The London International Ska Festival--celebrating its 25th anniversary this year--returns to the UK capital city this Easter weekend (March 28-31, 2013). This year's festival features four main shows, plus a series of associated events, including cinema, DJ all-nighters, a record fair, Thames cruise, kids days, and exhibitions--all taking place at iconic and famed London venues! Tickets are on sale here.
Here's the AMAZING schedule. Much more is still to be added, so be on the lookout for updates. Make your way to London this March if you can!
Day 1: Thursday March 28 - 7pm-11pm Rico Rodriguez performing Man From Wareika in its entirety The Sidewalk Doctors (UK) DJ David Katz at The Jazz Cafe, Parkway, Camden, London NW1
Club night DJs and venue TBA
Day 2 - Friday, March 29 Studio One Special (Venue TBA) BB Seaton (The Gaylads/Bibby and The Astronauts) Vin Gordon and more TBA
Day 2 - Friday, March 29 - 10pm-4am International Ska Review! Buster Shuffle (UK) Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra (Hungary) Bombskare (Scotland) Skylarkin Sound System w/DJ Derek and Count Skylarkin and more TBA! at The Garage, Highbury Corner, Islington (opposite Highbury and Islington tube)
Day 3 - Saturday, March 30 - Daytime Event TBA
Day 3 - Saturday, March 30 - 7pm-11pm Trojan Explosion! Freddie Notes (Trojan Records/"Montego Bay") Intensified (UK) The Upsessions (Netherlands) and more TBA at The 100 Club, 100 Oxford St, London W1
- The Sound System Room Metro w/Eddie Regal (Metro Sound) Gladdy Wax Ras Digby (Sir Jessus Sound) Jumbo (Java Hi-Power) Tighten Up Crew w/Champian (Jamdown Rockers)
- Room 2 Mungo's HiFi Wrong TOm at Islington Metal Works, Torrens St, Islington N1 (behind Angel tube station)
Day 4 - Sunday, March 31 - Daytime event TBA Do the Dog Music Special Cartoon Violence (UK; offical album launch party) The Splitters (UK) Robb Blake (UK) at The Dublin Castle, Parkway, Camden, London NW1
Day 4 - Sun, March 31 March - Evening event TBA The Great British Ska Explosion 100 Men starring Mik Whitnall (UK) Maroon Town plus special guests--members from The Loafers and more (UK)! The Toasters (USA) Potato 5 DJ set at Dingwalls, Camden Lock, London NW1
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Acts Confirmed/Still to be Programmed Pama International (UK) Mr. T Bone and The Young Lions (Italy) Razika (Norway)
Sound System/DJ Sets Confirmed/Still to be Programmed Lynval Golding (The Specials) Rhoda Dakar (The Bodysnatchers/Special AKA) DJ Cellos Coast to Coast Little Diane (Ace Cafe)
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Festival Background Originally launched in 1988, The London International Ska Festival returned to critical acclaim in 2011 and has featured Ken Boothe, Marcia Griffiths, Dave and Ansell Collins, The Pioneers, Rico Rodriguez MBE, Jerry Dammers (The Specials), Don Letts, Lynval Golding (The Specials), Neville Staple (The Specials), Neol Davies (The Selecter), Laurel Aitken, Owen Gray, Rhoda Dakar (Bodysnatchers/Special AKA), Ska Cubano, Hotknives, The Loafers, Dub Pistols, The Dualers, Potato 5, Buster Shuffle, and The Skints, amongst many others.
From its birth in Jamaica, ska has come a long way, morphing and inspiring every generation and reaching all corners of the world. The festival will once again showcase all that ska has to offer--from its roots in rhythm and blues, mento and calypso, to the Jamaican originators, the progression through rocksteady and reggae, 2 Tone, ska-punk and right up-to-date with 21st century ska sounds.
