Prince Fatty Presenting Monkey JhayamThe Rolêof Monkey Man (digital/LP, Delicious Vinyl Island, 2018): I knew next to nothing about this LP when I mail ordered it after finding out that limited copies were available through Prince Fatty's Bandcamp page. But it didn't matter--his recent, left field collaborations with Nostalgia 77 and Dele Sosimi and The Last Poets, in addition to just about every other release in his catalogue, have been consistently excellent, so why would this collaboration with Monkey Jhayam--one of Brazil's top reggae artists, who sings/toasts in Portuguese and has a terrific, laid-back delivery--be any different? As The Rolê of Monkey Man is slated to be the first of several Fatty/Jhayam albums for Delicious Vinyl, this record is consciously pitched to introduce him to an audience beyond Brazil's borders (and succeeds). So, it follows that Fatty employs almost a dozen classic/evergreen riddims and choice covers for Jhayam to toast over/augment, and utilizes a host of ace guest artists (Horseman, Earl 16, and Tippa Irie), many of whom are well known to the PF crowd/have appeared on his productions (and are a good contrast to Monkey Jhayam's chill style). The album kicks off with "Rolê" ("Scroll"), which versions Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors' "Hot Milk" riddim (also used decades ago for two of my all-time favorite tracks: Yellowman and Fathead's "I Can't Stand It" and Carlton Livingston's "100 Weight of Collie Weed"). Other riddims/covers heard here include "Mãe da Lua" ("Mother of the Moon")/"Everybody Love the Sunshine" (with Omar Lye-Fook and Fatlip--of The Pharcyde), which is another great take on this 1976 Roy Ayers jazz-funk-soul gem that Fatty, Omar, and Fatlip released as a single for last year's Record Store Day; John Holt's "Police in Helicopter"; Dub Specialist's "Dub Creation"/Dennis Brown's "Created by the Father" on "Eles Não Sabem" ("They Don't Know"); Smoke City's 1997 trip-hop hit "Underwater Love" (featuring a fantastic Nina Miranda--she co-wrote and sang on the original track--who reminds one very much of Hollie Cook); Gwen McCrae's 1974 funk-soul b-side "90% of Me is You" (with a completely phenomenal Shniece McMenamin); an incredible funky reggae take on James Brown's "Soul Power" for "Soul Powah" (also with McMenamin); as well as a few other riddims I know are in there, but can't quite identify without investing major time figuring them out. In sum, another winning Prince Fatty production!
Apologies for no new posts over the past two weeks--I was on holiday with the family. On our last day in Dublin, I picked up a copy of the September 2018 issue of MOJO at Tower Records (!) for the airplane ride back to the USA. In it is a great feature on the rise and fall and rebirth of Trojan Records (in recognition of their 50th anniversary) by reggae journalist Dave Katz that provides more info on co-owner Lee Gopthal than I've previously encountered. Plus, the giveaway CD Reggae Nuggets sports both classic and lesser-known Trojan tracks by Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Prince Far I, Ricky and Bunny, Dennis Brown, Phyllis Dillon, Johnny Osbourne, The Ethiopians, The Inspirations, The Beltones, Val Bennett, Ken Boothe, Lee Perry, The Crystalites, and Lester Sterling and The Skatalites (MOJO also has a list of what they consider to be the 50 greatest reggae albums up on their website--discuss amongst yourselves). Also on my reading list for the journey home was Margo Jefferson's fascinating cultural history of Michael Jackson, On Michael Jackson--check out the Guardian's interview with her; and Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki's incredible We Are The Clash, the now-definitive history of the post-Mick Jones/Topper Headon Clash (Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Nick Sheppard, Vince White, and Pete Howard), which managed to achieve some legitimate triumphs--many blisteringly good live shows, like their 12/6/84 benefit show for striking union coal miners at the Brixton Academy (with a number a great new tracks in the set like "Are You Ready for War?," "Three Card Trick," "North and South," "Dirty Punk," "Jericho," and "This Is England") and their daft-but-brilliant, have-guitar-will-travel busking tour of the north of England--despite Strummer's struggle with depression/self-medication and Bernard Rhodes' absolutely ham-fisted hijacking of what could have been a pretty great album of new songs: Out of Control.
