Saturday, September 21, 2013

Brandt Abner, Skinnerbox Keyboardist, Vocalist, Composer RIP

Skinnerbox gathered for a reunion show in 2010.
Brandt Abner is third from the right.
Last week, the NYC ska scene was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Brandt Abner, Skinnerbox's keyboardist, vocalist, and one of its composers, who passed away on September 13, 2013 at age 43.

Abner was a founding member of Skinnerbox, writing and performing on their debut 1989 cassette Instrumental Conditioning (much of which can be found on the Special Wild 1989-1994 compilation CD) through all of their albums--1993's Tales from the Red, 1997's What You Can Do, What You Can't and 1998's Demonstration. Abner also worked with Jeff Baker/King Django for the Version City compilation and the Roots and Culture album, and played keys on some of the tracks for The Toasters' This Gun for Hire (see Abner's discography here).

At The Selecter show last night at The Gramercy Theater in NYC, The Rudie Crew (trumpeter Dan Dulin and saxophonist El Husey are former members of Skinnerbox and close friends of Abner) dedicated their song "Life" to Abner during their set.

The Duff Guide to Ska joins the entire NYC ska community in offering our sincere condolences to Brandt Abner's family and friends.

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The video below features Brandt Abner singing "Promise" (which he wrote) with Skinnerbox at the Subborn Records 20th Anniversary Party at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn in May 2012.


Thursday, September 19, 2013

NYC Fall 2013 Ska Calendar #85

Thursday, September 19, 2013 @ 7:30 pm

Beat Brigade, MK Groove Orchestra, FunkFace, The Huffers, Kenny Warren

Spike Hill
186 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
Free

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Friday, September 20, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

The Selecter, The Pinstripes, The Rudie Crew

Gramercy Theater
127 East 23rd Street
Manhattan
$34.50

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Friday, September 27, 2013 @ 9:00 pm

Reggae in the Slope w/ Rocksteady Freddie and Kevin Batchlor, The Brooklyn Attractors, Channel One Sound with Crucial Selector and more

Port Royal (under Tea Lounge)
837-839 Union Street (6th and 7th Avenues)
Brooklyn
$10

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Saturday, September 28 @ 7:00 pm

The Big 30 w/Across the Aisle and The Pandemics

The Dopeness
332 2nd Street
Jersey City, NJ
$10
BYOB

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Saturday, September 28, 2013

King Django Quintet, Tri-State Conspiracy, and Unbearable Slackers

Roxy and Duke's
745 Bound Brook Road
Dunellen, NJ

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Saturday, September 28, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

Jimmy Cliff

Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
$35

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Saturday, October 5, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Left Alone

The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
$16 in advance/$20 day of show
All ages

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Sunday, October 6, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone

The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$16 in advance/$18 day of show

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Friday, October 25, 2013 @ 7:30 pm

Mephiskapheles, Inspecter 7, The Ladrones

The Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
$18/All ages

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Sunday, October 27, 2013 @ 6:30 pm

Big D and the Kids Table, Red City Radio, Survay Says

The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street
New York, NY
$13/19+

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Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

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Friday, November 15, 2013

The Skatalites

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

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Monday, September 16, 2013

Duff Review: Coldspot 8 "A Man's Kingdom" b/w "Skinhead a Go Pop a Collar" Single

Dynamite Records
2013
7" vinyl record
Available from Deadly Dragon Sound

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Even with members living many states apart in both New York City and Orlando, FL, the ska/rocksteady/early reggae crew Coldspot 8 still tours on occasion (as they did this past spring and summer), and records and releases excellent new music, such as the two brilliantly catchy songs here (with Jah Point on vocals, Kyle Jones on bass, Agent Jay on guitar, Matt Burdi on drums, Jack Wright on organ, Nabil Ghandour on trumpet, and Tim Schletter on sax and backing vocals). The band first formed in 1996 in Florida and issued It's the Feelgood (Beatville) in 2000 and Get on High (Stubborn) in 2005--these came out during my ska wilderness days, after Moon's awful demise, so I missed out on them the first time round (and am happy to see that they're both are still in print).

