The One and Only Hoi Polloi Ska Almanac

Hoi Polloi's always essential ska almanac--updated monthly (which has be a fair amount of work to do, since John isn't simply regurgitating the same old ska factoids from year to year; he's combing through his extensive archive, which has a focus on printed ska-related materials, to keep the public informed)--is worth a regular visit (go there now). For instance, I always forget that Laurel "The Godfather of Ska" Aitken, one of my all time favorite ska performers, passed away on July 17 in 2005. Plus, it was a blast to see one of the old Moon Skazettes that I used to put together displayed with the June entries...

This is an amazing resource for anyone who's into ska.

Short, Sharp, Shock: Buford O'Sullivan L.R.T.R.

Buford O'Sullivan
L.R.T.R.
Megalith Records
2010
3-track vinyl single (Selections from L.R.T.R.),
which includes a code for a free download of the complete 8 track digital EP

Listening to this collection of songs about downtrodden but determined characters and their offbeat lives on Buford O'Sullivan's remarkable new EP L.R.T.R. is the aural equivalent to catching a batch of lesser-known--but definitely classic--1950s film noir (the great instrumental track included here is titled "Johnny Medium," surely a character out of a hard-boiled detective movie?), cinema verite, and sci-fi movies on TCM (think of the innocent yet guilty-looking musician Henry Fonda charged with armed robbery in Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man"; the young boy who has been fooled into thinking he has killed his brother and has small adventures on the lamb in a slightly seedy Coney Island in "Little Fugitive"; and the giant atomic bomb test-mutated ants rampaging through New Mexico in "Them"). Like these films, Buford's songs evoke deep feelings of loneliness, desperation, loss, and regret--but also find reasons to be hopeful and happy amidst the pain.

With a Latin rhythm intro similar to The Drifters' "On Broadway" (or Ben E. King's "Stand By Me"), "How Right I Was" is a plaintive post-mortem of love gone sour, where the singer finally achieves mental clarity; enough time has passed and he has enough emotional space to realize what he instinctively knew all along: "She never wanted to go out me/or maybe I was just afraid to ask/But every single moment that came and went/brought another reason why I'd never see her again..." (check out the awesome horn lines on this cut--few can make the t-bone sound as sad, haunted, or bittersweet as Buford). "The Indefatigable" is a sprightly keyboard-centered ska tune imagining life as a ship and all of us serving as its crew: "It's a lifetime search for the Holy Grail/So just just knock it on back with a pint of ale/As winter gales fill the sails of The Indefatigable/You've run your boat onto the rocks/and razed the pubs by the docks/We've one request before your through/please take some dreams home with you." There are more than 8 million rodents (and roaches and now bedbugs) in the Naked City--and "The Army of Rats" is a slightly unsettling reminder that as we roam and stumble in the night searching for diversion, the rats are our constant companions from the city's underworld (perhaps waiting for us to falter).

The boogie-woogie swinging ska of "Woa Let Me Tell You" is the perfect musical context for the fantastical recounting of the genesis of Buford's musical career (his "lucky breaks," if you will), beginning with him bumping into John Lennon and William S. Burroughs on Houston Street, who send him off on the LIRR to Huntington, Long Island (home to The Scofflaws) to play with Bill Clinton and see Shelley Winters, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Bob Barker, and the like in the crowd (it's kind of like the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Slick Hare," where, in a restaurant/club serving all of the Hollywood movie stars of the 1940s, a menacing, gangster-y Humphrey Bogart orders rabbit from Elmer Fudd, who then has to catch Bugs--who runs amuck--to avoid being plugged full of holes). The chugging, propulsive rhythm of the mid-tempo ska cut "L.R.T.R." (an acronym for "Love Rules the Road") is well-suited for the kooky, psychedelic road trip the singer experiences, walking down the highway trying to hitch a ride because he can't remember where he's parked his car; along the way he has a brief affair with a woman who flies away when it's over (an angel?); and finally catches a cab whose driver has a talking cat sitting on his head dispensing sung blessings: "May your love rule the road/and your footprint be strong." Weird, but it works. And it makes you wonder what exactly transpires when bands are on tour...

