2012 London International Ska Fest Band Competition Results!

For the 2012 London International Ska Festival, the organizers decided to include a slot for a band that received the most votes from ska fans from around the globe. Well, the votes are in and all tallied up--and the winner of the 2012 LISF Band Competition is...

The Kinky Coo Coo's from Barcelona, Spain!



Rounding out the top five spots were...

2. Los Furious (Canada)
3. Jamaica 69 (Mexico)
4. Bigger Thomas (USA)
5) Monkey Boots (Indonesia)

While congratulations are due to all the bands, we'd like to make a special shout-out to NYC hometown heroes Bigger Thomas for snagging the #4 spot and being the only band from the USA in the top five!

Here's a taste of what you'll be missing in London this May...



+ + + +

This year's 2012 LISF is taking place from Thursday, May 3rd through Sunday May 6, 2012--and the line-up includes Dandy Livingstone, The Pioneers, Dawn Penn, The Dualers, Neol Davies, The Hotknives, Fishbone, Buster Shuffle, Rebulation, The Moon Invaders, Los Granadians, The Delegators, Capone & the Bullets, and many more TBA!

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

+ + + +

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: Jamaica 69 "Nostalgia del ayer" b/w "Una lagrima por ti"

Steady Beat Recordings
2011
7" vinyl single

Luis P. Correa's great Steady Beat Recordings is back on the beat (read up a bit on the label's past here) with must have 7" vinyl singles from Mexico's amazing skinhead reggae devotees Jamaica 69 and LA's vintage ska masters The Delirians (a Duff Guide to Ska write-up of The Delirians' single can be found here).

While both of Jamaica 69's cuts on this single (sung in Spanish) have previously appeared in the US on their The Rough and Tough Anthology CD (2010, Shantytown Records), it's the first time they've been released on vinyl in the US--and they're sure to help spread the good word about Jamaica 69 even further amongst the Anglo ska crowd. While this reviewer has to fess up to having some significant deficits where the Spanish-language/Latin ska scene is concerned (for instance, the only other Mexican ska band I'm familiar with is the excellent Inspector--which, by the way, fans of The Toasters should really make a point to check out), the language barrier can pose some challenges--especially if what a band is singing about matters to you (using Google Translate more often than not creates some bizarre word salads rather than coherent lyrics). But once the music kicks in, all the language barriers melt away. Ska, rocksteady, and reggae are the same no matter what tongue the lyrics are in...

Both tracks on Jamaica 69's single--covers of sixties soul tunes--are surprisingly raw and tender skinhead reggae love songs. "Nostalgia del ayer" ("Nostalgia for Yesterday") was originally recorded by The Royalettes in 1965 as "Gonna Take a Miracle" (Ken Boothe also recorded a boss rendition of it) and the Jamaica 69 version is about a friend who became a lover "that showed me love every time you shine." "Una lagrima por ti" ("A Tear for You") is a terrific early reggae reading of Brenda Holloway's 1967 Motown hit single "You've Made Me So Very Happy" (notably covered by Alton Ellis) with new lyrics about a lost love: "I will never forget the way you kiss/You made me so happy and now it is enough to mourn" (just please try to obliterate from your mind the bombastic, white bread 1969 cover by Blood, Sweat & Tears that's been a perennial staple of oldies radio and K-Tel/Time-Life collections!).

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

+ + + +

Duff Review: The Delirians "Move Around" b/w "Overdub" and The Return of Steady Beat Recordings!

Steady Beat Recordings
2011
7" vinyl single

From the perspective of someone who's been around long enough to see the US ska scene rise and fall a couple of times, it's fantastic to witness the return of Luis P. Correa's crucial Steady Beat Recordings. Throughout the 90s, Steady Beat was a key booster of the Southern California ska scene (particularly Latin ska and ska-jazz acts), first releasing three Blackpool cassette comps (which featured live cuts from King Willy, Israelites, Orange Street, Ye Olde English, Mobtown, Soulfuls, Buck-o-Nine, See Spot, The Dynamics, Checkmate, Los Hooligans, Mento Buru, and Mealticket) and two Blackpool 7" singles; then the killer SKAuthentic CD (with See Spot, Mobtown, The Dynamics, Los Hooligans, Let's Go Bowling, Yeska, Joey Altruda, Mento Buru, King Willy, Ocean 11, Hepcat, Checkmate, Unsteady, and Israelites); and ultimately singles and/or CDs from See Spot, The Allentons, Yeska, Mobtown, and Ocean 11.

In fact, Luis was so plugged into the scene that back when I was at Moon Records and Buck and I were talking about putting together California Ska-quake, Volume 2: The Aftershock, we tapped Luis to executive produce it--and it turned out to be a phenomenally good release. Yet, despite its high-quality and Moon's promotional efforts, California Ska-quake, Vol. 2 never sold well, which left us somewhat baffled. But considering the fiercely competitive times--1996, at the height of the feeding-frenzy of the ska boom--we chalked it up to West Coast parochialism: we were seen as outsiders trespassing on the LA/Bay Area ska scene turf.

