New Vinyl EP from King Hammond: Mr. DJ!

Ever since I've been doing the odd DJ gig (as DJ Duff Guide, natch), I've been compulsively tracking down both old and new ska and reggae 7" singles to spin (and my collection has exploded as of late!). So you know I'm psyched at the prospect of a new vinyl release from one of my fave (and fantastically workaholic) artists, the undeniable master of skinhead reggae, King Hammond!

Later this month, King Hammond is releasing a new four-track, 7" vinyl EP titled Mr. DJ, which features the new title track, plus "Bongo Ska Fever," "The Loop (Mayfair'68 Mix)," and "Dub Movement #1." This EP can be ordered directly from King Hammond here.

For a preview of all the cuts on this extended player, catch the video below (which features awesomely campy images from yesteryear!):



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On a related note, The Duff Guide to Ska has reviewed King Hammond's The King and I album (read the review here) and Riot in London Town EP (read the review here)--and we'll have the write-up of his most recent album, Jacuzzi, up on this here blog shortly (I promise!).

Toasters Pre-Show Party at Dusk Lounge

Thanks to everyone who came out for The Toasters' pre-show party at the Dusk Lounge yesterday afternoon/evening. We had a pretty good turn out (one fan who showed up was from Brisbane, Australia--she asked Buck to sign the Ska Records version of the Recriminations EP, which has the "bar scene" cover on the front and the "Pool Shark" jumping guitarist on the back).

A fair number of ska musicians were present to rub elbows with Bucket, including Dave Barry (The Toasters, Bigger Thomas, Beat Brigade, Second Step, etc.), Roy Radics (The Rudie Crew), Megg Howe (Across the Aisle), Jacob Wake Up! (Hey Stranger, The Hard Times), and Sammy Forthrights (who did a great DJ set, which allowed me to take a break and socialize a bit with friends and new acquaintances).

I wasn't able to make it to The Knitting Factory that night for the gig, but heard it was a terrific show (and we'll have some video soon, courtesy of Mike D!).

Here's something to put under yer hat: The Toasters are planning to be back in NYC early this summer and will have some big surprises in store for the fans...

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In honor and recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. day...

Toasters Pre-Show Party This Sunday Afternoon!

To help celebrate The Toasters' 30th (!) Anniversary Tour, The Duff Guide to Ska and Marco on the Bass are co-hosting a pre-show party for their NYC gig this Sunday afternoon (1/16/11) at the Dusk Lounge in Manhattan (click on the poster for all the details).

Bucket and other members of the band will be on hand--and I'll be at the helm of the Fat Albert Sound System, which will be pumping out an awesome mix of vintage ska, skinhead reggae, 2 Tone, and modern ska (and word has it that Sammy Forthrights will spell me a bit, so I can down a pint or two).

So get yourself down to the Dusk Lounge in Chelsea (24th between 6th and 7th Avenues) to hang with Bucket and the boys this Sunday afternoon from 4:00-7:00 pm. Then, catch the L train to Brooklyn for The Toasters gig at The Knitting Factory that night with Royal City Riot, The Rudie Crew, and DJ Agent Jay.

Bigger Thomas and The English Beat at the Sellersville Theater, plus New Free Beat "Mirror" Remix!

Despite Google Map's attempt to get me lost on some dark, twisty back road in rural Pennsylvania (damn you, Google Maps!), I found my way down to the terrific Sellersville Theater yesterday for my DJ gig at the sold-out Bigger Thomas/English Beat show. For a trip that started out with a lot of wrong turns (in addition to the lack of clearly marked roads, the transformer on my mixer's power cord died--but the theater's awesomely nice sound guy Dan rigged things up so I could use his sound board as a substitute mixer), it ended up being a fantastic night.

Bigger Thomas (pictured here) is big in these here parts (their last gig at the Sellersville Theater, a benefit for Haiti this past spring, was also sold-out) and put on their usual spectacular show. The Rudie Crew's Roy Radics was also on hand to sing and chat, and he and Roger Apollon Jr. performed "Radics & Roger A Chat" (off Steal My Sound) live for the first time (it was so good that it deserves a regular spot in their set from now on).

I haven't seen Dave Wakeling perform since General Public debuted at the old Ritz in New York City ('84 or '85), so it was kind of surreal to catch up all these years later. (The Beat will always have a special place in my heart, as their music helped buoy me in my teen years when depression threatened to pull me under.) The ska fans attending the 2011 London International Ska Festival are in for an incredible show. Dave's backing band is exceptionally tight (they should be, since they've pretty much been touring the US non-stop over the last few years) and all the hits sound just as good and fresh as you want them to. For me, the neck-hair-standing-on-end moment of The English Beat's set was when "Hands Off She's Mine" segued into The Congos' "Children Crying" (which is one of the greatest songs in the history of music, hands down)--it was absolutely phenomenal. (And there is a cool Beat-Congos connection--The Beat's label Go Feet re-issued The Congos' Heart of the Congos in 1981, at a time when it was hard to come across copies of this reggae masterpiece--Island balked at releasing it in 1977, so producer/mad genius Lee Perry gave it a very limited release on his own label in JA; before the show, I had actually thought about playing "Children Crying" before The Beat's performance, which I had in my crate, but ran out of time...)

The English Beat are playing the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan this Sunday (1/9/11). WNYC has a preview of the show, as well as a free download of an exclusive, unreleased 2011 re-mix of "Mirror in the Bathroom" titled "Mirror Mirror." You can also listen to the track here:



(A big shout out of gratitude to Bigger Thomas for inviting me to tag along and DJ their party--and thanks to the Sellersville Theater staff and crew for being such kind and gracious hosts!)

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Update: here's a nice review of the show from the Tri-State Indie, plus a photo gallery of shots from the show.

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Duff Guide to Ska DJing The English Beat/Bigger Thomas Gig!

If you happen to have tickets to the sold-out Bigger Thomas/English Beat show this Thursday night (1/6/11) at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA, I'll be there spinning discs on my Fat Albert Soundsystem before and after each set. Should be cool to see what's going on in the Philly-area ska scene!

(And big thanks to the proud few who dared navigate our then still-crippled city--from that big ass blizzard that wolloped NYC the day after Xmas--to make it to The Duff Guide to Ska/Marco on the Bass ska party at the Dusk Lounge last week!)

If You're in NYC This Wednesday Night (12/29)...

(Click on the image to enlarge.)

Hope to see you there!