Deluxe Reissues of The Beat's Catalogue (Really)!

Lord knows that over the years I've purchased several iterations of The (English) Beat's catalogue (on cassettes, vinyl, CDs, and then remastered CDs)--and hope that at least a portion of the royalties from all this eventually made it into Dave and Co.'s wallets. What can I say? They were one of my absolute favorite bands in high school and beyond (and Wha'ppen is an album that has never left my personal playlist).

So, I find myself laughing at myself for even considering buying yet another set of these albums, except for the fact that they're deluxe versions this time out--each one is being reissued as a double-CD plus a DVD by Demon Music Group/Edsel Records (and they are available through Amazon UK beginning on June 25, 2012).

The first CD of contains the album proper; the second has rare, remixed, live, and in a few instances unreleased material; while the DVD contains official music videos, Top of the Pops appearances, and concert footage.

Must. Have. It. All!

Here's the track list for each release:

Disc One "I Just Can't Stop It"
1. Mirror In The Bathroom
2. Hands Off...She's Mine
3. Two Swords
4. Twist & Crawl
5. Rough Rider
6. Click Click
7. Big Shot
8. Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
9. Noise In This World
10. Can't Get Used To Losing You
11. Best Friend
12. Jackpot

Disc Two (Bonus Tracks)
1. Tears Of A Clown
2. Ranking Full Stop
3. Twist & Crawl [extended]
4. Hands Off...She s Mine [extended]
5. Stand Down Margaret [Dub]
6. Mirror In The Bathroom [Sure Is Pure Mix]
7. Mirror In The Bathroom [Tic Tac Toe Mix]
8. Mirror In The Bathroom [Spike Stent Mix]
9. Dub In The Bathroom [Simon & Diamond Mix]
10. Just Can t Stop The Dub [Adelphi Mix]
11. Tears Of A Clown (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, broadcast 5th November 1979)
12. Ranking Full Stop (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, broadcast 5th November 1979)
13. Click Click (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, broadcast 5th November 1979)
14. Mirror In The Bathroom (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, broadcast 5th November 1979)
15. Big Shot (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, broadcast 5th November 1979)
MIKE READ SHOW, broadcast 11th February 1980
16. Hands Off...She s Mine (Mike Read Show, broadcast 11th February 1980)
17. Mirror In The Bathroom (Mike Read Show, broadcast 11th February 1980)
18. Rough Rider (Mike Read Show, broadcast 11th February 1980)
19. Twist & Crawl (Mike Read Show, broadcast 11th February 1980)

Disc 3 - DVD
1. Hands Off...She's Mine (Video Promo)
2. Mirror In The Bathroom (Video Promo)
3. Best Friend (Video Promo)
4. Tears Of A Clown [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 13th December 1979]
5. Tears Of A Clown [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 3rd January 1980]
6. Hands Off...She's Mine [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 22nd February 1980]
7. Mirror In The Bathroom [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 1st May 1980]
8. Best Friend [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 4th September 1980]
9. Bonus DVD Feature "Alright Now", Broadcast on 12th December 1980
Film from a live performance at Top Rank Suite, Birmingham
Hands Off...She's Mine 

Disc One "Wha'ppen"
1. Doors Of Your Heart
2. All Out To Get You
3. Monkey Murders
4. I Am Your Flag
5. French Toast (Soleil Trop Chaud)
6. Drowning
7. Dream Home In N.Z.
8. Walk Away
9. Over And Over
10. Cheated
11. Get-A-Job
12. The Limits We Set

Disc Two ("Bonus Tracks")
1. Too Nice To Talk To
2. Psychedelic Rockers
3. Too Nice To Talk To [Dubweiser]
4. Psychedelic Rockers [Dubweiser]
5. Doors Of Your Heart [dub]
6. Drowning [dub]
7. Hit It
8. Which Side Of The Bed...?
9. Hit It [12 mix]
10. Which Side Of The Bed...? [12 mix]
11. Too Nice To Talk To (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Boadcast 22nd September 1980)
12. New Psychedelic Rockers (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Boadcast 22nd September 1980)
13. Monkey Murders (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Boadcast 22nd September 1980)
14. Walk Away (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Boadcast 22nd September 1980)

