HR and The Scotch Bonnets to release "Quest" EP

I'm ashamed to admit that last year I never got around to completing my review of The Scotch Bonnets' phenomenally good debut album Live Ya Life (this Baltimore/DC rocksteady-reggae-soul crew released their CD through a successful Kickstarter campaign--and I highly recommend it if you don't already have it). With this in mind, it should be noted that The Scotch Bonnets are releasing Quest, a six-song EP that they recorded with HR of Bad Brains, which will be released on December 2, 2014 by Morphius Records.

After playing a series of gigs together last year, HR and the Bonnets had initially planned to collaborate on one track for Morphius Records' 20 anniversary compilation XX. But they left the studio session with six cuts--and the president of Morphius Records felt that they all deserved to see the light of day. From The Scotch Bonnets' press release, it seems like Quest promises to be one of the more compelling and unusual ska/reggae releases of the year:

"From the romping pub ska of "Cheyenne" to the spacey reggae love vibes in "My Universal Love" to "Just A Kid," a rare Bonnets soul-rocker, Quest is an eclectic mix of songs sung by both HR and Lady Hatchet. The EP's title track boasts HR's first recorded boy-girl duet, his avant-garde vocals in juxtaposition with Lady Hatchet's R and B tinged hooks. And what HR session would be complete without a little studio experimentation? Precisely that can be found on "H.R. Psalm," a mesmerizing HR composition for which he conducted the band as they played along to a previously recorded HR track!

The EP boasts three new vocal performances by HR. Two of those songs, the title track "Quest" as well as "My Universal Love" were penned by Pablo Fiasco many years ago. Long guarded as instrumentals, the tracks were finally given to HR to complete during these sessions."

HR will be backed by The Scotch Bonnets on a series of mid-Atlantic tour dates in support of the Quest EP early this December:

Thursday, December 4: Baltimore, MD: Holy Frijoles
Friday, December 5: Washington, DC: Comet Ping Pong
Saturday, December 6: Brooklyn, NY: Palisades
Sunday, December 7: Philadelphia, PA: Kungfu Necktie

Catch them live if you can!