On our travels around Ireland, I managed to miss the chance to see Madness perform twice. They played Galway a day before we arrived and were in Dublin while we were in Galway! (I did catch a BT advert that uses their cover of "It Must Be Love" on TV a few times, but it's not the same.) And Jerry Dammers did a DJ set in Dublin while we were on a brief detour to the (brutally hot) continent. So it goes...
Editor's note: For the third straight year in a row, Jump Up Records is participating in Cassette Store Day--which is today, Saturday, October 14, 2017. Jump Up is issuing twelve cassettes (!) from acts like The Toasters, The Slackers, Mephiskapheles, Green Room Rockers, Roger Rivas, Danny Rebel (of Danny Rebel and the KGB), CeANNE (of The Mighty Fishers and Pannonia Ska Orchestra), Flying Vipers, The Drastics, as well as a Jump Up compilation titled "Pressure Hop" (a detailed list of Jump Up CSD releases can be found here).
Thanks to Danny Rebel for taking the time to do this interview so quickly!
The Duff Guide to Ska:This is your second cassette-only release of acoustic ska and reggae songs that were recorded on your boombox. What inspired you to do this and what has been the reaction from your fans?
Danny Rebel: "Listening to old acoustic Bob Marley and Dennis Brown recordings. As far as recording it on a boombox, most artists of today concentrate too much on the sound and not so much on the music itself. I wanted to show everyone that you can make music without going through the machine, like Autotune and this and that. I think doing it through the box makes it sound more gritty, interesting, and punk rock. Fuck the rules! A good example is Daniel Johnston's Hi How Are You, that album was recorded on a cassette player and the sound quality is not so great, but the song writing is fucking amazing. I also want to big up the great Chris Murray for 'nuff inspiration!"
DGTS: Did you grow up listening to your favorite music on cassettes or are you a more recent convert to this format?
DR: "When I was younger, my dad hooked up our TV to his boombox to have a better sound. And everytime a music video would come up, I'd hit the play and record button. That's how I made my mixtapes back then, along with songs I heard on the radio. I used to bike around town with my huge yellow sports Walkman, you know which one I'm talking about."
DGTS: Are tapes (becoming more) popular in the Montreal music scene?
DR: "I'm actually seeing more and more local bands coming up with tapes. They're coming back!"
DGTS:Do you collect tapes from your favorite musicians--and, if so, which ones are some of your most treasured?
DR: "I consider myself a music nerd. So, yes I do have a tape collection. From hip-hop to reggae to jazz to punk! I'd have to say Yellowman's One in a Million, Half Pint's In Fine Style, and Rancid's classic Let's Go.
DGTS:If you could have any boombox ever made, is there a particular model you'd want?
DR: "I already have the Clairtone 7980 along with 13 other boomboxes at home, so I think I'm good, ha ha."
Smiley and The Underclass
From right to left: Smiley, James Shepard, Jay Hirano, Ryan Windross (who
just recently left the band; Derek Daley has taken over on bass).
(Interview by Steve Shafer)
We recently reviewed Smiley and the Underclass' incendiary debut album "Rebels Out There" and wanted to learn more about the band that created it. Fortunately, singer Smiley and lead guitarist James Shephard were kind enough to take the time to answer our questions (James via email; Smiley by recording his answers in an mp3 file). Read on to find out what drives them to write political songs (and not love songs); how Vin Gordon came to play on a few of their tracks; and which ska/reggae records they'd risk life and limb to save if their house were on fire...
The Duff Guide to Ska: Which bands/albums influenced Smiley and the Underclass’ sound (and how would you describe your music)?"
