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Cut the Chit Chat – 06 – Even Newer Ska

JJ Loy — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:54:10 +0000

Way back before Episode 01 of Cut the Chit Chat I had scoured the internet trying to find the newest bands and the newest tracks. But I always felt the episode still wasn’t reflective of the unique time/space location that is late 2007. Luckily for me, the episode opened some doors with several prominent labels. Since the begining of this series, I’ve been swamped with samples from bands that I’ve never heard of.

New Skool and Traditional Style Ska are seeing a huge push in Europe and South America. Not to be counted out, the old USAok has it’s share of Traddy bands dotting it’s wide landscape.

Let me tell you a little bit about each band featured on this episode:

Downbeat Alley – Django Kill – Born from Royal Roost this group delivers heavy organ Reggae.

Deal’s Gone Bad – Rough and Ready – Chicago’s up and comers with a cut from the new album.

New Town Kings – Fire In the Hole – Do the Dog Records sent me this song, it’s fast, it’s rockin’ but it’s not typical.

The Dualers – Money – I found these guys on MySpace and was immediately impressed by their unique sound.

Bedouin Soundclash – Trinco Dog – See? I like them.

Miss Mad-e Ruthless – Dia De los Muertos – This fellow ska enthusiast has decided to lay down some tape of her own with this pretty song about scary things.

The Pepperpots – Be My Baby – Less of a band and more of a Ska Review, The Pepperpots prove their slickness with this classic cover.

3 Minute Warning – Sussed Out – Another Do the Dog offering seems to blaze past in an flash of high energy.

Green Room Rockers – Divided – A Soul Reggae group from West Lafayette, IN of all places, unplug their instruments and criticize foreign policy.

Rebelation – Minor Incident – This instrumental track takes it’s time and allows for so many solos; it might be my favorite cut on their whole cd.

Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians – Rub My… – Classic Calypso tune- raised from the dead by this Chicago Revivalist group.

Ticklah/Victor Axelrod – Mi Sonsito – If you don’t have this cd- get it! A member of Easy Star All-Stars and many other dubby projects, Ticklah is Axelrod. But is the converse true?

The Slackers – Wanted Man – Vic and the guys cover the result of a Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan team-up.

Kingston Kitchen (Dr. Ring-Ding) – St. James Infirmary Blues – Another classic cover, with the Doctor taking on a very Tom Waits style voice.

The Pietasters – G to F – One of the best songs of last year. Great album great song.

The Toasters – Run Rudy Run Redux – I talk a lot of shit about the silly side of ska. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I have a huge soft spot for cheezy spy-style ska. Run Rudy Run was on the second ska album I ever owned and this reworking of the classic Toasters track is really fun.

As I state on the show, this will be the last episode of the Cut the Chit Chat series. However, it is not the end for Ska Blah Blah. Expect a new interview series in January, and the blog will continue throughout. So keep your subscriptions active and you won’t miss a thing.

Cut the Chit Chat – 05 -Ska Demos (RERELEASE)

JJ Loy — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:24:51 +0000

It’s the day after the sites big move, and the only major issue I’ve discovered is a broken link to my most recent episode of Cut the Chit Chat.

After tweeking the original post a million times, to no avail, I’ve decided to repost the link in a new post.

To read the original show notes, click here.

Cut the Chit Chat – 04 – Ska Rap

JJ Loy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:48:00 +0000

This episode was born from a post I submitted a few months ago, where I told you all about a strange Acid House/Ska remix record I found. After that, I found a bunch of other tracks that feature a similar DJ meets Ska sort of mash-up.

You’ll hear some Rap Ska tracks from Wyclef Jean, Dr. Ring Ding, and DEL tha funkee homosapien; as well as House, Electro, and Dance tracks by artists like Asian Dub Foundation, Roughneck, and Pama International. Plus, if you stay tuned til the end you’ll hear a cut from the ultra-rare Silencers/Life Won’t Wait demo sessions, in which Tim Armstrong and Vic Ruggiero cover Express Yourself.

