Duff Guide NYC Ska Calendar #2 Winter 2023

The Toasters, circa 1986

Thursday, February 2, 2023 @ 8:00 pm

Top Shotta Band featuring Screechy Dan, Stop the Presses, Max Glazer, Ayanna Heaven, Uproot Andy, Snips & Khalil, plus DJs Mush1 (Al Paragus Int'l)

Pianos
158 Ludlow Street
Manhattan, NY

+ + + +

Friday, February 10, 2023 @ 8:00 pm

Subway to Skaville presents: The Pomps (from Massachusetts), Barbicide (ex-Mephiskapheles, local heroes), Not From Concentrate (from Staten Island), Jo Mercado, plus DJs Yana Lil Jerk & Ryan Midnight

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B)
Manhattan, NY
No cover (but bring cash the band tip bucket!)

(Sign up for the Subway to Skaville mailing list to receive info on future shows!)

+ + + +

Saturday, March 4, 2023 @ 7:00 pm

Cover Your Idols, The Mikey Erg! Band, Across the Aisle (Reunion!), My So Called Mixtape

Lucky 13 Saloon
644 Sackett Street
Brooklyn, NY
$13 (advanced tickets)/21+

+ + + +

Friday, March 31, 2023 @ 6:30 pm

The English Beat

Palladium Times Square
1515 Broadway
Manhattan, NY
$44.10/16+

+ + + +

Thursday, April 20, 2023 @ 8:00 pm

Mephiskapheles, Hub City Stompers, Butterbrain

The Bowery Electric
327 Bowery
Manhattan, NY
$16.90/21+

+ + + +

NYC Ska Calendar #6, Fall/Winter 2022

Thursday, October 6, 2022 @ 6:00 pm (DJ set); 8:00 pm first band

Subway to Skaville presents Joker's Republic, Rundown Kreeps, Eye Defy (NJ vs. CA Ska Punk Show), plus DJ Pitter Pat

Otto's Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B)
Manhattan, NY
No cover/21+
But please bring cash for each band's tip bucket

+ + + +

Friday, October 14, 2022 @ 7:00 pm

NYC Ska Orchestra

Natty Garden
636 Washington Avenue (and Dean Street)
Brooklyn, NY
$10

+ + + +

Saturday, October 15, 2022 @ 4:00 pm

Otto's Shrunken Head 20th Anniversary Celebration

Live music: The Bloody Muffs, Barbicide, Bikini Carwash, The Hipp Pipps, Recreational Outrage, The Electric Mess, Memphis Morticians, Crusier: Michael T's Cars Tribute, Frankie Goes to Dollywood, Labretta Suede & The Motel 6

DJ sets: Crystalblu, Suzy Hotrod & Shangri-La, Ryan Midnight, Yana Lil' Jerk & Connie T. Empress, Pitter Pat, Kool Thing, Greg-gory & Strange Jason, Captain Heartlock & January 1963, Mike Mortician & Mike Decay, Two Tone Timmy, Supermorgan

Otto's Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B)
Manhattan, NY
No cover/21+

+ + + +

Thursday, October 20, 2022 @ 7:00 pm

Abraskadabra, Stop the Presses, Public Serpents

Trans-Pecos
915 Wyckoff Avenue
Ridgewood, NY
All ages
$15 in advance/$18 day of show

+ + + +

Saturday, October 22, 2022 @ 6:00 pm

Suicide Machines w/Avail, Deadguy, Fuck It I Quit

Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
Manhattan, NY
$48/16+

+ + + +

Monday, October 31, 2022 @ 8:30 pm

Scientist, Coolie Ranx, Full Watts Band

Brooklyn Made
428 Troutman Street
Brooklyn, NY
21+

$20 in advance/$22.50 week of show/$25 day of the show

+ + + +

Friday, November 18, 2022 @ 8:00 pm

Subway to Skaville presents: Stop the Presses "Got It" record release party with The Pandemics, Barbicide, plus DJ Ryan Midnight

Otto's Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge
538 East 14th Street (between Avenues A & B)
Manhattan, NY
No cover/21+
But please bring cash for each band's tip bucket

+ + + +

NYC Ska Calendar #7/Fall & Winter 2021

Note: Remember to bring proof of vaccination for entry to all shows!

