The Duff Guide to Ska

Destroy Babylon: Dub Version of "Long Live the Vortex" Soon Come!

2012-02-02T17:39:00.010-05:00

This spring, Boston's stellar reggae act Destroy Babylon will be issuing a dub version of their magnificent Long Live the Vortex album--which was one of the best ska/reggae albums of 2011, in our humble opinion (read The Duff Guide to Ska review of the LP here).

Dub Fader (AKA Craig Welsch, who has also worked with 10 Ft Ganja Plant and The Aggrolites) is at the controls for this project--and you can hear one of the forthcoming versions, "Barbed Wire Dub," here.

Stay tuned for details--this is a remixed album that you're not going to want to miss!

New Slackers/Agent Jay Occupy Wall Street Benefit Single

2012-02-01T18:33:00.029-05:00

To help support Occupy Wall Street (which despite all the grumblings about its supposed lack of specific goals has succeeded brilliantly in framing the national discussion and forcing politicians and the mainstream media to acknowledge the dire problem of the extraordinary wealth/income inequity that currently exists in the United States), The Slackers and Crazy Baldhead (AKA Agent Jay, The Slackers' guitarist) have recorded a cut each and are donating all proceeds to this righteous cause. This vinyl-only release (as a 7" single) features The Slackers' "Volunteers" on side A, backed with Crazy Baldhead's "Cutback."

Matthew Griffin of Simmerdown Productions (who is also the drummer for The Sentiments--they have a new EP out, by the way--and he spins ska on the radio at KPSU on the "Rude Boy's Revenge & Coffee Hour" show) is issuing the benefit single on his venerable label.

Only 500 copies of this single are being pressed (and it will be delivered from the plant in a few weeks)! Pre-orders now being accepted. Send $7.00 check or money order (U.S.)/$11.00 international/Canada to: Simmerdown Productions, P.O. Box 344, Portland, OR 97207 (or via PayPal to djsimmerdown@comcast.net).

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Crazy Baldhead - CUTBACK by Crazy Baldhead on Mixcloud

Two More Dates Added to Skatalites February Tour of Northeast USA!

2012-01-31T00:30:00.001-05:00

The Skatalites (led by Lester "Ska" Sterling) have announced two additional dates for their mini-tour of the Northeast this February: Cambridge, MA and Killington, VT! Details below...

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

TT The Bears Place
10 Brookline Street
Cambridge, MA

Doors at 8pm/Show at 10pm
Tickets: $15 in advance/$20 day of the show

+ + + +

Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Pickle Barrel
1741 Killington Road
Killington, VT

Doors at 8pm

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Friday, February 17, 2012

Port City Music Hall
504 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 899-4990

Tickets: $15.00 in advance/$20 day of show/$30 VIP
18+

+ + + +

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 963-3369

Doors: 6:00 pm/Show: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $8.00/in advance - $10.00/day of show
21+

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Madness Announce Date in San Diego--Las Vegas, LA, and San Francisco Shows to Come!

2012-01-30T10:18:00.006-05:00

According to a post on Madness Central, Madness will be playing Humphrey’s By The Bay in San Diego on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Tickets start at $58.55 (including fees) with several luxury packages available up to $499!

In addition to Madness' appearance at this year's Coachella Festival, a few more US dates are to be announced soon for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

If I'm interpreting the language correctly here, it looks like that's it for Madness shows in the US (which is obviously a huge disappointment for Madness fans in other regions of the USA who can't make it to the West Coast...).

NYC Winter 2012 Ska Calendar Update #13

2012-01-27T17:33:00.012-05:00

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 9:00 pm

NY Ska Jazz Ensemble

Club Drom
85 Avenue A (Between 5th + 6th Street)
Manhattan, NY
$10/advance $12/door

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Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Top Shotta Band, The Forthrights plus Selectors Chuck and Maddie Ruthless

The Lone Wolf
1089 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:00 pm

The Rudie Crew and Aqua Cherry

The Bitter End
149 Bleecker Street
Manhattan

+ + + +

Saturday, February 11, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Bad Luck Dice
details TBA

Tumulty's Pub
361 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2012
(732) 545-6205

+ + + +

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $8 advance/$10 day of show
21+

+ + + +

Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm

The Toasters, The Rudie Crew, Hub City Stompers

Stanhope House
45 Main Street
Stanhope, NJ

Tickets: $12 in advance/$15 day of show
18+

+ + + +

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dub is a Weapon plus special guests Buford O'Sullivan and Rob Symeonn!

Zebulon
258 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

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Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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More King Hammond "Remix/Rewind" Official Bootlegs Pressed!

2012-01-27T13:18:00.010-05:00

Just heard from King Hammond that he's pressed up 50 more copies of his official, limited edition bootleg Remix/Rewind--which was definitely one of the best albums of 2011 (oh yeah, I need to get cracking and finish writing up that list, don't I?).

Remix/Rewind contains rare tracks (the extraordinary "Chula Vista Ska Man" is worth the price of the CD alone) and remixes (such as "The Loop Mayfair 68 Mix" or "Dub Movement #1") that you cannot find anywhere else. Plus, if you order it now from his site, you'll receive a free copy of either his Jacuzzi or Showbiz CDs! (Act now, as they say on TV!)

Here's a nice sampler of what you can expect from the King on Remix/Rewind...

Duff Review: "Prince Fatty Meets Mutant Hi-Fi in Return of Gringo!"

2012-01-25T14:15:00.005-05:00

Mr. Bongo
2011
LP/CD
Also: 7" vinyl single of "Transistor Cowboy" b/w "Son of a Thousand Fathers"

(Review by Steve Shafer)

During the 1960s, the unlikely--but extraordinarily fruitful--pop culture co-mingling of Jamaican reggae with American Wild West mythology was largely influenced by the deliciously over-the-top "spaghetti Western" films of Italian director Sergio Leone and his "Dollars Trilogy" ("A Fistful of Dollars" in 1964, "For a Few Dollars More" in 1965, and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" in 1966--all of which featured a then relatively unknown Clint Eastwood), though films by Sergio Corbucci ("Django," 1966) and Sergio Sollima ("The Big Gundown," 1966) also had an enormous impact on Jamaican audiences and culture.

These movies--featuring supremely confident and super-humanly skilled anti-heroes (traversing bleak, almost post-apocalyptic landscapes) confronting nefarious villains and meting out swift 'n' bloody justice via their blazing pistols/rifles/Gatling guns--were incredibly popular in Jamaica when they stormed local cinemas in the mid-to-late 60s, as they were simpatico with the rude boy/outlaw/rebel ethos propagated by and celebrated in reggae music. (Indeed, in the quintessential Jamaican rude boy film, Perry Henzell's 1972 movie "The Harder They Come," Jimmy Cliff's character Ivan Martin catches "Django" at the local cinema before going out in a blaze of glory himself.)

But these films also triggered the musical imagination of some of JA's greatest producers and musicians, such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and The Upsetters (whose "Return of Django" climbed as high as #5 on the UK singles chart in 1969), Lloyd Charmers and The Hippy Boys, Derrick Harriot and The Crystalites, Harry J, Clancy Eccles, Joe Gibbs, and many more who released dozens upon dozens of "Dollar" sides (many of which can be found on the brilliant and essential Trojan compilation For a Few Dollars More: 28 Shots of Western Inspired Reggae).

On the superb Prince Fatty Meets Mutant Hi-Fi in Return of the Gringo, Mike Pelanconi (Prince Fatty) and Nick Coplowe (Mutant Hi-Fi) both pay tribute to the spirit of their musical Jamaican forerunners, as well as compellingly expand the canon of Western-themed reggae (though sometimes fondly tongue-in-cheek: see the Eastern European/Transylvanian-flavored "The Good, The Vlad, and the Ugly" or the almost noir-ish "Blondes Have More Guns").

The scorching album opener, "Transistor Cowboy," starts with a pair of echoing gunshots exploding one at a time from each speaker, heralding the wicked, minor-key surf/rockabilly guitar licks that ride magnificently over a frenetic ska backbeat, sounding for all the world like Dick Dale fronting The Upsetters. (Throughout the album, there are fantastically evocative sound effects galore, as well as dialogue clips from real and/or imagined Westerns--check out Old Testament revenge-themed "Wear the Black Hat (If the Black Hat Fits).")

Other highlights include The Skatalites-inspired "Up the Creek"; a very Specials-sounding "Moscow Mule," with its sparse and eerie Jerry Dammers keyboard line and Roddy Radiation guitar riffs; the Mexican/Latin horns of "Across the Border"; the mournful melodica heard in a "Plague of Locusts"; and their respectful tip of the hat to the incredible spaghetti Western film scores of Ennio Morricone (sample "Titoli" from "A Fistful of Dollars" here) with the whistled melody of "Son of a Thousand Fathers" (which actually features Alessandro Alessandroni, the musician who whistled and performed on many of Morricone's spaghetti Western soundtracks!). You can almost see the shimmering mid-day heat rising off the caked earth in the harsh, quivering and bending guitar chords on the "Way Back to Town." And the album closes--no doubt, in tribute to Dick Dale (whose sound is borrowed so heavily here and who also covered and scored a big hit with this song in 1963)--with a raucous and blisteringly fast reading of the Hebrew folksong "Hava Nagila" (its offbeat rhythmic structure makes it a natural ska cover).

One can only wish that there could ever be a spaghetti Western film worthy enough to go along with this spectacular soundtrack...

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The CD, LP, and single are available in the US through Ernie B's Reggae.

Preview all of the tracks on the album here.

Winston Riley RIP

2012-01-21T10:45:00.002-05:00

Reggae singer, composer, and producer Winston Riley, who had been shot in the head last November in Kingston, JA, died from his wounds at age 65 on January 19, 2012. (No motive is known for the shooting and the Jamaican police have made no arrests in this case.)

In 1964, Riley founded the ska/rocksteady group The Techniques (the group included Slim Smith, Pat Kelly, and Junior Menz), which recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle imprint. In 1968, the group parted from Reid and Riley and his brother formed his own Techniques label, which also produced and released successful sides for Johnny Osbourne, Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, The Ethiopians, Horace Andy, The Viceroys, and more. But what launched Riley into the stratosphere in 1971 was the massive #1 UK hit he produced for Dave and Ansel Collins: the essential skinhead reggae cut "Double Barrel"--which was followed by the smash #7 UK hit "Monkey Spanner" in 1972.

Then Riley's co-written production of Ansel Collins' "Stalag 17" stormed the Jamaican charts in 1973 and would later become one of the most popular and enduring reggae riddims ever recorded (as essential as "Real Rock" and "Rockfort Rock")--with killer versions by Tenor Saw ("Ring the Alarm"), General Echo ("Arlene"), Sister Nancy ("Bam Bam"), and countless others.

Throughout the late 70s, 80s, and 90s, Riley continued to produce hit singles and records for General Echo (a controversial--but profitable--move, as many of Echo's tracks made slack lyrics a standard component of dancehall), Lone Ranger, Frankie Paul, Tristan Palmer, Madoo, Errol Scorcher, Super Cat, Red Dragon, Flourgon, Cutty Ranks, Courtney Melody, Admiral Tibett, Frankie Paul, Ernest Wilson, Gregory Isaacs, Yami Bolo, and more.

Riley's full biography can be read here.

We offer our sincerest condolences to Riley's family and friends.

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Madness Central: No HOB Show Planned

2012-01-18T20:42:00.009-05:00

Well, it looks like Madness Information Service Mexico was wrong about any Madness show taking place at the House of Blues this April.

Rumor control at Madness Central has issued the following statement:

It’s come to our attention that an announcement for a supposed Madness concert at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, has been posted to various internet sites.

We feel it responsible to let Madness fans know that there is NO gig planned for the House of Blues. Currently, any US gigs are still in the process of being confirmed by Madness’ management and there are no dates or venues scheduled.

When the concerts are officially announced, you can be sure Madness Central will provide confirmed information to better facilitate any travel plans and ticket purchases for the fans.

It is not a good idea to make arrangements based on this misinformation.

- Madness Central Management.

In the past, MIS Mexico has been a very reliable source, so The Duff Guide to Ska ran with this story. Nonetheless, we're very sorry to have passed along incorrect information.

Madness to Play House of Blues in Anaheim this April!

2012-01-17T21:31:00.005-05:00

According to Madness Information Service Mexico, Madness will be playing the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA on April 14, 2012. Tickets will be going on sale soon.

This is the third date the band has scheduled in the United States for 2012 (the other two are at this year's Coachella Festival: Friday, April 13 and Friday, April 20).

Here's hoping that there will be a slew of additional dates added in the near future...(NYC, please!).

The Skatalites Play Portland, ME and NYC this February, Record New Album!

2012-01-13T20:30:00.001-05:00

Old school ska fans in the Portland, ME and NYC metro areas will have a chance to catch The Skatalites this February, who are doing a mini-tour (what they're calling a "tour-bit") of the Northeast (see dates below).

The band, currently led by original member Lester "Ska" Sterling on alto sax (and featuring Doreen Shaffer on vocals), is recording a new album for release later in 2012 (which will, presumably, be in celebration of the 48th anniversary of the band)!

Here is the current line-up of the band:

Lester Sterling - alto saxophone
Doreen Shaffer - vocals
Azemobo "Zem" Audu - tenor saxophone
Andrae Murchison - trombone
Kevin Batchelor - trumpet
Val Douglas - bass guitar
Natty Frenchy - guitar
Cameron Greenlee - keyboards
Trevor "Sparrow" Thompson - drums

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Friday, February 17, 2012

Port City Music Hall
504 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 899-4990

Tickets: $15.00 in advance/$20 day of show/$30 VIP
18+

Buy tickets here.

+ + + +

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 963-3369

Doors: 6:00 pm/Show: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $8.00/in advance - $10.00/day of show
21+

Buy tickets here.

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To keep up on all the latest Skatalites news, join their mailing list.

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New Destroy Babylon Video: "Echo Chamber"

2012-01-13T16:34:00.006-05:00

The arrival of a trippy new video from Boston's Destroy Babylon gives me the excuse to point out just how amazing their new album is (check out The Duff Guide to Ska review of Long Live the Vortex here).

"Echo Chamber" is really about Fox News and all of the disinformation and propaganda it spews forth, but the band opted for something much more surreal...(Pintos, UFOs, aliens, skateboards, terrible 70s fashions!).

NYC Winter 2012 Ska Calendar Update #12

2012-01-13T13:44:00.002-05:00

Friday, January 13, 2012

Dirty Reggae Party #15 with Dub is a Weapon (10th Anniversary Show), The Forthrights with Maddie Ruthless, The Shifters (from D.C.)!

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$7

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 8:00 pm

Bigger Thomas

Havana
105 South Main Street
New Hope, PA
(215) 862-9897

Bigger Thomas will be playing a 3-set show of 36 songs (including a good number of album tracks that don't get played live very often)!

I'm catching a ride down to PA with the band!

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Huffers (Buford O'Sullivan)

Branded Saloon
603 Vanderbuilt Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

King Django's Roots & Culture Kosher Dinner Quintet
Two sets starting at 8:30 pm
King Django - ukulele, trombone, vocals
Audrey Welber - clarinet
Adrian Banner - piano
Ira Heaps - Bass
Andy O'Neill - Drums

Smokey Joe's Kosher BBQ
494 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(201) 836-7427

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Across the Aisle w/Dust Angel, Slightly Askew, Red Automatic

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Doors at 3:30 pm
$6/21+

+ + + +

Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:00 pm

The Rudie Crew and Aqua Cherry

The Bitter End
149 Bleecker Street
Manhattan

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Bad Luck Dice
details TBA

Tumulty's Pub
361 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2012
(732) 545-6205

+ + + +

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $8 advance/$10 day of show
21+

+ + + +

Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm

The Toasters, The Rudie Crew, Hub City Stompers

Stanhope House
45 Main Street
Stanhope, NJ

Tickets: $12 in advance/$15 day of show
18+

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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Here's hoping King Stitt is on the road to recovery.

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The Toasters to Release "House of Soul" Single and Tour Asia This Fall!

2012-01-11T19:57:00.014-05:00

In addition to The Toasters' massive tour of the US this January and February (which kicks off this Friday, January 13 in Cambridge, MA at T.T. the Bear's Place--read the show preview in the Boston Phoenix), the latest word from Bucket is that The Toasters will embark on a fall tour of Australia, China, Korea, Malaysia and Japan (of those countries, I think The Toasters have only been to Japan).

Buck also reported that The Toasters will "finally get our backsides in the studio and re-record the "House of Soul" track for release as a 7 inch." Can't wait for this fantastic track to come out on vinyl.

No doubt, The Toasters have much more in store for ska fans in 2012, so stay tuned!

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The 3rd Wave Ska Preservation Society Vinyl Reissue Project

2012-01-10T21:24:00.035-05:00

Fans of 1990s ska should be sure to check out The 3rd Wave Ska Preservation Society Vinyl Reissue Project. It's a Kickstarter thingy put together by Asbestos Records and Underground Communiqué Records, the labels behind the amazing Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club.

The plan is to reissue The Pietasters' Oolooloo, the Pilers' Pilfers, Edna's Goldfish's Before You Knew Better, and Suburban Legends' Rump Shaker all on vinyl, as the title of the project might suggest. (Since vinyl wasn't especially popular during the 3rd Wave, these records--with the exception of Before You Knew Better, which was released on VOR Records/Grover in Germany in the late 90s--have never been issued on wax.)

The 3rd Wave Ska Preservation Society Vinyl Reissue Project has already exceeded its $8,000 goal (though you can still make a pledge and receive one or all of these records), but now they're hoping to hit $12k by January 18, 2012--and if they do, anyone who pledges $20 or more will receive a free, bonus 7" from "one of the best bands in ska today."

Backers of The 3rd Wave Ska Preservation Society Vinyl Reissue Project should expect to receive their records this spring.

Madness to Play 2012 Coachella Festival

2012-01-09T21:22:00.013-05:00

The ginormous line-up for the 2012 Coachella Festival has just been announced and two notable ska/reggae artists are included this year: Madness and Jimmy Cliff (with Tim Armstrong).

This festival is taking place over two weekends in April--and the exact same line-up for each day will play twice in a row over the two weekends. So, Madness and Jimmy Cliff both happen to be scheduled to appear on April 13 and April 20.

Prior to Coachella, Madness are playing the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City on March 23-25, 2012. Other Madness North American dates are rumored to be in the works (according to Madness Central), but nothing has been announced to date.

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Being the musical Anglophile that I am, I'm very jealous of the West Coast fans that will also have the opportunity to see bands like the Horrors, Kaiser Chiefs, Buzzcocks, Squeeze, Arctic Monkeys, and the Vaccines...

