[Portland] “I’m
gonna harden my heart… I’m gonna swallow my tears…” ... I’m near positive I had
an 80s mix ordered via TV with this song on it… or heard it on the radio in
errand-minded drives in the mom minivan. I was charmed by the idea of seeing
this B-level band in a park in the city they’re actually from. Flame had no idea what he was in for, even
after I warned him with a Youtube video. The event was mostly as expected –
typical sorts for our neighborhood letting loose as aging white people will. But
truth be told, we liked them. We were in the awkward/comfortable middle ground
of being young enough to snicker at the older people excited by old lame music
but old enough to recognize the music and know we weren’t too far ourselves
from celebrating bygone days. They had a big hard/soft rock sound – thoroughly
80s – Heart, Pat Benatar. She had a voice – maybe couldn’t hit the high notes
like she used to – and distinguished the band with her sassy saxophone playing.
Their new songs were more touch and go – leaned a little too heavy on the
we-can-solve-the-world’s-problems-with-our -wise-lyrics approach – Flame liked
the ‘we were all one’ message more than I did. We agreed on the song that
started with ‘rapping.’ I was very much reminded of this middle-aged band from
Austin, Greezy Wheels, that pop-glossed all sorts of genres pretty competently
but still with an ultimate effect of wading in waters they ought not. The
unaminous cry that erupted from the crowd when they closed with Harden My Heart
was great – as was the unsolicited but appreciated encore.
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