Friday, May 30, 2014

NYC Spring/Summer 2014 Ska Calendar #10

A message from Laurel Aitken and The Busters!
Friday, May 30, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Anti-Nowhere League, Cro-Mags, Mephiskapheles, Night Birds, Up for Nothing

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$31/16+

+ + + +

Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2014

Apple Stomp was postponed, though they have a few smaller shows going on. Check everything out here.

+ + + +

Saturday, May 31, 2014 @ 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Shanahan's Bar and Grill
515 Old Dock Road
Kings Park, NY
No cover

+ + + +

Sunday, June 8, 2014 (Doors at 5:00 pm, show at 6:00 pm)

Desorden Publico w/Escarioka Sound System, DJ Rata, Dr. Dub, DJ Cannabis

Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY
18+
$35 in advance/$40 day of show

+ + + +

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 @ 11:00 pm

The Big Payback party w/Vic Ruggiero and Selector Agent Jay

The Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$5/21+

+ + + +

Friday, June 13, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Rude Boy George and PidginDroppings (plus The Brew Council Beer and Food Pairing)

Hat City Kitchen
459 Valley Street
Orange, NJ
$10 (for just music @ 8:00 pm)
$30 (for 4 small plates with 4 different beers @ 7:00 pm)

+ + + +

Friday, June 13, 2014 @ 9:00 pm

Sweet Lucy, Beat Brigade, The Shipwrecks, Let's Go Trippin' (A Tribute to Dick Dale)

Connolly's Pub Club 45
121 West 45th Street
New York, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Crazy Baldhead Sound System 15th Anniversary Party w/Reggay Lords, The Far East, plus Selectors Agent Jay, Jonny Metro, Bunny Punch, and more

Bohemian Grove
64 Grove Street (Bushwick and Evergreen)
Bushwick, Brooklyn
$5/BYOB

+ + + +

Thursday, June 19, 2014 @ 8:00 pm

The Toasters, King Django, Across The Aisle

Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
$10-12
21+

+ + + +

Friday, June 20, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Sammy Kay's B-Day Bash w/The Slackers, Sammy Kay, The Beatdown, and more!

Asbury Lanes
209 Fourth Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
$15/All ages

+ + + +

Sunday, June 29, 2014 @ 9:00 pm

Sly and Robbie with The Taxi Gang and Bitty McLean

B.B. Kings Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street
Manhattan, NY
$20 in advance/$25 day of the show
All ages

+ + + +

Sunday, June 29, 2014 @ 12:00 pm

Groovin' in the Park w/Beres Hammond, Chronixx, Air Supply, Marcia Griffiths and John Holt, Bob Andy, and Judy Mowatt and many more!

Roy Wilkins Park
Merrick and Baisley Boulevard
Queens, NY
$59.99 (kids under 12 are free)

+ + + +

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 @ 9:00 pm
Sleepy Wonder (Thievery Corp), Geometric Echoes, Dub is a Weapon

Drom
85 Avenue A
Manhattan, NY
21+

+ + + +

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

The Tribal Seeds, New Kingston, The Expanders

The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$15 in advance/$18 day of show

+ + + +

Saturday, August 23, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Rocks Off Concert Cruise with The Slackers

Departs from Circle Line Pier 83
West 42nd Street and the West Side Highway
Manhattan
$30/21+

+ + + +

Friday, August 29, 2014 @ 7:30 pm

Mrs. Skannotto

The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10 in advance/$12 day of show

+ + + +

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Duff Review: Boy George "This Is What I Do"

Very Me Records
2014
CD/Double LP

(Review by Steve Shafer)

You may be curious as to why The Duff Guide to Ska is reviewing New Wave/80s pop star Boy George's latest album, This is What I Do. Well, last fall, Marc Wasserman (of the Marco on the Bass blog, Bigger Thomas, Rude Boy George) told me that Boy George's forthcoming record contained a fair amount of reggae and so we previewed a couple of tracks earlier this winter while driving to a Rude Boy George gig in New Jersey. What I heard sounded really good, so I recently picked up the album--not that I needed much convincing, as I'd been a teenage fan of Culture Club (you have to admit that "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Time (Clock of My Heart)" are two pretty incredible reggae-influenced pop gems!). I also had been fascinated by how some of the girls in my high school-era circle of friends and acquaintances went bongo over Boy George's androgynous look, which was incredibly outrageous and provocative for the very conservative Reagan/Thatcher 1980s. And I should note that the band I'm in, Rude Boy George, which does ska and reggae versions of New Wave and post-punk classics, is partially named in his honor (he reflects the New Wave aspect of our band, while the rude boy reference and significance is, well, obvious!).