While Buford self-produced his first two solo albums (The Club of Hope and Fears in 1999 and The Sexy Eye in 2000) with good-to-great results, this time out he relies on his good friend and fellow ex-Scofflaw Victor Rice to provide the editorial control and top-notch studio production (check out Victor's killer version excursions on "Dub Rats" and "Indefatigable Dub") that ensures that L.R.T.R. is superb throughout (it doesn't hurt that the backing band that Buford has assembled is the cream of the NYC ska scene's crop: Agent Jay Nugent on guitar; Eddie Ocampo on drums; Ticklah on keyboards; Paul Gebhardt on sax; and Victor Rice on bass). Buford's singing has never sounded warmer, richer, and more confident--and his songs have never been better realized.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

The Bummer of the Summer

This is old news now--The Specials have cancelled their free SummerStage show on 8/22 due to problems with Neville Staple's visa--but no new act has yet been announced to take their place.

I'm very bummed that this gig is no more (I missed The Specials' NYC shows in April due to obligations at work) and can't imagine which band the SummerStage organizers will find to sub for The Specials that won't seem like kind of a letdown...

Well, I can think of one band: Madness!

Short, Sharp, Shock: New Music from The Bullets and Heavy Manners

Editor's note: "Short, Sharp, Shock" is my attempt to cover more new ska releases in The Duff Guide to Ska by writing more concise reviews...


The Bullets
Sweet Misery
Jump Up Records
2010
LP/CD

Shame on those who shortchange The Bullets by labeling them as a side project of Aggrolites' ace organist Roger Rivas, since this is fully-realized, extremely talented band, producing a stunning mix of soul-drenched reggae love songs (think Toots & the Maytals' Funky Kingston meets Hepcat's Out of Nowhere) and killer skinhead reggae instrumentals (cue up their "Hotter Reggae" and "Smiling Horse"). Lead singer Malik Moore (Mobtown, Ocean 11) has a raspy tenor that gives these cuts an exceptional amount of warmth, urgency, and emotional impact. Key songs include the irrepressible "Shot From a Barrel" ("I'm like a cork that's shot from a barrel on a Friday night/And I'm bigger than a blast of freedom on the 4th of July"); "On That Side," a gorgeous tune where the singer wonders if it is wiser to be lovers or friends (voices in the background point out that "the grass is greener on the other side"); "Sun Drenched Witch" aches for every guy who's been bewitched by a woman who is both his "tormentor and savior"; and "Crystal Necklace," where the singer's woman "tried to stand me up to fall," but neither of them really knows what's up and where they are going to end up, since "she ain't got no crystal necklace/and I ain't got no crystal ball." Sweet Misery is surprisingly tender reggae music made by--and for--tough guys. This is definitely our pick as one of the top ska/reggae releases of the year. Highly recommended!

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A


Heavy Manners
"Get Me Outta Debt"/"Fight the Good Fight"
Jump Up Records
2010
White 12" vinyl single

Like most ska bands from the 80s, Heavy Manners' sound was/is more permeable than the bands that came later on the American ska scene. The advent of new wave--and the crazy jumble of sub-genres that were included under that label--freed many ska acts from that era to pick and choose what musical styles to integrate into their mix, which can be a refreshing change from the kind of stylistic rigidity that is practiced by some bands (and fans) today. So it's great to hear these two new tracks from Chicago's mighty Heavy Manners, the first they have recorded since the Eighties, and to note that their taut, angular, new wavish-ska is more in line with The Waitresses and Romeo Void than 2 Tone. "Get Me Outta Debt" is a tragi-comical take on being down and out in the post-Dubya deregulated market hangover years ("I bought derivatives/so did the relatives/Hey momma, here's a shocker/Now I'm living in my storage locker")--and seeking deliveration from "Holy Jah, Selassie I," as well as some choice herb. The harder-edged "Fight the Good Fight" gets inside the heads of the good soldiers who do what they're told, since that's what they do, even when what they're doing doesn't make sense--"Who was the President who said we won?/How come I'm sent back for another run?" The time-capsule bonus track here is an unreleased dub version of "Could Not Get Enough" by Peter Tosh, who produced a slew of songs for Heavy Manners after catching the band live. If you're a fan of the kind of square peg ska that was produced post-2 Tone, but before the ska-punk/vintage-ska split of the third wave, then this is a must!

