Welcome Rudeboys and Rudegirls to NYC!

Bits and Pieces from My Checkered Matter

February 4, 2012 - And just where are you giants from, hmm? We're from New York. ALL HAIL THE NEW YORK GIANTS! haha. Now I'm not even a Giant's fan, but I got to admit that was a pretty smooth move for the writers of Madagascar to sneak that into their movie. I can't get those lines out of my head now that The Giants are playing in the Super Bowl. And speaking of the Super Bowl, did you guys all see the Honda CR-V commercial that is set to air during the Super Bowl featuring Matthew Broderick in his famous Ferris Bueller style? If you haven't check out the extended version on YouTube. How is all of this related to ska??? Well, the movie Ferris Bueller was released in 1986 and it wasn't until a few days ago did I learn that the music played during the huge chase scene at the end is an English Beat song! I hate myself for not knowing this all these years. It's called March of the Swivel Heads and when you hear it, you're going to go "Oh yeahhhhh, I know that song!" We all know that song....or at least any cool kid of the 80's does. Go get some nostalgia and watch that scene again on YouTube. And while I'm asking you to go do stuff, can you also ignore my recent OD of the Beat? It's nothing new since I've had a tattoo of the band for nearly 20 years, but after rereading The 2Tone Story, watching Dance Craze again, and seeing the band a few times recently, I can't get them out of my head. Skanks.

Hey you, don't watch that, watch this...and go check out the ska calendar again! I just added 6 more shows that are going to bring around Fishbone, Toots and the Maytals and The Pietasters again in the NYC area in the next few months. For tonight, you can go see Full-Watts, an instrumental band featuring some of area's finest ska musicians coming together to play at Two Boots in Brooklyn or you can jump over the Hudson to see The Pietasters at the Irish in Kearny, NJ. Ya know, it's no fair when shows end up on the same nights. I've bitched about it before, but come on people. The same double bookings are happening on Feb 17th when Hub City Stompers are going to be playing in Queens while Less Than Jake are playing in Philly, and then again on March 24th when the Slackers are playing in Boston on the same night Toots and the Maytals are going to be in Philly. This is so not fair [cue in temper tantrum......NOW].

Wanna take a roadtrip? I mean, even further than the 4 hours I regularly travel in any given direction for shows. All you ska-punk kids need to get those mohawks up and get your ass over to Las Vegas for The 14th Annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival!!! It's the weekend of May 25th to 28th and will include Rancid, NOFX, and a bunch of punk bands (duh). Tickets aren't on sale yet, but they will soon. This might be a lil tough since punks aren't patient.

Are you pissed off that I haven't posted many new pics in my Ska Photography section? I'm pissed at me too. A good ole' fashioned ass kicking for me is way overdue. I just updated it with a few shows from the latter half of last year. Go take a look to see a few good ones of the Toasters, Royal City Riot, and Rudie Crew...all NYC ska bands!!! Ok, so RCR is really Loooong Guylan (Long Island for those folks who don't understand their accent), but at least they have a NYC attitude...a good attitude, not a shitty one like mine.

Finally, I have my RUDEGIRL TOUR V fast approaching. I know I said 3 wks ago that I have only previously had 3 major tours, but I forgot about one of them. So kill me, I lied. Here is what I've had so far:

TOUR I: Pietasters in 1997 - 8 shows in 14 days
TOUR II: RBF/LTJ Shout it Loud in 2007: 8 shows in 30 days from NYC to Los Angeles
TOUR III: Bosstones in 2010 - 8 shows in 10 days from DC to Milwalkee
TOUR IV: Mixed bands in 2011 - 12 shows in 15 days

This next one is going to be 9 shows in 10 days. I'm getting ready: tickets have been bought, rides have been scheduled, flights have been booked, each city's friends have been contacted, wingtips have been polished, and camera lens has been cleaned. Here is what it's going to look like:

2/16: LTJ at Brooklyn Bowl
2/17: LTJ at Trocadero, Philly
2/18: Skatalites at Brooklyn Bowl
2/19: LTJ at Middle East, Cambridge
2/20: OFF (if I want to be a real trooper I can go see The Toasters at Eleanor Rigby's in Jermyn PA)
2/21: LTJ at Brooklyn Bowl again
2/22: Toasters at Club Cafe, Pittsburgh
2/23: LTJ at Peabody's in Cleveland
2/24: LTJ at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh
2/25: LTJ at The Chance in Poughkeepsie

