Ska Blah Blah

Vic Online - Full Live Set on YouTube

Posted on May 27th, 2008 by JJ Loy.
Categories: Ska Online, video.

These vids were recorded a little over a year ago, at The Elbow Room, but they are new to me.  Maybe they’re new to you too.  This set is automatically better than your average Ruggiero live video set, in that you can actually hear the music and see the artist.  This is Vic in full One-Man-Band mode, playing mostly stuff from his solo songbook, and a little bit from The Slackers’ cannon.  Please enjoy:  Link to The Entire Set

Here’s a sample from the set in question, California:

Bonus!  Not from the Elbow Room set- but what a great performance:

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Get Comfortably Numb with The New Slackers Record

Posted on April 11th, 2008 by JJ Loy.
Categories: album review.

The Slackers
Self Medication
2008 Indication Records

Self Medication isn’t just the title of the Slackers upcoming release, it’s a suggestion. Sample a heavy dose of your favorite remedy, and let your headphones do the rest. The Slackers have taken their recent affinity of Tropiclia and taken it one step further by adding strong US and Brazilian psychedelic elements to their already groovy ska and reggae.

The first truely stand-out track on the album is “Estranged”, with lyrics and vocals from Glen Pine. This foggy tune is as much reminiscent of Far East Reggae as it is The Fun Boy Three. Haunting is one way to put it, but haunted may be more appropriate. As with “Estranged”, the title track, “Self Medication,” reveals a side to Ruggiero’s keys that we haven’t heard before. Synthy and psychedelic, they push the skank rhythm to the dark and sinister sides of The Slackers’ psyches. But it’s the track, “Eviction” that finds the Slackers in theit most novel style of the record- this modern-day “In the Ghetto” recalls Blaxploitation soundtracks as well as classic Jamaican shanty songs.

“Stars” is arguably the most interesting track on the record. Ruggiero plays with vocal overdubs in this expansion of his solo style. However, this song reaches further than Vic’s one-man-band- until it’s dizzying climax fades into it’s lullaby denouement.

But the record isn’t experimental all over. In “Don’t You Want a Man,” Hillyard adds to his growing songbook of socially charged lyrics that sound like love songs. (Or is it a break-up tune that sounds like a protest song?) “Leave Me” and “Happy Song” are straight forward Ska with all the up-beat energy you’d expect, but in a classic Slackers move they have less-than-upbeat lyrical themes. “Happy Song,” in particular seems like a minor attempt, on Hillyard’s part, to simply cheer up.

Several songs on Self Medication explore the singing someone else’s song as a metaphor for standing up for the ideals of those you’ve allied yourself with. This idea of singing someone else’s “happy song” began in the song, “Close My Eyes,” and is now being echoed not only on “Happy Song” but on Sing Your Song”- and to a lesser degree, “Don’t Forget the Streets.” Take it or leave it, but I believe many of these tunes are an re-affirmation of commitment from the band. Nearly every member of the band contributed lyrics to The Slackers’ new album and I’ll keep listening for however long they decide to sing each other’s songs.

Look for it later this month.

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Slackers Interview on GrundFunk.net

Posted on March 31st, 2008 by JJ Loy.
Categories: podcast spotlight.

No, no.  Not another Slackers interview from Ska Blah Blah, but this two part show is so great that I have to direct your attention to it.  Don’t let the non-English website and show introduction fool you, the interview is conducted in English and is chock full of wonderfully selected Slackers and Specials music.  Thanks to Martin for hipping me to this.

Road Rush on GrundFunk.net’s Interview with Vic and Dave from The Slackers:

Part 1

Part 2

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Ruggiero Interviewed for Music With Soul Records

Posted on January 10th, 2008 by JJ Loy.
Categories: interviews, news, video.

I just got hip to an eight-part interview with Vic Ruggiero from his last trip to the Netherlands. The series of vids is credited to Music With Soul Records, but I can’t find any information on them what-so-ever. What I can tell you is that the host of the interviews, Alex, does a great job despite a slight language barrier. It’s Vic relaxed and happy- playing his guitar and talking about music and family. There’s even a little insight into a few Slackers songs.

Links:

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Part IV
• Part V
• Part VI
• Part VII
• Part VIII

So I need to give a shout out to my listeners in Holland! Like my new pal Baldy84, who’s music collection covers current European Ska, Mid-West US Ska, and tons of classic compilations. So thanks not only for the tracks but for pointing out another place where I have a few subscribers.