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: B+

Jesse Michaels of Op Ivy

There was a time, from about 1988 until '90 or '91, when I would make up any lame excuse that I could to find myself in front of Bleecker Bob's on 3rd Street in the Village to rummage through their ska section. Whatever you may have thought of this establishment, at that time they had one of the best offerings of ska LPs in NYC--domestic and imported. Whoever was stocking the ska section back then did an incredible job of keeping up on the latest and greatest releases (if I read a review of a ska album in George Marshall's "Zoot," it could be found at Bleecker Bob's). Looking through my collection of records that I bought during that period, if I didn't mailorder it from Unicorn Records in the UK, then I picked it up at here. (I didn't buy many ska singles then because I was too intimidated by the surly, mega-cool staff to ask to see the box of 7"s stored behind the counter.)

One of the LPs that I snagged from the ska bin at Bleecker Bob's was Operation Ivy's Energy (Lookout Records, 1989), probably after reading about it Maximum RocknRoll. If you can, try to imagine a time before the roach-like proliferation of ska-punk bands in the 90s, when the closest most people had come to the blending of these genres was The Specials' "Concrete Jungle" (seriously!). Even the Mighty Mighty Bosstones didn't drop their debut Devils Night Out (the only ska-core record I really like) until 1990. I remember playing a tape of Energy for my younger brother--who was always much more adventurous than I was in finding cool new music, genres, and styles--and he couldn't decide if it was brilliant or god-awful (for my money, I thought he would have loved it). But my brother was kind of flummoxed by it. Op Ivy were that far ahead of the times and tastes.

Op Ivy singer and lyricist Jesse Michaels dropped off of most people's radar after the band broke up right after the release of Energy (guitarist Lint--AKA Tim Armstrong--and bassist Matt Freeman went on to form Rancid), so it was a nice surprise to come across this new interview with Jesse by Jon Reiss in Jewcy...

Here's the money quote:

You know, as soon as I start thinking of myself as some kind of rock star, I'm a prick. So, I guard against that because I don't want to be a prick. It's not because I'm heroic or super modest or spiritual, it's just because I don't want to to be a fuckin' douche bag. So if someone comes up to me and is all, "ooh ahh," I'm sort of like, "wow you have a interesting fixation on me, and that's okay, but it has absolutely nothing to do with who I am." I'm just a guy with problems.

On the other hand, great art is great art. If that's great art to someone, fantastic. The music and art that I love, I love it. Of course there's a natural attraction to someone who's made something that's meaningful. I'm as subject to this as anyone else. When I met Joe Strummer, I almost shit my pants. At the same time, I know that it's just kind of this imaginary thing that I'm doing in my head, that he's just another guy with problems.

The Stress Are No More

I'd heard a disturbing rumor from Duff Guide to Ska reader Kames Jelly that Providence, RI rocksteady crew The Stress had broken up (read my review of their excellent Muk! Muk! EP here and an interview with Mike Mowry here). So, I dropped a line to Mike and he confirmed that he and his fellow band mates have parted ways, due to creative differences.

Mike writes that he will be moving forward with recording new material, and I expect that we'll hear from the other ex-members of The Stress at some point down the line, too. I wish them all the best--but I'll miss The Stress!

+ + + +

Here's a video snagged off of YouTube of The Stress performing "Like You Say" and "What Cheer?" at a bar up in Providence last year...

