2012: The Year in Ska - Todd Fausnacht (The Snails)

Editor's Note: As the end of the calendar year sneaks up on me--as it always does, since the fall is always so damn busy!--I always scramble around to put together my "best of" lists of the ska singles, albums, reissues, books, etc. that I really enjoyed over the past year and want to highlight for all the ska fans out there. But I also thought it might be interesting to feature some other opinions, so I approached a diverse group of ska musicians, bloggers, DJs, and label heads to find out what their favorite ska things were in 2012. And thus the "2012: The Year in Ska" series was born! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to participate--I really appreciate it!

Todd Fausnacht is the guitarist and singer for the Philly-based ska/early rock/soul outfit The Snails.

2012: The Year in Ska - Todd Fausnacht (The Snails)

Top 5 Favorite Ska Releases

1) 
The Aggrolites: Unleashed Live


2) The Caroloregians: Fat is Back

3) The Heavy Beat/The Snails Split
 EP

4) The Forthrights EP


5) Sammy Kay and The Fast Four: "Sweet Misery" single


Top 5 Ska Shows

1) The 
Aggrolites at the MilkBoy, Philadelphia, PA


2) The Aggrolites at The Blockley
, Philadelphia, PA

3) Skalapalooza 2012, Philadelphia, PA


4) Heavy Beat/The Snails split release party at the Funhouse, Bethlehem, PA


5) The Skatalites in NYC


Top Ska Merch

1) My Toots and the Maytals From the Roots record
.

2) My Bob Marley African Herbsman record.

3) My Techniques record.

4) My Slim Smith "Rougher Yet" single.

5) My Ken Boothe "Moving Away" single.


Top 5 Ska Regrets

Missing...

1) Jimmy Cliff at The Mann Center in Philadelphia, PA

2) Toots at The Blockley in Philadelphia, PA

3) Stranger Cole and Patsy backed by Crazy Balhead at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY


4) 2012 London International Ska Festival

5) Jump Up Record's Chicago Reggae Oldies Weekend with Stranger Cole and Pat Kelly


Top Ska Wishes for 2013

1) I'm excited for the Version City tour--hope it goes well!


2) I hope that The Snails The River comes out on time! [It has!]

3) I hope that The Snails "Death Caught Me" single comes out soon!

4) I hope that our Rocksteady EP can go to press soon
.

5) I hope there is a rise in appreciation and support for everyone playing deep-rooted Jamaican music!

2012: The Year in Ska - Michael Inumerable (2000 Tons of TNT)

Editor's Note: As the end of the calendar year sneaks up on me--as it always does, since the fall is always so damn busy!--I always scramble around to put together my "best of" lists of the ska singles, albums, reissues, books, etc. that I really enjoyed over the past year and want to highlight for all the ska fans out there. But I also thought it might be interesting to feature some other opinions, so I approached a diverse group of ska musicians, bloggers, DJs, and label heads to find out what their favorite ska things were in 2012. And thus the "2012: The Year in Ska" series was born! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to participate--I really appreciate it!

Michael Inumerable is the guitarist and vocalist for the excellent San Diego, CA garage/early reggae act 2000 Tons of TNT.

2012: The Year in Ska - Michael Inumerable/2000 Tons of TNT

Top 5 Favorite Ska Releases

1) I have to say my favorite release of 2012 is Maddie Ruthless Featuring the Forthrights and Friends! I play it at least once a week and love every track. I think it's so classic sounding, but fresh at the same time. The songwriting, lyrics, playing, and production are all on point. Maddie's lyrics especially break my heart (which is not easily broken).

2) Going along with The Forthrights again, I real enjoyed their self-titled release this year, especially the opening track "Blinding Light." Very honest sounding band.

3)  I was really captivated by the new Frightnrs release not only because the artwork is beautiful, but the songs and production are great and they gave it away for free! Can't go wrong.