And thanks to Chris for leading me to these videos.

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Ska News To Me

Posted on December 13th, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: Ska Online, news, obits.

Here’s a quick rundown of a very busy week in the world of Ska:

After months without any new Slackers bootlegs, a new set hit the internet hit the internet like a cannonball. Recorded in Syracuse, NY on 11.15.07, the set has been dubbed Funk n’ Waffles, after the venue of the same name. I can attest to the live set’s quality, so feel safe clicking here for the .zip file, or here for the original post at Stubborn Records Forum.

Speaking of The Slackers, Dave Hillyard recently posted a very optomistic, State of the Scene-type blog post. What does he say? Ska is making a comeback. But you knew that. Link

This isn’t breaking news, but in light of Hillyard’s positive post, it serves proof of the scene’s recent strength. The popular series of Ska compilations, United Colors of Ska has just released their fourth installment, or 4.0. Much like my recent selections, the UCS folks have been using MySpace as the catalyst for finding new Ska music from around the world. Link

The Holidays are upon us (is Hanukkah really over, already?) and DC Ska is making it easy for you to find the perfect gifts for all the Ska Geeks on your list, with their handy Gift Guide. Link

Go Jimmy Go has gotten into the X-Mas mode, as well, giving us all the gift of a Holiday themed album, Holiday Hell Yeah. Link

Victor Rice is still bustin ass and maintaining his rep as the go to guy for all things Ska. Look for new recordings by Stingers ATX, Buford O’Sullivan, Chris Murray Combo, and Crazy Balhead (feat. Alex Desert, King Django, Steve Jackson, Bucket, and Vic Ruggiero) with Mr. Rice at the mixing board, next year. He’s also involved (to some degree) with a new Skatalites Live DVD.

It would seem that the rumors are sadly true, Lynette Knackstedt, founder and guitarist for Skankin’ Pickle died at the young age of 37. Here is the post where I found out. Here is Mike Parks personal blog post on the subject. And here is an odd turn of events effecting Lynette’s estate.

The other night, my roommate and all around cool guy, Jameson played about 6 Skankin Pickle songs for me and Dira at the 521A. We remarked at how long it had been since we played them. Jameson translated a few Korean lyrics for us. I commented at what a bad-ass guitarist the Pickle’s had. I would later learn that Lynette died sometime that evening. It was an eerie coincidence that my friends and I were missing Skankin Pickle while Knackstedt’s family was missing her.

Sources: DC Ska, Dancin Mood, Stubborn Forums, Asian Man Records, and Do the Dog Skazine

2 comments.

Cut the Chit Chat - 05 -Ska Demos

Posted on October 23rd, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: cut the chit chat, podcasts, rare ska.

This Episode of Cut the Chit Chat isn’t the pretteiest or the most accessible; I’ve made- but it’s one that I’ve been dying to make for a long time. The reason being that I’m an amateur tape trader, and I get very few excuses to show off some of my rare stuff.

If you put up with the raw mixes and the loud hisses, you’ll be rewarded with alternate takes and a backwards engineered reflection of the recording process.

The introduction to the show features what can’t be aptly described as a demo, but is just as scratchy and hard to find, as anything else in the show- Bob Marley’s Rudie Cut. I started the first set off with three rare Slackers tracks that embody their early Two-Tone style, including the earliest version of You Don’t Know I, that I’ve ever heard. I keep the sound in NY for the next couple of demos by Mephiskapheles: Doomsday and My Three Favorite Americans. The first set ends with tracks from Fishbone and The Toasters, respectively. These tracks aren’t exactly rare, but might serve as a curiosity to those who haven’t heard them before.

The next set kicks off with the Violent Femmes’ Reggae-licious demo of Please Don’t Go (compare this to the original studio version to note the progress of this amazing bass solo). A pair of Hepcat demos follows, early cuts of Nigel and Take Dat. Although, these versions have never been released, you’ll find a lot of Hepcat fans already have these tracks on their ipods. The 7 Song Demo that Hepcat made for Moon Records is standard fare for Ska bootleggers. Following right behind comes some early Specials, or rather, The Coventry Automatics. This (hornless) version of Dawning of a New Era has been released dozens of times, but is very much a rough outline of the track we all know and love. And much the same could be said of the next demo track by The Clash, Rudie Can’t Fail from the Vanilla Tapes- not hard to find, but not quite ready for the big leagues.

