Lawless Street

Missed Our Regular Updates?

Lawless — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:16:12 +0000

Been out of town working with The Skatalites band on their Westcoast tour. Sorry updates were not ongoing while I was out on the road. It was a blast and will have some great pictures coming up. For now check out this video of the last song on the last day of the tour in Las Vegas.

You might recognized some of the people on the video.

New Roy Ellis 7″ of Classic Symarip Tunes

Lawless — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:57:51 +0000

Roy Ellis has just been in the studio with Transilvanians recording two gems that will be released in May on 7″ vinyl via Spain’s Liquidator Records. Both tracks are covers of old Symarip classics from the 60′s.

As part of the promotion for the release a video will be released. It was directed by Laurel Parker from Mobley Street Productions who also did the recent Granadians video and many others.

Here are a couple of pictures from the set.

Watch this site for an EXCLUSIVE preview of the new track and video next week!!!

Los Granadians to Release “Reggalactico” Album

Lawless — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:24:51 +0000

Los Granadians del Espacio Exterior will release a new album this spring titled ‘Reggalactico’. The new record will be released on full length LP and CD featuring 10 new songs of their own stylish brand sweet sweet Rocksteady and Reggae. I’ve never been disappointed by anything they have ever released so I’m sure this new release will once again fulfill my need for Spanish floor-shaking sounds.

The band have some intergalactic touring launches over the next couple of months.

Saturday March 24th: Granada, Sala Planta Baja
Friday March 30th: Jaen, Sala Le Club
Saturday March 31st: Ubeda, La Teteria.
Friday April 13th: Murcia, Sala 12 y Medio
Friday May 4th: London International Ska Festival
Saturday May 12th: Zaragoza, Sala Lopez
Friday May 18th: Madrid, Sala El Sol

Check out their downright cool website here.

New Trojan Attack Label Lee Perry Single

Lawless — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:03:03 +0000

Photo: strictly-vibes.com

The Trojan Records singles series has been hit and miss mostly but the quality is so dam good I’ll pick em up. Reviving long dead labels for the sake of this collectors series makes for a great touch. Seeing the Smash, Duke Reid, Big Shot etc. labels again in such thick pressings and perfect labels is sweet. Most of the tracks are different takes or versions with just a few being real must have cuts of tunes you might not be able to get otherwise though.

Well there is a new limited to 500 units release. This time on the former Morrissey-controlled Attack label from the Sanctury days.

The tracks were originally cut at Perry’s Black Ark Studio in 1976 but went unreleased till 1990 as Aura Meets Lee “Scratch” Perry – Full Experience on the French Blue Moon Productions (BM 116) label.

The Full Experience featured the vocals of African born Aura Lewis, Candy McKenzie (who was recently featured on another Trojan Records/ Lee Perry release) and Pamela Reed. The backing band credited as The Upsetters included Boris Gardiner (bass), Winston Wright (keys), Sticky (percussion), Mikey Boo (drums), Geoffrey Chung (guitar) and Mickey Chung (guitar).

FROM TROJAN RECORDS:
In 1977, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry was in London working with Bob Marley, producing the classic track, ‘Punky Reggae Party’. In need of backing vocalists for the recording, the pair employed South African born Aura Lewis and local singer, Candy McKenzie.

Soon after, Perry returned to Jamaica was reunited with both Lewis and McKenzie in Jamaica and began employing them on sessions, along with local singer, Pamela Reed, with the trio working under the title of the Full Experience.

Over the ensuing months, the group featured on a variety of recordings for the producer at his famed Black Ark studio, backing others on his roster as well as featuring as the named act. Among the recordings that fell into the latter category were a handful of tracks that remained unissued until 1990, when they were finally issued in limited numbers in France. Among these were ‘Young, Gifted And Broke’ and ‘Can’t See You’, both of which now finally make their 7” debut, comprising the respective A and B sides of the latest release in Trojan ‘s limited edition 7” range.

As with previous titles in the series, the single, which revives the much-loved Attack imprint, is pressed on high quality, heavy-weight vinyl and comes in Trojan’s official house-bag, with a total of just 500 copies manufactured.

Purchase now for release on March 26th.

Source: Trojan Records

Wondering what the tune sounds like? Well via the power of the tube we can share it with you.

