Duff Review/Ska Singles Going Steady: Eric Blowtorch & The Bodyguards, King Kong 4, Smoke & Mirrors Soundsystem

(Reviews by Steve Shafer)

Eric Blowtorch is always doing interesting and unconventional things out in his home base in Milwaukee. For the past decade or so, Blowtorch has been on my radar with incredible releases like 2018's 12" EP Horace Andy backed by Welders "Straight To Hell" and Big Youth backed by Welders "Pair of Dice" b/w Horace Andy v. Big Youth "Asylum Seekers" and Eric Blowtorch "Christmas in Ladbroke Grove" (read my review here) and 2021's triple LP (!) Quality Items (read my review here). But I feel like a dope for not realizing much sooner that I've heard his stuff going back to the '90s with his involvement with Highball Holiday (who released an album on Moon's Ska Satellite Records imprint that I ran and were featured on my comp Skarmageddon 3; and Highball Holiday are now back in action, by the way!).

With an opening guitar riff borrowed from Andy & Joey's "You're Wondering Now," Blowtorch & co.'s great digital single "Sanctuary City," is about welcoming refugees on America's southern border fleeing dictatorships and drug gangs ("Come one, come all/Lift your heart/Crack open the wall/Gunmen on the other side/But maybe love and amnesty, too/Sanctuary city opens/Millions of arms to you"). This track, released just weeks into Russia's appalling invasion of Ukraine, takes on even more significance with millions more people fleeing chaos, death, and destruction in their home countries. The question remains if America can ever find its bearings again to champion human rights and fully welcome and embrace large numbers of refugees from around the world, no matter what their color or religion. ("You're wondering how you should pay/For the way you did behave," indeed.) A portion of this single's proceeds is being donated to the International Rescue Committee, which was founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein (a refugee himself) to help people fleeing fascism in Germany, Italy, and Spain.

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It's really heartening to see singer/songwriter extraordinaire Mitch Girio return with new music from his incredible King Kong 4. It's been two years since Punch It, KK4's brilliant compilation of singles, was released by Jump Up (read my review here), and during this period Girio suffered from a virus that caused some sort of brain injury. Thankfully, he's recovered and back in action. This time out, in his fantastically searing "Paper Sky" digital single, Girio sings about an embattled relationship where there's no shelter from the biting lyrics or the metaphorical bombs that rain from above (I can't help from associating this song with nuclear war with Putin's recent threats to use the bomb):

Here we go as we run for cover
Somewhere underneath a paper sky
Is there a place that's the same for lovers
Who never really try?

And you will give your word
Then try to break it

This ska-rock track--shades of Emotional Fascism (aka Armed Forces) era Costello--culminates with an unexpected and thrilling, kick-ass instrumental outro.

Girio also has contributed a hauntingly lovely cover of Umbrella Heaven's "Soulmate" ("Breaking my back for you/You never asked me to") to Perverted Pleasures, a new tribute album to this cult 1990s UK indie rock band. 

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Smoke & Mirrors Soundsystem's quest for world dominance continues with a cracking new single released on Steady Beat Recordings. (If you don't believe me, check out the slew of records that have come out since their debut 2021 album Strength in Numbers--singles on Badasonic ("Second That Emotion" b/w "Mad World"--read my review here), Liquidator ("Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor" b/w "I'm a Man"--read my review here), and a forthcoming 12" on Jump Up Records featuring Roy Ellis and Monty Nesmith.) As Luis Correa's Steady Beat often focuses on Latin sounds, Smoke & Mirrors Soundsystem's new 7" picture sleeve single features two super crisp Spanish-language Latin ska cuts: John Roy's original "Nadie Te Lo Hizo" b/w a cover of Willie Colón and Hector Lavoe's 1973 salsa cut "El Dia de me Suerte." The theme running through this release is essentially that you should seize the day (side A's title in English is "Nobody Did It To You"; the flip is "My Lucky Day," a tale of passivity in the face of life-long woe: "Soon my lucky day will come/I know before my death/My luck will surely change"). With a never-ending pandemic, worsening global warming, and the looming specter of WWIII, it's probably time to lead your best life while you can. Everybody's got an expiration date.

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Duff Guide to Ska Fast Takes: Mento Buru "East Bakersfield Christmas" EP

Self-released
Digital (this EP can be streamed here, and is available on The Hub of Bakersfield website as a free download from November 25 through December 31, 2020--all made possible by a generous grant from their “Cash for the Arts” program)
2020

"The Three Wise Bikers bringing gifts of Tamales, Salsa, and Mezcal." 

