For anyone who has been visiting site over the past several months, you have noticed a definite period of inactivity. Sorry to all of you who have submitted review requests and other correspondance, we will try to catch up with that soon, and we are going to start posting some new feature stories, interviews and reviews fairly soon.

Coming up shortly will be a feature story and interview with Specials tribute band “.38 Specials Education.”

We are looking forward to posting some great new ska music news in 2010 and hope to keep the content current and relevant.

Cheers,

SkaSource.com

The new Madness album, “The Liberty of Norton Folgate,” is not scheduled for release until June of this year. However, the album can be downloaded via bittorrent using leading tracker sites. These days, it is not uncommon to see new albums available for download via bittorrent, usenet, and peer-to-peer networks weeks or days ahead of the targeted release date. The opportunities for leakage are ripe; from album reviewers, employees at the pressing plant, etc. Seeing an album available several months in advance, however, is rather unusual, as chances are pre-release copies have probably not been distributed, or at least not distributed in large numbers.

I’ve had a chance to preview some of the tracks, and so far I’d say the standouts are the poppy-sounding and somewhat anthemic “We Are London” and the classic-sounding “Forever Young.”

I also stumbled on the official production blog for the album at http://skavoovie.us/. Be sure to check it periodically for updates.

Saturday’s show, being combined with the LA version of 3 Floors of Ska, featured a variety of acts including Raskahuele (Spanish for scratch-n-sniff), Hub City Stompers and Rice Rokit, in addition to DJ’s spinning ska, soul and reggae.

Of the six shows I attended, the LA 3FOS show was the highlight, as ska fans from all over southern California converged on The Knitting Factory to make for a sold-out show and high energy throughout the night.

Even the Victorville show boasted a fairly decent turn-out, and judging by the feedback from the bands, I’d say this tour shows that ska is anything but dead. Sure, ska may have slinked back into the musical underground (and perhaps that is where it belongs – at least for a while), but the core fans came out in force and showed their appreciation night after night.

Voodoo Glowskulls mentioned several times that this tour represented a full spectrum of ska; something that was quite evident given the variety of ska that was showcased by the headliners, and the warm reception received by all the bands on the bill each night.

What follows are just a few photos from some of the shows…

The Toasters at 3FOS, Los Angeles

The Toasters at 3FOS, Los Angeles

Bucket plays to the crowd, 3FOS, Los Angeles

Chicago’s Deals Gone Bad, 3FOS, Los Angeles

2Tone Lizard Kings warm up the crowd in Tempe, AZ

Raskahuele ruled the second stage at 3FOS, Los Angeles

The Ska is Dead IV tour kicks off in a couple of days, and the official website, skaisdead.com, has been re-vamped to mark the tour’s return after an absence of three years (the tour did last ran in the US in 2005, with a UK version in 2006).

This year’s version features The Toasters, Voodoo Glowskulls, and Deal’s Gone Bad. In addition, Mustard Plug, Buck-O-Nine and Monkey are appearing on short legs of the tour. Most shows should feature local support, and the Los Angeles show is also this year’s Three Floors of Ska event, which should make for a memorable evening of ska music as The Knitting Factory once again hosts a plethora ska bands and DJ’s.

The SID website features the latest news about the tour as well as an active forum, in which Dave Plug is soliciting reviews, interviews and news items. So if you have anything to contribute, click here for more details.

Craig says the song has been a long time in the making. “I started working on it around Thanksgiving of last year. A few years ago I had some chords and really sappy lyrics for a song I was working on, but couldn’t come up with a chorus. Then, I re-visited the music and found chorus, and scrapped the lyrics in favor of the new Christmas song. I realized that it would be too late to record it and release it in time for Christmas 2007, so I shelved it until this past October.”

About the recording process, Craig tells us, “Jeff has a small PC-based home studio and has been working on movie scores and other song ideas for quite some time now. Back in the days when we [Buck-O-Nine] were a full-time band, we would often get together and work on song ideas, then record them using an 8-track tape machine, so it was obvious that collaborating with Jeff would be a great way to complete the song’s arrangement and instrumentation. We work really well together, and it’s a totally different dynamic working with just one other person, versus the band environment where we have seven people contributing ideas.”

Regarding the idea behind the song, Craig continues, “The song is generally inspired by the alternative/new wave Christmas songs I’ve grown up listening to – classics such as Christmas Wrapping, Fariytale of New York, Father Christmas, So This is Christmas, etc. For several years now, I’ve wanted to put together a ‘new’ Christmas song – something that isn’t holly-jolly, but is more introspective and envokes thoughts about what Christmas and the holiday season mean to people. Given the uncertain times we live in today, it seemed an appropriate theme, although I didn’t want it to be pinned to specific current events.”

The mp3 of the song can be downloaded free from MySpace, and also listened to on YouTube, with an accompanying photo slideshow:

Via YouTube:

“…a great bill of California roots ska, rock steady and reggae. No big surprise – Chris Murray Combo will be headlining. We’ll come up with a nice surprise for the set though!!
http://www.myspace.com/chrismurray

In the middle slot is Boss 501, featuring Esco Chris, long time friend of Bluebeat Lounge. Boss 501 hails from Chico and Esco has been working hard to raise awareness of the music we all love in his new hometown by promoting and hosting monthly live shows. The band will be doing some recording on their way down south with Brian Wallace in Atascadero. expect some new material in the set, and a band that is pumped from having just been in the studio.
http://www.myspace.com/boss501

Opening the night are The Sidecars Plus! led by Abram, who many will know from his long running website Rude Roots. Abram is totally a roots purist, like many of us. Expect a great set of tasty vintage vibes.
http://www.myspace.com/thesidecarsplus

This is going to be a very sweet show. Come early to be sure you get in and catch every minute.
Peace,
Chris”

According to producer/director/editor Brandon Smith, the film’s genesis was initiated by “…an interview from Buster Bloodvessel, after an AMAZING Bad Manners show,” which led him to interview many other artists and bands. Besides perhaps becoming the next Ken Burns, Brandon also plays tenor sax in Salt Lake City’s The Upstarts, and tells us, “At the same time I was taking the camera with me to band practice…” as the band was recording its debut album. He continues, “[we] were concerned with the current state of the ska scene in Utah.” With the release of The Upbeat, Brandon helps preserve the legacy of ska music in Utah, which had a very strong scene in the 1990’s. Brandon says his approach to making the films was to “…dive into the history of ska in Utah, and [I] got an enormous amount of help from those who experienced the phenomenon firsthand.”

Judging by the trailer, this looks like a well-produced and well-thought out film that touches on many aspects of the Utah ska scene, including its influence in the Mormon community.

The Upbeat Official website: http://www.theupbeatmovie.com/

The Upbeat on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theupbeatmovie

The Upstarts on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/upstartska

The music has a strikingly fresh sound to it, especially considering the band’s revivalist sound. The soulful vocals backed by the solid vibe of the band combine to create mix of reggae and ska that should appeal to a wide variety of listeners – anyone who likes good quality ska, reggae or soul will find something they like here.

Check out the Green Room Rockers MySpace page  for music, tour dates, and general band info. Be sure to pick up a copy of their debut album, “Hoosier Homegrown“,  and while you’re at it, grab  a limited edition t-shirt. And definitely try to catch them live in support of their upcoming tour. Remember, bands make their living by playing live, so getting the people out to the clubs is a must!

Official website: http://www.greenroomrockers.com