By 
by Gavin Heaney
I brought my trusty, rusty beach chair to BeachLife this year. As I flipped my old fold-out, I realized there’s something still grassroots about setting down your chair and throwing down a blanket at an outdoor show. It’s a free zone where anyone can claim their own little base camp. Normally people queue up early and stampede to get a good spot, but there was no need to hustle at BeachLife Nights.
Plenty of room was provided in a neatly designated chair section, stationed in the back so as to not bogart the standing room up front.
Despite all the new accoutrement of the VIP section, which, this humble reporter alas did not sample, this simple allowance was my favorite new feature of the mini two-night festival.
In the sun-saturated afternoon, The English Beat brought their bouncing souls to the LowTide Stage. Lead singer Dave Wakeling is an ambassador of ‘80s ska and he reminded us what a joyous sound it is. He played hits from his career with The Beat and General Public including “Mirror In The Bathroom”, “Save It For Later” and “Tenderness”, which solicited singing and swaying from the audience.
Many among the crowd were actually there when these songs first hit and if forty years have passed since, they didn’t notice. They skanked in the sand like timeless teenagers.
“In all my time doing this, meeting Smokey Robinson was one of the greatest moments,” Wakeling reminisced as an intro to “The Tears of a Clown”, which the band reimagined in a rock-steady rhythm with a fluent jazz saxophone. “Sorry Smokey!” he laughed apologetically for the liberties he took with the Motown classic.
Wakeling’s laugh is gleefully guttural and his exuberant revels reveal that he is enjoying this most of all.
“Are you really ready, rocksteady Freddy?” he goaded the crowd on to the next number, wielding a teardrop shaped Vox guitar after his childhood idol Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones. You can sense that the same initial passion still animates him today.
The Friday afternoon ocean was white-capped as the brisk morning offshore wind that favored the morning surf conditions violently about-faced and blasted back a stiff sea breeze. Fortunately for the festival, it relented as the sun dipped down and the palm trees lit up.
Anuhea plays during the Kona Big Wave Bonfire Session Saturday night. Photo courtesy BeachLife
Behind my beach chair a low key guitar began strumming, followed by an understated, mellow crooning, cushioned by tight harmonies. Donavon Frankenreiter appeared on a small stage that was so inconspicuous, people passing by barely seemed to take notice. I took advantage and rolled right up to the intimate Aloha stage and enjoyed the music face to face with the band. Frankenreiter was accompanied by lead guitar and bongos and the semi-circle scene took me right back to Isla Vista where I would see him play with his band Sun Child.
Like the speakeasy stage, but even smaller and more accessible, the Aloha stage was a cool addition that brought the band to the sand, literally.
The mellow mood continued as a full moon peeked out between the palms and Michael Franti took the stage, inviting us to partake in his dance track “Meet Me When The Sun Goes Down.” He was barely on stage before he was off it, running among the audience, drilling them in rounds of jumping like some new, hip beach aerobics class. The crowd did not mind the workout and fed off his call-and-response tactics.
Positivity is Franti’s religion and his message is a constant barrage of don’t worry, be happy songs which were happily absorbed. He seemed more comfortable in the audience and surely spent more time with his bare feet in the sand than on stage. The set spearheaded when Carl Young picked up the bass and the true band emerged from the DJ beats. Guitarist Greg Hanson jammed bluesy riffs as they performed “The Sound of Sunshine”, their happy go lucky song that is inescapably contagious.
Franti encouraged people to turn to each other and embrace and many hugged it out and passed the one love vibe around. He then brought up two elated little girls, Kennedy and Axl, to sing the chorus with him, taking the time to patiently provide instruction to the shy one. The girls will definitely have a story to bring to show and tell on Monday and they danced offstage sporting free hats from Franti.
Later he invited everyone over the age of eighty to come up on stage, completing the circle of life.
Truly fun for all ages, his inclusiveness is gregarious and generous and Franti is a natural entertainer. But he is something more than your typical frontman. He is like some kind of lifestyle coach. His refrains such as “Just Work Hard and Be Nice To People” could go on t-shirts or bumper stickers. Deceptively simple, his slogans become packed with meaning if you put them into practice.
His headliner set was BeachLife attendee Christi McCaverty’s favorite part of the night.
“I have grown up listening to reggae and it’s a dream come true to see these incredible bands in my front yard with my feet in the sand,” she said. “I think my highlight was Michael Franti. He’s all about love and spreads such positivity! My favorite part was when he came out into the crowd and continued the show as they broke down the stage and led an acoustic sing-along.”
Franti extended the show completely un-amplified off stage and acoustic with his band in the sand well after curfew.
As the crew broke down the LowTide Stage, he led the lingering crowd in a medley-mash up campfire sing-alongs – “One Love, People Get Ready”, “Country Roads”, “Sweet Caroline”, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “I Got A Feeling (Tonight’s Gonna Be A Good Night)”, “Lean on Me” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” He didn’t stop until nearly an hour past curfew, providing a “had to be there,” classic moment for the festival.
All in all, BeachLife Nights was a slick little getaway from the busy fall schedule. Many parents enjoyed a night out and a few like myself brought their kids, who ran the sand dizzily at dusk and then bundled in warm blankets later in our laps. Tonight was a good night. ER
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