New RiceRokit Video: "Strawberries and Cream"!

While RiceRockit--which made one of the best ska albums of the 2000s, the cinematically-inclined Hang Loose--has largely moved beyond its ska-rock-reggae sound into electro-pop and New Wave territory, I swear I still hear a blue beat sensibility in their new material. Case in point, check out the fantastic video for the new RiceRokit cut "Strawberries and Cream" (inspired from a quote in one of my favorite movies from my teenage years, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High").

Kendo sure do love him some movies, don't he?

RiceRokit's Pidgin English Dropping in December!

News from Kendo and the RiceRokit camp is that their second album will finally drop around Xmas on Megalith Records (first the holiday-themed free track and Jacuzzi from King Hammond and now this!?).

While RiceRokit's phenomenally good debut album Hang Loose (read The Duff Guide to Ska review here) was full of modern ska/rock/reggae songs referencing "The Shining" (you've got to check out the incredible "Dull Boy" on their MySpace page!), werewolves, "Saturday Night Fever," Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes," and the horror of death and decay, Pidgin English will be expanding their sound to include what they consider "electro-pop" (listen to the new "Strawberries & Cream" or their take on Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead"), which seems appropriate, as this album will include several 80s rock and New Wave favorites of Kendo's.

If you're a ska fan whose musical tastes are omnivorous, you'll definitely want to pick up these records! Stay tuned for more details soon...

RiceRokit Pidgin English Preview

RiceRokit--one of The Duff Guide to Ska's fave bands--is in the process of putting the final touches on tracks for its sophomore album, Pidgin English (Megalith Records). Main man Kendo has been kind enough to send a few rough mixes our way--and we've been blown away by what we've heard so far.

While their brilliant debut album Hang Loose (DGTS grade: A) was full of originals, Pidgin English is mostly comprised of covers, reflecting Kendo's passion for both New Wave and 80s rawk. Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead," a dubby, percussive track to begin with, is given a ska revamp, which feels so right and good that you wonder why a ska band hasn't done this before (and it's right in line with Kendo's horror movie obsession). RiceRokit's version of Echo & the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" is incredible in that it's a recognizable (and faithful and loving) cover of this song, but they completely own it--it's definitely a Kendo and the Bunnymen tune! Other covers include a great interpretation of Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog" (which both The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith included on their debut LPs), and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "You Got Lucky."

Sadly, the one track that won't see an official release (since a certain major label wouldn't go for it) is a mash-up of Diamond David Lee Roth's vocals from Van Halen's "Runnin' with the Devil" and RiceRokit's ska instrumental version of the song. You can listen to it on RiceRokit's MySpace page--this version will embed itself in your cranium and refuse to leave (check out the cool "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" sample!). Simply awesome.

I'll be playing several of these new RiceRokit cuts at the N.Y. Beat: Hit and Run 25th Anniversary Reunion party on April 10th at the Dusk Lounge in NYC. I'm deejaying the event and will be set up in the very back of the bar...come by and say hi if you're planning to be there!

Duff Interview: Kendo from RiceRokit

Just who the heck is this Kendo guy that keeps popping up on the Duff Guide, you may be asking yourself. Well, he is the mad brain genius behind RiceRokit, a Southern California ska act that has created what this blogger thinks may be one of the best ska albums of 2008 (read the official Duff Guide to Ska review of RiceRokit's "Hang Loose" here). The Duff Guide to Ska thanks him for taking a break in his intake of horror and sci-fi movies (and other pop culture vehicles) to spend a few moments replying to some random questions bouncing around our head.

The Duff Guide to Ska: Before I first listened to "Hang Loose," I expected a bunch of sunshiny ska songs all about finding the perfect wave and chasing beach bunnies in the surf. But what I discovered is a kind of a dark album with a depth that is unusual for the ska scene. What was going on in your life when you wrote these songs (or what inspired them)?

Kendo: Sincere thanks for the kind words.