The final tracks are what I believe will be of most interest to my listeners- but first, a bit of history: I’m sure many of you remember when the first Give ‘em the Boot compilation dropped. Nearly every track on that $5 cd was steller, but one song stood out over all the others, in my opinion. The Silencers’ Policeman was that song- ghostly and urban, the sound was very Two-Tone, faster than The Slackers but not as Punky as Rancid. The liner notes confirmed that this was a team up between Vic Ruggiero and Tim Armstrong, and promised a forthcoming album. Years go by and still no sign of a Silencers record. Ruggiero mentions in an interview, that an albums worth of songs were, in fact, recorded an are just waiting for some attention, but also, to not hold our breath. Then, about two years ago, I found (through a P2P service) a folder labeled, Life Won’t Wait Demos. Sure enough, many of the files were early demos of songs that would end up on Life Won’t wait, but the last few in the folder were unique. They would never become Rancid songs, and they featured Ruggiero more prominently. I believe this session, the Life Won’t Wait demos, to be all there is to The Silencers rumor. But please correct me if I’m wrong. This also reconfirmed a theory of mine, that Ruggiero had a great deal of influence on Rancid’s Life Won’t Wait. To finish the show, I picked two tracks from these bootlegs, the demo for Policeman and a much lower-fi version of the Rancid B-side, Brad Logan.

Also, check out the previous episode, Ska Rap, to hear another Silencer Sessions cut, Express Yourself (an NWA cover).

2 comments.

Cut the Chit Chat - 04 - Ska Rap

Posted on October 1st, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: cut the chit chat, podcasts, ska oddity.

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.

4 comments.

Slackers New Record: Boss Indeed

Posted on September 26th, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: album review.

I just listened to the new official-bootleg-mixtape-thingy, The Boss Harmony Sessions by The Slackers, and thought I’d share a few thoughts on it.

First off, I immediately noticed the distinct production style the group pioneered in their last studio record, Peculiar. If you recall, on Peculiar, some of the band was recorded live while the rest was filled in at Version City. I’m not sure if it was the same exact device being implemented this time, but the effect was the same- rolling, energetic ska that you’d expect from a Slackers live show. However, unlike the last record, this disc had the presentation of a flea-market style mixtape.

Boss Harmony, an LA DJ that specializes in Jamaican sounds, hosts the tracks within, by creating soundscape segues and bong-chocked soliloquies.

A lot of these songs were intended to be released as singles, Vic and Dave both expressed to me their belief that the album was dead, at least for now. Perhaps that’s the reason behind this underground presentation. I, for one, am glad these tracks made it to official release status. This album is the first Slackers major release, since The Question, that didn’t seem inspired by tragedy in the least.

Here’s how the tracks break down:

Robots - I think that this song was greatly inspired by The Slackers time with the Phenomenauts. The dystopia is all Vic, but the style is somehow Mothersbaugh.Feed My Girl Ska - A classic Slackers tune from The Question, played in the style in which they preform it nowadays.

Funk Week - Title says it all- a whole weeks worth of funk packed into one 3 min instrumental track.

Mamma Told Me Not to Come - Everyone knows the Three Dog Night version of this, but did you know Randy Newman wrote it? These sarcastic lyrics find a great fit with Vic’s voice in this noticeably non-ska cover.

Mind You’re Own Business - I dare you go see any St. Louis blues band on any given night and NOT hear them play Mind You’re Own Business. I can’t speak for other cities, but it is a major standard in my neck of the woods. Here, the Slackers put a little skank to the natural swing of the song, with slightly unique lyrics.

El Gato - An Upsetters-esq track that comes close to being the second instrumental song on the record. Has anyone every collected all The Slackers tunes that feature animal sounds? It would be a mighty playlist.

Ska Boheme - This track reminds me so much of the instrumentals on Redlight. It’s classic, straight forward, Slacker style ska.

Wanted Man - The perfect follow up to Wanted Dead or Alive: both are covers about the trials and tribulations of a wandering man. Throw in the outlaw attitude Ruggiero exudes and the Wanted connection becomes even stronger.

Yer Still Blue - The Slackers are grabbing the Boogie-Woogie and running with it on this shuffle beat nod to yesteryear.