4) Moving away from the New York scene (which I am very inspired by, living so far away on the West Coast), I am really enjoying the lastest Bandulus record, which just came out just recently, The Times We Had. Met Jeremy a few years back and I really appreciate his take on old styles. Very soulful stuff!

5) The Amalgamated's Boss Universal album. These guys are our San Diegans, so it was really cool to see an album come out of San Diego and hear a bunch of dudes we know on a recording. They got this big-band meets Jamaican ska thing going on, so its a big sounding record!


Top 5 Favorite Live Ska Shows

1) Ken Boothe in San Diego! This is a show I never thought I would see. Backed by the Amalgamated. Probably the biggest ska show in San Diego in a few years. Packed house and played all the classics.

2) Pat Kelly and The Delirians in Riverside. This is a tie with the Ken Boothe show because the Delirians are just so tight and played all the tunes perfectly. They did a memorable version of "Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harem. Just a surreal show (plus we played before The Delirians).

3) I got to see The Debonaires three times this year. Easily one of the best live ska/reggae bands in history. Did two dates with them in November.

4) The Revivers in Pomona (sorry another show we played). Members of The Debonaires, Skeletones, and few others doing covers from the early reggae period. Flawless covers...always a dance party.

5) Saw The Slackers vicariously through my brother (our lead guitarist)! I've seen 'em a couple times, not this year though. This is his pick!


Top 5 Favorite Ska Merch

1) We bought a Hammond Piper II organ! Does that count? Oh and I got a new guitar!

2) Didn't buy any records this year (shame). I got the digital copies of Maddie Ruthless and The Frightnrs. Would have loved to come up on some physical stuff from these people.

3) Boss Universal CD by The Amalgamated! The packaging was very attractive, I might add.

4) Ottly Mercer's promo CD they handed out at one of their shows earlier this year! This is a San Diego band working on their first official album, so look out!

5) I traded a copy of our CD for The Debonaires' Longshout album from a couple years back! Playing in my car on most days!


Top 5 Ska Regrets

1) Missed the DERRICK MORGAN SHOW IN SAN DIEGO! NOOOOO!

2) Really wanted to be picked to do The London International Ska Festival this year!

3) Didn't go to Europe! My favorite bands in the reggae revival scene all reside overseas (The Caroloregians, Granadians).

4) Didn't get out of town much with my band! We played a lot more out-of-town shows this year, but 2013 we out and about with a vengeance!

5) Probably not going to make to THE JAMAICANS show with The Delirians in San Francisco around New Year's! We were asked to do it, but something came up...go figure!


Top 5 Ska Wishes for 2013

1) I would really like all my favorite contemporary artists to put more material out (The Caroloregians, Granadians, Maddie Ruthless, Smooth Beans, etc.) .

2) I would like more Jamaican artists to make their way towards Southern California. We will be opening up for Keith and Tex in January, so things are looking good!

3) I would love to collaborate with different groups/scenes outside of the reggae/ska scene, especially all these gigging soul and soul/jazz groups that keep popping up in San Diego!

4) I would like to see more DJs that spin reggae, soul, rocksteady, and ska.

5) I want to get accepted to play the Victoria Ska Fest, plan a tour around, AND put out some new releases with 2000 Tons of TNT next year!

Stranger Cole and Pat Kelly Videos from Jump Up's Jamaican Oldies Weekend #1!

If you couldn't make it to the first amazing Jamaican Oldies Weekend in Chicago a few weekends ago, here are some videos of Stranger Cole backed by The Prizefighters and performing "Crying Every Night"--a soul-reggae cover of The Guess Who's "These Eyes" and Pat Kelly backed by Green Room Rockers and performing The Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain."

For some background on the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, read the recent Duff Guide to Ska interview with Jump Up's Chuck Wren here.



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More Stranger Cole/Prizefighter videos can be watched here and Pat Kelly/GRR videos can be found here.