With an ice rink organ line that reminds me a bit of The Congos' "La La Bam Bam," "A Man's Kingdom" is a terrific vintage rocksteady cut about the ups and downs of playing poker. The singer believes that he's holding the winning hand--a straight with a king as a high card, only to be beaten by an opponent's straight with an ace or "stone": "A man's kingdom comes crumbling down, down, down/Now all my knights at the table they got to run from me/And all my knights at my table better run from me/Now all it took was a stone to knock me off my throne/And all it took was a stone that make me know I'm alone...I'm a rush it, I'm a gun, I'm a make it three/but you a pull it and a steal, take away from me/Takin' my money and pride, start the spark in me/and make the game catch a fire, burned the game for me/A man's kingdom comes crumbling down, down, down." The words of wisdom here are that you can't win 'em all, in life as in poker.

Featured on the recent "Brooklyn Rocksteady" documentary film soundtrack, "Skinhead a Go Pop a Collar" is a fantastic, quirky cut (love the unusual sax riff!) that's more of an observation than a "sell-out"-type criticism of how people who were once young and deeply involved in subcultures go "straight" or mainstream in order to pursue a career and/or make a lot of money (Jah Point tells me that it's essentially about "moving up in the world, from a blue collar to a white one"): "One time it was a workers' world/Next time you see the rude boy learns/So skinhead a go pop a collar/Come see how things change/Less work, more pay that's what the man say/Twelve hour days, they've gone away/Now from a night nurse, we call a doctor now/And from a man who sit on the bench, him a big judge now/See them as a doctor/See them as a lawyer/But when we stop bawling/Skinhead still come calling..." I can name several former skinheads and rudies who are now doctors and lawyers (but they definitely still love their ska music and its subculture). So it goes.

Word is that there were two other songs recorded in this session--here's hoping they see the light of day (and on vinyl) soon!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Duff Review: Crabs Corporation "The Many Faces of The Crabs Corporation" EP!

Jump Up Records
2013
Red or white 10" vinyl EP

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The Crabs Corporation needs no introduction if you've been following the international ska scene and been smart enough to pick up one of their three fine 45s on Record Kicks: the King Hammond-produced "Bring Down the Birds (Flying High Mix)"; "Let It Go" b/w "Reggae Power" with Jennie Matthias and Dave Barker; or their recent "Day After Day" track with Susan Cadogan (they also do a cool reggae cover of The Clash's "Ghetto Defendant" on Golden Singles Records' jaw-dropping amazing The Clash Goes Jamaican compilation, which we'll be reviewing soon).

The latest release from this stellar Argentinian band is the six-track vinyl EP The Many Faces of The Crabs Corporation, which is an fitting title, since they like to mix up their soulful, organ-centric skinhead reggae sound with elements of 60s R'n'B/funk and 80s acid jazz (exemplified here on the vigorous instrumental workouts "The Sort," "Breakdown," and "Do It!"). Ska and reggae fans should go crazy for the standout track "Hush It!," featuring one of my favorite singers, the magnificent Jennie "Bellestar" Matthias.  The song's about someone struggling with haters who just won't let a past dispute go: "On my knees/I'm begging please/For someone to listen to this story/You can never make amends/They'll make ya a criminal/until the very end/You hush it/You hush it up/Shut it/You're told to shut your mouth/Why don't you listen to the truth/When you're presented with the groove?/What does it take to make you see?/Why are you disputing me?...You refuse to give in/and the scars you left behind run so deep/Call the doctor/I'm feeling bad/Was it my fault?/Am I the one to blame?" On paper, it looks like this is an angry, bitter song, but it's very upbeat and defiant--a great cut (check out a sample of "Hush It!" in the video below)!

As for the other straight-up early reggae cuts on The Many Faces of..., "The Hard Mod Beat" is actually a peppy Dave and Ansel Collins-type instrumental with various spoken exhortations running on top ("The hard mod beat is reggae!" and "From 1969 to the end of times, is coming from the past, but is going to the future..."); while "Le Secrete" is a repurposed/versioned Jackie Mittoo cut (the fantastically slow-burning "Drum Song") mashed up with a Serge Gainsbourg-ish voiceover. Ignorant American that I am, I wish my French was much better, so I knew what exactly what was being said. But it all sounds deliciously lewd and illicit...

