NYC SKA
By Michelle Ska
Welcome Rudeboys and Rudegirls to NYC!
Bits and Pieces from My Checkered Matter
May 13, 2013 - I suck. I suck lollypops, I suck straws, I suck sticky fingers, I suck.... I know you're just waiting for me to say I suck dick. ADMIT IT!!! Well, I suck at posting in the past.... oh damn. It's been 3 weeks. Eek. I thought it was 2. ::Hanging head in shame:: At least I have excuses for the past couple of weekends of shows:
4/26 - I attempted to make it to NJ for the Big D college show, but NYC traffic sucks my non-existant balls (Ooh! Add that to my suck-list above!). Instead, I thought about going to the Swamp in Brooklyn for some ska/rocksteady, but after having 7oz burgers at Jackson Hole diner which put me into a food coma, I opted for the most amazing cupcakes from Crumbs instead.
4/27 - I hauled ass to Lancaster PA to see Big D and The Pietasters at The Chameleon. The attendance sucked (I'm drawing a blank with this one), but then on the other hand, it felt like my own show...that was until The Pietasters played Drinkin and Drivin and a 300 lb fucker pushed me out of my spot. Fuck it. Pick my battles and this wasn't one of them I was going to bitch about. It was the end of the set and I didn't want to ruin my SKA KID Reel Big Fish tee (with a checkered goat...get it?? GET IT!?!?!). Oh well.
5/3 - The amazing Ken Boothe backed by Crazy Baldhead in Brooklyn. It was so great hearing all of his songs. The best part was seeing the band, who only got to rehearse with him once before that show, kinda had to wing it at the end since they didn't know where Mr. Boothe was going. It was still cute. DeadlyDragon Sound System and Grace of Spades DJed awesome tunes which kept a bunch of people around dancing after the show ended. I also gotta add all the crowd was very nicely dressed. Thank you NYC for still being a bunch of hotties.
5/4 - I was lucky to be one of the few who attended the Slackers secret show. Trust me, you'd never find the place since the entrance was a freight elevator. They played the first half of new songs (I'll get around to sharing that list with you later) and the latter half was half requests of "obscure songs we don't really play in NYC." Again, I'll back to you on that list. Suck my left tit and make the right one jealous. Ok, that one was that good.
5/8 - I trained my butt up to see The English Beat in Fairfield CT last Wednesday (to which I only got 4 hours of sleep that night before work the next morning...ugg). The Stage One venue loves having The Beat play there, but it still sucks ass (Fuck yeah! Another one to add to my list!) that the tickets are over 50 bucks....thus the only fans are MILFs and unfortunately no DILFs. Where's all the good sugar daddies when you need them!?!?! I had a great time since Dave Wakeling wasn't being bothered with folks taking vids up front or just being stupid (like the asshole who gave Dave the middle finger at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Dumbass.)
I still got more shit, but you can bite me. I'm tired of all the sucking. I'll get back to you. Now I have to go check for hickies with all this sucking. See you at the shows!
April 21, 2013 - "We're in skinhead heaven....or hell. Not sure which one." A lovely quote by Ska Mom (AKA Leslie Brown) while at the Mephiskapheles/Inspecter 7 show last night at Asbury Lanes in Joisey. It's been awhile since I've seen Inspecter 7 and, boy, did I miss them. Plus, seeing I7 and Meph playing together is an old tradition. Add T.C. (the guy who did the Oi/Skamplilation or also known as the NYC skinhead that talks like Yogi Bear) and it's 1997 all over again. I'm just glad I got to hear that song that was written about me, the one I mention in the ABOUT MICHELLE SKA section here....and no, it's not SEA HAG thank you. Good times, great crowd and cupcakes. By the way, I warned a bunch of friends online that if they ask me if I'm going to Apple Stomp that we weren't going to be friends anymore....to which at both shows in the past week did I have folks come up to me and still ask in person. You people crack me up.
I'm glad the horror that happened in Boston this week is over. All my friends, especially my 737 Bosstones family, are all safe. I'm glad they caught the bastard. Seriously, why target the Boston Marathon!?!? I can at least understand why September 11th happened. The Bosstones say it so well in I Want My City Back. My sympathies for those of you who lost a loved one who was involved.
I know you know you're just a little BITCH. Oh wait....that's part of a song??? Pfft, I just hear people say that to me all the time. No wonder. I love that I keep hearing more and more area shows getting added to the list for The Specials. Right now there are 8 dates listed in the east coast in Boston, CT, NYC, Long Island, NJ, PA and MD. Look at the ska show calendar since I'm too lazy to type it twice. Bite me. I'm looking forward to see them. I'm not looking forward to going broke. Just be sure to have the lube handy when TicketBastard anal rapes you. I hate when ska gets expensive.
Apple Stomp is going to be EPIC! An NYC ska fest is way overdue...shit, the last time there was a 2-day ska fest were when Moon was putting on shows at Wetlands. Well, I'm happy to say that each day's line has been determined! On Friday May 31st will be The Suicide Machines, Pilfers, Murphy's Law, Metro Stylee, Inspecter 7, What's Your Problem Brian, and The Fad. Saturday June 1st's line up is: The Slackers, Spring Heeled Jack, MU330, Mephiskapheles, The Pietasters, The Scofflaws, Westbound Train, Thumper, and Bigger Thomas. See, I told you fucking EPICCCCCCC. The flyer for this show is on the Ska Flyers & Photography page since I'm yet again too lazy to link you.
You guys know how much I hateeeeeeee having shows end up on the same day. I just found out the worst one of all: The Toasters and Westbound Train on a booze cruise in Boston up against Less Than Jake booze cruise in Boston as well. Both shows are on June 16th. Really!?!?!? They have to book 2 booze cruises on the same day AND at the same fucking time!!!! Like they couldn't get their shit together and book one at 3 and the other at 8 or some kind of shit like that??? Fuckers. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to don a lifejacket and swim back and forth between the boats, but I wouldn't put it past me to try. It ISSSSS a booze cruise. I mean it can't be any worse than the Pietasters booze cruises I'm on....running all over the boat, falling in the crowd dancing, attempting to take a photo with each person I know on the boat, running back to the deck to gawk at the bridges, getting yelled at by friends that the Pietasters are calling for me on stage, singing poorly in the mic and shaking everyone's hand as they left the boat. Trust me, there is MUCH more to it than that. Oh booze cruises, how I love thee. I have no idea what to do about this.
I want to mention something really interesting that was pointed out to me. So Tiffany, wife of Slackers' bassist Marcus Geard, said she was a bit disappointed in the way The Slackers Secret Show ticket sale was conducted. Though it wasn't the intent, she pointed out that you HAD to be a member of Facebook if you were to know about the show at all. I gladly added that I DID mention the show here as soon as I heard about it, hopefully that made a difference to some of you who read this and aren't on Facebook. Yeah, I'm good like that. I agree that wasn't the best way for them to sell the tickets, but come on, if you're not on Facebook you're a nobody. For realz yo!
So I've changed up the Ska Show Photo page. I suck at getting the pics up timely since I was always attempting to put up a bunch of each show. Fuck that. You guys are only getting the good ones and I'm going to also post the flyers I run by since they hog up too much space here.
