If I was the maker of fine sugar, I wouldn’t sell it in a milk carton. But I would use the sweet Ska sounds of Norway’s Razika to sell the stuff. Luckily, the makers of St. Louis Sucre got it half-right, featuring the sugary sweet, Taste My Dream.

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The Scofflaws tune that once celebrated the man is now being used to advertise Trek itself. IFC knows the secret to selling anything is to use the Ska.

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The Slackers: A Documentary is a documentary about The Slackers, directed by Ben Levin.  Now that we’re all on the same page, on with the review…

The documentary starts with some concert footage of The Slackers playing Married Girl, then goes into the roots of the band, starting with Vic Ruggeiro’s days in Sic and Mad with bassist Marcus Geard.  From there, it goes into the formation of the Slackers by Vic with Marcus, original drummer Louis Zuluaga, Q-Maxx, and T.J. Scanlon.

Vic talks about how they were a two-tone band in the early days and he desperately wanted to be Paul Weller.  From there, the DVD goes into how Dave Hillyard and Jeremy Mushlin helped shape the Slackers into the form they currently have, ditching two-tone in favor of traditional ska.  From there, the formation of Hellcat is covered, as it Redlight and the coming of Glenn Pine.

Once Glen’s arrival is covered, the remainder of the DVD is talk about life on the road, thoughts about ska in general, and a lot of concert footage.  The Interpunk page lists these songs but this isn’t the order they appear on the DVD.

• Sarah
• Wasted Days
• Married Girl
• I Still Love You
• What Went Wrong
• Watch This
• Peculiar
• International War Criminal
• Keep It Simple
• No Good To Be In Love

Why this Documentary was awesome:

• The behind the scenes glimpses of The Slackers while they weren’t on stage were well worth the price of admission.  While we’re enjoying watching the Slackers play live, it’s easy to forget the miles they drove to get to us.
• The concert footage was top notch.  I actually preferred the recordings on this to the ones from Live at the Flamingo Cantina.
• Seeing Vic and Glenn practice What Went Wrong was worth the price of admission.
• Hearing the band’s thoughts on making the music, touring, etc, was quite something.  In particular, Vic’s talk of giving something back to the music that gave him so much was powerful stuff.

What I Wish They’d Done Differently:

• There’s not a lot I would change about this documentary, honestly.  I wish it would have been twice as long, though.
• I wouldn’t have minded the documentary covering the departures of Zulu, T.J., Q-Maxx, and Mush-1.
• I also wouldn’t have minded something talking about Ara Babajian and Agent Jay joining the band.

The Thrilling Conclusion:
If I wasn’t already a diehard Slackers fan before watching this documentary, I would have been by the time I was finished.  This dvd is a clear indication that The Slackers are doing what they love and loving what they do.  If you’re a fan of The Slackers, and you should be, you owe it to yourself to buy this DVD.

Highest possible recommendation!

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Ska: An Oral History by Heather Augustyn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ska: An Oral History covers the history of ska music from its inception to Jamaica through the ska boom of the 90′s, all the way up to present day.

Lean closer everyone, I have something to reveal. I became a ska fan when I got my first CD player in 1993 and my neighbor gave me a copy of Ska Core, the Devil, and More by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I’ve remained a fan of the music ever since, though these days I’m more into the more traditional ska sound of The Slackers, Mr. T-Bone, and Dr. Ring-Ding. Anyway, on to the review…

The chronicle starts in Jamaica, naturally. Pioneers like Derrick Morgan, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker, Toots Hibbert, and The Skatellites were given their due. Some of the stuff, like Don Drummond murdering his girlfriend and dying in the insane asylum, I was familiar with. Others, like the feud between Derrick Morgan and Prince Buster, I was not.

From there, the English skinhead reggae scene of the 60′s is covered, primarily focusing on Laurel Aitken and Judge Dread. The focus shifts to the two tone era of The Specials, the Selecter, Madness, and Bad Manners. It really put me in the mood to dig out the Specials debut album. Actually, I’d say a bit too much time was spent on the two-tone era. I could have done without entire chapters detailing The Beat, The Selecter, and Bad Manners. It seemed a bit like padding.

The third wave was covered, starting with the Toasters and Bim Skala Bim, and moving along with Fishbone, Let’s Go Bowling, the Scofflaws, Agent 99, Jump with Joey, and the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble.

Hepcat was mentioned next and I began getting excited. Then radio ska bands like No Doubt and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were mentioned. Deals gone bad was mentioned and then Agent Jay of The Slackers and Isaac Green of The Skalars talked about how the scene died because most of the people going to shows were in bands and nobody was buying records. Which I witnessed first hand in my first couple of years of going to ska shows.

That’s pretty much it. The book did a good job of detailing the history of ska but I think it focused on the two tone era a little too much and could have used more than a mention of The Slackers, since they are by far the biggest touring American ska band at the moment. It also wouldn’t have hurt to mention that ska has a much bigger audience in Europe and Japan, evident by the turnouts that Mr. T-Bone, The Moon Invaders, and Dr. Ring-Ding see. For being released in 2010, it doesn’t feel current to me.

Man, it’s hard to settle on a rating for this. I’m giving it a three. I’d give it a four but the writing seemed choppy in places, especially during the transitions between topics.

