The Duff Guide to Ska NYC Winter/Spring/Summer 2016 Ska Calendar #26

The Clash in the can.

Friday, April 1, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Skarroñeros, The New Resistants, Glowing Eyed Friends, Brother Jerome

Goldsounds
44 Wilson Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$8-$10/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Slackers (Record Release Party), The Far East, The Ladrones

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Brown Rice Family Band (7:00 pm), Maya Azucena (9:00 pm)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY
Free (Target First Saturdays)

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Iration, Hirie, The Expanders

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
18+

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

The Scofflaws

Still Partners
225 Sea Cliff Avenue
Sea Cliff, NY

+ + + +

Saturday, April 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

DJ Gorilla presents Ska/Punky/Reggae Party w/Beat Brigade, Yo!Scunt, Majesty and the New Vibration Band, Fragmented

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Friday, April 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Big D and the Kids Table, Counterpunch, The Doped Up Dollies, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13 in advance/$15 day of show
16+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Tribute to Roy Radics w/Dubistry, Honeychild Coleman, Rudites

Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters, Hub City Stompers, The Snails, Reggay Lords!

Sunnyvale Brooklyn
1031 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$17 in advance/$20 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

NOFX, Direct Hit!, Mephiskapheles

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$27/16+

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016

Rent Party w/Rude Boy George

The Woodland
60 Woodland Road
Maplewood, NJ

+ + + +

Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 9:00 AM

Rude Boy George

Five Boro Bike Tour
21st Street and 38th Avenue
Long Island City, Queens
Free

+ + + +

Friday, May 13, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Bell's Eccentric Cafe Back Room
355 East Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Founders Brewing Co.
235 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2016 @ 11:00 am

Rude Boy George

West Orange Street Fair
Edison National Historic Site
211 Main Street
West Orange, NJ
Free

+ + + +

Thursday, June 16, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

The Duff Guide to Ska presents: Skarroñeros, 1592, and TBA

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B)
Alphabet City
New York
No cover/21+
(Bring some extra cash for when we pass the hat for each band!)

+ + + +

Sunday, June 19, 2016

*****All-Star NYC Ska Benefit for Roy Radics' Family*****

Details to be released soon!
Mark your calendars!
Outdoor/All-day festival!
Top Ska Acts
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Toasters

Revolution Bar and Music Hall
140 Merrick Road
Amityville, NY

+ + + +

Friday, September 9, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Specials

Terminal 5
610 West 56th Street
Manhattan, NY
$45.00 (plus service fees)

+ + + +

Ska bands: To have your NYC area gig dates listed here, send an email to duffguidetoska@gmail.com with all of the show details!

+ + + +

Jimmy Riley Passes Away at Age 68 in NYC

We missed this last week, but want to remember Jamaican singer, songwriter, and producer Jimmy Riley, who passed away on March 23, 2016 at age 68 in NYC (where he was undergoing treatment for cancer).

Riley was best known for his singing with the top rocksteady groups The Sensations and The Uniques in the mid-to-late 1960s, as well as his production and solo work in the 1970s and 1980s (including his massive dancehall hit "Love and Devotion" off his 1981 Sly and Robbie produced Rydim Driven album).

Laurence Cain-Honeysett recently posted a terrific in-depth overview of Riley's career at Trojan Records, while Billboard, NME, and United Reggae have run obituaries and remembrances.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Time to Check Hoi Polloi's Ska Almanac!

Don't forget to check Hoi Polloi Skazine's ska almanac at least once a month to keep on what went down each day in the history of ska...March is almost done!

Duff Review: Dennis Bovell "Row, Row, Row" b/w "River Dub" Single

Old School 
2016
Digital/limited edition 7" vinyl

(Review by Steve Shafer)

In addition to the relatively recent and all-out stellar compilations of his material from Pressure Sounds (Mek it Run and Decibel: More Cuts and Dubs, 1976-1983) and Glitterbeat (Dub 4 Daze), master reggae songwriter, performer, and producer Dennis Bovell (Matumbi, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Madness, The Slits, Pop Group, Fela Kuti, I-Roy, Hollie Cook, Prince Fatty, Boy George, Alpha Blondy, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, and many more) has begun re-issuing cuts from his very rare and largely out-of-print back catalogue via his Old School Bandcamp page.