Young, Gifted & Broke

Can’t See You

I do think this is pushing the rare, from the vault or unreleased tag they have been promoting the series around. While this record was surely pressed in low numbers in France only I think the idea that the tracks were produced by Lee Perry to go with the other recent Lee Perry releases and to celebrate his birthday this month were more attractive then finding actual gems.

Do you plan to pick up this latest release??

Queen P & The Shifters November Tour Review

Lawless — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:57:23 +0000

Photo by BlondeShells

Last November King Duncan from the DC band The Shifters wanted to do something really special for his birthday. So he got the idea to fly Queen P from LA so he could see her perform. Naturally his band would back her up and he would get a chance to sing with one of his idols at the same times. Well that turned into a few more dates and a mini-tour ensued.

As a preview of the dates that were scheduled and even more background from Duncan himself he wrote this piece about his admiration for Ocean 11 and Queen P and the inspiration they gave him at age 17 to pursue music. It’s a great read with a true heartfelt love for the music. Check it out!

Here is an excerpt from the piece:
“17 years ago, I was turning 17.” by King Duncan

That was the thought that ran through my head this morning when I woke up at 5 AM. I don’t have a lot of time these days to ponder life, mortality, love found and lost… Y’know, the real meaningful shit portrayed by people my age in romantic comedies. Yeah. That’s not me. I’m kind of busy. I’m a “working professional” who moved to DC from San Diego to further my career, like many imports to this area. To torture myself further, I’ve also joined a few bands along the way and helped start a monthly Ska and Reggae venue because, obviously, I was getting way too much sleep. My life is hectic. So somewhere between a morning shower and walking into work, I get a few seconds to think, reflect, and focus.

Lately, that quality morning-think time has been dedicated to concentrating on this upcoming weekend (and inevitably about my upcoming birthday on Sunday). In case anyone reading this doesn’t know, The Shifters, my semi-upstart, semi-Rocksteady band, are embarking on a mini-tour up the East Coast with Persephone, AKA Queen P, from Ocean 11. Persephone was kind enough to agree to come out here for my birthday and perform one show at my club, BlueBeat DC. The idea eventually evolved and we ended up agreeing to extend the good times through Veterans Day, with stops in Baltimore and New York City.

Amongst friends, band-mates and fans (we have those?), some have asked me just what is the big deal about Ocean 11 and Queen P? Indeed, even this website linked to an article attempting to answer that very question. In an effort to lend clarity to this mystery bestowed on my East Coast brethren, I volunteered to write a piece promoting the shows and shedding some light on why we So Cal folk of a certain age have such a fondness for Ocean 11.

You can read the full post here in all it’s gushing glory.

Duff Guide did a review of the gigs last November that included really good background about Ocean 11, what they meant to the East Coast even though they never got to go there, some Moon Ska history and plenty more goodies.

Here is what he had to say about the show:

Queen P’s phenomenal set was mostly comprised of material off The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (not unexpected, of course) and included The Clarendonians’ “Rules of Life,” The Tartan’s “Solid as a Rock,” Cornel Campbell’s “Let’s Start Again,” Ocean 11′s “I am Queen”–and the highlights for me were Marcia Griffiths’ “I Shall Sing,” and Phyllis Dillon’s “Picture on the Wall” and “I Can’t Forget About You Baby.”

Queen P’s voice has such an amazing purity, warmth, clarity, and directness to it (sadly, sometimes hard to hear through the terrible PA system that night) and she exudes such a cool confidence and ease as she sings. She’s a wonderfully gifted performer to watch in action. I hope she’ll make the trip out East again to play with The Shifters soon–and if you’re anywhere near where they play, you make make sure to catch ‘em!

Here is a video he took for “Solid As A Rock” with a great intro from Duncan further proclaiming his love for all things Queen P.

Read the full review and check out all the videos he took at his site here.

The Shifters uploaded some great videos also from the gigs so click the link for those.

The Tennors To Re-Unite & Work on New Material

Lawless — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:41:55 +0000

Rocksteady group, The Tennors, have reunited after a 35 year hiatus. Founding member George Murphy aka Clive Tennors and Ronnie Davis have reunited along with new member Henry “Sadiki” Buckley Jr., to record a new album and tour the US and European markets.

