Hepcat is beyond amazing. As the greatest modern ska band playing with such soul and confidence it’s a shame they can’t get out and play as much as we would like. They recently did a little jaunt across the pond though which is real nice to hear.

Check out this sweet clip / live [...]]]>

Hepcat is beyond amazing. As the greatest modern ska band playing with such soul and confidence it’s a shame they can’t get out and play as much as we would like. They recently did a little jaunt across the pond though which is real nice to hear.

Check out this sweet clip / live video / promo of the band doing what they do – play the hits like no other – in this case “Rudies All Around” & “Guns Fever”.

Head over to our message board and let the band know what you think..

Jimmy Cliff – son of Jamaica, reggae super artist, star of “The Harder They Come” and living legend is being honored by being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow Monday March 15th in New York City. Congratulations Jimmy!

We were working on something more for the blog but our buddy over [...]]]>

Jimmy Cliff – son of Jamaica, reggae super artist, star of “The Harder They Come” and living legend is being honored by being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow Monday March 15th in New York City. Congratulations Jimmy!

We were working on something more for the blog but our buddy over at The Duff Guide To Ska beat us to it and posted a solid collection of links and information on Monday’s induction ceremony already. So we’ll drive some love to his site today. Good one Steve!

Steve says:
“On Monday, March 15, ska and reggae great Jimmy Cliff will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. He is only the second reggae artist ever to be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after (not surprisingly) Bob Marley. ”

Read the rest of the article here:
www.duffguidetoska.blogspot.com

There’s a very special event happening next week in memory of Perry Henzell (who died in 2006), the celebrated director “The Harder They Come”. It’s a double feature screening with Perry’s until recently thought to be lost follow-up “No Place Like Home”. It’s also a celebration of the star of the film, Jimmy Cliff, and [...]]]>

There’s a very special event happening next week in memory of Perry Henzell (who died in 2006), the celebrated director “The Harder They Come”. It’s a double feature screening with Perry’s until recently thought to be lost follow-up “No Place Like Home”. It’s also a celebration of the star of the film, Jimmy Cliff, and his recent induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

There’s a pre-party celebrating the life of Perry Henzell and Jimmy Cliff’s induction before the screenings. Music will be provided by DJ Baby Ace mixing the classics all brought to you by Universal Music Enterprises and Red Stripe Beer.

There will also be a Q&A panel between the screening of each film featuring Justine Henzell (Perry’s daughter), producer David Garonzik, P.J. Soles (actress), Arthur Gorson (friend and producer), Roger Steffens (reggae historian) and special surprise guests which will be moderated by Wayne Jobson.

“No Place Like Home” is not widely known as it was thought to have been lost years ago. It was intended as the 2nd part of a Jamaican trilogy after the international success of “The Harder They Come”, but all the footage that was shot in the 70’s was considered lost, destroyed in a vault flood. After that Perry focused on writing and his first novel POWER GAME in effect became the 3rd and final part of the trilogy.

The film follows New York producer Susan as she ventures into the Jamaican countryside (reversing the country-to-city trajectory of the first film) in search of a runaway actress. The film features music by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Toots & The Maytals, Peter Tosh, Grace Jones and P.J. Soles.

“The Harder They Come” needs no such introduction of course as most readers of this blog have surely seen it repeatedly since they first got a crappy VHS copy at a record swap or off a mate years ago. The DVD transfer is amazing if you haven’t seen it but none of that compares with actually seeing it on the big screen where it should be viewed.

Get more info at the Facebook Event Page.

Friday, March 19, 2010 at 6:30pm
American Cinematheque / Egyptian Theater
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Watch the Trailer for No Place Like Home:

SPECIAL DEAL ALERT:
Discount tickets are available through Goldstar.com ($5.50 plus $3 fee, $11 @ box office)

“The family of Cedric Im Brooks would like to take the time to thank all his fans and well wishers for their out pouring of love and tremendous [...]]]> Wayne Brooks, the eldest son of Cedirc “Im” Brooks, has issued a statement on behalf of the family as a thank you and update on the legendary Saxaphonist.