Smiley: "I can only speak for me, but I listened to a lot of Clash records when I was writing the early songs. I know James loves blues. We all quite like Nirvana, I suppose. Just because he did a lot with not that many lyrics and just the sound is raw and intense. Love Iggy Pop and old reggae. Tons and tons of dub--Scientist, King Tubby, Keith Hudson, anything tough. We want to make something that sounds new. We want to make something that sounds chaotic and of the time.
I don't know how we describe our music. Some people called it a skabilly. I think that might have even been you guys. Punky reggae is the most obvious thing, but we're definitely not a reggae band because we haven't got any keys or horns, for one thing. And we're not really a punk band because I don't know if you can be a punk band in 2017. Maybe it's more punk to be a cruise ship singer, at this point."
James Shephard: "I know Smiley loves classic reggae like me and also The Clash were a big influence for him. I listen to loads of stuff from all genres but blues, jazz, and reggae are probably most obvious. It's the little things though--maybe people won't spot a Sonny Sharrock or English folk influence, but it's all in there!"
DGTS:"When I first heard “It’s All England,” I thought it was primarily about embracing multiculturalism (which it is, in a way, right?), but after a read of lyrics, it seems to be more about being disenfranchised in one’s own country and insisting that you belong, no matter what your race, class, religion, etc. Is that a fair interpretation? What inspired you to write this song from this perspective?
Smiley: "'It's All England' is to my mind saying, yeah, it doesn't really matter where you come from, as long as you're peaceful and kind--then you're welcome in my society anyway. See, at the time of writing it that was sort of, at least it seemed to be maybe just in a metropolitan bubble or whatever they call it, that seemed to be the way society was going. Now, looking back at it, and it's only been well, not long at all since the first EP came out and only about five years, six years since I wrote the song. Yeah, the country's changed man, changed a lot. It is easy to feel disenfranchised in this country, like when you go outside of the cities and you go to any seaside town, be it Hastings, Eastbourne, you know, you see the same old shit. You see one street where there's a couple of shops left and the rest is, I dunno, modern decay shopping centres and potholes of dirty water in it.
It's weird how we are all disenfranchised in one way or another, that they're able to--and by 'they' I mean the sort of neo-right wing agitators like Farage--how they're able to use that disenfranchisement against one group, when it is all of us who are struggling in this tide.
I don't really know what inspired me to write 'England' because it came out mostly as a freestyle when I was busking on Camden High Street, before the band actually formed. I remember doing "Night Nurse" by Gregory Isaacs, which is a pretty standard late night busking interpretation and it's A minor in G, so it's easy and it just morphed into the chorus. I can't remember if I wrote the verses afterwards, I probably did. So, yeah, 'I don't know' is the answer to the question."
James: "Those are Smiley's lyrics, but I see it as a celebration of where we're from without the superstitious belief in this "England" we've been sold."
DGTS:What were you listening to/reading/watching while writing and recording “Rebels Out There”?
Smiley: "During the album recording, I think I was probably listening to what I normally listen to, which is old reggae. I'm a big freak for reggae vinyl especially the Wackie's label. So, if any keen readers want to send me some Wackie's vinyl, you know you know where to go. I don't really remember what I was reading, probably something lame like a Joe Strummer biography to get me in the mood."
James: "I was reading George Clinton's autobiography and listening to Dezarie, Midnite, and a lot of artists from the Virgin Islands, as well as Robert Glasper, Julian Lage and some other recent jazz stuff. And loads more, we're always listening!"
DGTS: Many of Smiley and the Underclass’ songs urge the listener to take action to better the environment, society, how we treat each other and ourselves. Clearly you believe that music can change people's attitudes and behaviors. Can you name/recommend several records (from any genre and any period) that you believe have had this kind of impact?