The group is already busy writing and recording new material for what will become their first new release in over 35 years. The Tennors made their mark on the Jamaican music scene in 1967 with the release of their first recording (and biggest hit in Jamaica for that year), “Pressure and Slide”, done and released under Sir Coxone’s “Downbeat” label. They went on to make some of the most well-known Rocksteady hits. “Ride Yu Donkey”, “Scrub Mi Khaki”, and “Cleopatra” were among some of the favorites. As a testament to the strength of the group’s music, “Ride Yu Donkey” was a featured track in the 2005 French-American film, “Broken Flowers” which starred Bill Murray and Sharon Stone.

About the Tennors:
It was in the midst of the memorable Ska era, or more precisely 1962, that George Murphy aka “Clive Tennors” and Alvin (Cheng Cheng) formed a vocal duet called “The Tennor Twins”. Both singers performed together at numerous Ska venues on many occasions. In 1965 Alvin left the group and Clive teamed up with the the late Maurice “Prof” Johnson. So there they were, two again, and The Tennor Twins continued with Clive as the lead vocalist on most of their live shows. By 1965 Ska had come to its end and with it ushered in a new era called “Rocksteady”. In 1967, at the invitation of Clive and Prof, Norman Davis joined the group for in-studio performances. Since they were now a trio, Clive decided to rename the group “The Tennors”. It was at the legendary Studio One label, owned by ‘Sir’ Coxone Dodd, that their first recordings were done and released under the “Downbeat” label. Their song “Pressure and Slide” was their first recording as The Tennors and became the biggest hit in Jamaica for the year 1967.

Tragically, Johnson passed away in 1967. Deeply saddened by his friend’s death, Clive was now more determined that the group should continue, and invited Nehemiah Reid to join the group. It was while on a break in the countryside that Clive was bemused with the antics of a donkey owned by his in-laws, which made it unrideable. Then the idea hit him – write a song about this donkey! Returning to Kingston, the group recorded “Ride Yu Donkey” and the rest is history. Thus it was that The Tennors presence in the annals of the Jamaican musical scene was launched forever.

There was yet to be another change. With the departure of Norman and Nehemiah, two exciting newcomers, Ronnie Davis and Milton Wilson joined the group – Ronnie as lead singer. With a freshness of spirit the group forged ahead relentlessly with such smash hits as “The Stage”, “Another Scorcher”, “Massi Massa” and “Weather Report”. They became one of the most outstanding groups in Jamaica, and their consistency earned them the title of best performers in the Jamaica Festival of 1973 when they performed the song “Hopeful Village”, which was released later on the now famous Duke Reid Label, “Treasure Isle”. The Tennors also found their international niche when many of their recordings became favorites around the world. As a testament to the strength of the group’s music, “Ride Yu Donkey” was a featured track in the 2005 French-American film, “Broken Flowers” which starred Bill Murray and Sharon Stone.

In 2012, after a near 35 year hiatus, The Tennors have reunited! Current members are George Murphy aka “Clive Tennors”, Ronnie Davis and new member Henry “Sadiki” Buckley, Jr.

Visit The Tennors on Facebook

Here is one of my favorite tunes from the early days of the band.

For Press/Media inquiries, please contact asrozaypr@hotmail.com
For booking inquiries, please contact The Skinny Bwoy Agency, LLC. at theskinnybwoyagency@hotmail.com

Happy Birthday Upsetter!

Lawless — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:12:48 +0000

Happy Birthday Upsetter!

Support Alpha Boys School with Donated Instruments

Lawless — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:45:03 +0000

The Victoria Ska Festival Society is currently looking for donations of instruments and money to send to the Alpha Boys School in Jamaica. They are calling it the Alpha Boys School Project.

Founded in the 19th century, The Alpha Boys School in Jamaica has influenced the creation of Ska and thus Reggae music in Jamaica and around the world. The school’s musical alumni include members of The Skatalites, Yellowman, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Rico Rodriguez, Desmond Dekker and many more.

The project is the brain child of Byron Maier, President of the Victoria BC Ska Society who wanted to find a way to give back to the roots of where the music came from and a positive way to reach out to the kids. The society, which has been instrumental in keeping Ska alive in Victoria and surrounding Canadian territories for over a decade, organizes the yearly Victoria Ska Fest. The festival and year-long events leading to the big show have become one of North America’s largest and pretty much only festival purely dedicated to Ska in various forms.

Byron was thinking about the project for a while, but it really came to together after watching the documentary “Rocksteady” which included information about the famous institution that the project hopes to help. They say “It’s really about getting the kids good working instruments that they cannot afford. This music has given so much to the world and it is time we return back in kind, to the roots.”

