Reburial: 7 Wonders of the World Music

While I was poking around the internet looking for info on an upcoming "Shots in the Dark" posting I'm writing on the Japanese "Christma-ska" album (that I helped put together for Tachyon/Moon Ska Tokyo Records back in 1997), I came across the following update that I sent out for 7 Wonders, almost nine years ago to the day. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here; you should view it through an historical lens--a blast from the ska past during a particularly bleak time for American ska, when it stumbled back underground (like almost six feet under) after its glorious bender in the 90s...

7 Wonders of the World Music, Ltd.
http://www.7wow.com
info@7wow.com

7 WONDERS UPDATE 12/21/00

- NEW STUBBORN ALL-STARS DUB TRACKS SOON ON 7 WONDERS!
- NEW BUFORD O’SULLIVAN ALBUM READY TO DOWNLOAD NOW!
- NYC SKA SHOW ALERT: NY SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE & KING DJANGO 1/5/01 @ KNITTING FACTORY
- SPEAKEASIES UPDATE: NEW ALBUM, SHOWS
- ORANGE STREET MP3S NO LONGER AVAILABLE
- SKA NEWS: MORE PRINCE BUSTER, JUMP UP, BAD MANNERS, CHRIS MURRAY, MOON SKA
- RECOMMENDED SKA GIGS: THE BLUEBEATS, STRANGEWAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM 7 WONDERS
All of us at 7 Wonders thank you for your support of our humble little e-label over the past year, and we look forward to serving you in the coming years. We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa, depending on your perspective! To paraphrase Django's contribution to the Japanese release "Christma-ska": "Whether you're Christian, Muslim, or Jew, I wish the world to you." Nuff said.

NEW STUBBORN ALL-STARS DUB TRACKS ON 7 WONDERS SOON!
7 Wonders is thrilled to announce that soon we will have four exclusive new dubs from the Stubborn All-Stars for sale on the site. King Django has been hard at work in the newly relocated Version City studio concocting these dread dub versions for 7 Wonders. We've already listened to all of them ("Star Struck," "Acuity," "Scrubbing Bubbles," and "Dragon Master") and they are magnificent. While you're licking your chops in anticipation, check out some free mp3s that Stubborn Records have put up on the net for your listening pleasure from Skinnerbox ( http://www.mp3.com/skinnerbox ) and the Stubborn All-Stars ( http://www.mp3.com/stubbornallstars ). Happy downloading.

BUFORD’S "SEXY EYE" READY FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD
Buford O’Sullivan’s brand, spanking new album (available exclusively on 7 Wonders), "The Sexy Eye" is ready for purchase from 7 Wonders. "The Sexy Eye" features 11 new remarkable Buford songs about things that matter to regular folks like you and me (some titles from the album: "My Girlfriend is in the Shower," "What Do You Want to Do Tonight," "Sitting With a Good Friend," and "Loser Nation")! To listen to RealAudio samples of "The Sexy Eye" album or download a free Buford O'Sullivan dub mp3, go to: http://www.7wow.com/cgi-bin/7wow.cgi?command=print&page=bio/buford.html . "The Sexy Eye" also features downloadable artwork in PDF format that you can print out for your CD jewel case, should you decide to burn the files onto a CD.

NYC SKA SHOW ALERT: NY SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE & KING DJANGO 1/5/01 @ KNITTING FACTORY
Mark your calendar, enter it into your PDA, scrawl it on the back of your hand: NY Ska Jazz Ensemble will be playing the Knitting Factory in NYC on Friday, January 5th with the great King Django. This is a great way to celebrate the New Year (and here's hoping that '01 is a kinder year to ska than the last!), so show up with bells on. The NYSJE/King Django show is sponsored by 7 Wonders and Read Magazine, and this promises to be one stellar night of ska and reggae!

NYSJE are hot off their latest European tour, where all of their shows but two were sold-out. The band has undergone some personnel changes and is now hotter and tighter than ever (get to the show and find out for yourself if this boast is true). In other NYSJE news, the band is working on securing the release and distribution of their superfine "Live in Europe" CD in the US and Canada (right now, it's only available, like, in Europe).

KING DJANGO will be hitting the road this January for a tour of the East Coast (check the dates listed below and go to the Stubborn website at http://www.stubbornrecords.com for info), and Hellcat Records will be releasing King Django's new album in the near future.

Sunday January 14, ALL AGES! 3pm-?
King Django Band
Rathskellar (Philly Ska)
Foil (Jersey reggae-rock)
$6 to enter
Court Tavern, 124 Church St. New Brunswick, NJ 732-545-7265
info: http://www.courttavern.com/directions.html

KING DJANGO ON TOUR

FRI JAN 5: KNITTING FACTORY, NYC (with New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble)
THU JAN 18: TBA WASHINTON, DC
FRI JAN 19: VELVET ELVIS, SAVANNAH, GA
SAT JAN 20: TBA JACKSONVILLE, FL
SUN JAN 21: SAPPHIRE SUPPER CLUB, ORLANDO, FL
MON JAN 22: RAY'S DOWNTOWN, W. PALM BEACH, FL
TUE 23: NEW WORLD BREWERY, YBOR CITY, FL
WED JAN 24: TBA GAINESVILLE, FL
THU JAN 25: TBA ATLANTA, GA
FRI JAN 26: THE PILOT LIGHT, KNOXVILLE, TN (with Heavy Step)
SAT JAN 27: EMPTY GLASS, CHARLESTON, WV
SUN JAN 28: TBA PITTSBURGH, PA

