I tell you- I’ve caught a few listens to King Hammond over the years-  The King Hammond Shuffle popped up on more than a few 80′s ska compilations that I’ve picked up, as well as a few other tracks- but never did it occur to me that I was glimpsing something of a secret agent of the ska world.  That is until just a couple of weeks ago, when I started feeling lot’s of excitement coming from Marco On The Bass.   Thanks to Marco, I’ve now realized that King Hammond is not some flash in the pan, post-2Tone 80′s ska band-  it’s Nick Welsh of The Selecter and Bad Manners- as well as Skaville UK.  According to Marco, Welsh has kept his alter ego a secret, but only to those that weren’t really paying attention.

Turns out, that I’m guilty of not paying enough attention, because I hadn’t sorted out Welsh’s secret identity.  Even Duff Guide to Ska has been trying to tell us all, for some time.  We’re talking Skinhead Reggae Revivalism from way before The Aggrolites!

So I’ve been missing the boat for some time, and maybe you have too.  The good news is that Mr. Welsh is giving us a great opportunity to rectify this… by utilizing the power of YouTube!  Archival footage + new and classic King Hammond tracks = tons of killer videos!

I’ll post a few of them here, but you should swing by PaulSka67′s YouTube Channel for the full dose.   You should also track down Hammond on Facebook, as he doesn’t seem to be slowing down with these video updates.

Here’s the Promo Vid for the new record, The King and I:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95plrDe7ODI&feature=related]

King Hammond meets Swagga: Dead Men Can’t Skank:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXjwWuJtf1I]

Chicken and Chips was posted just days ago:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQQA6Xaszgw]

Comments (0) Jul 11 2010

I’ve got ’nuff respect for any body out there trying to make a living while running a Ska/Reggae record label.  Read: With all due respect…  But in this day and age, form is dictating success.  What I mean to say is that today’s music consumer demands music in the format that they prefer and are not likely to make a purchase if the medium is not right for them.

I’m still lamenting the passing of A1 Records, which was a donation-based digital distribution method for Gregory Kraj’s massive musical catalog.  All digital and no prices found Kraj closing shop.

Of course, I’ve been championing Whatevski.org all year for being such an amazing digital distributor in the Ska/Reggae world, so I won’t keep blowing smoke.  They are all digital, but unlike A1, Whatevski requires payment for each album you desire.  Plus, they’ve won my heart by finally releasing Da Whole Thing’s Tooth.

On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got the legendary Jump Up! from a man like Chuck Wren.  I think that Jump Up is still the best place to buy Ska and Reggae because of their selection, but I recently caught their mission statement which gave me pause:

We strive to keep an art form alive, let the others try to cash in on digital – the “easy” and soul less “format” of music. Not us!

Needless to say, I hope that this backwards facing policy doesn’t bite Jump Up in the butt, I’d hate to lose them.  I just can’t agree with the sentiment that limiting availability will help anyone in the long run- not the label, not the bands and certainly not the customers.  I’m glad that there are still selectors that stockpile vinyl (and even CD’s); but vinyl need not die just because the world has moved on.

This is why Stubborn Records, the label and distro side of King Django’s Version City, has found itself the perfect balance.  Django works hard to keep the vinyl coming- making trips to Jamaica to press 45′s in that old JA way.  But now Stubborn is offering several ways to acquire most of their best offerings, often in a digi-fashion.  And I don’t think the vinyl and CDs will suffer for it.  Django says:

…most in-print Stubborn Records releases are now available at Amoeba Records, Hollywood (CDs and vinyl) and JoJoSouth Records, Baltimore, MD (vinyl only).

Most titles are also now available in physical and digital formats at Interpunk, Amazon and CD Baby.

That’s right- you can pick your own poison!  So out of encouragement for this forward-thinking, anti-luddite behavior, I’m going to show off a few of the great records you can buy from Stubborn in a digi-format.

Roots, Branch and Stem: Living Tradition in Ska – This was my first introduction to Stubborn and Version City way back when, and I still pull tracks from it on the reg.

King Django Quintet – Brooklyn Hangover – Tons of King Dj’s top hits, performed live in ’07 and released earlier this year.

Da Whole Thing – at Version City – Sure, Tooth is their best record, but everything this NY super group recorded was genius.  If you want to be a DWT completest, this is a must!

Comments (0) Jul 09 2010