While most of these re-releases have been digital-only (and with the caliber of his work, we'll take whatever we can get!), Bovell has started issuing what may be the first of many more tracks on vinyl through his own Old School label. The extraordinary roots reggae song "Row, Row, Row" originally saw light of day back in 1978 as the Dennis Matumbi "Rolling Down the River" 12" single on the Serious Business imprint. This is the first time this track has appeared on 7" vinyl (it also can be found as "Rowing" on the insanely good Decibel: More Cuts and Dubs, 1976-1983 compilation) and I believe this is the first appearance of "Rowing Dub."

The wonderfully hypnotic, persistent, and seemingly unending bass line that "Row, Row, Row" is built around mirrors the (hopefully) long, unwritten journey for meaning and purpose in one's life that is alluded to in the lyrics: "Row, row, row/Rowing down the river/My god, I'm step, step, step, stepping/Out into the sea/I was born by a river/And just like that river/I got to keep on moving on/Keep on moving on/I ain't got nobody/Who I can call my own/I guess I've been moving/Ever since the day I was born...I rowed by a mountain/One fine day/I asked a wise man/To show me the way/He said, "Row on your boat/And look for yourself/Then come back to tell me/What you have learned..."" The equally terrific "River Dub" is a remix of the dub portion of the Decibel version of "Rowing."

Let's hope that Bovell has plans to release more vinyl gems like this from his vault very soon...

New Ruts DC Album "Music Must Destroy" and "Psychic Attack" Single!

The mighty roots reggae/dub/punk outfit Ruts DC have signed a licensing and distribution deal with Westworld Recordings for their forthcoming album Music Must Destroy. While the new album will not be out until September 16, 2016, you can pre-order the Ruts DC's new "Psychic Attack" single on clear 7" vinyl or compact disc through Plastic Head in the UK (or Amazon in the USA)--it'll be released on May 20, 2016 and in your mailbox soon afterward. (You know I've already pre-ordered my vinyl single!)

For Record Store Day in the UK (Saturday, April 16, 2016), the Ruts DC are releasing their phenomenally good Live on Stage album--recorded on various stages in Europe in 2013-2014--on double LP (previously, it was only available on CD). It's a heady mix of classic Ruts punk cuts with much newer Ruts DC roots reggae tracks.

And if you don't already have it, the Ruts DC's 2013 album Rhythm Collision Volume 2 is simply incredible (though a bit hard to find, as it was released on a German indie label). The anti-war/violence track "Mighty Soldier" and "Smiling Culture"--a tribute to UK reggae singer/DJ Smiley Culture who died in very suspicious circumstances during a police raid in his home--are true highlights.

+ + + +

The Duff Guide to Ska NYC Winter/Spring/Summer 2016 Ska Calendar #25

Roy Radics of The Rudie Crew

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Slackers (Record Release Party), The Far East, The Ladrones

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Brown Rice Family Band (7:00 pm), Maya Azucena (9:00 pm)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY
Free (Target First Saturdays)

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Iration, Hirie, The Expanders

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
18+

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

The Scofflaws

Still Partners
225 Sea Cliff Avenue
Sea Cliff, NY

+ + + +

Saturday, April 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

DJ Gorilla presents Ska/Punky/Reggae Party w/Beat Brigade, Yo!Scunt, Majesty and the New Vibration Band, Fragmented

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Friday, April 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Big D and the Kids Table, Counterpunch, The Doped Up Dollies, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13 in advance/$15 day of show
16+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Tribute to Roy Radics w/Dubistry, Honeychild Coleman, Rudites

Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters, Hub City Stompers, The Snails, Reggay Lords!

Sunnyvale Brooklyn
1031 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$17 in advance/$20 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

NOFX, Direct Hit!, Mephiskapheles

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$27/16+

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016

Rent Party w/Rude Boy George

The Woodland
60 Woodland Road
Maplewood, NJ

+ + + +

Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 9:00 AM

Rude Boy George

Five Boro Bike Tour
21st Street and 38th Avenue
Long Island City, Queens
Free

+ + + +

Friday, May 13, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Bell's Eccentric Cafe Back Room
355 East Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Founders Brewing Co.
235 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2016 @ 11:00 am

Rude Boy George

West Orange Street Fair
Edison National Historic Site
211 Main Street
West Orange, NJ
Free

+ + + +

Thursday, June 16, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

The Duff Guide to Ska presents: Skarroñeros, 1592, and TBA

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B)
Alphabet City
New York
No cover/21+
(Bring some extra cash for when we pass the hat for each band!)