King Hammond Advert for "Specialized" Charity Album

2012-01-09T14:07:00.001-05:00

The Toasters' Massive Winter 2012 Tour of the USA!

2012-01-07T13:44:00.010-05:00

Chances are that wherever you happen to be when you're reading this post, The Toasters are going to be playing a gig near you this January and February. With an itinerary that would make lesser men weep, The Toasters are embarking on a massive US tour that is hitting just about every region of the country.

If you haven't seen them lately, now's a terrific chance to see this legendary band in action (who would have thought that Buck and The Toasters would still be going 31 years later?!).

January
Jan 13: TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA
Jan 14: The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
Jan 15: Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
Jan 16: The Jewish Mother Backstage, Norfolk, VA
Jan 17: The Milestone Club, Charlotte, NC
Jan 18: The Muse, Nashville, TN
Jan 19: Maxine's, Pub Hot Springs, AR
Jan 20: Antone's, Austin, TX
Jan 21: Jake's Backroom, Lubbock, TX
Jan 22: Badlands Billiards, El Paso, TX
Jan 23: The Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
Jan 24: The Hut, Tucson, AZ
Jan 25: Martini Ranch, Scottsdale, AZ
Jan 26: The Slidebar, Fullerton, CA
Jan 27: Hard Rock Cafe On The Strip, Las Vegas, NV
Jan 28: The Center WLCAC, Los Angeles, CA
Jan 29: Soma, San Diego, CA
Jan 30: Red Devil Lounge, San Francisco, CA
Jan 31: The Catalyst - Atrium, Santa Cruz, CA

February
Feb 01: Red Fox Tavern, Eureka, CA
Feb 02: Plan B, Portland, OR
Feb 03: Iron Road Studios, Vancouver, Canada
Feb 04: El Corazon, Seattle, WA
Feb 05: Shredder, Boise, ID
Feb 06: Burt's Tiki Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 07: The Beacon Club, Casper, WY
Feb 08: Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 09: Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
Feb 10: Knickerbockers, Lincoln, NE
Feb 11: Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
Feb 12: Otto's, Dekalb, IL
Feb 13: The Firebird, St Louis, MO
Feb 15: Frankie's, Toledo, OH
Feb 16: The Strutt, Kalamazoo, MI
Feb 17: Redstone Room @ River Music Experience, Davenport, IA
Feb 18: Punk Rock Night @ the Melody Inn, Indianapolis, IN
Feb 19: 123 Pleasant Street, Morgantown, WV
Feb 20: Eleanor Rigby's, Jermyn, PA
Feb 21: Dub Land Underground, Rochester, NY
Feb 22: Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 23: Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
Feb 24: The Haunt, Ithaca, NY
Feb 25: Dover Brickhouse, Dover, NH
Feb 26: Upstairs, Providence, RI

NYC Winter 2011/2012 Ska Calendar Update #11

2012-01-07T13:21:00.013-05:00

Monday, January 9, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Decrepit Youth

The Court Tavern
124 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ, 08901
(732) 545-7265

+ + + +

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WKDU University Goes Ska presents
King Django
backed by The Snails
Lion's Paw

Kung Fu Necktie
1248 North Front Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122-4602

+ + + +

Friday, January 13, 2012

Dirty Reggae Party #15 with Dub is a Weapon (10th Anniversary Show), The Forthrights with Maddie Ruthless, The Shifters (from D.C.)!

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$7

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

+ + + +

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Bigger Thomas

Havana
105 South Main Street
New Hope, PA
(215) 862-9897

Bigger Thomas will be playing a 3-set show of 36 songs (including a good number of album tracks that don't get played live very often)!

+ + + +

Saturday, January 14, 2012

King Django's Roots & Culture Kosher Dinner Quintet
Two sets starting at 8:30 pm
King Django - ukulele, trombone, vocals
Audrey Welber - clarinet
Adrian Banner - piano
Ira Heaps - Bass
Andy O'Neill - Drums

Smokey Joe's Kosher BBQ
494 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(201) 836-7427

+ + + +

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Across the Aisle w/Dust Angel, Slightly Askew, Red Automatic

Don Pedro's
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Doors at 3:30 pm
$6/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, February 11, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Bad Luck Dice
details TBA

Tumulty's Pub
361 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2012
(732) 545-6205

+ + + +

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $8 advance/$10 day of show
21+

+ + + +

Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm

The Toasters, The Rudie Crew, Hub City Stompers

Stanhope House
45 Main Street
Stanhope, NJ

Tickets: $12 in advance/$15 day of show
18+

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

King Hammond's Cover of "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" for "Specialized" Charity Record

2012-01-05T21:26:00.026-05:00

Following the interview I did with Paul "Willo" Williams regarding the Specialized charity record, I'm happy to direct you to the teaser video below for King Hammond's fantastic cover of the Terry Hall-composed "Friday Night, Saturday Morning."

I've always loved this track, as it perfectly captures the tired boredom, frustration, restlessness, disappointment--even despair--that you can feel (with or without good reason) as a teen/young adult. Your whole life is ahead of you with a million possibilities out there, but it's still somehow not nearly enough.

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Last year, I caught the 1961 film "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" on Turner Movie Classics, which is based on novelist Alan Sillitoe's "angry young man" book of the same name. (An impossibly youthful Albert Finney is in the title role.) Surely this film influenced both the name and content of this song...

("Friday Night, Saturday Morning" was also the name of a late 70s BBC talk show that became somewhat notorious due to a rancorous debate about whether or not Monty Python's Life of Brian was blasphemous.)

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Specialized: A Modern Take on Specials Classics will be out in mid-February 2012 and all proceeds are being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK. For more information, go www.thespecials2.com.

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Duff Review: The Resignators "See You in Hell"

2012-01-03T20:38:00.013-05:00

Stomp Records
2011
CD

(Reviewed by Adam Coozer)

When the “third wave” disintegrated after its heyday, its greatest victims weren’t the polar opposites of trad and ska-punk, but the goofy, cheeky, and proudly immature sounds of Mustard Plug, Planet Smashers, MU330, and The Aquabats. That style seemed to attract the most budding, pre-elitist ska fans circa 1994-95, and it was also the style most easy to grow out of.

It’s rare, then, for a band to embrace those happily dopey halcyon days, that fleeting moment when bands actually sang about “skanking” and inspired you to wear a checkered suit with a long wallet chain to high school. Well, Australia’s The Resignators, as shown on the album cover, are returning this music from the grave.

Despite the sepulchral imagery, they’re not a horror/ska-punk band a la The Independents. This is simple, youthful, good-natured third wave with a peppy, positive vibe that compensates for their dubious career choice. Like the bands mentioned above, The Resignators are uptempo; often, their only connection to Ska (capital S) is fast-paced guitar up-picking and bright horn lines (the horn section here is actually quite good). Not unusual for this genre, the vocals can be flat, but gang choruses and "whoa-oh’s" make up for it.

It’s hard to critique a band that just wants to have fun. I’m sure The Resignators know that their mindless ode “Taco Burrito” won’t win any songwriting awards, but that doesn’t stop them from gleefully intoning “Tacooo, whooa ohh ohh, burritooo!” until it’s stuck in your head. And maybe that small nostalgic part of you won’t mind such a tasty, cheap treat.

While You're Waiting: 2011 Ska Review from Ska's the Limit and Marco on the Bass

2012-01-01T13:32:00.008-05:00

While you're waiting for me to get my act together and post of my "Best Ska/Reggae Albums of 2011," let me direct your attention to two excellent ska year-end wrap-ups from JJ Loy at KDHX's Ska's the Limit and Marc Wasserman (of Bigger Thomas) at Marco on the Bass:

KDHX/Ska's The Limit's: "Top Ten Ska and Reggae Albums of 2011"

"Marco On The Bass Takes A Look Back At The Year In Ska 2011"

The Duff Guide to Ska "Best Ska/Reggae 7" Singles of 2011" List!

2011-12-30T13:26:00.005-05:00

Here's my (hopefully) eagerly-awaited, messy and woefully incomplete Best of Ska/Reggae 7" Singles of 2011 list! I'm sure I've missed some excellent releases this past year due to my limited disposable income, highly-subjective personal tastes, lapses in judgement, or outright cluelessness. But this considerable list contains both new and reissued recordings, all of which are absolutely worth your hard-earned cash--and guaranteed to bring you joy and satisfaction over repeated listens.

Entries that include a hotlink will connect you to The Duff Guide to Ska review of that particular release; otherwise, I've tried to provide a few sentences to give you an idea of why I like that single so much.

Seems like a lot of quality ska 7" vinyl was released in 2011. Sure hope that this trend continues into 2012...

- The Aggrolites: "Dreaming on Erie" b/w "Eye of Obarbas" and "Trial and Error" b/w "Enemy Dub" (Young Cub Records)

- Big D & the Kids Table "Not Our Fault" and "Lash Out" b/w Brunt of It "Nah Nah Nah Nah" and "Art School Dropout" (Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club)

- Black Market Sound System: "Heavy Lies the Crown" b/w "Reggae Night" and "Movin' On" (May Cause Dizziness Records)

- Blue Riddim Band & Big Youth: "Nancy Reagan" b/w "Nancy Reagan Remix 2011 - Voice of the People" (Rougher Records)

- Ken Boothe and Tasty Grooves: "A Change Must Come" b/w "Better Than Nothing" (Liquidator) - This haunting rocksteady cut is the most overtly (and welcome) political single of the year with Ken Boothe decrying what is essentially racial profiling of suspected immigrants (both legal and non-documented) who are then swept up and detained in C.I.E.s (Immigrant Detention Centres that are not considered jails, but function as such) whilst their immigration status is determined. In most countries throughout Europe, the C.I.E.s function in a legally gray area with no guaranteed legal rights for detainees, leaving people jailed for months and subject to abuse--even torture--before they are released or deported. This cut reminds us that people are people, no matter where you come from or the color of your skin--and demands that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

- Los Bullets: "Crystal Ball" b/w "Gunshot" (Steady Beat Recordings)

- Hollie Cook: "That Very Night" b/w "Milk and Honey" (Mr. Bongo)

- Hollie Cook: "Body Beat" b/w "Sugar Water (Look at My Face)" (Mr. Bongo)

- Hollie Cook: "Walking in the Sand" b/w "Shadow Kissing" (Mr. Bongo)

- The Crombies: "Blood and Fire" b/w "Mad at the World" (Jump Up Records)

- Deal's Gone Bad "Far from Home" b/w "These Arms of Mine" (self-released)

- Nora Dean "Mama" b/w The Soul Syndicate "Natty Hong Kong" (Trojan Records/Harry J)

- The Delirians: "Move Around" b/w "Overdub" (Steady Beat Recordings)

- The Emotions "You are the One" b/w Phil Pratt & the All Stars "Girls Like Dirt" (Trojan Records/Big Shot)

- The Ethiopians: "I'm Shocking" b/w "Sign the Cheque" (Trojan Records/Smash) - In a case of unfortunate timing, this single was issued not long after Leonard Dillon's death (it had been in the works long before his passing), but these two rare rocksteady gems (recorded after their debut Engine 54) are wonderful reminders of his extraordinary gifts.

- The Forthrights: "Camp Birdman" (Panic State Records)

- Jamaica 69: "Nostalgia del Ayer" b/w Una Lagrima por Ti" (Steady Beat Recordings)

- The Jokers "Brixton" b/w Lloyd Charmers "The Premises" (Trojan Records/Explosion)

- King Hammond: "Mr. DJ" and "Bongo Ska Fever" b/w "The Loop" and "Dub Movement 1" (N.1. Records) - An incredible EP of booty-shaking ska and skinhead reggae, which also doubles as a mini-sampler of KH's three recent stellar albums (The King and I, Jacuzzi, and Showbiz). The King is at the top of his game!

- Lighta Secret: "Elinor All Night Long" b/w "Gaz Dangerous" (Gaz's Rockin' Records)

- Carl Moore "My Forefathers Died in the Sand" b/w The Sunshot All Stars "Strange Mood" (Pressure Sounds/Sunshot) - A plaintive track about African repatriation over the classic John Holt "Strange Things" riddim. Profound and powerful.

- Mustard Plug "Aye Aye Aye" b/w The Beatdown "Piece of Mind" (Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club)

- Ocean 11: "Miss Understanding" b/w "Spring in Rome" (Moondust Records) - From one of the top--yet somehow elusive (they never played out much beyond SoCal)--traditional ska bands of the 1990s comes the first vinyl appearance of "Miss Understanding," which was originally released on the Girls Go Ska comp from Simmerdown, as well as an unreleased duet with Malik Moore of Los Bullets. I was lucky enough to pick up this single when Queen P played Brooklyn with The Shifters earlier this fall... (Many more terrific releases are soon coming from Moondust--but it looks like they'll be on next year's list!)

- The Pioneers "Easy Come, Easy Go" b/w Derrick Morgan & Desmond Dekker "Mercy Mercy" (Trojan Records/Dr. Bird)

- Prince Fatty and Mutant Hi-Fi: "Transistor Cowboy" b/w "Son of a Thousand Fathers" (Mr. Bongo) - From the fantastic Return of the Gringo album filled with spaghetti-Western inspired reggae--part homage to all the "Dollar" sides from Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters ("Return of Django"), Lloyd Charmers and The Hippy Boys, Derrick Harriot and The Crystalites, Harry J, Clancy Eccles, Joe Gibbs et all, as well as a brilliant contribution to this somewhat obscure musical sub-genre.

- Red Soul Community "One More Time" b/w Green Room Rockers "I'd Rather Go Blind" (Jump Up Records/Golden Singles Records)

- The Selecter: "Big in the Body, Small in the Mind" b/w "Back to Black" (Vocaphone Music)

- Sonic Boom Six "Play On" b/w The Nix 86 "Peter Pan Syndrome" (Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club)

- Various Artists: "Doin' the Popcorn Ska: Golden Oldies, Volume 1" (Discotheque Records)

- Vic Ruggiero & Maddie Ruthless "Policeman" b/w The Forthrights "Carla" (Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club)

- Earl Zero: "None Shall Escape the Judgement" b/w "Judgement Version" (Channel Tubes)

And the brilliant single that never was (Mad Decent was supposed to release a 7" of this over the summer, but for whatever reason it never came to pass): The Beastie Boys featuring Santigold: "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win."

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Soon come: The Duff Guide to Ska "Best Ska/Reggae Albums of 2011"!

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King Django and The Snails Northeast US Tour This January!

2011-12-28T20:19:00.023-05:00

King Django and Philly's The Snails (who are backing Django, plus playing their own set) are hitting the Northeastern US this January. Expect some terrific shows, so make sure to go out and see 'em if you're in the area! Lee "Scratch" Perry is not on this tour, but we dig this picture of Django, who happened to run into Perry in the airport a few years ago...

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Conductor Pablo Fiasco's Reggae Sweatshop with
King Django
backed by The Snails
Plus Special Guest TBA

Chief Ike's Mambo Room
1725 Columbia Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 332-2211

Doors: 9:00 pm
Ticket: $5
Ages: 21+

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
with special guests Keystone Ska Exchange

The Vintage Theater
119 Penn Avenue
Scranton PA, 18503
(570) 589 0271

Doors: 6:30 pm
Ticket: $5
Ages: All

Thursday, January 5, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
with special guests The Heavy Beat

The Funhouse
5 East 4th Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
(610)868-5311

Doors: 9:00 pm
Ticket: $3
Ages: 21+

Friday, January 6, 2012

Manic Productions and Asbestos Records Presents:
King Django
backed by The Snails
with special guests Steady Habits and Shots Fired

Café Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT 06510-3117
(203) 789-8281

Doors: 9:00 pm
Ticket: $8
Ages: 21+ with ID

Saturday, January 7, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
with special guests The Big Takeover

Red Square
388 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207-2941
(518) 465-0444

Doors: 8:00 pm
Ticket: $10
Ages: 18+

Monday, January 9, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Decrepit Youth

The Court Tavern
124 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ, 08901
(732) 545-7265

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WKDU University Goes Ska presents
King Django
backed by The Snails
Lion's Paw

Kung Fu Necktie
1248 North Front Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122-4602

Saturday, January 14, 2012

King Django's Roots & Culture Kosher Dinner Quintet
Two sets starting at 8:30 pm
King Django - ukulele, trombone, vocals
Audrey Welber - clarinet
Adrian Banner - piano
Ira Heaps - Bass
Andy O'Neill - Drums

Smokey Joe's Kosher BBQ
494 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(201) 836-7427

Saturday, February 11, 2012

King Django
backed by The Snails
Bad Luck Dice
details TBA

Tumulty's Pub
361 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2012
(732) 545-6205

NYC Winter 2011/2012 Ska Calendar Update #10

2011-12-28T20:12:00.007-05:00

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

New Year's Eve Reggae with The Frighteners vs. The Forthrights (plus Selectors Agent Jay and Sweet V)

175 Stockholm Street #111
Brooklyn, NY
$5/21+

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Friday, January 6, 2012 @ 7:30 pm

Westbound Train, Dave Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7, The Forthrights

The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
Manhattan

Tix: $12 in advance/$14 day of the show
19+

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Dirty Reggae Party #15 with Dub is a Weapon (10th Anniversary Show), The Forthrights with Maddie Ruthless, The Shifters (from D.C.)!

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$7

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Bigger Thomas

Havana
105 South Main Street
New Hope, PA
(215) 862-9897

Bigger Thomas will be playing a 3-set show of 36 songs (including a good number of album tracks that don't get played live very often)!

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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The Duff Guide to Ska Year-End Wrap-Up

2011-12-27T20:13:00.003-05:00

With December 31st fast approaching, I'm scrambling to put together The Duff Guide to Ska's "best of" lists for 2011. The "Best Ska/Reggae Singles of 2011" post is almost ready to roll out, to be followed by the "Best Ska/Reggae Albums of 2011." Already, these lists are much longer than the ones for last year, so 2011 must have been a particularly good year for ska, right?

Reggae on Mi Stereo

2011-12-27T19:23:00.031-05:00

I always get a kick out of discovering instances where a particular music's/band's style or image ends up influencing the look or feel of something completely unrelated (they're borrowing--or some might even say appropriating--the established cool factor for their own purposes). It's a tip of the hat, an homage--or like a good cover of a song. Or, in the case of reggae, like versioning.

My teenage son has been big into longboarding, though he recently found an old banana board (the short skateboard with the plastic deck that many of us had back in the 70s) that someone was throwing out on the street--and he's completely into them now. So, he asked his grandparents for a banana board for Xmas and they ended up getting him a Stereo Vinyl Cruiser.