I just updated a SHIT TON of shows on the NYC Ska Show Calendar: The Specials, Apple Stomp Ska Fest, Pietasters, Big D, Bosstones, Less Than Jake, Badfish, Slackers, Toasters, Fishbone, English Beat, The Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals, Westbound Train, Bim Skala Bim, and Spring Heeled Jack. There's over 50 shows listed from now til the end of July and a bunch of 4 shows per week over the summer. How fucking awesome!!! See you at (all of these) shows! And you know I'm not kidding.
April 15, 2013 - Today in Boston two bombs exploded in the crowd who were watching the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring over 115 people, 10 of those injured lost limbs. My thoughts go out to everyone affected by this horrible tragedy. I've heard from all my Boston friends and musicians and everyone is okay. Though I know I don't say it enough....well, I haven't really said it, but I love all of you. <3
April 14, 2013 - Six years in NYC city and I'm back on the block where I say I'm livin. Ok, that's a lie, but just an awesome Slackers line from "And I Wonder." Tonight I went to the Electric Avenue show that was at Characters bar a couple blocks from Times Square. Times Square was my old stomping grounds. I lived on 7th Ave and 48th Street...literally IN Times Square. I lived there for 5 years, 1996 to 2001, right through the peak of the 3rd wave. Dude, EVERYTHING in my apartment was ska, I mean that's no surprise, but just so fucking awesome. One of my best stories about living there was a walk home I took at 4am coming home from a show. A cop in uniform walked up to me in Times Square and just plainly said "You're a Pietasters fan" ...no hello or anything. How does anyone pick me out of a crowd of millions of people!?!?! "Whoa! How do you know?!?!" He said he saw me at one of their shows before...which one? He said it was when The Pietasters played at S.O.B.'s. "Uh, that was 2 years ago!! How did you know who I was?" He said he checked me out the whole time that night from back at the bar while I stood up front. Not only did he remember me, but he also rattled off what clothes I was wearing that night. See, the thing about NYC is that stalking is normal, sooooooo I ended up dating the guy. He's not the only stalked I dated from the ska scene. You should try it some time. Oh, so back to being in Times Square... it was just nice to stroll through the neighborhood again to do some photo bombing and yell at the Naked Cowboy "I LOVE YOUR OYSTERS!!!" I'm sure foreigners thought I was talking about his cock and balls. I just like sucking some of his stuff down.
So the biggest news this week??? The first of two is APPLE STOMP!!! The guy that brought us that Pietasters/Pilfers/Spring Heeled Jack Skalapalooza tour back in October is at it again....but even better. Matt Flood from Asbestos Records said it seemed odd that so many ska fests are going on, but there hasn't been anything in NYC...of all places, there should be one here!! FACT. It's going to be one of the best shows of the year and I already know rudies from all over the country are coming. Why is it that big of a deal? How bout this line up: The Suicide Machines, The Slackers, Spring Heeled Jack, The Pilfers, Murphy's Law, MU330, The Pietasters, Thumper, Metro Stylee, What's Your Problem Brian, Westbound Train, Bigger Thomas and probably more. TAKE MY MONEY NOW. I highly suggest you buy them at the box office. The anal rape price is an extra 20 bucks and I'm sure it's without lube.
A huge THANK YOU goes out to Adam Coozer for giving ME a goody bag on HIS birthday, with thee greatestttttttt present ever inside: A Moon Ska Records Zippo lighter, unused and still in the box!!! Yeah, holy shit is right!!! Adam used to work for Moon back in the day, but said he felt like I should have it. Aww. Thanks Adam. <3 See you at the show.
April 7, 2013 - It's too nice of a day to be sitting inside typing this shit. I'm in a "Wham, bam, thank you Ma'am" kind of attitude, though that makes me sound more like a lesbian. Hmm. Just shush and listen.
Ken Boothe is coming to NYC!!! He'll be playing on May 3rd at Little Field in Brooklyn and will be backed by Crazy Baldhead (AKA Jay Nugent, guitarist of the Slackers). You must get tickets. Because I say so.
Next Saturday is your choice of Toots and the Maytals at Terminal 5 (which is probably an arm and a leg, maybe a thigh too) or go to the more accessible show: The next Electric Avenue showcase on Saturday 4/13 at Characters NYC in the heart of Manhattan features NYC ska royalty The Beat Brigade, ska/punk/pop upstarts Across the Aisle and the debut of Rude Boy George who perform ska and rocksteady versions of 80s New Wave songs. Selector Steve and Marco On The Bass will spin an awesome mix of ska and New Wave! Doors are at 8:30 pm and its only $7 to get in! Personally, I'm hitting the latter. It's ex-Moon employee Adam Coozer's birthday and I'm just going so I can annoy him all night.
In 2 weeks from now will be the Mephiskapheles/Inspecter 7 show at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ. There is nothing better to an old skool NYC ska fan than having these two bands play together. I'm just waiting to hear the song that was written about me. You're going to have to figure out that one yourself. He he.
Aside from that, that's it. No tours announced, no ska babies being born, and I've been drama-free for a week already. I should go raise hell somewhere. See you at the show!
April 2, 2013 - I love bondage as much as the next person, but when it starts affecting musicians it's not so fun anymore. Do you old folks remember when Michael Hutchence, the singer of INXS, died back in 1997? Suicide my ass. Read the link on his name and you'll see how he really died. Fast forward 16 years and we got another one....though it was a close call, this dude is still alive. Fat Mike, singer of NOFX (Yeah, it's more punk than ska. Bite me.) fucked up his vocal cords doing the same exact thing. This might mean the end of the band. I know most of you don't care for their music, but they HAVE been around since 1993. You got to give them props for sticking around that long. Hopefully he'll make a recovery so the band could stick around for another 20 years. Now that I know this, I'd rather watch him do that than go to another one of their shows. Dammit. Now I'm all turned on. I'll be right back. See you at the show.
UPDATE at midnight: So how long did it take you to realize this was still an April Fool's joke? ;)
April 1, 2013 - So I woke up this morning to read an article that my friend sent me: "Reel Big Fish Breaks Up After 21 Years." YOU GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME.
4 shows in 4 days in 4 different states. I fucking rawk. Wednesday I wasn't planning my trip around seeing Badfish in Pittsburgh (though that's what I normally do with shows), but just happened to be good timing. Sadly, I missed the Pietasters' epic Tasters Choice show, but hey, I was spending quality time with family. The Pietasters released their DC Brau/Ska Brewing special beer in conjunction with the annual Todd Eckhardt benefit show to raise money for the foundation in his name. Singer, Steve Jackson, told me they raised $15,000! Way to go boys!
