Duff Guide to Ska Fast Takes: New Singles from Babylove & the van Dangos, Cartoon Violence, Gentleman's Dub Club & Hollie Cook, and The Porkers

(Reviews by Steve Shafer)

Babylove & the van Dangos have released the excellent new rocksteady digital single "Soldiering On," which, on its face, celebrates the band's 15 years of existence, acknowledges how fortunate they are to be able to do what they love, and coveys what it's been like on tour for a lot of that time ("A thousand laughs and a thousand tears/A million joints and a million beers...Soldiering on/And putting another mile behind us on the autobahn"). But it's also a message of encouragement to just keep on going, no matter what life throws at you (...like a global pandemic), with the hope that you've somehow made a difference in the lives of the people around you, so that "somebody will remember when we're dead and gone." (The music video for the track features footage from over the years of the band's antics on stage, behind the scenes, and on the road--and will make you long for a time when we all can be together and enjoy live music as one.)...Cartoon Violence have used their lockdown time very well and recorded the stellar new digital single "Friend or Foe" (which is likely the teaser for a new physical EP in the coming months). This super-upbeat 2 Tone-ish track is about being in such dire straights that you'll gladly accept assistance from whatever quarter it comes from: "This town is really sinking (hide the shame)/Everybody's out looking for who's to blame/On account of all the drinking (give it a name)/Noah's gonna have to fill his ark again/And all the king's groupies (and all the king's men)/Couldn't put me back together again/Is anybody out there?/Can anybody hear me?/Friend or foe/Let me know/'Cause I don't think that I'll make it on my own/And I need a helping hand..." (make sure to check out the video for this song--you can't go wrong with Harold Lloyd!). If you're buying this cut via the band's Bandcamp page, you'll also be treated to a live version of "Better" from Tit for Tat recorded in Vienna back when these things could happen...To be honest, I've always thought that Hollie Cook's best collaborator was Prince Fatty (it's hard to top her debut album--which I reviewed years ago), but I rather like the new smooth, Quiet Storm reggae single "Honey" ("Don't know what to do with this forbidden fruit/Temptation always leads to you/Sweet honey, it tastes too good to be true...") she's on with Gentleman's Dub Club (stream it here). GDC's new album Down to Earth comes out on March 19, 2021 from Easy Star Records...Recorded well before, but released about a week after, Trump incited a seditious, white supremacist insurrection (months in the making) that came horrifyingly close to decapitating the Legislative branch of the United States government (and only failed due to the heroism of most members of the Capitol police and a lot of dumb luck), "Big Baby Man" is The Porkers' hilariously brilliant and catchy takedown of America's worst president/human being ever--and should serve as Trump's political/personal epitaph and be required to be played in the background every time his enablers, conspirators, and supporters are interviewed on TV trying to gaslight everyone with their hate, lies, and conspiracies. The lyrics--so worth quoting in full--provide a fantastic summary of the disastrous past four years, capturing a lot of the lowlights of the fascist, white grievance-nurturing, wannabe president-for-life narcissist:

"Big, big baby man
He's a big, big baby man (child)
Big, big baby with his little baby man hands

Hey America, what have you done?
You made that con man into your number one
He's lying and denying, and he's getting away with murder
Deceiting and a cheating, and loves a hamberder

Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah! [The perfect chorus for Trump and his perpetual and paradoxical winner/victim MAGA patriots!]

Don, Jr. and Eric want daddy's approval
The Democrats pushing for impeachment removal
You've seen the First Lady, it looks like he bought her
But he tells everybody that he loves his daughter

He never built a wall, like he said he would
He said nazis weren't bad and some were good!
He said the Covid would just disappear
He bragged and he lied, and the rednecks cheered

He lost his friend called Jeff-er-y
He confused everyone with cofveve
He has the best higher capability
[Sound clip of Trump] 'Person...woman...man...camera...TV'

He fell in love with foreign dictators
And somehow was going to make America greater
A whining and a wailing when he lost the election
You gotta believe me...he's a big, big baby man!

Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!

(Everybody sing along with the animated video here!)

Trump famously has no sense of humor, so what better way to "honor"/wound/deflate him than with a cutting song like this!