I asked my ska friends if they thought this was excessive. Chris, the singer and guitarist of LTJ, said to me he thought (and I quote) "more than one show on one tour was excessive, but what do I know." On the other hand, there is a group of hardcore LTJ fans called The Jumblers who religiously follow the band (a few of them exceeding 200 shows) thought what I'm doing is not a big deal at all. What the Jumblers and I have agreed on is that the reason why we go to all these shows is simple: You never know if you're ever going to see them again. I'm fortunate that out of the 5 ska band tattoos I have, all of them are still playing for over 20 years. Just like death and taxes, some day they will come to an end and until that time I'm going to live it up. As the Specials say "The years go by as quickly as you wink. Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think." See you at the show!

February 3, 2012 - My boss said take a sabbatical. He said "Boy, you're just too radical." You know what I told him? "EAT SHIT!" ~The Scofflaws. Some bands just really know how to sing the feeling you have. Usually, it's Reel Big Fish's Another F.U. Song when I have the shittiest day. It's perfect: vent for one minute (the total duration of the song) and get back to reality. Well, as we all know, work sucks. I'm no different. Fortunately, I have ska! It sounds corny, but I'm serious. The more work sucks, the more I'm fantasizing about the music: How much I would rather be at a show, talking with friends about it, flirting with musicians, looking at new merch, hunt for upcoming shows, Google "checkered" to see what to buy, kill time on YouTube watching 2Tone videos and wishing it was 1980, editing photos from my last show, and typing about ska to avoid doing paperwork. *sigh. I have every ska excuse in the book. I'm glad the week is over.

In my next statement, you're going to think I need to get a life or you're going to be completely envious of my life. In 2011, I attended 47 ska shows. This is great since every year since 2002 the number of shows I've gone to has perfectly, steadily increased. I don't make it a goal to go to X number of shows....I go and after the new year I log it on my excel spreadsheet and reflect. I was pretty impressed. I didn't feel like I was trying really hard to make everything, but it just goes to show you that there are still plenty of ska shows to go to. I recently got a message from Dave Wakeling from the English Beat rubbing it in that he's been to 420 ska shows in the past 3 years. That's SO not fair. I've only been to 167 in my past 3 years, which is why I went to see the Beat in CT last weekend. Dave's count so far in 2012 is already around 20. Me, 3. If everything works out right, by the end of February I my count should be around 13. Dammit. The competitive side of me now has the mindset to beat the old man at his own game. Hmm, beat the Beat. It's on, Dave!!! It's so on!!! Oh, and if you're wondering about that excel spreadsheet I was talking about before, yes, it's a list of EVERY show I've been to since Day 1: the date, the venue, the city/state, the bands, and a few extra notes. It just makes it so much easier to go click a few times and say "Oh shit, that English Beat show was my 28th time seeing them. Wow." Wow is right.

Pietasters are on Saturday at The Irish in Kearney, New Joisey. Come yell DRINK DRINK DRINK DRINK!!!! See you at the show!

January 28, 2012 - First, you don't hear from me for months. Now, I'm in your face. You got a problem with that??? I didn't think so. Usually I'm really stingy, but I'm learning about so many new things that I need to share them. I thought I'd be nice about things. Don't get used to this. Ok, attitude out of the way, let's get down to the news.

First, I know I can never get enough of NYC's most lovable band, The Slackers. Neither can you when you see how much those guys have available at Whatevski.com. I just want to click buy to everything. Fine. I have, but with awesome prices I couldn't pass it up. Plus, for all you NYC rudies it's likely that you've been at many of the live shows they have recorded. It's makes me wonder how many of these have my big mouth in the background. The latest release is called The Radio which is a studio-recorded collection of cover tunes. Every band has to have one of these, right? Right. I'm looking forward to hearing it. You can get your fix here at Whatevski.com.

Next, is my lastest discovery of a ska gem. Oh man, can you imagine a checkered gem?!?!? I'd go for broke. Wait, this isn't about gems, I swear. It's about Ska on SKY.FM! I caught this by word of mouth and it's been left playing on my computer for awhile today...and that "awhile today" will probably quickly turn into an "as long as I can remember." This station covers everything from Desmond Dekker to Bad Manners to Less Than Jake. Even I don't know every band that's played, but I assure you there are many bands that I'm now going to try to be their groupie. It's very rare that any ska fan loves all 3 waves, but for ska junkies like me, it's the radio station I've always dreamed about. Ska 24/7...yes please! Go and listen here at SKY.FM right now!