Thursday morning, I flew to Baltimore and met up with my show-going twin Danielle to see the Pietasters and Big D. It was great seeing the Pietasters close friend, DJ Selah, get his own trifecta with Comply, Can't Stand It, and Drunken Master played back to back to back. He also shared a pour from one of the Tasters Choice beers for a bunch of folks in the crowd, me included. Now I'm not a beer drinker (I only am around the Pietasters, but only because of peer pressure), but I got to say it was pretty good: smooth and not too strong on the nose or on the palate. Big D almost didn't make that Baltimore show. Their van broke down a few miles into NJ coming from Boston. They rented a U-Haul, seriously had 4 guys in the band sit in the trailer the rest of the way down and still made the show on time. Awesome! Since many bands have put me on guest list through the years, the least we could do was drive some of them to the next show in NYC. Danielle and I held 3 of them for ransom, but no one made any offers. Cheap bastards. 2 of them took a train and the rest drove in the U-Haul. These bands really do work hard to play these shows. I hope you never take that for granted.
The show in NYC on Friday went well with both bands playing plus Sammy K backed by The Snails and Across the Aisle opening. Since the show ended at 10pm....yeah, I shit you not because of the nnn-tss-nnn-tss-nnn-tss bullshit that was set to start at 11pm. On a good note, I was given the awesome gift of 2 bottle of Tasters Choice by the Pie guys!!! I was riding my motorcycle and didn't have anything to carry them in. One of them saw me trying to problem solve, took the bottles and shoved them down the front of my jeans. I gotta say I had penis envy checking myself out. That would be one helluva hard on. I guess this calls for getting a strap-on in my near future. The 7 inch (RECORD, not...that thing) I picked up from Sammy K I shoved up my shirt and tuck the bottom corners into my bra. Amazingly, everything made it home in one piece. Sadly though I was home at 11:45pm on a Friday night after a Pietasters show. Not sure how that happened.
Finally, I woke up on Saturday and pondered the idea of going to see the Pietasters YET AGAIN in the bottom corner of Delaware in Rehoboth. 50% chance of rain the next day if I attempt it, but I ammmmmm on spring break and have no other plans. Fuck yeah, I'll do it! I got on my motorcycle and hauled ass 6 1/2 hours down to the show. I was fucking freezing, took an hour to thaw my thighs, ran out to gorge on seafood, and back to thaw some more before the show. Brr. It was at Dogfish Brewpub and the place was packed. Duh, the Pietasters and beer go hand in hand. First was the Snails and then The Pie guys. Here they totally spoiled us and played a nearly 30-song set with rarities like Spiderview and G to F. What a great night. I napped in the party room at their hotel, said my goodbyes in the morning and drove 5 hours back to NYC, luckily missing all the rain. 15 minutes after I got home it started to rain. I'm awesome. After feeling achey and fatigued I slept a few hours and when I got up, it finally hit me of how insane I was. I had rode 11 1/2 hours in 24 hours to see my favorite band. Yeah, you'd be pooped too, but it was all worth it.
Oh and a few hours later I got a second article "Reel Big Fish Announces Reunion Tour." Hahaha, I got it now. It was an April Fool's joke. I'm such a sucker (and a swallower). See you at the show!
March 26, 2013 - Kill me now. My sister is forcing me to watch Justin Beiber videos and she's in her late 30s!!! I'm not saying everyone has to be a ska fan, but come on. She's probably the milkman's kid.
Holy shit, AS I'M TYPING THIS I hear the news that THE SPECIALS ARE COMING TO NYC!!!!! It'll be on July 17th at Pier 26 at the Hudson River Park. There is nothing more important to me than The Pietasters and The Specials. When they were in NYC the last time for two shows, they were some of the greatest shows of my life...and after 700 ska shows that says a lot. If you want to be really amused watch the video of NITE KLUB at the bottom of this article from their last concert. I'm standing dead center against the barrier. During the line "All the girls are sluts..." my rudegirl friend very obviously points at me. :D God, I can't fucking wait. July 17.....July 17.....July 17......
You guys all know the shit that happens to me makes great fucking stories....like the one that happened on Saturday night. You gotta hear this. During the afternoon I filed my taxes and owe THOUSANDS. There was a Slackers show with Sammy K that was going on at the Stanhope House in NJ and I wanted to go. The taxes bullshit put me in the SHITTIEST fucking mood, enough that I started yelling at my motorcycle pants for being a bitch to put on, but still wanted to go. Kinda my own fault since I didn't take off my boots before putting the pants on, but fuck it, I was lazy. I stopped halfway and told the friend I was meeting up with that I wasn't in the mood to go to the show anymore. He said that was all the more of a reason to go see a ska show. Fine.
At 8pm I was saddled up and left my apartment. Through the tunnels and onto route 3, I patted the pocket on my left thigh that I keep my iPhone in....and it wasn't not there. The zipper was open. Oh shit. I checked all my other pockets and backpack. I didn't have it on me and went back to my apartment. Maybe being pissed off I walked out without it, but it wasn't there either. Fuck me.
I walked half of Manhattan retracing my motorcycle steps and nothing. I came back to my apartment and used the "Find My Iphone" app which says it was near the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel (NYC side) and was moving around the entrance and exit ramps. Someone picked it up and was walking around in that area with it! Maybe a bum. I asked my friend to call my cell. He said it rang, so I was ecstatic that it was still receiving a signal. After I locked the phone and posted a LOST message on the home screen of the phone, at 11pm I ran back out to the tunnel entrance to find it.
I walked all over the area and also where pedestrians weren't allowed, again no luck. I stood around (looking like a really shitty prostitute) to see if that person was still walking around in that area. NO ONE and I mean no one (rare for NYC) was even in the area. It was also cold as fuck outside. After 10 minutes, I gave up and went back to my apartment.
Back home I sulked, looked at the "Find My Phone" app and it was STILL in the same area. Impossible. I know no one was there. It HAS to be there. I'm getting tired and think about quitting the search. The signal was now gone and it wasn't traceable anymore. Fuck.
Finally at 1:45am, I felt like shit, yet I went BACK OUT and decided to make the whole trip thru the tunnels. The one I went thru was now closed outbound, but luckily it was now switched to inbound. I went over to the Jersey side I pulled an ILLEGAL LEFT and I came back inbound in the original tunnel....and BAM!! THERE'S MY PHONE!!!!! It was between the lanes on the curve coming out of the tunnel!!! I pulled over to the cop right outside the tunnel and told him I SWEAR it's there, I saw it! I SHIT YOU NOT.....THEY CLOSED THE LINCOLN TUNNEL FOR ME and the cop and I ran in and found my phone!!!! The screen was shattered into a million pieces, but frame and the back glass panel were perfectly intact because of the thick Mophie case I had on it. Wow. Fucking wow.
Back at my apartment, I plugged it in to my computer and it fucking worked!!! "You must enter your passcode to back up your info." Oh come on, the screen was shattered!!! Ugg. The next day, I got the screen replaced, it's like new, totally works and I backed EVERYTHING up...except for there was absolutely NO audio and the battery was dying at 1% per 30 seconds. I ended up needing to get a new iPhone since a phone is pretty useless if you can't use it as a phone. I'm glad I'm back to drunk dialing, sexting and getting dick pics again.
Man, The Specials are coming to NYC. See you at the show!
March 17, 2013 - SHOWS BEFORE BROS. Probably thee greatest quote that I just heard that I plan on abusing the shit out of. Well it's true!! Who needs to be in a relationship when there are so many shows to go to? I don't have time for that shit. This probably explains why I'm going to stick being a groupie.