Smiley: "Yes, I do think music can change the world for good and for bad. I think you can see that going back probably to the dawn of man and music being used as sort of energizing opposing sides in battle. You can think of music like Fela Kuti's, which actually spawned and support social movements. You can think of smaller things, like influencing other people to write music. So, it's changing people's lives on a real grassroots level. Just changing one person's life at a time, maybe hearing a record and so you want to become a musician. And also if you check big movements these days, going back to the Occupy Movement I suppose to now, social media and any rising social movement sort of is accompanied by at least, you know, two or three--I hesitate to use the word hit song--but some kind of some kind of music video or something, which in turn spreads and goes viral. So, I guess in that way it can change the world. I don't know, but it has yet to form the utopia that we're all dreaming of, that we're singing about. I don't think music itself can change a person--only a person can do that. It can maybe unlock certain perspectives of certain ways of understanding that you hadn't thought of before. But so can a car accident. Yeah, it's a tough one. I don't know. I don't know is the honest answer.
Records that have maybe had that kind of impact on my life--Bob Dylan bringing it all back home because it made me think I could pick up a guitar. And a lot of the punk stuff as well. And, you know, going back again, as we always bloody do, to reggae music. The idea that people have so little in such trying circumstances can create something so beautiful and everlasting is testament to the power of music and its ability to impact people's lives in a very real sense, in a survival sense. And that's something that we have yet, I think, to grasp in this country. At least on a rock and roll, white boy level. Anything outside of fucking grime. "
James: "I feel music and any other art can influence us all in big and small ways. It can happen in obvious ways, but I think the high level creativity of people like Coltrane or The Beatles in the sixties might have affected people and their behaviour without them literally interpreting lyrics or trying to dress like the artists."
DGTS:Some bands shy away from taking political stances in their music for fear of alienating an audience. What drives you in the opposite direction? What compels Smiley and the Underclass to speak out about all of the injustice around us?
Smiley: "What compels us to speak out? Well, we're all weird looking, that's my theory. So, we don't write that many girls songs. Although, we've got some coming. Don't worry, I'm winking right now. I don't know. You know, we live in this fucked up time with this fucking mad, madman as president of the United States. We've got chaos at home and abroad, as they say. So, what else are you going to sing about? You know what else is going on. It's not the 90s, like Jay [Hirano, the band's drummer] says, you know. If we wanted to fuck, then we listen to Sam Cooke."
James: "If a child tells another child to stop pulling a cat's tail, is that political? Speaking only for myself, I have very little interest in politics."
DGTS:Some of this album was recorded at Mick Jones’ studio? How did this come about?
Smiley: "We met Mick Jones because Ladbroke Grove is a small place and it was Gary from the Rotten Hill Gang who introduced us. Yeah and he's a cool guy. Nice bloke. I fear we may have busted his guitar. Sorry, Mick!"
James: "Mick Jones showed an interest in helping us and naturally we felt very honoured. I hope we don't let him down!" DGTS:Likewise, Vin Gordon appears on at least one song on this album. How did you arrange this?
Vin Gordon
Smiley: "We met Vin just through good luck really. We met [Nick] Manasseh, first through Jay's car accident and he just happened to be in town for Notting Hill Carnival and Manasseh recommended we get a hold of him--and I think even fronted us an extra 50 quid, so we could book him. And, it was cool, man and they came in and his ring tone was the "Real Rock" riddim, which was hilarious. And, yeah, it was a great thrill to sit on the sofa in the recording studio and watch someone from Studio One times do his thing. So, he did "England" and he also did "Party Gone Wrong," which is something on our first EP, which has got a really nice tasty Manasseh dub, as well, for all you bass heads."
James: "Well, I know Vin Gordon from the London reggae scene, but Smiley made that link. I like how the song starts with a minor key anti-Elizabeth national anthem and later has a solo from probably the most prolific trombone player in reggae. Pretty hip don't you think?"
DGTS:If you could only save five of your ska/reggae albums from a fire in your home, which ones would they be (and why)?