One of the cool features of this board is that its deck has grooves like an LP and Stereo (the skateboard company co-owned by Jason Lee, who was a professional skateboarder before "Almost Famous" and "My Name is Earl") gives you a bunch of retro-looking stickers to choose from for the center label of your skateboard. The sticker that my son chose was one that mimics the label from Joe Gibbs' release of Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking." He's not much into reggae (apart from The Clash's version excursions), but the kid knows a good thing when he sees it.

Duff Review: Lighta Secret "Elinor All Night Long" b/w "Gaz Dangerous"

2011-12-24T09:30:00.003-05:00

Gaz's Rockin' Records
2011
7" vinyl

(Review by Steve Shafer)

This single marks the first release on Gaz's beloved label since the early 2000s (with The Dreamlets' "My Boy Lollipop" in 2003), which is a pretty momentous occasion in my humble opinion. (If you're unfamiliar with Gaz's Rockin' Records, since the mid-1980s, the label has issued essential ska recordings from his stellar band The Trojans, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Potato 5, The Ska Flames, and The Forest Hillbillies.) While Gaz has been focusing his energies of late in the UK on his terrific book (Gaz's Rockin' Blues: The First 30 Years--read our review here), his sound system at the Notting Hill Festival each year, and his epically long-running night club night--Gaz's Rockin' Blues, of course--it's fantastic to see him return to yet another of his great strengths as a producer and label head with the debut single from the formidable Jamaican singer/toaster Lighta Secret, whom Gaz encountered on a recent trip to JA (read a bit about Lighta Secret's background from Gaz himself here).

Over spare, loping riddims highly reminiscent of those employed by Lone Ranger and Yellowman in the early 80s, Lighta Secret sings and toasts the praises of Gaz, his night club night, DJ Baby Soul (AKA Elinor Fahrman, Gaz's girlfriend/partner), and Natty Bo (of Ska Cubano and another DJ at Gaz's Rockin' Blues) amongst other topics densely packed in to the lyrics on both sides. "Elinor All Night Long" also doubles as a slightly rude reggae record ("Elinor come all night" doesn't just refer to her DJ prowess, I assume). One of the best rhymes appears on "Gaz Dangerous," which is about his deadly supremacy on the decks: "We bring dem/from de dance to the morgue/Six foot six all in the graveyard/all selectors/All him dead like dog/no jump up and talk to Gaz all..."

I've never heard of Lighta Secret before--but here's hoping that Gaz continues to share more tasty musical biscuits like this. It reminds me how much the international ska scene has desperately missed him, his music, and his label.

Welcome back, Gaz--and keep the new releases coming!

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The Lighta Secret single is available from Gaz through eBay--and from Rough Trade, Dub Vendor and other reggae specialty sites.

Madness Central Blog: Tour of North America in the Works for 2012!

2011-12-22T00:34:00.006-05:00

According to a posting on The Madness Central Blog, Madness tour dates for 2012 are soon to be announced, "including a welcome return to North America."

The Nutty Boys are already scheduled to play the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in March 2012, so it would only make sense for the band to put on some shows for their US fans while they're on this side of the Atlantic. I'm just sayin'...

2012 is already shaping up to be a fine year!

Duff Interview: Paul Willo of the "Specialized: A Modern Take on Specials Classics" Charity Album

2011-12-22T00:15:00.003-05:00

Paul "Willo" Williams--author of the essential Specials book "You're Wondering Now - The Specials from Conception to Reunion" (Cherry Red Books), administrator of fantastic official Specials fan website (www.thespecials2.com), and all-out 2-Tone fanatic--is the man behind Specialized: A Modern Take on Specials Classics, a Specials tribute album whose total proceeds are being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust (a British charity that The Specials supported on their recent reunion tours).

To date, over thirty ska, indie, punk, dance, rap, and rock bands have contributed newly-recorded, never-before-released covers of your favorite Specials cuts (see the band/track list here). The double-CD and digital download will be available for sale in February 2012 through www.thespecials2.com. Surely, this release will be of great interest to Specials fans far and wide--and your support will have a direct impact on the lives of teenagers doing their utmost to fight and defeat cancer.

The Duff Guide to Ska: What sparked the idea for doing this charity album to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust? (Without getting too personal, do you have a connection to this cause that motivated you to do this project?)

Paul Willo: I've always worked with kids in my spare time. I come from a deprived area of York in northern England, became a football coach and used to train these rough 'n' ready kids. I firmly believe that kids, as our future, need nurturing. I don't like seeing them suffer or miss out--and serious illness at a young age is very unfair and cancer at a young age is such a blow, at a time when life is quite tough anyway. You should be living your life and experiencing new horizons, not plugged into a chemotherapy unit. It's awful. So when I realised that The Specials themselves were supporting the charity, I thought it was a great gesture. I then decided on this project, to keep the money going that could help the kids struck down with the disease cope with life that bit better. Having seen and been affected by cancer in its virulent form, anything we can do to help get rid this disease off the planet can only be a good thing. I've also been involved with a local cancer case of a young girl and The Specials contributed to that.

DGTS: How did you select the bands to be included on this album--and what was the criteria? Were any members of The Specials involved in the selection of bands?

PW: I know plenty of bands/artists, so it was never going to be hard to fill. A colleague on the project, Graham Lambert who has been invaluable, has plenty of London and international connections--and things just clicked into gear. Criteria-wise, it was simple: a love of The Specials, the chance to do something really positive, it didn't matter if you played ska. It's almost a showcase compilation, as well. Lots of young bands, crammed with talent. If the compilation helps them as well, brilliant, happy days! As for choosing the bands, none of The Specials were involved. This is a separate project, but I do know that some of them have heard some of the tracks and were over the moon with them. However, we do have the support acts from the last Specials tour, By The Rivers and Stone Foundation on the compilation, along with some of The Specials' brass section in their own bands, and even The Specials keyboard player Nikolaj Torp Larsen is booked in.

DGTS: Was there a particular reason for focusing on UK-based bands? (The Specials are beloved world-wide...and there are ska bands all over the globe.)

PW: No, none at all--it just seemed to work that way. We do have the band Lushy, who are an American lounge style band, and we have a French band called The Dustaphonics. Once the project gained ground, bands came quick and fast and the tracks went in a flash.

DGTS: Please don't take this as a criticism, but what is the thinking behind the inclusion of non-ska covers of Specials' tracks? I realize this potentially increases the appeal of this compilation beyond the ska scene, but were there other reasons for doing this?

PW: Yeah, the main reason was I think that The Specials are regarded in high esteem in many ways, not just for being a ska band. They have a huge legacy that has inspired musicians all over the world to take up a musical path and career and these bands/artists are not all ska acts. They jumped at the chance to say thanks in their own ways and styles, and this a measure of The Specials' depth and popularity--and one that definitely needs highlighting. There are, of course, a good selection of ska and reggae bands, so people won't be disappointed--plus the fact that the Teenage Cancer Trust is such a hard working charity and a great cause to play for that it was a huge band/artist magnet.

DGTS: I realize this is like asking a parent to publicly declare their favorite child, but out of all the tracks on the album, which ones do you like the best or work particularly well (or take The Specials' music in a wonderfully unexpected direction)?

PW: Wow, there are so many! It's been eye-opening, but fantastic to hear. I haven't got all the tracks yet, but The Craven Braves' "Too Hot," Swagga's unique take on "Stupid Marriage," the ear-blistering "Too Much Too Young" by rock outfit Venous Return, Theatre of Ghosts' "International Jet Set," "Enjoy Yourself" by Mr. Bligh, "Why" by Urang Matang. I've heard sneak previews of other tracks like "Gangsters" by The Dustaphonics that I'm really excited about, as well. It's going to be a real festival of music, shall we say. So many great artists, so much great music!

DGTS: How did ex-FYC singer Roland Gift become involved? (And where has he been all these years?)

PW: Well, Roland's addition was a fantastic coup, but not of my making. The band The Values have a member who did the video to one of his tracks "Crushed" and I think they just know him. They chose the track "You're Wondering Now," asked Roland to guest, and there you have it. I was very well chuffed! last I heard he had been recording and acting?

DGTS: Where will fans be able to purchase a digital or physical copy of Specialized?

PW: There will be a download version and a very limited-edition physical double-CD album (we're only able to do this thanks to some fantastic sponsors) with sleeve notes by Horace Panter of The Specials. There will be a launch in Coventry.

DGTS: Are The Specials going to sell this album at their future gigs (assuming they're doing gigs in the coming months)?

PW: No, I very much doubt it. Be nice if they could, but it's not feasible, I'm afraid. But that doesn't dampen the spirits, they know we mean well and have said they hope we can go on to raise lots of money. This project is possibly going to lead on to others as well.

DGTS: Any bits of as-of-yet unannounced Specials' news that you can share with us?

PW: No mate, sorry. The band and management make all the official announcements. We only announce stuff that they ask us to do. Sometimes we get the exclusives, but at the moment it's all very quiet. The odd dates abroad have filtered through, but it's had no official confirmation.

DGTS: Lastly, I've heard a rumor that you're helping King Hammond (aka Nick Welsh) write his autobiography...is this true? (How is his take on "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"?)

PW: Nick--sorry, the King--is doing "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" and it will be a great Hammond rendition. I've heard some of it and it's great. Gonna be a highlight, I reckon. We are devising a biography, the title, "The Life and Times Of a Ska Man (or How to Fail in the Music Business)" will be a cracker. Eye opening, brutally honest--but, by God, hilariously funny.

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Reissue of Expanded "Dance Craze" Magazine/Book

2011-12-16T13:14:00.020-05:00

Thanks to Johnny Reggae at Hoi Polloi Skazine for the tip that Garry Bushell's Dance Craze-related magazine (originally published by Sounds) has been re-issued with expanded content (see a PDF of the original magazine here--and Marco on the Bass has some additional interesting background info about it).

The extras this time out include never before published photos of Madness, The Beat, The Selecter, Bodysnatchers, and The Specials by photographer David Arnoff and a postscript by the author.

The book is available to order through Acid Jazz in the UK--and would probably make a nice present for the rude boy or girl on your Xmas or Hanukah list!

NYC Fall/Winter 2011 Ska Calendar Update #9

2011-12-14T21:30:00.011-05:00

Friday, December 16, 2011 at 10pm and Midnight

Two Boots Reggae Party with The Hard Times

Two Boots of Brooklyn
514 2nd Street
Brooklyn, NY
Free (but buy some pizza!)

Band plays two sets: 10pm and midnight!

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Friday, December 16, 2011 at 10:00 pm

Special Beat Service: Punks, Dreads, and Rudeboys Holiday Bash w/The Bluebeats, Little Victory, Stagefright, Bearfoot, Dis-Con, and Suga Massive (plus DJs Alleycat, Chris Morell of Let Me Crazy, Easeback and anti Cathy)

Broadway Bar
198 Broadway (at Oak Street)
Amityville, NY
$10/18+

Free buffet of Jamaican cuisine w/admission!
Drink specials all night long.

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Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Slackers, The Pietasters, Bomb The Music Industry (plus DJ 100DBs)

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$17.50

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Saturday, December 31st, 2011

New Year's Eve Reggae with The Frighteners vs. The Forthrights (plus Selectors Agent Jay and Sweet V)

175 Stockholm Street #111
Brooklyn, NY
$5/21+

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Dirty Reggae Party #15 wtih Dub is a Weapon (10th Anniversary Show), The Forthrights with Maddie Ruthless, The Shifters (from D.C.)!

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$7

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Bigger Thomas

Havana
105 South Main Street
New Hope, PA
(215) 862-9897

Bigger Thomas will be playing a 3-set show of 36 songs (including a good number of album tracks that don't get played live very often)!

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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MIS Mexico!

2011-12-13T10:40:00.018-05:00

In advance of Madness' upcoming appearance at the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City on March 25, 2012, Radio Skandalo has launched the Madness Information Service Mexico (MIS Mexico).

Currently, the site only features a countdown clock, but promises to include much more in the coming weeks. Check it out!

Update (12/14/11): MIS Mexico has a Twitter feed: @MIS_Mexico

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We're still keeping our eye on the Madness blog to see if any additional gigs will be announced in the Americas around Madness' appearance in Mexico...

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The Return of Gaz's Rockin Records?!

2011-12-13T00:10:00.001-05:00

Since I'm a massive fan of the late 80s UK and Euro ska scenes, I sometimes find myself searching eBay for releases that I kick myself for not picking up back in the day (well, it often boiled down to not having that much spare cash back then to mail-order all I wanted through Unicorn Records--during that time I was in my last years of college and then endeavoring to pay rent anyway I could).

While I have a fair number of the CDs, LPs, and singles released on Gaz Mayall's brilliant Gaz's Rockin Records (which featured his band, The Trojans; Laurel Aitken and the Potato 5; The Ska Flames; and The Forest Hillbillies)--I actually won an almost pristine 7" single of The Forest Hillbillies "The Munsters" a few weeks ago (and had no idea that it even existed in this format)--every now and then I'll plug the label's name into the eBay search field. Most of the time, whatever comes up I already have, but today was markedly different. In a very good way.

Gaz has pressed a new single on his label (!) featuring Lighta Secret--and he recently found about 100 mint copies of Prince Buster & The Trojans' "Stack-o-Lee" 12" (released in 1989) that had been forgotten in a storage locker (both can be ordered here). Needless to say, I've bought a copy of each.

Here's the scoop on the Lighta Secret single from Gaz himself:

Brand New on Gaz's Rockin' Records

7” GAZ 024 – Lighta Secret – "Elinor All Night Long" b/w "Gaz Dangerous"

Recorded on my recent trip to Jamaica with my partner and club DJ Elinor Fahrman, alias Baby Soul. We stayed in a small coastal village, Cousins Cove, situated between Montego Bay and Negril, where we met the illustrious singer Lighta Secret, somewhat of a local legend. A real character and top entertainer from nearby Green Island. He’d been performing at a local showcase supporting Richie Spice.

Lighta Secret’s name is due to the fact that every time he performs his music live at a dance the audience all take out their cigarette lighters and raise them in the air aflame. One of his many gimmicks is to make symbols with his one complete hand in the form of unusual handshakes. The fingers on the other were lost in a machete attack while climbing out of a bedroom window at a girlfriend’s house on the sudden return of her husband.

On both sides of this record Lighta Secret raves about and praises Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues – London’s number one blues dance – bigging up the DJs, myself Gaz, Baby Soul and Natty Bo.

Even though I've never heard of Lighta Secret, Gaz has impeccable taste in music--so I'm very much looking forward to putting the needle on this record. And I'm thrilled that Gaz's label is back in business after far too many years of being dormant.

Here's hoping that this is the first of many more records to come...

SNL and Katy Perry Do the Ska

2011-12-12T20:34:00.004-05:00

I usually cringe when mainstream-y things take on ska, but this Saturday Night Live bit about Kate and Pippa Middleton visiting the Queen was pretty funny--and it ends with Fred Armisen (The Queen) and Bill Hader (Prince Philip) strapping on guitars and playing a 2 Tone-ish Christmas ska song ("The Queen's Christmas Message"), with Katy Perry and Armisen sharing the vocals.

Jump Up Releases The Toasters' "Dub 56" on Vinyl!

2011-12-09T16:45:00.004-05:00

Toasters' fans and ska vinyl freaks should take note that the band's stellar 1994 album Dub 56 has been re-issued on wax for the first time by Jump Up Records. (The demand for vinyl in the US was at its nadir in the early 90s, so it was never released in this format, here or abroad.)

At the time of its release, the US ska scene had really begun to heat up--in no small part due to the 1993 national Skavoovee Tour with The Skatalites, Selecter, Special Beat, and The Toasters that provided a slew of opening slots for local ska bands and really helped galvanize the ska scene--and Dub 56 showcased the band at their best, with now-classic tracks like "Mona," "Legal Shot," "Dub 56," "Direction," "Ain't Nuthin'" and many more. Dub 56 became an instant fan-favorite, received raves from critics (see here, here, and here), and went on to be one of Moon Records' best-selling records ever.

This LP is available from Jump Up Records in clear or white vinyl for $12 and includes a digital download card for the entire album in digital form, plus four bonus tracks not on the LP: "Dub 56 (Chat Mix)," "Legal Shot (Dance Mix)," "Legal Shot (Gangster Mix)" and "Ain’t Nuthin’ (Chorus Mix)."

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Where did the title of the album and song come from? It was the license plate number on Bucket's dad's motorcycle (you can make it out on the original artwork)--and the song is about (momentarily) leaving all of your problems behind by taking a fun spin on the motorbike...

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It should be noted that in 1995, Stubborn Records released a 7" single of "Dub 56" with the album version on one side and "Dub 56 Chat" on the other (the last copy of which is for sale at Stubborn for $100). Also, the CD was licensed to sister labels in the UK (Dojo), Germany (Pork Pie), and Japan (Jimco).

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NYC Fall/Winter 2011 Ska Calendar Update #8

2011-12-09T12:48:00.014-05:00

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Across the Aisle

The Village Lantern
167 Bleecker Street
Manhattan, NY
$5 online advance/$10 at the door
21+

Buy tickets on-line (cheaper): http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/76019.

Please tell the door person that you're there to see Across The Aisle!

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Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm

The Rudie Crew, The Snails, On Trial, and Karate Chop Shop

Circle of Hope
1125 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA
$7

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Friday, December 16, 2011 at 10pm and Midnight

Two Boots Reggae Party with The Hard Times

Two Boots of Brooklyn
514 2nd Street
Brooklyn, NY
Free (but buy some pizza!)
Band plays two sets: 10pm and midnight!

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Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Slackers, The Pietasters, Bomb The Music Industry (plus DJ 100DBs)

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$17.50

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Saturday, December 31st, 2011

New Year's Eve Reggae with The Frighteners vs. The Forthrights (plus Selectors Agent Jay and Sweet V)

175 Stockholm Street #111
Brooklyn, NY
$5/21+

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Dirty Reggae Party #15 wtih Dub is a Weapon (10th Anniversary Show), The Forthrights with Maddie Ruthless, The Shifters (from D.C.)!

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$7

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

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Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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Madness to Play Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in March--US Dates To Come?

2011-12-07T16:32:00.011-05:00

Thanks to a tip from one of The Duff Guide to Ska's readers in Mexico (Sunday Munoz), I've been alerted to the fact that Madness will be playing the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City, which will be held from March 23-25, 2012. See the entire festival line-up here. (It should be noted that the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra played this event last year.)

Of course, if the band is traveling to this side of the pond, it will raise speculation/expectations that Madness may play some US dates this spring (we hope!) in support of their forthcoming new album.

Stay tuned!

Jump Up Records 2012 Ska CD and Ska LP of the Month Clubs!

