The latest project from the decaying minds of the Ska is Dead peeps comes this spring (if winter ever ends, that is) with The Young Guns 2011 Tour--featuring some of the best, new(ish) American ska bands on the scene--with Detroit’s We Are the Union and New York City’s The Forthrights as co-headliners. Supporting bands along the way include Nashville's Stuck Lucky (4/15-4/22), Boston's Brunt of It (4/23-4/28), Long Island’s The Fad (4/19-4/27), and Indiana's Green Room Rockers (4/13 & 5/1) among others.
The Young Guns 2011 Tour Dates
Wed. April 13 – Indianapolis, IN – The Hoosier Dome Thurs. April 14 – Cincinnati, OH - TBA Fri. April 15 – Nashville, TN – The Muse Sat. April 16 – New Orleans, LA – Block Party 2011 Sun. April 17 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade Mon. April 18 – Columbia, SC – New Brooklyn Tavern Tues. April 19 – Norfolk, VA – Jewish Mother Backstage Wed. April 20 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club Thurs. April 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ox Fri. April 22 – Garden City, NY – Ethical Humanist Center Sat. April 23 (1pm) – Boston, MA – Middle East Sat. April 23 (6pm) – Hamden, CT – The Space Tues. April 26 – Bethpage, NY – Mr. Beery’s Weds. April 27 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes Thurs. April 28 – Syracuse, NY – Funk N’ Waffles Fri. April 29 – Cleveland, OH – TBA Sat. April 30 – Lansing, MI – Mac’s Bar Sun. May 1 – Chicago, IL – TBA
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On a selfish note, I'm a bit bummed that this tour doesn't actually hit any of New York City's five boroughs...I gotta go to the 'burbs?!? I spent the first 18 years of my life trying to escape them!
Vinyl rules! Rebelling against the unfortunate dominance of easily disposable-erasable-pirated (and somehow soulless) digitally downloaded music, the fantastic Ska is Dead 7" of the Month Club has been issuing a series of limited edition split vinyl singles (on seriously thick black and white wax with cool, printed outer sleeves--love the tattered Walt Jabsco zombie!) from top shelf ska bands of all stripes (i.e.: vintage ska, 2 Tone, ska-punk, etc.). All of the featured cuts by these bands are new or unreleased--and this is the only place to find 'em, as they will not be released in any other form! (The Ska is Dead 7″ Club is a joint effort between Dave Kirchgessner of Mustard Plug and his Ska is Dead tour company, Asbestos Records and Underground Communique Records, that combines their collective obsession with dead genres and dead formats.)
Here's The Duff Guide to Ska review of the October and November 2010 batch of Ska is Dead singles:
Mustard Plug "Aye Aye Aye" b/w The Beatdown "Piece of Mind" (white vinyl)
On the debut Ska is Dead single, Mustard Plug completely mash it up with "Aye Aye Aye," a classic, super-charged third wave/modern ska song (as patented by bands like The Busters or El Bosso und die Ping Pongs--super melodic, maniacally upbeat, heavily guitar driven, mega-powered horn lines, etc.)--as opposed to some of the Plug's more (and equally great) ska'n'roll offerings. Singer Dave Kirchgessner professes to keep the faith (in ska, one might presume) no matter what goes down: "Aye aye aye/I never let it go/Though you tell me so/'Cause you know we believe/I believe!" Seriously, with Mustard Plug for us, who can be against us?
If you've been lucky enough to hear The Beatdown's debut, self-titled album (read The Duff Guide to Ska review of it here), then you'll know what I'm saying when I opine that "Piece of Mind" sounds like a single spun off that stellar album. This groovin', laid-back rocksteady/skinhead reggae cut is about the seeking the chunk of knowledge that will bring one solace (the double meaning in the phonetic relationship of piece/peace): "I haven't slept in a long, long time/Searching for a piece of mind/What I'm looking for, well I can't find/Walking on a very thin line/All over the city people think I'm crazy/I'm running blind, running blind for a piece of mind." Sure, I hope they find what they're looking for, but I feel privileged just to be along for the ride.
Big D & the Kids Table "Not Our Fault" and "Lash Out" b/w Brunt of It "Nah Nah Nah Nah" and "Art School Dropout" (33 1/3 rpm black vinyl 45)
Big D and the Kids Table turn in two crash'n'burn cuts for their Ska is Dead single. "Not Our Fault" is the ska-punk love story/cautionary tale of two busted juvenile delinquents who fall in love at the police station (shades of "Ferris Bueller")--but who fail to realize that they're responsible for their own stupid choices ("Take a look/ Open your eyes/Yeah, everybody's not the same/See, some of us got to do things right/that to some might seem insane"). "Lash Out" is a fierce hardcore workout that does just what it says.