I'm going to make this short. I've got too much crappola to do. Bite me. Here we go:
The Meph show was outfregginstanding last night. Holy crap. The Reggae Lords and The Bluebeats too. The place was packed with so many friends, even a few that I haven't seen in over 15 years. It's great to see a show like this brings them back out again. Great music and great people. I couldn't ask for more. Wait, I could ask for more: fucking proper ventilation at the Mercury Lounge. If they're trying to be the new Sweatglands....err, Wetlands, good luck since Brooklyn Bowl has, minus the stuffy heat. Oh, and speaking of Brooklyn Bowl, I interesting learned that Brooklyn Bowl is owned by the same guy who owned Wetlands. This explains a lot and I should have realized this ages ago. Thank you Peter Shapiro for being such a big part of my life. Click his name to see an interview from him by The Gothamist.
Next week is going to be The Slackers on Saturday at The Stanhope House in Jersey and then on Long Island with the Scofflaws. I love mah NYC ska bands!!! The perfect way to start spring break and way more civilized than having me do Girls Gone Wild.
Bosstones are going to have a free show in Boston!!! It's free and part of a huge festival called Out of the Box. Thank god it's not until summer. It seems like all the damn snow being dumped on New England won't stop.
...which reminds me, what the fuck Boston!?!?!? There's no ska shows in Boston until the Westbound Train/Toasters booze cruise in mid-June!?!?! I'm totally serious. Epic fail. This is why I love NYC. So there. :P See you at the shows (in NYC. Screw you Boston)!
March 10, 2013 - Don't forget to move your clocks. Now say CLOCKS with a Chinese accent. My mom is Chinese and still has a heavy accent. When I was a kid she'd lecture me for hours about how I fucked everything up. I'd sit there just listening and writing down on a pad of paper all the words I couldn't understand as I tried to hold in the laughing. There are so many thing in life that I just can't take serious; she's one of them.
Just wanted to let you know of a wonderful conversation I had recently. I mentioned awhile ago that I felt it's Ska the 4th Wave. It's here and I whole-heartly believe so. Not everyone does though. I copy and pasted the entire conversation I had with my friends in the scene, most of the replies from our musicians. It's an interesting read and I hope you like it. You can find it at the very bottom of the ABOUT MICHELLE SKA page on here.
I just uploaded a bunch of videos onto YouTube from recent shows. Let's see. We've got Phoenix City and My Boy Lollipop by The Skatalites, Everyday Sunshine and Party At Ground Zero from Fishbone, She Has a Girlfriend Now from Reel Big FIsh and Harbor View from The Attractors. Oddly enough, every one of them was recorded at Brooklyn Bowl shows, which seems like it's become the 2010's version of Wetlands. Good stuff. Check it out. See you at the show.
March 9, 2013 - There are only a few things that make me truly happy: ska shows, sex, proper ventilation in public bathrooms, and talking with musicians. There is just something about the latter that's so fascinating about them to me. I know jealousy is the main reason since I have ZERO musical talent, but they just seem so much more interesting than the average layman. They're nicer, more social, and just plain hotter. I say this because I recently befriended a guy I've been looking forward to meeting for 15+ years: Val, the current bassist of The Skatalites. I originally saw him play back in the Wetland days always touring with Toots and the Maytals, inspiring me to give playing bass a try at one point. I've also always been a sucker for his beautiful eyes. ::swoon:: Last week I finally had the chance to meet him and I'm glad I did. He's the biggest sweetheart. After having the shittiest week teaching my little nightmare students, just hearing a quick hello from him made me feel so much better. To all you musicians out there: not only is your music the best medicine, but also the little things you do make such a big difference in people's lives. Thank you for doing what you do.... and thank you Val!
Enough of stroking musicians...err, stroking their egos, let's get down to business. First, I want to mention how great the Skatalites show were last week. The first show was two Thursdays ago at Brooklyn Bowl. The second one was at the same venue last Saturday....yeah, 2 Skatalites shows in 3 days in the same place. Ska shows should always be like that!! Well, I gotta compare the two since most people don't go to insane amounts of shows like I do. I got to be honest and say that Thursday's show was better. The band had some of the horns from the opening band, The Attractors, join them along with a few other horn players I didn't know. With the 4 horns already in The Skatalites, there ended up being 9 horns on stage (3 saxes, 3 trombones and 3 trumpets), FOURTEEN musicians on stage in total!!! How could you not fucking love that!?!?! They also had an encore and meowed during El Pussycat, neither of those happening on the Saturday show. I know that comparing shows sucks, but it's like eating two whole pieces of fruit right after the other; the second you're hoping is just as good as the first, but just not the same. I wish ska was less like fruit. I still enjoyed myself though and appreciate that The Skatalites are around.
Some of my friends started crying last week. Why? Because Streetlight Manifest officially announce they are done with touring. Kinda crazy timing when you think of the fact that they just released a brand new album. It's not a break up and they will still play more local shows, but just like the Bosstones, they need a break and want to do other things. Since they are a Jersey band, us NYers are lucky. You mid-west and left coast folks are screwed. Sorry. So be sure to live it up the pit during this last tour they are about to start because it may be your last. Here is the full story so you can hear it directly from them.
So I had my buddy Andy Shaw, whom was the bassist of the old NYC ska band Metro Stylee, tell me about a show that's been long over due coming to NYC: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra! In all the years I've been here, I don't recall them ever coming here and you really should go see them. They'll be at Stage 48 in midtown Manhattan on April 28th. Click their name above for more info and tickets.
I know we all love our hometown NYC ska band, The Slackers. They're the comfort food of the ska scene here. Everyone loves them and they love us.... and loves us enough that they're putting on A SECRET SHOW!!! Even I don't have any inside information on this. There is only going to be 55 people allowed at this show and the venue isn't going to be announced until the day before the show, May 4th. Tickets are not going to be sold at the door. They are promising 1 hour of new unreleased songs and 30 mins of requests. Oh man! I got to be part of an all-request set at a Reel Big FIsh show where there was me and 3 of my friends. You NEVER will want to miss request-sets. EVER. It's $30 or $40 if you're an alcoholic. This was announced 2 days ago, so get on it now if you want in. Send money via paypal to DSHILLYARD@AOL.COM adding in the note your full name, address and email. The doors are at 8pm, Slackers at 8:45pm. Any questions, email Dave directly at dshillyard@aol.com for more info. Good to know I'm not the only person still in the 90s with an AOL addy. lol
UPDATE: As of 2:50pm today, there are only a few tickets left. HURRY.
UPDATE AGAIN: It's 4:50pm and they just announced it's sold out. I hope you got your ticket in time.
You all know how bitchy I am about not being able to make the Pietasters "Taster's Choice" beer release show in DC on March 27th. Watching this video about it didn't help either. Fuckin A. I'm holding a lifetime grudge about this against whoever booked the show on a fucking weekday. I better get at least a case of that beer though!!!
Before you go, you might want to check out the "NYC Places & Ska Links" page I've been working on. Right over there on the upper right hand corner. Not that right, your other right. Yeah, that one. There are still things I plan on adding, but just be patient; they're coming. Skanks.