2011-12-07T12:45:00.002-05:00

Now that the holidays are upon us once again and we're all scrambling around to find meaningful gifts for our friends and loved ones, here are two great suggestions for a perfect gift for the ska fan on your list (or yourself!) that will keep on giving throughout the year...

Jump Up Records 2012 Ska CD of the Month Club

For $100 (includes shipping in the USA/Canada; it's $120 internationally), Chuck Wren, head honcho of Jump Up Records, will hand-select 14 outstanding, mostly hard-to-find new ska imports and send them out to you or your giftee throughout the year (that's a little over $7 per CD--and the majority of these CDs are imports!). Only the first 25 people to respond will be able to join the club!

The first four releases will arrive just before Christmas:

Moon Invaders' "Fine Line" CD
Upsessions' "Below the Belt" CD
Gramaphone All Stars' "Levitant a La Deriva" CD
The Dropsteppers' "Get Up In It" CD

Then, in the very near future, members will receive new albums from Magic Touch (Germany), Too Many Crooks (UK), Captain Black No Stars (UK), The Butlers (Germany), and some Northern Soul sounds from The Inciters on Jump Up Records!

Want two bonus CDs? Feel free to pick two classic Jump Up label CDs: Mr T Bone's “Nothing To Lose,” The Bullets' “Sweet Misery,” Green Room Rockers' s/t, Moon Invaders vs Caroloregians' “Hot Blood Cold Weather,” Mr T Bone's “Instrumental Sessions Vol 1″ CD, Pressure Cooker's “What She Wants,” Deal’s Gone Bad's “Welcome To The Vaults" 3 CD box set, The Drastics' “Waiting,” “Chicago Massive” or “Premonition,” Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians' “More…,” Steady Ups' “Soul Of The City,” See Spot's “Who Got It?,” Israelites' “Jamaican Celebration,” Mr Symarip's “Skinheads Dem A Come,” Dr Ring Ding's “Back And Forth,” King Django's “Meets The Scrucialists,” Firebug's “On The Move,” Eastern Standard Time's “Tempus Fugit,” Scorchers “Stuntin,” Skapone's “Black & White,” Lady Ann's “Bad Gyal Inna Dance,” Don Segundo's “Censura,” The Soulsteppers's “Return...,” or Pressure Cooker’s “Burning Fence”!

You’ll get all six selections before Christmas! Then in June more CDs start coming!

Jump Up Records 2012 Ska LP of the Month Club

For the vinyl fetishist on your list (I'm one!), you can sign up for the 2012 LP of the Month Club for $120--which will score you 12 LPs, plus bonus 7" singles and other goodies as well (due to shipping expenses, this club is only open to US residents). This club is only open to the first 25 people to sign up!

The first six releases will be shipped to arrive before Christmas:

Moon Invaders' "Fine Line" LP
Upsessions' "Below the Belt LP
B Soul All Stars' "Rainbow" LP
Gramophone All Stars' "Levitant a La Deriva" LP
Various Artists' "Soul of Pum Pum Hotel" LP
The Prizefighters' "Follow My Sound" LP

Plus, later in the year, members will receive new LPs from Mr. T Bone, The Inciters, Magic Touch, and many more!

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Join the 2012 Jump UP CD or LP Club here.

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While we're on the subject of Jump Up Records, several of their recent releases we highly, highly recommend: King Hammond's "Floorshaker" LP, The Void Union's "Higher Guns" LP, The Prizefighters' "Follow My Sound" LP, V/A's "The Soul of Pum Pum Hotel" LP, The Skabilly Rebels' "Blues Attack" LP, The Toasters' "Dub 56" and "2 Tone Army" LP reissues, Green Room Rockers' self-titled LP, The Bullets' "Sweet Misery" LP, The Revivers' "Early Reggae" EP--and singles from Deals Gone Bad and The Crombies!

2012 London International Ska Fest Band Competition Results!

2011-12-06T13:55:00.001-05:00

For the 2012 London International Ska Festival, the organizers decided to include a slot for a band that received the most votes from ska fans from around the globe. Well, the votes are in and all tallied up--and the winner of the 2012 LISF Band Competition is...

The Kinky Coo Coo's from Barcelona, Spain!

Rounding out the top five spots were...

2. Los Furious (Canada)
3. Jamaica 69 (Mexico)
4. Bigger Thomas (USA)
5) Monkey Boots (Indonesia)

While congratulations are due to all the bands, we'd like to make a special shout-out to NYC hometown heroes Bigger Thomas for snagging the #4 spot and being the only band from the USA in the top five!

Here's a taste of what you'll be missing in London this May...

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This year's 2012 LISF is taking place from Thursday, May 3rd through Sunday May 6, 2012--and the line-up includes Dandy Livingstone, The Pioneers, Dawn Penn, The Dualers, Neol Davies, The Hotknives, Fishbone, Buster Shuffle, Rebulation, The Moon Invaders, Los Granadians, The Delegators, Capone & the Bullets, and many more TBA!

Calling All Rude Boys and Rude Girls! King Hammond at The Lake This Saturday Night!

2011-12-02T18:52:00.018-05:00

Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, The Reggay Lords (plus Ticklah on the decks!)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$6

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

King Hammond will be selling CDs of his three recent releases (The King and I, Jacuzzi, and Showbiz--click on the links for The Duff Guide to Ska reviews), as well as vinyl copies of his EPs ("Riot in London Town" and "Hey, Mr. DJ")--so bring some extra cash to buy 'em (or cut down on the beers!). Did I mention that he's got old skool King Hammond badges, too?!

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For those of you who missed King Hammond's killer set at Shrine last night (he was backed by The Hard Times), here are two videos I shot of his performance. The first is "Rocking on Ridley Road" followed by "Hanky Panky."

Reminder: King Hammond and The Hard Times at The Shrine in Harlem Tonight!

2011-12-01T11:01:00.007-05:00

This is it! One of two chances to catch King Hammond on a rare visit from the UK (he'll also be at The Lake on Saturday night)...

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard
(7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!
All ages/21+ to drink

Take the 2 or 3 train to 135th Street and walk one block over to 7th Avenue.

The Hard Times go on at 9:00 pm; King Hammond hits the stage at 10:30 pm.

King Hammond Storms NYC This Week (Thursday and Saturday)!

2011-11-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

If you've been following The Duff Guide to Ska for any length of time, you'll know that I'm a ridiculously big fan of King Hammond, who is coming over from the UK to make two rare appearances in New York City this week, backed by early reggae masters The Hard Times. These days, it's not too often that we have out-of-country ska musicians performing here in NYC (a shame, really), so make sure to come out to these shows!

Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 9:00 pm

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

The Hard Times go on at 9:00 pm; King Hammond hits the stage at 10:30 pm.

Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, The Reggay Lords (plus Ticklah on the decks!)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$6

(Take the L train to Montrose, walk down Bushwick and make a left on Johnson--or take the J train to Flushing, walk towards Bushwick Avenue, make a left, and walk till you hit Johnson Avenue and make a right. Look for the metal door with '258' on it, open it, and go up the stairs...)

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You may ask yourself, who exactly is King Hammond and why should I care?

Inspired by the late ʻ60s/early ʻ70s reggae hits (like The Upsetters' "Return of Django," Harry J All Stars' "Liquidator," and Dave & Ansell Collins' "Double Barrel") that ruled the British airwaves when he was a youth, Nick Welsh launched his King Hammond project back in 1987 (initially claiming--and sometimes fooling people--that King Hammond was this lost gem of an artist from the skinhead reggae era that Nick had discovered), while he was the bassist and songwriter for Bad Manners (“Skaville UK,” “This is Ska,” “Return of the Ugly”).

After his first single “King Hammond Shuffle” appeared on several international compilations (including Ska for Ska's Sake in 1989 on Skank Records), King Hammond released two fantastic albums of skinhead reggae, Revolution ʻ70 (Bluebeat, 1989) and Blow Your Mind (Receiver/Trojan, 1992).

During the 1990s, Welsh joined Pauline Blackʼs Selecter as bassist and songwriter (plus he produced their four studio albums--my favorite of the lot was 1999's Cruel Britannia); was a member of 3 Men & a Black, with J.J. Burnell (The Stranglers), Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers), Roddy Radiation (The Specials), Dave Wakeling (The Beat), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), and Pauline Black; and collaborated with ex-Belle Stars singer Jennie Matthias in Big 5. Then, in the mid-2000s, Welsh fronted his own ska band, Skaville UK, which released three albums (1973, Decadent, and Devil Beat--click on the links for The Duff Guide to Ska reviews).

Welsh revived King Hammond in 2010 and since that time has released three albums (The King and I, Jacuzzi, and Showbiz--click on the links for The Duff Guide to Ska reviews) and two vinyl EPs ("Riot in London Town" and "Hey, Mr. DJ") on his own N.1 Records imprint. In June 2011, King Hammond was a featured performer at the Ink ʼn ʼIron Festival in Long Beach, CA (and played several gigs in Mexico afterwards), and is touring throughout the UK and Europe with this seven-piece band The Rude Boy Mafia.

During his four decades in ska and reggae, Welsh has played with and produced such legendary artists as Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Dave Barker, Rico Rodriguez, Judge Dread, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Notably, Welsh worked with Perry as the musical director on the Grammy-Award winning album Jamaican E.T. (Sanctuary/Trojan, 2002)—winner of Best Reggae Album in 2003--and its follow-up, Alien Starman (Secret Records, 2004).

Welsh also has written music for television (“The Osbournes,” “Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” and “LA Ink”), films (“Domino,” “The Magic Roundabout”), and videogames (“WWE Smackdown versus RAW,” “Day of Reckoning”)--so even if you don't know King Hammond, you've probably heard his music...

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You can read an interview I did with Nick last year here.

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If you're in the NYC area, hope to see you at one or both of these gigs!

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Thanksgiving Weekend NYC Ska and Reggae Shows

2011-11-25T17:19:00.008-05:00

Friday, November 25, 2011

Vic Ruggiero Trio - featuring Vic, Ara, and Jay of The Slackers (doing reggae and punk)
Captain Ahab & The Seacrackens (surf)
Red Light Cinema (blues/rock)
DJ RATA spinning garage & soul

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs--take the L to Bedford)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
21+

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Friday, November 25, 2011 at 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Old Fields Restaurant
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, New York
Two sets/Free

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Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm

HR and the Human Rights Band, Let Me Crazy, and The BK What

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs--take the L to Bedford)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$10 cover 21+

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Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Destroy Babylon (awesome roots reggae from Boston!) and Mr. Kowalski

The Rock Shop
249 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$8 cover/21+

Destroy Babylon goes on at 8:00 pm.

A Message to You...

2011-11-24T02:00:00.001-05:00

(Thanks to Miles for sending it in and to Quinn for creating it!)

Barry Llewellyn of The Heptones RIP

2011-11-23T21:42:00.020-05:00

Trojan Records and Irie FM are reporting that Barry Llewellyn of The Heptones (at far left in the photo) passed away earlier today. Our sincere condolences go out to Llewellyn's family and friends.

Irie FM reports:

Music News understands that Barry fell ill and was taken to the Kingston Public hospital where he died in the wee hours this morning.

Llewellyn's/The Heptones' biography can be found at Trojan Records and AllMusic.com.

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Update (11/27/11): The BBC has just posted an obituary for Llewellyn, which may be found here.

Update (11/29/11): The New York Times published an obituary for Llewellyn here.

NYC Fall/Winter 2011 Ska Calendar Update #7

2011-11-23T13:20:00.001-05:00

Editor's Note: In an ideal world, I'd be able to catch all of these great bands in action, but I'm a middle-aged guy with work and family obligations, etc. So it goes. Having said that, I am going to get out and catch Destroy Babylon (from Boston) this Sunday--read my review of their amazing new album here--and the two King Hammond shows next week (he's coming over from the UK and will be backed by The Hard Times, so the least you can do is grab a subway train to see him at The Shrine in Harlem or The Lake in Bushwick).

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Pidgin Droppings and Bigger Thomas

Hat City Kitchen
459 Valley St
Orange, New Jersey
$10

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Friday, November 25, 2011 at 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Old Fields Restaurant
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, New York
Two sets/Free

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Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Destroy Babylon (awesome roots reggae from Boston!) and Mr. Kowalski

The Rock Shop
249 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$8 cover/21+

Destroy Babylon goes on at 8:00 pm.

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

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Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, The Reggay Lords (plus Ticklah on the decks!)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$6

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Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm

The Rudie Crew, The Snails, On Trial, and Karate Chop Shop

Circle of Hope
1125 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA
$7

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Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Slackers, The Pietasters, Bomb The Music Industry (plus DJ 100DBs)

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$17.50

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Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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Duff Gig Review: Queen P and The Shifters at The Shop Brooklyn (11/12/11)

2011-11-17T13:20:00.005-05:00

Back in the mid-1990s, Ocean 11 were one of those bands that had this crazy, under-the-radar buzz about them. If you didn't live in Southern California with direct access to that almost mythic ska scene (which seemed to exist apart from every other ska scene in the US in terms of its sheer size and the number of incredible bands it generated), Ocean 11 seemed particularly mysterious and elusive. Someone in a band or a college radio station would rave about them to you over the phone or you'd glean some bit of news about their activity from a fanzine (these were pre-internet times, so everything was word-of-mouth, second-hand).

Eventually, the Moon Records store (when it was a teeny shop on East 2nd Street between Avenues A and B) obtained a few copies of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (released in 1995) and I was able to get my mitts on a copy (this is now one rare CD--used copies of it are going for close to $70 on Amazon and GEMM). It's a mix of well-known and obscure ska and rocksteady covers (The Tartans, The Caledonians), as well as some terrific originals. I just dug it out to give it a listen and found that The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly still stands up as one of the best traditional ska records of the 1990s.

Ocean 11 - Can't Forget About You by Duff Guide to Ska

The band never made it out to the East Coast (and I never caught them there), but we were lucky enough to feature them on two Moon Records releases: California Ska-quake, Volume 2: The Aftershock (compiled by Luis Correa of Steady Beat, who did a damn fine job--his label also distributed The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) and the Bang soundtrack. For those wanting to track down more of their discography, Ocean 11 cuts also can be found on Ska Island (Island Records), Girls Go Ska (Simmerdown Productions), Skauthentic (Steady Beat Recordings), Step on It (The Ska Parade), Keep the Pressure On (Kingpin Records), Ska Sucks (Liberation Records), and Ska Stars of the 90s (Gaz's Rockin Records).

[Ocean 11 fans should take note that Moondust Records just released a new single from the band that contains "Miss Understanding" (which appeared on the aforementioned Girls Go Ska comp) b/w "Spring in Rome" (a previously unreleased track that also features Malik Moore of The Bullets). I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at this gig along with a live Ocean 11 CD!]

Ocean 11 Miss Understanding by Duff Guide to Ska

So, I was pretty psyched to hear that King Duncan of The Shifters was using his birthday as an excuse to fulfill a ska fan-boy fantasy by flying out Queen P--Ocean 11's singer, who has recently been gigging with The Delirians--for some shows backed by The Shifters in Washington, DC, Baltimore, and New York City. (Read King Duncan's tribute to Ocean 11 here.)

Their New York gig took place at The Shop Brooklyn in Williamsburg, which is motorcycle shop by day and bar/BBQ joint by night. Bands play in the large garage in the back of the building next to a sea of choppers, which makes for a cool and unconventional venue. However, the one downside to this somewhat DIY set-up was the sub-par PA system that was in use (apologies for the sometimes poor sound quality in the videos below--but I think enough of the musicians' amazing performances come through that they're worth posting and watching). The next show there features H.R. of the Bad Brains (on November 26)...let's hope the venue figures out their sound issues before then.

DJs Han Solo (Dave Hahn of Dub is a Weapon) and Grace of Spades prepped the crowd with some choice selections of vintage ska and early reggae and then The Shifters were up. Hitting the concrete floor in matching Hawaiian shirts, the band tore through their set of excellent swinging, soulful ska original tunes (plus their signature cover of "Rockfort Rock") with such obvious glee (look at them do their synchronized moves in "Dance with You"!). It's been a long time since I've seen a band have such a blast playing out--and the audience couldn't help but being won over by their terrifically tight performance. If these guys play your town, make sure to see them.

Queen P's phenomenal set was mostly comprised of material off The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (not unexpected, of course) and included The Clarendonians' "Rules of Life," The Tartan's "Solid as a Rock," Cornel Campbell's "Let's Start Again," Ocean 11's "I am Queen"--and the highlights for me were Marcia Griffiths' "I Shall Sing," and Phyllis Dillon's "Picture on the Wall" and "I Can't Forget About You Baby." Queen P's voice has such an amazing purity, warmth, clarity, and directness to it (sadly, sometimes hard to hear through the terrible PA system that night) and she exudes such a cool confidence and ease as she sings. She's a wonderfully gifted performer to watch in action. I hope she'll make the trip out East again to play with The Shifters soon--and if you're anywhere near where they play, you make make sure to catch 'em!

[The Frighteners also played later this night--I didn't catch enough of their set, which sounded fantastic--but will review one of their live gigs soon...]

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(Again, sorry about the quality of the sound--the PA at the venue wasn't great--so it is what it is...but there is still lots here to like and enjoy!)

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UPDATE: Here's a link to some videos (with much better audio) of Queen P and The Shifters performing in Washington, DC and Baltimore on this same tour--see them here.

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NYC Fall/Winter 2011 Ska Calendar Update #6

2011-11-16T16:18:00.020-05:00

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 10:30 pm

The Rudie Crew

Fontana's Bar
105 Eldridge st
New York, NY

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Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 9:00 PM

NYC Championship Reggae: The Hard Times and The Frighteners

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 E 14th Street
New York, NY
Free/21+

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Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

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Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

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Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Pandemics

Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
All Ages!

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Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 7:30 pm

The Rudie Crew, The Hard Times, The Pandemics, Across the Aisle (plus DJ Grace of Spades!)

Bar Matchless, BK
557 Manhattan Ave,
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

+ + + +

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Pidgin Droppings and Bigger Thomas

Hat City Kitchen
459 Valley St
Orange, New Jersey
$10

+ + + +

Friday, November 25, 2011 at 10:00 pm

The Bluebeats

Old Fields Restaurant
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, New York
Two sets!

+ + + +

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Destroy Babylon (awesome roots reggae from Boston!) and Mr. Kowalski

The Rock Shop
249 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$8 cover/21+

+ + + +

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon (plus Ticklah on the decks!)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$6

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

Queen P (of Ocean 11) and The Shifters Hit DC, Baltimore, and NYC!

