Searching for an ’80s revival in Portland
By Ron Raymond Jr.
Blondie was just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On March 18, 2006, Madonna held the top spot on all four Billboard dance charts, and she recently tied a number-one-singles record held by Elvis Presley for over 30 years. The Pretenders just released a career retrospective box set, Pirate Radio 1979-2005. U2 recently won five Grammy awards over the heavily favored Mariah Carey and Kanye West.
Do you see a pattern here? Could it be possible there really is an ’80s revival going on?
As host and creator of an ’80s radio program called Stuck in the 80s (celebrating 10 years of Sundays this year on community radio station WMPG), it’s obvious the ’80s never really left for me. But what about the rest of Portland? Have elements of “the decade of excess” returned in earnest?
One could argue that question when considering Saga Communications’ WMGX (93.1 FM), a former top-rated Portland station that had dropped to the ninth spot by the fall of 2005, according to Arbitron. Saga recently changed the station’s format from light ’70s rock to music from “the ’80s, ’90s and now.” The new Coast 93.1, plays the likes of INXS, Madonna and Prince.
This change, though significant, was not enough to convince me a revival is afoot. So for the past couple months, I’ve been hitting local clubs that offer ’80s-themed entertainment. My first stop in late February: The Big Easy, where an ’80s cover band called The Awesome regularly performs.
The Awesome
The Big Easy
I had heard about the Awesome, but had never actually seen them perform prior to this gig. Before the start of the show, I met up with self-described “married club-goers” and ’80s enthusiasts Mark MacDonald and Bethany Baylies. MacDonald said he’d recently been building up his ’80s metal collection, and was pleased about a recent online purchase: Poison’s Open Up and Say… Aah! (with the original artwork). Baylies was born in 1979, a time when I was really getting into music and, in my opinion, the year that defined a decade – the next one.
MacDonald praised ’80s music. “It wasn’t lousy music…. For me, it was the ‘Heat of the Moment,'” he said, referring to the Top 10, 1982 hit by Asia.
“There were so many different [musical] styles in the ’80s to choose from,” said Baylies. “George Michael’s Faith was a great album…. You can’t say that about Britney Spears.”
Formed in Portland during the winter of 2002-2003, the Awesome includes Michael Taylor (vocals/guitar/keys/xylophone), Nate Soule (guitar/vocals), Peter Dugas (keyboards/flute/occasional guitar), Stu Mahan (bass), Katherine Albee (vocals) and Jennywren Sanders (vocals). The band has three different drummers that rotate from gig to gig, though Smange (Andrew Hodgkins), from As Fast As, is The Awesome’s mainstay drummer when he isn’t on the road with his other band. The Awesome mostly plays in the Portland area, but they’ve also appeared at clubs in Orono, and have a wedding booked in Massachusetts this fall.
When I spoke with vocalist Katherine Albee, she was quick to assert, “the ’90s sucked so bad. You don’t hear anyone covering C & C Music Factory!” How true, I thought, as the soon-to-hit-capacity crowd streamed in from the cold. I spotted someone sporting a Les Miserables t-shirt, and a young woman wearing her high school’s Class of 1988 t-shirt. People were obviously getting into the spirit.
Dressed in their best ’80s fashions, The Awesome opened with Wang Chung’s “Dance Hall Days” (a nice way to start), then immediately went into a dead-on version of “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” by The Human League. The set continued with covers of “Head Over Heels” (Tears For Fears), “Don’t You Want Me” (Human League again), “Hungry Like The Wolf” (Duran Duran) and a fantastic version of the Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty classic “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” with Sanders on co-lead vocals.
From there, the band honored a surprise request for the 1983 Matthew Wilder hit “Break My Stride.” That led into Laura Branigan’s “Self Control,” a song I thought most people had forgotten about, but which many audience members sang word-for-word. A cover of INXS’ “Need You Tonight” followed, then the band performed the Eurythmics’ “Would I Lie to You?” in fine fashion, and did a solid version of “Broken Wings,” by Mr. Mister. The first set closed with the immortal Talking Heads classic “Once in a Lifetime” (cowbell included), a number that drew hearty applause.
“You don’t have to look cool or dance very well to appreciate the music from the ’80s,” Baylies told me during the break. “That’s cool in itself.”
“Electric Avenue” kicked off the band’s second set, and the crowd – by now even larger – went berserk. It was as if Eddy Grant was right in front of them. A strong vocal performance of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” followed, and the crowd was still going nuts, singing along to what obviously remains a big crowd-pleaser – 24 years after its release. “99 Red Balloons” (Nena) kept the crowd crazed, with Sanders on vocals and some nice xylophone by Taylor.
