Saturday, February 2
THE ENGLISH BEAT
Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
9:00 pm (Doors Open at 8:00 pm)
$20.00 advance
All Ages
Œ80s SKA SENSATION, THE ENGLISH BEAT FEATURING DAVE WAKELING PERFORMING AT
THE HISTORIC ASHLAND ARMORY ON FEBRUARY 2
Dave Wakeling and The English Beat will be performing at the Historic
Ashland Armory on Saturday, February 2 at 9pm. This is an all-ages dance
party and the tickets are $20.
A story behind every songŠ
Dave Wakeling is a hell of a nice guy! Dave loves to tell you the stories
behind his songs, either from stage or after the show. Ask any one of the
thousands of fans who have met him over the years and that's what you'll
hear. Never mind that Dave is the singer/songwriter from two of the most
popular bands of the end of the millennium, The English Beat and General
Public, he's a stand-up man. Whether it's the personal as political in "How
Can You Stand There", making politics personal in "Stand Down Margaret",
taking a stand against global warming as he did with Greenpeace's
"Alternative NRG", or helping little kids stand up proudly with "Smile
Train", Dave has always stood for something.
And like the mighty Redwoods of his adopted home of California (dude!), it's
been easy for Dave to take a stand because of his strong rootsŠ
Hailing from working-class Birmingham, England, Dave and The English Beat
entered the music scene in the 1979. When The English Beat rushed on to the
music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical
upheaval. Into this storm came they came, trying to calm the waters with
their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance Beat.
The six-member band consisted of singer/songwriter Dave Wakeling (vocals &
guitar), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums),
Saxa (saxophone) and Ranking Roger (toasting). The band managed to fuse all
of their respective musical influences - soul, reggae, pop and punk - into a
unique sound that was highly danceable. Along with contemporaries such as
The Specials, The Selecter and Madness, The English Beat became one of the
most popular and influential bands of the British Ska movement.
Over the course of the three albums, The English Beat achieved great success
in their home country, charting several singles into the top 10. In addition
to their UK chart success, in America the band found a solid base of young
fans eager to dance to the their hypnotic rhythms. Their constant touring
with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their
popularity in the States.
Despite his huge success, Dave didn't stop singing and acting on the
problems caused by the noise in this world. The band donated all the profits
from their highly successful single version of "Stand Down Margaret" to the
Committee for Nuclear Disarmament. They donated their music to causes
including the anti-nuclear benefit album "Life in The European Theatre",
"The World of Music and Dance" album focusing on indigenous people's art,
and lent their voice to The Special AKA's anthemic song of freedom "Free
Nelson Mandela", to name but a few.
Dave Wakeling once told me that every great band only has three really good
albums. And true to form, The English Beat disbanded in 1983, after their
third album, "Special Beat Service".
The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new oneŠ
It was at this point that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger recruited Stoker
(drums) and Mickey Billingham (keyboards) of Dexy's Midnight Runners, Horace
Panter (bass) of The Specials, and former Clash guitarist Mick Jones to
formed General Public. Their first album, "...All The Rage", met with
fantastic success, charting high in the U.S., U.K. and even winning the band
a coveted Juno award in Canada for Best New Artist in 1984.
After the fantastic success of "...All The Rage", the band spent two years
writing and recording their follow-up, "Hand to Mouth". Like "Whappen"
before it, this sophomore effort was more introspective and than their first
album, taking fans along with him in Dave's continual exploration of the
light and dark side of human emotion. The album was a critical and fan
favorite, and spawned two hit singles, "Too Much or Nothing" and "Come
Again".
After the second General Public Album, Dave and Roger went different
directions to follow their own muses. For his part, Dave went on to produce
the soundtrack and record the title track for the John Hughes film "She's
Having a Baby". After that he recorded his first solo record, "No Warning".
The album maintained the pop sensibilities for which General Public had been
known, and in addition exposed even more of the mind and emotions of the man
behind.
Forward as oneŠ
After his solo album, while the other ex-members of The English Beat were
busy with their various projects, Dave decided to use his notoriety for
good, and pursued a full-time position saving the planet at a job with
Greenpeace. This didn't mean a break from music, just a break from being the
lead singer, as he stepped inside the mixing booth to produce the Greenpeace
album "Alternative NRG".