SPEAKEASIES UPDATE: RECORDING SESSION, GIGS
The Speakeasies have some shows coming up, just prior to their going into the studio to record their debut album with The Slackers’ Vic Ruggeiro producing. If you’re in the area, get to these gigs:

Dec. 23 at Cafe Eclipse, Concord, NH (special Speakeasies acoustic set)
Dec. 28 at Toadstool Harry's, Killington, VT (plus live interview on Planet Ska Radio)
January 2001: NYC (TBA)

ORANGE STREET MP3s NO LONGER AVAILABLE
The Orange Street bio page and the band's six mp3s from their demo have been permanently removed from the 7 Wonders site. Originally, when the contract between 7 Wonders and two members of the band was negotiated and signed, a third, key member of the band inadvertently was not consulted. When this person recently found out about the deal, they requested that these tracks be taken off the site, and we have complied with their wishes. Everyone at 7 Wonders is a bit disappointed not to be able to offer these remarkable songs, but we understand the issues involved, and wish the very best to all of the ex-members of Orange Street.

SKA BITS AND PIECES
Continuing with my Prince Buster obsession, please note that several of the Prince's long out-of-print productions have been re-issued by Prince Buster's Records Shack: "Fly Flying Ska," "The Outlaw," and his great 70's dub album, "The Message Dub Wise." These Prince Buster releases and more can be found at Reggae Express, http://www.reggaeexpress.com (thanks to Joshua Tatman for the tip)...Jump Up Records ( http://www.jumpuprecords.com ) continues to release all sorts of exceptional US ska, reggae, soul, punk, and mod albums, plus they carry a slew of essential, hard-to-find ska imports from all over the world, including CD's and LP's from Germany's Grover Records, UK's Trojan, and Japan's Phalanx Records (all at reasonable prices!). I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking, and Chuck's label certainly deserves your support...The new UK-only Bad Manners retrospective of their early work on Magnet Records, titled "Magnetism," is simply outstanding, and one can hear why the band was hugely popular in the UK and Europe during the 2-Tone era (my faves include "Walking in the Sunshine," "Just a Feeling," and "Inner London Violence")...Chris Murray ( http://www.chrismurray.net ), aka Venice Shoreline Chris, as well as singer for the recently revived King Apparatus, will be touring with The Slackers in February (NYC is on the 18th at Wetlands). His new album, titled "4-Trackaganza!," is scheduled for release on Asian Man Records in January, and we can't wait to hear it. (BTW, Asian Man also re-issued the two King Apparatus CD's; their debut album is one of the finer ska CD's of the 90's.)...And by now it is no longer breaking news (and it certainly is not unexpected), but in case you haven't heard, Moon Ska Records is filing Chapter 7 the week before Christmas. I worked for Moon from 1991 through 1999 and will always be grateful for my experience there. It was a hell of a ride. We wish all the best to Buck and Brett in their future endeavors, and they should know that Moon will not be soon forgotten by ska fans around the globe.

RECOMMENDED SKA GIGS: THE BLUEBEATS, THE STRANGEWAYS
If you are anywhere near the venues listed below, do what you have to in order to see these bands! Support live ska music made by some of the best bands out there...

THE BLUEBEATS
- Saturday, December 23rd
The Cooler
Jammyland X-mas Party
w/Skavoovie & the Epitones, Rocksteady 7, the Nods
The Cooler
416 West 14th Street, NYC
212 229 0785
http://www.thecooler.com

- Wednesday, December 27th
w/The Toasters
Theater of the Living Arts
Philadelphia, PA

THE STRANGEWAYS
- Friday, December 22 @ Monterey Deli
8:00 PM
1515 Main St, Sarasota, Florida 941-366-9788

- Saturday, December 23 @ Monterey Deli
9:00 PM
1515 Main St Sarasota, Florida 941-966-9788

- Thursday, December 28 @ Five O'clock Club
10:00 PM
1930 Hillview St, Sarasota, Florida 941-366-5555

- the Strangeways w/ Rocksteady@8
Friday, December 29 @ The Orpheum
8:00 PM
Ybor City, Tampa, FL
All original SKA show. Rudies unite! $5 cover.

NEW PROMOTIONAL TRACKS AVAILABLE FOR NET RADIO & REVIEWERS
A quick note to all dj’s and music reviewers who are part of the 7 Wonders promotional program: we have new promo tracks available from Capone & The Bullets (Scottish 2-Tone ska), Winston Irie (NYC roots reggae), Provibes/HP Setter/Dr. Ring Ding (German reggae/toasting), Subatomic Sound System (NYC electronica), Take 5 (Boston trad ska/jazz), Zimbobway’s King Kingston Orchestra (SoCal trad ska/jazz), Strikkly Vikkly (NYC dub), Buford O’Sullivan (NYC ska/reggae/dub), Los Mas Valientes (NYC latin jazz), and Rick Faulkner (NYC jazz). Thanks for your support for our bands and their music!

If you are a net dj or music reviewer and would like to receive promo 7 Wonders mp3s, email steve@7wow.com and we’ll hook you up (it’s simple and fun!).

DEMOS

7 Wonders is looking to work with more ska, reggae and dub bands. Our contracts are equitable, our royalties are excellent – and we can promote and sell your music to a worldwide ska and reggae audience. Interested parties should contact Steve at info@7wow.com and/or send some music and info to:

Steve Shafer
7 Wonders of the World Music, Ltd.
PO Box 6699
New York, NY 10128

PS: If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please send an email to info@7wow.com and we will remove you immediately.