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| Ska and Reggae About:
Ska emerged in the early '60s as a precursor to reggae by Jamaican musicians influenced by the New Orleans R&B that reached the island over radio. Early bands from this movement including Skatalites and Toots & The Maytals developed the distinct rhythms and arrangements now associated with the style. In the late '70s the music saw a revival in England when young British acts fused the recent sounds of punk rock with the style. Ska revivalists featured racially integrated lineups and bold political statements. The lead group from this time was The Specials, who formed the independent label 2-Tone. The scene cultivated by The Specials included Madness, The (English) Beat and The Selector.
Ska music saw it's third wave begin in the mid to late 80s with bands that further further mixed punk rock with the 2-Tone sound like Fishbone, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Operation Ivy. Furthermore a strong roots ska scene was emerging in New York City with The Toasters and Moon Ska Records. The style's popularity peaked in `96 with bands like Rancid, No Doubt, Sublime, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish and the Bosstones all making huge waves in the mainstream. While the popularity of the style has waned over the years, a small but devoted group of bands like The Slackers and The Planet Smashers have carried on the style into the new millennium. Artists with releases on this label:
Fox Trotsky, The Aquabats, High School Football Heroes, Hot Stove Jimmy, Lightyear, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Cellphish, Public Access, Babylon Circus, Suburban Legends, Slightly Stoopid, Razbari Sumthing, Big D and the Kids Table, Ska Weekend 2006, Reel Big Fish, Stuck Lucky, Lee Scratch Perry and the WhiteBellyRats, Los Furios, Buck-O-Nine, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, The Specials, Victims of Circumstance, Circle City Ska Fest, The Pietasters Recent ReviewsRecent NewsSlightly Stoopid / Outlaw Nation Slightly Stoopid have announced their fall tour plans in support of Chronchitis and Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat…Dave Hillyard to hit the studio for new Rocksteady 7 recordings Slackers tenor saxophonist Dave Hillyard is planning to hit the studio on September 20th to record new songs for his side project the Rocksteady 7. The band will spend two days at Seaside Studios in Brooklyn to track a number of covers and originals, including versions of tracks by Fela Kuti, the Hippy Boys, Hepcat's Lino Trujillo, and Mexican composer Armando Manzanero. Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7 last released United Front…Johnny Moore of the Skatalites (1938-2008) Trumpet player 'Dizzy' Johnny Moore, a founding member of pioneering Jamaican ska and reggae act The Skatalites, has passed away. Moore died at his home in Kingston on Saturday after being released from a hospital where he was being treated for colon cancer. Moore helped form the band in 1964 with saxophonists Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso and trombonist Don Drummond. The band helped establish…Deal's Gone Bad cancels shows after frontman's appendectomy On Monday July 14, Todd Hembrook, vocalist for Chicago ska/jamaican soul act Deal's Gone Bad was rushed to hospital with extreme stomach pains where he underwent surgery to have his appendix removed. He is recovering well but his condition is forcing the band to cancel most of their East Coast Tour, at least up until July 29th in Cincinnati, OH. The group is hoping that Todd will be well enough to play later dates and will announce details via MySpace. Canceled dates are to be re-scheduled…The Ska Is Dead Tour presents Skankgsiving '08 The four year old Ska Is Dead Tour returns once again for Skanksgiving '08. The tour is confirmed for two large festival shows on November 15th and 16th, in Foxborough, MA and Sayreville, NJ, respectively. The lineup features The Pietasters, The Toasters, Mustard Plug, Westbound Train, Bomb the Music Industry!, Big D and the Kids Table,…Reel Big Fish teases "epic" new project Long-running ska/punk/rock act Reel Big Fish are currently in the studio working on a new, vaguely described project. Prior to their upcoming run on the Warped Tour, the band is recording what they are calling: A hush-hush, top secret project of epic proportions. The band released their last album, Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free, last year. The album was the band's first non-major label studio album in more than a decade.…The Mighty Mighty Bosstones playing Sunfest in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are playing this Saturday, May 3 at 9pm at Sunfest in West Palm Beach, FL. Other acts scheduled to play the 5-day festival include: The Tossers, The Academy Is..., Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Good Charlotte, Ozomatli, Matisyahu and Morris Day & the…Sonic Boom Six: "The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism" In anticipation of their upcoming UK tour with Big D and the Kids Table, we've got a stream of Manchester's Sonic Boom Six recent album, The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism. The band fuses ska, punk and elements of hip hop and reggae into their…Toasters (Europe) The Toasters have announced a European tour kicking off tomorrow in Belgium. The tour will feature Guitar/vox: Buck (of course), Drums: Jesse Hayes (ex westbound train), Trombone: Greg Robinson (ex mephiskapheles), Sax: Neil Johnson (Planet Smashers), and Bass: Andy Pearson (Special Beat, Rankin Roger, Skaville UK) The band continues to support One More Bullet and their new DVD, Toasters - CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live June 28, 2002: The Bowery…Less Than Jake tour dates with the Swellers, Mustard Plug, Goldfinger, Big D Less Than Jake have announced many more tour dates this summer as they continue to support their recent set of Reissues. Along with the previously announced shows with Goldfinger, the band will be touring with Big D and the Kids Table, Suburban Legends, Mustard Plug, The Swellers and… |