Disc 3 "DVD"
1. Too Nice To Talk To (Promo Video)
2. All Out To Get You (Promo Video)
3. Doors To Your Heart (Promo Video)
4. Drowning (Promo Video)
5. Hit It (Promo Video)
6. Too Nice To Talk To [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 18th December 1980]
7. Drowning [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 16th April 1981]
8. All Out To Get You [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 30th April 1981]
9. Too Nice To Talk To [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 25th December 1981]
10. Bonus DVD Feature: From the WORLD IN ACTION documentary A Statistic, A Reminder , broadcast on 14th December 1981. A documentary about unemployed youth in the Midlands, includes two songs recorded at a concert at Bingley Hall
1. Get-A-Job
2. Interview with Dave Wakeling
3. Stand Down Margaret
4. Interview with Dave, Roger and Andy 

Disc One "Special Beat Service"
1. I Confess
2. Jeanette
3. Sorry
4. Sole Salvation
5. Spar Wid Me
6. Rotating Head
7. Save It For Later
8. She s Going
9. Pato And Roger A Go Talk
10. Sugar And Stress
11. End Of The Party
12. Ackee 1-2-3
13. What's Your Best Thing (Bonus Track)
14. Save It For Later [extended] (Bonus Track)
15. What's Your Best Thing [dub style] (Bonus Track)
16. Cool Entertainer [by Ranking Roger] (Bonus Track)
17. A Go Talk (Tappy Luppy Dub) [by Pato & Roger] (Bonus Track)
18. Cool Entertainer [extended] [by Ranking Roger] (Bonus Track)
19. March Of The Swivel Heads (Bonus Track)

Disc 2 "Bonus Tracks"
1. Jeanette [extended]
2. March Of The Swivel Heads [extended]
3. I Confess [Dave Allen remix]
4. It Makes Me Rock [previously unreleased]
5. Doors Of Your Heart [live at Hammersmith Palais]
6. I Confess [live at Hammersmith Palais]
7. Spar Wid Me [live at Hammersmith Palais]
8. Save It For Later [live at Hammersmith Palais]
9. Mirror In The Bathroom [live at Hammersmith Palais]
10. Can't Get Used To Losing You [1983 remix]
11. Ackee 1-2-3 [ Jellybean Benitez Nike Mix]
12. Can't Get Used To Losing You [extended 1983 remix]
13. I Confess [United States of America remix]
14. Spar Wid Me (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
15. She s Going (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
16. Save It For Later (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
17. Sole Salvation (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
18. Pato And Roger A Go Talk (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
19. End Of The Party (BBC Radio Sessions, John Peel Show, Broadcast 29th March 1982)
DAVID JENSEN SHOW, broadcast 22nd April 1982
20. Night And Day (Dave "The Kid" Jenson Show, Broadcast 22nd April 1982)

Disc 3 "DVD"
1. Save It For Later (Promo Video)
2. I Confess (Promo Video)
3. Can't Get Used To Losing You [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 5th May 1983]
4. Can't Get Used To Losing You [Top Of The Pops, Broadcast On 19h May 1983]
5. Save It For Later (OTT Broadcast On 27h March 1982]
6. Stand Down Margaret (OTT Broadcast On 27h March 1982]
7. Bonus DVD Feature "The Tube," Broadcast On 14th January 1983
Recorded at The Police concert at Gateshead International Stadium on 31st July 1982
1. Save It For Later
2. Mirror In The Bathroom
3. Too Nice To Talk To
4. Jools Holland interview with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger 

Prince Buster's Birthday/Duff Review: The Dualers "Prince Buster Shakedown"

Phoenix City Records/Cherry Red Records
CD
2012

(Review by Steve Shafer)

With Prince Buster's 74th birthday coming up in just a few days (May 28th, 1938), I thought an appropriate way to honor him and his music was to review of The Dualers' new big guns salute to The Prince, Prince Buster Shakedown.