And to end on a happy upbeat 8th note, today is Coolie Ranx's birthday! Happy birthday to you rudeboy! See you at the show!
March 3, 2013 - Ya know, I have always said that I live like a rock star: tour with bands on the road, hangout behind the merch table, help load out gear after the show, drink too much, being backstage during shows, and seeing way more genitalia than the average person should see. I live it up. Well, recently a guy in a popular ska band, whom the guy and band shall remain nameless, said that after years of playing he's not the rock star chicks think he is. I said I'd teach him how to live like a rock star. This is exactly what I wrote to him:
"First during sound check, scope out the venue to find the hot nookie corners: a stairwell, a closet, a car outside the venue, the bathrooms, backstage room after load out, etc. Hotels after the show also work very well, but then beware you’re going to be committed for hours/overnight and/or deal with a clingy girl. Then pace your timing to have just enough time to get a blowjob, don't wait til the end of your set especially if you're headlining. Hanging out at merch isn’t the best place to pick up chicks. The ones waiting to get shit signed are the ones you should pick. During the show, find a non-religious chick who lacks morals and tell her you’ll sign her chest. Buy her a drink and tell her how you noticed her in the entire crowd. Be sure to explain why she stood out in the crowd, flatter her. Bull shit if you must. Remember rockstars have no intent of relationships. Just get her attention. Just be sure to get her backstage at one point. That’ll definitely get you rockstar status. Then sit with your arm around her and tell her how being single in a band is tough, but it would be nice to see her again when the tour comes through next time. Put your hand on her leg and ask her if she wants another drink (the drunker the better). Then make some reference to inside info on the band to make her feel special. Take a walk to somewhere secluded so you can “get a break away from always being around the guys in the band.” Talk about how nice it is that you got to meet her and then plant the kiss. Don’t waste time or you won’t make bus call. Get that blowjob."
Ta da! He said these are great ideas and now he needs to practice. Just to make sure my plan of attack was accurate, I sent it to a fellow ska slut and she said "This would work on me." Damn I'm good.
So you're gonna hafta wait for news. It took me a awhile to update the ska show calendar with everything I know of and I also added a new page called "NYC Locations and Ska Links." It aint' done yet, so chill out. Nothing killer important, but I've been fucking around on here for hours and need to get a break. My eyes are buggin out. See you at the show.
March 2, 2013 - Goddammit. I was going to do a lengthy post to catch up a bit on the ska news, but now I'm running tight on time for the Skatalites at Brooklyn Bowl, for their 2nd show there in 3 days....and of course, I was at the one on Thursday. Gotta see them as much as I can since there is only one original left now: Lester Sterling. I'll catch up with you all tomorrow. 3....2....1.... FREEDOM!!!! See you at the show (in a few minutes, lol).
February 17, 2013 - Dave Hillyard's Rocksteady 7 in Brooklyn + 11 degrees last night as the real feel temperature = FUCK THAT. I asked my ska show-going buddy Adam in Minnesota if the cold stops him from going to shows. He said "Nope. It was negative 3 for the Pilfers/Reel Big Fish show. You get used to it." Again, FUCK THAT. My next excuse I had lined up was that I would have been traveling back on the subway from that show in the middle of the night alone. That one is a little bit more valid, but still lame. I mean what's the whole point of living in NYC if the risk of getting raped isn't there!?!??! Anyway, I heard good things about the show from the good handful of friends that did make it.
Speaking of going to shows alone, it makes me wonder why folks don't go to shows alone. I've had the conversation many times and I still don't see it. You're there for the music, most of the people are assholes anyway, you get to leave whenever you want, and there's no cockblockers for one night stands. Who cares about friends when you've got music!?!? I'm so proud that I'm asking such good questions today.
Congratulations to Big D and the Kids Table for reaching their Kickstarter goal in just 8 days! They are going to use the money to make 2 new albums planned for release this summer and have lots of goodies for those of you pitching in. The fundraiser still has 18 days to go, so you still have time to grab some of their goodies. ::wink wink::
I'm not a vinyl collector, but I know a bunch of you who are. As with a bunch of other kickstarter projects, Urban Pirate Records would like you to help fund their project on Big Tunes. Now the label name didn't ring a bell when I heard about it, but after seeing the project, you'll definitely want to back them! The deal is a split 7' series with all of our favorite bands: Crazy Baldhead, Sammy K, Dave Hillyard's Rocksteady 7, Green Room Rockers, Bad Cards, Reggay Lords, Jesse Wagner, Vic Ruggiero, King Django, and The Snails. How can you pass that up!?!?! They are currently half way to their goal and still have 28 days left. Now I'm starting to think I should finally start collecting vinyl.
It's been relatively quiet around NYC for shows. I was slammed with a bunch of them at the end of January, it's been calm for 2 weeks and now here comes the next slam. Wow, I make it sound like REALLY...SLOW.....SEX. [Cue in You're Wondering Now.] Ok, back to reality. Cumming....err, coming up next is The Pietasters, Fishbone and Skatalites. The fun starts next Saturday. If I make all of them it'll be 6 shows in 8 days, 2 of them are in Boston. No biggie. Been there, done that, and will do it over and over and over. I can't believe I'm not burnt out from all of this. Check the ska show calendar for the updated schedule.
First up is The Electric Avenue show at Characters in midtown Manhattan on Saturday February 23. The Copacetics from Rhode Island will be making their NYC debut and are looking forward to meeting all of you. I want to be there since I've been wanting to see them, but The Pietasters will trump any band (or any life event for that matter) and I'll be hauling ass to see them out of town. Someone catch the Copacetics show for me and tell me how it goes! You can also check out more info on them and hear a few tunes on Reverbnation.
Remember how I mentioned that my boys, The Pietasters, are going to be having their own beer??? Well, DC Brau and Ska Brewing are going to be releasing their new brew called "'Taster's Choice" (which is a Doppelbock style lager brewed with coffee) at a Pietasters show at the Black Cat in DC on March 27th.....yeah, a fucking Wednesday!!! How the FUCK am I supposed to make this one!?!?! What's even worse/better is that the openers are Caz and the Day Laborers and also The Shifters. Seriously!?!?! FUCK ME. You should really make this one since you can totally rub it in that I can't make it, plus the show is a benefit for the Todd Eckhardt Scholarship for the Duke Ellington School of Arts. Todd was the original Pietasters bassist and a beloved friend. We miss you Todd. I'll be bitching about this for awhile for not being able to go. FUCK.
Even better than shows are ska fests!!! The first one I know of is VIVA SKA VEGAS 2013 on May 4th. The line up includes Reel Big Fish, The Chinkees, Let's Go Bowling, Suburban Legends, The Skeletones and more. Twenty bucks ain't bad. Shit, I'd be happy paying 20 bucks just to see LGB again. It's been too long since I've been able to yell "YOU SAID I COULD HAVE IT, DADDY" without anyone staring at me and taking a few steps back. Reel Big Fish has been trying to sweet talk me into going and I just might have to give in. Not like that would take a lot of work. I'll see about that one.