Duff Review: King Hammond The King and I

N.1. Records
2010

After keeping him on ice for a couple of decades, Nick Welsh (Bad Manners, The Selecter, Skaville UK) has resurrected King Hammond, his late 1980s boss skinhead reggae alter-ego (influenced by--and a heartfelt tribute to--greats like Dave & Ansel Collins, Lee Perry & The Upsetters, Laurel Aitken, Harry J's Allstars, and Jackie Mittoo amongst many others) with a sensational new album: The King and I. Why bring the King back after all this time? There is the very welcome resurgence of skinhead reggae (think of acts currently on the scene like The Caroloregians, The Hard Times, and The Aggrolites). But Nick isn't necessarily capitalizing on this subcultural trend, rather he decided to revisit his King Hammond persona after writing and recording a new track as a unique 40th birthday present for a friend who was an enormous King Hammond fan back in the day. Nick found the whole experience so pleasurable and inspiring that he cut an album's worth of new KH tracks to share with us--a gift that truly keeps on giving to any fan of ska and reggae.

If you are old enough to have been young enough to pick up Revolution '70 (LP, Blue Beat, 1989) and Blow Your Mind (CD, Receiver Records, 1992--which included the Revolution '70 album) when they were first released, you'll be familiar with, and crazy about, the slightly naughty ("Pussy Got Nine Lives"), definitely campy ("The Satanic Rites of King Hammond"), and oftentimes brilliant ("Stay With Me Baby," "Skinhead Revolution," "Dracula A.D.'72," "Soul Up") skinhead reggae of King Hammond, produced at a time when most acts in the UK were pretty much either disciples of The Specials or The Skatalites. While the majority of tracks on The King and I seamlessly pick up where Blow Your Mind left off (see the terrific instrumental "Reggae Movement No. 1"), Nick has expanded King Hammond's repertoire a bit, at times venturing into big band, swing, and (on one track, "Floorshaker") electronic/techo ska (shades of acid ska) territory without betraying his fans' expectations or diminishing the awesome core of his sound.

The King and I abounds in great, catchy, memorable tracks--every song deserves a mention! The album begins with a wickedly cutting assault on ex-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in particular, but also politicians in general (note the Clinton cigar reference), on "Mr. Easy Talk." The almost bombastic big band/ska sound perfectly mirrors the oily proclamations being spewed forth by PM Brown as voiced by Mr. Welsh: "Just accept my words are true/there's nothing else that you can do/It's the politics of deja vu/I'm Mr. Easy Talk..." "Cool Down Your Temper" makes a plea for peace, in response to the rise in gun and knife violence in the UK. "The Rudest Girl in Town" is an affectionate tribute to woman who "wears her trilby like a crown," refusing to tone down down her rude roots and signifiers to conform to the straight world of adults: "Yeah I'm telling ya/When I'm calling her/her ringtone's Harry J/Not Jamelia, Anastacia/She don't do Dr. Dre." "Monkey Boots" is a Symarip-like celebration of this stylish, if sometimes impractical footwear (the soles of the Czech-made monkey boots that I used to pick up at 99X in the East Village always left big black scuff marks on wood or linoleum floors--though Dr. Martens now makes a version with soles that don't!).

"Blood Run Cold" echoes "Shame and Scandal" in sound and theme, though here the sexual transgression is cheating on a girlfriend or wife ("You've been a friend to me and a lover/I've been bad to you like no other"). You have to love King Hammond's explanation when he's caught with another woman in his bedroom: "You've got it all wrong! She's my social worker!" Perhaps the greatest track on the album is the pulsating, pitch-perfect "The Return of the Kung-Fu Skinhead," which manages to honor Lee "Scratch" Perry and The Upsetters' Kung-Fu Meets the Dragon obsession with 70's martial arts films without crossing over into parody.