While Prince Buster's back catalogue is incredibly deep and rich (see King of Ska, Rock A Shacka  Volume 2, Voice of the People, Rock A Shaka Volume 5, Dance Cleopatra Dance or his reissued LPs or compilations from the 60s to scrape the surface), the songs that are most familiar (and beloved) to ska fans are those popularized by the 2 Tone bands and off the Buster LPs that were relatively easy to unearth in the pre-internet age (like Fabulous Greatest Hits). Apart from the very familiar "Enjoy Yourself" (whenever I hear it, I expect to hear, "Hello, I'm Terry and I'm going to enjoy myself first..."), the tracks selected by The Dualers are still amongst Prince Buster's more popular ones (with the exception of "Chinaman Ska" and the mento cut "Firestick"--a.k.a. "Old Lady Oh"), but manage to avoid the ones typically covered by devotees in bands around the world.

The Dualers' arrangements tend to remain faithful to Buster's originals, but with smart and subtle differences (like the touches of piano and extra percussion in the opening to "Take it Easy," or the jazzy, muted trumpet in the intro to "Nothing Takes the Place of You"). And while all of the covers here are really uniformly great, the tracks that stand out are the ones that contain those little unique variations that allow the band to claim the tracks as their own (or at least borrowed for a bit). I find their treatment of "Orange Street"--one of my favorite Prince Buster penned-songs ever--particularly stellar, and other listeners are sure to have similar experiences with other cuts here.

Dualers singer Tyber Cranstoun grew up with Prince Buster as the soundtrack to his childhood (his dad helped introduce ska to London with his Savoy Sound System) and his knowledge of, affection for, and comfort with the material shines through. This, coupled with The Dualers' expert and heartfelt performances, makes for one winning record.

Series 2 of the Ska is Dead 7" Record of the Month Club

According to The First Five, series two of the Ska is Dead 7" Record of the Month Club will be available to order, starting on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 2:00 pm EST (check out several Duff Guide to Ska reviews of killer singles from the first volume of the Ska is Dead 7" Record of the Month Club here and here).

Issued in through a partnership with Asbestos Records and Underground Communique Records, the second volume will consist of a series of six 7" singles (three will be on color vinyl, three on black wax) featuring 12 bands. Fans who sign up with this club will receive two singles in three monthly installments, beginning this July.

While there has been no official announcement as to which bands are included this time round, according to The First Five, the hints they have received from the labels are: "Reunion bands. That Stubborn Guy. More international bands. Solo stuff from several members of The Slackers. A band who made a shit-ton of money via Kickstarter. Two of the bands from the UnderComm/Asbestos Kickstarter series."

In other words, something for every discerning ska fan.

This project is definitely worth supporting (I'm signing up) and if you don't have a turntable by now, what's your excuse?

Hub City Stompers on Tour in New Mexico and Texas

We meant to help hype this a bit earlier in their tour, but if you're in the Southwest of the USA, make sure to check out New Jersey's finest, the Hub City Stompers!  Here are the dates:

Wednesday, 5/23: Launch Pad, Albuquerque, NM
Thursday, 5/24: M's Lips Lounge, El Paso, TX
Friday, 5/25: Korova, San Antonio, TX
Saturday, 5/26: Mango's, Houston, TX
Sunday, 5/27: La Grange, Dallas, TX


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You can also check out the Version City Podcast episodes 14 and 15 that feature HCS' leader, Travis Nelson.

The Toasters Headline Ska Nation Festival in Australia, Plus Dates in Hawaii!

Over the span of their 30 years in service, The Toasters have traversed most parts of the globe (much to the delight of Bucket, I'm sure, who is a life-long student of history, languages, beer, and gastronomy). In past interviews, I've heard him often mention that they've never made it to Australia, which always struck me as odd, since they've been to Japan and just about everywhere else on the planet (right now, they're just coming off a tour that has taken them to Albania, Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic).

Finally, this minor injustice has been corrected with the announcement that The Toasters are headlining the last Ska Nation festival in Melbourne, Australia on September 15, 2012 (see poster for details). This also marks the first publicly released date on their fall tour of Australia and Asia (should be interesting to see where else they play in that part of the world).

