a row was more than I’m capable of at the moment. I’m an all or nothing sort of girl. I firmly believe that the right sleep schedule can get a person through whatever they need or want to do. I was operating on a normal work schedule at the moment and not a “Clubbing Queen” specific one. Three years ago I was going to bed at four in the morning and getting up at six to work a full day, at least four nights a week. Not recommended but when you’re young, life should be lived.