View all my reviews

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“…while many covers evidence a conscious Afro-centric opposition to Western society, many others adopt, mimic or are swallowed up by the conventions of American music and movies. You can see every chapter of Jamaica’s modern social history?—?the burden of colonialism, the optimism surrounding political independence, the social and economic problems that greeted self-rule?—?reflected in the typographic, illustrative and photographic choices made by its album cover artists over the last fifty years.”

Sound like something you’d like to read?  I thought so.  You can read the whole Social History of Jamaican Album Covers over at Smashing Magazine.

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I know, because I once felt the way you do, I used to think that I knew Rocksteady. But compared the man, Brian Keyo, you and I don’t know jack.

The name may not ring a bell, but if you’ve got more than a handful of killer Trad Ska or Early Reggae compilations, you probably own one of Keyo’s gift’s to the world. Not only does he have a massive collection which has served as the basis for many of his comps, but he’s also been given unprecedented access to music vaults and written some of the most definitive liner notes about this music. These liner notes are where Keyo’s legacy really shines. Remember how you don’t know anything about Rocksteady? Well, what you DO know was probably taught to you by Keyo in one CD booklet or another. He’s a major player, for sure and you can learn even more about the man in an amazing three-part interview over at Go Feet Radio (highly recommended!).

Now Keyo has written a Primer for Rocksteady: From The Aces to The Zodiacs over at his site, Tallawah.com. The introduction alone is so informative, I challenge you to NOT learn something new before the primer even begins!

So yeah, maybe we don’t know all that we thought we did about our beloved music- but at least we’ve got Brian Keyo on our side, sharing his fire!

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The big concert in ’02 featured (among others) Prince Buster, Lord Tanamo, Patsy Todd, Stranger Cole, Owen Grey and the topper, in my opinion, Lord Creator- and I’ve been kicking myself for not making the trek to Toronto ever since!   Considering that many of the artists featured in the documentary have since passed away, the need for this DVD is greater than ever.

Event Poster from '02

You may recognize this concept from Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, which found DVD distribution last year, and you’d be right.  But considering ska’s contribution to rocksteady, it seems only fair that both find release, right?  I’m not sure what we, the fans, can do to help at this stage other than showing our support and spreading the word.

Maybe the Legends Of Ska folks should take a note from Samuel Gursky, who’s started a KickStarter page for his new documentary project, Brooklyn Rocksteady- which is generating a fair amount of buzz in the ska community, or the makers of Laurel Aitken – Live at Club Ska, which found international distribution.  However they do it, I just hope we get it soon, Legends of Ska sounds amazing!

UPDATE:  Looks like great minds think alike- you can support the Legends Of Ska production and lock in your copy of the DVD and soundtrack, by pledging at the LOS Kickstarter Page.

Related Posts:

New Vic Ruggiero Documentary
Roots Online: Dub Echoes Documentary
Roots Online: The Aquarius Reggae Documentary
Ska Online: Original Ska Documentary

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“The Reggae 69 Fan Club needs your support though if it is to succeed. We’ve lined up some great bands who you know of already – bands that love and bleed for what they do everyday. We’d like to help get some new music out for them – the real vintage reggae lovers – for the DJ’s out there and the fans.”

Right now, the fan club is just a dream- but it’s taking shape and building momentum every day.  Jason Lawless and the guys that brought you the Dancing Mood Network of websites came up with the idea to start this fan club that will be releasing 7″ vinyl, CD and digital releases-  but this is a big undertaking and it needs a little bit of a kick start-

Enter, Kickstarter.com-  It’s a web service that helps launch creative projects by letting it’s users state goals while raising funds.  The best part is that the prospective donors don’t spend a dime until the project actually launches- a kind of all-or-nothing approach to  funding. What that means is that you can pledge your intent to join the Reggae 69 Fan Club with zero risk.

If the Fan Club gets off the ground, you’ll be a founding member with exclusive gifts- the more you pledge, the more exclusives could be coming your way.  And if the Kickstarter goal is not met, no money changes hands.

Learn more about the Reggae 69 Fan Club, the various membership levels and more at the Reggae 69 Kickstarter Page.

UPDATE:  The first campaign has come and gone. With less than $600 to go, I was really hoping for some well-to-do ska maniac to swoop in and make Reggae 69 happen-  sadly, this is not what happened.  But all is not lost!  Reggae 69 has regrouped, and they’re at it again.  The NEW Kickstarter campaign has even better incentives- including, what I believe to be the BEST deal in recent memory:

For a $15 pledge, you get an exclusive reprint of the highly sought after, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by LA’s Ocean 11.  This CD is the epitome of Neo-Trad Ska, a masterpiece full of dancy ska hits,  authentic instrumentals and serious dub grooves.  If you’ve ever seen this CD on ebay, you’ll know what a deal this is!

Here’s a link to the new page:  Reggae 69 Kickstarer Page

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Here’s GUGUG with a Uke/Melodica version of Exodus:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlewKFS06jc]

And Logophile with Star Trek Ska:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr3T_6BQikY]

Here’s a funny little Video Birthday card from GOGO13′s Parker:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RBVrmSC_wk]

And finally, you too can learn to play ska on the ukulele:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9azm5eldKE]

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Please don’t get upset with me for posting more Ska Deprecation.  I don’t think a lot of the points they make are all that apt anymore- but like the Ras Trent thing from last year, I think this video is good medicine for the scene.  Besides, I’d wager the songwriters, Patrick Cassels and Scott Hallam were drawing from some personal ska experiences to craft such a put down to the ska-punk sound.