In addition, ska fans in Hawaii will be treated to two dates as The Toasters make their way Down Under. They're playing Hawaiian Brains in Honolulu on September 7 and the Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina on September 8.

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US Toasters fans in the Northeast have a chance to catch The Toasters in action this June:

Thursday 6/14: Worchester, MA at Ralph's Diner
Friday 6/15: Atlantic City, NJ at The Boneyard
Saturday 6/16: Poughkeepsie, NY at The Chance
Sunday 6/17: Rockville Centre, NY at Vibe Lounge

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Duff Review: King Hammond "Dancing in the Garden of Evil"

N.1. Records
2012
CD

(Review by Steve Shafer)

If King Hammond (a.k.a. Nick Welsh) hadn't already used the title Showbiz for his last album (read our review of it here), it would have been a perfect fit for his latest tour de force, Dancing in the Garden of Evil, since several tracks specifically delve into the myriad challenges/pitfalls of being a musician chasing success and fame (see "Chutzpah!," "Parallel Road," and "Fuck Art Let's Dance"). And as if to underscore his versatility as a songwriter, KH seamlessly ventures into some decidedly non-ska genres on the album (even though these songs aren't ska, they usually contain distinct ska elements that are friendly enough to hook the skeptical ska fan, plus they're all simply amazing pieces of music in their own right). Indeed, very few ska musicians on the current ska scene seem to possess KH's songwriting chops or drive (in the last two years, he has written and recorded something like 75 original songs--all of them decidedly good to great to magnificent) or seem to relish making music (he plays most of the instruments on each of his records) and performing in front of an audience as much as he does.

There is also another more subtle, opposing theme to this record: failure. Failing to achieve one's dreams, to seize ripe opportunities, to opt for the right (moral) choices, or to make something out of one's life (see the title track, "Jet Black Tourniquet," "The Devil in Me," and "Downbeat on Upper Street"). The difference between the protagonists in the first batch of songs and the latter? The characters inhabiting "Chutzpah!," "Parallel Road," and "Fuck Art, Let's Dance" possess grit--lots of it. Failure won't stop them from picking themselves up to fight another day.

The melodramatic, spaghetti Western-ish, and mildly kinky "Dancing in the Garden of Evil" sounds like something you'd hear during the opening credits for a 1960s-era James Bond film (sung by Shirley Bassey, natch): "Dancing in the Garden of Evil/swimming in a sea of sin/I don't know where I'm going or where I've been /I was just a young boy/when I left my home/Bought myself a ticket to the last days of Rome..." Things aren't to be taken so seriously when you hear that the singer has encountered the "Marquis de Ska" on "hedonism row."

We then shift almost 180 degrees, from someone consciously--and happily--engaging in the most basest of activities to thoughts about God. The lush and eerily gorgeous "Bless You" is about thanking a higher power for all the things in life that the singer has come to understand, appreciate, and value: "One thing that I have learned/No love should be spurned/Bless you for what you've given me." But the dread of mortality lurks in the shadows, bringing it all into starker relief: "One thing I have to say/is don't waste a single day" and "One chance is all you get/there's no time for regrets." Young people may not be able to relate, but this is a powerful sentiment (that gnaws at one late at night) for those of us middle age and up--as the years slip by, you wonder if you've made the most of your life. A similar, but more mournful, reckoning is portrayed on the semi-acoustic California rock (as interpreted by Super Furry Animals) track "The Devil in Me." This one is about having enough life experience to look back and experience profound remorse at the hurt you inflicted on others.

The brilliant, slightly Slavic/minor-key ska centerpiece of the album is "Chutzpah!" It's part primer in how to succeed as a performer, but mostly a boastful put-down to all challengers: "You can sing and dance and smile/get them rocking in the aisle/But in my heart I believe/You'll never be as good as me/You've gotta have chutzpah/You've gotta have style/You've gotta have chutzpah/to walk that mile/You've gotta have chutzpah/and minds like whores/You've gotta have chutzpah/if you want that applause/That's what gets me on the stage/Gets me so this fool can rage...So bring out the whores/bring out them whores/bring out them beer swilling, dope smoking whores..." Interesting that KH brings up the almost Faustian bargain he and his fellow performers have to enter--literally selling himself (and then self-medicating himself)--to be a success.

