Let's just say that it's been a very long time since we've seen these two OG '80s American ska bands play NYC during the same week (plus old schoolers Beat Brigade!). So, if you're in the New York metro area, this is a good week to get out and see some great live ska music (and it's a bit of a consolation if you're not able to make it down to the Supernova Ska Festival). Details are below (and don't forget to bring proof of vaccination!)
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Mephiskapheles, Bim Skala Bim, The Hempsteadys PLUS the NYC premiere of the New England Ska Summit documentary film Arrogant Swine (they have AMAZING BBQ here) 173 Morgan Avenue Brooklyn, NY
6:00 pm: Doors open 7:00 pm: NYC premiere of the documentary New England Ska Summit 9:00 pm The Hempsteadys 10:00 pm Bim Skala Bim w/John Bunkley (of Gangster Fun) 11:20 pm Mephiskapheles Tix: $25 in advance/$30 day of show 18+
Friday, September 17, 2021 @ 6:00 pm
The Toasters, Beat Brigade, The Rudie Crew, The Lousekateers, The Monkeychunks Kingsland 269 Norman Avenue Brooklyn, NY Tix: $17.95
Well, to be candid, this isn't really a review, since I helped put this whole show together with Marc Wasserman of the Marco on the Bass blog (and Bigger Thomas). So, consider this more of an enthusiastically biased show report for those who weren't able to make this gig. (By the way, that's Paul Gil of The NY Citizens from back in the day representing on the show flyer--he was at the show, so we thanked him in person for letting us borrow his image for our own purposes.)
First at bat were Doomsday! (The Ultimate Tribute to Mephiskapheles Consisting of Former Members of Mephiskapheles), who served up a spectacular, almost folk-ska (check out the electric banjo, rhumba box, and melodica!) tribute to Mephiskapheles/themselves (several were founding members of Meph who recorded the infamous Mephiskapheles demo tape, TheDemo(n)--which they performed in its entirety: "Doomsday," "Dansemenot," "Eskamo," and "Shame and Scandal"). Some highlights of Doomsday's set included the mass, inebriated sing-along to "Saba"; Michael Drance (of The Bluebeats) joining Brendog Tween on vocals for a wonderfully rambunctious rendition of Toots and Maytal's "Sweet and Dandy"; the sweat pouring off Mikal Reich as he slapped his rhumba box into overdrive; Jerica Rosenblum's haunting melodica lines; and the palpable and enthusiastic love and appreciation radiating off the audience for the band.
I first caught Meph live back in '91 or 92' at some second floor venue--its name is lost in the less traveled recesses my brain--on 23rd Street and 11th Avenue in or next to a nasty flophouse/hooker hotel and was sold on the band after experiencing their show amongst a sea of skinheads (Buck had sent me to the gig to scope them out after hearing their demo tape). So, it was absolutely fantastic to hear these tracks again after all this time. Doomsday's performance had to be on the early side for NYC and short due to some other obligations of one of the band members, but we hope to have Doomsday back at some point later this year.
(This was our second Electric Avenue show and we're still working out the last few sound and lighting issues with the venue, so please forgive us if some of the videos below are a little dark and the vocals are too low in the mix.)
Up next were perennial faves Bigger Thomas (with the always brilliant Roy Radics of The Rudie Crew) who completely killed it with their high energy, 2 Tone-influenced brand of modern ska--and had the crowd on their feet for their entire set. If you can separate the fact that I'm a huge fan/friend of the band, take my word that Bigger Thomas are one of the best/most enjoyable ska bands on the NYC--if not national/international--scene. I've never been less than completely impressed by every one of their performances. BT played several cuts of their most recent album, Steal My Sound, including "Crown Victoria" and "Can't Remember My Name," as well as older songs like "I Live at Home" (very under appreciated, but one of their greatest) and "Simple Man." (In related Bigger Thomas news, they're currently recording several new songs for a digital, and possibly vinyl, EP in 2013!) Bigger Thomas are one of the NYC ska scene's biggest assets/treasures. Each time I catch them, I'm reminded why I like ska music so much (catchy tunes to sing along to; the social commentary in the lyrics; propulsive grooves that make you move; and the simple fact that the whole thing is fun as hell!). Whenever they play near you, always make sure to see them!
I entered the NYC ska scene in the late 80s, well after Beat Brigade's rise and fall, but was always aware of their great reputation and importance to the development of this genre in New York and beyond (read some great background on Beat Brigade here and here, courtesy of Marco on the Bass). But due to a host of all too common and lamentable circumstances, the band never released more than two songs on wax ("Armageddon Beat" on the Moon Records NY Beat: Hit and Run compilation LP and "Try and Try Again"--the flip side to The Toasters' "Talk is Cheap" single, also on Moon), which is a real shame, because Beat Brigade have the goods (and then some) and they deliver it in spades (I heard from keyboardist Dave Barry and bassist Frank Usamanont that there are current plans to enter the studio and lay down all of BB's greatest tracks, which is incredible news).
What I really like about Beat Brigade is that their songs and sound are not easily pigeonholed. It's definitely ska, but not stereotypically so. Like so many of the foundational 80s ska bands in New York City, Beat Brigade's music is uniquely their own; they're informed by 2 Tone (particularly The Beat) for sure, and also heavily influenced by the New Wave/post-punk of The Smiths, Elvis Costello, The Jam, and The Clash--but everything is mixed with the secret sauce that is in the songwriting minds of the Beat Brigade. The result is something hard to classify or pin down and that's what makes it particularly great.
My first introduction to ska was through The Specials and The Beat--so when I picked up The Toasters' Recriminations EP and NY Beat: Hit and Run comp at Sounds on St. Mark's Place back in 1985, I fully expected to hear 2 Tone ska. To be honest, I was put off at first; I wanted a continuation of the familiar and beloved Dammers and Wakeling vision of ska, not the challenging, almost foreign newness of what all these NYC bands were doing with ska. Yet, I came around pretty quickly, playing "Radiation Skank" over and over on my record player, shedding my preconceived notions, and coming to fully appreciate the amazing and special NYC ska sound on its own terms. (The next ska purchases that helped expand my ska horizons were Fishbone's debut EP--which I bought at Caldor's of all places--and The Untouchables' Wild Child.)
Beat Brigade's performance at Electric Avenue was nothing short of a revelation; they were stellar. For so many of us that missed out on seeing them in the mid-80s, Beat Brigade's performance this night was like a gift, a chance for the space/time continuum to bend back on itself and let 1985 and 2012 exist at the same moment for an hour or so in a small corner of Earth called Manhattan. At the end of their show, I felt so thrilled and fortunate to have seen them--to have heard amazing new-to-me songs like "Keep Still Dark"--and to know first hand why there was a big buzz about them in the 80s. I must see them again soon (and you can bet that we'll be bringing them back to Electric Avenue in the future).
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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The Untouchables "Free Yourself" picture disc featuring Clyde Grimes, Jr. from my record collection. I'm very sad to repo...
Visit The Duff Guide to Ska Video Channel!
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!