2011-11-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Queen P (Ocean 11), The Shifters, and the Hub City Stompers

Solly's Tavern
1942 11th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.603.1766

+ + + +

Friday, November 11, 2011

Queen P and The Shifters, plus DJ Amanda Otto and Selector Pablo Fiasco

The Sidebar Tavern
218-20 E Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD
410.659.4130

+ + + +

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Queen P (of Ocean 11), The Shifters (DC), and The Frighteners (plus DJs Grace of Spades and Hahn Solo)

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Editor's Note: Here's some cool (personal) background on this Queen P/Shifters mini-tour from The Shifters' t-bonist King Duncan that also serves as a tribute to the legendary 1990s California trad ska band Ocean 11...

"17 years ago, I was turning 17."

by King Duncan

That was the thought that ran through my head this morning when I woke up at 5 AM. I don’t have a lot of time these days to ponder life, mortality, love found and lost… Y’know, the real meaningful shit portrayed by people my age in romantic comedies. Yeah. That’s not me. I’m kind of busy. I’m a “working professional” who moved to DC from San Diego to further my career, like many imports to this area. To torture myself further, I’ve also joined a few bands along the way and helped start a monthly Ska and Reggae venue because, obviously, I was getting way too much sleep. My life is hectic. So somewhere between a morning shower and walking into work, I get a few seconds to think, reflect, and focus.

Lately, that quality morning-think time has been dedicated to concentrating on this upcoming weekend (and inevitably about my upcoming birthday on Sunday). In case anyone reading this doesn’t know, The Shifters, my semi-upstart, semi-Rocksteady band, are embarking on a mini-tour up the East Coast with Persephone, AKA Queen P, from Ocean 11. Persephone was kind enough to agree to come out here for my birthday and perform one show at my club, BlueBeat DC. The idea eventually evolved and we ended up agreeing to extend the good times through Veterans Day, with stops in Baltimore and New York City.

Amongst friends, band-mates and fans (we have those?), some have asked me just what is the big deal about Ocean 11 and Queen P? Indeed, even this website linked to an article attempting to answer that very question. In an effort to lend clarity to this mystery bestowed on my East Coast brethren, I volunteered to write a piece promoting the shows and shedding some light on why we So Cal folk of a certain age have such a fondness for Ocean 11.

One problem: every time I try writing this article, I end up editing it down to nothing because, to be completely honest, fellow Duff readers, I can’t begin to write about this subject without getting ridiculously autobiographical. To be frank, the story gets kind of fucking weird. In fact, if anyone ever ends up reading this, I guarantee what you are reading on your screen has been edited no less than 20 times and most likely will still come off fairly strange. Continue at your own risk.

“The Highest of Heavens”

That’s my favorite line from "The Best of Love," a song found on the Step On It compilation released around 1994 or 1995. I was 17 when I bought that CD. That was 17 years ago. Back then I was poor, white trash. I had few friends. I was not well-liked. I did things by myself. I hated my school and the preppy, asshole fucks found therein. One of my few sanctuaries was music. I loved playing music, listening to music, and seeing music performed live. I loved going to shows (usually alone) and had developed a liking of Ska, in particular. (I also developed a short-lived fanaticism with Gwen Stefani, but that’s another story for another time.) If I have any fond memories of my high school years, it’s the escape and sense of relief I felt in the world of music. That’s where I belonged.

However, at 17, I also had the attention span of a gnat. The modern bands I listened to since age 15 or 16 (No Doubt, Sublime, Skankin’ Pickle, to name some) who fascinated me previously could not keep my attention any longer. 2 Tone filled that gap, momentarily. But honestly, how much 2 Tone can anyone really listen to? Coincidentally, many modern acts of the time were transitioning to a poppy, New Wave kind of feel and shedding their Ska roots. I still bought many CDs, many compilations, even a few tapes, only to be bored with them a few weeks later. Ska, or rather The Ska I Knew, was not cutting it anymore.

Somewhere in the mess, I bought a CD comp put out by some radio show called The Ska Parade, a program I had never heard previously. The CD had a shit ton of local bands I had never really heard of previously, either. The disc came with a booklet that was entirely too long to read and didn’t make a lot of sense the few times I glanced at it. Most of the bands were woefully forgettable. Given all that, the CD did contain, however, two tracks from a band called Ocean 11. Two songs of pure, unadulterated, traditional Ska of which I honestly had never heard before.

This Ocean 11 outfit, whomever they were, sounded old yet new; modern yet classic. Crisp female vocals harmonically delivered over carefully plucked basslines. Guitars strummed with clean distortion on the upbeat. Drumsticks dancing on a hi-hat while a middle speed tempo swings and sways. It was New-Old-Stock perfection: a culmination of sound that can only compare to seeing a great black and white movie in a new theater or driving a classic car on a modern highway. Every time I listened to these two songs, I’d end up going back and listening to them again. Over and over and over.

Inspiration naturally turned into obsession. I caught a fever. I immediately sought more from these Ocean 11 people, eventually stumbling upon their only full length CD, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. A disc that did not fail to deliver on what the previous radio show compilation tracks promised… In fact, the album is so good, I don’t have enough time or space to gush over it. Just know this: it is the greatest Rocksteady/Ska/Reggae album ever recorded by a modern band. And the sound Ocean 11 laid down led to a natural fondness of the other amazing traditional bands of the time I was until then unaware of (Hepcat, Mobtown, etc.), while opening my ear up to what the legends did in Jamaica so many years before. And many, many years later, these are the same kinds of sounds I try to emulate in my own bands.

Fast forward to the now.

I’m turning 34 this week. I’m an adult. I have an adult life. I have adult problems and I find adult resolutions. I have adult ups and adult downs. My teenaged Ska fixation has morphed into a deep appreciation for music, in general, and oddly enough, a good number of those folks who were in those bands I was so hooked on 10 or 12 or 15 years ago are now my friends. I even conned a few of them into giving me their phone numbers! SUCKERS!!! And in this time that is now, as I reconcile the shows booked with my band and Persephone, I put on Ocean 11 during my morning-think time so I can study. I analyze what they did, how they did it, and I try to imagine how The Shifters are going to attempt to do that. We’ve been at this for weeks now. I hope we get it right.

But below all that, somewhere in the back of my consciousness, bleeding like water through a Kleenex is a white trash, Ska-addicted teenager who is waiting in line to get in the club. I’ve been waiting to get in this club for 17 years. Man, 17 years. Seems like half a lifetime ago…

Duff Review: Little Roy "Battle for Seattle"

2011-11-10T08:55:00.004-05:00

Ark Recordings
2011
LP and CD

(Review by Steve Shafer)

After their monumental, game-changing Nevermind was released in 1991 (launching grunge, in particular, and alternative music in general into the stratosphere), Nirvana were inescapable: they ruled, fueled, and defined college/classic/modern rock radio, the music press, and MTV (back then, if you had told me that these three forms of media would be practically irrelevant 20 years later, I would have laughed loudly in your face). While I wasn't a huge fan--my musical preferences then were more along the lines of Britpop and ska/reggae (obviously)--I couldn't help but admire how at the core of many of Nirvana's hits lay an incredibly keen pop sensibility. These were intensely catchy songs that deserved to be hits, even if they were obscured by a sonic wall of punky grunge fury. That Kurt Cobain could write a damn good melody.

And that's a key component of what makes Little Roy's Battle for Seattle, a roots reggae album of Nirvana covers, such a brilliant (and completely enjoyable) success. A really well-written song is like a high-performance engine--it doesn't matter what car body you dress it up in, it's still going to drive like mad! It isn't limited by genre. But what really allows Battle for Seattle to transcend the usual shortcomings of a tribute album (mimicking the original artist out of an overabundance of reverence or fear of alienating the fans by deviating too much from the source material) is that this is a fully-realized, whip smart re-imagining--or, more appropriately (in Jamaican fashion, naturally), re-versioning of Nirvana's original tracks. Little Roy and Co. own these tunes.

As a result, it doesn't really matter if you are familiar with these cuts off of Bleach, Nevermind, In Utero, or Unplugged (though this record will probably blow the minds of hardcore Nirvana fans)--the tracks here sound as if they had been originally written as reggae songs (which reminds me--embarrassingly--of when I was a teenager in the 80s and heard Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown" on the radio in Memphis, of all places, and thought, "that's a really good cover of the English Beat!") .

Almost from the start, you realize, "Courtney, we're not in Seattle any more!" when the horn line in "Dive" abruptly shifts to incorporate the "Real Rock" rhythm, as if to boldly plant the Rasta colors and claim this territory in the name of Reggae. Clearly, album producers (who came up with this concept in the first place) Prince Fatty and Mutant Hi-Fi put much thought and care into adapting these songs to the reggae idiom. For proof, check out "Come As You Are's" eerie, dubby, Welson organ opening (from the bass line in Nirvana's original, which itself was pilfered from Killing Joke's stunningly furious "Eighties") or the bouncy "Is This Love" Bob Marley-ish arrangement of "Polly" (kind of ironic, since love certainly isn't in the equation here). Even the disposable sexual relationship of "About a Girl" ("I'll take advantage/while you hang me out to dry") is given an almost majestic context with these expansive, echo-throughout-the-landscape horn lines.

Dive by Little Roy

One of the other immediately striking things is that you can actually understand Cobain's often difficult, painful, and brutal lyrics (about abusive relationships, severe alienation, drug addiction, and deeply damaged minds), which Little Roy presents in a very straightforward, drama-free manner that's quite effective (the lyrics pack a devastating Joe Frazier punch all by themselves). In the bleak and ugly recounting of what one assumes was Cobain's mercurial, co-dependent relationship with Courtney Love in "Heart Shaped Box," Little Roy deftly brings out the humor of the "Hey!/Wait!/I've got a new complaint" chorus after heavy lyrics like "Throw down your umbilical noose/so I can climb right back" (yes, the heart-shaped box here is her uterus). "Polly"--with its horrific sexually sadistic subtext--comes across as more pathetic and mournful than malevolent and cruel. Little Roy's delivery on "On a Plain"--about a stuck-in-neutral, self-aware, but self-centered heroin user--is perfectly blase and non-commital--even blissed-out ("I love myself/better than you/I know it's wrong/so what should I do?/I'm on a plain/I can't complain"). "Come As You Are" (originally addressed to Nirvana's fans) is probably the closest to the ska/reggae ethos of acceptance and tolerance: "Come doused in mud/soaked in bleach" (and you definitely believe Little Roy's sincere when he states he doesn't have a gun hidden behind his back--Cobain did, but it was only to be aimed at himself).

Heart-Shaped Box by Little Roy

Just in case you're wondering, Nirvana's (now cliched) signature alternating soft-and-melodic verse/blaring-crunch-blast chorus song structure is (wisely) abandoned--it's just not a reggae thing. All of Nirvana's bellowing rage is sublimated--reggae doesn't wear its anger on its sleeve like punk or grunge. It's expressed through supremely confident, never-faultering righteous indignation--a deadly cool, slow burn (captured best here as Little Roy sings "Lithium's" defiant in-the-face-of-madness chorus: "I like it/I'm not gonna crack/I miss you/I'm not gonna crack/I love you/I'm not gonna crack/I saved you/I'm not gonna crack").

Lithium by Little Roy

One last comment about this album's sound: Battle for Seattle's super warm production by Prince Fatty and Mutant Hi-Fi conveys a clarity and immediacy that are really best heard through a proper stereo from a CD or LP. You'll miss way too much in the compressed Mp3 format playing through your computer speakers or iPod/iPhone earbuds. Go old school with this one.

Little Roy's Battle for Seattle takes all kinds of wild risks in covering Nirvana's almost sacred songbook, but ends up triumphing big time. There are mighty few reggae records this year that can match the full-on glories of this one.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

Dirty Reggae Party #14: King Hammond, The Hard Times, The Reggay Lords!

2011-11-06T15:48:00.004-05:00

NYC Ska Gig Reminder: The Toasters, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot Tonite!

2011-11-06T15:42:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder...

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

Dirty Reggae Party #13 is Now at The Lake!

2011-11-05T17:17:00.003-04:00

Take note, Dirty Reggae Party #13 has been moved to The Lake (address below)....

Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #13 with Kevin Batchelor's Grand Concourse, Top Shotta, and Coolie Ranx (plus Selectors Queen Majesty and Crazy Baldhead Crew!)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$6/All Ages!

NYC Fall 2011 Ska Calendar Update #5

2011-11-04T20:24:00.009-04:00

Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #13 with Kevin Batchelor's Grand Concourse, Top Shotta, and Coolie Ranx (plus Selectors Queen Majesty and Crazy Baldhead Crew!)

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
J train to Kosciuszko
$7/all ages!

+ + + +

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

+ + + +

Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm

Queen P (of Ocean 11), The Shifters (DC), and The Frighteners (plus DJs Grace of Spades and Chuckzilla)

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 9:00 PM

NYC Championship Reggae: The Hard Times and The Frighteners

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 E 14th Street
New York, NY
Free/21+

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

+ + + +

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

Duff Review: Destroy Babylon "Long Live the Vortex"

2011-11-02T13:20:00.003-04:00

Music A.D.D. Records (CD)/Young Cub Records (LP)
2011

(Review by Steve Shafer)

It's not every band that lays out their mission statement in their name, but with Destroy Babylon, what you read is what you get: defiantly political roots reggae--which, in the best tradition of rebel music, blisteringly denounces, skewers, and parodies societal, governmental, and economic injustice. But even this description sells them short, as their lyrics aren't a cliched laundry list of perennial left-wing grievances--they're much more subtle and intelligent than that--and require that you invest a bit of time interpreting their meaning (the lyric book that accompanies the CD is much appreciated). And their superb late 70s reggae sound is permeable enough to allow the influence of other musical genres (such as rock and 60s psychedelia) to seep in, adding color and a pumped-up muscularity to their mix.

Destroy Babylon's extraordinary third record, Long Live the Vortex, is a concept album (!) of sorts that brilliantly captures the tenor of our Wall Street bailout, Citizens United, crony capitalism, 1% versus 99% times. And it could arguably serve as a soundtrack for the masses who are slowly-but-surely awakening to the fact that the political structure (and judicial system) of the nation has been increasingly rigged over the past 30 years to respond almost exclusively to the demands and voracious greed of wealthy individuals and corporations, who in turn largely view the public as saps to manipulate, exploit, and fleece. In short, Long Live the Vortex is an odyssey through the disorienting, alarming, and oftentimes brutal landscape of an America in crisis--seemingly in the process of societal disintegration, really--but a sojourn that also reveals real hope for salvation through the decency and tenacity of its people who are willing to struggle for what is good and right.

In "DB Inc.," the band has an idea how to "save us all" in this dire economic era. If corporations can be accorded the same kinds of constitutionally-protected rights as people (and enjoy all sorts of entitlements and perks through favorable policies enacted by in-their-pocket politicians), why not go that route: "Incorporate me now/Buy in, sell out/When the bottom fell out/our empty hands parade/Left some of us without/Why work?/Why slave away when/we can all be businesses/big, big businesses!" "Echo Chamber" is a salvo aimed at Fox News and their ilk for broadcasting what is nothing short of reality-challenged propaganda (i.e., lies)--and inflicting real damage on our democracy as a result: "How long can you filter out truth/Distort and disgust/How long can we eat that dirt/before it eats us...if you plant the seed/something's sure to grow/You have nothing to teach/Nothing that grows/Seems the more you have to say/the less the people know."

While it's not that specific, I imagine the wholesale theft and insatiable avarice portrayed in "Mr. Moneybags" to be a corporate equivalent of a Jesse James-type Western outlaw wreaking mass havoc across the nation: "Put 'em up /Put em up/hands to the sky/Your money or your life/Forget my face/Forget my name/There are no new towns/They're all the same/I've met a million people/in a million different places/I hate to pull my gun out/but I love to see their faces as I'm leaving." "#1 Killer" points out the hypocrisy of allowing corporate manufactured and marketed cigarettes to be legal and regulated (though they are a major public health problem causing a slew of cancers and other diseases), while keeping marijuana illegal (despite the fact that it may have several medicinal purposes, such as treating pain and alleviating the symptoms/side effects of cancer treatments).

The anti-war song "BLAST" contains this great lyric, "We will be the turpentine/to their war paint"--and, guessing from their video (see below), the "vortex" referred to in the chorus ("Long live the vortex!") might be a mushroom cloud, but just as easily be the wonderful complexity and diversity of our society, as expressed through such creative and life-affirming mediums as music, art, literature, etc. (see the album cover for a visual representation) that can help keep the annihilatory dogs of war at bay.

"Free the King" poses the charged question as to whether a murderer can ever be rehabilitated and redeemed in society's eyes through the real case of Arnie King ("What's the point of going on/without a way to right our wrong?...I don't condone what he did/but can't a man change?") We're a country that loves rooting for the underdog and has an insatiable appetite for stories about people transformed through impossibly desperate life journeys (and many of us claim to be Christian). Yet racism and an almost innate bloodlust for Old Testament vengeance largely dictate our criminal justice policies. Speaking of police and thieves, "Freeze" is not about being busted, but an ironic call to action--to shake people from their apathy and stupor: "Feet on the ground/carry uphill/You know/if you don't/nobody else will/Stop waiting around!/Stop standing still!"

Other songs on Long Live the Vortex reflect how the malignant political milieu of the larger society infects and corrupts our personal lives. "Bad Draw" is concerned with the aftereffects of suicide on those left behind: "I cannot carry that weight/Was it just a bad draw/or was it the battle that you fought?...You were the joker/and now the King of Hearts/I ain't the dealer/I wasn't from the start/The best lessons in life/come at the worst price." Or consider the bitter "Something Very Wrong," which depicts a stalking, obsessively jealous lover--she's decadently thriving (parasitically) off their relationship, while he's all too aware that it's sucking the life out of him: "Have you seen me at the window baby?/I've been staring while you dine/You can't blame me for the burning eyes/When I've seen you spitting out your wine."

For all of the crescendoing tension, anxiety, selfishness, hatred, and madness expressed in the songs that precede it on the album, Long Live the Vortex's coda is an incredible, almost euphoric release. A major-key tune--after all of those minor-key melodies--"Days of No Future Passed" is a psychedelic trip (flutes, tablas, sitars!) to the post-apocalypse. And everything is going to be okay (the optimistic chorus repeats its mantra: "I've got a future/in the no future!")--we've made it through to the other side of societal meltdown: "Those left in this land/high neon violence/A gun for each hand/on auto-pill dispense/Oh damaged goods/Oh dented cans/Low Americans/I've got a future/in the no future/Oh modern man/Get ready boys, get real fast/Give all your resistance/Speed today the distant past/Oh remaining good/with able hands..." The hope embodied in the "no future" of this track is the chance to start over and rebuild after the corrupt, unsustainable, and ultimately self-destructive Babylon is in ashes. Babylon's future is no more, but humanity's remains ripe with possibility.