Friday, November 19, 2021 @ 7:00 pm

79.5, The Far East, Walk Talk, DJ Miss Hap

Live in the Sultan Room
234 Starr Street
Brooklyn, NY
$15/$20
21+

+ + + +

Saturday, November 20, 2021 @ 8:00 pm

Subway to Skaville and Electric Avenue present The Simulators, Skappository, Dunia & Aram plus DJs Ryan Midnight and Duff Guy

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+

+ + + +

Wednesday, November 24, 2021 @ 8:00 pm

The Skatalites Band

Cafe Wha?
115 MacDougal Street
Manhattan, NY
Tix: $30 (plus two drink minimum)
21+

+ + + +

Sunday, December 5, 2021 @ 5:00 pm

Hub City Stompers, Stop the Presses, Sgt Scag

Pianos
158 Ludlow Street
Manhattan, NY
Tix: $12
21+

+ + + + 

Sunday, December 12, 2021 @ 7:00 pm

Desorden Publico and King Chango

S.O.B.'s
204 Varick Street
New York, NY
Tickets: $50
21+

+ + + + 

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

+ + + +

NYC Ska Calendar #6/Fall & Winter 2021

Rhoda Dakar & Ranking Roger

Note: Remember to bring proof of vaccination for entry to all shows!

Saturday, November 10, 2021 @ 8:00 pm

Subway to Skaville and Electric Avenue present The Stimulators, Skappository, Dunia & Aram plus DJs Ryan Midnight and Duff Guy

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+

+ + + +

Wednesday, November 24, 2021 @ 8:00 pm

The Skatalites Band

Cafe Wha?
115 MacDougal Street
Manhattan, NY
Tix: $30 (plus two drink minimum)
21+

+ + + +

Sunday, December 5, 2021 @ 5:00 pm

Hub City Stompers, Stop the Presses, Sgt Scag

Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston Street
Manhattan, NY
Tix: $12
16+

+ + + +

Sunday, December 12, 2021 @ 7:00 pm

Desorden Publico and King Chango

S.O.B.'s
204 Varick Street
New York, NY
Tickets: $50
21+

+ + + +

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

+ + + +

Duff Review: Rude Girl Revue "Lioness" b/w "Unruly Ways"

(Review by Steve Shafer)

By all accounts, Rude Girl Revue's debut performance at the recent Supernova Ska Festival in Virginia wowed everyone in attendance, and pretty much stole the three-day festival from all other contenders (the vast majority of them, ahem, male). This supergroup comprised of women ska musicians from 12 bands across the country (Kristin, Jade, and Tiffany from The Scotch Bonnets; Jenny from Hub City Stompers/Rude Boy George; Dunia from Dubistry; Dani from Soul Radics; Brittany from Catbite; Ali from Stop the Presses; Marcia and Katie from BowCat; Tara from Half Past Two; Lindsay from Thirteen Towers/The Skluttz; Emily from The Skluttz; Kat from The Pandemics; Tricia from Some Ska Band; plus Tara from the Checkered Cast podcast) was formed to stake their claim in a genre that's been heavily dominated by men; celebrate their role in the scene; and inject feminist messages into the ska mix.

Rude Girl Revue's excellent debut single (Digital, self-released, 2021) features the great rocksteady cut "Lioness" (written and sung by The Scotch Bonnets' Jade Tremba and Lady Hatchet) that both boasts of their prowess and calls for women's solidarity to combat the patriarchy ("To all the lady conquerers/We strike as one/And watch them fall"), while the extraordinary new ska anthem to women's empowerment "Unruly Ways" (written and sung by Jenny Whiskey) decries the ludicrous and sexist rules that society imposes on women, while men are free to do as they please ("Just to love yourself truly is a radical act/And we won't be holding back/It doesn't matter if you're the virgin or the whore/You only get two sides to divide/But you could be so much more!/So, be a bitch, be a slut/Be whatever the fuck you want/'Cause I love you, girl, for your unruly ways!").

While both '60s Jamaican ska and late '70s 2 Tone were often overtly political (addressing racism, economic inequity, and social injustice), American ska--with some very notable exceptions--has been largely apolitical. Perhaps, this marks a major shift in the scene with the women of Rude Girl Revue leading the way...

