FridaysUpdate: No scaling back: Alligator rocks on

Alligator keeps several Charlottesville rock traditions alive.
PUBLICITY PHOTO

"The question is: what is rock 'n roll, and who plays it?" asks singer and Alligator frontman Bob Girard. "We still do."

Well that settles that.

Fresh off last year's Fridays After Five and Live! From the Hook concert double-header, the guys of Alligator return to headline the local scene a little older, maybe a little wiser– but definitely even more ready to rock, according to Girard.

"My experience over the course of this long period– along with the experience of all the others– has allowed us to relax," says Girard, not afraid to accept the designation that Alligator is supergroup– a music industry term for a band composed of musicians who found their original fame in other ensembles.

This one came together in 1996 after guitarist Charlie Pastorfield dreamed up a way to re-unite many of the original faces of Charlottesville's late 1970s/early 1980s scene. Members of the Skip Castro Band, Johnny Sportcoat and the Casuals, and the more recent Indecision came together a sort of Grateful Dead-ish jam band.

But wait– isn't the Grateful Dead more associated with the feel-good psychedelia than testosterone-fuel frat parties? Nobody, Girard says, has a monopoly on making people "forget about their cares."

"The '70s was when all that stuff was at its zenith– the club and party scene was a great incubator for live music," Girard remembers. "The frats were great social scenes that delivered an awful lot of people– it was the soundtrack of their youth."

It was through those frat parties and club shows that the guys of Alligator honed their skills– but they believe they're able to speak to a new generation of rockers.

Alligator plays Fridays After Five on 7/31. Chick Tragic and the Roosters open. The show starts at 5:30 pm and admission is free. #