Cadre, Brave Combo, Brains for Dinner Fitzgerald's July 24, 2010

Some would argue that Reggae is dead, but the youth of Houston would beg to differ. In dramatic fashion on Saturday night, fans, friends and loved ones were all brought to their feet at Fitzgerald's, where Cadre, Brave Combo and Brains For Dinner put the crowd in a dancing mood for the longtime Heights club's 33rd anniversary party.

While Cadre's album release was the reason for the party, it was hardly the focal point, though it's definitely worth purchasing, if for no other reason than its background story: Recording, mixing and mastering only took the band three and a half weeks, which as far as we know is close to unheard of.

Because all of the members of Cadre have been in bands before, they know the ropes and know that, when it comes down to it, completing an album needs to be made a priority before it gets put on the backburner, sometimes for good.

"This has been the most ridiculous experience," said Dane Foltin, Brains For Dinner's bassist and co-founder, who recorded and mastered Cadre's album. "I have never before in my life done an album in under a month."

Foltin, who is studying sound engineering at Columbia College in Chicago, told us that Curren Rehm and Nathan Quick, two of the members of Cadre (formerly Where There Is Sound, It Is Good) were hounding him daily to ensure the album was always at the forefront of his mind. In the background, Quick was smirking, quite pleased with himself and his band. Truth be told, we'd be smiling too, and we'd probably be a lot more arrogant about it, too.

Cadre's performance may have been a bit laid-back for an album release party, but the band's strong suit has always been collaboration above all else. After all, two of its members, Quick and Rehm, are also guitarists in Brains For Dinner, the evening's headlining act.

On the subject of collaboration, another strength of Cadre's lies in its variety of its members voices. Quick is the lead singer, for all intents and purposes, but Kevin Kendrick, the band's banjo player and one of three vocalists, sings but one song, Whistles, and it truly stands out.

"Kevin sounds like a love child between Jimmy Buffett and Bob Dylan," said Stuart Maudlin, a friend and fan of the band. And we agree. It's eerily similar, and Quick told us that Dylan is one of Kendrick's biggest influences. At this point, we grabbed another copy of the album for our dad, whom we were should would love it.

"It ain't nothin' but a party, baby," Rehm said to the crowd as Cadre finished up its set. This statement reigned true as the rest of the evening was filled with people of all ages letting loose and dancing to their hearts' content.