Your Vote Needed to Choose a Band for the 2012 London International Ska Festival!

Voting for the 2012 London International Ska Festival band competition is now open! To vote, choose one act from the 20 finalists listed below and email the band's name to enquiries@rockersrevolt.com. There is only vote per person (only valid email addresses will be count)--and the contest ends on December 1, 2011. You can listen to tracks from all 20 finalists on the LISF band page.

Since I'm based in New York City, I'd love to see an American band win this contest, so I've started the list below with the US acts...

Bigger Thomas
The Forthrights
Maddie Ruthless
See Spot
Green Room Rockers
Babylove and the Van Dangos
Offbeat Offensive
The Riffs
The Downsetters
Akatz
The Simmertones
Monkey Boots
Kinky Coo Coos
Captain Accident
Jamaica 69
Bombscare
Los Furios
The Oldians
Jeramiah Ferrari
The Liptones

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The 2012 London International Ska Festival will be held between 3rd - 6th May 2012 at Brixton Academy, Shepards Bush Empire and Islington Academy. Already confirmed for 2012 are: The Dualers (UK), Neol Davies aka The Selecter (UK), The Hotknives (original line-up; UK), The Moon Invaders (Belgium), Los Granadians (Spain), Capone & The Bullets (Scotland)--plus DJs Andy Smith (Trojan Document/Jam Up Twist); Count Skylarkin (Skylarkin Sound System/Big 10"); Tim 'Bilko' Wells; Mark 'Bazza' Barrett (Pressure Drop); 3DJ (Funkdub). More bands and DJs to be confirmed and announced over the coming months.

Duff Review: The Simmertones - Presenting The Simmertones, Vol. 1

Self-released EP
2009

Based in Devon, England, The Simmertones are an ace trad ska act that has been playing out in that part of the world for around two years now. Their style of Skatalites-inspired vintage ska, as captured on the seven-track EP "Presenting The Simmertones, Volume 1" (recorded and co-produced by Richard Digby Smith, who as an Island Records engineer worked with the likes of Bob Marley, Led Zep, and Sparks), reminds one of NYC's Scofflaws in their fantastic prime (when Mike Drance and Victor Rice were in the band) or Germany's unstoppable ska powerhouse Dr. Ring Ding and the Senior All Stars. Like both of those bands, The Simmertones' performances are full of verve and creativity that underscore a keen understanding of and deep respect for the musical genre they are operating within.

The Simmertones completely nail several covers of 60s ska classics here: Justin Hines' "Over the River," The Skatalites' "Ball of Fire," and the traditional "Sammy Dead"; and--as The Scofflaws did on their debut album--they throw in an incredibly inspired choice of non-ska cover: the "Dr. Who" theme song. Every time I hear it, I have flashbacks of watching the show in the early 80s with Tom Baker dashing around in his super long scarf--I had no idea what was going on half the time, but it was compelling and freaky and I couldn't look away! (While I'm on the subject of British TV theme songs, somebody out there has to do a ska cover of Laurie Johnson's kick-ass theme for "The Avengers"--Diana Rigg in leather catsuits, yo!)

More significantly, The Simmertones' original cuts measure up in quality to the classics: the proudly strutting love song "One Time Soon" (which they note borrows a Skatalites horn riff from "African Beat"); the longing, reggae-ish "Warm My Bones" (one's lover as the metaphorical shelter from the storm of life); and an encouraging ode to self-reliance "Do What You Got To Do" ("Don't live your life in another man's shoes/Do what you got to do/and it will see you through"). All very good stuff.

Be sure to keep The Simmertones on your radar--this is a terrific debut and we can only hope that there's much more to come.

The Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A-

(Update: Thanks to John at Hoi Polloi Skazine for getting in touch and pointing out that The Avengers theme has received at least one ska treatment: The Butlers covered it on their "Time Tunnel" album in 1994. Any others?)