What made this album outstanding and ground breaking was not just the roster
of rock luminaries who Dave convinced to performed on it, including REM, U2,
Midnight Oil, UB40, Annie Lennox, Sonic Youth, and more, but the fact that
it was recorded in 14 separate venues across America using a recording truck
powered exclusively by solar power - a 160 square foot, 1,920-watt solar
panel array contained in a trailer known as Cyrus. The power produced by the
solar array, once converted to AC (the sun is DC), generated enough
electricity to meet the needs of an average-size house for several days, and
was proof positive of the viability of solar and other forms of alternative
energy.
I'll take you thereŠ
After a metaphorical bump on the head from Elvis Costello for abandoning his
post as crooner (a true story, ask Dave about it some time), Dave felt the
need to "take us there" one more time. Dave teamed up with old friends to
reform General Public in released their third album, "Rub It Better", in
1995. The album and Dave's return to the stage were met by a huge outpouring
of critical raves and fan support. The album provided yet another hot single
for the duo of Dave and Roger, with their infectious reggae remake of an old
Staples Singers song, "I'll Take You There", climbing the singles charts and
anchoring the soundtrack of the very hip, box office smash hit "Threesome".
Having infected a whole new group of fans with Beat-madness, General Public
then decided to disband in 1996. However, true to his philanthropic bent and
always looking to help out, General Public reformed in 1998 to play at
"Sweet Relief", a concert to benefit ailing musicians.
The English Beat goes onŠ
Having accepted and embraced his true calling again , Dave continued to
perform, touring back and forth across the States. Dave did it old school,
touring clubs and playing countless gig from sea to shining sea,
re-connecting with his Beat and General Public fans and building a strong
and loyal fan base that continues to love his songs and embrace the
evolution of his music.
Then, in February 2003, we saw a dream come true for Dave and many Beat fans
as The English Beat reunited for a mini-tour in the UK, culminated in their
acclaimed, sold out command performance at the Royal Festival Hall! Dave,
Everett, Roger, Blockhead and the star of the show, Saxa, took the crowd by
storm! It was a magical homecoming for Dave and a really wonderful
experience for the fans, with band members and fans gathering from around
the globe for a night or irie, ska-ful rock-steady Beat! Being the hard
driving ska legend that he is, however, Dave Wakeling was not content to
rest on his laurels after the RFH reunionŠ
Beat this!
Tongue firmly in cheek, feet on the ground and eyes on the future, Dave
takes the stage time and again, touring across the States, Canada, the UK
and beyond. He does it for two reasons: First, he loves to play music,
period. Second, his job here on Earth is to bring a message of love, unity
and a steady, rhythmic groove of danceable songs with a message to the
masses. Fans see him as an icon and to the young bands coming up he's the
elder statesman of ska. His swooning croon has been covered by such rock
luminaries as Peter Townshend, Eddie Vedder and Elvis Costello.
He's repeatedly referred to in the press now as a "legacy artist" and an
"icon": he's wasn't quite sure what it all meant and thought he might be
entitled to some extra initials after his name (he wasn't).
However, he learned what those terms actually mean early in 2006 when, much
to his surprise, bemusement, and eternal joy, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
contacted him and asked him for his trademark Vox teardrop guitar, to bed
displayed in a place of honor alongside the axes of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt
Cobain of Nirvana. Truly a wonderful and humbling experience for a working
class boy from Brum!
Dave is currently entering a musical renaissance, and fresh off this legacy
moment, Dave is planning on going into the studio to lay down two new
albums. Dave also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he had done for
the last three decades, with an amazing all-star Ska backing band playing
the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs. Expect the
unexpected and prepare to be blown away by the ever-changing King of Ska!
One thing that hasn't and won't change though, Dave Wakeling remains a hell
of a nice guy.
Advance tickets are available at Music Coop, Lowdown; Medford: Bad A$$
Coffee, Six One Nine, Jacks Board House; Musichead; Merlin: Victoria¹s
Station; Grants Pass: Listen Hear; Williams General Store; All Tickets West
outlets; online at jambasetickets.com, renegadeshows.com and tickets.com.
For information or phone orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801.