Alright, here’s Too Much Brass:

Related Posts-

-How to Spot a Shitty Ska Band Name
-More Ska-Deprecation
-Ska vs Ska-Punk; The Debate Continues
-Area Blog Kinda Likes Ska
-Obama’s Dirty Secret

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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]

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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!

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I am here by ordering you to swing over to the Maddie Ruthless MySpace to hear the new scorcher, Heat Fever.  But first, watch this:

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

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If you’ve never seen Alphonso or Altruda live, do yourself a favor and check this sound:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa4d237DcBo]

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH53ioeaB60]

Most of these videos have been uploaded by Jump With Joey drummer and co-founder, Willie McNeil.  Here’s a link to all of the JWJ videos that feature Roland Alphonso, 24 clips in all. [YouTube]

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I’ve dropped Running For The F-Train and Intello Punk on countless mix tapes, and Out Of The Fryin’ Pan and Banker have blown minds when played on Ska’s The Limit.  The response is always along the lines of, “Where’d you get this?,”  “Who was that band?,”  “Where can I get it?“  Until yesterday, I’d normally just smile and shake my head, “Oh that’s Da Whole Thing.  What you don’t have that?”

Da Whole Thing was a short-lived NY super-group and they were like the Sex Mob of Ska.  The group was the brain child of Patrick Carayannis and executed by some of the top names in US Ska, Victor Rice, Vic Ruggiero, Chris Murray and Agent Jay, so you don’t need to take my word for it.  Those of you that have been coming to Ska Blah Blah from the beginning might remember Da Whole Thing being a point of topic in the first series of podcasts.

Da Whole Thing’s first record, @Version City has been available online for several years, but Tooth has always been my preference- for it’s chaotic brilliance, it’s creepy humor and it’s sheer rarity.  Scratch that last one off the list, it’s time that Tooth was available to the masses, and time you got your hot little hands the mp3′s that have been my secret weapon for too long.

Whatevski Records, the online record shop that’s been dishing up Slackers bootlegs for almost a year now, is branching out.  Along with Tooth, Whatevski’s also hosting digi-downloads of The Great Rocksteady Swindle, and Mr. T-Bone’s Heroes- both available with drool-worthy bonus features.

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I first heard of Jools when I bought my copy of his 2005 record, Swinging the Blues, Dancing the Ska- which I found to be quite lacking in the Ska dept.  No matter, it was a fine helping of Boogie Woogie, and besides, he’s proven his love for ska in other ways.

From his show, Later With Jools Holland, here’s a few samples of Holland’s more ska-leaning guests, starting with Desmond Dekker:

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

The Specials – Little Bitch 11/04/09

Rico Rodriguez – L.O.V.E. 01/01/09

Madness – Forever Young 04/24/09

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NEVILLE STAPLE – Out of borstal. Directionless. Hanging out with his rude boy mates Trevor and Rex. His one talent is “toasting” on the microphone: “The place that I come from it is a Ghost Town… somewhere in England they call Coventry”

ERROL CHRISTIE – Boxing since he was eight years old – desperate to go professional. A young man capable of defending himself but with a code of honour. Never hit a man when he’s down. “My fists are my weapons”

PAULINE BLACK – Educated, bright, mixed race. Burning to succeed. Through her music, she will reach out to Coventry’s racist skinheads: “Half Jewish. Half Nigerian. So what’s the National Front going to do? Send half of me back to Africa & the rest to Israel?”

Britain’s missing black generation. The children of the post-war Windrush immigrants. Their fight created today’s multicultural Britain. But they had to fight hard.

Their story has been under wraps – until now.

The project is called Ghost Town: We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For.  You can find out more at the EMUFilms Website

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What I found was an entire series of clips from an out-of-print Jump Up Records VHS called, Ska American Style.  I  remember the old Ska American Style cd compilation that Jump Up put out in the late 90′s, but these YouTube clips are the first I’ve heard of the VHS.

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

Not only does the video series show a couple of songs by DGB and The Parka Kings, it’s got great late 3rd wave acts like Skapone, The Eclectics, Gangster Fun and a few more.  This is a nice little slice of the Midwest scene from 1998.  Dig it:

Ska American Style – Part 1 – DEALS GONE BAD
Ska American Style – Part 2 – SKAPONE
Ska American Style – Part 3 – HOT STOVE JIMMY
Ska American Style – Part 4 – THE EXCEPTIONS
Ska American Style – Part 5 – THE PARKA KINGS
Ska American Style – Part 6 – THE ECLECTICS
Ska American Style – Part 7 – SUSPECT BILL
Ska American Style – Part 8 – GANGSTER FUN
Ska American Style – Part 9 – TELEGRAPH

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© Copyright 2010 Onion Inc.

You know why this makes me laugh?  Because it hurts me, and then I laugh at myself for feeling stung.

It’s called cringe humor, and I love it.

See Also:
Area Blog Kinda Likes Ska
How to Spot a Shitty Ska Band Name
Rude Boy, A Message To Your Face

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Despite being an all-dub band, Pama International aren’t a retro band, they aren’t recalling one specific time in music history.  Many of the tunes on Outernational are in the style of early reggae and rocksteady, but the end result is not the scratchy scorchers of old- this is clean and polished.  Spic and span.

Besides this impressively fresh and recognizable style Pama has developed, their lyrics are not merely an afterthought.  On Outernational, you’ll find the lyrics are still very much in touch with the political consciousness that Pama fans have grown accustomed to.  Songs like Are We Saved Yet and Question The Answer fit well with the call-for-change attitude of previous Pama cuts like Highrise and Throwaway Society.  But positivity shines through everything they do,  and ultimately Pama Outernational is an uplifting record.