However, when you consider how much Moon had done much to spotlight the Cali scene in the early 90s with seminal releases from Dance Hall Crashers (1991), Let's Go Bowling (1991), and Hepcat (1993), as well as the first California Ska-quake (released in 1992 and featuring tracks from DHC, LGB, No Doubt, Jump with Joey, The Skeletones, Crucial DBC, Skankin' Pickle, Hepcat, The Specs, and more), this bias against Moon seemed kind of ludicrous. The label's intentions were good and pure (at heart, Buck is a socialist and was always trying to work collaboratively with other bands and labels so that all ska boats would rise together), but that's just sometimes how things go in the music business.

The resurrected Steady Beat has recently issued two new limited-edition 7" vinyl singles from Mexico's early reggae crew Jamaica 69 (to be reviewed shortly) and LA's superb ska/rocksteady group The Delirians (who backed Queen P on the Echoes of Kingston tour).

The Delirians' vintage ska sounds mighty good on "Move Around" (love the tinkly piano riffs!), with lyrics that (unsurprisingly) exhort one to dance: "Oh, make your move/Take your groove/Yes, we're gonna let you do your thing/Don't be afraid/or have no shame/Yeah, we'll have our fun anyway/So do The Chicken/The Mash Potato/Yeah, The Twist and The Alligator/Don't be afraid/or have no shame/Who are they to judge, anyway?" If these unrelentingly bouncy ska rhythms don't compel you to dance, you're six feet under. "Overdub," despite its title, is not a dub cut, but rather an upbeat organ-driven instrumental that's got to be a dance floor stormer live.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

Jump Up CD and LP of the Month Clubs

Here's a plug for my friend Chuck Wren at Jump Up Records who is offering these cool ska CD and LP of the Month Clubs. Chuck probably knows more about the global ska scene--and all of the ska releases out there--than anyone else around. So who better to chose the ska CDs and/or LPs that show up at your door each month? (And if you do the math, these clubs are really inexpensive, too!) If you're interested, space is limited, so sign up now!





Get hard-to-find imports selected for you by Jump Up Records! 14 CDs for $100 (price includes shipping to the USA and Canada)!

Here are the first six CDs that will be sent out to you in 2010:

TOMMY TORNADO: "Sunrise" CD
(Rude Rich sax genius, featuring Ernest Ranglin, Rico Rodriguez, Winston Francis, Dennis Alcapone & more!)

JAMAICA 69: "Como En Los Viejos Tiempos" CD
(Amazing skinhead/early reggae sounds from Mexico City! A must for Aggrolites fans!)

UPSESSIONS: "Beat You Reggae" CD
(Superb skinhead and early reggae from Holland-one of Europe's top acts!)

PAMA INTERNATIONAL: "Outernational" CD
(Superstar UK act's latest album, featuring Lynval Golding of the Specials!)

RATAZANAS: "Ohh La La" CD
(Awesome skinhead reggae from Portugal? You get cha!)

TOP CATS: "Mr Donkey Paradise" CD
(Natty Bo's first scorching 60's ska band before SKA CUBANO! Warehouse find!)





Get hard-to-find domestic and import pressings, as well as fan club editions handpicked by Jump Up Records. 12 LPs for $120 (includes shipping to the US and Canada)!

Here is the first batch of Wax Club offerings:

TOMMY TORNADO: "Sunrise" LP
(Rude Rich sax genius, featuring Ernest Ranglin, Rico Rodriguez, Winston Francis, Dennis Alcapone & more!)

MJ A ROCKER: The Drastics vs Michael Jackson LP
(The internet free download sensation on wax. Chicago's Drastics take MJ accapellas and re-create vintage Jamaican ska/reggae music behind them! Killer jams!)

RICO RODRIGUEZ: "Ghetto Rockers" LP
("Man From Warieka" dubs originally released in 1978 on white label. An amazing reissue that was long overdue!)

PAMA INTERNATIONAL: "Outernational" LP
(Superstar UK act's latest album, feat Lynval Golding of the Specials!)

NO DOUBT: "The Ska EP" 7"
(Colored vinyl fan club pressing. Live versions of "Guns of Navarone," "Racist Friend," "Ghost Town" and two lost studio ska tracks!)

CHRIS MURRY/BABYLOVE & THE VAN DANGOS: "Split" 7"
(Two new tracks to celebrate a recent European tour! Colored vinyl and cool picture sleeve!)

If all this isn't enough, both clubs include a bonus pack of 12 vintage LP cover buttons--and the CD club lets you pick two recent Jump UP CD releases for free!