Editor's Note: As the end of the calendar year sneaks up on me--as it always does, since the fall is always so damn busy!--I always scramble around to put together my "best of" lists of the ska singles, albums, reissues, books, etc. that I really enjoyed over the past year and want to highlight for all the ska fans out there. But I also thought it might be interesting to feature some other opinions, so I approached a diverse group of ska musicians, bloggers, DJs, and label heads to find out what their favorite ska things were in 2012. And thus the "2012: The Year in Ska" series was born! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to participate--I really appreciate it! The amazing Dr. Ring Ding (AKA Richie Jung) has graciously participated in this episode of our year end survey of all things ska. For those of you who don't know him (and you know you should!), Dr. Ring Ding was first in Germany's excellent post-2 Tone ska act El Bosso und die Ping Pongs in the late 80s and early 90s. After that band dissolved, the good Doctor formed Dr. Ring Ding and the Senior Allstars, which was one of the very finest modern traditional bands in the 90s and early 2000s. Now solo (but working with the Freedom Street band and other guest musicians as the Dr. Ring Ding Ska-Vaganza), Dr. Ring Ding has a brand new album out--"Piping Hot" (which you can read about in our recent interview with him here), as well as two new vinyl singles on Jump Up Records (reviewed by The Duff Guide to Ska here). 2012: The Year in Ska - Dr. Ring Ding
Top 5 Favorite Ska Releases
1) Dr. Ring Ding Ska-Vaganza – Piping Hot
2) Mr. T-Bone and The Young Lions – Nothing To Lose
5) El Bosso and die Ping Pongs, The Butlers etc. (in Berlin, Germany) Top 5 Favorite Ska Merch
The two most recent albums of the Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra and their t-shirt. Other than that, I am not much of a merchandise-buying person.
Top 5 Ska Regrets
I wish I would have been around at and had more time to check out more shows of the touring bands--The Slackers, Hepcat, etc. Other than that, too few regrets to mention. Overall, it was a good year for ska!
Top 5 Ska Wishes for 2013
1) That the fans keep the fire burning.
2) Seeing more good bands emerge.
3) Seeing my favorite bands going strong (long live The Skatalites!).
4) Success for the Dr. Ring Ding Ska-Vaganza tour(s).
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!
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!
Casbah Taj Mahal 1000 Boardwalk @ Virginia Avenue Atlantic City, NJ $20/$10 with CK Expo badge
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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
Washington, DC's Eastern Standard Time is teaming up with Italy's Mr. T-Bone for a short tour of parts of the Midwest this October--as well as a night over the border in Canada at the Montreal Ska Festival and another in my home base of NYC! You like traditional/jazzy ska? Then you need to get yourself to one of these shows, since EST and Mr. T-Bone are two of the finest acts you can hope to see (plus, along the way, they will be sharing the stage with special guests like The Skatalites, Murder City Players, 1592, Bigger Thomas, and The Rudie Crew)!
This October, if you are anywhere within striking distance of Montreal, you must get yourself to the third annual Montreal Ska Festival, presented by the Montreal Ska Society, a non-profit, 100% volunteer-run organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Quebecois and Canadian ska music and culture.
As with many printed publications, the skazines that connected and informed the fans during much of the late 80s and throughout the 90s were decimated by the rise of the internet [insert ominous sounding music here]. And, really, why should the skazine editors go to the trouble and expense of laying out, printing / copying, and distributing a tangible publication (and no doubt lose money doing so), when it suddenly became way easier and cheaper to set up a website or a blog to serve the same function and potentially reach ska fans around the globe? (Having said that, I miss them--will there ever be a new edition of Hoi Polloi again?!--and I greedily treasure the ones that I have in my possession, particularly my old copies of "Zoot!")
Unfortunately, there is the downside to every technological development, and for our little discussion today, that is music file sharing (read my general thoughts on why music file sharing is flat-out wrong and killing the music we love here and here). In regards to the subject of skazines, it seems like far too many ska blogs lazily exist simply to post links to file sharing sites where people can illegally download ska and reggae albums for free. They don't bother to actually review the music, interview the bands, or promote their gigs (and if you want to make it so people can hear a band's music, why not use a free application like Div Share, so fans can stream a song, but not download it?).
Apart from Kevin Flowerdew's awesome "Do the Dog Skazine," few current skazines come to mind. But now we have the ambitious Rocking Steady Skazine out of Germany, which is both a website and e-zine. The Rocking Steady e-zine is already up to issue #2 (find the PDF here)--featuring nice interviews with Vin Gordon, Rico Rodriguez, and Mr. T-bone (do you sense a theme here?); a focus on still active 80s/90s-era bands like Mr. Review, The Busters, and Bluekilla; an article on ska graphic designer Jada Leblanc--and a slew of record reviews (Roy Ellis, Hotknives, Resignators, Mr. T-Bone, and many more). While, at times, it seems like some things are lost in translation (the results of Google Translate often make for rough reading), there are many great things going on here. Do yourself a favor--bookmark Rocking Steady and visit it frequently!
Editor's note: Despite what our fans and boosters may say about us, The Duff Guide to Ska is not omniscient (we're quite imperfect and fallible, trust us!). We're ashamed to admit that didn't get our sweaty hands on every ska 7", 10", 12", LP, CD, and digital track released in 2010 (though we wish we had!). So, despite our shortcomings, below please find our thoroughly unscientific, highly biased, and most incomplete "Best Ska Singles of 2010" list:
- Babyhead: "Jungle Law" b/w "Jungle Lore" (two track vinyl single; Rockers Revolt Records). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
- Club Moonstomp, featuring Roy Ellis, Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T Bone, and Green Room Rockers (four track color vinyl single, Jump Up Records).