Minha Menina - When I first heard Os Mutantes, I had a secret wish that modern bands would revive the Tropicallia movement more often. Aside from one song from Beck and a couple from Belle and Sebastian (youtube music link), no one’s been up to the task. I would never have guessed that my favorite band would be among the first to branch out, and experiment with Brazilian psychedelia …and with the sitar… damn.

Little Joe - I featured this song, along with my interview with Dave, last year. It’s a sweet little lullaby song, with a killer dream-like organ solo.

Body Double - I’m at a bit of a loss for words, when it comes to this song. It’s funky rocksteady for sure, but the lyrics baffle me. I’d like to hear any interpretations anyone has out there.

All in all, I’d recommend this album to any Slackers fan or to anyone that needs to turn up the energy at a house party or dance contest.

Go buy a copy at a Slackers show, or go to :
Interpunk.com where they should go on sale this week.

1 comment.

Vic Ruggiero, Blowing Up MySpace

Posted on August 28th, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: news.

Vic and I discussed the internet, in general, and MySpace, specifically, and how they’re changing the way The Slackers are doing business, on his episode of Ska Blah Blah. Months later, it seems he’s embraced MySpace even more. In addition to his Vic Ruggiero Page and the official Slackers Page, two new sites show off a couple of side projects that are pretty exciting.

The Tampa Road project features Vic and Ara (of The Slackers) laying down some spooky, Iraq War-themed blues tracks. I can find very little about the lyricist, Phil Nerges, but I get the impression his is either an American soldier or journalist assigned to the Iraq War. The words, to the songs speak of the constant fear the soldier’s face and the senselessness behind their actions. It’s a drastic change in style for Ruggiero, but one that is consistent with his recently evolving protest themes.

Tremoflex9000 finds Ruggiero teaming up with Phil the Tremolo King and Flex Unger for some chicken-shack, lo-fi dub. There are plenty of great originals and instrumentals, available for download, from the MySpace Player and a link to the first EP, but it’s the tracks featuring Ruggiero on vocals that have me hooked. Tremoflex9000 covers two of the tracks from Living in Sin/Understanding New Jersey, and brilliantly so. The creepy, haunting tone of Vic’s first solo album is transplanted, and amplified on the Tremoflex versions. Link to This by Tremoflex9000.mp3

The real proof of Vic’s love for MySpace isn’t in these sites, however. On his main page, inconspicuously placed in his personal blog, there is an on-going serial saga, chronically the underground scheme’s of Vic’s cats. Either these are some highly evolved felines or Ruggiero has a paranoid fantasy life. Excerpt:

“ok”, said rudy,”what do you want? samba or leonard cohen?…that’s all that’s out…”
suddenly there was noise from the outside…”ahhh…they’re coming home, we’ll have to listen to what they want now…well, maybe they’ll put on some reggae…”
“yes…i hope”, said pierre, “ahhh, i guess i should stop smoking too huh?”
“ha ha ha ha”, all the gatos laughed as the door began to unlock

It is easy to pass these ramblings off as a silly use of blog space, but that would be an unwise move. These snippets of prose follow many of the same conventions as Ruggiero’s music, and invoke the same feelings of spontaneity and inspiration. I for one would like to see him explore something like short subject fiction, more aggressively.

But for now, I’ll just gawk at everything else he puts out, and share it with you guys.

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05 - Vic Ruggiero - Conversations on a Revivalist Movement

Posted on April 16th, 2007 by JJ Loy.
Categories: interviews, podcasts.

Being the band leader, songwriter, keyboard player, and vocalist of The Slackers, Vic Ruggiero is a very busy man. But he took an hour out of his schedule to talk to me in this, the final episode of the series.

Vic picks up where Joey Altruda left off, last episode, talking about working within a genre’s parameters. And Ruggiero also answers my many questions about his lyrics and the various themes that appear in them. In doing so, he represents the connection between American and Jamaican Roots Music. All this plus Vic’s take on fate, collective thought, and Os Mutantes.

You’ll also hear lot’s of live music from The Slackers, as well as New Vic Solo Stuff.

Links of Interest:

- The Slackers live sets on Archive.Org
- The Slackers merch page
- Ruggiero’s MySpace with Downloadable tracks for Free and for Fee
- JupUp Records sells Vic’s Japanese Solo Record, Hamburguru
- Vic and The Slackers on NPR
- And On Austin Radio

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