If you saw me driving to work today, you likely heard me singing along to Steel Pulse's 1982 "True Democracy," which I extracted from the shelf this morning for the first time in many, many years. The news that the band comes to Summerfest this year -- on the The Potawatomi Bingo Casino Stage & Pavilion with Miller High Life and OnMilwaukee.com -- led me back to this record that was among my favorites when I was 15 and 16.
I was amazed that I could remember not only every word, every drum fill, every guitar line, but also the vocal ad libs. I guess I listened to it more than a few times.
Along with the band's 1978 debut, "Handsworth Revolution," it is an absolute classic U.K. reggae disc (ask me and I'll bore you with the others, too) and pretty high up on the list of all reggae records (we snobs make a distinction between music from Jamaica and from everywhere else).
"True Democracy" was exciting and alive when it was released. It was a bridge between rock and reggae with chicken scratch guitars, incendiary drumming and on-the-money harmonies combined with great songwriting.
It also arrived at a definitive time for me. I was teaching myself to play the bass and "True Democracy," along with the other great records of the moment -- Black Uhuru's "Red," Bob Marley & The Wailers' "Uprising" and Aswad's "New Chapter in Dub," among them -- were the best teachers a kid could ask for. They were all fueled by bass runs that were snaky and full of finesse, but were also repeated many times, allowing me to pick out the notes (and I say "pick," but I certainly did NOT use a pick, thank you very much!).
The disc also helped me join my school's Jamaican community -- this was Brooklyn remember -- at least as an honorary member. Standing in line in the cafeteria listening to "True Democracy" in my Walkman (remember those?!), the Jamaican kid in line behind me somehow realized or suspected that we were listening to the same record. We were and I was in.
Then there was that improbable column of dreads sported by singer and guitarist David Hinds on the cover of the U.S. release. It seemed amazingly tall and revolutionary -- like a big middle finger to the people that still fought against dreadlocks (yes, there was a time when dreads were not a hip trend and kids got kicked out of their houses for sporting them) -- and we had no idea just how it would continued to taunt gravity before it fell over and Hinds started tying it up 'round itself.
I've seen Steel Pulse a number of times since then and the band is always killer live. Although, I don't hesitate to say that once drummer Steve "Grizzly" Nisbett left the band, the thumping heart of Steel Pulse was gone even if the brain and the body was still alive.
But go buy "True Democracy" and feel the fire. Then go see Steel Pulse and I guarantee you that -- Grizzly or no Grizzly (certainly no Grizzly, sadly, because he's retired) -- Hinds and company will put on a stellar show.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