The other I know of is the FISTFUL OF SKA! ska fest on May 24-25 in Des Moines Iowa. Yes, I said Iowa. Not exactly the ska destination of the US, but the line up is pretty sweet and includes: Inspecter 7, Deal's Gone Bad, The Bishops, The Prizefighters, The Dropsteppers, The Soul Radics, NYC's own Sammy K & The East Los Three, Green Room Rockers, and more. This one ain't so cheap coming in at 50 bucks a pop, but I've seen most of these bands live and it's totally worth it.
Well, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have already begun booking spring shows! The first one I've gotten wind of is "The WRFF Radio 104.5 6th Birthday Show." It's just around the corner in Camden NJ, right outside of Philly, on May 12th. The show is more like a festival featuring many bands, but the Bosstones are the only ska band listed. Is it worth going? (Oh boy! Oh boy! More good questions!!) Joe Gittleman the bass fiddleman said they will be playing about a 40 minute set and is probably going to be played in the afternoon as opposed to later in the evening. To a Bosstones fan 40 mins is not much compared to their 2 hour set this past New Year's Eve show, but ska is like coke and I'll take what I can get. Again, it's in May. Don't hurt yourself thinking about it right now.
Finally, today's bit-o-ska fun comes from my friend Bryan Kremkau: ska fan, photographer, and owner of READjunk.com. The article he wrote called "50 Ska Pick-up Lines" went viral in the last week, many times being thrown my way, but I had to laugh. Not only has most of those lines worked on me (especially that one "Hey, I'm the singer of the Pietasters"), but it was originally written in 2004. I asked Bryan about it and his reply was "RBF posted it on Valentine's Day and said it sucked, but [the list] wasn't meant to be good. lol. I find it funny that they posted it and then ripped into it. Then why post it?" See, Bryan and I both are chock full of good questions. Now we just need good answers. See you at the show!
PS - I know it's very rare that I'm off topic, but there is a comedy show coming up that is not to be missed. My unlady-like manners and raunchy sick sense of humor is attributed to Stephen Lynch, the singing comedian. I love him as much as I love ska. Ok, so it's not even close, but I still love him! He doesn't love me though after I told him I can't stand playing poker, but I'd play at his table just to win his money. Apparently my jokes aren't as funny as his jokes. He'll be at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair NJ next weekend on Feb 22. I'll see you at that show too!
February 12, 2013 - Hey kids. I haven't forgotten about you, but I've had one of my parents receive a serious medical diagnosis and I've been trying to cope with it for over a week now. I'll be still going to shows and I'll still be ruffling peoples' feathers, but at times like this when I'm home typing all of this my mind becomes preoccupied with the situation. I'll still do my best to keep up here, but just wanted to let you know what was going on. Thank you and see you at the show.
February 3, 2013 - Nothing like dragging a fat rodent out of home on a cold morning to figure out the fucking weather months from now. Yesterday was Groundhog's Day and Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, meaning spring is coming early. Hey, I'm happy with that answer since fucking forecasters can't get their shit right 24 hours ahead. I just want it to be nice enough to ride my motorcycle out to more shows.
Speaking of riding to shows, I was supposed to go to Philly last night to see Reel Big Fish and the Pilfers. It didn't happen. It was in the mid 20s with flurries and there was no way I was going to ride 2 hours down and 2 hours back in that. I'm hardcore, but not THAT hardcore. I'm more ska-core. I know, that was lame.
Big D and the Kids Table are on Kickstarter in hopes to raise enough money to fund two new albums they want to release this summer. Listen to Dave's sales pitch, check out the pledge offers, and more on their project page. The rocksteady group from DC called The Scotch Bonnets were able to get their project funded and so was NYC's own Sam Gursky's project for a Brooklyn Rocksteady documentary! I know we can fund this one too!!!
Tomorrow night is Reel Big Fish with the Pilfers in NYC again at Brooklyn Bowl. It's a great venue and the concept of bowling while being able to watch the show at the same time is pretty fucking awesome, but whats not so awesome is the cost: $25 per half hour. That's when you learn power-speed bowling. I'm imagining chest throws instead of swinging your arm would save some precious time. Me? I'll be jumping around in front while trying to take pics at the same time.... or as my fellow photographer Bryan Kremkau said to me a week ago at the Reel Big Fish show at Irving Plaza "HEY! NO SKANKIN IN THE (PHOTO) PIT!!
Finally, I'll leave you with an endearing quote that Brendog, guitarist of Mephiskapheles, told me a few days ago: "Sometimes I think if it weren't for you ska would have died out a decade ago." Aww. See you at the show!
January 27, 2013 - See, I told you I'd be back. Yes, I'm the lice of the ska scene. Here's the rest of my news:
I found out this morning that Reel Big Fish and Big D will be on Warped Tour this summer! So is Goldfinger too, but the last time I saw them they weren't very ska. Your call on that one. Check out the dates for 2013 so you can pick which day you'd like to die of heat exhaustion. The New York location is still the same at Nassau Coliseum and will be on Saturday July 13th. More dates will be posted so don't get all pissy with me if you don't see what you want.
Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton: First saxamaphone for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and then a volunteer in the US Coast Guard communication center in Jacksonville FL....and now back to music. We all know he's been part of the Bosstones post-hiatus, but now he's got a second band that's not ska. Since 2010, Burton formed a band called All Night Wolves in Jacksonville and they are going to be releasing their first album in March. Oh, and Burton doesn't play saxophone in this band; he plays bass and sings. You can read more about it and hear one of their tunes on record label's site, Financial Records. They also have a bunch of vids from shows on YouTube. Go check 'em out.
It's just the same old show ON MY RADIO: I just ran across a new online station called Bob's SKA Radio covering everything from The Skatalites to The Specials to Streetlight Manifesto. Hey, I can't complain. And remember, if you don't like this one you can always go get a great mix of all 3 waves 24/7 as well at Ska at SKY.FM. Now if you can't stand ska that much, there is also my partner in crime Amanda who has a weekly show on her site called A Perfect Mess Ska Radio. If you miss it being aired, you can always listen to the podcast of it later. She's good like that. I just like her because she makes me the most awesome lemon cookies....which reminds me, I owe her cupcakes. If all that ska isn't enough, you can always catch Tazy Phillips' Ska Parade radio show. Tazy is older skool than me, so the guy knows his shit. He's been around since the birth of southern Cal's ska scene, like when Sublime was just ok, No Doubt was still doubtful, Hepcat was just a kitten, and Reel Big Fish was still a guppy. Whew. Now no bitching about you not getting enough ska to fill the gaps between your shows.
Speaking of bitching, I'm pissed off with Flickr. I love that it's a great place where I could post my photography, but you got to stay a member for all your pics to stay accessible. If not, then they only allow you to post 10 albums and the rest disappears...which means my show photography page leads to dead links. Fuck. I got to figure something else out. Let me get back to you on that one. I also updated the ska calendar with some more Skatalites, Big D, Obi Fernandez, Warped Tour and Pandemics shows. I did some spring cleaning in this shitty ass 20 degree weather and moved all posts previous to this month into the Ska News Archives. I try not to repeat news unless I'm drunk, so be sure to take a look back especially if you get drunk too. Shit ain't easy to remember.