The good King Hammond plans to sort fact from fiction in all the gossip flying about by obtaining a lie-detector to see if his girl is telling him the truth in "The Loop" ("The word on the wire, it's all over town/they say you walk a crooked mile"). Music fans world-wide will recognize the truth of "Dave and Ansel," that certain songs--particularly from one's youth--will affect you in profound ways and will travel with you as a source of comfort and inspiration throughout your life ("Back in 1971/just a kid with the radio on/Having fun, threw the dial around/that's when I first heard the Monster Sound--the Monster Sound/I didn't realize it at the time/but Dave and Ansel were friends of mine!"). "The Soho Skank" is a Bad Manners Eat the Beat-era sounding, bass-heavy tune to fill the dance floor. Hitting middle-age doesn't just sometimes injure the vanity of the fairer sex--check out the taunting (and humbling) "You Can't Get Those Sweet Things Anymore." Forty-ish men might have the outlook of a twenty-something in their minds, but "you can't pull the girls like you used to" because "you're old/and you're fat/and your hair ain't growing back." Ah, the ignominy of aging--it's all downhill from here, isn't it, KH?

The King and I is a triumphant return for King Hammond--and one of the best albums of 2010 that deserves a spot in every self-respecting ska fan's collection!

The Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

The Toasters Fall 2010 US/Canada Tour

The non-stop touring ska machine that is The Toasters have announced their US/Canada tour dates for this fall (they are playing massive festivals in Germany, Italy, France, and Belgium this summer). Scan the dates below for a gig near you.

NYC ska fans should note that The Toasters are playing an all-ages show at BB King's on October 29, 2010 with The Pietasters, Hub City Stompers, and Royal City Riot.

Toasters 2010 US Fall Tour
September

Friday 9/24/2010
The Haunt
702 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850-3215
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters
Rocko Dorsey & Those Particular Indivisuals

Saturday 9/25/2010
3 Floors of Ska @ The Middle East
472/480 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 0213
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 9pm
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $13adv / $15dos
UPSTAIRS:
Mass Hysteria
Destroy Babylon
The Stress
Guns Of Navarone
DOWNSTAIRS:
The Toasters
Void Union
Royal City Riot
Brunt Of It

Sunday 9/26/2010
Vibe Lounge
60 North Park Ave., Rockville Center, NY 11701
DOORS/SHOW : 5pm / 5:30pm
AGES: 16+
TICKETS: $12adv / $15dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Monday 9/27/2010
Eleanor Rigby's Bar & Nightclub
603 Scranton/Carbondale Highway, Jermyn, PA 18433
DOORS/SHOW : 6pm / 6:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Tuesday 9/28/2010
Café Nine
250 State St., New Haven, CT
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm / 9:30pm
AGES: 21+
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters
Soul Merchants
Pluto Gang

Thursday 9/30/2010
Le Cercle
228 St-Joseph Est, Quebec City, QC
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 9pm
AGES: 18+
CANADA TICKETS: $15 CAN adv
$20 CAN adv
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Hypnophonics

October

Friday 10/1/2010
Petit Campus
57 rue Prince-Arthur Est, Montreal, Quebec H2X 1B4
DOORS/SHOW : 8:30pm / 9pm
AGES: 18+
CANADA TICKETS: $12 CAN adv / $15 CAN dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Hypnophonics

Saturday 10/2/2010
Horseshoe Tavern
368 Queen St., Toronto, ON M5V 2A2
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm / 9:30pm
AGES: 19+
TICKETS: $12.50 CAN / $15 CAN dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Hypnophonics

Sunday 10/3/2010
Mohawk Place
47 E. Mohawk St., Buffalo, NY
DOORS/SHOW : 6pm / 6:30pm
AGES: 16+
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Monday 10/4/2010
Peabody's
2083 East 21st St., Cleveland, OH 44115
DOORS/SHOW : 6:30pm / 7pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters

Tuesday 10/5/2010
Smalls
10339 Conant, Wayne, MI 48181
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 8pm
Hamtramck, MI 48212
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $12dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Wednesday 10/6/2010
Southgate House
24 East Third St., Newport, KY 41071
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 9pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Thursday 10/7/2010
Black Sheep
1320 S 11th, Springfield, IL 62703
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 7:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10.00
LINEUP: The Toasters

