And Don’t Give Me That Decaf Shaft…

Ah, yes — tomorrow night (Fri., Jan. 19th), H-town ska legends The Suspects, the guys who pretty much defined the ska scene here for, hell, about a decade, will be reuniting for a heck of a show over at The Continental Club. Best of all, this’ll be nearly a complete reunion, with just about every freakin’ person who ever played in the band (a dozen or people, as I recall) getting on stage — rumor has it that the only person who couldn’t make it was drummer Claudio…

Y’know, even long out of college (I first went to see the band because a guy I knew in college, Andy Hocker, played with ’em and badgered me to come out and see his “new band”), these guys still have a special place in my heart. Beyond being responsible for Houston’s once-exploding crew of ska bands, the ‘spects introduced me to a ton of music I never would’ve heard otherwise (The Scofflaws, The Toasters, The Skatalites, Jump With Joey — the list goes on), spawned a dozen or so spinoff bands (The Magnetic IV, Clouseaux, The Igents, etc.), gave me some of the greatest concert moments I’ve ever experienced, and provided the soundtrack for a big chunk of my post-college years. Even now, I love these guys; just thinking about this show makes me smile and yearn to break out my old Suspects CDs.

Anyway, there it is — this is going to be a good, good, good, and most likely crowded, show. Yours truly’s going to do his damnedest to be there, dancing like a fool to “Caffeine,” “Goodbye Brown Eyes,” and “Right On Time.” Come on out if you can.