+ + + +

NYC Ska Calendar #3/Summer & Fall 2021

The amazing Rico Rodriguez

Saturday, June 26, 2021--4:00 pm

Stop the Presses
Queens Night Market @ NY Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Corona, NY
FREE

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Mighty Ramon, The Bluebeats, The Naughty Cubists
American Legion Huntington Post 360
1 Mill Dam Road
Huntington, NY
$15
Doors at 5:00 pm

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Top Shotta Band featuring Screechy Dan, Escarioka, Axolotl, Jonny Go Figure, DJ Rata
687 Park Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$12 in advance/$15 day of show
Time: 1:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Skappository + others TBA
Finley's
43 Green Street
Huntington, NY
Free/All ages
Doors at 7:00 pm

Thursday, July 22, 2021

The Skatalites Band
Market Hotel
1140 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$20/All ages
Doors: 7:00 pm

Friday, July 23, 2021

Skappository, Mikey ERG Band, The Pandemics
Mr. Beery's
4019 Hempstead Turnpike
Bethpage, NY
$10/21+
Doors: 8:00 pm

Friday, July 30, 2021

The Ladrones, Beat Brigade, Invading Species, Eye Defy
Bushwick Public House
1288 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10 in advance/$12 day of show
Doors at 7:00 pm

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Ska Punk Bash w/The Scofflaws, Jones Crusher, The Knottie Boys, Bad Mary, Skappository, plus DJ Treblemakazz
Bartini Bar
124 North Carll Ave
Babylon, NY
$15 day of show/$10 in advance/21+

Friday, August 6, 2021

Skappository, Pin Cushion, Powerviolets, Brian Kish's Lounge Pants, Graztopia, Celebrity Wife Swap
One Ey Jacks
380 North Wantagh Avenue
Bethpage, NY
$10/21+
Doors: 8:00 pm

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Hub City Stompers, The Take, Murderer's Row, Violent Way
Kingsland
269 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$15/All ages, 21 w/ID to drink
Doors at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Bim Skala Bim PLUS the NJ premiere of the "New England Ska Summit documentary film
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue
Bordentown, NJ

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Bim Skala Bim PLUS the NYC premiere of the "New England Ska Summit documentary film
Arrogant Swine
173 Morgan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Toasters
Kingsland
269 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$17.95/16+
Doors open at 6:00 pm

Saturday, October 16, 2021

The Pietasters Booze Cruise
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

Saturday, December 18, 2021

The Slackers and The Aggrolites
Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
Manhattan, NY
$22.50/16+
Doors open at 7:00 pm

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Madness and The English Beat
Manhattan Center--Hammerstein Ballroom
311 West 34th Street
Manhattan, NY
$55 and up
Doors at 8:00 pm

+ + + +

NYC Ska Calendar #2/Summer & Fall 2021

The Scofflaws backstage at Wetlands (early '90s)

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Barbicide (6pm), Homebodies, plus DJs Selector Peralta, DJ Shabbakano, Comandr3 Selecta
Arrogant Swine
173 Morgan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
FREE
All Ages
Early show: 3:00 pm
"NO Racism - NO Sexism - NO Bullshit"

Saturday, June 26, 2021--4:00 pm

Stop the Presses
Queens Night Market @ NY Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Corona, NY
FREE

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Mighty Ramon, The Bluebeats, The Naughty Cubists
American Legion Huntington Post 360
1 Mill Dam Road
Huntington, NY
$15
Doors at 5:00 pm

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Ska Punk Bash w/The Scofflaws, Jones Crusher, The Knottie Boys, Bad Mary, Skappository, plus DJ Treblemakazz
Bartini Bar
124 North Carll Ave
Babylon, NY
$15 day of show/$10 in advance

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Hub City Stompers, The Take, Murderer's Row, Violent Way
Kingsland
269 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$15/All ages, 21 w/ID to drink
Doors at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Bim Skala Bim PLUS the NJ premiere of the "New England Ska Summit documentary film
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue
Bordentown, NJ

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Toasters
Kingsland
269 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$17.95/16+
Doors open at 6:00 pm

Saturday, October 16, 2021

The Pietasters Booze Cruise
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

Saturday, December 18, 2021

The Slackers and The Aggrolites
Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
Manhattan, NY
$22.50/16+
Doors open at 7:00 pm

+ + + +

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Madness and The English Beat
Manhattan Center--Hammerstein Ballroom
311 West 34th Street
Manhattan, NY
$55 and up
Doors at 8:00 pm

+ + + +

Duff Guide to Ska Bullet Points: Green Torrejas "Green Torrejas" b/w "The Prisoners" and Stop the Presses "Dub in the Bank"

(Reviews by Steve Shafer)