Friday 10/8/2010
RIOT FEST
Subterranean
2011 West North Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
DOORS/SHOW : TBA
AGES: all ages
LINEUP: The Toasters

Saturday 10/9/2010
The Firebird
2706 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63103
DOORS/SHOW : 7:30pm / 8pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $12adv / $14dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Sunday 10/10/2010
The Conservatory
8911 N. Western Ave., Oklahoma City OK 73114
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 8pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10.00
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Paper Flowers
Classy San Diego

Monday 10/11/2010
Jackpot Music Hall
943 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS 66044
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 9pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10 (plus $2 under 21)
LINEUP: The Toasters

Tuesday 10/12/2010
Trees
2709 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75226
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Wednesday 10/13/2010
White Rabbit
2410 N Saint Marys St., San Antonio, TX
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 7:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $12adv / $14dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Thursday 10/14/2010
House of Rock
511 Starr St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 9pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Friday 10/15/2010
Flamingo Cantina
515 East 6th St., Austin, TX 78701-3741
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm / 9:30pm
AGES: 21+
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters
Ryan Scroggins
Bandulus

Saturday 10/16/2010
The High Ground
2612 Hessmer Ave., Metairie, LA 70002
DOORS/SHOW : 6:30pm / 7pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters

Sunday 10/17/2010
The Handlebar
319 N. Tarragona St., Pensacola, FL 32501
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm / 10pm
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $10.00
LINEUP: The Toasters

Monday 10/18/2010
The Engine Room
809 Railroad Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32310
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm / 10pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $15dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Tuesday 10/19/2010
1982 Bar
919 W University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 7:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters

Wednesday 10/20/2010
Jack Rabbits
1528 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32204
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 7:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $13adv / $15dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
Royal City Riot

Thursday 10/21/2010
Crowbar
1812 N 17th St., Ybor City, FL
DOORS/SHOW : 6:30pm / 7pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $12adv / $15dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Pietasters
Royal City Riot

Friday 10/22/2010
The Culture Room
3045 N Federal Highway, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33306
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 8:30pm
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $14.99 adv / $15 dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Pietasters
Royal City Riot

Saturday 10/23/2010
The Social
54 North Orange Ave., Orlando, FL
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 8:30pm
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $15
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Pietasters
Royal City Riot
Hub City Stompers

Sunday 10/24/2010
The Masquerade
695 North Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
DOORS/SHOW : 5pm / 6pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $15
LINEUP:
3 FLOORS OF SKA
The Toasters
The Pietasters
Royal City Riot

Monday 10/25/2010
DRINK!
503 8th Ave North, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
DOORS/SHOW : 9pm (bar opens at 4)
AGES: 18+
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters

Tuesday 10/26/2010
New Brookland
122 State St., West Columbia, SC 29169
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm / 8:30pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $10adv / $12dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Wednesday 10/27/2010
The Pour House
224 S Blount St., Raleigh, NC
DOORS/SHOW : 6pm / 7pm
AGES: 21+
TICKETS: $10adv / $13dos
LINEUP: The Toasters

Thursday 10/28/2010
The Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, PA 17101
DOORS/SHOW : 7:30pm / 8:30pm
AGES: 21+
TICKETS: $10
LINEUP: The Toasters

Friday 10/29/2010
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd St., New York, NY 10036
DOORS/SHOW : 6pm / 6:30pm
AGES: 16+
TICKETS: $15adv / $17dos
LINEUP: The Toasters
The Pietasters
Hub City Stompers
Royal City Riot

Saturday 10/30/2010
The 8 x 10
10 East Cross St., Baltimore, MD 21230
DOORS/SHOW : 7pm / 8pm
AGES: all ages
TICKETS: $15
LINEUP: The Pietasters
The Toasters

Sunday 10/31/2010
North Star Bar
2639 Poplar St., Philadelphia, PA
DOORS/SHOW : 8pm
AGES: 21+
TICKETS: $15adv / $17dos
LINEUP: The Pietasters
The Toasters

Fire in Mi Wire!