You can follow the project on it’s Facebook page here.

Please contact Byron Maier of the Victoria BC Ska Society at byron@byronmaier.com to arrange any donations even if you don’t live in Canada.

Here is a little news story about the project.

Jamaican Ska & Rocksteady Fest Announced for June

Lawless — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:50:14 +0000

As festivities roll-on in celebration of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of their independence the island continues to pay tribute to his musical foundation. From the Jazz and Blues Fest including such acts as The Ska Rebirth Band and Derrick Morgan to the recently announced First Annual Jamaica Ska and Rocksteady Festival happening in June things are once again heating up for the sounds of a young Jamaica in the air.

The festival will include an all-star lineup including the already announced Eric “Monty” Morris, The Tennors and Dave & Ansel Collins among the first acts that will perform. The festival will be take place in various venues throughout Kingston, Jamaica June 7th to June 9th. More acts will be announced soon.

Tickets are already available for anyone wanting to make the trip to Jamaica. Purchase online at www.jaskarocksteadyfest.eventbrite.com

RSVP at the Facebook event page.

Ernie B Tells His Side

Lawless — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:33:30 +0000

Ernie B posted to the Blood and Fire message board with more from his side of things.

Burning Spear and his wife have gone through some unbelievably difficult times. Our sympathy is with them. I don’t know how or why they would think we would sell or manufacture illegal (“bootlegs”). They used to sell to us directly and then one day they stopped, claiming that “our bootlegging” is the reason that their CD sales dropped so much (CD sales have dropped dramatically for everyone, of course).

At first I laughed off their claims because I didn’t realize they were actually trying to be serious. After months of frequent discussions, and around the time that they claimed they never sold us one CD (and that the invoices and signed checks I supplied were “fake documents”), I stopped answering their Emails and voice-mails. Then the attacks began, in the form of harassing Emails and voice-mails (over 1,000 so far). Recently, the tone of the harassment took a terrible and very serious turn for the worse, so much so that we had no choice but to involve law enforcement.

We are not their only targets. They have been attacking many other innocent people for quite some time.

We’re not into “bootlegs” of any kind and never have been. Obviously, in this day and age, if we were then we would have been out of business years ago. We simply buy and sell finished products; we don’t manufacture. Almost every item we purchase comes straight from the artist or producer or label.

We are 100% “right” and they are “100% “wrong”, however we have no ill-feelings toward them. As I said, they went through some very, very bad times and I hope they can forget these silly bootlegging claims that they have against us (and everyone else) and simply get back to doing regular business. While their label was running they were putting out excellent product with sensational packaging. We (and the fans) miss it!

We’re on the same team and Burning Spear as far as piracy goes, and the general love for the music (that’s what brought me into the business in the first place). It’s a recurring theme with artists: when sales go down, it must be because someone is bootlegging. Obviously 99% of the people can easily see the truth so it’s a waste to go into further details. I am sure you’d all like to hear what’s happening behind the scenes but the details would only hurt Burning Spear’s position and I don’t see any benefit in dragging them down. The best approach, in my opinion, is to help prop them up so they can get the label going again.

After people understand the truth I sincerely hope that they do not direct any negativity toward them for the terrible mistakes they are making now.

This episode has disheartened us, not because we are being attacked, but because of the pity we feel for these two people who have given so much to the reggae world. I hope this settles down and we get back to selling their records (we stopped selling Burning Spear music because they asked us to not buy any from anywhere).

I hope they can see the light soon before more damage is done. Please keep all input positive; we have enough negativity in the world already, right? We still feel that we are on the same team and want to work together and move forward in a positive way, as we were before these bootlegging claims came out of nowhere.

So what do you think about all this business?

No related posts.

Ken Parker Announces Two California Dates

Lawless — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:57:06 +0000

The amazing Ken Parker will make his debut appearance on the westcoast at the end of March. Ken has been largely overlooked as an artist except for the amazing ‘Groovin’ In Style!‘ collection put out by Trojan Records. That in no means that true Jamaican music nerds are unfamiliar with him.

