Posted on July 17th, 2008 by JJ Loy
Brian Dixon has been a major influence in LA’s Ska and Reggae scene for years now. He’s been a key player in the Rhythm Doctors and the After Hours project- his latest thing is a little band you might have heard of- called The Aggrolites.
Brian and I discuss The Aggro’s writing process and their belief that everyone can love good Reggae, on this, the last episode of Small Talk.
Get The Aggrolites newest record Reggae Hit LA Link
Watch The Aggrolites Videos on YouTube Link
Jul 17 2008
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by JJ Loy
Lars Nylander, once the great valve T-bone player for Skankin’ Pickle and now the (even greater) keyboadist to the Impalers, talked to me at length for this episode of Small Talk. We discuss the maturation of his music as well as the production techniques that distinguish The Impalers from their Skinhead Reggae brothers, The Aggrolites.
The Impalers are an impressive band and Axe Records is a quality label, I encourage everyone to check them out.
Links:
Axe Records Link
Impalers MySpace Link
Buy Blood, Rum & Reggae from iTunes Link
Bobby Bobson’s review at Musical Occupation Link
Jun 26 2008
Posted on May 29th, 2008 by JJ Loy
This episode, Matt Wixson- former keyboardist to the Flaming Tsunamis. He’s the one and only member of Babylon Party Machine, an electro-Ska experiment who (last year) released two albums online. For free. At once, Wixson’s music can seem contradictory and more than a little controversial, but then all forward thinking music is.
Link to Babylon Party Machine MySpace
Link to Matt Wixson’s MySpace
Link to Free Copy of The Back of My Hand EP
Link to Free Copy of God Hates Babylon Party Machine
Link to Free Copy of Matt Wixson’s solo album, Best Intentions
May 29 2008
Posted on May 1st, 2008 by JJ Loy
If you’ve been following the scene this past year- If you read blogs like this or Musical Occupation- If you lurk around forums like Dancin’ Mood or Chatty Mouth- then you’ve surely heard the buzz surrounding Indiana’s own, Green Room Rockers.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8cU8Hpp034]
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I talked with Green Room Rocker Mark about acoustic Ska, the Mid-West scene and the formation of his band.
May 01 2008
Posted on April 15th, 2008 by JJ Loy
Your eyes have not deceived you- It is a new series for Ska Blah Blah. This time around, the interviews are a bit shorter and the artists are a bit newer. I’ve also broadened the focus from mere Ska Revivalism to a more encompassing umbrella of Jamaican Revivalism. This is to better fit with this millennium’s crop of bands and DJ’s.
I’m starting off strong with my interview with Victor Axelrod, but subscribe to the feed and you’ll automatically get interviews with The Impalers, Babylon Party Machine, The Aggrolites, and The Green Room Rockers as they become available.
Multi-instrumentalist, producer and Dub mixologist, Victor Axelrod isn’t quite a household name, even if you live in the hippest of households. He’s worked with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, Easy Star All-Stars, Lily Allen, and even Amy Winehouse- so it isn’t like he’s shying away from the spotlight. However, Axelrod’s love of pseudonyms has at times prevented audiences from connecting the dots of his work. His newest solo record seeks to reconcile this by featuring a virtual soundclash between himself and his better known alias, Ticklah.
I spoke with Victor about making retro music, working with Victor Rice, and of course his newest solo record, Ticklah Vs. Axelrod.
Ticklah Vs. Axelrod is out now on Easy Star Records where you can purchase the cd or digital download LINK
National Geographic’s Podcast Interview with Ticklah LINK
Wishtank’s bit about Ticklah’s Don’t Trip Studio with lot’s of extra info LINK
Rock Paper Scissors bit about Ticklah with a great review and press pack goodies LINK
Be friends with the man himself at MySpace LINK
Apr 15 2008
