You Had to Be There

     I read You Had to Be There by Sharon Cathcart a few months ago and still find myself going back and re-reading little sections of it over and over. It is her autobiographical look back at the Portland Oregon music scene in the very early '80s. Since that coincided perfectly with the time I was hanging out listening to live bands in Seattle, I can attest that she got the fine details right. More important, she got the feel of that moment just right. 
     We were young, self-involved, and pretty sure we were witnessing the changing of the guard in the musical world. My own memories of that time include long-gone venues like Astor Park, Hibble and Hydes, Mr. Bills and Baby O's.Hible and Hydes was a dive in Pioneer Square but was popular because they stayed open until 5 AM. Somehow, when I was 21 or 22 years old it seemed like a great idea to stay out until five and then go get breakfast at The Dog House, sleep all day and start it over again that night.  Every time we went out, we were convinced we were seeing the Next Big Thing. Even the bands were in on the joke. 
     The Heaters (eventually the Heats) were billed semi-tongue in cheek as "Seattle's Soon to be Famous" band. When The Heats didn't make it big, our hopes fell on The Allies, which was my favorite local band. When they made the finals of MTV's Basement Tapes with Emma Peel we thought they were off and running, but they broke up soon after that. In the end, the Seattle Music Scene did change the world, but it wasn't until a decade later when the flannel shirts took over.
     The names are different in You Had to be There but the vibe is the same. Everything felt so damn important then. There's other good stuff in the book. It's not a dry recitation of the bands and venues. It includes the author's personal growth and gives a sometimes funny, sometimes very sad recounting of her romantic struggles. This book did a great job of putting me in a time machine and taking me back to a happy, if not necessarily innocent, time. It's available from Amazon for $1.99 for the Kindle or $7.99 in paperback.
     One other happy memory from the time - here's a link  to a song from what I think was the most creative Seattle band of the '80s - Mondo Vita, and Technical Difficulties. 
     What about you?  What are your favorite local bands from when you were young and thought the music you listened to was the only music in the world?