While I'm hesitant to call out any ska music industry trends, it looks to me like several labels are now positioning themselves to push back, with varying degrees of aggressiveness, against illegal music file sharing. (For my thoughts on music file sharing, go here; and read my plea for sanity, "Better Must Come," here.)

While a new model for selling recorded music in the digital age may never really emerge, since technology keeps speeding forward and a whole generation of young people now expect to acquire their music on the internet for free, the only solution may be for 1) the government to start enforcing copyright laws vigorously, and 2) a coalition of musicians and labels to start a movement to alter people's behavior--through something like social marketing--to make it so the new norm is the old one: that people should expect to pay for the music they consume, digital or otherwise. Recent actions by labels like Stubborn, Jump Up, and Megalith suggest that to some degree they are getting fed up with "giving the people what they want" (since it's helping to kill their labels and the music they love), and may be more and more inclined to limit which formats they utilize when offering new music.

Exhibit #1:

The newest release from Buford O'Sullivan (ex-Scofflaws, currently a member of Easy Stars All-Stars), L.R.T.R. on Megalith Records, is only available as a three-track vinyl single. However, once you purchase the single, you'll find a card that entitles you to digitally download these tracks, plus an EP's worth of new cuts, for free. Megalith is not offering L.R.T.R. for sale on iTunes or any other digital download site, so while it won't exactly prevent these cuts from ending up on a file sharing site, it does promote the old paradigm (recorded music has a monetary value)--and you actually get something in return for your purchase (a slab of wax plus artwork that exists in the real world, all of which cannot be deleted at the push of a button).

It should also be noted that Megalith actively goes after file sharing sites that host any of their copyrighted material--the "cease and desist" e-mails fly out of there frequently. Sure, it's a sisyphean undertaking, but it's the damn principle of the thing that matters.

Exhibit #2:

Several of Stubborn Records' recent releases from A-list acts are only available on vinyl, including The Forthrights' "Other People" 7" single and King Django's Avenue A 10" EP. While it is possible to convert songs on vinyl to digital files, it's not as easy as ripping a CD, so it at least throws a bit of a wrench in the illegal file sharer's nefarious plans.

Exhibit #3

While both Megalith and Stubborn Records offer a significant portion of their catalogues via digital download, Jump Up outright refuses to do so (something that I was unaware of until now). Check out Chuck Wren's new and incredibly defiant manifesto:

At Jump Up, our motto is "JAMAICAN MUSIC MADE THE OLD FASHIONED WAY." Not only do you get vintage ska reggae calypso sounds that feel like they came from independence era Jamaica, but we make them the original way: LP vinyl...and sometimes we toss on compact discs for fun. We feel strongly about releasing music in physical form, which is why we choose not to deal with the digital side. We are passionate collectors of vinyl records and CDs ourselves. We don't own iPods nor have MP3's hidden on gadgets. We strive to keep an art form alive, let the others try to cash in on digital - the "easy" and soulless "format" of music. Not us! Only the best bands and records get released this way, and we stock like-minded labels from all across the globe that share our OLD FASHIONED vision.

Whether or not you agree with Chuck (read JJ Loy's take on this at Ska Blah Blah), I respect his stance. I was an early proponent of selling digital downloads (I launched 7 Wonders of the World Music, an all-digital ska and reggae label, back in 1999), but that was back when people actually still paid for recorded music (7 Wonders' sales were limited--it was way ahead of the curve--but it made enough so that I could send royalty checks to the bands, though not stay in business!). I'm not so sure about offering digital downloads at all now--even for the decent folks who still buy digital music via iTunes and their ilk--the convenience of obtaining music in this manner (despite its major savings for labels, since there is no physical product to press, ship, distribute, etc.) has pretty much obliterated its intrinsic value for far too many music fans out there (I would hazard a guess that a healthy majority of people downloading their music from file sharing sites really don't believe they are stealing because they don't attach any monetary value to digital music at all).

Being a music marketing and promotions guy at heart, I do see the benefits of offering free digital downloads of tracks from time to time to help spread the word about your band and/or new release. It doesn't cost much to do; it makes your fans happy; and will hopefully sell albums and bring people out to your shows.

