I was searching around on YouTube the other day for some Pirate-style Ska from Deal’s Gone Bad and The Parka Kings- I just played a few Pirate Ska tunes on Ska’s The Limit and I was hoping to find some video links to accompany the playlist- and I was surprised to find similar links for both bands.
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.
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:
In their own fresh way, Pama International have always been at once looking backwards and moving forwards. Their new record, Pama Outernational is a prime example of how the group maintains transparent influences without succumbing to the limitations of any one genre.
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!
So here’s my obligatory, “sorry-I-haven’t-posted-in-a-while” post that are so popular with the kids these days.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Comments (1)
Mar 10 2010