I've caught Brunt of It live in action--essentially a sustained jet blast of hardcore--so it's kind of nice to be able to find the ska band within, and discern the melodies and musicianship that are clearly at work here. "Nah Nah Nah Nah" is a bitter post-mortem of a relationship gone bad: "Can't you see what you meant to me?/Forgiving me is an impossibility..." "Art School Drop Out" is about a femme fatale who has reeled in her patsy in this film noir-ish tale (imagine "Double Indemnity" re-done by Quentin Tarantino): "Everyone gives her the second look/"The Stranger" is her favorite book/A psycho secretary is how she dresses/Clunky shoes, librarian glasses/Our love is deranged/A dangerous game/I'm under your spell/Lead me to hell!" These tracks are intense and brutal, but one hundred percent compelling.
The Duff Guide to Ska Grade (for all of these singles): A
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Read The Duff Guide to Ska review of the December 2010 Ska is Dead releases from Sonic Boom Six/The Nix 86 and Vic Ruggiero & Maddie Ruthless/The Forthrights here.
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If you're interested in subscribing to this limited edition 7" record club (there are only 550 copies of each single printed--there are no digital downloads, so break out yer luddite relative's turntable!), visit skaisdead.bigcartel.com.
Upcoming Ska is Dead releases: Reel Big Fish, Tip the Van, The Slackers, Bomb the Music Industry
A decent-sized crowd converged on The Knitting Factory (Crookland) for the first of many Ska Splash Saturdays to come, which will be taking place the first Saturday of each month, from November onward.
This particular evening, New York's own Across the Aisle was first at bat and delivered a terrific set of their super-charged ska/pop-punk. ATA's songwriting is powerful and catchy (the past few mornings, I've woken up with one of their songs playing on a loop in my head); their performances were really tight (the interplay between lead vocalist Megg Howe and trumpeter/singer Jay Pintar was particularly good--and their relatively new guitarist Aaron Trigg gives them some extra crunch and bite when they rock out); and the band looked like they were having a blast on-stage. What's not to like? Their set included "Put Up Your Dukes," "Roots," "Better Off" (which I wished I had videotaped, as it's one of my favorite songs), "Total Stranger" (I should have taped this one, too, since it was stunning), "Everybody Lies," "Born Dirty," "Beer Song," and "Walk of Shame" (I shot video clips of the last two songs, which are posted below). The only downer was that they hit the stage early in the night and the room wasn't as full as it at should have been for a band this good. (The next time you can catch ATA in NYC is during Thanksgiving weekend--Saturday, November 28 at the Trash Bar in Williamsburg with Jersey's Hub City Stompers.)
Across the Aisle also has a brand new EP out (sort of a preview of their forthcoming debut album) recorded and produced by their drummer, Jonathan Vergara, titled "Change Nothing!" (to be reviewed soon by The Duff Guide to Ska). They were selling copies of the EP at their merch table, along with--and this is a nice touch--Kelly green ties complete with ATA badges in the center of each of them.
Even though they're from just one state over, I'm ashamed to admit that I was completely unfamiliar with Connecticut's Tip the Van (they've been around since 2002) and was both surprised/psyched to find that they are another female-fronted ska act (vocalists Nicole and Simone Olivia, and trombonist/keyboardist Stephanie Allen). Tip the Van pump out a mighty wall of ska-rock (though the video below is more on the ska side of things) that lives somewhere between Dance Hall Crashers and a band like Reel Big Fish (check out their latest EP, Passion, Love, and Pride on iTunes). Whether one prefers more post-2 Tone or vintage ska to the punk or rock spectrum of ska hypenates, there is no question that Tip the Van puts on a helluva good show.
Brunt of It cranked out punishing hardcore-ska turned up to 11 (thanks, Jay, for the extra set of earplugs!) with Glenn Beck look-alike singer Boofish riding atop the tsunami of noise. If you like hardcore, you'll dig this act. Apparently, Brunt of It spawned out of the ruins of Hoodlum Empire, which was a great, snotty Oakland, CA-based ska band in the 90s (I still have their 1994 CD, Looooking Goood!, which could be described as Fishbone's debut EP crossed with the white-boy rap/punk of the Beastie Boys' Cooky Puss or Licensed to Ill with songs worth tracking down like "Buried in Debt," "Charlie and Me," and "Drunk at Work").
I'm really embarrassed to admit that I missed (!?!) Beat Brigade's set, as I was in The Kontrol Room talking with King Django about the current, utterly crappy state of the indie/underground/ska music industry and what any possible way out to better days might be (neither of us had any great epiphanies--more on this in an upcoming post). And apologies to Bigger Thomas--we had to leave before they played. It was getting late, my friend and I had downed many cervezas, and we both had kids to deal with in the AM...
Earlier in the night, Knitting Factory VP Shay Vishawadia told me that he intends to arrange for several ska/reggae DJs to be on hand at each of the Ska Splash nights to spin some vinyl and help make them more of a regular event for the ska/rocksteady/reggae faithful to come to and hang out (as well as enjoy/check out all of the great ska bands that are currently on the scene...). Here's to hoping that Ska Splash develops into an even bigger ska happening each month--the bands and this club need and deserve your support!
