Fresno Famous

The Skatalites played Club Fred Sunday, March 18. It was nice to see them in Fresno again. I've seen them at Fred's twice before, so I was looking forward to this show very much. Especially now that there are only 3 original members left.
Sadly, Rolando Alphonso, tenor sax, died a few months after they played at Fred's. He suffered a stroke onstage and died the next day. He played music until the day he died...
Sunday's concert was excellent. I was fortunate to catch Hobo Erotic who gave us an excellent example of traditional Ska Music. They are exactly what the Fresno Ska scene is all about.
The Jokes followed playing a more modern style of Ska. They played punk-ska and old Ska standards such as Simmer Down. Good show, although I am more of a Ska traditionalist.
After The Joke's set, I caught a glimpse of Lloyd Knibb walking in from the rear of the bar. I was in awe watching a true Ska legend. Later I saw Doreen Schaffer and Lester "Ska" Sterling. (He was in the there when the music was named "Ska") They played all the favorites. The great sound was still there despite the fact that bassist Lloyd Brevett is no longer touring with the band. The Queen of Ska, Doreen Shaffer sang 5 songs ending with You're Wondering Now.
What a great show! They seemed to be having so much fun on stage. Fresno loves The Skatalites. It's also nice to go with someone who has never experienced the true Ska sound in person. The music of The Skatalites is
The best part of this show was the fact that I was feeling like I wanted to see them again since the last time was in 1998. I started checking the website (www.skatalites.com) for upcoming shows in the vicinity. I saw one in Santa Barbara for Friday March 17, so I started making plans to attend. About three weeks ago I checked the website again and I jumped when I saw a Fresno date added! With gas at $3.25 a gallon, and $25 per ticket, not to mention all the beer I had to consume…because you can't go without drinking beer at a good Ska show, I was jumping for joy when I realized I could walk to Fred's and only pay $20 for the show (more money for beer and maybe a bumper sticker or a CD).