"Jet Black Tourniquet" is a Tom Waits-y, film noir portrait of a woman barely enduring all of the miseries life and other people have heaped upon her ("She walks through the valley of the self-abused/where everyone knows her name/Love is the thing that she's never had/It's always been the same"). And when the day comes"when there's nothing left to say," the tourniquet can end it all (by hanging or overdosing?). The brighter ska ditty "Sweet Like Sugar" sings the praises of a very much loved (and lusted after) woman: "She's cool, she's hot/She's everything I'm not/That's why I'm dumbstruck/and can't believe my luck/'Cause she's sweet/sweet like sugar."

"Hole in My Pocket" is the ska/early rock/country version of the traditional German/Pennsylvanian Dutch folk song "Hole in My Bucket" you would imagine Nick Lowe or Dave Edmunds recording back in the late 70s. Instead of hauling water with a leaky pail, the singer is trying to keep up with paying for all of his lady's expected bling: "As the principal gets bigger/I can't afford the vig/there's a hole in my pocket/and it's getting big/It's getting bigger baby everyday/'cause you want designer clothes/and I had to pay."

King Hammond and Sammy Buzz serve up a "lessons in social etiquette" (their description) in "K.M.A.," which is really about telling the cheaters, leechers, and all other offenders great and small to piss off (in a ska/bluegrass cut with fiddle and banjo mixed in with the more traditional ska instruments): "Well my friend Paul, he likes to drink/He put it down like a kitchen sink/He always want for me to pay/So in the end, man, I had to say/Kiss My Ass." "Space Tripping" is a funky Space 1999 skinhead reggae instrumental (click on the link to see what the hell I'm referencing). "Chula Vista Ska Man" is a fantastic Mexican flavored skinhead reggae cut with Lady Peligro ("danger") speaking/singing in Spanish inna Prince Buster style (think of cut like "Drunkard Psalm" or "Ten Commandments of Man"), warning anyone who might mess with her man to step off or face a bit of the ol' ultra-violence.

"Parallel Road" is an impressively shimmering Soul II Soul-like track (the one ska element here is a little melodica riff at the opening, like at the start of Bowie's "Golden Years") about following one's artistic vision at great personal expense, but not quite finding success (yet): "I've been traveling parallel roads/Stay true, like momma say/True to your soul/Trace the dream/and follow your goal/Still I travel parallel roads...I've been traveling so many years/Right turn on heartbreak/Left turn on tears/Like burning everything/my life's in arrears/Still, I travel parallel roads." A perfect pop song that would be in the Top 10 in an ideal world.

Dial the calendar back a couple of decades and The Cars/Buzzcocks hybrid "Fuck Art Let's Dance" would fit perfectly with the New Wave invasion of MTV and modern rock/college radio stations across the nation (and the ska connection here is, of course, that this was Madness' motto in their early days). KH sings, "Life can be a bitch when you're sitting in the artist's chair/Your searching for a hook and the melody's going nowhere/You say you have a different god/Your inspiration's heaven sent/But where have all the angels gone when you have to pay the rent?/So you say, "Fuck art, let's dance!" Sometimes you just have to give in to fun and hope the inspiration comes later (or from an unexpected source).

The capper to the album is the decadent, decaying sham elegance of "Downbeat on Upper Street" (dig the harpsichord in there!).  It's the protagonist of "Dancing in the Garden of Evil" come out on the other side of life; old, washed up, and wasted. Like the Ancient Mariner in Coleridge's poem, the man has been through a hell of sorts (of his own making) and back, and seems to exist only to wander from drinking establishment to hotel pub to recount his frittered away life and get drunk: "Buy me an ale and I'll tell you a tale/of darkness, deceit, and despair/Of women who lie and of love that will die/a brandy and I will share/The only time I feel better/is when my glass is full/Downbeat on Upper Street/Drinking my life away/A toast to the friends who betray/I'm drinking my life away." All the trappings of wealth and high society amount to nothing when your friendships and romances were superficial, disposable, and meaningless. And going to seed rarely sounds this good.