Long Live the Vortex is a magnificent and accomplished album whose compelling imagery and brilliantly dread music will haunt, captivate, and reward you for many days to come. This is easily one of the top five ska/reggae releases of 2011.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

+ + + +

Long Live the Vortex's CD and LP packaging deserve a note here. The LP comes in a sleeve silk-screened by the band, while the CD comes in a cool and arty printed book of lyrics (don't just settle for the digital files!). See them both in the video below...

Happy Ska-lloween!

2011-10-31T09:08:00.018-04:00

Thanks to Duff Guide to Ska reader Miles for sending in this picture of the Walt Jabsco jack-o-lantern that he recently carved. (He noted that next year he might tackle either The Toasters' This Gun for Hire or the Dub 56 album cover--which I'd definitely like to see.)

To put yourself in the mood (or to create one hell of a All Hallow's Eve party soundtrack), check out Hoi Polloi Skazine's prodigious list (300+) of ska/reggae Halloween-themed songs here.

For what it's worth, several of my favorite ska Halloween tracks can be found on RiceRokit's Hang Loose album--"Dull Boy" is from Jack Nicholson's character's crazed and murderous point of view in Stanley Kubrick's movie version of Stephen King's "The Shining"; "Something Wicked" references Ray Bradbury's intensely creepy novel "Something Wicked this Way Comes," which is about an evil carnival that comes to town; and "Howl at the Moon" has the singer warning you to "run for your life" before he sinks his werewolf teeth into your neck (sample the tracks here). RiceRokit also recorded an incredible cover of Bauhaus' goth masterpiece "Bela Lugosi's Dead" that, unfortunately, I don't think will ever see the light of day (but really does deserve to be exhumed from its crypt).

+ + + +

NYC Fall 2011 Ska Calendar Update #4

2011-10-28T14:30:00.011-04:00

Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Reggae Halloween w/Big Boss and The Frighteners (and Selectors Mush One, 100Dbs, and Grace of Spades)

The Burdi Mansion
175 Stockholm Street #111
Brooklyn, NY
$5/21+

+ + + +

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Pietasters, World/Inferno Friendship Society

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$18 in advance/$20 at door/16+

+ + + +

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Halloween at The Lake w/Top Shotta featuring Screechy Dan, Big Mandrake (from Venezuela), The Attractors, Radio Armada (plus DJs Rata, Jah Point, Bunny Punch, and Mr. K)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue
Bushwick/Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party #13 with Kevin Batchelor's Grand Concourse, Top Shotta, and Coolie Ranx (plus Selectors Queen Majesty and Crazy Baldhead Crew!)

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
J train to Kosciuszko
$7/all ages!

+ + + +

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters 30th Anniversary Show, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

+ + + +

Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm

Queen P (of Ocean 11), The Shifters (DC), and The Frighteners (plus DJs Grace of Spades and Chuckzilla)

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

+ + + +

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

NYC Ska/Reggae PSA: King Hammond with The Hard Times this December!

2011-10-28T14:10:00.001-04:00

This is an important public service announcement (with guitar!) reminding all ska and skinhead reggae fans in the New York City area that the great King Hammond is coming over from London to play two shows in December--one in Manhattan/Harlem at The Shrine and the other at The Lake in Brooklyn/Bushwick. (I'll be at both!) He's going to be backed by the always incredible The Hard Times, so these promise to be mind-blowingly, booty-shakingly awesome gigs.

These days, it's not too often that we have out-of-country ska musicians performing here in NYC (a shame, really), so make sure to mark these dates (below) on your calendar and come out to these shows! Do it!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

To give you a taste of what's in store, here are some live videos of King Hammond performing (backed by Rude Boy Mafia) at the 100 Club in London this past summer...

Duff Review: Black Market Sound System "Heavy Lies the Crown" b/w "Reggae Night" and "Movin' On"

2011-10-24T10:45:00.002-04:00

May Cause Dizziness Records
2011
7" vinyl single

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Black Market Sound System--a group led by Sam Broke of Broke 'Til Thursday and comprised of punk musicians from various LA-area bands--is clearly inspired by The Clash's oftentimes muscular, but always spot-on and reverent and approach to reggae, as exemplified on the magnificent side two of the Black Market Clash EP (the perfect segue of "Bankrobber/Robber Dub," "Armagideon Time," and "Justice Tonight/Kick it Over").

Of course, punk rock and reggae have been forever bonded since the '77-era UK punks recognized that their defiant rejection of mainstream society was simpatico with the righteous determination to escape/destroy Babylon that fueled roots reggae. Clearly, both were rebel music. But there was also a familiarity and a solidarity of sorts between the white, working-class punks who had grown up side by side with the sons and daughters of the thousands of Jamaican immigrants who came to the UK (with their music and culture in tow) during the post-war years. Not only were both groups living in close proximity in the bleak tower blocks and council estates, they were ghettoized by--and alienated from--the larger, highly class-conscious and oftentimes racist British society that viewed both groups as outcasts (and formulated political policies against them accordingly).

And then there was the enormous influence that Jamaican music had on British pop-culture--as illustrated by the incredible popularity of skinhead reggae in the UK from around 1968-1971 (when over 20 early reggae singles reached the UK pop charts, including The Upsetters' "Return of Django," Harry J All Stars' "Liquidator," Boris Gardiner's "Elizabethan Reggae," Dave & Ansell Collins' "Double Barrel" and "Monkey Spanner," Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" and "It Mek," Max Romeo's "Wet Dream," The Pioneers' "Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)," Bob & Marcia's "Young, Gifted, and Black" and "Pied Piper," the Melodians' "Sweet Sensation" and Nicky Thomas' "Love of the Common People"). The soundtrack of all of the young punks' formative years was filled with bluebeat, rocksteady, skinhead reggae and roots reggae (including home-grown reggae from groups like Matumbi and Aswad) blasting out of their transistor radios or dansettes (which also would heavily influence all of the 2 Tone ska bands, who ended up extensively covering the original JA artists). So it only follows that the punks would be predisposed to liking roots reggae and its dread message--and many punk musicians like The Ruts, The Slits, and, of course, The Clash heavily incorporated reggae into their mix. (It's interesting to note that both punk and reggae shared common roots in black America's R&B, blues, and early rock.)

In the pop-culture narrative, punk/reggae DJ and filmmaker Don Letts is credited with introducing generation zero of punks to reggae, as he was the DJ at The Roxy, the first punk club in London. Since few punk records existed in '76-'77, out of necessity (and his love of Jamaican music) Letts often spun roots reggae and dub in between the live punk sets--which had a great impact on the scene. However, punk icons Johnny Rotten, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon were already been huge reggae fans and Don Letts has stated in interviews that oftentimes Joe, Paul, and John would often turn him on to reggae records that he was completely unaware of.

But enough of our mini-history lesson and back to the matter at hand...

With the first track off their sweet new single, Black Market Sound System continue roots reggae's and punk's tradition of speaking out against injustice. "Heavy Lies the Crown" is a heartbreaking lament of living under the soul-grinding pressure of socio-economic oppression (and the violence that results): "They don't know/what we know/What we know/they don't know/What we've seen/they don't know." (The guest back up vocals by Jesse Wagner and Jeff Roffredo of The Aggrolites are particularly good and effective here.)

Heavy Lies The Crown by blackmarketsoundsystem

The flip side contains their testament to their love of reggae music: "Doctor, doctor, tell me what's wrong/I spend all day and night singing these songs/Reggae music--can you hear the sound/coming through the stereos in your hometown?/Feels so good/Feels so right/Reggae night!"

Reggae Night by blackmarketsoundsystem

"Movin' On" is on optimistic song about cutting your losses (since "something's come between us") and being amenable to walking through a newly open door after another one closes: "Things get harder every day/So much fighting along the way/Too much pressure, that's why I say/That I'm moving on today." An inspiring song--that rocks out at the end!--to get you through these days of austerity and strife.

All in all, this is a terrific single filled with catchy tunes that should have a wide appeal amongst the ska, reggae, and punk audiences out there. Here's hoping there's more of this coming soon...

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

+ + + +

Here is part of the punk segment of the excellent 1995 PBS documentary "Rock & Roll: An Unruly History" by Hugh Thompson and Robert Palmer that delves into the connection between punk rock and reggae:

To view the entire punk segment of this documentary, go here.

Duff Interview: Jason Lawless of the Reggae 69 Fan Club and Moondust Records

2011-10-19T23:06:00.005-04:00

Editor's note: Jason Lawless is the man behind the amazing new Reggae 69 Fan Club and its just-launched imprint Moondust Records. Modeled on music fan clubs from the 1970s, like the Trojan Appreciation Society, Reggae 69 Fan Club's mission is simple: "Release new music and help foster the sounds of '69 from today's modern bands." Everyone who loves ska and reggae and vinyl needs to know more about--and then join--this amazing club (samples of many of the Moondust Records releases are at the bottom of this post!).

The Duff Guide to Ska: What initially inspired you to start the Reggae 69 Fan Club and Moondust Records? Why did you want to link the label to a club?

Jason Lawless: Why is easy. I love vinyl. I'm a junkie for it. I'm a collector and a selecter, so I have to have things on vinyl, of course. Which is why I've always been trying to get things going in the right direction to launch a new label. I knew it was going to be vinyl-focused (with some CD/digital at some point too) and with the right push behind it. There are plenty of “labels” out there, but are they doing things for the fans or for themselves? Everyone needs to make money of course, but I hope to be able to do some really interesting projects/ releases and not just because the band needs a CD out. There needs to be some passion behind it--a reason for it to be put out.

I got to thinking that there needed to be something that made fans want to participate more, too--sort of like back in the day with the Madness Information Service or Trojan Appreciation Society (which has now relaunched, too!). I really wanted to make that sort of exclusive and fan-driven aspect a big part of the new label. Back in the day, fan clubs were a big thing. You got special deals, exclusive releases, letters from bands, etc.--so that idea of making something special and exclusive appeals to me greatly. I think it can make for a really great package and promotion too. Especially in today's market. I envision the fan club being able to help market and distribute releases from other like-minded and musically-inclinded bands from around the globe too in the future--not just our releases, but a real collective of DJs, bands and labels working together to support the music.

DGTS: The first two releases from Moondust are reissues from the great, late Laurel Aitken (Reggae 69 b/w Big Fight In Hell Stadium and Apollo 12 (Skinhead Invasion) b/w Moon Rock). How did you ever manage to get your hands on these amazing tracks?

JL: Well, it was pretty easy actually. I licensed them from the label that is overseeing Laurel's catalog at the moment. Reached out to them and we worked out a deal. It went pretty smooth, in fact. The idea behind the whole thing really came out of my love for the work of Laurel Aitken. He was the first JA artist I started listening to via the old Moon Ska release and he is, after all, the Godfather. It worked out so well to come out swinging with some top tunes that fit perfectly into what I was trying to do, as well. It set the tone for what I hope to do in the future. It was just awesome to be able to do something with an artist I hold with such high respect.

DGTS: Down the line, which other ska or early reggae artists would you really like to reissue on Moondust?

JL: Oh man, so many. But the collector/ reissue market is very specific. I debated really issuing the Laurel Aitken tunes on my own label for instance. We all love the original labels deeply, right? I wanted to give people an instant idea of what I hope to do, so getting the Laurel tunes was a perfect way to do that. Trojan pretty much has a lock on so much of the original material, but as Rock A Shacka has proved, there are plenty more producers that are looking for outlets for their music. Should we have issued it on our own label instead of a true classic? Well, I felt strange really just taking an old label and reissuing a new release on it, especially if it was not a true repress (meaning tracks from different releases, but on the same label, for instance). I even asked the licensor what they thought about doing a New Beat release. They did not really say no, but that they didn't have the rights or anything for that art, so I decided that issuing it on the Moondust was the next best thing.

I also knew I was not going after the reissue market as much as I am the new collectors and DJs. No one plays modern records really, but if I could make some new releases that looked and fit in with all the old ones, maybe they'd be more apt to play 'em out. The DJs are a big part of everything I plan to do. Being one myself--getting that group on board was key for me. They are the ones keeping the music alive, playing it at clubs, collecting, and promoting it. That is why we've set up parties across the nation with a lot of them that I know. Most have been very enthusiastic about it and spreading the word.

So many times lately the fans have really been passed over by bands trying to get their music out. Sort of like bands saying, “well they don't have much choice, so they have to buy what I put out” and then dropping the ball on a lot of things that people do care about. This is a big part of why I think we're in such bad shape with modern band, really. So as far as orginal artists I can't say for sure, but Derrick Morgan and Dave Barker are high on my list since they are still active and more apt to do something. There are so many artists that I just don't have enough money to make deals with yet, but maybe one day. So going forward there are some new artists and releases already worked out --some more in the 70s style, rootsy stuff like more Irie Beats and Soulutionaries. I'm a big fan of the Rocksteady 7 stuff from David Hillyard too, so been talking to him about that and it's pretty much a go. Then more Delirians hopefully.

DGTS: All the Moondust singles feature a UK-style center punch (a brilliant detail!)—where did you find a record pressing plant that could still manufacture these?

JL: There is only one and in the US, in fact! I've been working for a few years to get more material to release. But it never seemed right or the music just wasn't there. It was something I wanted to do for a long time. But as a few of my collector/ label friends and I always said, "man, it would be really tight if we could have those UK centers." It was like the thing we never thought we could do. We always want things to be as original and old school as possible. Many of them like Rhygin Records, Axe or Jandisc record only to tape (no digital) or do silkscreened sleeves-- that sort of stuff to make it more original. We all want it to be super tight and outta sight--clean and 60s as much as possible. So I'm always looking at deals for pressing plants. One day I found this ad for the pressing plant talking about UK style centers and I immediately said, "perfect!" After this and some other things that are coming up, I think they might start getting more business from it.

DGTS: The Reggae 69 Fan Club was successfully launched as a Kickstarter project. With actual sales of recorded music increasingly limited to diehard music fans (since the vast majority of recorded music now acquired by the public is obtained through illegal file sharing), do you think that this is a viable model for indie labels and bands to utilize going forward? It seems like groups of dedicated fans will have to become investors in a recording project before it can be put into production and fully realized….

JL: I love KS! Been a fan for a long time--always looked at the site and the projects thinking, "wow, that's a really cool and fun way to connect with fans." So once I got some things lined-up, I dove into using it for my project. The first one failed by just a bit though, but I looked at it--figured out why and relaunched it to success. I think I'll be using that in the future. I've got some other ideas that I think will be fresh and fun, including new music, of course.

DGTS: What are your plans for the label once the initial eight limited-edition singles are all released? Are you going to expand the label’s focus beyond (mostly) California early reggae bands?

JL: More releases, for sure, as I mentioned! We already have two to four more in the planning stages. There is a punk label that releases a single a month every year --they pre-sell the year of releases and then go about doing it. That is the model that I would love to be able to do. Constantly releasing --there are still a lot of bands around the world keeping the flame alive, like The Granadians, Crabs Corporation, The Prizefighters, just to name a few.

DGTS: To state the obvious, you’re a big fan of vinyl. When did you start collecting records; how big is your collection, and what are some of your most treasured records?

JL: Not nearly enough--that will never end. Before I moved into my current place, I had a really small apartment. It was funny, because in the kitchen I didn't have dishes, I had records on the shelves! Now I have an extra room with shelves and more storage, so I've moved the records out of the kitchen. I started buying music in '94 in high school, and then over the last 16 years just kept collecting. I don't actually have a collection that some others have, like Nina Y Viktor (The Rocksteady Lounge) or Mark Morales (Hot Shot Sound System) or the SF Vintage Reggae Society guys-- these cats have been collecting a lot longer with more money than I.

DGTS: During the 80s and 90s, the SoCal/LA-area ska scene was massive—much bigger than NYC’s. What’s it like now? What are some of the bands that you’re following now?

JL: Well, honestly there has been a massive drain over the last 5 years. Hepcat doesn't do much anymore and every other band has gotten older, had kids, etc. They still play every now and then, but the young bands have just disappeared in the traditional style. There are plenty of the Latin Ska crowd but that's not my scene too much. I think there isn't anyone for kids to look up to and idolize, so they don't go that way. For a while, there was a lot of good talent and they had something to emulate.

Then the Bluebeat Lounge and Chris Murray came along, For a time there was something to look forward to each week. Some were good, some were bad, but it was there. I think that really created a black hole of sorts once it was gone. We've got some promising talent here and there again. I can't say it enough, but The Delirians are just so tight. The Revivers/Debonaires are still working it. The Expanders, if you want that 70s heavy roots, but we need some of the older acts to really show the kids how it's done again.

Maybe Hepcat can hold a retreat or something. I kid, of course, but maybe not that much. Hepcat Camp where they teach some kids how to play or pass along their knowledge. Been trying to get a industry night together where we could have some of the people that have been around for a while talk about different aspects of the business and invite anyone that is in a band down. Still working on that.

DGTS: The graphic artist Chema created a limited-edition print for Reggae 69 Fan Club members who pledged at a certain level. Why did you select him/how did this come about?

JL: I've known Chema for many years now. Talked off and on and he would always ask me about doing art. I used to work for a large Latin music company that represents artists like Manu Chao and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, so he was a big fan of those artists. I really liked his work and def wanted something special for the Kickstarter. Just worked out great with his piece. I want to do more. As a art collector myself--I have some Shag and Manu Chao pieces--I want to support artists, make what is happening a joint art and music thing. There are some amazing artists out there doing very ska-centric art, so why not bring them into the fold? Just like working with the DJs to make sure the artists join in the fun. It's all about being creative and fun for the fans.

DGTS: Since these releases are all in limited-runs, are there spots still available for fans to join the Reggae 69 Fan Club, make their pledge of $45, and receive this series of singles?

JL: Of course! We're doing launch parties around the nation during November and have a pre-sale going on 'till that time. You don't get everything that the KS supporters do, but you can get a really great deal on the first series. Just go to http://moondustrecords.bigcartel.com and you can see the packages available. Once that is over, the prices go up on each release. Then stop by our Facebook page at facebook.com/reggae69fanclub and say hello. Got some more surprises coming up, too. It's all really about showing the love for the music of a young Jamaica and for fans around the world. It's Reggae for the People! Thanks so much for chatting with me.

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Check out some Moondust Records tracks here...

Irie Beats People Need People

Ocean 11 Miss Understanding

Delirians Musical Remedy

Revivers Reggae Fever

Impalers Mr Uppercut

Soulsteppers Bout Time

NYC Ska Gig Alert: Mr. T-Bone, Eastern Standard Time, Bigger Thomas, and The Rudie Crew This Saturday Nite!