• The two skinhead reggae tracks featured on Green Torrejas' outstanding new single "Green Torrejas" b/w "The Prisoners" (Vinyl single, Canana Records, 2020) are directly inspired by the "spaghetti Western" films that comprise Italian director Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, For a Few Dollars More in 1965, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in 1966), along with their accompanying soundtracks by Ennio Morricone. Of course, these very same movies and others of their ilk captivated many of the early reggae originators, like Lee "Scratch" Perry and The Upsetters, The Crystalites, The Hippy Boys, and others, who produced a number of incredible "Western reggae" sides in response (which are collected on the excellent Trojan comp For a Few Dollars More: 28 Shots of Western Inspired Reggae). As the Green Torrejas hail from Buenos Aires, Argentina, it should be noted that their country has its own version of the cowboy in the gauchos, who evoke mythic/heroic qualities similar to their American counterparts (surely the spaghetti Westerns were popular there...). Green Torrejas' sound is in The Upsetters' mold--their instrumentals are keyboard-focused, musically quote bits from Morricone's Dollars' scores, and feature the requisite gunshots, ricochets, and other dramatic movie sound effects. "Green Torrejas" ("Green Fritters") is a moody theme song of sorts that conjures up images of cowboy anti-heroes battling/evading corrupt forces in unforgiving desert landscapes and beat up frontier towns, while "The Prisoners" is proudly defiant, as if our protagonists have escaped from the hands of the law or grips of the black hats. This is a great single worth tracking down (Canana Records is based in Mexico, so it'll be an import if you don't live there).

• Brooklyn-via-Miami's Stop the Presses have issued two stellar, Agent Jay-crafted dubs of tracks from their terrific 2019 Money in the Bank album: "Dub the Presses" b/w "Hugo Dub" (digital, self-released and lathe cut single, Revolution Vintage; both 2020). If you've never heard them, Stop the Presses makes bright, catchy, new-wave tinged ska and reggae that leans more toward Santigold than No Doubt (and their recent album includes a great ska cover of Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party"). "Dub the Presses" is a version of "Stop the Presses"--which is about pushing back on those who pump out disinformation and propaganda while denouncing journalism attempting to report truth as "fake news": "The lies you're spreading, the beds they wetting/We're ready to throw this whole thing out." "Hugo" is a searing portrait of someone who's gone through a bitter break-up, but was no angel himself in the process ("Spit out the nails that have been spoken/Now start choking on your own spit"); its dub sheds some of the biting commentary to focus on the cut's rather sweet melody. I'm kicking myself for missing out on the now sold-out lathe cut Dub in the Bank single, but maybe Sammy Kay will do another batch someday?

The Big Ska Gamble 7" Record Club Kickstarter Project

If you follow this blog with some frequency, you know that I'm a big proponent of the Kickstarter model as a way forward for many non-mainstream bands who want to be in a position to be able to produce--and actually be paid for--recorded music housed in a physical format in this dark age of worldwide file-sharing/pirating of digital music. And it's a fantastic way for fans to directly support the bands they love and be able to acquire music that is highly-collectible, as these projects are typically limited-edition pressings of vinyl or CDs. Several highly-successful ska-related Kickstarter projects that I've had the pleasure of being involved with include those for Moondust Records/Reggae 69 Club; The Sentiments; and most recently, The Shifters.

The latest ska Kickstarter project I'm backing is The Big Ska Gamble: a Seven-Inch Vinyl Record Subscription Club, which was put together by Brian J. Polk of the "23min of Ska" podcast (many of these bands have appeared on his show), and features a mix of traditional ska/rocksteady, reggae, and ska-punk acts from across the USA.

While you can learn all the details of this project on The Big Ska Gamble Kickstarter page, it essentially boils down to this: for a $36 pledge (if the project is fully funded), the subscription club will send you two 7" records starting this July from the following acts:

The Action League - ska/punk from San Luis Obispo, CA
Do It With Malice - ska/metal/hardcore punk from Buffalo, NY
The Georgetown Orbits - ska, reggae and dub from Seattle, WA
Lockstep - reggae punk from Indianapolis, IN
The Shifters - rocksteady from Washington D.C.
Stop the Presses - ska/surf/punk from Miami, FL

The project will only be funded if at least $5,000 is pledged by Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 2:59AM EDT.

I was compelled to make my pledge because of my fan-boy devotion to The Shifters (though I'm definitely eager to discover what some of these other bands come up with), but it seems like with all of the various permutations of ska represented in this project that there is definitely something for every ska fan to love here...