Duff Interview: Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records on the Jamaican Oldies Weekend Concert Series

Editor's note: Chuck Wren's essential Jump Up Records is celebrating its 20th anniversary year (wow!) with the kick-off of the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, which is coming up on November 16 and 17th and will feature original JA musicians/stars Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole! So, you'd be best served to take our advice: if you are anywhere near Chicago, you have to do anything and everything you can to attend these concerts and experience live music made by some of the greatest Jamaican musicians still around! You can purchase your two-day pass to the Jamaican Oldies Weekend here.

Thanks to Chuck for doing this interview with us--and for keeping the ska faith throughout the good times and bad for the past two decades.

The Duff Guide to Ska: What inspired you to launch the Jamaican Oldies Weekend concert series—and why did you start with Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole?

Chuck Wren: I wanted to really celebrate the 20th anniversary year of Jump Up in style, not just with one showcase, but for an entire year of shows and releases. And also I have been insanely jealous of the amazing shows the Los Angeles scene has been putting together! There are many people like me in the Midwest that live and breathe this music, but are not at a place in our lives where we can fly somewhere to see a concert. So, I pounded the pavement and made an arrangement with the beautiful Mayne Stage here in Chicago. They believed in my vision to duplicate these shows, with Chicago being the mecca for the Midwest vintage Jamaican music fans. I was also very lucky to assemble a team that includes CHema Skandal, Darren Reggae, Edith Vel, and their Feel the Rhythm DJs. We’re all running around town promoting like madmen.

Jamaican Oldies Productions is determined to highlight the careers of Jamaican performers who never quite got the success of a Toots or Cliff, but who have had significant contributions to the history of Jamaican music. I am constantly reminding people that they know songs of Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole, they just forget that they know them! For example, when you tell someone “Artibella” or “Rough and Tough,” people often say, “Wow….that was Stranger Cole?”

DGTS: No judgment here, but why did you decide to go with 60s-era Jamaican artists instead of, say, some of the top ska bands of the 1990s?

CW: I have never been one to take the easy road! Hell, we’re the only label that has stayed active in its 20 years, releasing albums consistently every few months since 1993. We could have easily done that and book 90s acts, but we feel that going back to the roots and celebrating the original music – while these artists are still vibrant and performing – is so much more important.

DGTS: Green Room Rockers are backing Pat Kelly and The Prizefighters are playing with Stranger Cole—is this series also a means to promote and big up local, Midwest ska talent to new/larger crowds?

CW: You nailed it right on the head. These bands have earned their right to play with their idols, and these Jamaican Oldies shows will be the springboard for this to happen.

DGTS: How many people are you hoping to attract over this weekend?

CW: We have modest goals, the club holds 300+ (and is truly a fantastic space!) and we are hoping to pack the place to the gills. We have DJs spinning all night and during the show, plus there will be an afterparty there to keep it going all night. This show is basically a litmus test – it must succeed for me to be able to continue in the future! Do not miss this one, there might not be a next!

DGTS: Which other old school JA artists are you planning to feature in subsequent weekends?

CW: The list is crazy long. Eric Monty Morris, Big Youth, Max Romeo, Roy Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Dave Barker, Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Derrick Morgan are all in our sights! Then after the solo acts work we can concentrate on vocal trios!

DGTS: The Jamaican Oldies Weekend is part of Jump Up Records 20th anniversary celebration. What other anniversary-related events/releases do you have planned for the coming months?

CW: We will be going back in the catalog and re-releasing some titles on vinyl, with input from our current fans and customers.

New albums from Soul Radics (in two weeks!), Crabs Corporation, King Pepe, and many more! There is an exciting new “mash up” in the works that digs into the classic alternative of the 80s. And there’s a project that’s focusing on 90s Rhythm and Blues and New Jack Swing. After their amazing performance on Halloween night, The Drastics have agreed to perform MJ A Rocker once again! Working on a tour to bring Tommy Tornado, Mr T Bone, and other European Jump Up acts over as one package, probably backed by Eastern Standard Time.

DGTS: Lastly, are there any current or upcoming Jump Up releases that ska fans should be aware of?

