I meant to post these videos much earlier this summer, since these documented something so incredible and unique: Roddy Radiation and Lynval of The Specials performing several of the band's hits (two written by Roddy) with just their guitars in front of a small, but fanatic crowd at Electric Avenue (at Characters NYC) on July 20, 2013--a few days after The Specials' gig at Pier 26.
At the end of "Doesn't Make It Alright," Lynval declares that this was the first time the two friends and bandmates have "ever done an acoustic gig." Roddy jokes that it will, "probably be the last time"--but Lynval replies that it won't because, "I'm having fun!"
I have to admit that I was surprised and disappointed that more people didn't show up for this show (Roddy and Lynval were more than happy to sign records and pose for pictures with fans). How often do you get to chat with and see musical legends perform a few feet away from you?
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
NYC Summer/Fall 2013 Ska Calendar #76
Saturday, August 24, 2013 from 10:00pm - 1:30 amKing Django Birthday Blowout w/King Django Sextet
The Old Bay Restaurant
61-63 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ
$4
+ + + +
Thursday, August 29, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Carmelo's 50th Birthday Bash w/Beat Brigade, The Rudie Crew, Across the Aisle, and MK Groove
The Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston
Manhattan
$7.00
+ + + +
Saturday, August 31, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
The Scofflaws
89 North Music Venue
89 North Ocean Avenue
Patchogue, NY
$10 cover/21+
+ + + +
Thursday, September 19, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
Beat Brigade, MK Groove Orchestra, FunkFace, The Huffers, Kenny Warren
Spike Hill
186 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
Free
+ + + +
Friday, September 20, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Selecter, The Pinstripes, The Rudie Crew
Gramercy Theater
127 East 23rd Street
Manhattan
$34.50
+ + + +
Saturday, September 28, 2013
King Django Quintet, Tri-State Conspiracy, and Unbearable Slackers
Roxy and Duke's
745 Bound Brook Road
Dunellen, NJ
+ + + +
Saturday, September 28, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Jimmy Cliff
Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
$35
+ + + +
Saturday, October 5, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Left Alone
The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
$16 in advance/$20 day of show
All ages
+ + + +
Sunday, October 6, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone
The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$16 in advance/$18 day of show
+ + + +
Friday, October 25, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
Mephiskapheles, Inspecter 7, The Ladrones
The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$18/All ages
+ + + +
Sunday, October 27, 2013 @ 6:30 pm
Big D and the Kids Table, Red City Radio, Survay Says
The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
$13/19+
+ + + +
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Skatalites
Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
+ + + +
Friday, November 15, 2013
The Skatalites
Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
+ + + +
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Duff Review: The Drastics' "MJ a Rocker 2"!
(Review by Steve Shafer)Four years after The Drastics, one of Chicago's finest reggae outfits, released their extraordinary skinhead reggae mash-up of Michael Jackson classics--MJ a Rocker (see what we wrote about it back in 2009 here and you can still download the album for free here)--comes their follow-up vinyl and digital single "MJ A Rocker No. 2: The Love You Save/Remember the Time" (which you can download for free, along with two additional dub versions, here).
The Drastics' fantastic reggae popcorn version of the bubblegum pop hit "The Love You Save," recorded and released by The Jackson Five in 1970 (a great year for skinhead/early reggae on the UK pop charts: The Melodians' "Sweet Sensation" was #41; Boris Gardiner's "Elizbethan Reggae" was #14; Nicky Thomas' "Love of the Common People" was #9; Dave and Ansell Collins' "Double Barrel" was #1; and Bob and Marcia's "Young, Gifted, and Black" also hit #1), is almost impossibly fast (particularly for a song about slowing things down in the heavy petting/going all the way department!) that I actually adjusted my record player's pitch and even switched the speed to 33 1/3 just to make sure I wasn't playing it at the wrong setting (the reality: MJ's voice was really that high and The Drastics' bubbling rhythm section is in overdrive!). The more recent (1992) and darker (the love that was being saved and treasured was had--and is now long over) new jack swing of "Remember the Time" (its video featured Iman, Eddie Murphy, and The Pharcyde, and Magic Johnson in ancient Egypt!) has the Drastics' Hammond organ, horns, and a haunting melodica replacing the synths of the original, but their groove is much warmer, yet equally deep and infectious.
The Drastics are well-schooled in their reggay and their MJ--and we're all the richer for it.