After forming the Blues Benders in the mid 60′s he ended up auditioning for Coxsone Dodd as a soloist after his bandmates didn’t show up for the meeting. He proceeded recording singles for Dodd and Reid then going on to record for most of the major producers of the time including Bunny Lee, Rupie Edwards, Byron Lee, Joe Gibbs and Lloyd Charmers. By around ’72 though he became disillusioned with the music business and left. Hits included “My Whole World is Falling Down”, “Jimmy Brown”, “Help Me Make it Through the Night”, “Queen Majesty” and “Only Yesterday”

As a good read take some time to check out this in-depth interview by Peter I. from some years ago. It’s packed full of great information on Ken including topics such as his strict upbringing, the lack of substance in the music coming out at the time, his time with Coxsone at the Brentford Road studios and more.

Ken Parker
backed by The Fully Fullwood Band
With special guest Downbeat The Ruler
& Dub Club DJ’s

Wednesday March 28th
The Dub Club
(@ The Echo?Plex downstairs)
1154 Glendale Blvd. (through alley) Los Angeles, CA
Doors: 9PM
Ages: 21+
Price: $10
Purchase Tickets Here

First Round Presents
Ken Parker
with The Titan-Ups
and special guests Keysor Soze and Boss 501
DJ’s Sir Rudy Blackout, King Daddy, Sir Winston Ratchet and Lady Sage with Bluebird.

Saturday March 31st
Rockit Room
406 Clement Street San Francisco, CA
Doors: 8:30AM
Ages: 21+
Price: $10
Purchase Tickets Here
RSVP to the Facebook Event Page

Dub Club Podcast #2

Lawless — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:39:27 +0000

This week’s podcast is a showcase of great horn instrumentals. Blow Mr. Hornsman, Blow!

Download

Phoenix City Records To Release Tributes to Prince Buster & 2 Tone

Lawless — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:14:28 +0000

Sean Flowerdew’s Cherry Red Records imprint Phoenix City Records which specializes in Ska and Rocksteady of course have announced they will release two tribute albums to very specific masters in the own right. Both albums will be launched at this year’s London International Ska Fest taking place in May.

First up is an album from one of UK’s most loved ska bands The Dualers titled ‘Prince Buster Tribute’ paying tribute to the King of Ska Prince Buster as the title suggests in their own highly stylized mix of Ska and Reggae. The album will include versions of “Chinaman Ska”, “King of Kings”, “Orange Street” and “Enjoy Yourself” amongst other Buster hits.

The Dualers previously entered the UK charts on three occasions with “Truly Madly Deeply”, “Don’t Go” and “Kiss On My Lips”, shifted over 35,000 albums and sold out London’s O2 Indigo four times.

The second album will be from a super group of all-stars from the Phoenix City stable and will be called appropriately called The Phoenix City All-Stars. The album is titled ‘2 Tone: Ska & Rocksteady Special’ which as you might imagine will be a tribute to all things 2 Tone.

The band will feature the vocals talents of stars old and new including Dave ‘Double Barrel’ Barker and Michie One who has performed with the likes of Pama International and will be present a unique twist on some of 2 Tone’s greatest hits giving them a more reported “blazing 60′s Skatalites style and sweetest sounding rocksteady” vibe rather than the more 80′s London Ska style that blanketed the UK in checkers.

Songs included in the re-working include The Specials’ “Too Much Too Young”, which was in fact originally based around an early reggae hit Lloydie & The Lowbites’ “Birth Control”, “Stereotype” and the iconic “Ghost Town”. Also slanted to be re-worked are the second song ever from 2 Tone, “The Selecter”, which was released as the B-side to The Specials debut “Gangsters” as they had nothing else for the flip and a version of Elvis Costello’s “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down”, which was an actual 2-Tone release but instantly became a rarity as it was given away free at gigs instead of actually being an official release after publishing issues with Costello’s record label came up. This version will feature the outstanding Mr Barker on vocal duties so it’s sure to be a workout.

Both albums will be launched at The London Intl Ska Festival. CD versions can be pre-ordered now with tickets from www.londoninternationalskafestival.co.uk/tickets and picked up at the festival, or if you can’t make the event, they will be available on CD and download formats from itunes, Amazon and other usual outlets after the event.

Introducing By The Rivers UK Reggae Band

Lawless — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:27:18 +0000

Going from opening for the Specials on their 15 date arena tour, by personal invite from the band no less, to number 2 on the UK iTunes Reggae Album Charts to opening for Maxi Priest, Dawn Penn, Musical Youth and John Holt could make any young band lose a sense of themselves rather quickly. Especially when you consider that the members of the band range in ages from 18-24 and formed just a little over a year and half ago (although some have been playing together in other bands for many years). Not bad for a bunch of white lads from Leicester eh?

