I’ve been busy getting things together for my record release, but I still got out to see some live music this past weekend. These events nicely broke up my weekend of working on the album. It kicked off on Friday night for a birthday party.

I didn’t know that the party was going to have a live band! The 3-piece, Easy Dub, had set their gear up in the backyard, braving the cold night to entertain for the birthday event. I had never seen them play before though its seems that they’ve been playing together for a while now.

They play a California reggae fusion style that everyone on the west coast will be familiar with. It’s a mid-tempo style that uses lots of reggae elements mixed with some hip hop and rock. It’s energetic enough to dance to yet relaxed enough to just sway to. A great style for a casual party. It’s nice to have a regional style that is so distinctive and familiar. Sublime initiated the genre and it really got established with bands like Slightly Stoopid and Rebelution. It’s our culture’s music!

They played a single set of music before dinner was served, which was followed by fire-dancing! The heat of the dance was really nice in the cold night. The dancers had been practicing a routine to a playlist of Alladin themed music and pulled it off without any burns!

For the next day, I had learned about a country show at Julietta Winery in Clarksburg. It was a good opportunity to take my spouse out for a lunch, and the weather was perfect for some outdoor time. We know Clarksburg for the Sugar Mill which hosts a number of tasting rooms, but Julietta Winery was on the other side of town with their own setup and we had never been.

Geoffery Miller and his band had set up outside for the gig. He had a 4-piece including himself on vocal and electric guitar, a lap steel, upright bass, and drum kit. Geoffery Miller released an album recently and one of my friends has been playing drums in his band. I was happy to take the opportunity to see what they were up to.

We ordered a “harvest” sandwich which was like a Thanksgiving meal in a sandwich. We also got a salad and cheese plate. I had some wine and really enjoyed it all. The sun was warm, the shade was cool, and the music suited the ease of the atmosphere, yet it had enough energy to keep a toe tapping. They even got some people up to dance for a few numbers. They played a number of his originals and some country standards and told a few funny stories in between.

On Sunday night I went out to investigate a beat making club. The Flip A Beat Club is focused on sample-based beat making. They are organized by Bibiase and get together for “Open Aux” events like this to display what they’ve been making.

It was hosted at the 1 Up Retro game shop. They set up a boom box and had a sign-up sheet for playing. Many people brought Roland SP-404 or Akai MPC gear to play with. They took turns playing their beats while people bobbed along and socialized.

I brought along a friend who is interested in sampling and making a project out of it. We were there to just take it in, to see what people are doing and how that may inspire us. Everyone was friendly and I was encouraged to participate in upcoming club events.

Maybe as I wrap up this album release, I will have more time to explore this kind of project. I would also like to visit Julietta again, as an audience or as a performer. I don’t think I’ll pick up fire dancing or start playing reggae, but I’ll enjoy it the next time I find it!