+ + + +
For those of you who prefer their music in tangible formats, the vinyl single of "MJ A Rocker No. 2," the six-track MJ A Rocker vinyl album, and a CD that contains all of these tracks, plus the two "MJ A Rocker No. 2" dub cuts, are all available through Jump Up Records.
(Selectors--and anyone who still plays records at parties--are going to want vinyl versions of both the album and single--every time I've spun MJ a Rocker at ska shows, people have enthusiastically approached me to find out who created this incredible version of one of MJ's hits...)
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Bim Skala Bim Returns with Two New Albums: "Chet's Last Call" and "Musical Biscuits"
Like The Toasters, Boston's Bim Skala Bim were great pioneers of American post-2 Tone ska--charting a parallel, equally groundbreaking path in the annals of ska: Bim formed in 1983 a few years after the first incarnation of The Toasters; they founded their own ska label BiB (Best in Boston) to issue their own records as well as the Mash It Up (Boston) and Mashin' Up the Nation (US) ska compilations; released their debut album a year after The Toasters' Recriminations EP; and went on to attract and inspire countless fans and bands worldwide (their second album, Tuba City, is one the best ska albums of the late 80s and is one of my favorites!).Even though Bim have been doing summer gigs in the Boston and Cape Cod area for the past few years (singer and founding member Dan Vitale lives in Panama these days--while The Toasters' singer and founding member Bucket now lives in Spain), it's been just about 13 years since the band's last release Krinkle. So to make up for lost time, Bim Skala Bim are releasing two albums (their 11th and 12th) on September 25: a new CD called Chet's Last Call (all new material) and a digital album called Musical Biscuits (all covers).
But here's the deal, the first 500 people to pre-order the Chet's Last Call CD for $9.99 will receive the digital-only album Musical Biscuits for free. You can place your order through BiB Records here (I've already made mine!).
If you consider yourself to be a ska fan and are anywhere in the New England area, you should absolutely get yourself to one of the three remaining Bim Skala Bim shows this year (their live sets are always stellar), which are taking place later this week:
Friday, August 16th: The Big Easy - Portland, ME - two shows (5:00 pm, all ages; 10:00 pm, 21+)
Saturday, August 17th: The Beachcomber - Wellfleet, MA w/Superska
Sunday, August 18th: Big Boston Ska Booze Cruise in Boston Harbor/Bim Record Release Party! 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, 21+ w/Superska, Dion Knibb, and Riki Rocksteady (buy tickets here)
+ + + +
Here's a sample track off Musical Biscuits, a cover of Bob Marley's "Easy Skankin'":
+ + + +
For more background about Bim Skala Bim and their new material, make sure to check out this really fantastic interview with Dan Vitale at Reggae Steady Ska!
+ + + +
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Trojans' New Album "Smash It" Available as Import and Digital Download
It's been almost 15 years since The Trojans released their last album containing their trademark blend of Japanese, Russian, and Gaelic music with Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae (though they've been playing live throughout this absence from the recording studio, most notably at the Notting Hill Carnival), so it's big news that their new album Smash It is now available as an import from Ska in World Records (Japan) and as a more reasonably priced digital download from CD Baby (word is that there will also be a vinyl single or two from Ska in the World and that the album will be issued from Gaz's Rockin' Records in the UK at some point in the near future).If you're unfamiliar with the The Trojans, you should check out this post I wrote about Gaz's book (which gives a good overview of his work with The Trojans, his label, and Gaz's Rockin' Blues)--and be sure to track down Trojan Warriors: For Your Protection, The Best of The Trojans, a great Trojans compilation that Moon Ska Records released back in 1996.
Being the old skool fan of The Trojans that I am, I'm going to try to get my mitts on a copy of the import Smash It CD without breaking my bank!