What They're Saying About My Book "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone"
“An essential read…Stephen's eye for detail is incredible and his love for 2 Tone oozes from each page.” — Kevin Flowerdew, Do the Dog Skazine
“Written with a personal touch and with great passion about the bands and releases while giving a lot of emphasis to the lyrics, Stephen’s book is a great guiding hand to navigating your way to some great new music.” — Peter Walsh, 2-Tone.info
“It's some of the finest Madness analysis I've ever read.” —Donald Trull, Stateside Madness
“Steve's own story would make a great book, but instead he's written The Duff Guide to 2 Tone, a 250+ page collection of 2 Tone-related pieces from his blog. There are reviews of original pieces, but the book's real purpose is to show how the 2 Tone sound and—more importantly its ideals—carry on today...Get this book right away!" — Charles Benoit, Reggae Steady Ska
"...Shafer has definitely not forgotten how socially conscious issues were at the root of Ska even from the beginning. He makes certain to thread the political issues that motivated the development of Ska throughout his narrative; painting a picture that took both the oppressive political environments and the often ecstatic musical content into account. And in that, he nails down for me what the enduring pull of Ska was to its many fans. Was there ever a more upbeat dance music that combined its boundless energy with a push for progressive social values and calling truth to power?" —Post-Punk Monk
"...[The Duff Guide to 2 Tone is a] chatty, informative and knowledgeable work, one that you can either sit down and read or use as a reference source..." —Nik Skeat, Scootering Magazine
"During the reading of the book it is dangerous to have a screen open next to you with Discogs. I have found lots of ‘new music’ via the stories in The Duff Guide to 2 Tone which I must have." -- Peter Vrakking, Blue Beat & Ska
In the mail today, I received the first copy of my new paperback book The Duff Guide to 2 Tone --and am thrilled to announce that it is now...
About Your Duff Guide
Steve Shafer/The Duff Guide to Ska For most of the 1990s, I was the promotions, marketing, production guy for Moon Records (RIP). It was one of the best jobs I ever had. Seriously, I miss it badly. During 1999/2000, I ran 7 Wonders of the World Music, the first digital download-only ska label that was too ahead of the curve for its own good (RIP).
I filmed and edited this Toasters video for $2,500, which made its debut on MTV's 120 Minutes. I also put together these compilations for Moon: the first three Skarmageddons; Ska United: A Global Ska Sampler; Skank Down Under; This Are Moon Ska I, II, and III; and Moonshot!
Here's an old interview with Adam Monkey from Read Magazine that covers my days at Moon and 7 Wonders. I also did a somewhat more recent interview with Read Junk.
I've been interviewed about ska music and Moon Records for The New York Times, Heather Augustyn's "Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation," Aaron Carnes' "In Defense of Ska," Kenneth Partridge's "Hell of a Hat: The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing," and Marc Wasserman's "Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History" (I also wrote the introductory chapter "1985: The Year American Ska Broke" for Wasserman's book).
And I'm the author of "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone," which can be ordered from Amazon--and is available in the US from Jump Up Records, and in Europe from the 2 Tone Village Shop (Coventry, UK), Champion Sound Records (Hull, UK), Aggroshop (Nijmegen, Netherlands), and Copasetic Mailorder (Hamburg, Germany). Plus, my book was on sale in the museum shop for the "2 Tone: Lives & Legacies" exhibition (May 28 - September 12, 2021), curated by Simon Reynolds, Cory Barrett, Pete Chambers, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike and Daniel Rachel, at the Herbert Art Gallery Museum in Coventry, UK.
I'm now working on my next book, "Calling All the Rude Boys: The Duff Guide to The Toasters, 1981-1992," to be published in 2023.
If you have a ska or reggae release that you'd like me to consider reviewing, please send an e-mail to Steve at duffguidetoska@gmail.com. You should know that I am old school and prefer music in tangible formats (plus I might use your music when I DJ ska events). I'd also appreciate any news or tips you may have about bands.
All reviews and interviews posted on The Duff Guide to Ska are copyrighted and are the sole property of Steve Shafer. Please contact me for permission to reproduce anything on this blog.
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Check out The Duff Guide to Ska Video Channel for footage of ska bands in action in clubs around NYC, as well as unusual and rare ska videos from the 90s! Bands featured include The Toasters, The Bluebeats, The Forthrights, Across the Aisle, The Caroloregians, The Moon Invaders, The Rudie Crew, Tip the Van, Hey Stranger, Beat Brigade, Bigger Thomas, King Chango, The Scofflaws, UB40, The Hard Times, Jah Love and the Valentinians, The Shifters, Rudies Don't Care, Big Audio Dynamite, Stranger Cole and Patsy with Crazy Baldhead, Queen P of Ocean 11, King Hammond, The Snails, King Django, Doomsday! The Ultimate Tribute to Mephiskapheles Consisting of Former Members of Mephiskapheles, Destroy Babylon, The Frightnrs, The Pandemics, Los Skarroneros, The Bullbuckers, The Scofflaws, The Reggay Lords, The Copacetics, Rude Boy George, Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, The Specials, Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding, The Ladrones, Chris Murray, Radio Riddler, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro, and Mickey Virtue, Barbicide, The Twilights, Bim Skala Bim featuring John Bunkley (Gangster Fun), The Pomps, and more!