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Duff Review: The Prizefighters "A Musical Knockout in Three Rounds" Series of 7" Singles!

Round 1: "One Thousand Words" b/w "Lost at Sea"
Round 2: "No Use Crying" b/w "Night Breeze"
Round 3: "Cold Shoulder" b/w "Sukeban"
Prizefighter Sound System
2013
Series of vinyl 7" singles

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The Prizefighters' "A Musical Knockout in Three Rounds" delivers sweet vintage ska, rocksteady, and early reggae sounds via a series of three 7" vinyl singles--each of which features different and beautifully designed retro label art (plus, the paper sleeves are hand stamped with the image of the boxer from the label on Round 3). Like many recent ska projects in the US, these singles came to fruition through crowd funding (full disclosure--I was one of this projects supporters), which seems to be one of the more viable means for independent bands not to lose their collective shirts in the process of pressing up and selling recorded music. (I also like to think that doing vinyl-only releases helps cut down on illegal file sharing; I know, it's still possible to make a digital file off a vinyl record, but it's kind of a hassle and probably discourages the less determined file sharers from posting pirated music on the internet.)

The ace musicians in The Prizefighters have been championing 1960s-era Jamaican music in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for over six years now (yes, there is a Minnesota ska scene!). Their 2011 self-released debut CD, Follow My Sound, was recorded and produced by the great King Django. Then Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records picked up the CD for national distribution and liked it so much that he pressed up a limited edition vinyl edition of the album with alternate versions, mixes, and even a dub by Anthony of The Drastics (both the CD and LP are available from Jump Up here). The Prizefighters also have been a part of Jump Up Records' "Jamaican Oldies Weekends" in Chicago; their chops scored them the enviable spot of backing Stranger Cole last November, as well as Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison this past March. In October, they're backing Roy and Yvonne once again at the Montreal Ska Festival (which also includes One Night Band, Big D and the Kids Table, The Slackers, Green Room Rockers, Inspecter 7, Rude City Riot, Mad Bombers Society, Expos, Kman and the 45s, and more).

Like most Jamaican pop music from the early 1960s, The Prizefighters' tracks are mostly concerned with matters--conflict, mostly--of the heart (though, whether this was on purpose or not, as the singles progress from ska to early reggae, the band begins to address other topics--mirroring how Jamaican music increasingly addressed oppression, inequity, and other transgressions, as it moved toward roots reggae).

The first single, Round 1, features "One Thousand Words," a sprightly ska track that has the singer coming to the conclusion that it's time for him to stop banging his head against the wall: "So, I tell you the truth/You laugh in my face/How much of my time are you willing to waste?/I tried and I tried to make you mine/I'm not going to waste any more of my time." "Lost at Sea" hauntingly conveys the loneliness and heartache of separating from someone ("Where are you?/I can't find your face in the crowd") and losing your bearings in the process.

Round 2 shifts into rocksteady mode, with the really lovely "No Use for Crying" (and its gorgeous vocal harmonizing) that offers this sound advice: "No use crying for someone/that doesn't cry for you/Man, you've to let her go/You've been trying for so long/She ain't crying for you/Man, you've go to let her go!" The flip side is a fantastic, organ-drenched instrumental version of "No Use..." titled "Night Breeze."

Round 3 enters early/skinhead reggae territory (and the subject matter of the songs starts to venture further afield). "Cold Shoulder" reveals an awareness of conflict and injustice beyond the personal level: "These are troubled times we're living in/but it's not just me and you/We've got to learn to work together now/and some day we'll break on through/But sometimes it gets so hard/It feels that all that I get and all that I do/is just the cold shoulder from you." "Sukeban" has nothing to do with romance--it's just about a bad-ass girl (according to the band, sukeban means "delinquent girl" or "female gang leader" in Japanese). It also happens to be a terrifically frenzied instrumental, where the organ and guitar riffs seem to vie for musical turf and supremacy--and it may just be the best track of the bunch.