While it's true I was very lucky to be able to grow up seeking that elusive Pipeline barrel, and making-out with some nubile, salty ladies--once seriously discovering music, I grew extremely restless in the Hawaiian 'paradise' (or "Krypton," as we call it--seems like there's actually more GRAVITY there, and somehow many physical tasks seem to require much more effort--it's probably the HEAT--you either resist it, or succumb to it. Sadly, none of us ever actually turn out to be Superman...).

So even then, I was writing songs (with my industrial/heavy metal/punk rock band, 'minor blow') about darker things like thwarted love, conspiracies, revolution, and nuclear apocalypse (it was the 80's after all), and after dropping out of high school and dabbling early in some studies at the UH, my band and I done 'runnoft' to Hollywood--still teenagers, and now amidst a new kind of darkness--the music-scene/'war-zone' of Los Angeles.

Years of battling in the underground, indie-music clubs of LA, as well as a lengthy stint (and some hair-raising adventures) performing around third-world Asia, definitely colored the sound and perspective a bit, beyond the reefs and sunshine of the early days.

And so when I finally stumbled into playing ska and reggae with Dubcat, I was coming to it from very much a ROCK point-of-view--something that blended fairly well with the punk-influenced sound of the LBDA guys, and a style that even seemed to lend a pretty nice garage-y touch to Half Pint's set, when we'd occasionally back him up as well.

Obviously, the Sublime fellas (some of whom of course formed Dubcat) were famous for their dark imagery and sort-of sinister Long Beach reputation--however, I do try to consciously make a point to purposely AVOID that specific brand of subject matter, not only to just keep it real and endeavor to be myself, but also with the sincere intention of approaching subjects as much as possible (though they themselves may be dark and sometimes disturbing) from a place of POSITIVITY.

Hence the lyrical focus on elements of social and political commentary, as well as the satirical nature of RiceRokit's imagery, marketing and promotion. Vive la REVOLUTION!!!

DGTS: I've read that you created "Hang Loose" as a concept album. Can you elaborate on this--why you chose to put together an album this way, and how the songs relate to each other--what's the overarching story?

Kendo: Rumors and hearsay!!! Although maybe we should market this like Crispin Glover's infamous "The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be," and have people leave phone messages regarding what they think it all means...?

Wait a minute--now you've got me thinking there's some sort of relation to the songs--after all, as our good Doc Jung alludes with his "acausal connecting principle": aren't many things incoincidentally connected? Sing it, Sting--SYNCHRONICITY!!!

Seriously though--if there's anything linking the tunes, it's probably in their tendency to try to paint very 'visual' pictures and imagery, lyrically and musically--from a blue-haired lady with "little frog tattoos" on her toes, to that creepy, "wicked" carnival scenery, to the nocturnal, lunar cycle of the Wolfman, to riding a Big Wheel down the carpeted corridors of the Overlook Hotel, ya know?

Of course there is something to be said for the ability of those farther removed, to observe more of the big picture than the creator of the piece, who may be too close to the work--"Pretty Things," "Dance with You," "Betrayal," and "Dinner," are each and all about different, specific, female friends of the past. So there very well may be a type of pattern emerging.

Either that, or I just have a soft spot for the ladies...who doesn't?

DGTS: I love all the pop culture references ("The Shining," "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Saturday Night Fever," werewolves, etc.) in many of your songs. Growing up, did you spend all your free time devouring movies? And which ones became your all-time favorites?

Kendo: Thanks, braddah!!! Yeah as a kid, I was definitely a movie-nut--and running off to Hollywood didn't help to cure me of that addiction, either. Still spend all my time keeping up with flicks--foreign and domestic (huge into Hong Kong cinema, and Japanese chanbara and anime as well). There's truly an unhealthy amount of movie-related trivia crammed into my cranium--actors' and directors' names, production details, score composers--it's very, very sad.

I do derive a whole lot of influence and inspiration from film, though. I believe a good flick can really cause a tremendous amount of people to THINK...and most importantly, like all great art--make them FEEL. That's how it works for me, anyways...I do deeply enjoy the medium!!!

My top 3 all-time favorites: "Blade Runner" (Ridley Scott), "Seven Samurai" (Akira Kurosawa), and "Princess Mononoke" (Hayao Miyazaki).