Cut the Chit Chat – 03 – Hard Edged Dub

JJ Loy — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:59:00 +0000

Maybe I’ve had the wrong impression for a long time, but I had always seen Dub Reggae as chill-out music- something to be passively and herbally enjoyed. Dub is a Weapon was the first band, that I encountered, to change the vibe from relaxing to energetic, with squealing guitars and double-time rhythms. And now, groups like Dub Trio are fulfilling this aggressive dub destiny by mixing creepy Dub FX into Bad Brains style Hard Core.

This episode brings you this sound, plus other non-traditional Dub approaches from bands like the Beastie Boys, Gotan Project, and the Drastics.

Babylon Motorhome – Big Band Vid Link
The Drastics – Al Q’runka Live Vid Link
Beastie Boys – Suco De Tangerina Vid Link
Dub Trio – Illegal Dub Vid Link
Slackerland All-Stars – Dub #1 Live
Dub is a Weapon – Unlabeled Live Track Live Vid Link
Crazy Baldhead – Controls
Gorillaz feat. Terry Hall – M1A1 Terry Hall Vid Link
Gotan Project – El Capitalismo Foraneo Vid Link
Pepper Pots – We Must Believe (Remix) Live Vid Link

Other Link of Interest:
-Archive.org has a ton of live Dub sets form many of these groups. Plus it’s free! Link (search for Dub)

Cut the Chit Chat – 02 – Skinhead Reggae

JJ Loy — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:11:00 +0000

These days, it seems like a most of the bands that had been releasing straight ska albums, several years ago, are now cutting their fair share of Skinhead Reggae tracks. Sure, the popularity of the Aggrolites has probably spurred this on, but maybe there’s a lot of folks like me, that don’t want a bible lesson every time they listen to Reggae.

This Rasta-free Reggae isn’t so much about social messages as it is about funky organs and foot stomping. This episode is exclusively Skinhead Reggae, and in keeping with this series’ theme, I’ll be interrupting the music as infrequently as possible.

The Vulcans – Vulcan-ized
The Aggrolites – Make it Reggae
Crazy Baldhead – Eye Jammy
Pama International feat Dave & Ansel Collins – It Ain’t Funny
Tim Armstrong feat. The Aggrolites – Among the Dead
The Moon Invaders – Don’t Touch the Dog
The Upsessions – Pharaoh’s Last Wish
The Skoidats – Smash Your Fucking Head
The Rhythm Doctors – Mark’s Mood
Downbeat Alley – Nobody but You
Westbound Train feat. Alex Desert – Soul Revival
Monty Alexander and Ernest Ranglin – Double Barrel
The Slackers feat. Glen Adams – Live Injection
The Aggrolites – Don’t Let Me Down

Other links of interest:
-A lengthy but informative essay on the Skinhead/Reggae connection. link
-A brief bit on early Skinhead culture. link

Oh, and Nazi Punks can Fuck-Off.

Cut the Chit Chat – 01 – New Ska

JJ Loy — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 02:21:00 +0000

My next series of interviews is still a ways off, so I thought I’d try to keep everyone interested by running an all-music series. Look forward to episodes featuring Skinhead Reggae, Dub Revivalism, and more.

In this episode, I play some of the best Neo-Trad Ska to come out of the past couple of years. You’ll hear bands from the States, Europe, and Asia; all of them calling back to Jamaica, but adding something modern.

I’ve added links where I can, and I encourage you to buy something from any of the bands that you like.

The Caroloregians – Super Bikini Link Ska Cubano – Istanbul Link, Link

Pepper Pots – King of the Street Link

Westbound Train – Fatty Fatty, Boom Boom Link

The Debonaires – Interrupted Link

The Determinations feat. Ego Wrapping – A Love Song Video Link

Heavy Step – You Got It (Newish – I couldn’t find any Deal’s Gone Bad)

ASPO – Nuthouse Shuffle Link, Video Link

The Moon Invaders – Consciousness Link

The Pepper Pots – Runaway Video Link

The Upsessions – Cool Ska Time Link

The Slackers – Robots

If you are in a band or know of one, that plays Jamaican Revivalism in any form, and would like it to be featured on an episode of Cut the Chit Chat, please contact me: jjloy@skablahblah.com