Finally, we realize it's a change of the times when music stores such as Tower Records disappear because everyone is now making life easier with downloading MP3s (and big FUCK YOU to those of you who are downloading music illegally with torrents. I never have and never will, but that's a whole other rant.) I'm ok with record stores disappearing since that cuts out one of the assholes...err middlemen that are making probably more money than the band is making. As many of us have moved our music into the digital age, many of us are turning back time and collecting vinyl again which puts records stores back in the "fine, I'll buy from you again" category. NYC has always been the place to go vinyl hunting like no other. Unfortunately, Bleeker Bob's Records store in Greenwich Village has become the latest victim that is leaving us (The most notable NYC victims were Wetlands nightclub, Jammyland record store, and CBGB's). Dammit, there goes another great independent music store. Now where the hell are we supposed to get vinyl?!?!? I don't even have that answer. This is the article from the NY Times so you can read it for yourself. May you rest in peace.

Aight, so my finally wasn't my finale, so kill me. I'm off to see the English Beat at Stage One in Fairfield, CT tonight. Yes, it's over an hour driving or nearly 2 hours by MetroNorth trains, but who cares??? We all know it's worth it...until you see the sticker price. Even though it's sold out (sorry if you got excited there for a moment) the damage was $45 PLUS fees!?!??! You've got to be fucking kidding me. We all love our ska and all, but sometimes you'd rather stab yourself in the eye with a blunt object. I'm still going because ska is priceless to me, but I know that many of you would endlessly bitch and complain. Understandably so. If you want quality ska at reasonable prices, go to see the legendary Skatalites at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC on Saturday February 18th....for just $10!!! Now you can feel better. See you at the show!

January 23, 2012 - Yikes! I just got word now that New York Ska Jazz Ensemble has a show in NYC this Friday!!! Ya know, you guys would get a better draw than giving a 4 day notice. Jus sayin. Take a look at the Ska Show Calendar for more info for that show and while you're there, check out the dates for NYC's own Rudie Crew! They have 4 shows coming up to help support their new album Skaggae on Megalith's label.

Also, we (all the NYC scenesters) know that Less Than Jake is going to be coming around our area for their 20th Anniversary tour. They have 2 nights scheduled at the Brooklyn Bowl, but there are rumors that there may be ANOTHER show!!! From what I hear, it's going to be a small show and I'm sure a bitch to get into. I can't wait to hear what it is since I'd love to tack on another LTJ show in one week. Yeay for shows!

January 16, 2012 - See, if we always had 3 day weekends, we'd all be happy campers...and I'd pay more attention to ska. I'm funny, I know, right? Anywho, I just wanted to let you know that I added a few English Beat shows as they come around here on tour at the end of this month and the Slackers shows that will be coming around in late March.

Also, yesterday I was the proud one who got to announce that Inspecter 7's new album is ready! It's called ESCAPES & ILLUSIONS and will be released in the spring. Inspecter 7 is hoping to tour with some of our favorite ska bands this summer. If not, they will still do their own shows. Inspecter 7, It's great to have you guys back! Now if only Mephiskapheles would get their shit together (like they rumored that were going to back in October) then having those two play a show together would be a dream come true. See you at the show!

January 14, 2012 - Huh? When did it turn 2012 already? Just so you all know, this site is a place to share info I get when I have time to post it (which you notice hasn't been much lately) and I apologize for that. Okay, so it's really a place for me to brag, and bitch and moan about my obsession, but I know you know that by now. I'm still here and, probably to your disappointment, I'm not going anywhere. Most of you see me at shows anyway and mention "I've seen you before....at like EVERY show." You're damn tootin' right! I still update the calendar at least when I hear about more shows, so even if you don't see much here, I assure you I can't live without my shows. Neither can you.

You'll be glad to know that I've updated the ska calendar with a few shows in January and February. I have also added a discussion forum! Go over to your upper right...not that right, your other right...and click the link that says NYC SKASSIP. Ta da! Simple shit people, simple shit. Now you can finally tell me I'm a ________ ________ _________ who thinks she's ________ ________ _________. Don't worry, I didn't put a block on the swear words. I swear more than anyone else I know anyway.

