Fishbone deliver a righteous set during the last days of CBGB, and their legendary tour partner Dave Wakeling of the English Beat speaks of his life as a music fan turned-Punky-Reggae houseparty OG, turned-musical hero. He starts this personal history recollecting his experiences as a young championship swimmer who, after matches, found himself waiting outside in his Father’s car while his dad “Celebrated my victory in his own way in a bar, or a country pub.” If Dave won a  gold medal, his Dad would bring him an orange Fanta, and let him keep the radio on, and it was thus that he heard the first song that made him cry — followed by the very next song, which also made him cry. He also discusses the birth of house parties in his UK hometown (same as Bonzo and Plant) as a reaction to the (literal, not figurative) Puritan restraint imposed by the Cadbury family, chocolate barons who pretty much owned the town (and who face a takeover bid as we speak). “If a club got good, it got shut down” recalls Dave, the admirable sense of a promoter’s hustle over this struggle still evident in his calm voice. He also shares the secret to DJing for two totally different music camps; discusses the historical ghettoization and segregation of music by the music biz; waxes nostalgic on first concerts attended; speaks of the “Ping!” moment when The English Beat verbalized their philosophy of sound; expresses hope for the Obama administration; espouses his gritty view on human nature;  marvels at how he’s still doing this. Info on Sunday’s donation-only ($25 min, well worth it, duh) Hatian earthquake benefit show below

The Story of Dave Wakeling & The English Beat, told by Dave Wakeling

Fishbone, final week of CBGB’s, 2006

From email: Dave has organized a benefit concert on Sunday, January 17th at San Francisco’s RED DEVIL LOUNGE (1695 Polk Street, SF, CA). 100% of the proceeds will be split evenly to DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS and YÉLE HAITI EARTHQUAKE FUND, organizations sending immediate emergency aid to communities affected by the disaster.

Doctors Without Borders (”Médecins Sans Frontières” in its original French) is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic disease and is currently spearheading efforts in bringing medical employees and supplies to Haiti. The organization’s website can be found at www.msf.org/.

Formed by musician Wyclef Jean, Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund is an offshoot of Yéle Haiti Foundation which was originally established to provide scholarships for thousands of children in Haiti after the devastation by Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 and to build the Yéle Center (an full service cultural school and sports center). With the mass destruction from this week’s earthquake, Wyclef implored “We must act now” and swiftly put relief efforts into motion. The foundation’s website can be found at yele.org.

Tickets for San Francisco’s Red Devil Lounge show are by donation only (minimum donation: $25; suggested donation: $50; Meet & Greet + show: $100). Doors open at 8pm and are 21+. Special guests to be announced.
The English Beat: www.myspace.com/officialbeatspace and www.facebook.com/theenglishbeat
Fishbone: www.fishbone.net

The English Beat / Fishbone Tour Dates

Feb 12 Emo’s (Austin, TX)

Feb 13 Granada Theatre (Dallas, TX)

Feb 14 Warehouse Live (Houston, TX)

Feb 16 Club at Firestone (Orlando, FL)

Feb 17 Culture Room (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Feb 18 State Theatre (St. Petersburg, FL)

Feb 19 The Loft (Atlanta, GA)

Feb 20 Tremont Music Hall (Charlotte, NC)

Feb 22 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)

Feb 23 World Cafe Life (Philadelphia, PA)

Feb 24 Rams Head Live! (Baltimore, MD)

Feb 25 The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, NJ)

Feb 26 Showcase Live (Foxborough, MA)

Feb 27 The Fillmore at Irving Plaza (NYC)

Mar 1 The Madhatter (Covington, KY)

Mar 2 House of Blues (Chicago, IL)

Mar 3 Turner Hall (Milwaukee, WI)

Mar 4 The Cabooze (Minneapolis, MN)

Mar 5 Slowdown (Omaha, NE)

Mar 6 Gothic Theatre (Englewood, CO)

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