Brothers John and Marc Beaudette (the former on bass, guitar, and melodica; the later on drums and percussion) from Boston's mighty roots reggae outfit Destroy Babylon have teamed up with keyboardist Zack Brines from Pressure Cooker for a new dub project titled Flying Vipers--which is inspired by the incredible analog dub reggae of the 1970s and early 1980s produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, Keith Hudson, King Tubby, Dennis Bovell, Scientist, and many others.
In seeking to capture that spirit, sound, and vision for their own original tracks, the Flying Vipers recorded their instrumentals on an old-school, Tascam 8-track cassette console (and performed using vintage drums, bass, and keyboards). The final dub mix (by Jay Champany of Truth and Rights) was recorded live on the same Tascam deck, utilizing classic dub techniques and effects--and the results are really pretty phenomenal (and having Kevin Metcalfe, who has worked with David Bowie, The Clash, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Dr. Alimantando, UB40, Dennis Brown, Black Uhuru, Prince Far I, and others, master the final mixes certainly must have helped!).
The Flying Vipers' The Green Cassette (available, natch, via a day-glo green cassette or digital EP, if you must)contains six fantastic tracks of tangibly warm, vibrant, and crisp dub instrumentals with great melodies--earworms, really--that will move your body and elevate your mood. My favorite cut here, "Beacon Street Version," features a lilting, very Rico-like trombone melody on a song that sounds like it could have been off Warieka Dub. Other great touches abound throughout the tape--from the jazzy, bell-like sound of the Fender Rhodes on the lovely "Bell Crickets," to the haunting melodica lines on the slow spooling of "Tape Hiss," as well as the urgent and slightly dangerous "Dragon Snout," to the trippy, wah-wah pedal effects on the guitar line of "Cannabaceae" (which is a family of small flowering plants including Cannabis and Humulus, or hops), and the tension on display between the relaxed sax and the hyper, almost martial percussion in "Coffee Kush" (yes, apparently a strain of coffee-flavored marijuana now exists--does one have the Pavlovian jolt from the taste of coffee, but then mellow out when the THC kicks in?).
My only complaint about this release is that I want more of it--and I also wish it had been issued on vinyl (music this good deserves it). For now, hook up your dad's old tape deck to the stereo or bid on a used Sony Walkman on eBay--and then have someone over forty show you how to insert the cassette (and enjoy)!
As always, MOJO Magazine continues to be one of the few mainstream music publications offering consistently good coverage of ska and reggae (even if it tends to be generally backward-looking--re-issues, re-unions, and such--and not so much on the current scene...but, we'll take whatever we can get!).
This month's issue features The Smiths on the cover--and I'll cop to having an intense love/hate relationship with the band. "How Soon is Now?" is probably one of the best New Wave songs of the 80s (more often than not, it was cranking on the radio in the family Oldsmobile station wagon that I used to cruise Yonkers and the Bronx in high school); Johnny Marr is a musical genius; and I still intensely love at least half of the songs in their catalogue. Having said that, you gotta take Morrissey in small doses. Case in point: driving back to the city from upstate recently, I had The Sound of The Smiths playing on the stereo and after about 30 minutes (the playlist: "Bigmouth Strikes Again," "There is a Light That Never Goes Out," "Panic," "Ask," "Shoplifters of the World Unite," "Sheila Take a Bow" and "Girlfriend in a Coma"), my wife was clawing at her ears and hoping that a double-decker bus would smash into us...
Now back to our regularly scheduled ska and reggae programming!
In the April 2011 issue of MOJO, reggae expert David Katz gives the new Dennis BrownAt Joe Gibbs (17 North Parade) box set four stars ("The overall feeling is of an exceptional talent fully in command of his abilities, backed by some of the best reggae players of all time"). Culture'sAt Joe Gibbs (17 North Parade) also rates four stars (Katz writes, "This box set reissues the two initial Gibbs produced albums [Two Sevens Clash and Baldhead Bridge], plus a later Gibbs compilation More Culture, and a bonus disc of rare singles from the same era, all of which still sounds truly fine today").