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Duff Guide to Ska Bullet Points: Me, Mom, and Morgentaler "Racist Friend"; Various Artists "Ska Against Racism"

(Reviews by Steve Shafer)

If racism means both racist action and inaction in the face of racism, then antiracism means active participation in combating racism in all forms. -- Ibram X. Kendi, Founding Director, Antiracist Research and Policy Center, American University

• The great late '80s/early '90s Montreal-based ska band Me, Mom, and Morgentaler has virtually reformed to record and release a benefit single featuring The Special AKA's iconic and uncompromisingly anti-racist track "Racist Friend" (Digital, self-released, 2020; "Racist Friend 2020 Dubmatix Dub" is the B-side), with all proceeds donated to À deux mains/Head and Hands (a long-standing social service organization serving marginalized youth in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood of Montreal). According to the band's liner notes, Me, Mom, and Morgentaler first started performing this track back in the late '80s in response to neo-nazi boneheads who would sometimes crash their shows. Titled "Racist Friend 2020," this terrific version has more of a groove to it than The Special AKA's original, and sports a pointed and powerful rap that speaks to our times: "Look, I know the playbook/The racism ain't a bug, it's a feature/It's time to unlearn what they didn't teach ya...My people are more than collateral damages/Of red lines, hate crimes, Can I speak to the manager?/We got it on camera, but still some deny it/It's time to speak up, they stay quiet/You can't stand by it and expect that I will be your friend/It's time to bring this to an end."  

• While the Mike Park-organized 1998 Ska Against Racism tour was extremely well-intentioned--and did raise $23k for Anti-Racism Action and the National Council of Churches' Burned Churches Fund--its execution and effectiveness were decidedly mixed, as this long Chicago Reader feature makes painfully clear. Over 20 years later, with an overt bigot in the White House enacting racist policies and egging on emboldened white supremacist hate groups, and the pernicious effects of systemic racism on Americans of color still unresolved, Bad Time Records, Asian Man Records, and Ska Punk Daily have put together the new 28-track compilation Ska Against Racism (Double vinyl LP/digital, Bad Time Records 2020) in response, with all proceeds going to The Movement for Black Lives, The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The Conscious Kid, The Alpha Institute, and Black Girls Code. While this compilation of new, unreleased, and rare cuts leans heavily toward melodic ska-punk (with really catchy tracks from Mustard Plug, The Interrupters, Bite Me Bambi, JER, Buck-O-Nine, Left Alone, Omnigone, Kill Lincoln--with "David Duke Is Running for President," which actually happened in 1988--and others), there are tracks from several notable traditional and modern ska acts in the mix. Some of the many highlights on Ska Against Racism include the 2013 Operation Ivy reunion of sorts found on Tim Timebomb featuring Jesse Michaels' "Living in a Dangerous Land," The Chinkees' "Run for Help," The Planet Smashers' "The Pledge" (to fight hate), The Doped Up Dollies' cover of The Special AKA's "Racist Friend" (great harmonizing here), Hepcat's "Nigel (Quarantine Version)" (a revisit of their 1990 debut single, an ambivalent ode to the JA rude boy rebel life), Westbound Train's "Wash Over Me," The Skints' "Restless (Heavy Dub Mix)" (which is about the effects of institutional racism with references to police killings of unarmed black people and the horrific Grenfell Tower fire), Catbite's "Asinine Aesthetic" (which sounds like X meets 2 Tone), The Suicide Machines with Gangster Fun's singer John Bunkley's "City Limitations" (about how racism helped fuel the decline of Detroit), and The Porkers' "The Good Egg" (which refers to a real-life incident where an Aussie teen cracked an egg on the head of an anti-immigrant/anti-Muslim senator). While I'm not a big fan of ska punk, I really enjoyed this comp--the quality control is high and all bands bring their A game. Everyone involved in Ska Against Racism put their time, effort, and money where their mouths are. If you consider yourself to be anti-racist, you should, too.