Friday, August 9, 2013
NYC Summer/Fall 2013 Ska Calendar #81
Friday, August 9, 2013 @ 10:00 pmThe Bluebeats
Old Fields Restaurant
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, NY
Free
+ + + +
Saturday, August 10, 2013
New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble
The Paper Box
17 Meadow Street
Brooklyn, NY
$10-$20
+ + + +
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Reggay Lords, The Frightnrs, Consumata
Hank's Saloon
46 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$5 cover/21+
+ + + +
Saturday, August 10, 2013 @ 9:00 pm
RudeRoots New York/New Jersey First Anniversary w/Rebuschaos, Radio Armada, Roots of Natural Sound, The Ladrones, Irie Prophets Sound System
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
$8 cover/21+ to drink
+ + + +
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Dirty Reggae Party w/The Snails, Sammy Kay and the Fast Four
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
+ + + +
Thursday, August 29, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston
Manhattan
$7.00
+ + + +
Saturday, August 31, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
89 North Music Venue
89 North Ocean Avenue
Patchogue, NY
$10 cover/21+
+ + + +
Thursday, September 19, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
Beat Brigade, MK Groove Orchestra, FunkFace, The Huffers, Kenny Warren
186 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
Free
+ + + +
Friday, September 20, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Selecter and The Pinstripes
127 East 23rd Street
Manhattan
$34.50
+ + + +
Saturday, September 28, 2013
King Django Quintet, Tri-State Conspiracy, and Unbearable Slackers
Roxy and Duke's
745 Bound Brook Road
Dunellen, NJ
+ + + +
Saturday, September 28, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
Jimmy Cliff
Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
+ + + +
Saturday, October 5, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
$16 in advance/$20 day of show
All ages
+ + + +
Sunday, October 6, 2013 @ 7:00 pm
The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$16 in advance/$18 day of show
+ + + +
Friday, October 25, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$18/All ages
+ + + +
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Skatalites
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
+ + + +
Friday, November 15, 2013
The Skatalites
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
+ + + +
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Duff Review: Caz and the Day Laborers Self-Titled EP
Digital download via Bandcamp(Vinyl EP release TK)
2013
(Review by Steve Shafer)
Sometimes, I could kick myself for lazily sticking to my ingrained, old school, dopey ways. Having grown up in the pre-digital age (buying LPs and cassettes in my teen years), I'm predisposed to favoring music released on tangible formats--and am less in love with digital-only releases, even though I understand the financial and logistical choices for going that route (and actually have really dug recent digital releases from Bigger Thomas, 2000 Tons of TNT, and The Frightnrs, amongst others). One of the members of Caz and the Day Laborers sent me a link to a review copy of their new digital EP back in (gulp) April and I didn't get around to downloading it until this week. In my lame defense, it's been an unbelievably busy spring and summer at work, but I feel terrible for ignoring such good music for so long. My apologies to the band!
Caz and the Day Laborers' self-titled digital EP (beautifully recorded by Sean Russell in Virginia and mixed by Victor Rice down in Brazil) features six ace rocksteady and reggae original cuts, as well as six terrific dub versions of these tracks assembled by the talented Mr. Rice. Back in the 1990s, I was lucky to be part of the label (Moon Ska/Ska Satellite) that released the 1998 debut CD of Caz Gardiner's (and Jorge Bañales') first band, The Checkered Cabs--so I'm thrilled to know that she's back on the Washington, DC ska scene in such strong and fine form (she has great command of her gorgeously pure and rich alto voice), and backed by a fantastic band comprised of DC-area ska stars (the Day Laborers are: Jorge Pezzimenti, guitars, backing vocals/The Pietasters; Teddy "Dos Dedos" García, keyboards/Los Granadians and The Shifters; Jorge E. Bañales, bass/The Shifters; and Curtis F. Reaves Jr., drums, percussion, backing vocals/The Smooths and The Pietasters).
"You Got It" is jaunty rocksteady song full of the frisson of anticipating a love connection ("You call me/and you say it real sweet/That you want to see me/I'm gonna to tell ya.../You got it") with a great Jackie Mittoo organ line. One of my favorite tracks here, "Grateful" is a catchy, soaring hymn to persevering in tough times (the song grew out of Caz's coping with an extremely painful neurological condition called trigeminal neuralgia, AKA the grim "suicide disease") and keeping one's life and circumstances in perspective ("I know to be grateful, grateful, grateful/I know, I could be worse off/Yes, it's true"). The sultry, but wary and warning "Now That I'm Dancing" is, on its surface, about never wanting the groove to end, but I suspect that it's also really about being able to trust someone after you've acquiesced to entering a relationship with them ("I hear the music pumping/And the people dancing on the floor/I been in here a while now/but I want to dance a little more/And this song keeps playing/Want this to never end/Don't let me down/now that I'm dancing").
