I know, because I was there. I was there to listen to the young Czech Band, “Charlie Straight,” and the much older Slovak Band, of Peter Nagy, and I had a great time listening and dancing to both. I've been on the road, a long time, and at the age of 69, you would think that I would have had enough, of music clubs, cafes, smoke filled rooms and hard, or soft rock. I have danced my way, from the streets of San Francisco to the streets of Prague and a lot of places in between. I've danced in clubs like: The Fillmore, The Avalon Ballroom, The Cat's Cradle, The Cave, Local 506, The Roxy and FX Radost.
Lately though, I've stayed home because the music just did not work for me, or I thought maybe I really was just too old to be out and dancing. I thought the party was over, and it was finally time to go home for good, but I was wrong, because I danced, I listened, I drank, I talked to strangers, I had my picture taken with beautiful girls; in other words, I had a real Rock & Roll night. So what was so different about this club and this music? Well for one thing, even though people were smoking I did not have to smoke with them. The night was warm, the doors were open and the people who need /wanted to smoke, just stepped out and did their thing. The drinks were fairly priced. The club service was friendly and they were all good at their jobs.
Then there was the music; the reason for me being there instead of at home. The young Czech band “Charlie Straight,” was on first. The Club was packed with young ladies pushing the envelope and the spaces between. If I had not came as early as I did, I would have never found the room to watch and listen, much less the room to dance. The service people, the barmen / women and waiters could hardly get to the bar to pick up their orders for the tables. Now this place is big with three floors, all of which looked down on the stage. It was like everyone was on the front row, but without the hard elbows and pushing you usually have to deal with, when you're at the front of the stage. Still there were a lot of people there, and most of them wanted to be at the front of the stage, and they were.
It was great! Albert the lead singer jumped right into his set and the band jumped right in with him. Albert can really sing and he's got some great songs, most of which he writes himself, but certainly he writes with a little help from his mates in the band. Now everybody in this band is a musician. “The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar or acoustic guitar, and it uses a strong back beat laid down by a rhythm section of electric bass guitar, drums, and keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, or since the 1970s, synthesizers. Along with the guitar or keyboards, saxophone and blues-style harmonica are sometimes used as soloing instruments. In its "purest form", it "has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody."[1]Rock music From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Last night they played everything but the saxophone and the piano, but I'm sure they could have played those too if they had been on stage. Johny was on the Bass guitar, and he also played one song with the harmonica, with a nice soft touch that I liked a lot. Michael was on the Keyboards, and anything else he could get his fingers on. Albert was, of course, the Lead Guitar (electric or acoustic) and the Voice, and the Ladies know his songs, and sang every word sometimes with him, but everyone can sing in the band when the song calls for more than one voice, or a different voice. Pavel was on Drums, and you knew from the start that he knows what he's doing. He's the shy one in the band. Johny's the quite one. Michael's the bomb ready to go off any moment, and when he does, he can really play that keyboard. Albert, is like quick silver or a magic jumping bean. He's everywhere, and his songs are pure and from his heart.
I really liked this show, and of all the shows of theirs that I've been to, I liked it the best. They are a good band and they going to be a great band, because they just get better and better with every show they play. Each time I come to listen to them, I'm wondering what they will do different. Last night, they were pure Rock & Roll just like I remember from the early days of my life. It was really interesting to see the contrast between this young Czech Band playing their blend of Pop, Alternative and early Rock & Roll, with the Slovak Band, of Peter Nagy. Nagy was old school Rock & Roll, and very good. I got the feeling with Charlie Straight, that they did not know just how much they were like the bands from the early years of Rock & Roll. I think you'd have to be my age to see it, feel and know it, but it was certainly there, and it was great to hear.
Albert calls me Edmund, The Old Roadie,
On the Road Again.
© Edmund I. Watts 2009
