Ye Ole Anti-Ska Bandwagon

From "Sucky Moments in Music" by Bryan J. Sutter (in Playback:stl, an online review of pop culture from the St. Louis area)...

Ska | Somewhere in America there are ska bands living past the genre's freshness date, which expired somewhere around the time your sister got a sun tattooed around her navel. Ska punk, non-secular and third wave still roam the streets like diseased dogs, trying to convince our youth to buy checkered belts and Less Than Jake CDs from Hot Topic. We've turned a blind eye on the thousands of children who go to sleep hungry every night; we cannot turn our back on this. We lose this battle, we lose our humanity.

The words are mildly amusing (if not sloppily assembled--diseased dogs hawking ska wares from Hot Topic?), but their meaning hurts.

Then again, his ignorance on the topic bores me.

Reburial: 7 Wonders of the World Music

While I was poking around the internet looking for info on an upcoming "Shots in the Dark" posting I'm writing on the Japanese "Christma-ska" album (that I helped put together for Tachyon/Moon Ska Tokyo Records back in 1997), I came across the following update that I sent out for 7 Wonders, almost nine years ago to the day. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here; you should view it through an historical lens--a blast from the ska past during a particularly bleak time for American ska, when it stumbled back underground (like almost six feet under) after its glorious bender in the 90s...

7 Wonders of the World Music, Ltd.
http://www.7wow.com
info@7wow.com

7 WONDERS UPDATE 12/21/00

- NEW STUBBORN ALL-STARS DUB TRACKS SOON ON 7 WONDERS!
- NEW BUFORD O’SULLIVAN ALBUM READY TO DOWNLOAD NOW!
- NYC SKA SHOW ALERT: NY SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE & KING DJANGO 1/5/01 @ KNITTING FACTORY
- SPEAKEASIES UPDATE: NEW ALBUM, SHOWS
- ORANGE STREET MP3S NO LONGER AVAILABLE
- SKA NEWS: MORE PRINCE BUSTER, JUMP UP, BAD MANNERS, CHRIS MURRAY, MOON SKA
- RECOMMENDED SKA GIGS: THE BLUEBEATS, STRANGEWAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM 7 WONDERS
All of us at 7 Wonders thank you for your support of our humble little e-label over the past year, and we look forward to serving you in the coming years. We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa, depending on your perspective! To paraphrase Django's contribution to the Japanese release "Christma-ska": "Whether you're Christian, Muslim, or Jew, I wish the world to you." Nuff said.

NEW STUBBORN ALL-STARS DUB TRACKS ON 7 WONDERS SOON!
7 Wonders is thrilled to announce that soon we will have four exclusive new dubs from the Stubborn All-Stars for sale on the site. King Django has been hard at work in the newly relocated Version City studio concocting these dread dub versions for 7 Wonders. We've already listened to all of them ("Star Struck," "Acuity," "Scrubbing Bubbles," and "Dragon Master") and they are magnificent. While you're licking your chops in anticipation, check out some free mp3s that Stubborn Records have put up on the net for your listening pleasure from Skinnerbox ( http://www.mp3.com/skinnerbox ) and the Stubborn All-Stars ( http://www.mp3.com/stubbornallstars ). Happy downloading.

BUFORD’S "SEXY EYE" READY FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD
Buford O’Sullivan’s brand, spanking new album (available exclusively on 7 Wonders), "The Sexy Eye" is ready for purchase from 7 Wonders. "The Sexy Eye" features 11 new remarkable Buford songs about things that matter to regular folks like you and me (some titles from the album: "My Girlfriend is in the Shower," "What Do You Want to Do Tonight," "Sitting With a Good Friend," and "Loser Nation")! To listen to RealAudio samples of "The Sexy Eye" album or download a free Buford O'Sullivan dub mp3, go to: http://www.7wow.com/cgi-bin/7wow.cgi?command=print&page=bio/buford.html . "The Sexy Eye" also features downloadable artwork in PDF format that you can print out for your CD jewel case, should you decide to burn the files onto a CD.