- The Crabs Corporation Meets King Hammond: "Bring Down the Birds" (one track vinyl single; Record Kicks). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
- King Hammond: "Riot in London Town" (four track vinyl single; N.1. Records). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
- The Hard Times: "Two Bucks for Bob" (three track digital EP; Whatevski Records). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
- Buford O'Sullivan: L.R.T.R. (three track vinyl single and eight track digital EP; Megalith Records). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
- Tin Roots: Set Sail (four track digital EP; self-released). Read The Duff Guide to Ska review here.
The word from Chuck Wren at Jump Up Records is that he has the new live CD from the awesome ska-soul Belgian act The Moon Invaders, Live at the AB Club (Grover)--and that The Moon Invaders' skinhead reggae alter ego, The Caroloregians, have a new CD/LP, Funkify Your Reggae, coming down the pipeline soon! I have a feeling that both of these albums are going to be vital additions to The Duff Guide to Ska collection. If you were fortunate enough to catch both of these bands on tour of the USA this past summer (read The Duff Guide to Ska review of this show--and watch video footage of both bands in action--here), you know these bands are incredibly good (their absolutely sensational split CD, Hot Blood, Cold Weather is essential!).
+ + + + Speaking of Euro ska-soul acts, I just picked up and listened to the new Babylove & the van Dangos LP, The Money & The Time (Jump Up) on my cheap-but-good Vestax Handy Trax record player (I've actually used it in a Fat Albert/MacGyver DJ set-up and it worked really well). We'll review The Money & The Time soon, but can tell you now that it's stellar.
Even though I was hundreds of miles away when Club Moonstomp happened, I feel like I was kind of there after playing the Jump Up commemorative colored vinyl single, featuring new and rare material from Roy Ellis (Symarip), Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T-Bone, and Green Room Rockers. Not sure how many of these Chuck has left after offering them at the gig, but they're worth tracking down.
Lastly, I mail-ordered The Trojan Skinhead Reggae Collection from Ernie B's Reggae (a double-CD set for $8.99, so I figured how could I go wrong?). It turns out that is it an abridged version (40 out of 50 tracks) of the four-CD Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set--which I don't have--and has many cuts from 1968-1972 that were new to me, like Lloyd Charmers' "Dollars and Bonds" and Derrick Morgan's "Copy Cat." Good stuff.
As part of Chicago's upcoming Riot Fest 2010, Chuck Wren and Jump Up Records are presenting "Club Moonstomp," which will feature the legendary Roy Ellis (from one of the greatest skinhead reggae groups ever, Symarip), as well as Eastern Standard Time, Mr. T-Bone (from Italy), and the Green Room Rockers--plus Chuck is spinning wax from his mega-deep collection. This is all going down on Sunday, October 10, beginning at 8:00 pm (18+) at Subterranean (2011 North Avenue, Chicago).
The Toasters, Crombies, and Skapone are also appearing at Riot Fest on Friday, October 8th at Subterranean!
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Take note that Jump Up has just served up three new releases:
The Green Room Rockers self-titled, sophomore album full of Motown soul and Kingston reggae is out on CD now (and LP in a few weeks).
Mr T-Bones' Instrumental Sessions Volume 1 was mixed by Victor Rice and features guest appearances by members of The Slackers (NYC), The Bullets (Los Angeles), The Caroloregians/Moon Invaders (Belgium), The Ratazanas (Portugal), The Soul Captives (San Francisco), The Forthrights (NYC), and The Heatmakers (France), plus Larry McDonald on percussion (RS7 & Dub is a Weapon); David Hillyard on tenor/baritone sax (Slackers & RS7), Kincaid Smith on trumpet (Hepcat), King Django chatting, Roger Rivas on organ (Aggrolites), Buford O'Sullivan on trombone (Easy Star All Stars), Tommy Tornado on tenor sax (Rude Rich), Rich Graiko on trumpet (Westbound Train & Void Union), Paolo Parpaglione on tenor/alto sax (Mr.T-Bone Allstars & Bluebeaters), and Cecio Grano on tenor sax/flute (Young Lions). If you buy the LP of this release, you also receive it on CD.
Lastly, Babylove & the van Dangos' new Money & The Time LP showcases the band's stunning mix of traditional ska, which is full of energy and soul! It's on yellow vinyl and limited to an edition of 500 copies.
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!
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!