I Still Love You More is easily the most obvious candidate for the standout single on Outernational.  Like many other uplifting ska tunes that have come before, it’s groovy, dance-y and fun while delivering a Keep On Keepin’ On message of perseverance.

As of yet, you can only preorder Pama Outernational from overseas websites, but a little bird told me that MusicalOcupation.com will be picking up the US distro for future Rockers Revolt releases.  So keep your eyes peeled!

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The truth is, I’m not all that sorry.  I’m still doing the Ska’s The Limit radio show, and I’ve even been podcasting for the boys over at Pressure Drop/Music Is Our Occupation.  Trust, I’m keeping busy.

Also contributing to my lag- There are just so many great Ska blogs out there, scooping me at every turn.  Perhaps I’ll start showcasing a few of these wonderful websites, in the near future.

Of course, any reader of mine has got to be hip to the one they call, Gabe Pressure and his catalog of ska podcasts, Music Is Our Occupation.  A few months ago, Gabe and I thought it would be fun to recreate the tracklist of The Slackers’ seminal record, Redlight, using tracks from my extensive live bootleg collection.  Redlight is the second album by The Slackers- but in many ways, it’s their first.

The whole sha-bang can be found over at MusicalOccupation.com- JJ Loy Presents: Redlight Redid

One last thing- When I collected these live bootlegs, I didn’t realize that I’d ever play them for the public.  While I’m all too happy to do so, I feel bad that I don’t have a single credit for any of the tapers.  I apologize.  If you are one of the tapers, or you know who the credit goes to, please let me know.

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Is it a video podcast?  An online TV show?  A collection of Reggae and Ska interviews?  I don’t know exactly, but it’s something like that.  In addition to interviews with such Reggae headliners, Owen Grey, Ras Michael and Steel Pulse- ReggaeTV also has a share of Ska coverage.

Two videos should be of particular interest to Ska Blah Blah readers, Vic Ruggiero and Chris Murray:

[flash http://blip.tv/play/AeesHQI]

[flash http://blip.tv/play/AdTLIgI]

I love Vic’s explanation of what he sees in Ska.  Plus, he makes a few comments about his father that add an interesting follow-up to the 2001 video I posted last week.

I’m also looking forward to checking out the episodes featuring Reggae historian, Roger Steffens and Heartbeat Records’ Chris Wilson.  Keep your eyes peeled for future episodes featuring Lee Perry and Tippa Irie.

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It wasn’t long after Green Room’s first record, Hoosier Homegrown, that I started seeing this trend build steam.  In a showing of solidarity, GRR have teamed up with their Ohio counterparts and occasional collaborators, The Pinstripes, to release a killer 10″.

It’s called Midwest Soundclash, and features three songs from each band.  The Pinstripes have grown more than you’d expect since their 2008 debut latest record, The Decay- and the track Cool Whip/Hot Sauce is a stand out on this split.  However, it doesn’t get any better than GRR’s cover of Symarip’s Stay With Him.  I’ve been playing one version or another of this tune all year- this is one of those songs that stays in your brain for days and extra days.

“But,” in the words of Commander La Forge, “Don’t take my word for it…”  Stream the whole record here, for free:

Midwest Soundclash is also available as a digital download from Amazon and iTunes .

Or if you want to get the vinyl 10″ to have and to hold you can find that at Interpunk, Stubborn Records or GreenRoomRockers.com

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It really is a great video, too.  Here’s Vic in the studio talking mostly about his dad, and weighing the pros and cons of working as a musician.  There’s some great concert and rehearsal footage between the interview segments, and some faces from Slackers past.  I love getting a glimpse of their cramped rehearsal space- oh and Vic does a Mick Jagger impression.

Here it is in two parts:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tQH8XEtNsQ]

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvWKNsQC7Y]

Of course, none of this has anything to do with The Slackers: A Documentary by Ben Levin

Or… The Slackers Live And Direct From The Flamingo Cantina, both of which are available here.

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If Ska has never crossed your path, The AV Club recommends that you test the water with 70′s Ska- This Are Two Tone, in particular.  I don’t think I would immediately point the uninitiated straight to The Specials, but their reasons are sound.  I don’t want to sum up the piece too much, it’s not that long to begin with.

Be sure to keep scrolling for all of the comments, it’s amazing to read a wide sampling of opinions on the ever-expanding subject of ska music.  Less Than Jake fans that are more earnest than Scientologists- armchair musicologists brave enough to drop “mento” bombs- a thread dedicated to ska-pun band names- I’m telling you, the comments section is worth the visit.

The Onion’s AV Club, Gateways To Geekery: Ska

I hesitate to, but after several cringes, I’m filing this under Ska-Deprecation

-How to Spot a Shitty Ska Band Name
-More Ska-Deprecation
-Rudy’s In CT by Ansis

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Mr. T-Bone will appear with Brooklyn’s The Forthrights, for two shows this month with The Slackers:

Sept 25th SLACK-FEST @ Bowery Ballroom NYC
Sept 27th Middle east downstairs + The Slackers Boston MA

And later on, in January, you can expect Mr. T to hit up both coasts and spots between.  He even hinted that Chicago will have a date on the tour, which means that mid-westerners like myself might even get a chance to dance.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for his latest album Heroes, to be release on LP by Jump Up, and on CD by Special Potato sometime soon.