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The long-running Latin ska/reggae act Mento Buru--now in their 29th year--have released a really fun and wonderful six-song EP of popular Christmas songs and carols titled East Bakersfield Christmas. The title is a nod to this ethnically diverse Bakersfield, CA neighborhood that gave birth to the band (and is still where they're based), and the choice of tracks and the musical diversity they represent (Latin, country, soul, jazz, and rock--all given a ska or reggae interpretation) reflects all of the cross-cultural intersections and influences experienced by the people who are proud to call it home. East Bakersfield Christmas features English and Spanish versions of Augie Rios' fantastic 1958 cha-cha-cha song "Donde Esta Santa Claus?" (which is new to me), as well as a souped-up version of Jose Feliciano's perennial ear worm "Feliz Navidad." The centuries-old traditional English folk instrumental "Greensleeves" (the setting for the Xmas hymn "What Child Is This?") is skillfully performed in a vintage Jamaican ska-jazz style. Mento Buru transform "Jingle Bell Rock" into a great, muscular ska-billy cut, and their reggae rendition of "The Christmas Song" (popularized by Nat "King" Cole) is terrifically heartfelt and effective (and--trigger warning--likely to cause a lump in one's throat or bring a tear to one's eye). At the end of a tough, exhausting, and for some, devastating year, Mento Buru's East Bakersfield Christmas is sure to bring joy and hope into one's life during a season--and at a difficult point in time--when we really need it. (Thank you!)

Duff Review: Los Aggrios "Alcohol" b/w "Manten La Fe"

Steady Beat Recordings
7" picture sleeve single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Los Aggrios' dynamite second single is anything but bitter (the band's name in English--as the cover artwork might infer--is The Sour). "Alcohol" is not a cover of The Special AKA track of the same name, but rather a bright, Harry J Allstars-like swig of late '60s instrumental skinhead reggae that sounds like what it feels like to be relaxed, happy, and carefree when you have just the right buzz on. "Manten La Fe" ("Keep the Faith") has a similar vibe, but with an organ melody that just as effectively could be a vocal part (and a terrific sung song at that--surely, a great set of lyrics could be derived from the tune's title). Keep your eye on this excellent LA-based band.

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Duff Review: Brixton Sounds "Sonidos de Brixton" b/w "Me Perdi"

Steady Beat Recordings
7" vinyl single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

This stellar new single from Oaxaca, Mexico's Brixton Sounds contains two original tracks of '60s ska and Jamaican jazz with hints of cool jazz, bossa nova, and samba--all impeccably performed and produced--and will remind one of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Jump with Joey, and the originators, The Skatalites. A theme song of sorts, "Sonidos de Brixton" is an elegant, almost cinematic instrumental with a lovely melody in the repeated chorus, while the moody "Me Perdi" ("I Got Lost") features the gorgeous and expressive vocals of Alondra Hernández. It doesn't get much better than this.

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Duff Review: Mento Buru's "A Bailar con Mento Buru" Single

Steady Beat Recordings
2014
Vinyl single w/picture sleeve

(Review by Steve Shafer)

If I hadn't spotted and ordered it from Ernie B's Reggae very recently, I would have completely missed the fantastic, relatively new-ish single from Bakersfield, CA's Mento Buru, A Bailar con Mento Buru. (In the interests of full disclosure, I worked a bit with the band back in the 1990s when I was at Moon Records and had a hand in the release and promotion of Mento Buru's excellent 1997 debut album No Dancing Please--which is packed with crisp, vintage ska sounds combined with elements of Latin, jazz, and reggae music.)

A Bailar con Mento Buru (translation: A Dance with Mento Buru) features two nicely re-worked covers of classic tracks from different cultures and times: Mexican composer/singer Alvaro Carillo's 1959 bolero smash hit "Sabor a mi" (which has been covered dozens of times by such artists as Eydie Gorme and Trio Los Panchos,  EXO-K, and Los Lobos) and Dandy Livingstone's beloved 1967 rocksteady tune "Rudy, Un Mensaje Para Vos" ("A Message to You, Rudy," which, of course, was revived by The Specials in 1979 for the 2 Tone era and beyond).