Stylistically, This Is What I Do, is all over the place, reflecting Boy George's omnivorous love of music in all it's permutations, including pop, soul, dance, and even some country--and most of them are terrific tracks. But what is most unexpected and thrilling is how he shifts from one of his lush pop songs like "My God" (about a real episode in a bar when an evangelical Christian gave him some sort of religious pamphlet, presuming his soul needed "saving" by a right-wing version of God) to a full-on, 70s roots reggae track like "Live Your Life" or the dancehall-sh "My Star" (contrast this with a recent interview with The Quietus, where Boy George freely admits that some of Cultural Club's 80s tracks were cod reggae!). You can almost imagine the cheeky gleam in Boy George's eye, as he shows off his (and his band's) considerable versatility in both songwriting and performance (no doubt, the reggae cuts benefit from the prodigious production talents of Killing Joke's Youth and ace reggae drummer Richie Stevens, who's worked with Linton Kwesi Johnson, Horace Andy, Dennis Bovell, and I Roy). But given Boy George's pop past (and presumed target audience in 2014), you just don't expect that five of the tracks on the album would be legitimate roots reggae or dancehall (in addition to being great songs). So, that's why I'm taking stock of them here.

Like a good portion of this comeback album (from drink, drugs, and depression), the sweetly sad plea for tolerance "Live Your Life" is an autobiographical tune ("Everybody said the boy was strange/They raised him in whispers/Oh, how they prayed/the demons would go away/His daddy was cruel/he tried to make him tough/Always afraid to give him too much love/Too much love...Running, running, running/What a waste of time/No one you can be, but your good self/Bigotry and hatred/and too much lies)." It's sad and frustrating to say that this message is still sorely relevant, as I came across some nasty homophobic crap about this album and Boy George when doing a bit of research online. The strutting dancehall/dubby cut "My Star" (with rap by Unknown MC) is about longing for that idealized, perfect--and, ultimately, unattainable--"dream" lover ("My star, shining sweet, slightly out of reach/In a gangster's teeth, yeah, yeah/On the hand of a bride, getting ready to take that ride/Feel the storms stir up inside...No one will complete you, this is true/So, I won't ever try to change you/If I can't love you the way your are/Then, I'd better walk alway, my star"). There's a strange satisfaction in the act of wanting, but never being able actually to possess something/someone (Morrissey, of course, can sing you several dozen songs in this vein!).

The mournful "Love and Danger" depicts a love triangle between what one would presume to be Boy George, a bi-sexual man, and his girlfriend/wife ("If you're loving us two, who's the lonely one?"), a situation that the singer knows is wrong and potentially explosive ("Love and danger/I know I've lost my soul"), but one that he can't resist. The refreshingly upbeat and winkingly knowing (gotta love the double-ententre here!) reggay sing-along "Nice and Slow" is written from the perspective of someone who's been repeatedly burned by impulsively entering into ill-considered romantic relationships. So, Boy George's bit of wisdom from life experience to impart is, "See, I learnt the hard way love is mundane/Love is just nice and slow." Though the fantastic, loping, and incredibly sensual "Play Me" (with Dennis Bovell, amongst other singers/toasters on some of the vocals and scratching reminiscent of RiceRokit!) is really just about offering up one's self for sex--even if it's couched in a former chart-topper's plea (dig out and spin my hit records!): "Baby, come on and play me/Like an old familiar song/Melts into your heart/Makes you sing along/On the radio night and day/Like the music never went away..."