So I had a great time at the Beat show last night. They're the kind of band that makes you feel at home, personally and musically, and I'm glad I made it on time. The best part of the night was hearing songs that haven't been played in awhile. Normally it's me bitching that Doors Of My Heart is cut from the setlist, but they played it last night!!! Not only that, but they also played Too Nice To Talk To and End Of The Party too which is SUPER rare. Other fans and I couldn't remember the last time they played those last two. Hopefully they will do something special for the NYC show at the Bell House in Brooklyn on Thursday too. We deserve it just as much as the MILFs up in CT!!! Hey, those MILFs aren't easy to deal with when it comes to who's going to get the most attention from Dave Wakeling. They may have aged well, but my tits are bigger. I'm guessing that's why Dave thanked me for dancing up front. I win!
Yesterday began a fun week of ska for me. English Beat, Reel Big Fish, The Pilfers, Obi Fernandez and The Pandemics. It's good to be NYC ska! See you at the shows!
January 26, 2013 - Geez man. It's nearly the end of January already. I'm not even used to it being 2013 yet. So before I run out to the English Beat show tonight in Fairfield CT, I got some news that isn't just me blabbering. Sweet and Dandy....err, I mean short and sweet. Here we go:
Inspecter 7's new album "Escapes & Illusions" is out. You can pick it up (no pun intended) on Amazon. I haven't heard it yet since I'm waiting to buy it at a show instead. Inspecter 7 is having the record release for this at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick NJ on February 2nd at 9pm. If you miss that one, you can also catch Mephiskaheles with Inspecter 7 at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park NJ on April 20th at 7pm. I'm just happy they didn't write another song about me....and no, I'm not telling you which song. I'll give you a hint though: Listen to their other albums. It's on there. And yes, I'm well aware that doesn't narrow it down at all.
Jimmy Doyle has been part of the NYC ska scene for awhile. I met him at Warped Tour out in Long Island years ago when we couldn't stop talking about The Specials coming to NYC, which ended up happening a couple years ago. Best show ever. So Jimmy was the guitarist of Brooklyn's own rocksteady band, The Forthrights, but left the band after awhile. He's now in another band called Jimmy Doyle & The Engineers, which isn't ska but he's still a great musician. You can check out his band's site for a demo. If you don't want to do that, but still hang out with Jimmy go to his bar Mr. Beery's out in Long Island. He's a bartender and that boy knows his liquor.
Speaking of The Forthrights, ex-member Sammy K is taking over ska scenes across the US. Sammy is the most loved Jersey boy turned NYer, but now he's taking over ska scenes all over the US. Sammy K and The Fast Four, backed by The Snails, opened at the Pilfers/Edna's Goldfish/SHJ show back in October, he moved the next day to Los Angeles and has set up shop again over there. He's came back again to open for the Slackers holiday show in NYC a month ago and here's a video of Sweet Misery from that show. God, I love this tune and it always gets stuck in my head. WELLLLLLLLL, Sammy is keeping up with the PMA and is now doing a Kickstarter kind of thing as Sammy K and The East Los 3 on Big Tunes so he can raise the funds for a new album. For more info and to support such an awesome guy, go check it out now. I can't wait for this.
Crap, I have other stuff to share, but now I'm running tight on time to make The Beat show. It's all your fault. I hate you. I'm sure I won't see any of you there since tickets are a ridiculous 50 bucks. So I guess I won't see you at the show. :P
January 22/23, 2013 - I really got to cut this bullshit out of coming home, sleeping and then staying up all night. I've been doing this since we returned from the winter break and I totally blame Throwdown for this. The whole 737 crew stayed up all night and slept all day (except those in the latter who decided to start drinking at 9:45am). So yeah, 3 weeks of this bullshit and I still haven't shaken it yet. I can admit it's making me a cranky bitch. Just be thankful that it's the people who see me everyday that's got to tolerate me and not you.
Since it's the middle of the night and I don't feel like yapping too much, I thought I'd amuse you with my friends who needs OCD therapy regarding ska shows as much as me. You all know I go to more shows than anyone else. I've held this title for as long as I can remember, but now I have some serious competition. My two biggest threats: Danielle from New Hampshire and Skankin Rich.
As a refresher, Danielle is my friend who has seen Big D and the Kids Table 115 times to date, outbeating my lifetime of 107 Pietasters shows. It's not fair though that she lives less than an hour of her boys in Boston and I live over 4 hours away from my boys in DC. I'm not too worried though since I totally plan on taking over this summer while she has work and I don't. Take that bitch! Now Big D isn't her only issue. She's got that show obsession just as bad as me. After I shared with my friends all the shows that are coming up for me, she had to post hers. Here's mine first:
1/26 English Beat (CT)
1/28 Reel Big Fish, Pilfers (NYC)
1/31 English Beat (NYC)
2/2 Reel Big Fish, Pilfers (Philly)
2/4 Reel Big Fish, Pilfers (NYC)
2/8 Obi Fernandez (NYC)
*I'll feel lost during a 2 week break from shows.*
2/22 Stephen Lynch (NJ)
2/23 Pietasters (NJ)
2/24 Fishbone (NYC)
2/25 Fishbone (NJ)
2/28 Fishbone (CT)
3/1 Toasters (Boston)
3/2 Fishbone (Boston)
*and yet another 2 week break from shows. boringgggggg*
3/16 Meph, Bluebeats (NYC)
3/23 Slackers (NJ)
3/29 Pietasters, Big D (NYC)
Here's Danielle's upcoming show list:
1/27 Reel Big Fish (Boston)
1/29 English Beat (Boston)
2/1 The Slackers (Dover NH)
2/21 Bill Burr (Boston)
2/23 Inspecter 7 (Providence)
3/1 Toasters (Boston)
3/2 Fishbone (Boston)
3/29 Big D (NYC)
3/30 Big D (Providence)
I win!!! And I'm only on a motorcycle or public transportation!!! She has a car! What was the first thing we did seeing each other's schedule!?!?!? Of course, we looked to see which ones we could take from the other's and add it to ours by crossing over and timing it better. I know, we have issues. We also don't have a life outside of just work and shows. And the only reason we work is so we could afford going to shows.
As for Skankin Rich, well, I got to see him Sunday in Long Island at the Toasters show and we went over our numbers. Though he didn't have a massive list of upcoming shows like Danielle and I, we did compared how many shows we went to within a year's time. My best was around 95 shows in 1997. Rich says his best is 125 that he attended around 2004 or 2005, but that includes all concerts and shows, not just ska shows. He's says he'll go through his paperwork for me and check up on that. According to Buck, singer/guitarist of the Toasters and mastermind behind Moon Ska Records, he says that Rich will outdo me this year in shows. For those of you who don't know, Rich is about 65 years old and retired giving him WAY more time on his hands than me. Bucks laughs at me and says that Rich as the upper hand because Rich gets senior citizen discounts on all public transportation. It also took Rich over 4 hours to go from his house in CT to that LI Toasters show, while it only took me 50 freezing minutes on motorcycle one way. It's helps that I was only coming from the city too. Rich put my ska show count to the test last year when I made it to 70 and Rich's total was around 55. As of this year, he's already been to 5 and I've made it to 3. Not good. I'm not going to let this bastard grind me down!!!
