Not your average Friday night bar crowd

by Melissa Riddell

When I first decided to create OFF! I spent a lot of time picking the brains of people around Cape. I discovered that one of the biggest promoters of the Downtown Riverfront area was also an extremely gifted musician. Knowing Chuck McGinty and his wife, Laura, socially from various community projects we have all been involved with, I was pleased when I learned I would be interviewing him for this issue.

I walked into C.P. McGinty's with the same joy I always have when I go in there. I got to stop for a second and eye the cases (a bracelet has been calling my name in there since before Christmas, and I go "visit" it about once a week) before being led into the office.

Hung on the wall directly in front of me was a beautifully framed calligraphy missive. It reads, "The quality of a man's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence." Chuck told me that was a gift from the single most influential person in his life, his father.

Coming from a long line of doctors and lawyers (his father was a surgeon, now retired), it would have been very easy to be pulled along into the "family" business. And Chuck began college in pre-med. The music tugged at him though and he followed the song. His father could have been upset with him; instead he told his son, "I don't care what you decide to do, but be the best at whatever it is."

Taking that advice to heart, Chuck pursued his artistic talent. He received a Bachelor of Science degree. As he was pursuing his Master's, SEMO created two independent study classes in jewelry. "They had been phasing out the jewelry program and I had taken all the other art classes," Chuck told me.

Between his Bachelor's and Master's, he took an eight-year hiatus. His timing was interesting. He said he had only one credit hour left when he took a break.

For the next eight years he was involved in music. He worked at Shivelbine's for a time and discovered his aptitude for retail. He played in the band "Fletcher," a bit of a local phenomenon. They even opened for the band, Styx (younger readers ask your parents). He began working at a local jewelry store and excelled there. In 1979 with his father's endorsement, both financial and emotional, he opened his jewelry store.

Chuck started his musical addiction playing the piano. When he was 14, he saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and asked for a guitar. His parents bought him his first one, a Gibson LGO. He stuck with it and in high school also played the baritone horn. He played street dances and every single all-college dance functions. One of his fond memories was of working during college at Shakey's Pizza for $65.00 and all the pizza and beer they could handle.

Real life intervened, family, moving the store downtown (he has been downtown 13 years now), children and general reality. He put his music on the back burner. He did keep his hand in, in a round-about way. He had some very high quality sound equipment and took up playing music, DJ fashion, for weddings.

About three years ago his wife was talking to him about the band at church. Chuck went to see what she was going on about. "I loved their sound, but told Laura they needed a bass guitar player."

Laura bought him a bass guitar. He would like to think it was because she understood his love of music; but he said she bought it just because she wanted to see him in church every week. And she now can see him do three services each Sunday.

For the last four or five months Chuck has been performing with a band called CONTORS. CONTORS is a nine-piece band that originally was the first "integrated band" anywhere. There are three singers, three horns, two guitarists and a drummer. "We play what we are good at, Motown," Chuck informed me. "No country, very few requests, no hard rock, pure Motown sound."

Watching them as they performed Friday, January 21, at Broussard.s to a capacity crowd was a real eye opener. I waited nearly two hours to get a table in the bar area, so I could have a bird's eye view. I never did get one; people who had heard who was playing came earlier than me (I got there at 7), had dinner and then "camped out" to be able to hear the band, which didn't start 'til 9. This was not the average Friday night bar crowd. The crowd ranged in age from 18-60. The minute they began playing I understood the enthusiasm. This was a polished band. With the first note, the crowd was silent. I watched and listened as they wove their music around all of us. Age no longer mattered. They weren't just playing, they were in total control of the listener.

I saw grandpas and college age people standing side by side, singing along with each tune that was played. I watched as members of the band came into the crowd and played within inches of the singers/dancers. The crowd loved them. When the band began its rendition of "Under the Boardwalk," even I started singing along. The crowd was packed like sardines, eight deep, everyone moving in time. It reminded me of rows of corn being brushed by a breezeÉ everything synchronizedÉ always moving but not quite touching. The audience was captivated. They finished their song with the crowd singing along enthusiastically.

This band was not just a "band"; they were polished entertainers. The crowd finally got to be too much for this short woman and I had to get moving. My spot was a hole for about a nanosecond before being swallowed up by someone wanting to get closer. I am looking forward to their next local appearance. They will be playing February 26th at Port Cape. If you get a chance, go check them out. They put on one hell of a show.