“Take on Me,” a-ha‘s number one hit from 1985, followed, along with a solid rendition of Madonna’s “Material Girl,” this one featuring Albee on vocals. The strong performances continued with a version of the “Your Love” (The Outfield); Toto’s “Africa” (a pleasant surprise); and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” which got a fantastic reception (the girls there did have fun). Dugas brought out the flute for Men at Work’s “Down Under” – a nice touch, combined with some great vocals. Denise Williams’ Footloose classic “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” (with Albee on vocals) was well received, and a spirited “Things Can Only Get Better” (Howard Jones) closed the second set.
The band came back for an encore, and despite pleas for Journey songs, they chose to cover “Automatic,” by the Pointer Sisters. It was the best impersonation of June Pointer I have ever heard. Simply terrific. (Tragically, June Pointer died of cancer earlier this month at the age of 52.)
The Awesome has certainly carved a niche for itself in the local music scene. Vocalist Sanders later told me the response is always positive. People especially love the fact the band dresses in ’80s fashions. “There have been a few bras thrown at us, too,” she said, then added, “Ladies, make sure you throw thembefore you dance and get them sweaty!”
When I asked Sanders about an ’80s revival, she said she thinks there is one happening, but it’s more about fashion than music.
“The ’80s never died, just hibernated,” she told me. “But if you want to call it [an ’80s revival], it happened a while ago. I mean, look at the Avon and Victoria’s Secret catalogues. The belts we all threw away in 1990 are back and cost even more! My question is… if the crepe skirts and shoulder pads are all you find now for women, who forgot about the men in the ’80s? Where are the skin-tight leather pants, acid-washed jeans with your ass hanging out, and the muscle shirts? I don’t see those anywhere!”
The Retro Lounge, with DJ Shawn Sain*don
Asylum
Shawn Saindon (Sain*don in show-biz circles) is a well-loved and well-respected Portland DJ who has been spinning for the past seven years – first at Zootz, and currently downstairs at Asylum, where he calls his regular Thursday night gig The Retro Lounge.
Saindon said about 80 percent of what he plays is ’80s music – the rest being danceable hits from the ’70s and ’90s. The party started a bit after 10 p.m. with After the Fire’s version of “Der Kommissar” (the late, great Falco – originator and writer of the song – would have been proud). “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” followed, along with a hot remix of M’s “Pop Muzik” that was new to me. Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” led into New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” a song that is 20 years old this year and still gets people on the dance floor. The mostly black-clad crowd then danced to the Depeche Mode hit “Personal Jesus” and Madonna’s “Into the Groove” (it was like 1985 all over again – except, maybe, with better clothes).
Highlights of the night included David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” “Just Like Heaven” (the Cure), “Blue Monday” (New Order again, with one of the biggest dance songs of all time), and a set of songs that kept the floor filled: Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the 1973 Stevie Wonder classic “Superstition,” “Dancing Queen” (ABBA), “When Doves Cry” (Prince & The Revolution), “Take On Me” (a-ha), “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash) and Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” (a nice surprise).
Two songs later, Saindon played a request, the Wham hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” which he followed with AC-DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” This was totally unexpected and very fun to hear – a song with one of the gayest videos of the ’80s segued with one of the most popular hetero party anthems of all time!
Blondie’s “Rapture,” the Outfield’s “Your Love,” and Prince’s “1999” – a song that inspired some attempts at breakdancing – took everyone to last call, and Saindon ended the evening with even more ’80s hits.
One of the things I liked most about The Retro Lounge was the crowd. They were free, non-discriminating, having a great time –just being themselves. It reminded me of the Zootz days of old.
Shawn Emerick, a longtime clubber who lives in Portland, told me via e-mail, “I do believe there is an ’80s revival, but it has been building slowly. Once Zootz closed, there really wasn’t much on offer for alternative dancing, much less New Wave dance music. For the longest time, [Asylum was] it. Everybody else had hip hop or bands. Then the floodgates opened.”
’80s Dance Party with DJ Jon
Bubba’s Sulky Lounge
I arrived at this consistently interesting establishment in my best ’80s garb (or the ’80s garb that fit, anyway) about 9:45 p.m. to the sounds of Wang Chung’s “Dance Hall Days.” The night was already well underway. The crowd this Friday night at Bubba’s was totally different than the crowd the night before at Asylum, but like the folks at The Retro Lounge, the people here were in excellent spirits.
Dori Hart, (a.k.a. DigitalDori, the force behind the wildly successful series of Zodiac Parties at Bubba’s), once asked DJ Jon (Jon Hawkins) if he’d do an ’80s set during a Zodiac Party. That impromptu 30-minute set turned into a collaboration that now brings us DJ Jon’s ’80s Dance Party twice a month at the legendary Portland Street bar.
DJ Jon picked up a turntable in 1981 and learned how to scratch at age 10. But for him, the days of bringing in crates of CDs and vinyl are over. Now he brings a laptop loaded with thousands of songs and an innovative music software program called Serato. This astonishing system even allows him to scratch and perform other DJ techniques using a specially designed turntable and sound record set-up.