So even though it may be completely against the usual business conventional wisdom (the customer is always right, deliver your product in the form they want, etc.) the key to the ska labels' long-term survival (in a world that doesn't think it needs to pay for recorded music) may be to begin limiting their new releases solely to tangible formats: LPs, CDs, singles (try stealing these and you'll be arrested for shoplifting, buddy). If the majority of your potential customers don't think digital music has any value, why bother trying to sell it to them in the first place?

+ + + +

On a somewhat related note (luddite-wise), you have to check out the mad cool old-skool turntable slip mats that Chuck is offering for sale. Talk about making the return to vinyl even more hip...



+ + + +

Update: I also should mention that if you purchase a copy of The Bullets' Sweet Misery (Jump Up Records) LP, you receive a CD of the album in the sleeve as well (labels like Yep Roc have been doing this for a couple of years now--and for someone like me who usually purchases the CD and LP of a release, it's a great deal). And then the Ska is Dead Tour folks are starting up a Ska is Dead singles of the month club, featuring split 7" vinyl singles from bands like Reel Big Fish, Mustard Plug, Big D & the Kids Table, Deal's Gone Bad, The Slackers, and Sonic Boom Six...

Gaz Rockin' Blues' 30th Anniversary Party & Book!

Gaz Mayall (The Trojans, Gaz's Rockin' Records, etc.) is celebrating a momentous milestone on July 3, 2010--the 30th anniversary (to the day!) of his Gaz's Rockin Blues, the longest running club night in London (which features ska, reggae, blues, world-beat, and roots-rock bands and music).

To mark this extraordinary occasion, Gaz and The Trojans are performing (see flyer below), plus Gaz is previewing his new book, "Gaz's Rockin' Blues--the First 30 Years" (Trolley Books), which collects all three decades of show flyers and posters, and includes photos and stories about all of the fantastic musicians he's met and worked with over the years (click here for a selection of gig flyers and pix--plus check out the preview article in Time Out London).



Here's Gaz's biographical sketch from Trolley Books:

Gaz was raised on a musical diet of R&B and was dragged around every beat, pop & rock festival and venues throughout the sixties as a child, becoming a lifelong fan of reggae as a kid on the football terraces in the skinhead era circa 1968-72. He is also a great fan of boogie woogie, rock'n'roll, traditional Irish music, funk and world music.

The eldest son of blues legend John Mayall, Gaz began collecting records aged 17, bulk buying cheap reggae and ska collections down street markets such as Portbello road and brick lane at a time when it seemed no one wanted them. In late 1986 he formed his band The Trojans, and for the last nineteen years has been running his own record label Gaz's Rockin' Records, producing ska acts and artistes around the world.

While he may not be as well known over here in the States (although we tried to rectify this during my time at Moon--we released a great compilation from the band in 1996 titled Trojan Warriors: For Your Protection, The Best of The Trojans), Gaz really is a key figure on the UK ska scene, not only for The Trojans' Gaelic/blues/world-beat brand of ska and reggae and his superb ska label (that released music from Laurel Aitken & the Potato 5; and the Ska Stars of the 80s and Ska Stars of the 90s comps), but for being instrumental in championing ska in Britain during the post-2 Tone crash 'n' burn lean years--so much so that the scene was out-and-out flourishing by the second half of that decade (with bands like the Deltones, Hotknives, Loafers, Potato 5, Maroon Town, Forest Hillbillies, The Riffs, Bad Manners, etc.).

Gaz also has produced some incredible ska compilations for major labels in the US, UK, and Japan, most notably Skandal Ska for Mango Records (essentially, the companion album to the film Scandal); the Prince Buster retrospective, King of Ska for Quattro Records; Ska Island for Island Record's 40th anniversary celebration; and Top Ska for Trojan.

We know the 30th anniversary show/party will be a blast--and can't wait to get our hands on a copy of Gaz's book!

Cheers, Gaz!