Though there is deep sadness in Caz's voice, the cheery and easy-going melody and tempo of "You Know You're Wrong" masks the simmering outrage and frustration over the circumstances of the Trayvon Martin murder and the logic-defying and completely immoral outcome of that trial--and alludes to the despicable racial profiling of young men of color and their often unjust treatment at the hands of police (and society in general): "Though, you know you're wrong/You stand up proud with same old song/Though, you know you're wrong/You say you're right and they go along/The people out there, they're really scared/They feel that their rights, they aren't there/And you walk around as if you care/But each child is taught they must beware...With you in the rule/there is a fear/Has nothing to do with what's out here/We're more scared of you than it appears/Always on guard when you are near..." While Lynval Golding "dedicated" "A Message to You, Rudy," "It Doesn't Make It Alright," and "Why" to George Zimmerman at The Specials' recent concert in New York City, Caz and the Day Laborers' "You Know You're Wrong" has to be the one of the first (if not the first) songs written and recorded by a band on the current ska scene directly addressing this racial killing (and they've got my admiration and respect for continuing the worthy Jamaican ska/reggae tradition of addressing social injustice, as well as honoring the 2 Tone legacy of decrying racism and intolerance).
The upbeat reggae break-up tune "I Give Up" sounds so sweet that you might not mind that it's all over, while the knowing rocksteady track "Intentions" ("Why do you smile/when you mean me harm?/Do you think I don't know what's on your mind?") contains a fair amount of menace and dread for a song with such a terrifically mellow electric keyboard accompaniment. She's no fool; has his number; and won't get played this time, or ever.
Sorry to be so New York-centric about this (but it's where I live in every sense of the word!), but fans of The Slackers, The Frightnrs, The Forthrights, and host of other rocksteady and early reggae bands should take note--this EP is for you! Don't be an idiot like me and almost miss this rocksteady gem!
Caz and the Day Laborers are just back from a mini-tour of Argentia (!) and are playing at The Kennedy Center (!) in Washington, DC later this month. Here's to their continuing success--I look forward to the chance to see them live and can't wait to hear what they do next!
+ + + +
Postscript: I've spied a photo of a vinyl test-pressing of this EP on the band's Facebook page, so my old man music desires should be sated at some point in the near future.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Julie Hamill Interview with Mark "Bedders" Bedford of Madness/Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra
Thanks to Duff Guide to Ska reader Brian L. for pointing me to this fantastic interview with Madness/Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra bassist Mark "Bedders" Bedford by Morrissey/Smiths blogger Julie Hamill.
I wasn't aware of it at the time, but Bedders played bass on Morrissey's Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley produced Kill Uncle album (hence the Morrissey/Madness connection).
I wasn't aware of it at the time, but Bedders played bass on Morrissey's Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley produced Kill Uncle album (hence the Morrissey/Madness connection).
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Mustard Plug Kickstarter Campaign for Their Seventh Album!
Since we're big believers in crowdfunding and want to support our old Moon Records friends from the lovely state of Michigan, we're passing along all the details about Mustard Plug's new Kickstarter project for their new album (which has already reached its goal, but you can still make a pledge to get the goodies you want--CD, LP, merch, etc.)!+ + + +
Mustard Plug started out in the punk clubs, basements, and dive bars of the Midwest, playing punk-influenced ska music during a time most people in the U.S. had never even heard of ska. They clung to a DIY work ethic that had been ingrained in them from growing up in the 1980's hardcore punk scene and applied it to everything they'd do for the next 21 years.
The band released their first cassette tape themselves (1992's Skapocalypse Now!), and played constantly to earn enough money to record their first CD. 1994's Big Daddy Mulititude was then distributed by legendary NYC label Moon Records and with their new found national distribution and exposure, the band climbed into their van and performed their music to new fans across North America. Twenty-one years, 1,500 shows and 200,000 album sales later, the band has amassed a fanbase that reaches around the world.
For their upcoming album, they are returning to the DIY efforts that the band was built upon. By releasing the new record on their own, Mustard Plug has come full circle, embracing their punk rock roots, and bringing their music directly to their friends and fans.
But it isn't just the band themselves going on this journey; they are keeping the whole project, “in the family.” Resident bassist and electronics nerd extraordinairre, Rick Johnson, is recording it at his Grand Rapids, MI-based Cold War Studios. "We practice here, the van lives here, and it’s close enough to my house to walk to," said Johnson. "It just made sense to record here."
The Kickstarter campaign will include artwork from Lansing-based artist Craig Horky who has made a name for himself, and his tireless work ethic, by providing designs and illustrations for bands both domestic and abroad.
The band will also be sending the record to The Blasting Room to be mixed by venerated punk rock veteran, and friend, Bill Stevenson. Stevenson, best known for his drumming with Black Flag and The Descendants, originally worked with Mustard Plug on their 1996 album Evil Doers Beware. They returned to The Blasting Room for their follow up, 1999's Pray For Mojo, and their last album, In Black and White.