CW: Every year I look back at all the stuff we have put out, and I am most proud when we have been able to help new bands get to a new level of exposure. That’s why we started Jump Up in 1993 – we were insanely proud of the Midwest’s caliber of bands and I felt starting Jump Up to release the American Skathic series was the only way to combat the West and East Coast scenes that dominated the press! Looking back, I’d like to say it worked! So with that mindset, we are extremely proud of a couple key titles we released in 2012: The Fundamentals Get Alright! vinyl LP and the Count Kutu and The Balmers 10” LP in our calypso series!

The Fundamentals have that perfect balance of modern third-wave influenced ska, yet still firmly holding on to the traditions of 60s Jamaican ska and American soul. Their interchange between male/female vocals gets me every time. It’s that same type of forward thinking, yet old skool sound that attracted me to Green Room Rockers a few years ago, and also our upcoming Soul Radics release. And what can I say about Count Kutu? Many people thought I was mad (including the band) when I wanted to release a rural mento album from a band from the Philippines – and mostly sung in their native tongue! This band is so authentic that I knew language was not a deal-breaker, in fact it made them unique and exciting. Every time we find a new fan for this band, we sit back and just glow with pride. And we get so much feedback from customers on that release – they can’t believe their ears – they think its Jamaican patois – but it’s Tagalog!

Honestly, we are proud of all our releases. I’ve never stopped doing this because it still excites me, I still have the same insane drive for new music I did years ago. That’s why I am still on the radio, too! The only way this music will survive is if new bands carry on the torch. We need to support these new bands and labels. I don’t understand these so called "fans” that refuse to listen to music after a certain year. They are not keeping the music alive, they are slowly ensuring its eventual death. Not that I will be around then, but I hope my daughter is able to celebrate with pride the Jamaica 100 independence!

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For a taste of what you're in for if you go to the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, check out these two videos I shot of Stranger Cole when he performed at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY in 2011 ("More life!").

Duff Gig Review: The Bluebeats at Shrine (9/5/09)

Despite the light turnout at Shrine (AKA Black United Fun Plaza!), no doubt due to the Labor Day holiday weekend, The Bluebeats tore through two powerful sets of their most excellent rocksteady-reggae-soul sounds. Much to my shame, I have to confess that I haven't seen the band in a couple of years, so I was thrilled to find them still in top form. Clearly, I've been away for far too long.

Highlights of their first set included The Bluebeats' terrific originals "Dance with Me," "Boom-Boom-Boom," and "Hardest Working Man" (shout out to a certain Scofflaw here), as well as extraordinarily smokin' covers of Ken Boothe's "Freedom Street," Otis Redding's "Look at that Girl," and Elvis Costello's version of Sam & Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down." (I wish I had recorded some of these cuts to share with you, but I didn't get a chance to speak to Mike Drance about videotaping the band with my son's trusty Flip until the break between sets--I've known Mike since the early 90s and Shrine is so intimate, so it seemed like the right thing to secure his permission before shooting...)

Several video clips from The Bluebeats' great second set are below for your viewing/listening pleasure, including covers of The Drifters "I Count the Tears," Pat Kelly's "How Long," and The Gladiators' "Live Wire." (Look for more interesting video from The Duff Guide to Ska's vaults, soon.)

On our way to Shrine, my friend Joe and I had been talking about our respective parents' increasing frailty, the specter of their (and our own) mortality, and all kinds of day-to-day crap that was beyond our limited realms of control. Good times for two forty-something guys grappling with the same matters that people have been/are/will be confronting or ignoring all over the world till the end of time. Listening to The Bluebeats took all that away--not only while they performed, but the joy, excitement, and empathy in their music was something almost tangible that I carried with me as I headed towards the subway on my way home. Their music--like all truly good music--made everything better. Didn't solve my problems or feed the hungry or figure out a policy that will allow everyone to go to a doctor when they're sick--but seeing The Bluebeats play was another one of those experiences that reminds you why life is good and worth getting up out of bed for every day.

Simply put, The Bluebeats are brilliant! You've got to make sure to catch one of their upcoming gigs soon!