Ultimately, your love and appreciation of this album may depend on your past relationship with Boy George and Culture Club. For those of us who grew up with him and his music--and who also love ska and reggae--it's a pretty stunning return to the spotlight that doesn't (outright) rely on nostalgia, but showcases his considerable talents as a performer and songwriter moving forward with his sound and vision (and it's always welcome to see your fallen musical heroes claw back from the edge of the abyss and turn in a new album as good as this one!). For ska and reggae newcomers, it might be best just to approach This Is What I Do with an open mind (in all meanings of that expression), without looking up Boy George's previous work on YouTube or Spotify. Let the music speak for itself. Boy George wouldn't want it any other way.

+ + +

Check out several of Boy George's reggae cuts off This Is What I Do below...




Thursday, May 22, 2014

Jerry Dammers Receives the Ivor Novello Inspiration Award for "Free Nelson Mandela"

The Coventry Telegraph and other media outlets in the UK are reporting that Jerry Dammers has been awarded the Ivor Novello Inspiration Award in recognition of his incredible protest song "Free Nelson Mandela," which was recorded and released by The Special AKA in 1984. This award comes just weeks after Dammers received the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo by the South African government "for outstanding work benefiting the country"--for his anti-aparthied activism with the UK branch of Artists Against Apartheid and for penning what became a joyous ANC anthem of protest and then celebration upon Nelson Mandela's release from jail in 1990.

According to the Coventry Telegraph, "The annual awards, known as The Ivors, are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and are highly prized because they are voted for by songwriters and composers."

Former Clash/BAD guitarist/songwriter/singer Mick Jones presented Dammers will his award and dubbed him the "Tsar of Ska."

Rude Boy George at Fontana's This Friday Night (5/23/14) at 9:00 pm!


More shameless promotion! Yes, if you're not fleeing NYC on Friday night for the holiday weekend (bank holiday for you Brits)--wait until Saturday morning, like me!--come down/over to Fontana's on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and see Rude Boy George (we go on at 9:00 pm)!

We do ska and reggae versions of New Wave/post-punk classics!

We're debuting a new New Wave cover, as well as our fantastic new keyboard player, Pam!

If you can make it, you'll have a blast, singing along to some of your favorite New Wave songs and dancing your ass off--and we'll send you off into the night fully prepared for the holiday weekend!

Hope to see you out on the dance floor!

+ + + +

Sunday, May 4, 2014

NYC Spring/Summer 2014 Ska Calendar #8

Beat Brigade!
Monday, May 12, 2014 @ 8:00 pm

Beat Brigade "Kings" Record Release Party

The Bitter End
147 Bleecker Street
Manhattan, NY

+ + + +

Friday, May 16, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Mad Caddies, Mrs. Skannotto, Across the Aisle

Santos Party House (upstairs)
96 Lafayette Street
Manhattan
$17 in advance/$20 day of show
16+

+ + + +

Saturday, May 17, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Mustard Plug and Deal's Gone Bad

The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13

+ + + +

Friday, May 23, 2014 @ 7:30 pm

Rude Boy George (on at 9:00 pm), Posse N'Effect (Beastie Boys tribute), Tweezer (Weezer tribute), Morning View (Incubus tribute)

Fontana's
105 Eldridge Street (between Broome and Grand)
New York City
$10/21+

+ + + +

Friday, May 30, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Anti-Nowhere League, Cro-Mags, Mephiskapheles, Night Birds, Up for Nothing

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$31/16+

+ + + +

Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2014

Apple Stomp 2 w/The Toasters, Stubborn All-Stars, King Django, Big D and the Kids Table, Five Iron Frenzy, The Allstonians, Hub City Stompers, Slow Gherkin, Vic Ruggiero, Dan P and The Bricks, Dan Potthast, Sammy Kay and the Fast Four, Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts, High School Football Heroes, IV4K, Jiker, and more...

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$70 (two-day pass), $45 (one day ticket)/16+

+ + + +

Sunday, June 29, 2014 @ 9:00 pm

Sly and Robbie with The Taxi Gang and Bitty McLean

B.B. Kings Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street
Manhattan, NY
$20 in advance/$25 day of the show
All ages

+ + + +

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 @ 9:00 pm

Sleepy Wonder (Thievery Corp), Geometric Echoes, Dub is a Weapon

Drom
85 Avenue A
Manhattan, NY
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, August 23, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Rocks Off Concert Cruise with The Slackers

Departs from Circle Line Pier 83
West 42nd Street and the West Side Highway
Manhattan
$30/21+

+ + + +