+ + + +

Sunday, June 19, 2016

*****All-Star NYC Ska Benefit for Roy Radics' Family*****
Details to be released soon!
Mark your calendars!

Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Toasters

Revolution Bar and Music Hall
140 Merrick Road
Amityville, NY

+ + + +

Friday, September 9, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Specials

Terminal 5
610 West 56th Street
Manhattan, NY
$45.00 (plus service fees)

+ + + +

Ska bands: To have your NYC area gig dates listed here, send an email to duffguidetoska@gmail.com with all of the show details!

+ + + +

Record Store Day 2016: US and UK Ska and Reggae Releases!

It's springtime again, which means that Record Store Day (Saturday, April 16) is just around the corner. While I will leave others to debate the merits of this day, I do want to highlight the US releases that may be of interest to ska and reggae fans:

African Head Charge - Super Mystic Breaks 10" EP (On-U Sound)

Bitty McLean/Bunny Rugs - Taxi Records Split EP  7" (Taxi)

Roots Radics - World Cup 12" (Greensleeves)

Joe Strummer - Gangsterville 12" (Legacy)

Sublime - Jah Won't Pay the Bills LP/cassette (UMe/Geffen)

Various Artists - First Class Rock Steady 7" singles box set (VP Records); features The Jupiters, Honey Boy Martin, Carlton Manning, The Gaylads, Val Bennet, Derrick Morgan, The Melodians, Hopeton Lewis, The Sensations, and Errol Dunkley.

+ + + +

The UK Record Store Day features the following AMAZING releases not available (URGH!) in America:

Desmond Dekker - Rude Boy Ska LP (Secret Records)

Johnny Clarke - Natty Roots Session LP (Jamaican Recordings)

Max Romeo - Give Thanks 12" EP (Nu Roots)

Mungo's Hi Fi/Mungo's Hi Fi featuring Mikey Murka - "Jump in Line" b/w "Send di Water" (Scotch Bonnet)

The Ruts DC - Live On Stage 2xLP (Let Them Eat Vinyl)

The Skatalites - Independence Ska and the Far East Sound 7" box set (Soul Jazz)

The Slits - I Heard It Through the Grapevine 10" EP (UMC)

V/A - This Is Trojan 6 x double LP set (Sanctuary)

+ + + +

Happy shopping...

The Duff Guide to Ska NYC Winter/Spring/Summer 2016 Ska Calendar #24!

Don Letts ready to document the performance with his Super 8 camera!

Friday, March 18, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

DITA presents King Django, Death in the Arena, Screwface, Scruff Cardinale

Crossroads
78 North Avenue
Garwood, NJ
$10

+ + + +

Sunday, March 20, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Boomshot!, The Far East

The Shrine
The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Slackers (Record Release Party), The Far East, The Ladrones

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Brown Rice Family Band (7:00 pm), Maya Azucena (9:00 pm)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY
Free (Target First Saturdays)

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Iration, Hirie, The Expanders

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
18+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

DJ Gorilla presents Ska/Punky/Reggae Party w/Beat Brigade, Yo!Scunt, Majesty and the New Vibration Band, Fragmented

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Friday, April 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Big D and the Kids Table, Counterpunch, The Doped Up Dollies, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13 in advance/$15 day of show
16+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dubistry, Honeychild Coleman, Rudites

Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters, Hub City Stompers, The Snails, Reggay Lords!