2011-10-14T18:36:00.010-04:00

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Mr. T-Bone (Italy), Eastern Standard Time (Washington, DC), Bigger Thomas (NYC), and The Rudie Crew (NYC)

This bill of ska bands is strictly A-list, top-shelf, dynamite, primo, first-class, five-star, out-of-sight stellar--and all for the bargain price of $7! If you're not familiar with any one of the acts, check out their video below. Then, plan to get yourself onto the J train and to Goodbye Blue Monday on Saturday night!

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
$7

Take the J train to Kosciusko Street and the venue is about a block away from the station. First band is on at 9:30 pm...

Duff Interview: Valerie Desnoyers (Montreal Ska Festival) and Lorraine Muller (The Fabulous Lolo)

2011-10-10T23:20:00.010-04:00

Editor's note: With the third annual Montreal Ska Festival coming up this weekend (October 14-16, 2011), we thought it was a good time to catch up with one of the festival's co-founders, Valerie Desnoyers (the other co-founder is Catherine Marchand), as well as festival volunteer/performer/booster, Lorraine Muller (of The Fabulous Lolo, Lo and the Magnetics, and The Kingpins)...

The Duff Guide to Ska: How did the Montreal Ska Festival first come into existence--and why was it established as a non-profit, all-volunteer organization? (I know the Canadian government is very good about supporting the arts; does the festival receive any government grants?) Have you been involved with it from the beginning, and what's your current role in the organization?

Valerie Desnoyers: The Montreal Ska Festival started from a few fans who wanted to bring back the excitement and popularity that ska music once knew in Montreal. In the late 90s, Montreal was known as the ska capital of at least Canada, if not North America, and thanks to The Kingpins' and Planet Smashers' creation Stomp Records, we were world-reknown in terms of ska. That reputation and popularity soon waned, but the the talent remained. We thought it was a shame that Victoria, BC was able to have its own ska festival while Montreal did nothing. The Victoria Ska Festival is a well-known event that has now been running for 12 years! We were inspired by what they were doing and decided to stop waiting for it to happen and just make it happen ourselves.

We sat down with Lorraine to run the idea by her and ask her for her input, and to learn from her experience and she pushed us into making it happen. She believed in us and supported us every step of the way, being our spokesperson, media coordinator, advisor--AND generously offering her musical support on every edition by playing with her fabulous band of all-stars ska musicians, The Fabulous Lolo. Therefore the project started in August 2008 and it was really important to us to make it non-profit so we could use all the money directly towards the festival and bands, without having everyone taking a cut before the artists get theirs. We feel the musicians are undervalued and that they deserve way more recognition (and money) for their hard work.

People don't realize how hard it is to write, rehearse, book yourself, promote yourself, and deal with the paperwork on top of focusing on your music. We wanted to be a means of support and a offer a platform for the local bands so they could concentrate more on making music and developing contacts by playing with international acts.

We are not receiving any grants, it is really hard for us because we insist on keeping the ticket prices as low as possible (less than $20 with taxes and service charges) to democratize the music and have people come and check it out even if they don't know the bands playing, but just because it's affordable. We have tried to apply for a bunch of grants, it's quite complicated and very time-consuming since you also need to produce a pile of paperwork for every application. We are DIY and have tried to get help with this but it continues to be a huge challenge. I was part of the originators of the Montreal Ska Society, I'm president and my role includes a broad variety of tasks, from artistic director to ordering the merch, dealing with the taxes and driving the backline.

I have great volunteers helping me out, I could certainly not do it by myself. This year, more musicians have become volunteers and it's nice to see the scene being supported and taken over by the actual people that are on stage. Having them help out behind the scenes is refreshing and motivating for me.

DGTS: For this year's festival, how were the bands selected?

VD: We almost made it happen with The Skatalites for the 2010 edition, but they extended their stay in a South American festival, so the dates didn't coincide. Since they were interested and they are really a jewel for our crowd, we treated ourselves by making it happen this year!

Lorraine Muller: I am not at all involved in programming, but what I'd like to add is that the true goal of the festival is to support and maintain a healthy ska scene in the city, so we/they really emphasize the local talent by selecting the cream of the crop for the festival. We avoid repeats from one year to the next, so this keeps the door open for new artists and provides them a concrete goal towards which they can work. After that, the headlining acts are picked based on Val and Cath's desire to share their discoveries with the city, as well as give people access to legendary bands that don't get to perform here very often.

DGTS: Based your experience with previous Montreal Ska Festivals, how many fans are you expecting in total this year?

VD: We are expecting about 2,000 guests altogether spread over all our events in the 2011 edition. We think The Skatalites are truly something special for the Montreal fans and we expect a lot of people to come this year that might not have been to the previous years.

DGTS: As ska fans, which bands are you looking forward to seeing the most at the fest? (And what are some of your favorite memories from the previous two festivals?)

VD: Of course, The Skatalites are something really special and rare, but personally I'm really looking forward to see Mr. T-Bone (Italy) and Eastern Standard Time (Washington, DC). Mr. T-Bone will be playing on Canadian soil for the first time ever and EST, who haven't played here in over a decade, will not only be performing a set of their own but also serve as Mr. T-Bone's backing band. Void Union are a collective from Boston that we went to see last January to decide if they were MSF material and we were blown away! They are definitely a must-see in the 2011 edition. They are a 'coup-de-coeur' for me because a few members from Westbound Train are part of the project. WBT were one of the highlights of the 2009 edition of the MSF.

Of course we are also psyched to see our local bands make their way in the line-up and play the big stage that is Club Soda.

LM: The thing that excites me most about the festival is less the individual bands, and more the community that gravitates towards it. While I enjoy the performance of most of the bands, I really get my kicks out of seeing others enjoy the bands and discover something new! I've always said that to ME, and this is a very personal feeling, ska can be like a big hug. It reminds me of how I felt when i first discovered it, like someone was giving me a big hug and saying "welcome!"

I'm very excited about The Skatalites coming to the festival, it makes me realize how far it has come in such a short time! And the fact that The Toasters routed their tour around our festival goes to show that it is truly becoming a world-class international event! My favourite memories almost always involve me performing, or talking to people after they've seen me perform. Each year, the festival continues to provide more memorable moments for each of us who attend. It's always fun to catch up with bands I haven't seen for a long time (like Mustard Plug, who I hadn't seen in several years), to discover new bands I'd never seen nor heard (Westbound Train comes to mind), or to watch our local bands thrive (in the way I've enjoyed watching Danny Rebel & the KGB grow since the first edition). This year, I will be catching up with The Skatalites, with whom I've played several times in Europe, and EST who I was very close with back in the day.

DGTS: What is the Montreal ska scene like? Ska is pretty much relegated to the underground in the US--is it fairly popular in Canada right now and does it tend to attract people from other music scenes?

LM: Ska as a genre does not have a very "popular" standing at the moment. We've also slipped back into the underground, but that's a great occasion to refresh and regroup and continue to inspire each other. I don't know if ska will ever really explode into popularity and become its own entity the way hip-hop has, or metal. I think people don't really know what it is, and that it has SUCH a varied offering that it doesn't actually fit into one category anyway. Ska-punk fits into the category of punk, ska-pop fits into pop, and so on. There are a few bands that can play major festivals and make a living at the music, but to say "few" is even being generous. We're lucky enough to have a healthy underground, and a steady stream of newcomers to the music, and to have a good pool of talent and fans that can allow this music to thrive in our community.

DGTS: Which ska bands in Montreal should we make sure to check out?

VD: Definitely Danny Rebel & the KGB who were part of the MSF in 2009 and are playing again this year. They are just about to record their second album and this time, they are working with the legendary producer Victor Rice! They are unbelievable performers and write the catchiest songs ever. Make sure you check them out, they will be coming to the US soon! The Fundamentals, The Hangers, The Beatdown, and R.D.C. are all great talented bands from Montreal.

LM: I agree that DRKGB are a must-see and the ones to watch. The Fundamentals have also raised the bar on every level, whether it's songwriting or performing. We're very fortunate to have a good variety of ska in the city--something for everyone!

DGTS: Can you share with us the origins of your own band, The Fabulous Lolo? Its traditional ska/rocksteady sound is a big shift in direction from the post-2 Tone ska of The Kingpins and Lo and the Magnetics--why did you want to explore this aspect of the genre?

LM: If you listen to the evolution of The Kingpins, you will see that what we did was explore a different facet of ska on each album. Each project was approached in a completely different way. We started off very 2 Tone like, then took a step back in time to explore our love of the 60s garage-twist-movie soundtrack sound, and followed that up with a wonderful testament to our take on traditional "old-school" Jamaican ska and rocksteady. The last Kingpins album, and the Magnetics album were both a study of more modern sounds, incorporating a lot more technology, so these were not influential in the birth of The Fabulous LoLo.

This exploration of different eras of ska (starting in 1996-1997) was spearheaded by our then keyboard player Ian "Hot Tub" Hodkinson, and when he left the band, Jesse Radz (trumpet) kept us on the path towards traditional sounds. We willingly and eagerly discovered so many wonderful songs and artists from that time and this gave rise to the Stomp All-Stars in 1997 or 1998 when, over a few beers, Bobby Beaton (Kingpins, guitar) proposed to Matt Collyer (Planet Smashers, guitar) that it would be a great idea to do some sort of all-star band and play some of those great old tunes together instead of always performing our own tunes as separate bands.

The pinnacle of that band came in 2000 when we played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on one of the outdoor stages. We had programmed the entire ska series (led by John Jordan as our link between the festival organizers and our band suggestions, which were all selected). In late 2005, the Magnetics were not very busy (and in fact, were about to go on hiatus in May 2006). I had no other regular band to speak of and I really wanted to do something. I decided to contact the Jazz Festival organizers myself after having performed several times with The Kingpins and propose the idea of getting an all-star band together but concentrating on rocksteady music. They loved the idea and in Spring 2006 they confirmed they would love to invite us to participate at that summer's festival! (The name came from my long-time collaborator Mitch Gírio who said that would be a great stage name.) I was thrilled and immediately sought out the best musicians I could think of for this music! I really approached that first gig as a "meeting of worlds." The idea was to get people from different (in some cases allegedly "opposing") universes together, united in one common goal--black/white, younger/older, old-school/new-school.

I got a friend who had played at Studio One in the 60s (Errol Walters) and I got Lynn Taitt who was "the man" at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle, the other prominent studio in Jamaica at the time. I got a Planet Smasher alongside a Kingpin, and I used my very own wonderful musicians from The Kingpins/Magnetics as the core. The full name we gave that first concert was "The Fabulous LoLo sings Rocksteady".

DGTS: Before he passed, the band collaborated with the great rocksteady guitarist Lynn Taitt--what transpired and what was it like to work with him?

LM: When The Kingpins were recording Let's Go To Work in 1997, we thought it would be wonderful to have one of the "old-timers" on the album to really bring home the trad flavour we were going for. We knew that many Jamaicans from that era had moved up to Canada, mostly Toronto. Our bassist Jordan Swift learned that guitarist Lynn Taitt was actually living not too far from Montreal and we called upon him. I knew nothing of him at the time. I'd never heard his name and didn't know who he was. I was just excited we were having someone who was "there" joining us on the album.

He showed up at the studio with his wife and listened to the tunes we wanted to do with him. He was shy and didn't say too much, but once he started opening up, he told us that in fact, he had produced and played on the very first recorded version of the song "Last Train to Expo '67" (which we were asking him to play on!!) Well, that blew our minds. He also played on our original tune "Johnny Rocksteady" by adding some of his signature bubbling guitar.

We kept in touch, as he seemed to genuinely get a kick out of playing with us, and it was like watching him rediscover an old love. He'd been doing arranging of different music until then and hadn't been playing much rocksteady, to be sure! He came out and played with the Stomp All Stars in early 1998, and he called me into his studio to do some back vocals and horn section parts on his projects. He had a clear picture of what he wanted and though communication was sometimes hard (expressions and terminologies not always the same), I really enjoyed my moments with him. It was such an honour to have him play with us in 2006. This was his last live performance before he passed away last year. I got to see him a few times in the last year and was very proud for him when he was honoured at the "Legends of Rocksteady" concert at the Jazz Festival in 2009.

DGTS: Do you have any plans to bring The Fabulous Lolo down to the US (NYC perhaps?) this year to promote your new album?

LM: I would absolutely LOVE to get the band on the road, but you must be painfully aware of how difficult it is to break even with such an expensive undertaking (getting a 10-piece band into a large enough vehicle, feeding them and compensating them). If anyone has any ideas of a mini-tour that is feasible, I am more than open to the idea.

DGTS: If you could only save five of your ska/reggae records or CDs from a fire in your home, which ones would they be?

LM: I'm glad I live in the age of portable music and this isn't really a question I need worry about! But if it were a consideration, for NOSTALGIC reasons (not because I listen to them regularly), I would save my vinyl editions of This Are 2 Tone and Dance Craze. These albums were the first ska albums I bought! I would then make sure I had my Fabulous LoLo CD because it was a very proud moment to finally get this 10-piece band down on a proper recording! And I would be crazy to leave behind an absolute collector's item, The Kingpins' On the Run EP from 1995. That is irreplaceable. Last but not least, an album I actually do listen to on occasion Danny Rebel & the KGB's Soul Shaker. I wouldn't feel bad about the rest of my collection, but these ones I would miss! Actually, now you have me thinking about other items that are precious and irreplaceable!

NYC Fall 2011 Ska Calendar Update #3

2011-10-07T09:35:00.011-04:00

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Bluebeats

Old Fields
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Aggrolites and The Roots of Creation

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 in advance/$15 day of show/16+

+ + + +

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Pietasters, Steady Habits, Across the Aisle

Daniel Street Cafe
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT
$15/21+

+ + + +

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 9:00 pm

DJs Tommi Infamous, Dr. Masgnosis

Casbah Taj Mahal
1000 Boardwalk @ Virginia Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ
$20/$10 with CK Expo badge

+ + + +

Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T-Bone, Bigger Thomas, The Rudie Crew
DC's Eastern Standard Time comes to Brooklyn together with Italian trombone sensation, Mr. T-Bone to meet up with Bigger Thomas and the Rudie Crew for a great night of dancing tunes! Don't miss it!

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York
J train to Kosciuszko
$6.00/All Ages

+ + + +

Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Skatalites and Top Shotta Band

B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street
New York, NY
$20 in advance/$25 day of the show

+ + + +

Friday, October 21, 2011

Reggae Meets Ska Part 3: PidginDroppings and Bigger Thomas

Hat City Kitchen
459 Valley Street
Orange, NJ

+ + + +

Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Across the Aisle

Alphabet Lounge
104 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009-8506
(212) 780-0202
21+

+ + + +

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Pietasters, World/Inferno Friendship Society

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY
$18 in advance/$20 at door/16+

+ + + +

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Halloween at The Lake w/Top Shotta featuring Screechy Dan, Big Mandrake (from Venezuela), The Attractors, Radio Armada (plus DJs Rata, Jah Point, Bunny Punch, and Mr. K)

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue
Bushwick/Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters 30th Anniversary Show, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

+ + + +

Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm

Queen P (of Ocean 11), The Shifters (DC), and The Frighteners (plus DJs Grace of Spades and Chuckzilla)

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

+ + + +

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

Duff Gig Review: Stranger Cole and Patsy with Crazy Baldhead at The Bell House (10/1/11)

2011-10-04T13:45:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday night (10/1/11), as the weird-ish mix of ska fans (skins, rudies, a few punks) and Brooklyn indie-nerd-rock hipsters milled about on the dance floor of The Bell House waiting for the Stranger Cole and Patsy show to begin, you could already sense that it was going to be an extraordinary night. Everyone was in an euphoric mood (you certainly can't always say that about all shows in NYC)--we knew we were going to witness/experience something truly phenomenal (in the truest sense of that word) that none of us had ever expected to happen in our lifetimes. It was like somehow we had collectively found a way to temporarily suspend the laws of time and space which allowed these few hours of musical bliss to happen.

While Stranger Cole has been actively touring recently, apparently he hasn't played NYC in about a decade. Patsy (aka Millicent Todd), who retired from the music business in the late 1960s, hasn't performed in the US since that decade (according to the Jamaica Gleaner, she played here with Byron Lee and The Dragonaires) and has never appeared in NYC on stage with Stranger Cole. While she currently resides in Florida, she spend most of her life living in Brooklyn and working as a secretary at Lenox Hill Hospital on the East Side of Manhattan (which is about 13 blocks from where I live). According to the Dig Deeper promoters, it took about four years of persuading, pleading, and negotiating to set this show up--and based on the singers' performances and the audience's reaction, it was time very well spent.

The all-star Crazy Baldhead band--led by Agent Jay of The Slackers and Reggay Lords on guitar; Dan Jeselsohn (Rocksteady 7, ex-Skinnerbox) on bass; Phil Wartell (Reggay Lords, ex-Stubborn All-Stars) on drums; Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers) on keys; Dave Hillyard (The Slackers, Rocksteady 7) on sax; Buford O'Sullivan (Easy Stars All-Stars, ex-Scofflaws, ex-Toasters) on t-bone; and Larry McDonald (The Wailers, The Dragonaires, Dub is a Weapon) on percussion--prepped the crowd with a few instrumental ska classics. With all the focus on Stranger and Patsy, it would be easy to overlook just how fantastic the Crazy Baldhead band was throughout the evening. The arrangements of all of these well-known and treasured classics were outstanding--crisp and vibrant--and their backing of both singers wasn't showy or obtrusive, but created the perfect musical setting to let these two legends do their thing and shine.

Stranger Cole hit the stage first to perform many of his biggest hits, including "Koo Koo Doo," "Just Like a River," "Crying Every Night" (which was stellar), and "Rough and Tough" (all captured in the videos I shot below). Cole's manic energy, crazy herky-jerky dancing, skinny frame, and constant exhortations to the crowd of "More life!" (he kept noting rightly that, "without life we have nothing!") made one well-known NYC ska musician to turn to me and say (with all love and respect) that he's "the Don Knotts of ska." Cole was a supremely entertaining and electrifying performer--and was clearly have the time of his life on stage in front of his demonstrably appreciative fans.

Patsy, looking and sounding magnificent, then took the spotlight with "Fire in Your Wire" (captured below), as well as "It's So Hard Without You," and "Pata Pata Rocksteady" (also on video). Of the two performers, she is clearly the more reserved--but this plays so well off Cole's unrestrained enthusiasm.