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

New Video from Mr. T-Bone

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[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88aZ87mtTiY]

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Now Whatevski Records has found a solution to both of our requests.  The Slackers have released the most recent of their infamous Booze Cruise shows for download via Whatevski.  For five bucks, you get 2 sets- 25 tracks!    The Slackers get a little bit of rent money and we get a whole lot of content.  Win/win.

There are still some kinks in the download process, but Tom from Whatevski gave me a prompt response and I had the whole set with very little trouble.  The files are of a high bit rate, all zipped up in one easy package. Despite  a few mic scratches at the beginning, the overall recording is heads above even the best Slackers bootlegs.  All in all, totally worth it.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Whatevski releases of The Slackers- and Tom Whatevski says,

“The label is going to be about the live show outside of the Phish and Grateful Dead Jam scene. As long as it’s good music, and we like the band and the people in it, there’s a spot on the  Whatevski roster. I’d expect to see some more Soul/Reggae, some older NYC Hardcore classics, some indie comedy, some indie music – a spread of nicely curated stuff at a price that’s easy.”

I’m all for it.

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It features DJ Spooky, Theivery Corporation, Bunny Lee, Dub Pistols, King Jammy, Lee Perry, Ticklah, Mad Professor and many more.  But don’t take my word for it… check the trailer:

[flash http://www.vimeo.com/3786770]

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From their new record, Heroes, here’s the brand new video:

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

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The episode takes a nice aproach to educating it’s uninitiated white viewers.  The producers seem to be trying to heal racial tensions in England, by celebrating Jamaica’s most identifiable cultural export, Reggae.  One guest points out that what kept Reggae off of the charts was not racism, but a lack of understanding Reggae and Jamaican culture, from the record companies’ point-of-view.

Of course, if you’re a frequent visiter to Ska Blah Blah, I imagine you need no tolerance lesson.  For you, I recomend this movie for it’s great performances and insightful interviews, from Roy Shirley and many more.

enjoy:

[flash http://www.veoh.com/videos/v8886018K3MB2Bb]

[flash http://www.veoh.com/videos/v889077QpWP3Kag]

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I’m sad to see the JA influences diminished on Now, but in a lot of ways, this is the best work The Pepper Pots have put out.  Here’s your chance to form an opinion before you rush out to get the new record… please enjoy:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwuKwGo82rc]

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//flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWEcIjXYN78&feature=player_embedded//

UPDATE:  NBC has taken down this vid, and any others that feature this clip.  It’s like the TV companies don’t want you to like them- congrats NBC, I don’t.  I’ve got love for Conan, but the suits need to get a better handle on viral marketing.  To make it up to you, my loyal readers, here’s the official video for Last One to Die:

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

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

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_pCLw7ONtU]

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phoHQ2qLEso]

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

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Enter the Hipster Girls. They break it down and make it easy, describing the basic Ska dance moves, distinguishing it from Annette Funicello’s Jamaican Ska, and including variations like, The Dog, The Skank, The Monkey and even a section on doing the Rocksteady.  They even provide suitable tunes to practice to.

From The Hipster Go-Go Dancers’ page:

The Hipster Go-Go Dancers performed non-suggestive, early to mid 60s, original and authentic, go-go/fad dances and are not associated with todays burlesque, strippers, erotic dancers or modern go-go. (Modern go-go dancers are erotic dancers anyway). Think music shows between 1964 and 1966 and Swinging London fashion.

The only real drawback to the site, is a lack of illustration.  There are, of course, very cute animated gifs at the top of the page… but beyond that, there isn’t a much of a visual element.  What these hipster dancer’s lack in web 2.0- they make up for in autenticity.  Absolutely fantastic!

UPDATE:  It looks like Kathy from the Hipster Go Go’s has struck out on her own.  The new home for The Original Ska Moves page can be found here.

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Westbound Train live on Ska’s The Limit – 88.1 KDHX – St. Louis

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I am proud to announce that right before they head to the venue that night, the Westbound Boys will be swinging by KDHX studios for a little Live-in-Session action.  This performance will be aired the following Sat night, on my show, Ska’s The Limit.

I’ll be putting up links to the show and the session as soon as they air- so stay tuned.  And maybe I’ll se you at the Firebird for what promises to be a killer show.

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Swing by Mojo’s MySpace and introduce your ears to this fresh sound.  The highlights include (but are not limited to) a very modern take on Rudy, A Message to You, called Rude Bwoy, a roots rock cover of The Police’s Roxanne, and a T-Pain inspired Herbsman Anthem feat. the man called, Peter Tosh.

Morgan Heritage is one of my favorite groups, from way back, and I love the new style that Mojo’s providing.  I wish that more Reggae acts would try to incorporate Ska elements into their sound.

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Swing by MN Ska.

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There’s a lot to consume in one sitting, but so far I really like the vibe over at A1.

Download the entire A1 catalog.

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You can hear three of the new tracks, With a Little Help From My Friends, She’s Leaving Home and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, by clicking here.  And here’s a little press vid they did:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7q9lGRk_hQ]

UPDATE:  The folks at Easy Star just sent me this great link where you can stream this entire new album!  Stream Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band

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Sounds like they’re still amazing, even if they do play the songs fairly straightforward.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY5FKp3zZds]

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I plan on sharing a few of my Ruggiero Bootlegs with the site’s webmaster, Spaz.  But I encourage anyone out there to share their hissy tapes with the rest of us via the bootleg section.  Nothing to share?  No worries two sets are already available for download.

