Privilege 04 - Higher

1988-89 Rock & Roll reunion Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Higher
• Privilege
• Mel
• Degen
• Krawchuk
• Dere
• Walker
• Edmonton

[CalgarySandy]

I remember, during high school and beyond in Calgary, going to the community dances; which then became licensed and known as ``Benefits.`` Backline did a lot of these. We had the battles of the bands at the roller rink with lots of bands including the (still)Shades and Size Five.The bars we went to later to hear local bands turned into discos. There were a couple of night clubs that had good music up to the late 70`s. People now don`t realize that In 67 the Doors and the Dead played dance halls.

[rgwalker]

Did you take photos at any of those gigs and do you still have them? I'm sure that the musicians from most of those bands would love to get copies and if they were like my bands they never took any or saved what they did take. I've received copies of a few photos from people who took them at HS dances that I played in the 60s and came across my website. One was from a HS yearbook.

[CalgarySandy]

Ah, I remember other venues as if 'twere yesterday. Remember when life revolved around live music and music was really everywhere.

[rgwalker]

Sandy: In the 60s music was the basis for much of the social scene. People got together to listen to new records or sock hops and weekend dances were as far away as the nearest community hall or school gymnasium. In 1967 there were over 300 working bands in Edmonton alone and it all but ended in the summer of 1970 when the drinking age was lowered. - Bob W

[CalgarySandy]

Thank you Bob: You know, I had not connected the lowering of the drinking age. I am sure that is part of it. I remember the first weekend after they lowered it. Bars and "Benefit" dances died, hip deep in vomit. I am still going to blame disco as well. LOL There were no more bars with bands, no more places for young'uns to cut their teeth. My 27 year old son wishes he had such a social world. I miss having access to the live music and to the people who loved it.

[rgwalker]

The regular weekend dance was dead in the cities long before disco ever came along and disco was born in the new clubs which got rid of live music and highlighted dancing instead. Live music shifted to concerts and it was about the same time that groups like Led Zeppelin started doing two and three hour concerts with heavy duty production as opposed to the 'Dance At The Hop' approach to the earlier concerts that featured a headliner doing 45 minutes and as many as six local bands as openers.

[northendnorman]

I remember these guys at Ma Meo beach in the sixties those were the days of dances with live music!!

[CalgarySandy]

I had some but I lost everything in a fire about 10 years ago. Sorry. If we had had digital back then it would be a different story. It was impossible to get anything but grainy and dark photos in those venues. I lost all my vinyl too, which was a huge loss. Some of that stuff will never be available again.

[northendnorman]

Anybody else remember their dances at Ma Meo Beach??