Formed in September 2010 By The Rivers seem to be taking it all in stride as a semi-resurgence of live rootsy Reggae acts liven up the UK scene again. The band was formed by Nile Barrow and Jordan Birtles, who have been friends since birth as M48 but quickly became a 6 piece built around more of their love for reggae than anything else.

The tunes so far are sung with an obvious passion for uplifting lyrics about everyday life in a catchy rootsy reggae style with a modern slant. Reminds me of Chris Murray style social commentary. The name of the band itself is a play on the names of the 2 main musical architects of the bands sound having names of famous rivers – The Nile and Jordan rivers specifically.

United Reggae did a recent interview with the band where they talk about how the support slot on the Specials tour came about:

We had a gig supporting Neville Staple in Derby, and after the show, Neville asked for a CD, so I gave him an EP and a business card. A few days later I received a phone call from him saying he loved the EP, and would pass us on. Not too long after, I got a call from Lynval Golding, saying he was really liking our sound, and would see about getting us on the tour… By The RiversThe next thing we knew, we were being asked to play a 15 date UK Arena Tour supporting The Specials, and it was incredible!!

They’ve released two EP’s – ‘EP1′ and ‘EP2′ – both produced by Peri Birtles (Jordan’s older brother) and a new single “One Word” which are available from their Bandcamp Page. All are worth picking up in my opinion if you go the digital route. The covers alone are simple and remind of of early 80′s post punk covers which isn’t a bad thing at all.

EP 2 by BY THE RIVERS

One Word (single) by BY THE RIVERS

The Monograph UK website did a review of their first 2 EP’s where they said:

They have captured all the essence of the typical reggae sound and feel effortlessly, but combined it with a slightly more modern influence and haven’t lost the ‘local boy’ charm.

One of the favorite tunes so far is “Rocksteady” from EP2. Check out this video of them from 2010 playing it acoustically. Any fan of Chris Murray will instantly fall in love with the style of the tune.

They are currently in the studio working on their debut album for release later in 2012.

If you’re near Holland, Germany or Denmark in April check em out as they open for the Slackers:
19th – (Acoustic set) Melkweg w/ The Slackers – Amsterdam, Holland
22nd – (Acoustic set) Hafenklang w/ The Slackers – Hamburg, Germany
23rd – (Acoustic Set) Beta w/ The Slackers – Copenhagen, Denmark
24th – (Acoustic Set) SO36 w/ The Slackers – Berlin, Germany
25th – (Acoustic Set) Underground w/ The Slackers – Cologne, Germany

Connect with the band via their websites:
www.bytherivers.co.uk
www.facebook.com/bytherivers
www.twitter.com/bytherivers

Ska Legend Eric “Monty” Morris In New York Sat

Lawless — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:34:49 +0000

Dig Deeper is honored to present one of the legends of Jamaican soul, ska, rocksteady, and reggae – Eric “Monty” Morris, in his first show in NYC in well over a decade, backed by Crazy Baldhead.

The original vocalist for the Skatalites, Eric “Monty” Morris had his first major solo hit in 1961 with “Humpty Dumpty”, a medley of nursery rhymes that proved immensely popular in Jamaica, and also helped mark a turning point in Jamaican music away from more standard copy-catting of American R&B into something rhythmically unique – ska.

He followed up with a prolific string of other ska hits – “Penny Reel”, “Sammy Dead”, “Solomon A Gundy”, “Strongman Sampson”, “Oil in My Lamp”, “Enna Bella”, “Money Can’t Buy Life” – almost too many to list here. He continued to be active through the rocksteady and reggae eras with songs like “Play It Cool”, “Say What You Say”, and “Last Laugh”. Over the years he worked with some of the biggest producers in Jamaican music – Duke Reid, Leslie Kong, Sonia Pottinger, Clancy Eccles, and Lee “Scratch” Perry – and duetted with the likes of Derrick Morgan, Patsy, Roy Panton, and Prince Buster.

Despite recording an almost uncountable number of singles, it wasn’t until 2011 that he put out his very first full album, “The Living Legends Collection – Eric Monty Morris”, re-recording many of his old hits.

Monty’s first show in NYC was at the 1964 World’s Fair – his visits since then have been very few and far between, and we’ve been waiting for over a decade to see him back in town. This night will be a rare chance to see one of the absolute masters of ska in action.