DJ Jon concentrates on playing the hits – one-to-three minutes of each song before it’s mixed into another – and it works. He played familiar ’80s favorites like “The Safety Dance” (Men Without Hats), “Nasty” (Janet Jackson), U2’s “Pride (In The Name of Love),” “Could You Be Loved” (Bob Marley) and Prince’s “Hot Thing,” with occasional scratching and special effects. Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” (one of the few songs that didn’t work at The Retro Lounge; it kicked ass here), “Another One Bites the Dust” (Queen), “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” – either people have forgiven New Kids on the Block, or DJ Jon found a way to make them cool again – and the immortal “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” by Simple Minds, were also in the mix.
The next set (and Jon’s request list) eerily reminded me of my early days as a DJ at a chem-free club in the late ’80s: Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” (sung in unison by many on the dance floor), “Round and Round” (Ratt), the heavily requested “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (Def Leppard) and Bon Jovi’s “Bad Medicine.” Everyone flocked onto Maine’s only lighted dance floor for a song made for lighted dance floors: Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” They stayed there for more hits from the likes of Deniece Williams, Cameo, Animotion, Eddy Grant and Hall & Oates.
After the midnight hour, Gary Numan’s “Cars” and New Order’s “Blue Monday” kept the ’80s Dance Party going. Then it was time for “Love Shack,” by the B-52’s. People crowded onto what little room was left on the dance floor when that number dropped.
“Any backlash about [playing “Love Shack”] that comes my way can be erased with a simple look at the dance floor,” DJ Jon said. “People just dig it.” They certainly did, along with the artists that followed – Madonna, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson (again!), Soft Cell, Toni Basil, The Bangles (“In Your Room” – a pleasant surprise), the Go-Go’s, the Knack, and the evening’s final song, “Add it Up,” by the Violent Femmes.
After the show, Hart told me she’s noticed “every freaking bar in town now has an ’80s dance night of some sort.
“[This] illustrates the main thing I like about my night at Bubba’s – besides the dance floor, of course,” she said. “Every type of person absolutely freaks out over ’80s music. I love seeing 22-year-old hipsters going nuts when ‘The Safety Dance’ comes on, alongside a group of 40-something wives out for a night on the town. Eighties music is incredibly magical; it makes people so happy and energized, and I know from personal experience it can be addictive.”
’80s Retro Party with DJ Verbatim
Liquid Blue
The atmosphere at Liquid Blue, on Fore Street, is like an updated, slightly upscale version of Zootz. This Old Port club is also home to the biggest disco ball I have ever seen in my life.
There was a small crowd when I arrived for DJ Verbatim’s regular Saturday night ’80s Retro Party last month. College basketball was being shown on a big-ass video screen (I realize it was March Madness and all, but why not throw in some ’80s videos or some period movie clips?).
The crowd started dancing to the Whispers hit “Rock Steady,” then “Fresh” (Kool & the Gang), “Let the Music Play” (Shannon), “Holiday” and “Express Yourself” (Madonna), “Kiss” (Prince & The Revolution) and then – out of nowhere – a remix of some Jackson 5. The Jackson 5? That was followed by the James Brown classic “Sex Machine,” which hit the charts in 1970. I kept saying to myself, “This is an ’80s night, right?”
DJ Verbatim’s mixing was OK overall, but there were times when he would switch songs too quickly and other times when the segues between songs were uneven or abrupt (it was nice to see him using turntables, though). There were times he had trouble keeping people on the dance floor, as when he played music outside of the ’80s like “Respect” (Aretha Franklin), “Poison” (Bell Biv DeVoe) and “Get Down Tonight” (K.C. & The Sunshine Band). At one point, I heard him trying to mix in “White Horse” by Laid Back (which would have been cool), but instead he opted for the 1977 hit “Car Wash” by Rose Royce.
That said, the crowd steadily grew, and even those not dancing were digging the music. The non-’80s hit parade continued with Montell Jordan (“This Is How We Do It”), the Bee Gees (“Stayin’ Alive”), “Brick House” (The Commodores) and Deee-Lite’s well-received “Groove is in the Heart” (which would have fit the night’s theme had it been released four months earlier). DJ Verbatim went back to the ’80s (and 1979) for a bit, playing songs from Kool & the Gang, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston, but then jumped back to the ’90s.
That’s when I left. Not to take anything away from the crowd, or the nice bartenders, or the good time had by all, but you can’t tout an ’80s Retro Night and move all over three decades’ worth of dance music. If you are resurrecting the Decades of Dance night Fred Kennedy did so well at Zootz (and later, Asylum), then say so. Calling this an ’80s night is bullshit.
Looking back on all these nights, it’s clear to me there is an ’80s revival sweeping Portland, Maine. You can dance if you want to, so get into the groove already!
