Otto's Shrunken Head 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B) Manhattan, NY No cover (but bring cash to tip bands when the bucket goes round and to buy band merch) 21+
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Saturday, December 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
The Slackers and The Aggrolites
Irving Plaza 17 Irving Place Manhattan, NY Tickets: $22.50 16+
Otto's Shrunken Head 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B) Manhattan, NY No cover (but bring cash to tip bands when the bucket goes round and to buy band merch) 21+
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
The Skatalites Band
Cafe Wha? 115 MacDougal Street Manhattan, NY Tix: $30 (plus two drink minimum) 21+
S.O.B.'s 204 Varick Street New York, NY Tickets: $50 21+
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Friday, December 17, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
Subway to Skaville & Electric Avenue present a Ska Holiday Party with Barbicide, The End Times & more TBA!
Otto's Shrunken Head 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B) Manhattan, NY No cover (but bring cash to tip bands when the bucket goes round and to buy band merch) 21+
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Saturday, December 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
The Slackers and The Aggrolites
Irving Plaza 17 Irving Place Manhattan, NY Tickets: $22.50 16+
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Saturday, June 4, 2022 @ 8:00 pm
Madness and The English Beat
Manhattan Center--Hammerstein Ballroom 311 West 34th Street Manhattan, NY Tickets: $55 and up
Otto's Shrunken Head 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B) Manhattan, NY No cover (but bring cash to tip bands when the bucket goes round and to buy band merch) 21+
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
The Skatalites Band
Cafe Wha? 115 MacDougal Street Manhattan, NY Tix: $30 (plus two drink minimum) 21+
S.O.B.'s 204 Varick Street New York, NY Tickets: $50 21+
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Friday, December 17, 2021 @ 8:00 pm
Subway to Skaville & Electric Avenue present a Ska Holiday Party with Barbicide, The End Times & more TBA!
Otto's Shrunken Head 538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B) Manhattan, NY No cover (but bring cash to tip bands when the bucket goes round and to buy band merch) 21+
+ + + +
Saturday, December 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
The Slackers and The Aggrolites
Irving Plaza 17 Irving Place Manhattan, NY Tickets: $22.50 16+
+ + + +
Saturday, June 4, 2022 @ 8:00 pm
Madness and The English Beat
Manhattan Center--Hammerstein Ballroom 311 West 34th Street Manhattan, NY Tickets: $55 and up
Editor's note: I'll be sharing the decks with DJ Ryan Midnight (spinning nothing but vinyl!) at two upcoming ska shows at Otto's Shrunken Head in November and December. Stay tuned for details--watch this space! Also, don't forget to bring proof of vaccination and photo ID for entry to all of these shows.
The Pietasters Booze Cruise (SOLD OUT) The Lucille--Rocks Off Concert Cruise 23rd Street and the FDR Drive Manhattan, NY $45/21+ Doors at 6:00 pm, boat departs at 7:00 pm
Even though it had been recorded in 1996, by the time the master tapes for Ska Titans had been licensed to Moon Ska Records and slated for release in 1999, the writing was on the wall for the label. (Full disclosure: I was the director of promotions, marketing, and production for Moon from 1991-1999.) Troubling warning signs portending a significant downturn for Moon's future prospects were evident by the summer of '98 and cost-cutting measures were soon implemented across-the-board. Much to the label's detriment, one of these restrictions was not hiring freelance graphic designers to create CD artwork for new releases. By this point in Moon's history, we had built up a roster of pretty amazing designers to use whenever one of our bands didn't provide us with artwork for their release, including Gile Ribiero (see The Bluebeat's Dance with Me, Laurel Aitken'sThe Bluebeat Years, Skarmageddon 3, and more), Mike Reddy (The Skalars' Skoolin' with The Skalars, Bad Manners'Heavy Petting, Tricia and The Supersonics'King Bravo Selects Ska Authentic, Volume 2, Nihon Ska Dansu, and more), Jeremy Donelson (Love and Affection: Ska in the Key of Love, Ska United), Jordan "Jafo" Worley (Skankaholics Unanimous, The Toasters' Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down, Christma-Ska), and the late Andrew Blanco AKA King Chango (The Toasters' Dub 56 and Hard Band for Dead, Skarmageddon, and more). So, it was painful to see what was created in-house for the cover of Ska Titans (by someone who it was later discovered stole a fair amount of money from the label over the years)--a pixelated close-up of tree bark with text over it. Not one of our finer moments by far.