Sunnyvale Brooklyn
1031 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$17 in advance/$20 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

NOFX, Direct Hit!, Mephiskapheles

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$27/16+

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016

Rent Party w/Rude Boy George

The Woodland
60 Woodland Road
Maplewood, NJ

+ + + +

Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 9:00 AM

Rude Boy George

Five Boro Bike Tour
21st Street and 38th Avenue
Long Island City, Queens
Free

+ + + +

Friday, May 13, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George


Bell's Eccentric Cafe Back Room
355 East Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Founders Brewing Co.
235 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2016 @ 11:00 am

Rude Boy George

West Orange Street Fair
Edison National Historic Site
211 Main Street
West Orange, NJ
Free

+ + + +

Thursday, June 16, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

The Duff Guide to Ska presents: Skarroñeros, 1592, and TBA

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B)
Alphabet City
New York
No cover/21+
(Bring some extra cash for when we pass the hat for each band!)

+ + + +

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Toasters

Revolution Bar and Music Hall
140 Merrick Road
Amityville, NY

+ + + +

Ska bands: To have your NYC area gig dates listed here, send an email to duffguidetoska@gmail.com with all of the show details!

+ + + + 

Duff Review: NST and The Soul Sauce: "Heaven Is Here/Song for Rico" EP

Eastern Standard Sounds

2016
Seven-track digital EP/Cassette
Artwork by CHema Skandal

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Originally formed as a session band comprised of members of other South Korean ska and reggae bands (such as Kingston Rudieska) for bassist and singer Noh Seon Teck's solo project, all of the musicians involved in what would become NST and The Soul Sauce quickly realized that they had a very good thing going. So, they decided to make a go of it and made it legit.

The sensational results of their efforts are presented in the digital EP and cassette Heaven Is Here/Song for Rico, which is built around the two title tracks--followed by their dubs, and then two live tracks (and the hidden, bonus cut "Highway Ram Jam"). According to the liner notes, the warm and vibrant title songs were expertly recorded live in the studio in one take, without overdubs and other studio wizardry (which was judiciously saved for the dub versions).

"Heaven Is Here" is a soothing, almost lullaby-ish roots reggae cut with verses in Korean and an uplifting, take-the-time-to-appreciate-all-that-we-have chorus in English: "Heaven is on this earth/Heaven is in our world." Its underwater dub version, "Heaven Is Dub," is true to its name and includes a fantastic sax solo that may remind one of Saxa from The Beat. The funk workout "Doo Man River" is a cover of an old Korean pop song that was recorded at one of NST and The Soul Sauce's gigs, and it shows off their considerable live chops.

As expected, "Song for Rico" is a horn-driven, Skatalites-like instrumental honoring the late and truly great Rico Rodriguez, where all of the brass players do solo improvisations and show off their mad skills. They do him very proud. The "Dub for Rico" is even better (mixed by their drummer, Kang Teck Hyun, who really knows what he's doing in deconstructing/reassembling this song) and is the highlight of the EP. The listener is then treated to a lovely, if not essential, live concert version of "Rico" (with audience members chatting in the front of the mix), which is subtly different from its studio version.

Lastly, the organ-powered bonus cut "Highway Ram Jam" is a recording of one of NST and The Soul Sauces' rehearsals (would that all bands always sound this good during practice!) and midway into the song, it shifts to include a good portion of Jackie Mittoo's sublime "Ram Jam." A violin solo in this section is a bit surprising at first, but then you realize that it's the perfect choice to help convey the sensuous, aching longing or euphoric satisfaction--its interpretation probably depends on your mood--in Mittoo's composition.  (To me, "Ram Jam" sounds like what it feels like when you're in love--both unrequited and reciprocated.)

Now that I'm collecting ska tapes again, I just need to figure out how to get my hands on this amazing cassette...

Duff Review: The Crombies "Dance Crazee"

Jump Up Records
2016
Deluxe CD Box/CD/Cassette
Artwork by CHema Skandal

(Review by Steve Shafer)

I've been hearing about how great The Crombies are--and waiting for this album to come out--for what's seemed like an eternity. So, it's a thrill/relief to report just how fantastic and enjoyable their debut Dance Crazee is! The Crombies' single-minded mission is to make rollicking, good-time 2 Tone music, whether they're covering vintage JA and late 70s UK ska, versioning songs that are a bit further afield, or creating new 2 Tone-like classics. And they succeed brilliantly! (Based on what they've captured in these recordings, The Crombies must be one hell of a good night out--come to NYC whenever you can!) So, put it on, crank it up, and be ready to sing along and move your feet!