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Duff Review: The Porkers "Make Hey" b/w "Emulsified"

Radley Records
Vinyl single with picture sleeve
2018

(Review by Steve Shafer)

After a bit of a hiatus, The Porkers are back on the beat with an excellent new single for the masses. "Make Hey" (a little bit of twist on the idiom) is a catchy, upbeat, mid-tempo ska track about owning up/making peace with your mistakes and, more importantly, moving on: "I'm gonna make hey/While the sun don't shine/Forget about my yesterday/And leave it all behind/I make hey/With just a little time/I paid you back my debt/So, let's drink a beer for the past." The Porkers shift gears on the b-side and let it rip on an early rock 'n' roll-styled cover of Rex Garvin and The Mighty Cravers' great 1961 rhythm and blues single "Emulsified" --which is about being all stirred up inside from being in love. (Specials fans know, of course, that Garvin also wrote "Sock It To 'Em J.B.," which they recorded for More Specials.) Both tracks are more than suitable for play on dive-bar jukeboxes and at boozy (finished) basement dance parties.

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The Duff Guide to Ska NYC Winter 2016/2017 Ska Calendar #42

Misty in Roots (photo by Syd Shelton)

Thursday, December 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Skints, Rude Boy George, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$15 in advance/$20 day of show
All ages

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Thursday, December 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

HR (of Bad Brains), Dubb Agents, Skarroñeros, Kingsound

The Bowery Electric
327 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 in advance/$15 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, December 30, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

The Porkers, The Pandemics, The Rudie Crew, Skarroneros

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$12 in advance/$15 day of show

+ + + +

Saturday, January 14, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

Shrine World Music Venue
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard/7th Avenue
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

LARP Showcase #10: King Django, Control This, The Screwups, Brother Jerome, Carmelo DiBartolo (Beat Brigade)--plus DJ Ryan Midnight

Don Pedro
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$10/21+

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Saturday, January 21, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dj Gorilla Presents: Oi! Punk/Ska Party!!! [Queens Edition] w/Los Perros, Raise the Kicks, The Omega Men, Eskrofula

Pista Bandas Unidas Oficial
96-11 Roosevelt Avenue
Queens, NY
$10/All Ages

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Friday, February 24, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Saturday, March 4, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Save Ferris, Baby Baby

The Gramercy Theatre
127 East 23rd Street
New York, NY
$20/16+

+ + + +

Friday, March 17, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters

The Marlin Room @ Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
$16/16+

+ + + +

Friday, March 24, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Voodoo Glow Skulls, Hub City Stompers

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$13 in advance/$15 day of show
All Ages

+ + + +

Friday, March 31, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
4 Penn Plaza
New York, NY
Tickets: $35-$95

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The Duff Guide to Ska NYC Winter 2016/2017 Ska Calendar #41

1978: Dambala, Tom Robinson, and Misty in Roots (Photo by Syd Shelton)

Monday, December 12, 2016 -- 2 Sets: 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm

Sekta Core, Nana Pancha

Tobacco Road
355 West 41st Street
New York, NY
6:00 pm show: $30/9:30 pm show: $40
21+

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Saturday, December 17, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

The Slackers, The Frightnrs, Full Watts, DJ John Glenn Soundsystem

Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
$20/21+

+ + + +

Thursday, December 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

The Skints, Rude Boy George, The Far East

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$15 in advance/$20 day of show
All ages

+ + + +

Thursday, December 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

HR (of Bad Brains), Dubb Agents, Skarroñeros, Kingsound

The Bowery Electric
327 Bowery
New York, NY
$12 in advance/$15 day of show

+ + + +

Friday, December 30, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

The Porkers, The Pandemics, The Rudie Crew, Skarroneros

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$12 in advance/$15 day of show

+ + + +

Saturday, January 14, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dubistry

Shrine World Music Venue
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard/7th Avenue
New York, NY
No cover!