This shabby cover artwork--for an album released at a point after Billboard, Alternative Press, and others had declared ska "dead" (which had triggered a tsunami of returns from record chains and mom and pops; whenever the UPS truck showed up, it was to bring box after box in, instead of out)--worked overtime against the amazing music by ska's founders contained inside, which was such a shame, particularly considering Moon's championing of Laurel Aitken and various Skatalites (Tommy McCook, Lloyd Brevett, Lester Sterling, Tricia and The Supersonics) through its series of "Ska Authentic" releases (and heavy tour support for Laurel Aitken) in the US. Needless to say, at the time, this album sold poorly. Fortunately, Black Butcher Classic's vinyl-only issue (the first time this has been released on LP) available in the USA through Jump Up, provides this album with excellent retro packaging (though oddly devoid of any credits or liner notes), which helps rectify the sins of the original and should help entice the ska faithful to explore the wonderful ska music within.
Ska Titans was recorded during the 1996 European Ska Splash Skatalites/Laurel Aitken tour (both acts were represented by the same manager) and marked the first time they had recorded together since 1963. During Aitken's '63 visit to JA from the UK, he and The Skatalites recorded twelve of his songs at Ken Khouri's Federal Studio at Laurel's expense--and he made sure never to let the masters that he owned out of sight, for fear of being bootlegged; all tracks were released in '63 and '64 on a series of Rio and Black Swan singles that were later collected and issued in 1990 by Unicorn Records as Laurel Aitken with The Skatalites, The Legendary Godfather of Ska, Volume 3. For the Ska Splash tour and Ska Titans recording, a good number of the original Skatalites were still around and active, including Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, Lloyd Brevett, and Lloyd Knibb (all accompanied by newer members Devon James, Will Clark, and Nathan Breedlove).
Ska Titans features re-recordings of six Aitken originals (including his classics "It's Too Late," "Rude Boy Dream," "Bad Minded Woman"--which he first taped with The Skatalites during that '63 session--and the epic, dubby, and moody "Summertime" ("...in the ghetto"), which is a version of his "Who Sey," from his awesome Superstar album), the perennial "In the Mood for Ska," a cover of The Four Tops'/Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Same Old Song," and a few live recordings taped in Amsterdam, including a Don Drummond composition ("Confucius") and Doreen Schaffer doing vocals on Aitken's "Sugar Sugar." Everyone's performances, both in studio and live, are top-notch and the studio recordings are brilliantly warm and vibrant (thanks to Victor Rice, who mixed this album), while the live tracks have a wonderful clarity and immediacy to them, as if you were in the venue as this happened.
Ska Titans would have fared better had it released earlier in that decade (and, of course, with better packaging), but it remains a triumph--a testament to the incredible talents of Laurel Aitken and The Skatalites, the originators and elder statesmen of ska, who continued to burn brightly throughout the 1990s. If you're a fan, you need this album in your collection.
First of all, I'm sorry that I've been MIA for the past week. This is the time of year that I am busiest at work and everything else in my life is forced to go on hold (my wife even had a non-life-threatening visit to the ER to be embroidered with stitches and even she didn't want to tell me what happened because of what was going on at the job). And since it all turned out to be a bit more stressful than usual, I was dead beat by the end of day Friday and nearly bailed on going out at all. Fortunately, at my wife's prompting, a friend (thanks, Sid!) convinced me to catch the New York Ska Festival at B.B. King's with King Chango, Hub City Stompers, Bigger Thomas, Kofre, Beat Brigade, Skarioca, Floor Kiss, and Skarroneros--and it helped erase everything that had gone down the week before...[apologies to Across the Aisle for missing their performance at The Knitting Factory the same night...I just didn't have it in me to try to make two different gigs--I owe ya' one, ATA!]
Despite the city's reputation for being a cultural melting pot, this gig was one of the few that I've been to where the Latin ska/rock crowd directly intersected with the mostly Anglo ska scene--the only other time that I recall this happening (and correct me if I'm wrong) was a King Chango-headlined bill at Wetlands in the late 90s and an appearance by Desorden Publico at SOB's around '94 or so. For all the talk and singing--and I believe all of it to be very sincere--about racial unity at so many of the shows I've seen over the years, the New York Ska Festival audience actually embodied it! The crowd was fully integrated, the vibe was great, everyone had a blast, and bands from both ska scenes now have a slew of new fans they probably wouldn't have had without this show (Kofre, sign me up!). From what I've heard from Bigger Thomas' Marc Wasserman, this bill came to be by accident--but what brilliant one!
We arrived too late to catch Floor Kiss and Skarroneros--and only heard a bit of Skarioca, which featured an accordianist and a whole gamut of Latin genres (none of which I'm familiar enough with to write with any authority) mixed in with their ska.