Dance Crazee opens with a nod to The Toasters' "Frankenska," employing the same maniacal laughter over the first few measures of J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" during the intro to The Crombies' boss version of The Munsters' theme, which they've re-titled "Monster Ska." (The Forest Hillbillies also recorded a ska version of this song back in 1986 for Gaz's Rockin' Records.) This is followed by a rabble-rousing, knees-up take on Niney the Observer's dread vision of "Blood and Fire," re-recorded for Dance Crazee (this song also appeared on The Crombies' 2011 debut single along with "Mad at the World").

The lurking menace always present in Mike Park's vocals really comes through on the one Crombies original on the album, the bitter "It's Not You" ("Now as I walk along this place/I used to walk along with you/I smell the scent of your perfume...I double-take, but it's not you/It's not you"). The Crombies' take on Prince Buster's "Wash Wash" (which itself is a cover of Beasley Smith's and Haven Gillespie's 1949 pop-spiritual "That Lucky Old Sun"; fun fact--mod rhythm and blues fave Georgie Fame played keys on the 1964 Prince Buster recording of "Wash Wash") veers fantastically into blissful jump blues territory and sounds like something that wouldn't be out of place on More Specials (it's similar in vibe and spirit to "Enjoy Yourself"). "Mad at the World" is a repurposed 1998 Deal's Gone Bad fave (several Crombies were in DGB) about, if I can paraphrase Homer Simpson, alcohol being the cause of and solution to all of life's problems: "Can't drink enough to get my head right/Know what they say/Some win, some lose/Finish up to a brand new surprise/Movin' sidewalks, street lamps whirl/Spitting fire till I see your eyes/I'm mad at the world!"

The Crombies' defiant cover of The Clash's "English Civil War" (where Joe Strummer borrowed the American Civil War-era song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" to issue an anti-fascist warning in reaction to the rise of the National Front in the UK in the late 70s) was previously featured on the excellent and very essential The Clash Goes Jamaican double LP/digital compilation (Golden Singles Records, 2013), as well as a split single with the Green Room Rockers (who covered "Clampdown"). In The Crombies' hands, "The Prince" becomes a full-fledged ska song with a serious, danceable groove--that may top Madness' awkward, herky-jerky original! The Specials' Roddy Radiation adds his distinctive rockabilly ska guitar sound to his own composition of a fallen young woman, "Hey Little Rich Girl" (Roddy's also featured on "It's Not You").

Things shift dramatically with The Crombies' stellar reading of Billy Bragg's  "Levi Stubbs' Tears," a despondent tale of a woman perpetually down on her luck who sort of makes it through life with the music of The Four Tops giving her a measure of comfort (it's from Bragg's 1986 album Talking to the Taxman About Poetry). Their choice of this cover and their interpretation of it are the highlight of the album--and suggest many more great things to come. I wasn't that familiar with Toots and the Maytals' "It's You" before hearing it on this album; this great rendering is something you might expect from The Specials, circa 1979. The Crombies' party finishes with a sweet cover of Prince Buster's "Dance Cleopatra" that sounds like Gaz Mayall's Trojans with Dick Dale on lead guitar.

While The Crombies' Dance Crazee may not be revolutionary (it doesn't aim to be), it is filled with irresistibly fun and expertly (and lovingly) crafted 2 Tone ska that you'll want to listen to over and over. And, these days, everyone could use a little more upbeat, smile-inducing, "more life!" music in their lives.

+ + + +

Asian Man Records Celebrates 20 Years with Five Nights of Shows in San Francisco this June!

Congrats to Mike Park and Asian Man Records on the label's 20th Anniversary! The five June shows in San Francisco feature both punk and ska bands (Let's Go Bowling, Chris Murray, Monkey, MU330!).

Live long and prosper, Mike!

+ + + + 

Madness Play with Toots and The Maytals in London, Plus UK Dates!

Madness really is gladness.

The Nutty Boys are also playing a string of UK dates this summer and fall. I still hold out hope for a NYC show someday...

+ + + +

NYC Winter/Spring/Summer 2016 Ska Calendar #23

Toots is playing with Madness
this summer in London!