Between Danielle and Rich, it's war. I'll keep you updated on how bad this show obsession gets for the 3 of us.
Now for a bit of real news: I made it to the Scofflaws/ Bullbuckers show at Characters in NYC on Saturday. I'm glad I made it and it felt like one of those Wetlands nights without all the sweating. I've listened to the Bullbuckers album and felt mixed feelings about it since it was great music, but a more eclectic mix of styles and not just ska. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Seeing them live opening the show though just absolutely blew me away and I heard similar comments from other ska fans at the show. They were tight as hell and had such great energy! I'm now adding them to my "instantly blown away" bands list which in the past year includes The Soul Radics, Sammy K and the (whatever number of musicians he's rounded up for that specific show, lol) and The Shifters. I can't wait to see all those bands again....and again....and again.... I've been seeing the Scofflaws for nearly 20 years, though they've been around MUCHHHHH longer than that. On Saturday, seeing them was like the comfort food of the NYC ska scene, meaning it's great seeing them no matter what, but this wasn't their greatest show ever. The biggest complaint was that the horns were out of tune. The trombone player spoke to me about that criticism later, admitted they were, and could have done better. I'm ok with that since all that really mattered was that everyone was having a good time....and we all were. I knew about half the room and at least an easy 15 people were friends that I've been going to shows with for over 15 years, many of them that night from the Moon Records crew. Good times, good friends and great music. THAT'S what makes a good show. Here is the video I took of The Scofflaws playing The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Saturday night.
The Toasters played on Sunday night out in Amityville Long Island. Yeah, as in the Amityville Horror. I heard that house was still standing not too far from the venue, but I'll keep my wimpy ass away from there. The club used to be called Ollie's Point, but recently changed hands and is now called Revolution. There was no changes inside, just the name, so it's all good still. The highlight of the night was having ex-bandmate Erick Storckman join them on stage for a couple songs. Erick plays trombone and recorded This Gun for Hire and New York Fever with the Toasters. I haven't uploaded the vid with him in it yet, but hopefully you can be pacified with the video I took of Pirate Radio til then. Enjoy.
As I leave you for the night/the morning, I do welcome you to check out all the videos on my YouTube channel featuring 68 videos I've taken at ska shows. I'm always posting new ones, so subscribe too if you want to be cool. Just look up RUDESMILE and all of it will come up (Eww, I just made that sound like ska puke). If you like ska, there will definitely be SOMETHING there that you like. Simple shit people, simple shit.
Remember that a good handful of Reel Big Fish/Pilfers and English Beat shows are going to be in the area this weekend! See you at the shows!
January 15/16, 2013 - It's 2:15am and I've already been verbally abused about my grammar tonight. If you'd like to be one of those, then piss off. I should drink coffee, shouldn't I? Anywho, I don't have much to say (enjoy it while you can). A few quick notes:
The big news of the week is that Ska Brewing Company has met up with my fave band, The Pietasters, to produce a new beer. It's slated to be released in March at a fundraiser for The Todd Eckhardt scholarship. Todd was the original bassist of the Pietasters died back in 2001 and was such a great guy. The Pietasters' photographer (and very talented artist) James Walker joined the boys to document the historical meeting....ok, it's more like the Pietasters needed an escort to make sure they didn't leave with all of the beer. Click the link to see a bunch of James' pics. I'm not a beer drinker, but I do plan on hoarding as much of the beer as I can.
This weekend get your fill of REAL NYC ska: The Scofflaws are playing at Characters in midtown Manhattan on Saturday night and then Sunday night is the Toasters in Amityvilly LI. Monday is a bank holiday so you can get trashed at the Toasters show with no worries.
You get a week off and then you'll be bombarded with more shows starting with the English Beat and then Reel Big Fish with the Pilfers. Next, rounding into February will be Inspecter 7's record release show at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick. Then not much again til the end of February.
I added a bunch more shows to the calendar: a few Skatalites shows, Meph and Blue Beats, a bunch for Fishbone and a few Toasters shows. Not an exciting start to the year, but I'll take what I can get. See you at the show!
January 6, 2013 - I'm pooped and not in the mood for giving you my usual sassy attitude. For nearly the past 24 hours, minus 8 hours for sleep, I've been editing pics from The Slackers NYC holiday show, The Amazing Royal Crowns reunion show at The Bosstones Hometown Throwdown on New Years Eve, and of my 737 family. The latter was a priority just so they'd stop nagging me. I haven't even gotten to the Bosstones NYE set, Big D or any of the openers for the Slackers holiday show. Ugg. Honestly, between being overstimulated from 4 days of Throwdown, going through post-Throwdown withdraw, getting back in the rut of work and all of this photography I'm honestly a little burnt out. I also skipped out on Obi Fernandez's show in NYC last night just because I already had too much going on. Not like I knew that back when I bought my ticket in early December. When I get those photos up for you guys and get some of that video up too, I'll be sure to brag about. In the meantime, you're always welcome to check out my videos that are already up on YouTube. Just search "RUDESMILE" and all of them will come up. There are currently 62 videos from ska shows, so you're bound to like at least one of them.
Oh and speaking of Throwdown, in case you're curious here is just a glimpse of what the 737 is like during that time: numerous noise complaints about a few of our rooms, I'm sure it was one of us that pooped in the hotel lobby's sink, 2 of us puked from drinking too much, one of us got slapped across the face 3 times by a girl and then once on his bare ass after sticking it in another guy's face by the guy, one of us has no idea where he went to sleep and then where he woke up one of the nights, someone broke the couch, pizza crusts and rice crispy treats where being thrown out 4th story windows at people below and then more rice crispy treats being thrown at each other in the hall, sing alongs at 2am, I'm sure many of us got groped from being sardines packed so tight at the McGreevy's Meet and Greet, many folks started drinking at least by 9:45 am every morning, and then I can admit my doing of giving a 737's dog half a block of cheese before bedtime and screaming FUCK OFF in the hotel lobby at 4am. We're all grown ups, but none of us act like it.
"737 almost everyday
Nice to know that someone hears us
It's good to know somebody's there
Takin the time to say hello
Taking the time to show you care
Write again and thanks again
From the bottom of my heart
See you soon and till then
737 is a real big part"
~~The Mighty Mighty Bosstones~~
As far as news goes, there is too much to write about now about what happened during the holiday shows, but not much news going on in the present and future. It's like taking a vacation from ska. Of all people, I deserve it. I'll get back to you on that.
Want to be a bit shocked? The official numbers are in. Here are my totals are in for 2012: I attended exactly 70 ska shows in 20 different cities/towns. Those shows bring my total to 684 ska shows in my lifetime. I had Skankin' Richard's number of shows in 2012 beat by about 15 and he's in retirement while I still have a full time job. I'm happy I'm not the only nutcase around here.
Aside from the two area Cherry Poppin' Daddies shows at the end of this week, there aren't really any shows until they start back up at the last weekend of this month. I'm ok with this. No, seriously, I really am. I'm going to go take a long nap. See you at the show.