As for the Discography section- I was surprised to find two Slackers songs that I had never heard before- not new mind you, this discography goes waaay back.

So who’s going to step up and make a similar page for Slackers live sets?  Hmmm… that is a good idea…

Oh! and it’s got videos.  Here’s my favorite song by Ruggiero:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O7MOw4XGk&e]

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First things first, The Drastics have released another digital 7″  This time, hairstyles are the target of our favorite dub killers- in the new cut, Vibes, Love Music + Jheri Curl feat MC Zulu.  You can check it out on their MySpace page.  But you should also take a gander at their new blog, which is very pleasing to the eyes- and ears.

Next up, I’ve got a video of Dubmatix remixing John Brown’s Body, which was created by numerous animators from around the world.  John Brown’s Body is an Easy Star Records project that is getting the full remix treatment.  You can read more here.

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

Finally, a site that applies Dub and Remix techniques to the art of YouTubing. Thru-You.com creates music videos by chopping and splicing existing musical pieces on YouTube.  I think of it as “found dub.”  You’ll think of it as “neato.”

Click here to see What It Became on Thru-You.com

PS Sorry for any spelling mistakes this time through… my spell checker is wonky.

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…I am a skinhead girl and being in this subculture you here a lot of shit and stereotypes that just suck. Skinhead girls are supposedly all fat, butch and ugly, or so the stereotype suggests. I don’t believe this and I want to change that. You can be tough, able to care of yourself  and still be a beautiful, sexual individual. That is what this site is about and giving something that you don’t see a lot of- a skingirl proud of her sexuality and not afraid to show it.

I realized quickly that I shouldn’t be surprised that she contacted me at all- this skingirl loves Ska:

To this day Ska is my favorite music. It’s how I came in the company of Skinheads when I was a young teen. Ska can be amazingly happy or majorly depressing but it always got to my emotions. I have a tattoo around my belly button “Celebrate the Bullet” it’s a song by The Selecter. Pauline Black has the most amazing, soulful voice. I could not get over that song for a long time. “Fu Man chu” by Desmond Dekker, “One Cup of Coffee” by Bob Marley (before the reggae), all are just amazing songs. I love this genre of music.

Cadence fights racial and extreemist stereotypes that are often applied to Skinheads while also using fetish and sub culture in a non-exploitive fashion.  You can check out OiTomBoy here NSFW.

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From talking with Dan Neely about Mento music- to the discussion on Album Art on Dancin Mood- to getting word of an impending Skavoovie reunion- I’ve been bumping into Epitones all over the place, lately. Once I started connecting the dots, I got my hands on some very cool illustrations from Purins- and he’s totally down with me showing them off.

You can find more art from Ansis at Here
And more on the Skavoovie reunion Here
aaand more on Dan Neely’s ethnomusicology work Here

A comic of Ska Deprecation

Purins work for the Ska Brewery

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PBS has just released his segment featuring Studio One, Alpha Boys School, and Kingston life in general.  A few familiar faces pop up along the way.  Werman knows to evoke the name of Bob Marley early on, but he quickly opens the story up to cover many more musicians.

Great job, Marco!

FRONTLINE World – Jamaica: The Alpha Boys

Related Posts:

Guest Blogger, Marco Werman: Notes From a Sound System

Ska Online: The World Loves JA Music

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I am known as a producer of the practical type – My first production basically fell to me because I was the only member of the Scofflaws with studio experience. When it came time for us to make our first CD, I was the one who found the engineer (Bob Stander) who in turn helped me to find a studio, choose the tape, schedule the sessions – all because no one else had ever gone about it. And the main objective was to get from start to finish with our budget of about $5000. In that sense I was a producer in the old use of the term, the liaison between the technical and musical teams. I took charge of scheduling and rehearsing the band in sections, made sure the engineer knew what was wanted, made sure the musicians knew what was possible.

Rob “Bucket” Hingley was satisfied with the result, and hired me to produce “Ooolooloo” for the Pietasters. Up to this point, Moon Ska NYC had only accepted finished projects for release, but was ready to invest directly in this record. Again, the main objective was to keep the production within budget, I was not hired to impart some kind of artistic vision. To this day, my main contribution to record-making is more practical than anything else. It’s in that spirit that I hope people find this chapter useful!

1- Pre-Production

Preparing for a recording is very different from rehearsing for a show.

Choose the Songs

I learned the hard way that more than 12 songs per full-length record yields diminishing returns, artistically and technically. The average listener will enjoy 15+ songs, but it will be difficult to remember any one of them in particular. Also, the time spent producing so many songs will inevitably result in less time and energy spent on each song. For best results, choose 15 songs to prepare for the sessions – somewhere during the recording stage (hopefully sooner than later) the band should look to cut 3 songs that aren’t quite as stellar as the rest. There are some songs that will work better onstage than on a CD, which brings me to an important point: tempo changes, groove changes, dramatic pauses etc. are best left for the stage; what works well at the show may be cumbersome and stale on record, without the visual element and audience participation to complete the event. I’m not speaking of a ‘live’ record here, where the band plays all at once in the studio and is going for a live sound. I’m talking about making a dance record. Ska Music is Dance Music – continuity and pacing within as well as between songs are crucial. Choose songs with different key signatures, choose songs that either showcase the singer or the horns/soloists – you’ll find that some songs are better for soloing than others, try not to fit everything into each song. If the song is more than 4:00 long, there had better be a definite motive.