Don't let this album pass you by...King Hammond's Dancing in the Garden of Evil is another artistic coup from one of the most talented and hardest-working ska musicians out there!

Skalapalooza 2012: The Pietasters, Pilfers, and Spring Heeled Jack Acoustic

This is starting to make the rounds on the internets (otherwise known as Facebook)...

Asbestos Records presents - SKALAPALOOZA 2012 

Oct 19th - Philly, PA - World Cafe w/The Pietasters, Pilfers, SHJ Acoustic
Oct 20th - Wash, DC - 9:30 Club - w/The Pietasters, Pilfers, SHJ Acoustic
Oct 21st - NYC, NY - Gramercy w/The Pilfers, SHJ Acoustic

Oct 26th - New Haven, CT - Toads w/The Pietasters, Pilfers, SHJ Acoustic
Oct 27th - Foxborough, MA - Showcase Live w/The Pietasters, Pilfers, SHJ Acoustic

Oct 28th - TBA


If this bill doesn't bring out the ska fans, I don't know what will.


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Obviously, this has nothing to do with the original Skalapalooza, which took place at The Ritz back in 1993.


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NYC Spring 2012 Ska Calendar Update #22

Friday, May 18, 2012 @ 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Old Fields Restaurant

81 Broadway

Greenlawn, NY 

Free!

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Friday, May 18, 2012 @ 8:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party XVI w/Maddie Ruthless and The Forthrights (Double Record Release Show), Chronic Horns (members of Easy Star All-Stars), Changala, Capitata (plus guest selector Ticklah and Crazy Baldhead crew)

The Lake Underground

258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)

Brooklyn, NY

$7

Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and then make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick, make a left, walk until you hit Johnson, and make a right.

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Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Beat Brigade, Respect the Duck, plus DJCG

Full Cup

388 Van Duzer

Staten Island, NY

$10

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Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 10:30 PM

Johnny Osbourne (Hosted by Clive Chin)

Ginny's Supper Club at Red Rooster
310 Malcolm X Boulevard
Harlem
$10

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Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 7:00 pm

Fishbone, Across the Aisle

Fairfield Theatre Company
70 Sanford Street
Fairfield, CT

Buy tickets ($27-$32) here.

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Thursday, May 31, 2012

King Tony (of The Drastics) and The Pinstripes

Otto's Shrunken Head

538 East 14th Street

Manhattan, NY

Free

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Friday, June 1, 2012

King Tony (of The Drastics) and The Pinstripes

Two Boots

514 2nd Street

Park Slope, Brooklyn

Free

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Friday, June 15, 2012

The Toasters

The Boneyard

20s Virginia Avenue

Atlantic City, NJ

+ + + +

Friday, June 15, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Reggae in the Slope

Forte featuring Kevin Batchelor (Skatalites) & Rocksteady Freddie Reiter (New York Ska Jazz Ensemble) *DEBUT GIG!* 12am

Top Shotta Band featuring Mush 1 (ex-Slackers) 11pm

The Attractors featuring Rich Graiko (Westbound Train) 10pm

+ Crazy Baldhead & Deadly Dragon selecting the big tunes and reggae rarities all night!

B LOUNGE

837-839 Union Street (under 'Tea Lounge'), between 6th & 7th Avenues

Park Slope, Brooklyn

$10

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Saturday, June 16, 2012 @ 9:00 pm

Destroy Babylon

The Oceanic

Wildwood, NJ

+ + + +

Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Toasters

The Chance

6 Crannell Street

Poughkeepsie, NY

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Thursday, July 12. 2012

The English Beat

The Bell House

149 7th Street

Brooklyn, NY

$25/21+

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Toasters

Vibe Lounge

60 North Park Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY

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Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, 2012

The Slackers (with selector 100dBs!)

Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Harbor Lights

Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm

East 23rd Street and FDR Drive

New York, NY

$30 advance/$35 day of show (for each night)

21+

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Skatalites

Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel

Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm

East 23rd Street and FDR Drive

New York, NY

Advance: $25/Day of Show: $30

21+

Herbie Miller's Amazing Appreciation of Lloyd Brevett

I often find it daunting to sum up the life-long contributions of extraordinary musicians like Lloyd Brevett (which is why I opted for my small remembrance), so I'm all the more in awe of anyone who can do it and do it well. Case in point, see Herbie Miller's fantastic piece on Lloyd Brevett's musical career in today's Jamaica Gleaner.

A Small Remembrance of Lloyd Brevett

My brief relationship--a few interactions, really--with Lloyd Brevett was all music business, but I like to think that it gave me a small bit of insight into this legendary Skatalite's life.

In 1997, Moon Records licensed Brevett's African Roots album from Grover Records (it originally had been released in 1978 on United Artists as a Skatalites record, though the majority of the cuts had been written by Brevett; the Grover version featured these tracks, as well as some additional Brevett-penned bonus cuts, but credited the album to Lloyd Brevett with The Skatalites). Back then, I was responsible for all of the promotions, marketing, and production for Moon, and oftentimes handled all of the nitty gritty of the licensing deals after Bucket inked the contracts. At this point in the label's history, my office was in the back of the East 10th Street Moon storefront (for years, I had run my end of things out of my apartment), and it wasn't uncommon for band members to stop by for business or to catch up on the latest ska news and gossip.

My first encounter with Lloyd was only a few weeks after Moon had released African Roots (which featured a cheeky shot of Brevett smoking a spliff on the cover). One of the store staff (probably Big Abby) came back to the office to let me know that Brevett was up front in the shop, mad as hell, and wanted to talk to someone about his royalties. I asked them to send Lloyd back as I finished up whatever it was that I was doing. He strode in, cursing in Patois and roared, "Where's my money?!" Lloyd was followed by an entourage (of family members?), no doubt there to back him in any circumstance. The incensed, six foot plus Brevett loomed over the not so imposing five foot seven inches me. Needless to say, it was kind of tense.

As calmly as possible, I explained that it was too early to expect to receive any royalties from his album, since the CDs had barely been in the shops long enough to sell in significant numbers--and also that the label's business office and warehouse were located out in Verona, NJ. The books and checkbook were out there (though Brevett knew we had money on site and may have expected me to pull a stack of bills out of the store's cash register).

I also gave him an over as to what we were doing to promote the record (sending it out to hundreds of college radio stations, as well as our extensive list of music press and zines--and if we had any reviews back already, I would have shown them to him). As our conversation continued, I could feel his fury slipping away. By the time he left with some promo CDs of some of our other recent releases in hand, he was all smiles.

It was quite a contrast to the serene Skatalite I had seen on stage, keeping the riddim steady and tight. But any illusions I had about musicians being anything but real, fallible human beings had been shattered years before (some were a pleasure to know, others weren't so much).

This scene repeated itself about a month later--though Lloyd was now yelling my name in anger as he ranted about not receiving his due. Even though there was wrath in those eyes that cut through me, I knew what was really going down. He was playing his part, doing what he'd had to do over the years in order to get paid by Jamaican producers and label heads (who routinely paid the musicians just for the recording session and kept all the profits from record sales, publishing rights, etc. for themselves). You had to get in their face, make some noise and unpleasantness, and they'd hand over some cash (that they, no doubt, owed you and much more), just so you'd go away.

It was another performance that Brevett had to give in order to make his livelihood.

There were several other visits, but they seemed to be further and further apart (maybe The Skatalites entered a period of heavy touring?). And I think Brevett must have either made a trip out to Verona or run into Buck on the road, because he eventually stopped coming around to threaten me. I missed our encounters, as they were kind of thrilling (who wouldn't want to be in the presence of a great musician who had made history?).

As fantastic as African Roots was, the record never sold that well, despite The Skatalites' tremendous resurgence and success during the 1990s. The ska bust at the end of the last century was soon to topple the label and upend the scene, with ominous signs just beginning to make themselves known (if we wanted to see them).