NYC SKA SHOW ALERT: NY SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE & KING DJANGO 1/5/01 @ KNITTING FACTORY
Mark your calendar, enter it into your PDA, scrawl it on the back of your hand: NY Ska Jazz Ensemble will be playing the Knitting Factory in NYC on Friday, January 5th with the great King Django. This is a great way to celebrate the New Year (and here's hoping that '01 is a kinder year to ska than the last!), so show up with bells on. The NYSJE/King Django show is sponsored by 7 Wonders and Read Magazine, and this promises to be one stellar night of ska and reggae!

NYSJE are hot off their latest European tour, where all of their shows but two were sold-out. The band has undergone some personnel changes and is now hotter and tighter than ever (get to the show and find out for yourself if this boast is true). In other NYSJE news, the band is working on securing the release and distribution of their superfine "Live in Europe" CD in the US and Canada (right now, it's only available, like, in Europe).

KING DJANGO will be hitting the road this January for a tour of the East Coast (check the dates listed below and go to the Stubborn website at http://www.stubbornrecords.com for info), and Hellcat Records will be releasing King Django's new album in the near future.

Sunday January 14, ALL AGES! 3pm-?
King Django Band
Rathskellar (Philly Ska)
Foil (Jersey reggae-rock)
$6 to enter
Court Tavern, 124 Church St. New Brunswick, NJ 732-545-7265
info: http://www.courttavern.com/directions.html

KING DJANGO ON TOUR

FRI JAN 5: KNITTING FACTORY, NYC (with New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble)
THU JAN 18: TBA WASHINTON, DC
FRI JAN 19: VELVET ELVIS, SAVANNAH, GA
SAT JAN 20: TBA JACKSONVILLE, FL
SUN JAN 21: SAPPHIRE SUPPER CLUB, ORLANDO, FL
MON JAN 22: RAY'S DOWNTOWN, W. PALM BEACH, FL
TUE 23: NEW WORLD BREWERY, YBOR CITY, FL
WED JAN 24: TBA GAINESVILLE, FL
THU JAN 25: TBA ATLANTA, GA
FRI JAN 26: THE PILOT LIGHT, KNOXVILLE, TN (with Heavy Step)
SAT JAN 27: EMPTY GLASS, CHARLESTON, WV
SUN JAN 28: TBA PITTSBURGH, PA

SPEAKEASIES UPDATE: RECORDING SESSION, GIGS
The Speakeasies have some shows coming up, just prior to their going into the studio to record their debut album with The Slackers’ Vic Ruggeiro producing. If you’re in the area, get to these gigs:

Dec. 23 at Cafe Eclipse, Concord, NH (special Speakeasies acoustic set)
Dec. 28 at Toadstool Harry's, Killington, VT (plus live interview on Planet Ska Radio)
January 2001: NYC (TBA)

ORANGE STREET MP3s NO LONGER AVAILABLE
The Orange Street bio page and the band's six mp3s from their demo have been permanently removed from the 7 Wonders site. Originally, when the contract between 7 Wonders and two members of the band was negotiated and signed, a third, key member of the band inadvertently was not consulted. When this person recently found out about the deal, they requested that these tracks be taken off the site, and we have complied with their wishes. Everyone at 7 Wonders is a bit disappointed not to be able to offer these remarkable songs, but we understand the issues involved, and wish the very best to all of the ex-members of Orange Street.