Deal With the Click Track (Metronome)

The click can be a friend, it can be an enemy. Either way, it’s best to get to know it before going near a studio. I prefer to record without a click track, I believe it can hinder the musician in the studio, already a strange environment. That said, I know some great musicians that can play along to a metronome and it sounds fresh, unhindered, breathing and groovy… you can hire them for about $1000 per day if you like! What is most important, I believe, is to Rehearse with a click track if you’re planning on recording. Find the tempo that seems to work best – Oftentimes it is not that fast tempo that really comes off at the show and gets the people going. Save the faster tempos for the stage, the difference will be well appreciated. It is harder to play a song at a slower tempo than faster, because there is a greater need for accuracy. Find a tempo that everyone in the band finds comfortable (check with the drummer and guitarist), and then set the click track to something even slower and try to get used to that. Once you allow yourself to return to the preferred tempo it will feel almost as comfortable and exciting as most animals’ favorite pastime.

Rehearse in Sections

If the recording space permits, the whole band will be able to record at once – but the focus at the beginning will be on the rhythm section, particularly the drums. Once the drums are all captured, all other instruments can be re-recorded, provided there is enough isolation between instruments (more on that in the third installment). Oftentimes there is only space for the rhythm section to record during Basic Tracking, with the lead vocalist/soloist guiding the group from the control room. It’s important that the band rehearse in separate sections, to become more aware of the focus in the studio. The rhythm section should have a couple of separate rehearsals, with the lead vocalist/instrumentalist present for reference. The horn section should also rehearse separately, with the bass player in attendance for reference. Use the ‘reference folks’ sparingly, try to get through the tune with only your section!

2- Scheduling

Of course, booking the studio time involves the budget directly. But the budget should be able to allow at least the minimum of time required for even the best-prepared group. The following is what I believe to to be the basic amount of needed time:

Recording Basic Tracks – 4 Days

Day 1 in the studio is mostly spent getting sounds. Give the engineer about 45 minutes for every microphone set up. So, with a typical drum setup of 8 mic’s, you’re already looking at about 4-6 hours before the bass player even needs to be at the studio. Always try to keep the studio free of people who aren’t needed at the time, they will benefit from this as much as the engineer! Allow another few hours for the rest of the rhythm section (while Drummie takes a well-deserved break). The evening should be spent getting some tracks recorded, getting used to the process as much as getting used to the sound of the band on playback. Make sure your headphone mix is helping you to play. As a bassist, I like to hear the kick drum and hi hat more than snare, for example.

Day 2 and 3 are spent recording as many songs as possible. The objective is to get the best performance of the drums, the rest of the rhythm section is not a priority as they can fix their tracks later. Go for as many as 3 takes of any song. If none of the drum takes are satisfactory, leave that song for the next day. Move on to the next one. When the drummer needs a break, the bassist, guitarist, keyboardist should take that time to go over the tracks that you know you’ll be using, make notes of where mistakes are, try to fix them on the spot if possible. Keep up this rate for two days, and you’ll have 12 out of 15 songs that please.

Day 4 is to make sure there are 12 ‘keepers’, and to fix parts in the rhythm section.

During this whole time the vocalist will have been recording a guide track from a separate room. Sometimes these vocal tracks prove to be the best takes, so if possible, record them well. However, don’t be afraid to use a vocal take from a simple hand mic in the control room if it’s a moving performance and especially if the rhythm section was responding to it.

Recording Overdubs and Horns – 4 days

Once the drums are all recorded, the kit should be taken down and removed to make space for overdubs and/or the horn section. At the very least, some of the drum mic’s could be useful for other instruments later.

Overdubs should be taken care of before horns – percussion, final fixes and solos from the rhythm section. That way, the horn section has as complete a sound as possible, making it easier for them to play in tune and in time. Solos should be recorded by the horns during section recording with the option to overdub afterward.

Recording Vocals/Solos – 3 Days

3 days may not seem like a lot of time to record vocals for an entire album. But the idea is that hopefully the vocalist has been finding time since day 1 to sneak in a performance here and there while everyone else is looking at the Chinese food menu or taking a break in the lounge. The vocalist and/or backing vocalists will certainly find time to record during breaks in the horn section recordings!

Editing (The New Stage of Production) XX Days

Editing is an auspicious subject. When I began recording, there were no computers in the studio. Yes I’m rather old – but still, it wasn’t that long ago. All performances were commitments; that which was recorded to tape was mixed. Now with computers, we have another stage of production – one with virtually limitless options in pitch and time processing as well as complete sound replacement for individual instruments. The amount of options can be paralyzing, many projects do not see the end of this stage!

I personally am grateful for a number of these options and now regularly make edits on the computer, whether the project was recorded to tape or not. It can be done before mix time, during mix time and in my case, both. The practical aspect is that a lot of this can be done outside a professional studio. An engineer can do it most likely from a home studio at reduced cost.