Finally, we were treated to a string of Stranger and Patsy's greatest hits together: "Tonight," "Give Me the Right," "Down the Train Line" (which I've heard The Bluebeats play so many times--this one was for you, Mike Drance!), "Yeah Yeah Baby," and "When I Call Your Name." There were other songs, too, which I didn't film or write down--I had to put the camera down and dance a bit, too, you know--but all of the videos below will give you a really good sense of what incredible things transpired this night.

All in all, it was a triumph for all of the performers involved and an incredible gift to all of us fortunate enough to be in the audience.

NYC Fall 2011 Ska Calendar Update #2

2011-09-30T11:40:00.001-04:00

Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Dig Deeper with Stranger Cole & Patsy backed by Crazy Baldhead

Dig Deeper is honored to present two legends of Jamaican soul, ska, and rocksteady – Stranger Cole and Patsy – who will appear for the first time together in NYC for one night only, backed by local supergroup Crazy Baldhead. Tickets available on Ticketweb: http://tinyurl.com/strangerpatsy-digdeeper

The Bell House
149 7th St.
Brooklyn, NY
$20 advance/$25 at door

+ + + +

Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 7:30 pm

The Times , The Rudie Crew, The Big Takeover, Fall Comeback Show

This is the CD release party for The Rudie Crew's "This is Skragga" album!

Union Hall
702 Union Street (at 5th Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY
$8.00/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Aggrolites and The Roots of Creation

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 in advance/$15 day of show/16+

+ + + +

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 9:00 pm

DJs Tommi Infamous, Dr. Masgnosis

Casbah Taj Mahal
1000 Boardwalk @ Virginia Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ
$20/$10 with CK Expo badge

+ + + +

Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T-Bone, Bigger Thomas, The Rudie Crew
DC's Eastern Standard Time comes to Brooklyn together with Italian trombone sensation, Mr. T-Bone to meet up with Bigger Thomas and the Rudie Crew for a great night of dancing tunes! Don't miss it!

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York
J train to Kosciuszko
$6.00/All Ages

+ + + +

Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Skatalites and Top Shotta Band

B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street
New York, NY
$20 in advance/$25 day of the show

+ + + +

Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Across the Aisle

Alphabet Lounge
104 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009-8506
(212) 780-0202
21+

+ + + +

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters 30th Anniversary Show, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

+ + + +

Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm

Queen P (of Ocean 11), The Shifters (DC), and The Frighteners (plus DJs Grace of Spades and Chuckzilla)

The Shop Brooklyn
290 Metropolitan Avenue (between Roebling & Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

+ + + +

Thursday, December 1, 2011

King Hammond and The Hard Times

Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue between 133rd and 134th Streets)
New York, NY
Free!

+ + + +

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with King Hammond, The Hard Times, Dub is a Weapon

The Lake
258 Johnson Avenue (between Bushwick Avenue and White Street)
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

+ + + +

Leonard Dillon of The Ethiopians RIP

2011-09-29T11:54:00.001-04:00

According to the Jamaica Observer, the extraordinary ska and rocksteady vocalist of The Ethiopians Leonard Dillon died of lung and prostate cancer yesterday at the age of 69.

In 2009, Dillon recorded a new album titled The Ethiopian (with The Silvertones backing him), which is slated to be released soon on Young Cub Records. The first digital single from this record ("Good You Do" b/w "My Lady") was just released last week on iTunes.

Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Here is Dillon's/The Ethiopians' biography written by Steve Huey at AllMusic.com:

Essentially a mouthpiece for singer and songwriter Leonard Dillon, the Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's most influential vocal groups during their heyday. Not only did the duo (completed by Stephen Taylor) spearhead the transition between ska and rocksteady, Dillon's heavily Rastafarian lyrics also paved the way for the socially conscious roots reggae era that was to come. Born in Port Antonio in 1942, Dillon grew up in a Christian family and discovered music through their church. Having written some original songs, he moved to Kingston in 1963; finding the going difficult, he returned home for a time to regroup, but made the move back to Kingston permanently in 1964. Not long after, he met Peter Tosh, who liked his original material and introduced Dillon to the rest of the Wailers. The Wailers in turn brought Dillon to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One, where Dillon made his first recordings under the name Jack Sparrow. Two Sparrow singles, "Ice Water" and "Suffering on the Land," were both released in 1965.

Around the same time, Dillon discovered a street-corner singing duo consisting of Taylor and singer/guitarist Aston Morris. At first, he invited them to sing backup for him, then decided to form a full-fledged group dubbed the Ethiopians. Together they cut several excellent singles for Studio One in 1966, including "Free Man," "Live Good," and the ska/rocksteady-bridging "Owe Me No Pay Me." Morris, a songwriter in his own right, elected to leave the group by the end of 1966, reducing the Ethiopians to a duo. Meanwhile, Dillon was working a day job in construction and met another singer there named Albert Griffiths (who would later found the Gladiators). Together they convinced their boss to finance a recording session, and the result for the Ethiopians was the breakthrough smash hit "Train to Skaville," which even managed to scrape the lower reaches of the U.K. Top 40.

With this success under their belt, the Ethiopians recorded prolifically over the remainder of 1967, cutting hits like "Engine 54," "Train to Glory," "Stay Loose Mama," and another big smash in the percussion-driven "The Whip"; all but the former were recorded for rocksteady producer Sonia Pottinger, and they also worked a bit with Lee "Scratch" Perry. 1968 saw the release of their first LP, Engine 54, and the arrival of a semiofficial third vocalist, Melvin Reid. Toward the end of that year, the group teamed with producer Carl "Sir J.J." Johnson in what would become their most celebrated association. Their first hit for Johnson was the proto-reggae "Everything Crash," a socially conscious, rhythmically jerky juggernaut that became arguably the group's signature tune. Through 1970, Johnson and the Ethiopians collaborated on numerous other groundbreaking hits, including "What a Fire," "Gun Man," "Hong Kong Flu," "Woman Capture Man" (the title track of their third LP), and "The Selah," all of which helped keep them popular in the U.K. as well as Jamaica.

The restless Dillon subsequently moved the Ethiopians to a succession of other labels and producers; over 1969-1971, they recorded popular material for Harry Robinson ("Fire a Mus Mus Tail"), Lloyd Daley ("Satan Girl"), Derrick Harriott ("Lot's Wife," "No Baptism"), and Duke Reid ("Good Ambition," "Pirate"). As the group evolved into a rootsier reggae outfit over the next few years, all the producer-hopping grew even more frantic over the next several years, with Vincent Chin, Prince Buster, Joe Gibbs, Bob Andy, and Rupie Edwards numbering just some of the group's collaborators. Part of the reason was that Dillon hadn't been receiving his fair share of past royalties and was forced to record constantly just to make money. Reid left for good in 1974, by which time Dillon and Taylor had taken day jobs once again. Sadly, Taylor's day job would turn into tragedy in September 1975: he was working at a gas station when he was killed by a van while crossing the street.

Taylor's untimely death effectively spelled the end of the Ethiopians' golden age. Dillon, understandably distraught, took a hiatus from music for a time, returning home to Port Antonio for two years. Eventually, he contacted charter member Aston Morris and revived the Ethiopians name, cutting the rootsy, political album Slave Call in 1977 with producer Winston "Niney" Holness. Dillon toured off and on under the Ethiopians name afterwards, sometimes with Harold Bishop and Neville Duncan, and recorded occasionally as a solo act in the '80s and '90s. Toward the end of the millennium, he formed a new Ethiopians lineup with female backing vocalists Jennifer Lara and Merlene Webber, who appeared on the 1999 album Tuffer Than Stone.

NYC Ska/Rocksteady Gig Alert: Stranger Cole and Patsy Backed by Crazy Baldhead This Saturday Nite!

2011-09-28T14:45:00.003-04:00

There really is no other reason to be anywhere else this Saturday night (10/1/11) in NYC than the Bell House in Brooklyn (click on the image at right for all of the details) to see the first performance together in NYC by Stranger Cole and Patsy, backed by the all-star Crazy Baldhead band (plus Mr. Robinson & DJ Honky on the decks, as well as the Deadly Dragon Sound System). This is an extremely rare and historic opportunity to witness two of the ska and rocksteady eras' greatest and most soulful singers making incredible music (apparently it took the promoters--namely Agent Jay--around four years of pursuing, pleading, and negotiating with the artists to make this happen)!

For those not in the know, my friends at Marco on the Bass and Lawless Street have some terrific background on Stranger Cole and Patsy that will inform you of their great significance to the history of Jamaican music and provide you with some more info on the show (like who's performing in the all-star Crazy Baldhead band).

From the event's Dig Deeper Facebook page, it looks like everyone who is anyone in the current ska scene will be there, so there will be lots of familiar faces in the crowd to catch up with and share the experience.

Tickets are available for purchase online here. It might be a good idea to buy them in advance (I've got mine right here), since there is a big buzz about this show...

King Hammond Hits New York City This December-Two Gigs with The Hard Times!

2011-09-27T11:54:00.002-04:00

Big, big news for NYC ska fans--UK-based King Hammond has just announced two New York City shows in early December! He'll be backed at both gigs by the fantastic NYC skinhead/dirty reggae band The Hard Times. The Duff Guide to Ska is a rabid fan of both acts (and was very jealous of SoCal ska fans when KH played several gigs in San Diego this past June), so I'm completely ecstatic that these shows are happening--and I strongly urge you to make it to a least one of them (I'm going to both)!

Here are the details (The Hard Times will be playing their own set at each show in addition to backing King Hammond):

King Hammond with The Hard Times

Thursday, December 1, 2011: Shrine (Harlem)

Saturday, December 3, 2011: Dirty Reggae Party #14 at The Lake with Dub is a Weapon (Bushwick/Brooklyn)

+ + + +

If you're not familiar with King Hammond (aka Nick Welsh, ex-Skaville UK, Selecter, Big 5, Bad Manners), read The Duff Guide to Ska reviews of his latest albums here, here, and here.

And check out The Duff Guide to Ska review of The Hard Times' EP Two Bucks for Bob here--and our write-up of one their gigs from earlier this year here.

+ + + +

Lastly, here are videos from KH, The Hard Times, and Dub is a Weapon:

Duff Review: V/A "Doin' the Popcorn Ska: Golden Oldies, Volume 1"

2011-09-26T20:17:00.003-04:00

Discotheque Records
2011
4-track 7" vinyl single
(available in the US through Jump Up Records)

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Things don't look very promising when you first peruse the list of artists on "Doin' the Popcorn Ska" and come across such early 1960s squeaky-clean, Wonder Bread-types as Neil "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do" Sedaka, former Mouseketeer and Beach Party movie series star Annette Funicello, and doo-wop trio The Fleetwoods (the exception is "Baby" Earl & The Trini-Dads--but we'll get to them in a minute). You'd think to yourself, what could these pop artists possibly know about ska music?

Plenty, it turns out. And that's what is so surprising about this record. All of these artists aren't just lazily mimicking the ska sound--they were making serious attempts to work within the parameters of this musical genre (albeit while pursuing their dreams of topping the pop charts).

The unlikely and now almost unimaginable hit that Millie Small scored in the USA in 1964 (#2 on the US and UK charts--the first ska crossover hit--selling over six million copies world-wide) with her cover of Bobby Spencer's "My Boy Lollypop" (which was originally recorded by Barbie Gaye in 1956 and was a minor R&B hit in NYC on Alan Freed's show on WINS) spawned the first, brief ska craze in America (see the surreal Bob Hope/Annette Funicello video below, where Hope bungles which album she's promoting), as musicians scrambled to capitalize on Small's hit sound (produced by Chris Blackwell and arranged by Ernest Ranglin, who also played guitar on the track). The interest in ska, no doubt, was also reinforced in part by the appearance of several ska artists in the Jamaican Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, where Byron Lee and the Dragonaires backed Prince Buster, Eric "Monty" Morris, Millie Small, and Jimmy Cliff. Plus, other forms of traditional Caribbean music had proved extremely popular with music fans in the US. Harry Belafonte's 1956 Calypso album (which contained mostly mento, actually, and featured songs like "Day-O" and "Jamaica Farewell") was the very first LP in any genre ever to sell over a million copies.

Musically, The Fleetwood's buoyant "Ska Light, Ska Bright"--written, recorded, and released by the band a few months after Millie Small's chart success--hews fairly closely to the established "My Boy Lollipop" model (each short vocal line alternates with the horn riff), but mixes in a few elements of teen pop from that era--like the spare vocal intro sung over strummed guitar chords and the trio's vocal arrangements during the chorus (as well as chastely pining for a special someone: "I used to wish upon a star/But stars can't hear/they're much too far/Instead, I've learned to wish upon a ska/You'll hear me, ska light, ska bright/First ska I dance tonight/I wish I may/I wish I might/Do the ska with her tonight"). Considering that this Pacific Northwest group (Olympia, Washington to be exact) had very limited access to recorded Jamaican music (let alone culture), this is a strong outing in uncharted territory.

For Annette Funicello's latest "Beach Party" sequel tie-in LP in 1964 (the movie this time out was "Bikini Beach"), the folks at Disney turned to Byron Lee and the Dragonaires' song "Jamaica Ska." That year, Atlantic Records had released a compilation of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (appearing as The Ska Kings) productions called Jamaica Ska, which included the 1962 song of the same name (Lee distributed Atlantic releases in JA, so the label had a direct connection to other ska artists after "My Boy Lollipop" hit it big--apparently Atlantic label head Ahmet Ertegun went down to Jamaica to check out the scene and Atlantic tried to score a hit on the US charts with "Oil in My Lamp" by Byron Lee and The Ska Kings, with Toots Hibbert on vocals, but it flopped, as it only appeared at #98 for one week). So for her Annette at Bikini Beach album, Funicello's producers probably decided to take a shot with a ska song. It's "beachy" dance music from the Caribbean that already had some huge exposure/traction in the US--and since any teen music fan worth their salt probably knew that "My Boy Lollipop" was a ska song, it didn't hurt that Lee's track had ska in its title and chorus. Annette's version is a good and faithful reading of the tune, but her vocals definitely conform to the (white) mainstream teen pop expectations of the day, which can seem a bit jarring when heard in the present-day context. (Annette also revisited this tune years later for the Beach Party parody Back to the Beach (1987) with Fishbone making the music--see the video below).

Neil Sedaka's "Do the Jellyfish" (1965)--which he must have written when he was slumming between hits, as it appeared on the soundtrack of the jellyfish monster-man B-horror film "Sting of Death"--skates perilously close to novelty record due to its crummy lyrics ("Wella/Fella/Get your Cinderella/and do the jilla-jalla-jella/It's really swella/To do the Jellyfish"). However, if you block out what Sedaka is actually singing, he's penned a pretty decent, catchy ska song--one that is ripe for being covered, but with brand new lyrics (I'm begging you!).

The real treasure on "Doin' the Popcorn Ska" is "Baby" Earl & the Trini-Dad's revved-up "Back Slop," which beautifully illustrates the connective tissue between R&B, early rock 'n' roll and ska. It's essentially a pumped-up 12-bar blues instrumental (something the early ska artists in JA would hear broadcast from a radio station in New Orleans) married to a Jamaican ska offbeat--and it works so well (I actually hear "Night Train" in there, which was covered both by The Toasters and The Scofflaws in the early 90s). "Baby" Earl & the Trini-Dads were better known as the Church Street Five, the Norfolk, Virginia-based Legrand Records' house band, which played on raucous early-'60s R&B/rock 'n' roll hits by Gary "U.S." Bonds and Jimmy Soul (interestingly enough, both artists recorded calypso or calypso-inspired cuts backed by the Church Street Five). Now that "Back Slop" is in print once again, you're gonna hear a lot of ska DJs play this one, as it's guaranteed to fill the dancefloor...

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A-

+ + + +

NYC Fall 2011 Ska Calendar Update #1

2011-09-23T19:45:00.001-04:00

Friday, September 23, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Dirty Reggae Party XII: The Dirty Dozen w/The Scofflaws, Maddie Ruthless & Vic Ruggiero backed by The Forthrights, Big Boss, Dave Hillyard w/DJ 100 Decibels + Crazy Baldhead Crew

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway (@ Dodworth)
Bushwick/Bed Stuy
Brooklyn
J train to Kosciuszko
$6.00/All Ages

+ + + +

Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 8:30 pm

Across the Aisle

The eGarage
44-02 23rd St, Long Island City, NY
718-433-2733
$10/All Ages

+ + + +

Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 3:00 pm

Across the Aisle

Peggy O'Neill's Coney Island
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11224-2410
(718) 449-3200 ‎
All Ages

+ + + +

Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Dig Deeper with Stranger Cole & Patsy backed by Crazy Baldhead

Dig Deeper is honored to present two legends of Jamaican soul, ska, and rocksteady – Stranger Cole and Patsy – who will appear for the first time together in NYC for one night only, backed by local supergroup Crazy Baldhead. Tickets available on Ticketweb: http://tinyurl.com/strangerpatsy-digdeeper

The Bell House
149 7th St.
Brooklyn, NY
$20 advance/$25 at door

+ + + +

Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 7:30 pm

The Times , The Rudie Crew, The Big Takeover, Fall Comeback Show

This is the CD release party for The Rudie Crew's "This is Skragga" album!

Union Hall
702 Union Street (at 5th Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY
$8.00/21+

+ + + +

Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Aggrolites and The Roots of Creation

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 in advance/$15 day of show/16+

+ + + +

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 9:00 pm

DJs Tommi Infamous, Dr. Masgnosis

Casbah Taj Mahal
1000 Boardwalk @ Virginia Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ
$20/$10 with CK Expo badge

+ + + +

Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T-Bone, Bigger Thomas, The Rudie Crew
DC's Eastern Standard Time comes to Brooklyn together with Italian trombone sensation, Mr. T-Bone to meet up with Bigger Thomas and the Rudie Crew for a great night of dancing tunes! Don't miss it!

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York
J train to Kosciuszko
$6.00/All Ages

+ + + +

Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Skatalites and Top Shotta Band

B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd Street
New York, NY
$20 in advance/$25 day of the show

+ + + +

Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Across the Aisle

Alphabet Lounge
104 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009-8506
(212) 780-0202
21+

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Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

The Toasters 30th Anniversary Show, Obi Fernandez, Royal City Riot

Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
$12 advance/$15 day of show/All Ages!

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Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Mustard Plug, Flatfoot 56, Hub City Stompers, The Jukebox Romantics

Knitting Factory – Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
$12 in advance/$14 day of show

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Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

New York Ska Jazz Ensemble

DownHouse Lounge
250 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY
718-627-3200

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Photo of NYC subway car by Keith Baugh.

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Additional gigs will be posted when we find out about them. Send info to duffguidetoska@gmail.com!

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