Sad or Sweet?

This Saturday, Abby and I took Charlotte out to the Novato Wine Fair. As street fairs go, it was pretty nice - the vendors clearly knew there were lots of kids as much of the goods for sale leaned towards child toys and gear, but the food seemed to be good and people were having a great time.

One of the reasons folks were having so much fun was the band playing - The English Beat.

Yes, that English Beat. Ranking Roger, Dave Wakeling -- "Mirror in the Bathroom" and all of that. My first inclination, as someone who loved the band in the 1980s and can still remember the sadness I felt when I heard they’d broken up, was disappointment. Then, I heard them – and they sounded GREAT.

And as a band that certainly never hit it big, it’s pretty impressive to still be playing, albeit in an incomplete form (that definitely wasn’t all the original members up there) and sounding that good, 25 years later. So, instead of it being a sad ending, I’m hoping they are happy to still be getting regular work and sounding pretty solid after all these years.

Even if it’s at the Novato Wine Fair.