During the following month, a guitarist buddy of mine was in town from Canada, so I invited him to come over and play music with me for old times sake. We had dinner then dragged our guitars out to a corner of the back patio to play some tunes. While we weren't putting on a performance per se, my parents did sit in another corner of the patio while we worked our way through all of our old material. The music was somewhat ragged, given that both my friend and I were pretty rusty, but my dad stayed up way past his usual bedtime to listen. While my father was never a musician, he was always a big music fan, so it was nice that my friend and I were able to provide him with some musical enjoyment at a time when he was dealing with a lot of health concerns. And shortly after that night, my dad's health began a long, slow decline, so I count that particular evening as one of my last good memories of him...
This November will mark the second anniversary of my father's passing, so perhaps the timing is appropriate for an article about an organization called Inspirit, founded by my friend Ginny Meredith to bring the gift of live music to people who would otherwise unable to attend such performances. For reasons already mentioned, Ginny's work resonates with me on a personal level. So while Inspirit has already been written about by some of the area's finest journalists (including Ginny's husband, Bill), I was nonetheless compelled to take my own swing at telling their story. You'll be able to see the results of my labour shortly...
Also in this issue is a review of the debut release from Fire Zuave, formerly known as the Guns, and one of the more intriguing new bands in the area. Enjoy...
Oct. 2008
Lake Worth, Florida
Right: Inspirit performers Michael Moses (guitar) and Gayle Coursol (vocal) at the Habilitation Center
Sand Fastened
Fire Zuave
www.myspace.com/firezuave
Fire Zuave sometimes describes their sound as alt-country, and the strongest case for this might be found in this album�s opening track, �Starving Like A Pack of Wolves�, whose ramshackle charm is somewhat reminiscent of R.E.M. But the following track, an introspective ballad entitled �Way We Were Before�, seems more akin to the progressive-rock of Pink Floyd.
The album�s most memorable track is an alt-rocker called �Different Day� that�s reminiscent of the Killers at their best. It wins the listener over instantly from the initial cymbal crashes of its intro and holds that interest as it unfolds at a steady but insistent pace.
The following track �Colors of the Sun� builds up gradually from an intricate acoustic guitar picking into a Beatlesque ballad. Another dose of the R.E.M. influence appears evident in �Translated Dragon�, a track with a combination of alt-country and alt-rock textures. �Gypsies� is a standout track powered by a taut drum rhythm that makes it more danceable than the typical alt-rock tune. The album comes to a gentle conclusion with a country ballad �If You Were Gold.�
Overall, this is a breezy, listenable album. For their debut release, Fire Zuave has crafted a gem.
Shining Star -- Earth, Wind and Fire: This legendary R&B group had many fans in Jamaica in the '70s, and my brother was no exception. This song was one of several hits by the group that my brother would include in mix tapes we'd listen to on a portable recorder in the car on family drives in the country.
Children of the World -- The Bee Gees: Before their smash hit soundtrack for the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever, this group was just another R&B sounding group on one of my brother's mix tapes. I was surprised to learn shortly afterwards that the Bee Gees wasn't a black American group but three white English brothers who'd been recording since the '60s. Once I started buying records a few years later, I quickly became a big fan; their 1979 release Spirits Having Flown was the second album I ever purchased.
Positive Vibrations -- Bob Marley: Like all Jamaican teenagers of that era, my brother was a Bob Marley fan, even before Chris Blackwell turned him into an international superstar.
You Make Lovin' Fun -- Fleetwood Mac: My brother spent the last two years of high school in Barbados, which had much more access to American music in the '70s than Jamaica. On one of his trips home in between school terms, he left behind a tape of an American chart countdown taped off the radio, and I played it till the tape wore out. But by then Jamaican FM stations had finally got around to playing cuts like this from Fleetwood's record-breaking release, Rumours.
Many happy returns, bro...
Aug./Sept 2007
June/July 2007
May 2007 [Inaugral Issue]
June/July 2008
April/May 2008
Feb./Mar. 08
Jan. 08