My Portland-based soul/ska/rocksteady band, The Sentiments, will be opening for 2-Tone ska legends, The English Beat. The show is on Friday, April 8th at the Wonder Ballroom. It's 21+ over. Any long-time listener of my show will know how much I love the original 2-Tone ska and what a formative influence it was on me. One of my very first records was the original Specials LP. Shortly thereafter, I discovered other 2-Tone bands like The English Beat, The Selecter, and Bad Manners. What a joy then, all these years later to be playing with Dave Wakeling and The English Beat. Purists will argue this is not The English Beat they grew up with. No, it's not the original lineup, but I argue, Dave wrote most of the songs and his current lineup of players are among the best musicians in the country. Keyboard player Ray Jacildo stands out - not only for his band The Soul Captives, his touring sting with The Aggrolites, his annual "Strange Manor Christmas" music collections, but also the fact he's a super cool guy. Maybe it's overstating it, but I liken playing with The English Beat an honor similar to a rock band getting to open for The Rolling Stones. How great is it that we get to share the stage with the musicians who've inspired who we are as people? Pretty fucking cool, I'd say.