+ + + +

Friday, February 24, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

+ + + +

Friday, March 17, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

The Pietasters

The Marlin Room @ Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY$16/16+

+ + + +

Friday, March 31, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
4 Penn Plaza
New York, NY
Tickets: $35-$95

+ + + +

Duff Gig Review: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7, The Pandemics at Stage 48 (4/28/13)

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7
The Pandemics
Stage 48
New York, NY
4/28/13

(Review by Steve Shafer)

I first started reading about Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra in Tower Records' magazine "Pulse" in the very early 1990s--and was incredibly intrigued by this ska band that was gaining so much mainstream attention and had attracted major label backing (Epic), especially at a time when ska was an underground thing, worldwide. And then a few of their releases began showing up in Tower's import bins--mysterious (with psychedelic artwork and Japanese text), tantalizing, and pricey. Since my ska obsession knows no bounds, I picked up many of their available imports (though, to this day, I don't know the titles of some of the TSPO releases I have!) and immediately fell in love with their pumped up, big band, Skatalites-influenced sound.

I had always harbored the hope/fantasy of traveling to Japan to see TSPO there, but my life's plan (so far) hasn't made this possible. During my time at Moon Ska Records, I thought it might happen. I had helped handle the licensing of many of our releases to our Japanese sister label, Moon Ska Tokyo (run by Tachyon Records), and to promote some of the Moon Ska Tokyo releases, Tachyon arranged for several Moon bands to tour in Japan. But the opportunity never arose for me to tag along with any of them.

In the waning days of Moon, sometime in 1999, when everything was starting to crash down on our heads after the mainstream music press and music industry had formally declared ska dead (triggering an avalanche of returned CDs from record stores across the nation), a few representatives from the Japanese major label Avex (who had recently set up TSPO with their own imprint, Justa Records) visited me in New York with the intention of exploring some sort of partnership between Moon and TSPO in the USA. Sadly, Moon was in no condition to launch a new endeavor with TSPO or anyone else (around this time, The Porkers had finally made it over to the States for the Warped Tour and to support their Hot Dog Daiquiri release on Moon, but, in a bit of miserable timing--and much to my horror--Moon's promotion department had been shut down, and I could barely look Pete Porker in the eye when he was in town). Had this meeting taken place just a year or two earlier, a deal between Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (who, no doubt, would have toured the USA in support of any domestic release) and Moon Records might have positioned the label to survive the hard ska times coming at the end of the century...

I did come away from the Avex encounter with some incredible TSPO 7"singles and 12" EPs on Justa Records for my troubles, which hold treasured spots in my record collection to this day.

When Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra played NYC's Central Park Summerstage about eight years ago, for some reason (and much to my regret), I missed it (I must have been out of town). So, when I received an e-mail a few months ago from someone in Chicago who was inquiring about good places to stay in NYC when TSPO plays, I dropped everything I was doing and scrambled to get a ticket (even though TSPO was playing a Sunday night show at a new, non-ska venue) and altered my friend Marc Wasserman (Marco on the Bass/Bigger Thomas) to do the same.

From pictures on its website, Stage 48--located in Hell's Kitchen/Clinton, off 11th Avenue--appeared to be a cavernous space (that typically hosted hip-hop concerts and themed club nights), but it turned out to be a surprisingly intimate space, with a U-shaped balcony over the dance floor. I saw/heard very little about the show ahead of time (where were the preview articles in the local media?), beyond the ticket contest I did via The Duff Guide to Ska and listing the bill in The Duff Guide to Ska NYC ska calendar a few times. So, I had no idea of what to expect.

When Marc and I turned up at the venue, the line waiting to get in was comprised of what I assume were Japanese ex-pats--and they made up about half to two-thirds of the 500+ crowd that eventually assembled inside. The NYC Latin ska scene was well represented, and I spied a cross-section of NYC ska scenesters, including Buford O'Sullivan (ex-Scofflaws, ex-Toasters, Easy Star All-Stars), Ricardo from Los Skarroneros, Skankin' Rich, and "Checkerboard" Phil Dejean.

The Pandemics were up first and compelled the audience to dance to their fun mix of punky and modern ska originals and covers (including The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and Prince Buster's "Hard Man Fe Dead"). I thought I had a bunch of video shot of The Pandemics from their show at Electric Avenue earlier this year, but it turns out I don't, and apologize to the band for not taking some here!

Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7 (a supergroup of sorts, including Larry McDonald on percussion; Dave Hahn on guitar; and Rich Graiko on trumpet) brought a completely different vibe to the venue with their excellent, laid-back jazzy ska and rocksteady. The group's musicianship and performance were really top-notch, though their extended jams with solos all around let the energy in the room lag a bit at times (to be fair, the fans were craving TSPO's supercharged brand of ska).

Click to enlarge TSPO set list.

From the moment they stormed the stage in their matching, natty suits, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra were nothing short of extraordinary. They were laser focused on entertaining the crowd with their impeccable musical performances of originals and covers, and their hilarious stage antics (the Buster Keaton-ish move of having their trombonist spin around and the musicians on either side of him ducking in order not to be brained by the t-bone slide; or the melodica that has flashing lights embedded in it--see the "Ska Me Crazy" video below). In short, these guys know how to work the fans into an ecstatic frenzy (listen to the lion's roar of the crowd at the end of each video!)--and everyone in the audience devoured it all, since it's a rare thing to experience a ska band of such an extraordinary caliber. I've seen few bands as tight, a blast to watch, and delivering their goods with such brilliance. I pray they come back to NYC soon.

Unfortunately, due to adult responsibilities (it was a Sunday night, with a long, sometimes difficult work week ahead), Marc and I had to jet after about half of TSPO's set (I know--heresy!). I really wished I could have caught more of their show--especially after I saw their complete set list the next day. But what I did hear and see of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra will stay with--and buoy--me for a very long time.

Duff Guide to Ska Best of 2009

Several Duff Guide to Ska readers have asked for me to come up with a summary of the "best ska releases for 2009," so please find my highly subjective list below. Please note that this is by no means comprehensive, as I'm sure there were ska albums and singles released last year that I never had a chance to hear. Having said that, everything on this list should be in your collection...

Duff Guide to Ska Fave New Releases in 2009

Across the Aisle: Change Nothing! EP (self-released)
The Amphetameanies: "Good One Go" b/w "Nothing's OK" 7" single (F&J Records/Rat Race Records)
The Bakesys: Return to the Planet of the Bakesys (Do the Dog)
Captain Black No Stars versus Rasta4Eyes: Boss Sounds of the Boom and Bust (Do the Dog)
Dendrites: Mountain Standard Time (Megalith Records)
The Drastics versus Michael Jackson: MJ A Rocker LP (bootleg)
The Forthrights/King Django: "Other People" b/w "Anywhere I Roam" 7" single (Stubborn Records)
Inspector: Inspector (Fonarte Latino)
Kid British: It Was This or Football (First Half) (Mercury Records)
Madness: The Liberty of Norton Folgate (Lucky Seven Records)
Rebelation: The Berlin Sessions (Do the Dog)
Resolution 242: Resolution 242 (Do the Dog)
Skaville UK: Devil Beat (N.1 Records)
The Stress: Muk! Muk! (Community Records)
Various Artists: 30 Years of Madness: A 30th Anniversary Tribute (Big 8 Records)


Duff Guide to Ska Fave 2009 Reissues

Jimmy Radway & The Fe Me Time All Stars: Dub I (Pressure Sounds)
King Tubby & The Clancy Eccles All Stars: Sound System International Dub (Pressure Sounds)
Laurel Aitken: The High Priest of Reggae (Cherry Red)
Laurel Aitken: Ska with Laurel (Cherry Red)
Laurel Aitken: Says Fire (Cherry Red)
Madness: One Step Beyond...(Salvo/Union Square Music)
Madness: Total Madness (Union Square Music)
Prince Buster: Sings His Hit Song "Ten Commandments" (Reel Music/Sony)
Various Artists: Every Mouth Must Be Fed, 1973 to 1976 (Pressure Sounds)


Duff Guide To Ska Fave 2009 Book

Terry Edwards: "One Step Beyond" (33 1/3 Series/Continuum Books)


Duff Guide to Ska Fave 2009 DVD

The Porkers: "Persistence is Futile" (Sound System)


Pick up all this stuff with your unused holiday gift cards!

Is Tiger Woods Ska?

With Tiger Woods in the news and all, we thought that this might be a good time to re-visit this excellent tune, which can be found on This is the Porkers, by our good friends (who else but) The Porkers...

