It’s Saturday night and I have the first week off before Christmas that I’ve had in years, maybe in my life. We decide to go out to see one of our favorite bands, Fast Lane, at an infamous downtown bar called Lillian’s (http://www.gigmasters.com/Music/Fast-Lane/).
Lillian’s has been a Gainesville institution for as long as I’ve been here and that’s a long time. Today was fall graduation day so the town is kind of quiet. Most of the students have gone home for the holidays. The ones who are still here are a little older, tend to live here year-round. We get the best seat in the house, a booth right by the front window. We can see the crowds walking by on Main Street, and we can see the band from our airy seats above the crowd.
The lead singer SLIMMI HEMPSTIX/SKYNTYTE (Scott Free), says, “What were you doing in 1968?” Then he laughs. “I know. Some of you weren’t even here in 1968.” The band launches into “Everyday people.” What a great song. Just when you think it can’t get any better, they keep the medley going with “Proud Mary.” The old fogies join in, “Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river.” The young kids listen in amazement. They sorta recognize this song. They sorta like the dancing. “Proud Mary keep on burning.” Some little chickie in a teeny black dress wags her bottom in our faces. I sorta wish she would take her tiny charms down on the dance floor. My husband doesn’t :)
I love it when VELVET (Michelle Banfield) and LACE (Lacy Gifford) take their microphones into the audience. It’s so cute to watch a semi-drunk college student suddenly realize that the vocalist they’re dancing to is actually dancing and singing right next to them. Lots of hand motions ensue – you are so cool; no you are so cool; no you are so cool…. Good times!
Do I need to say that all the band members are fantastic. Well, yeah! DR. ROCKINSTEIN (Vernon Montoya) plays the piano with a frenetic energy that perfectly matches DOPAMINE (Sebastian dela Calle) on the bass and the new drummer (new to me, anyway), TIM-BRRR (Tim Mulberry) slams it on the drums. Soon the tables are empty – everyone is dancing. With the exception of me on my computer and Ken on his iPad. Geek city up here in the cheap seats.
I remember spending some crazy nights in Lillian’s. Mostly, alas, I don’t remember, because I used to drink back then. I remember some of the bands were good, and I loved them, but the haze of alcohol prohibited me from recalling their charms. Now the music positively energizes me. At the break, I compliment Michelle and Lacy on how great their show is, how much we enjoy all the new songs. They say, “We work really hard.” It’s true. One of the hardest working bands in Gainesville, and THAT, folks, is saying a lot.
Frankly, now that I don’t drink, it’s a lot more fun going out. I know the songs, I love the music, I go home with a fine appreciation of the artistry. And hey, the people-watching isn’t bad, either. Gainesville after the students leave is a nice place, peaceful, upbeat. There’s more tattoos and pickup trucks than designer dresses and $100 haircuts. The new Hampton Inn across the street is lit up for Christmas. The Downtown Plaza has these cool blue lights with icicles that light up and down like some kind of magic potion is being poured through them. The night is warm and the young girls are dressed in their sexiest little dresses. The boys wear t-shirts and skin-tight dark jeans and everyone is smiling. Every once in a while, a proud set of parents will walk by with some young just-graduated attached teen, the boy or girl looking longingly into the bar, wondering how long it will take Mom and Dad to go to sleep at the Hampton so they can REALLY celebrate graduating.
The crowd goes crazy over Cee Lo’s “Forget You,” just as they do when Ken’s band sings it. It’s such a cute, funny song – of course assuming that you sing it with the Forget you lyrics instead of the lyrics which shall remain unmentioned. And the Black Eyed Peas, “Tonight’s going to be a good night.” Old and young kick it up.
On the wall there is a painting of a voluptuous naked woman reclining on a feather bed. She is very old-fashioned and I didn’t really notice the painting when I first came in. It’s rather retro – looks like something out of the Renaissance. But when Fast Lane get’s going on the song, the painting begins to sway in time to the insistent drumbeat, do it, do it, do it, of the new drummer. Remember, I have NOT been drinking - it’s really swaying. The effect is that the naked woman is dancing, her heavy-set body a cute counterpoint to all those tiny little dancing girls. I don’t really mind that I, alas, look more like the painting than like the college kids. I used to look like them once upon a time, and I don’t remember having the fun I’m having now.
Outside our window, the Occupy people hang out on the Plaza, in sleeping bags, waiting for the coming cold front. Diligent supporters of freedom, impressive in their committment. They know it’s going to be bad. It’s tough to hang out without shelter when a cold front comes through, just like a homeless person. It’s going to be wet and the air becomes frigid. I admire their courage.
Fast Lane tells me they will play the Plaza on New Year’s Eve and I’m already making plans for the night. Can we sneak in a small firepit? Maybe I could loan it to the Occupy Gainesville guys and they could hold it for me till New Years’ Eve. Ken says we’d all go to jail, but hey, that could be a good opportunity to bring demands into the open, right? Free fire all year round! Can’t wait till New Year’s Eve!
Old photo - should have taken a new on last night...
Thank you, Wendy! We're in a college town so there are some crazies :)
Posted by: floridawendy | 01/04/2012 at 06:56 AM