After learning of the terrible murder of his son this past February (and his own poor health), I had the feeling that Lloyd would not be will us long. In a video interview with Lloyd and his wife made after the murder, you could see that the light and life were gone from his eyes.

May he somehow rest in peace.

Video of Madness' Set at the Vive Latino Festival

Even though this almost hour-long video of Madness performing recently at the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City (March 23-25, 2012) is already making the rounds on Facebook and the interwebs, it definitely worth re-posting here for anyone who may have missed it. The band is in absolute top form, performing their hits and more, before a massive and fanatic crowd.

Makes me all the more jealous of the fans that caught them there, at Coachella, or their Southern Cali and Las Vegas dates.

Madness--please come to NYC (or somewhere on the East Coast of America) this year!

NYC Spring 2012 Ska Calendar Update #21

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Saturday, May 12, 2012, starting at 7:00 pm

Version City Party presents "Stubborn Records 20th Anniversary Party" with Skinnerbox, Hub City Stompers, Rocker T (with The Snails), The Radiation Kings, King Django Septet, The Rudie Crew, The Reggae Lords, The Heavy Beat

The Knitting Factory Brooklyn

361 Metropolitan Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

Doors at 7pm

Live Music all night long, beginning promptly at 7:30

ALL AGES

$15/advance or $17/day of show

$15 advance tickets available here.

+ + + +

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Aggrolites w/Old Man Markley, Brothers of Brazil

Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel

Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm

East 23rd Street and FDR Drive

New York, NY

Advance: $25/Day of Show: $30

21+

+ + + +

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Lee "Scratch" Perry, Subatomic Sound System

Gramercy Theater

127 East 23rd Street

New York, NY

$35 ($25 ticket price + $10 in fees)

+ + + +

Friday, May 18, 2012 @ 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Old Fields Restaurant

81 Broadway

Greenlawn, NY 

Free!

+ + + +

Friday, May 18, 2012 @ 8:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party XVI w/Maddie Ruthless and The Forthrights (Double Record Release Show), Chronic Horns (members of Easy Star All-Stars), Changala, Capitata (plus guest selector Ticklah and Crazy Baldhead crew)

The Lake Underground

258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)

Brooklyn, NY

$7

Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and then make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick, make a left, walk until you hit Johnson, and make a right.

+ + + +

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Beat Brigade, Respect the Duck, plus DJCG

Full Cup
388 Van Duzer
Staten Island, NY
$10

+ + + +

Friday, May 25, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Reggae in the Slope

Forte featuring Kevin Batchelor (Skatalites) & Rocksteady Freddie Reiter (New York Ska Jazz Ensemble) *DEBUT GIG!* 12am

Top Shotta Band featuring Mush 1 (ex-Slackers) 11pm

The Attractors featuring Rich Graiko (Westbound Train) 10pm

+ Crazy Baldhead & Deadly Dragon selecting the big tunes and reggae rarities all night!

B LOUNGE

837-839 Union Street (under 'Tea Lounge'), between 6th & 7th Avenues

Park Slope, Brooklyn

$10

+ + + +

Thursday, May 31, 2012

King Tony (of The Drastics) and The Pinstripes

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street
Manhattan, NY

Free

+ + + +

Friday, June 1, 2012

King Tony (of The Drastics) and The Pinstripes

Two Boots
514 2nd Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Free

+ + + +

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Toasters

The Boneyard

20s Virginia Avenue

Atlantic City, NJ

+ + + +

Saturday, June 16, 2012 @ 9:00 pm

Destroy Babylon

The Oceanic
Wildwood, NJ

+ + + +

Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Toasters

The Chance

6 Crannell Street

Poughkeepsie, NY

+ + + +

Thursday, July 12. 2012

The English Beat

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$25/21+

+ + + +

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Toasters

Vibe Lounge

60 North Park Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY

+ + + +

Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, 2012

The Slackers (with selector 100dBs!)

Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Harbor Lights

Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm

East 23rd Street and FDR Drive

New York, NY

$30 advance/$35 day of show (for each night)

21+

+ + + +

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Skatalites

Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel

Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm

East 23rd Street and FDR Drive

New York, NY

Advance: $25/Day of Show: $30

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