Pete Porker Hits NYC

I had a great time this past Friday night downing a few pints and catching up with Pete Cooper of The Porkers, who was in town on holiday with his lovely fiancee (by now they have been married up in Niagara Falls--congrats Pete and Haley!). Pete and I hadn't seen each other since just before I left Moon Records in '99 (and The Porkers were about to head off on the Warped Tour that year), so there was a lot of ground to cover...

While The Porkers have been a bit of a break this year, they are doing two dates in their native Australia (Sydney and Newcastle) this November and will soon be releasing "Persistence is Futile," a live DVD (containing 15 Porkers clips plus extras, including a 1988 Pork Hunts documentary), which can be purchased from Sound System Music. The band's most recent album, This is the Porkers (The Duff Guide to Ska review may be read here), is very much worth picking up (Pete thinks it's their best studio recording yet).

And Pete and Haley report that The Specials, who toured Australia and New Zealand this past summer, were incredible (though they missed Dammers being part of the show).

The Porkers: This is The Porkers

Sound System
2007

The Porkers first came to the attention of the global ska scene in 1989 when they appeared on the Ska for Ska's Sake compilation (on Link Records), though they were then known by the naughty moniker The Pork Hunts (say it quickly a few times and you'll be in on the joke)--something that became a bit of impediment with club owners, so they switched to The Porkers (which is kind of a double entendre itself). Since then, The Porkers have persevered at perfecting their super hi-NRG, turn-it-up-to-eleven brand of ska, fueled by meaty doses of punk, rock, and metal, and placing them in the category of such hyphenated ska bands as Fishbone (ska-rock-funk-metal-kitchen sink), Skankin' Pickle (ska-funk-rasta-punk), and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (ska-core). (Here is where I cop to not being a huge fan of ska-core, so buyer beware.) The band is big in its native Australia (they've played stadium tours with No Doubt, Rancid, etc.) and has made significant inroads in the USA, including two albums released on Moon (Grunt in 1995 and Hot Dog Daiquiri in 1998) and a coveted spot on the 1999 Vans Warped Tour. Yet, after the collapse of the US ska scene at the turn of the century, the band seemed to fall off the US ska radar scope--so it's good to find them still kicking and in such terrific shape all these years later.

The release of This is The Porkers--which marked the band's twentieth anniversary--serves as a decent introduction to the band (or reminds one of their proper place in the ska pantheon), as about half of the tracks are some of The Porkers' top-shelf (and re-mastered) songs from Hot Dog Daiquiri, Time Will Tell (2000), and Now Hear This (2004). Of the new material, the stand-out cuts include the Highlife-tinged "Sangria" ("You're sweet, and so fruity/And you prove so good for I"); "Dread Man Walking," a reggae-ish stomp which ponders the back story of one of the zombie-like homeless men roaming the streets of their hometown; "Deep Vein Trombosis," a hard-driving, horn-heavy, post-2 Tone instrumental that wouldn't be out of place on No Sports' King Ska album; and the straight-up and almost sedate jazzy ska of "Waiting for Us."

While I was familiar with some of the band's pre-Y2K songs ("Aporkalypso," "Skankin' Carpark Blues"), I'm pleased to now be acquainted with the excellent, Fishbone-esque "Too Big for Your Boots" and the bold, horn-filled "Swinging Like Tiger Woods" (if you didn't know this was The Porkers, you'd swear it was a Dub 56-era Toasters song)--with the boastful lyric "I'm not content to be number one, but the best that's ever been!/And now it's time for me to come up with the goods/So I'm swinging like Tiger Woods!"

The Porkers aren't out to change the world--look elsewhere for your dose of righteous social commentary--but they do know how to write catchy melodies and play the hell out of them in order to make you dance.

The Duff Guide to Ska Grade: B+ (or an A- if you dig ska-core)




The Porkers
"Perfect Teeth"
From Hot Dog Daiquiri

Going Underground

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be out of town, away from all computers, for a few days, so don't expect new Duff Guide to Ska content for a few days. However, in the near future, I'll be writing up reviews of new The Porkers' CD, several Do the Dog releases, and posting info about some amazing Laurel Aitken reissues.

Keep the faith.