For more information please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1739374006/mustard-plug-new-record.
+ + + +
Upcoming Mustard Plug Tour Dates:
Fri, Sept 20: Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
Thurs, Sept 26: Madison, WI - The Frequency
Fri, Sept 27: Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
Sat, Sept 28: Rockford, IL - Kryptonite
Sun, Sept 29: Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar
Fri, Cct 11: Ann Arbor MI - The Blind Pig
Sat, Oct 12: Ft. Wayne, IN - The Brass Rail
Fri, Oct 25: Cincinatti, OH - Northside Tavern
Sat, Oct 26: Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café
Sun, Oct 27: Morgantown WV - 123 Pleasant St.
Mon, Oct 28: Asheville, NC - Jack of the Wood
Tues, Oct 29: Columbia SC - New Brookland Tavern
Wed, Oct 30: Ybor City FL - The Fest
Thur, Oct 31: Gainesville, FL - The Fest
Sat, Nov 16: Kalamazoo, MI - Bell's
Fri, Nov 22: Traverse City, MI - Inside Out Gallery
Pending shows in PA, NJ, and Canada!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Duff Review: The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra: "The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius"
Axe Attack Records2013
CD/LP
(Review by Steve Shafer)
If you're a middle-aged ska fan like myself, you'll fondly remember Madness sax man Lee Thompson's early 90s ska-pop side project, Crunch!, launched with Madness guitarist Chris Foreman (check out some of their old videos here and there). Two decades later (with an amazingly resurgent Madness still releasing stellar albums like The Liberty of Norton Folgate and Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da, Da--click through the links to read my reviews of them), Thompson has embarked on another side trip--The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra--with some of his old Crunch! bandmates (though Madness bassist Mark Bedford is along for the ride instead of Foreman) and several Madness collaborators (like Terry Edwards).
What is most surprising--even jarring--is that this time out, the fantastic sounds Thompson and company lay down couldn't be more different. Instead of the heavily produced, synthesized ska-pop of Crunch!, the warmly organic The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius is vintage Jamaican ska to its core, as it should be (with support from Prince Fatty's 70s-era production). The title of the album refers to the Roman Catholic nun who was head of the Alpha School for Boys in Jamaica; during that period, its music program fostered some of the most celebrated Jamaican musicians known to humankind, including Tommy McCook, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Lester Sterling, Don Drummond, Dizzy Reece, Cedric Brooks, Theophilus Beckford, Rico Rodriguez, Desmond Dekker, Yellowman, Vin Gordon, Joe Harriott, Headley Bennett, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, and Leroy Smart. Since this group includes four of the founding members of The Skatalites (and many of their musical friends), it only follows that this record is essentially a tribute to the sound and vision of that extraordinary band and its heyday.
The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius contains a mix of smartly arranged instrumental covers (Baba Brooks' "Guns Fever"; The Skatalites' "Eastern Standard Time"; Byron Lee and the Dragonaires' cover of "Soul Serenade"--I particularly liked the Dave Brubeck-like take on Lalo Schifrin's "Mission Impossible" and the Madness-y cover of Lynn Taitt's essential "Napoleon Solo") and sweet vocal tunes (Stranger Cole's and Lester Sterling's "Bangarang"; Desmond Dekker's "Fu Manchu" with a fantastic Bitty McLean singing; James Brown's and Fred Wesley's "Hot Pants"; Fat's Domino's "Hello Josephine"; The Blues Busters' "Soon You'll Be Gone"; I'm always a sucker for one of the greatest reggay tracks of all time, John Holt's "Ali Baba"--Winston Francis and Alcapone have recently covered this tune with Prince Fatty, too; and while Paul Davidson's reggae version of The Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider" was a huge hit in the UK in 1976, I've been turned onto this tune since Bad Manners' 1992 reading of it on Fat Sound). Needless to say, all of the performances here are top-notch and throughly enjoyable.
Many of these songs--particularly the early reggae cuts released during '67-'71--were the ones that Thompson grew up on (and influenced the whole 2 Tone generation) and Thompson's and the Orchestra's affection and respect for them and their originators rings through loud and clear. My only minor quibble with this album is that it's too reverential to its source material (a more daring approach to the arrangements might have yielded more thrills), but I suspect that the majority of traditional ska fans will be mighty pleased with The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius as is--and the talent on display here sure gives them every right to be.