DGTS: "Hang Loose" has been released in Japan. How did this come about, and is RiceRokit going to be able to tour there? (For that matter, will you ever play NYC?)

Kendo: MySpace, MySpace, MySpace. I cannot say enough GOOD THINGS about that fricken site, mang!!! Brilliant, that--no longer does one have to lug about promo kits, demos, etc...ET VOILA--it's all on that bloody page!!! A Godsend, really.

Not only did I come upon Megalith Records' wonderful "3 Floors of Ska" show on there (which eventually led to our signing with the fantastic label), but our good man Bruce Pavey of Global Cooling in Japan also initially contacted us on the site as well--he had been referred to us by the guys at Long Beach Records, which we really appreciate, too.

Yeah, MySpace--very grateful for it. Thanks, Tom!!!

As far as touring goes--there has definitely been talk of such stuff, since the very beginning (and more of it recently, in relation to our upcoming European distribution of 'Pidgin English'). However, both our record deals (and CD pressings) are practically BRAND NEW, and I do imagine there will be a need to recoup a bit of the costs before we head out--anyways, that's what the SUITS keep telling us (except in Bucket's case, it's a really dapper, fitted, 60's-cut suit with a cool, skinny tie). !D

Regarding playing in Gotham--the original '3 Floors' show is out of the Knitting Factory over there, and I could foresee us making it out for that, with all the stars aligning correctly...

Regardless, I've got the travel bug pretty bad, what with my history of Asian hijinks, and some of the fun Dubcat plane trips with Half Pint. Even went on a month-long journey throughout Europe last year to do some serious reconnaissance for upcoming touring in that vicinity.

I'm extremely intent on seeing more of this big, beautiful world (including those 7 Wonders you're familiar with), so I've definitely got the feeling we'll make it happen one way or another--with a QUICKNESS.

DGTS: What were you doing before you hooked up with Dubcat (and how did you come to be in that band)?

Kendo: I had just moved back to LA in 2003, after a 9-month stint back in the motherland of Honolulu (spent surfing, contemplating my existence, and replenishing my power$, which had been sufficiently drained by a couple of years cruising for record deals around the Orient).

Upon returning to the city, I promptly grabbed a used board and paddled out at my favorite local spot called "Zero's," just north of Zuma Beach, and of course out in the water as usual was my oldest and best surfing buddy David Fuentes (bassist of LA ska veterans Hepcat--and who 'Hang Loose' is dedicated to). Lucky I ran into him there, as I had lost his number with all the traveling I'd been doing...

David had been trying to teach me the beauty of this "ska" music-thing for years (way back, he even got me out to the home of original Hepcat guitarist Lino Trujillo, to teach me how to REALLY play reggae--basically so David could have me try out for Hepcat--Lino was taking some time off for a bit, back then).

So while I was catching up with me ol' braddah, he told me that he was involved in a project with some of the guys from Sublime and Long Beach Dub Allstars, along with Hepcat founder Deston Berry on keys--they were calling this band, "Dubcat," and they needed a guitarist.

All my gear was still on a barge from Hawaii, so to go try out, I had to borrow an axe and amp from another one of our local Zero's surfer-bros, Corey Little--so I showed up to play reggae music with these guys, using a Gibson SG (Angus Young from AC/DC's signature axe) and a half Marshall stack. They thought I was showing up for the Iron Maiden audition--so rad!!!

DGTS: What can we expect on your next album, "Pidgin English?" Why did you choose this title? Is it another concept album?

Kendo: Since recording 'Hang Loose,' and playing those songs live for a while now, I'd definitely like to think that I've sort-of figured out much more of RiceRokit's sound, with the fun hybridization of the 2-tone elements, the 80's new-wave sensibilities, and of course that "Long Beach sound," still very much a part of it as well.

So on 'Pidgin,' I think you'll find a much more focused style--I feel like I really had my "formula" figured out for this one, and recording (while definitely intense and time-consuming) moved forward relatively confidently this time around.

