By Katherine Wehle
Equal Rights
Reggae 4 A Reason, Gold Bug Island
Mount Pleasant, SC
May 7, 2006
At Reggae for a Reason, a benefit for Florence Crittendon Programs of SC,
a small crowd huddled in a pavilion on Goldbug Island. All afternoon, storms had
been predicted, tornados a possibility. The Dave Landeo Band (DLB) of Knoxville
opened — Dave Landeo as lead, Aram on bass, and Matt on drums. Landeo’s trio
maintained a festive mood “jumping all over the board and mixing it up.”
The trio’s set included covers of Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, and Van Morrison
blended with covers of contemporary pop by Matchbox 20 and Eagle Eye Cherry.
They closed with the unexpected rarely heard new wave song “Falling in Love”
(Flock of Seagulls). Rarely do bands try this style, but it was a nice surprise
to the 30-something parents in the crowd. It was only the beginning of surprises
that continued with Charleston’s Equal Rights.
Equal
Rights peppered their act with Marley standards. The rest was original material,
including “Nice It Up” and “Living for the Season.” Mike sang
passionately, playing cowbell with a guiro stick, blowing a trumpet one-handed,
or stroking the beads of a cabasa. All the while, he and Speed danced in place,
as did the audience.
Reggae is a rarity in these parts, yet Equal Rights is intimately familiar with
the genre’s melodies and instrumentation. Without knowing they’re locals,
their talent implies Caribbean roots. Mike Godfrey (vocals, horn, percussion),
Karen Speed (bassist, vocals), and keyboardist Alvin Brooks have played together
for 18 years backed by Tim Campbell, drums, and Julius Broughton on second
keyboard.
During ER’s performance, the sun eased out of its cloud cover, and the rain
seemed to have all but given up.
-Kathleen Wehle; photo by Dereck Shawn Curry