SKA BITS AND PIECES
Continuing with my Prince Buster obsession, please note that several of the Prince's long out-of-print productions have been re-issued by Prince Buster's Records Shack: "Fly Flying Ska," "The Outlaw," and his great 70's dub album, "The Message Dub Wise." These Prince Buster releases and more can be found at Reggae Express, http://www.reggaeexpress.com (thanks to Joshua Tatman for the tip)...Jump Up Records ( http://www.jumpuprecords.com ) continues to release all sorts of exceptional US ska, reggae, soul, punk, and mod albums, plus they carry a slew of essential, hard-to-find ska imports from all over the world, including CD's and LP's from Germany's Grover Records, UK's Trojan, and Japan's Phalanx Records (all at reasonable prices!). I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking, and Chuck's label certainly deserves your support...The new UK-only Bad Manners retrospective of their early work on Magnet Records, titled "Magnetism," is simply outstanding, and one can hear why the band was hugely popular in the UK and Europe during the 2-Tone era (my faves include "Walking in the Sunshine," "Just a Feeling," and "Inner London Violence")...Chris Murray ( http://www.chrismurray.net ), aka Venice Shoreline Chris, as well as singer for the recently revived King Apparatus, will be touring with The Slackers in February (NYC is on the 18th at Wetlands). His new album, titled "4-Trackaganza!," is scheduled for release on Asian Man Records in January, and we can't wait to hear it. (BTW, Asian Man also re-issued the two King Apparatus CD's; their debut album is one of the finer ska CD's of the 90's.)...And by now it is no longer breaking news (and it certainly is not unexpected), but in case you haven't heard, Moon Ska Records is filing Chapter 7 the week before Christmas. I worked for Moon from 1991 through 1999 and will always be grateful for my experience there. It was a hell of a ride. We wish all the best to Buck and Brett in their future endeavors, and they should know that Moon will not be soon forgotten by ska fans around the globe.

RECOMMENDED SKA GIGS: THE BLUEBEATS, THE STRANGEWAYS
If you are anywhere near the venues listed below, do what you have to in order to see these bands! Support live ska music made by some of the best bands out there...

THE BLUEBEATS
- Saturday, December 23rd
The Cooler
Jammyland X-mas Party
w/Skavoovie & the Epitones, Rocksteady 7, the Nods
The Cooler
416 West 14th Street, NYC
212 229 0785
http://www.thecooler.com

- Wednesday, December 27th
w/The Toasters
Theater of the Living Arts
Philadelphia, PA

THE STRANGEWAYS
- Friday, December 22 @ Monterey Deli
8:00 PM
1515 Main St, Sarasota, Florida 941-366-9788

- Saturday, December 23 @ Monterey Deli
9:00 PM
1515 Main St Sarasota, Florida 941-966-9788

- Thursday, December 28 @ Five O'clock Club
10:00 PM
1930 Hillview St, Sarasota, Florida 941-366-5555

- the Strangeways w/ Rocksteady@8
Friday, December 29 @ The Orpheum
8:00 PM
Ybor City, Tampa, FL
All original SKA show. Rudies unite! $5 cover.

NEW PROMOTIONAL TRACKS AVAILABLE FOR NET RADIO & REVIEWERS
A quick note to all dj’s and music reviewers who are part of the 7 Wonders promotional program: we have new promo tracks available from Capone & The Bullets (Scottish 2-Tone ska), Winston Irie (NYC roots reggae), Provibes/HP Setter/Dr. Ring Ding (German reggae/toasting), Subatomic Sound System (NYC electronica), Take 5 (Boston trad ska/jazz), Zimbobway’s King Kingston Orchestra (SoCal trad ska/jazz), Strikkly Vikkly (NYC dub), Buford O’Sullivan (NYC ska/reggae/dub), Los Mas Valientes (NYC latin jazz), and Rick Faulkner (NYC jazz). Thanks for your support for our bands and their music!

If you are a net dj or music reviewer and would like to receive promo 7 Wonders mp3s, email steve@7wow.com and we’ll hook you up (it’s simple and fun!).

DEMOS

7 Wonders is looking to work with more ska, reggae and dub bands. Our contracts are equitable, our royalties are excellent – and we can promote and sell your music to a worldwide ska and reggae audience. Interested parties should contact Steve at info@7wow.com and/or send some music and info to:

Steve Shafer
7 Wonders of the World Music, Ltd.
PO Box 6699
New York, NY 10128

PS: If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please send an email to info@7wow.com and we will remove you immediately.