Friday, March 11, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Mephiskapheles and Steel Toe Solution

The Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, March 12, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Spinach presents // Top Ranking // World premiere: 18 piece NYC Ska Orchestra performing live and featuring some of the most respected ska and reggae musicians in NYC!

Downhouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
$20

+ + + +

Thursday, March 17, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Brown Rice Family Band

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$12 advance/$15 day of show
21+

+ + + +

Friday, March 18, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
DITA presents King Django, Death in the Arena, Screwface, Scruff Cardinale

Crossroads
78 North Avenue
Garwood, NJ
$10

+ + + +

Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Slackers (Record Release Party), The Far East, The Ladrones

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Iration, Hirie, The Expanders

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
18+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

DJ Gorilla presents Ska/Punky/Reggae Party w/Beat Brigade, Yo!Scunt, Majesty and the New Vibration Band, Fragmented

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Friday, April 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Big D and the Kids Table, Counterpunch, The Doped Up Dollies, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13 in advance/$15 day of show
16+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dubistry, Honeychild Coleman, Rudites

Grand Victory
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, April 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters, Hub City Stompers, The Snails, Reggay Lords!

Sunnyvale Brooklyn
1031 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY
$17 in advance/$20 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, April 29, 2016

Rent Party w/Rude Boy George

The Woodland
60 Woodland Road
Maplewood, NJ

+ + + +

Friday, May 13, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Bell's Eccentric Cafe Back Room
355 East Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mustard Plug, Rude Boy George

Founders Brewing Co.
235 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Rude Boy George

West Orange Street Fair
Edison National Historic Site
211 Main Street
West Orange, NJ
Free

+ + + +

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Duff Guide to Ska presents: Skarroñeros, 1592, and TBA

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A and B)
Alphabet City
New York
No cover/21+
(Bring some extra cash for when we pass the hat for each band!)

+ + + +

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

The Toasters

Revolution Bar and Music Hall
140 Merrick Road
Amityville, NY

+ + + +

Ska bands: To have your NYC area gig dates listed here, send an email to duffguidetoska@gmail.com with all of the show details!

+ + + + 

Duff Review: Laurel Aitken and The Ruts "The Peel Sessions"

(Review by Steve Shafer)

I've written previously about Laurel Aitken's 2 Tone-era collaboration with The Ruts (who were billed as the Unitones) and the two terrific singles they released in 1980 on the I-Spy label--but never thought I'd have to chance to write about the session that Laurel Aitken and The Ruts did for The John Peel Show on BBC's Radio One (recorded on April 28, 1980 and broadcast on May 12, 1980). Due to Musician's union rules, Peel was restricted by the amount of time he could spend playing records ("needle time" or "stylus-on-vinyl time"); the way around this rule was to invite bands to come into one of the BBC studios, record several songs live to tape, and these would then be broadcast during Peel's radio show (over 4,000 of these Peel sessions were recorded from 1976 to 2004). Beginning in 1987, Strange Fruit Records released around eighty to ninety of these Peel Sessions (from bands like The Specials, Madness, The Slits, Gang of Four, Buzzcocks, The Smiths, The Damned, and more), but the Laurel Aitken/Ruts recording wasn't one of them.

While I'm conflicted about bootlegs in general, as a long-time fan of both Laurel Aitken and The Ruts, I have to admit (my conscience be damned!) that I'm really pleased to have this 7" EP in my collection. The versions of "Big Fat Man" and "Rudi Got Married" are pretty faithful to their (terrific) studio recordings (which, at the time of this Peel session, had not yet been released). But the true gems are found on the flip side! There you'll find an incredible dubby version of Laurel Aitken's 1969 single "Jesse James" (of all of these tracks, this one in particular gives you a good indication of just how amazing the LA/Ruts pairing must have been live on stage) and a brilliant, rocking mash-up of B. B. King's "Rock Me Baby" with Louis Jordan's 1945 jump blues track "Caledonia" that opens with a bit of the horn riff from Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn Theme." (It's interesting to note that Bad Manners' debut LP Ska 'n' B, released the same month as Aitken's Peel session, also includes a cover of "Caledonia"--I wonder who inspired whom here?)

This is a key release for Laurel Aitken and Ruts completists!

+ + + +