The sound does branch-out a bit from the fairly straightforward 'Hang Loose' however, in the added elements of 80's vintage analog keyboard solos and tones. Also used a lot of delay on the drums, to give some of the tunes that Stewart Copeland 'Police' vibe, and even threw in a fun, Electro-Theremin solo in "Bela Lugosi."

Speaking of which--there are 2 cover songs on this one, and before the official pressing next Spring, I may even want to add another one. As strange as it might sound, I think I might be trying to mold RiceRokit into the modern-day UB40 of ska!!!

Regarding the title, 'Pidgin English'--for each CD, I try to come up with a phrase that is not only a Hawaiian reference, but is also made up of English words that will be understood by the majority of all the 'haoles' (mainlanders), hahaha--I'm "hapa-haole" (half-caucasian) myself, so I might understand the necessity to communicate in a language that can be easily understood by the masses.

"Hang Loose," obviously refers to the Hawaiian "shaka" hand sign (with the thumb and pinky extended), and the "Pidgin English" I'm referring to, is the slang-filled, heavily accented version of English that the indigenous people of Hawaii speak--just as Jamaican people have their "patois" language as well.

Uh-oh--the "concept album" suspicion again... Another reason these tracks may seem linked, is that (a lot of folks might not know), the original, underground versions of the RiceRokit CDs have various INTERLUDE tracks, consisting of movie samples, music, and other such nonsense. These tracks were not included on the official Megalith/Global Cooling pressings, as Hollywood's army of lawyers would surely have pounced upon us like the rabid vultures they are (of course NOT including our own entertainment attorney, and great friend!!!).

DGTS: Which ska/reggae bands on the Southern California scene do you think are worth checking out?

Kendo: Down here in San Diego, my favorite local band is SD vets, Skanic--just the most versatile, professional, slick group, with a deep understanding of a wide spectrum of reggae and ska music, I think.

Then a little while back, we had a memorial show for David down here, and this other surfer buddy that would come down from Santa Barbara and surf with us at Zero's--Oreo--played with his band The Upbeat. I had heard about them for years, but that was the first time I'd ever actually saw them, and they totally BLEW ME AWAY. Real pros, and nice aloha shirts, too.

Also Jesse Wagner (who filled in a few times on vocals in Dubcat) and his band The Aggrolites have been blowing up lately, and they most definitely deserve it. As far as I'm concerned, that band is the BAR of professionalism that's been raised--and that (and higher) is the level of performance that I endeavor to persevere to reach and maintain with RiceRokit.

I mean in my opinion, if you're not going to go FULL ON like those guys, then just go home. Otherwise, just try coming out half-assed directly following an Aggrolites set, and see what happens to the crowd. Ba-bye.

Lastly if they can be considered a So. Cal. band (since Mr. Wakeling lives near LA now), The English Beat (or 'The Beat,' in England) are one of my major 2-tone heroes that definitely continue to RAWK the Cali scene with those fantastic songs.

DGTS: Apart from the release of "Pidgin English," what plans do you have for RiceRokit for the next year or so?

Kendo: Since it seems in this era, some of the most efficient and successful methods of marketing and promotion are internet-based, we'll continue with more of the YouTube videos for sure. And now that the recording is complete, we've been fine-tuning the live show as well (concentrating fairly heavily on vocal harmonies), so making some important shows really COUNT is certainly part of the equation.

And touring? When the money starts looking right, and the powers-that-be give the thumbs up--our bags are already packed.

Megalith Records to Release RiceRokit's Pidgin English in Spring 2009

I received an e-mail from Kendo and TeamRokit a few days ago that passed along the news that Pidgin English, RiceRokit's follow-up to their outstanding Hang Loose CD, is slated to be released on Megalith Records in spring 2009.