Ian Harrison notes in his "The Vinyl Countdown" column that I-Roy'sGussie Presenting I Roy has been re-issued on 180 gm vinyl by Sunspot (and that this imprint will be releasing Big Youth's awesome Screaming Target next). And the "Filter Reissues Extra" section heralds the millionth reissue of The Upsetters' Blackboard Jungle (Get on Down); I already have several different versions of this album, so I think I'll pass on this one.
Fans of Bob Marley and the Wailers may be interested in the review of the new book "I & I: The Natural Mystics Marley, Tosh & Wailer" by Colin Grant. Andrew Perry dubs it worthy of four stars--and notes that perhaps one of the more interesting observations it makes concerns the band's--and Marley's in particular--embrace of Rastafarianism. Perry writes, "For Marley, it was all about coming through the confusion of his mixed-race parentage, the author believes, and asserting his blackness." "The Small Axe Guide to Dub" by Jim Dooley is also evaluated (by David Katz, who gives it four stars out of five)--it's a guide to over 200 of the best dub albums--and judged to be "a very useful reference point for all dubheads".
+ + + +
Bonus: News from The Only Band That Mattered! Yeah, I know this is a ska blog, but The Clash incorporated a lot of ska and reggae into their mix--plus I'm a enormous fan--so they're getting some space here! There was an incredible feature article in the March 3, 2011 of Rolling Stone (with the tween pop anti-Christ Justin Beiber on the cover) about the rise and crash of The Clash: "The Fury and the Power of the Clash" by Mikal Gilmore. The piece is not available on-line unless you have a subscription (though there is a short interview with Mikal Gilmore about his interactions with The Clash over the years posted here), so track down a copy of this issue at your local magazine shop or newsstand.
And in Clash-related news, MOJO reports on the return of Big Audio Dynamite. BAD has reunited and is touring the UK and the US this spring (playing Roseland in NYC on 4/19/11--I've got tix, but had to sacrifice an arm and leg to do so). BAD's 1985 debut, This is Big Audio Dynamite, was re-issued with bonus tracks last year and MOJO notes that their follow-up, No. 10, Upping St., which was co-written and produced with Joe Strummer, will be coming out the pipeline this year. According to Mick Jones, there are a bunch of unreleased tracks demos penned by (and maybe even featuring) Strummer from these sessions knocking about Jones' flat that might be included on this expanded version!
Apparently, Jonesy was inspired to get BAD back together after touring with the Gorillaz (Jones: "...there was a continuity from BAD that came to me, they were trying a similar kind of aesthetic that I recognized"). The version of BAD hitting the road (dates below) is the original 1985-1989 line-up:
Mick Jones - vocals and guitar Don Letts - sound effects and vocals Dan Donovan - keyboards Leo Williams - bass Greg Roberts - drums and background vocals
And, using their original gear and samples, BAD will be playing tunes from albums released during this era: This Is Big Audio Dynamite (1985), No. 10, Upping St. (1986), Tighten Up Vol. 88 (1988), and Megatop Phoenix (1989).
Big Audio Dynamite - 2011 UK/US Tour Dates
Tues, March 29th - Liverpool - O2 Academy Wed, March 30th - Glasgow - O2 ABC Thurs, March 31st - Newcastle - O2 Academy Sat, April 2nd - London - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Sun, April 3rd - London - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Weds, April 6th - Nottingham - Rock City Thurs, April 7th - Leeds - O2 Academy Fri, April 8th - Manchester - Academy Sat, April 9th - Bristol - O2 Academy
Thu, April 14th - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy Theater Sat, April 16th - Coachella Festival Tue, April 19th - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
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
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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!
(Review by Steve Shafer)