Duff Review: Babylove and the van Dangos - Lovers Choice

Megalith Records
2008

Despite a moniker that might seem a bit soft to American sensibilities, Babylove and the van Dangos, whose members hail from Denmark and Germany, deliver a righteous mix of vintage ska, rocksteady, reggae, and Motown ("A Brand New Beat") that will appeal to all fans of the good Dr. Ring Ding and the Senior Allstars (see Ram di Dance or Dandimite). Lovers Choice, their second album, contains a wealth of superbly smooth (thanks to singer Daniel "Babylove" Broman's wonderfully warm and rich tone) and excellently produced tunes, and features some terrific duets with sometime Skatalites singer Doreen Shaffer, who is in great form on the love song "Number One," and ex-Toasters/Pilfers frontman Coolie Ranx, who brings some noise to the stinging dressing down of "Big, Big Baboon." (Also of note, Victor Rice produced the kick ass dubs that form the Alpha--"A Dubbly Day"--and Omega--"Dub to the Fire"--of this album.)

"Coin in the Hat"--ostensibly a song about busking--could be read as a plea (or veiled threat?) to all the music file sharers out there who keep musicians from earning a decent living off their craft: "So put a coin in the hat for me Mr. Good Tune...So how come you don't want to pay for my sweat and tears?/You know a singer can't pay no bills with kind words and cheers-No!...Just imagine what carpenter and baker would say/working ten, twelve, sixteen hours, but still get no pay/So think next time when someone play/what the world would be like if music fade away..." The awesome R&B-ish "Stormy Weather" (about facing life without one's soulmate and having no illusions about it) sweet sells a barrel full of cliches straight up and convincingly (I bought 'em): "Rats have left a sinking ship/I stand with whitening knuckles at the wheel/waiting for the hull to rip/as the sharks close in for the kill...So it seems/like I'm in for stormy weather/and it seems that I'll have to face it on my own/and it seems that since we can't be together/there won't be any sunshine for awhile..." An essential song to help pick you up when nothing seems like it ever could be set right.

"Big, Big Baboon," whose sound strongly echos Lord Tanamo and Derek Morgan, is a song about "the king of all the fools": "Now you can dress up in tie or dress up in shirt/your monkey butt is showing, we know what you're worth/Big Baboon, you're nothing but a goon!" A perfect valentine to the pompous, bombastic, miscreant in your life (we all have at least one!). "So Long, Copenhagen," which wouldn't be out of place in UB40's setlist, is full of regret about leaving a city that you unexpectedly fell in love with, but "this stone's got to roll again." You, on the other hand, won't be sorry if you stick close to Babylove and the van Dangos, as wherever they are heading will be one fantastic trip...

Grade: B+/A-

Anger Management League: Clashed by the AML

Scorcha Records (Germany)
2007

Yeah, this came out awhile ago and I'm way behind on reviewing albums that have come out much more recently--but I really dig Clashed by the AML and am compelled to write about it (so, sue me). This record (it's an import only available on vinyl; in the US you can buy it from Jump Up) is split between Clash covers on Side A (all circa 1977--the year zero of punk rock, when Strummer and Jones were trying to out punk the Sex Pistols) and, on the flip side, quite good a few good skinhead reggae originals mixed in with a dub of "London's Burning" and a smart acoustic version of Lee Perry's "Police and Thieves" (which, of course, The Clash covered on their debut). Anyone who's read England's Dreaming can tell you about reggae's huge impact on punk, and The Clash in particular--and since The Clash increasingly incorporated this genre into their songwriting with each subsequent release, culminating in the bloated but brilliant Sandinista!, it makes perfect sense for the AML to re-visit The Clash's first batch of punk songs via The Upsetters.

Alternately channeling--but not imitating--Operation Ivy ("London's Burning," "White Riot") and The Aggrolites ("Janie Jones," "Career Opportunities"), even a Skaboom-era Toasters (on the excellent "Mr. Hyde Park Dub," AKA "London's Burning"), the Anger Management League do The Clash justice with these cuts. Even the blistering "1977," a song that wanted to wipe the (white) rock'n'roll history slate clean ("No Elvis, Beatles, or The Rolling Stones...in 1977!") gets a jazzy revamp with sax and Hammond organ. The AML's Clash covers aren't revelatory, but they're damn good and fun--and a good a reason as any for you to buy this album.

Grade: B+