Beat Brigade (featuring original members Carmelo DiBartollo on guitar and vocals; Jack Hoppenstand on guitar; Frank Usamanont on bass; Eric Storckman on trombone; and Dave Barry on keys, who joined the band later in its tenure) stormed the stage next and it was like they had been unearthed from a time capsule (or all of us had been somehow transported back in time)--because we were listening to the pure, uncorrupted sound of mid-80s NYC ska and it gave me chills to hear it. Beat Brigade were fantastic.
The live Beat Brigade videos that I shot below feature Remi Sammy of The Second Step (another essential 80s NYC ska act) on Beat Brigade's "All the Lights Have Gone Out" and the cover of The Second Step's "2 Men in Suit":
I didn't get a chance to shoot a video or two of Kofre (who tore the place up with their high-powered ska, mixed with cool Metallica metal riffs, and you can't resist their pure showmanship--several members of the band donned Mexican wrestling masks when performing!) or Hub City Stompers (who delivered an aggressively tight and spirited set, as always!), since I was talking with Drew Stansall, who is currently the saxophonist for The Specials. Drew got his start with the great Laurel Aitken (they both are from Leicester) and I had the great fortune to work with the Godfather of Ska back in my Moon Records days, so we spent a good deal of time sharing our memories of Laurel--and he was kind enough to answer some questions I've had about Prince Buster, with whom he's also toured. Drew is a terrific guy--make sure to buy him a drink if you bump into him at a show!
Bigger Thomas' set was amazing--both Drew and Nik Torp (another cool cat and Jerry's replacement in The Specials) joined the band for covers of "Nite Klub" and "Monkey Man" (in the video I took, that's Carmelo from Beat Brigade who has jumped on stage to skank), and Roy Radics (a fellow UB40 fan) of The Rudie Crew is the man in yellow toasting during BT's own "Can't Remember My Name":
I bumped into Blanquito Man backstage just before King Chango went on (I haven't seen him in about a decade, so it was terrific to catch up a bit!). Here's a short video of him talking with Roger Apollon, Jr. of Bigger Thomas (dig those "Battlestar Galactica" shades, Chango!)...
King Chango hit the stage just a little before 2:00 am--and my ride back uptown was leaving--so I had to cut out way before their set was done, so here is just a little taste of what they delivered...
Here's hoping that promoters will put together more of these Latin/Anglo ska bills--I want to learn and experience more of the Latin ska acts because they're excellent and I'm completely ignorant of this whole scene. And the cross-pollination of the two scenes will no doubt strengthen the overall state of ska music in NYC--a very good thing, indeed.
Sid Reitzfeld's brother Pete was taking pix all night, so if the photos are posted on-line, I'll make sure to put up a link to them.
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Here's a bonus video section, just for kicks, of acts from the New York Ska Festival bill...
Every once in a while the gods smile down upon us New Yorkers. Despite how hard and mean and expensive this city can be, there are two free ska shows (well, rocksteady and dub, but both bands are very much part of the NYC ska scene) this Saturday night (3/27/10) in Brooklyn:
Both gigs are guaranteed to be great...so the pressing question is: which one to go to?
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Here are two more NYC ska gigs on the horizon:
April 3, 7:30 pm @ The Knitting Factory Brooklyn: Skinnerbox (21st Anniversary show/first gig since '98), The Scofflaws, Eastern Standard Time, The Forthrights, and The Hard Times! (Tix are $10 in advance/$12 at the door.)
April 23, 8:00 pm @ B.B. Kings: NYC Ska Festival w/King Chango, Bigger Thomas, Hub City Stompers, Kofre, Beat Brigade, Skarioca, Floor Kiss, and Skarroneros. (Tix are $15 in advance/$20 day of the show; all ages.) Note: this is also the same night as the Ska Benefit for Haiti with The Pilfers, Across the Aisle, Tsunami Rising, Karen Gibson Roc at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn...
I'll have more to write about these two gigs in the weeks ahead.
Here's an interesting article from The Miami New Times on the return of King Chango. Originally based in NYC, this Latin ska/worldbeat act released two records on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label and made it big on the Latin alternative music scene before disbanding in 2003. A ska factoid that you may or may not know is that founder and lead singer Andrew "Blanquito Man" Blanco was one of Moon Records' freelance graphic designers in the mid 90s--before launching his band, he worked on the first Skarmageddon comp; The Toasters' Skaboom reissue, Dub 56, and Hard Band For Dead; The NY Citizens' The Truth About The NY Citizens; and the Latin Ska comps, among others.
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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See Live Ska Bands in NYC!
Check out the NYC ska shows I co-host and co-DJ with Ryan Midnight!
Yours truly recently received a request for a complete Moon Records vinyl discography to help him out with tracking down some of the label...
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!