I have to cop to being completely unfamiliar with Carillo's "Sabor a mi" ("A Taste of Me"), but after checking out several versions of it by a host of different artists, I completely get why this is a perennial favorite--it's a fantastic, evocative, and bittersweet pop love song. Mento Buru's version winning and sublime (see the video of them performing this song live below). On the flip side, "Rudy, Un Mensaje Para Vos" becomes something of a rocksteady/cumbia hybrid, sung with all-out glee in both Spanish and English (it's less of a warning to mend one's ways and more of an anthemic celebration of rude boy/girl culture), and Mento Buru do this song proud.

LA Latin Ska on the BBC

The BBC website has a short segment on the Los Angeles Latin Ska scene, which features a few bands on the ska-punk tip: Chencha Berrinches, Los Chiles Verdes, and Operation No-One Knows.

While I didn't expect this to be a comprehensive look at the scene, I was a bit disappointed not to see more traditional/vintage ska bands like The Delirians, Los Bullets, and The Allentons (you know, acts associated with the Steady Beat Recordings and Moondust Records labels) in the mix.

The video is worth a look, though.

Duff Review: The Allentons "Dreams" b/w "Sleepwalk (Version)"

Steady Beat Recordings
2012
7" color vinyl single

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The Allentons are a sharp vintage ska/rocksteady act out of LA that, since the mid-1990s, have released several stellar albums and a slew of singles on Luis Correa's essential Steady Beat Recordings (and I was lucky enough to be able to include their "Molly" on Skarmageddon 3, which I compiled for Moon Records back in 1997). "Dreams" b/w "Sleepwalk (Version)" is The Allentons' first release since their appearance on the Jump Up Records/Megalith Records Still Standing mega compilation in 2003--and it's a pleasure to discover that the band hasn't lost their deft touch for composing killer tunes and artfully delivering the goods in the studio.

"Dreams" is a great, almost shambling rocksteady track, where the bass line sounds like a fiercely thumping heart that's skipping a beat. So it makes sense that this track is about being knocked off your game. You're stupefied by your love for a woman who may or may not know that you exist...but hope in the possibility of it all keeps you from a fall into despair: "You're the one that I want/You're the one I'm dreaming of/Darlin', won't you let me in?/Every night and day I dream for you to be in my heart!"

The excellent flip side, "Sleepwalk (Version)," shakes off the somnambulist's lurching stupor (ironic, considering the title) with lively, get-up-and-groove toasting and boasting by the verbose Don Chico--whose style is reminiscent of the mid-to-late 70s deejays like Lone Ranger--over the "Dreams" instrumental track.

The Allentons' single is a brilliant return for one of the best traditional acts the US ska scene has produced. And it gives yet another reason for ska fans far beyond Southern California--like this crusty, die-hard Gothamite--to be secretly wishing they called the City of Angels home in order to have the chance to experience this band live on a regular basis...

Duff Review: Los Bullets "Crystal Ball" b/w "Gunshot"

Steady Beat Recordings
2011
Limited edition 7" vinyl

(Review by Steve Shafer)

For fans of early, or dirty, or skinhead reggae (whatever label works best for you), these are good times to revel in, my friends (if you aren't already up to speed with the scene, check out The Aggrolites, The Caroloregians, King Hammond, The Revivers, The Hard Times, The Crabs Corporation, and many more). For the latest proof of this phenomenon, I present Los Bullets' outstanding new single from Steady Beat Recordings (the third in Steady Beat's "Chronicles" series of limited edition vinyl singles; the first two were from Jamaica 69 and The Delirians).

"Crystal Ball" is the fierce, organ-powered supa-funky reggae instrumental version of their vocal cut "Crystal Necklace" from their debut player, Sweet Misery (and if you somehow missed that record, you really should drop everything and get your hands on a copy--to help motivate you, read The Duff Guide to Ska review of it here.) "Gunshot" (which incorporates the "lie down girl/push it up/push it up/lie down" riff from Max Romeo's "Wet Dream"--aka the rhythm track from Derrick Morgan's "Hold You Jack") won't have you ducking for cover, fearing for your life--but storming the 'floor, moving your booty and shuffling your feet. Nothing but deep reggay grooves and good vibes here.

Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A

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While this is the vocal version of "Crystal Ball," it'll still give you an idea of the song, as well as the quality of the band...

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

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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

Who is Queen P of Ocean 11?

There's an interesting feature in the Stockton, CA Record on Queen P (AKA Persephone Laird) of Ocean 11, who is currently on the Echoes of Kingston tour, backed by The Delirians.

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To check up on the progress of the Echoes of Kingston tour, go here to read the tour diary, see pix, etc.

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Also, look for a Duff Guide to Ska review of the new Delirians 7" single (on Steady Beat Recordings) shortly!