So now down to the real news...what's been going on? Well in December The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released a new album called The Magic of Youth on Dec 6th. Somehow it leaked weeks earlier and all of us fiends went nuts. It was a great way to build up the excitement for the Bosstones annual Hometown Throwdown at the House of Blue in Boston Dec 28-30. Of course, yours truly made the trek and was there for all 3 nights. I loved that NYC's own Slackers opened on Night 2. I got to admit it was strange seeing them at that show. That was the 72nd time I've seen the Slackers and have always seen a full crowd get into the groove. This time there was only a handful of fans in the middle of the floor (not even in front since hardcore MMB fans owned it) that sang along and danced. I later had a chance to talk to saxophonist Dave Hillyard about it and he too agree it was strange, but seeing as how they weren't the headliner it's understandable for the lack of feedback from the crowd.

On the other hand, The Slackers headlined what seemed to be one of their greatest shows ever. On December 17th The Pietasters opened for the Slackers during the Slackers annual holiday show at Irving Plaza. It was the 3rd time those two bands played together at Irving and it was like old times....awesome crowd, lots of dancing and all the familiar NYC ska fans in attendance. The $9 mixed drinks can kiss my ass though [giving Irving the middle finger]. I'm proud to say that that was the 90th time I've seen the Pietasters, the most of any ska band I've ever seen. Man, I can't wait until my 100th. I'm hoping that night will be The Biblical Sense and not Drinkin' and Drivin'...if you know what I mean.

Now for the good stuff...no, not the stuff you find in someone's pants, but all the ska stuff to look forward to. First is starting off the year right with Westbound Train's 10th anniversary tour. Though it's a small tour (only 3 shows), I've already hit the NYC and Boston show, but dying to make the 3rd one in Philly for a trifecta. I think the band cares less about me making all the shows and more about my policy on ska tattoos. I told them back in 2006 that a band needs to put in at least 10 years before I will consider getting their logo. I'll let you guys know if that happens, but right now I'm 60/40 so there still is a chance. Congrats to WBT for all these years! Muah!

Second, it's great to hear that the baby-maker band Less Than Jake (drummer Vinnie and bassist Roger both had their first child born at the end of 2011...with their ladies, not with each other!!! whew.) is still doing their thing. This year makes their 20th anniversary and congrats to those guys too. They will be coming around the east coast in mid-February and us lucky bastards in NYC get spoiled with 2 of those shows. Whoohoo!

Third, interested in taking a road trip??? VEGAS, BABY, VEGASSSSS! For all you blackjack addicts like me, you should get your fix at the same time as VIVA SKA VEGAS! This brand new festival is on April 28th at the Henderson Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is an outstanding ska-punk line up will feature The Aquabats, Voodoo Glow Skulls, MU330, The Remedies, My Superhero, Tuesday After School, Monkey, Go Go 13, and La Banda Skalvera. Thank you to fellow concert photographer and show goer, Nick Karp, for the info. Go check out his page at RewriteTheScene.com which covers MANY different genres of music. Of course, I only care about ska info. Duh. Nick's page kicks my page's ass in timeliness.

Fourth, (too much news, I know, right?) you wanna be WANNA BE a face in my crowd? I thought I was one of the biggest Slackers fan around....until I heard about this: Interpunk.com has on sale Before There Was Hellcat USB Drive. That's right..they'll send you a flash drive with 72 song from The Slackers early years. It's $35, but totally worth it. Why are you still reading this??? Go buy it!!! Now!!! : www.interpunk.com

Fifth, in the fall David McWane, the singer of Big D & The Kids Table, was diagnosed with throat cancer. This forced Big D to cancel their east coast tour that was to happen at the beginning of this year. He had his surgery on December 15th and by the time I saw him on December 28th at the Bosstones Throwdown, you'd have NO idea that that ever happened. Dave sounds fine and looks fine and said it himself as well. He said that the cancer is completely gone and Big D will resume touring very soon. Way to go Dave!

Finally, If my timing works out right, I should be able to make another Rudegirl Tour, making this my 4th decent run! Starting on Thursday February 16, I should be able to make 7 shows in 9 days: LTJ, LTJ, Skatalites, LTJ, LTJ, Toasters, and LTJ. I can do it knowing in my past (bands listed were the main band I followed) I've seen 8 Pietasters shows in 14 days (1997), MMB tour of 8 shows in 10 days (2010), and last summer's mixed tour of 12 shows in 15 days (2011)...one of them was 3 shows in one day!!! Whew. And I'm not even tired of this.

Time for me to shut up....or as Madness says "Fuck art. Let's dance!" See you at the show!