We ska fans on the coasts sometimes tend to pay less attention to (or even dismiss!) ska bands from most points in between--and we do this to our own detriment. So, ignore The Prizefighters' first-rate singles at your own musical peril. You've been warned.

(All three of these singles are available for purchase from The Prizefighters here.)

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Duff Review: Tim Timbomb's "30 Pieces of Silver" b/w "Ooh La La" 7" Single!

Hellcat/Pirates Press Records
2013
7" vinyl record
Available through Interpunk

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Not that I count myself amongst them, but the cool kids know that Rancid's/The Transplants' Tim Armstrong AKA Tim Timebomb has been releasing a song a day (recorded with a revolving cast of very talented musical friends) since last October. Some are originals, others are choice versions of ska, reggae, punk, rock, and country classics; there are now several hundred in all (YouTube versions of the songs go up on his site each day--each accompanied by original art by Tim on faux 7" record picture sleeves--then the digital tracks are available on iTunes a few weeks afterwards). It's kind of fascinating to see the wide range of musical styles and eras that Tim clearly respects and digs--this whole endeavor is a bit like him rummaging through his collection of 45s with us, and pulling out and playing his favorite tracks that we've just gotta hear.

Of this ever-growing collection, ska and reggae fans will want to check out Tim Timebomb and Friends' covers of The Specials' "Concrete Jungle," The Bodysnatchers' "Let's Do the Rocksteady," Bad Manners' "Lip Up Fatty," The Selecter's "Too Much Pressure," The Beat's "Save It for Later," Jimmy Cliff's and Tim Timebomb's "Children's Bread," and a really great 2 Tone-ish take on The Ethiopians' "From Bad to Worse" (I'd love to see this last song come out on vinyl).

Since I'm into music issued on tangible formats, I'm reviewing Tim Timebomb's newly released "30 Pieces of Silver" single. The terrific A side is a faithful, vintage ska rendition of this Prince Buster classic, though Tim's ragged vocals convey the resigned anger and frustration over an associate's betrayal in a manner that's almost better than the original. According to reggae expert Brian Keyo, Buster's bile is "directed at Lloyd Charmers, whose group, The Charmers, recorded for other producers during Buster's 1963 trip to England." Of course, this song's title refers to the bribe of the aforementioned number of silver coins received by Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus (Judas was one of Jesus' twelve apostles). Judas' kiss identified Jesus to the forces of High Priest Caiaphas, who arrested him and turned him over to the Romans for trial. Pontius Pilate soon had Jesus executed on the cross, since he was seen as a threat to the legitimacy of the Jewish high priests and as a potential revolutionary leader by the Roman occupiers (out of remorse, Judas hanged himself). So, this track is reserved for publicly shaming someone close who really screwed you over badly (though, interestingly enough, for Prince Buster, this was more of a transactional than emotional betrayal: "The shirts you wore, I bought them/The shoes you wore, I bought them/The pants you wore, I bought them/Judas Charmer is your name/So hear them call you Judas...").

Side B is an excellent ska cover of The Faces' 1973 song "Ooh La La", a somewhat misogynist and cynical view of women and love that's also full of regret about the fact that sometimes knowledge is only gained through age and experience (and not necessarily in your head at a time in your life when you need it the most): "The Can Can's such a pretty show/They'll steal your heart away/But backstage, back on earth again/The dressing rooms are grey/They come on strong and it ain't too long/Before they make you feel a man/But love is blind and you soon will find/You're just a boy again/When you want her lips, you get a cheek/Makes you wonder where you are/If you want some more and she's fast asleep/Then she's twinkling with the stars/Poor young grandson, there's nothing I can say/You'll have to learn, just like me/And that's the hardest way/I wish that I knew what I know now/When I was younger..." When Tim sings/speaks the chorus ("I wish that I knew..."), you believe him.

Traditional ska fans shouldn't be put off by Tim Timebomb's punk pedigree (Rancid's take on ska and reggae via The Clash has always been good to great--and do I even need to remind you of Op Ivy?)--these two cuts are the real deal and highly recommended.