Apparently Kendo's fanboy obsession with horror movies continues to find a healthy outlet in his music--he included a cut from Pidgin English to preview: RiceRokit's terrific cover of Bauhaus' classic goth track "Bela Lugosi's Dead" (definitely one song I never expected to receive a ska makeover). For anyone who isn't familiar with Bela Lugosi, he was an actor best known for his seminal portrayal of Dracula in the 1932 version of this film (a role he reprised for the equally great Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948) and for subsequent B horror films for Universal Pictures and others (Murders in the Rue Morgue, Island of Lost Souls, The Raven, Son of Frankenstein). Late in his life, he worked with bizarro filmmaker Ed Wood (Martin Landau portrayed Lugosi in Tim Burton's film of the same name), appearing in Glen or Glenda and the truly awful and almost unwatchable Plan 9 from Outer Space.

While I'm biding my time until Pidgin English sees the light of day, perhaps Megalith will release Hang Loose on vinyl? It deserves this kind of treatment. Jeremy? Buck?

Duff Review: RiceRokit -- Hang Loose

When I first heard RiceRokit's Hang Loose (released on Megalith Records), my first thought was that its compelling mix of guitar-driven modern ska, rock, reggae, and hip hop did Sublime one better (by a long shot, actually). So I found it kind of appropriate that it turns out that Kendo (singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, drummer--who also self-produced the album, well, I might add) used to be in Dubcat, which was comprised of members of Hepcat, the Long Beach Dub Allstars, and, wait for it, Sublime (d'oh!). This release probably won't go down too well with ska traditionalists (there is turntable scratching throughout--a nice touch, actually!), but if your musical horizons are a bit broader, you'll find a stellar album jam-packed with well-crafted, catchy tunes.

For a record titled Hang Loose by a Hawaiian-born surfer, there sure is a lot of anxiety and tension, conflict between good and evil, and temptation of the flesh in this batch of songs. And the inevitability of death and decay is always present. "All the Pretty Things," which Kendo sings practically in falsetto, laments the fact that beauty is ephemeral, even though he's very much in the now, lusting after a hot lady ("Your pretty voice/your pretty style/just like a movie star/And just the way/you wear your jeans/makes me believe in God!/Why do all the pretty things/always fade away?"). Backed by a driving ska beat, "Dull Boy" is written from the point of view of Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining, as he slowly loses his mind and becomes the mad, killer caretaker ("I get the feeling that something's on the other side of this door/I could have sworn that I've been here in this place before/Feels like I've been here before/All work and no play/makes Jack a dull boy"). Work is trying to write the book; play is "chopping his family to bits."

"Dance with You" (catch the video below) is pure pop-reggae-skank perfection as he's torn between the intense physical desire he feels for this woman and the complete absence of love for her in his heart ("Girl, I could dance with you/but you're not my dream girl/You're nothing.../nothing like that," which directly quotes a John Travolta line in "Saturday Night Fever"). And I don't think 'dance' here means dancing, if you catch my drift. "Dinner and a Movie" savors the thrilling emotional high (hopefully) you've experienced at some point in your life when you've just start dating a certain special someone and it seems like nothing can go wrong (and you want this amazingly surreal feeling to last forever). "Monkey See, Monkey Do" subtly admonishes the listener that we need to set better examples for each other and the impressionable. The menacing "Something Wicked" directly references Ray Bradbury's fantasy/horror novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (where an evil carnival comes to a small Midwestern town, led by Mr. Dark--most likely the devil--who tempts people by granting people the power to indulge their innermost fantasies, but they end up trapped as freaks in his sideshow), while "Howling at the Moon," with its nice touches of country-ish guitar amidst the mid-tempo skank, warns the listener to "run for your life/if you wanna to survive," because he's going to sink his bad werewolf teeth into you. The reggae-fied cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand" (essentially a song about how everything in life is transitory) gets the Kendo touch and is all the better for it. As you can see, there are some pretty interesting things going on in Kendo's head that he's happy to share with us (can't wait to hear what he's got in store for us with his follow-up CD, Pidgin English).

I have the feeling that I'll keep coming back to this record for a long time, since the more I listen to it, the better it gets. Hands down, RiceRokit's Hang Loose is one of the best, fully realized, and unique debut CDs I've heard--making it one of the top ska/reggae albums of 2008. Be sure to pick it up.

Grade: A



RiceRokit's "Dance with You" Video