Mixing    5-6 Days

Schedule 1 day at the studio. Don’t be surprised when it takes half the day to simply set up the gear and signal paths, whether hardware or computer plug-ins. But once the first song is mixed (which normally takes longest), the engineer will have a template – whether hardware or software – for the rest of the record and all succeeding mixes will take less time. Try to get 1 to 2 mixes on that day and take them home. Spend a week listening to these mixes before returning to the studio. Everyone in the band should listen to them in as many places as possible – in your car, on your ipod, computer speakers, wherever you listen to music. Get some general comments together with the other band members and present the consensus to the mix engineer. Try to keep it general, try to think in terms of the entire record: Are the vocals loud enough/too loud? More kick drum in general? Guitars can be dirtier/cleaner? Where to put the horns? Also bear in mind you are listening to un-mastered mixes, which are normally quieter, less brilliant and more dynamic than commercial CDs.

With all of this discussed, the remaining mix days will go more smoothly. 2 to 3 songs per day average should be the goal. It can go faster, especially with ‘live’ recordings; a well-arranged and recorded song can go a long way to mixing itself.

Mastering – 1 Day + revisions

Decidedly the black art of music production, mastering can be both undervalued and overrated. This has a lot to do with the fact that, hour for hour it is the most expensive part of the production. Some feel it is imperative that the record be mastered by one of a handful of engineers responsible for most music heard on the radio today. Some feel that mastering engineers are overpriced and it is a process that can be done just as well by the mix engineer.

My opinion lies in between: I think it is absolutely crucial that there is a mastering engineer involved. And to me, more important than who is that mastering engineer, is that said engineer is NOT the mix engineer. Objectivity is the critical element in mastering a record, and I believe the project is best left in the hands and ears of an outside party.

Finding a reputable mastering engineer is as easy as finding an expensive one – But, it isn’t always that way. Try to find out who mastered your favorite records, if they are still alive/working and if so, how much they cost. When choosing your favorite records, don’t listen for cool-sounding mixes (that was the work of the mix engineer). Listen for mixes that sound great to you from any source – ipod, car stereo, dancehall, etc.

It is the mastering engineer’s responsibility to see that the sound of the record will translate consistently from system to system, environment to environment. Mastering engineers are dedicated to listening to the music as a sonic whole and to make tonal and volume adjustments to insure that the song will be clearly heard in any situation and that one song goes to the next with sonic consistency. The mastering engineer will also see that the perceived volume of the music is consistent with other commercial CDs and if possible, louder. Some engineers will go to the point of degrading the sound itself. When a song is excellent and well-performed, such sonic degradation can be overlooked. Johnny Cash’s last records serve as an example.

To prepare for the mastering session, the band must decide on the song sequence.

I prefer to save the best song for Track #2; Track #1 serves as an introduction to the record and sets up the listeners’ ears for what is to come. Think of an overture to an opera, or more commonly, the opening title sequence to a movie where the audience is still in the process of settling in. After Track #1, we have our first pause in the program, and that first pause should be followed with a strong offering.

Try to create a song list with variety in key signature, tempo and groove. Look to create an overall pace that holds the listener’s attention to the very end.

Song list in hand, the mastering engineer will set about building the record from start to finish. Once that is done, the band will again want to take the product home and listen on a variety of systems. Listen to the sound of each song, listen to the sound of the record as a whole, and listen to the spaces between the songs. With any adjustments in mind, have the engineer revise mixes, amount of time between mixes, fades and even the track sequence. It is customary for the mastering engineer to make one round of revisions included in the original price, so have all requests ready. After that, you are subject to the terms of that engineer.

And then you’re done, congratulations! You can expect two copies from the mastering session: one is for the band to copy and give out to the band members, the other is to give to the pressing plant directly, without ANY direct human contact along the way to avoid contamination. I’m only half-kidding.

To conclude with this installment, I want to briefly mention two subjects:

Drugs

In general, if one is a regular user of drugs, it may be the first inclination to stop doing these things before recording. There are two schools of thought on that; one is to do what you always do always, regardless of surroundings. The other is that, as the studio is already an unfamiliar environment, there is an opportunity here to put these things aside.

1. Tobacco – If the singer smokes tobacco regularly, there may be a thought to stop before and during the recording. Unfortunately this will usually affect the voice negatively, as a physically addicted body will be unpredictable without it’s vice. Cutting down is a good idea, but not stopping completely.

2. Marijuana – Known to relax the mental reflexes, it can either be helpful or not. Although not physically addictive, if one smokes Ganja regularly, see #1.

3. Alcohol – Known to relax the physical reflexes, I have never witnessed that as being in any way helpful in the recording studio.

If one is physically addicted to alcohol, see #1.

The Engineers

Try to make the engineers’ work as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, for your own sake!

1 – Don’t Ask Questions – walking into the control room and saying, “what are you doing?” has the same effect on an engineer as firing a starter pistol. Wait until they are in the lounge or obviously available.

2 – Don’t Gather/Chat in the Control Room. The lounge is not a convenience; it is a necessity – for the engineer! Use it.

3 – See that they get a break before 2 hours go by, plan your breaks around theirs.

4 – See that they have fresh coffee.

5 – Include their meals in the band budget.

6 – Do whatever it takes to keep them from having to get out of their chair.

7 – Do not bring plastic wrappers into the control room. If you don’t understand why, maybe it’s best you just never go into the control room.

8 – See that they have fresh coffee.

9 – Thank them for being so patient with you, whether they are or not. In the end, they will be.

10 – See that they have fresh coffee.

VR

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My guess is that most of you kind of like ska, but weren’t compelled to find a site such as mine before now.  I hope that you will find that ska is still viable and worthy of discussion as my listeners have already discovered.

Dig in, watch some videos, listen to an episode or two… and discover some new or new to you music.

Ska is a serious thing:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGmDD3tgWHM]

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