“The family of Cedric Im Brooks would like to take the time to thank all his fans and well wishers for their out pouring of love and tremendous support in these real trying times. We would also like to take this time to keep all concerned abreast of his situation.”

You can read the full statement at this site:
www.reggaeharmony.com

Steadybeat Recordings was the top of the pops back in the 90’s LA traditional scene and the man at the controls, King [...]]]> There’s a new event about to take off from Chinatown in a couple of weeks. Intensified! Rockin’ The Steady Beat brings the traditional ska and reggae back to Chinatown (anyone remember Hong Kong Cafe?).

Steadybeat Recordings was the top of the pops back in the 90’s LA traditional scene and the man at the controls, King Steadybeat, has slowly been getting back into the action here and there.

This may well be a proper return to form for the man who brought us the likes of the first Hepcat, Ocean 11, See Spot and more back in the day of the OG Hong Kong Cafe sets and The Intensified Fest.
INTENSIFIED!
Rockin The Steady Beat Every Last Sunday
New Monthly Kick-Off: Sunday March 28th

Featuring:
IRIE BEATS (original lineup featuring members from The Allentons, Los Bullets, The Lions, The Titans and Pachamama.
& Top Selectors
The Lawless One (ACE Klub, Ska Wave, Trojan Lounge)
King Steadybeat (Rockers On The Waterfront)
Soul Station #1 (Rockers On The Waterfront)

GRAND STAR JAZZ CLUB
943 Sun Mun Way, Los Angeles
21+over, $5 Cover Full Bar

RSVP TO THE FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.

We’re gonna start a new semi-regular feature of the site. It’s called NOW HEAR DIS and will feature something that you need to hear. Most likely it won’t just be a song (but could be if it really needs to be heard!) but an interview, or radio show, podcast – something of a special interest. [...]]]>

We’re gonna start a new semi-regular feature of the site. It’s called NOW HEAR DIS and will feature something that you need to hear. Most likely it won’t just be a song (but could be if it really needs to be heard!) but an interview, or radio show, podcast – something of a special interest. So here is the first one for your listening pleasure.

FROM THE TROJAN RECORDS WEBSITE:
All this week the BBC are repeating the 2006 documentary, ‘Tighten Up – The Story of Trojan Records’. The series, presented by DJ/ Filmmaker/ Clash confidant Don Letts, comprises four 30 minute shows.

Widely dubbed Reggae‘s Motown, Trojan played a major role in introducing Jamaican music to the world at large and during the late sixties and early seventies chalked up nearly 30 hit singles as well as launching successful album series, most notably ‘Tighten Up’, ‘Reggae Chartbusters’ and ‘Club Reggae’. During this time the company helped launch the careers of numerous Jamaican acts in Britain and beyond, with Jimmy Cliff, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Bob & Marcia and Dave & Ansel Collins just of few of those to make their mark on an international stage via Trojan.

This series tells not just the story of Trojan Records, but also reveals how Jamaican music arrived in the UK. Discover how it all began and how the influx of young Jamaicans into post-war Britain kick-started a West Indian music scene in the UK. Find out how the British skinheads helped propel Ska and Reggae into the mainstream Pop charts and how the music adapted to UK tastes to become internationally successful. Learn too how the whole empire came crashing down, only for Punk and 2Tone to lead to a resurgence, helping confirm Trojan as one of the coolest and most important labels for Reggae music.

With contributions from Ken Boothe, Bunny Lee, BB Seaton, Derrick Harriot, Dandy Livingstone, John Holt, Ansel Collins, Rico Rodriguez, Bob Andy, Derrick Morgan and many more.

To check it out, go to the following:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jl2d

There’s a good little bit posted at The Jamaica Gleaner.

As always [...]]]> Trojan Records is gathering material for another in its expanded re-isssue campaign – this time for rare Desmond Dekker releases. They plan to re-issue the first 2 albums (007 Shantytown & Isrealites) from the artist with expanded and rare/ unreleased bonus material.

There’s a good little bit posted at The Jamaica Gleaner.

As always check the Trojan Records website for all the latest news.