Saturday, Mar 10, 2012
Dig Deeper presents:
Eric “Monty” Morris & Crazy Baldhead
plus
Dig Deeper DJs Honky & Mr. Robinson, with Deadly Dragon Sound System spin all original Jamaican and soul 45s all night long

21 years and over / 9:30PM Doors
$15 ADV / $20 DOS

The Bell House
149 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Tickets are available here on Ticketweb

RSVP to the Facebook event page here.

Here he is at a gig last year in Germany where you can see just how much energy he still has. Should be a great show for NYC!

Burning Spear Vs EB Reggae

Lawless — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:11:04 +0000

In another instance of a Reggae superstar airing supposed issues with their record label or distributor Burning Spear has lashed out via his facebook page and is calling for a boycott against one of the top American reggae distributors, Ernie B’s Reggae, proclaiming the company has repeatedly and knowingly shipped bootlegs copies of his records.

An Observer article noted that Spear had, in a Facebook post from February, alleged that “they bootlegging all of our music and trying to use the police to get us arrested. Time to unite, it’s our music that feed them.”

In a second post, dated February 13, Spear called for the California-based Ernie B’s to be shut down completely or he would refuse to play any future shows, which was quickly reversed.According to a unitedreggae.com post, Spear had suggested he was going into exile due to the issues. He then posted he had secured some of the best lawyers in the world and plans to sue for missing royalties.

Ernie B of course vehemently denies any wrong doing disputing Spear’s claims and issuing the following statement:

In 19 years of doing business I have never seen an illegal copy of Burning Spear’s music pass through our warehouse, nor have I been offered any, nor have we stocked or sold any.

When determining the validity of the claims that Burning Spear Music is making against us, it should be duly noted that those same claims are being made against virtually every company that they have ever dealt with. We continue to hold a deep respect for Spear’s legendary works and hope that they will decide to start selling the music again. We understand their frustrations of dealing in this business. We also understand the ease at which some wrong ideas may be adopted (about us, for example), perhaps due to misunderstandings or the spread of malicious rumors.

We hope to see their product available again soon. We have always praised the amazing quality of the content and the packaging!

With regard to our shipping policy, we ship hundreds of boxes overseas daily (mostly vinyl) and about 1 out of 1,000 result in a customer complaint regarding damaged or lost goods. We generally issue refunds with no questions asked.

Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) has always been a focal point, a firebrnad for things he strongly believes in and was been on a path of self distribution for many years as a way to truly be the master of his own work. Is this just another case of an artist being taken advantage of or a misunderstanding on Spear’s part? Is Ernie B at fault or his he just the target of an attack by an artist that doesn’t understand completely how things are working in the new music landscape?

A Little “Door Peep” knowledge

Club Reggae Compilation Re-issued

Lawless — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:56:03 +0000

I remember finding Trojan Records’ ‘Club Reggae’ compilation on vinyl in a little shop in Burbank. I think it was Atomic Records in Burbank which dealt with a lot of original press vinyl mainly from UK and Jazz circles. They had tons of stuff but just a small reggae section but it usually had some winners.

United Reggae posted this summary of the tracks included on the album

It may not be one of the strongest collections from Trojan or as revered as the ‘Tighten Up’ series, but it is till a good collection that includes the rousing ‘54-46 Was My Number’ from Toots & The Maytals, the UK #1 single from Dave Barker and Ansel Collins ‘Double Barrel’ and the clip-clop of Andy Capp’s (Lynford Anderson) spaghetti western flavoured ‘The Law’. It also captures some of the diversity in reggae styles of the era with The Fabulous Flames almost hymn like ‘Holly Holy’, the calypso steel drum, swing of Selwyn Baptiste’s ‘Mo’ Bay’ and touches of funkiness and soul on The Pioneers ‘I Need Your Sweet Inspiration’ and Hopeton Lewis and The Chosen Few ‘Boom Shaka Lacka’.

First issued in 1971, ‘Club Reggae’ was intended as the natural successor to Trojan’s ‘Tighten Up’ range, following the simple yet effective formula of highlighting the most popular tracks on the club scene of the day on one budget-priced collection.

The inaugural album proved so popular that over the next few years, a further five volumes (including one un-numbered 1974 LP bearing the title) were issued, with each featuring eye-catching sleeves that have since become regarded iconic images of the period.

Now, over 40 years since its original issue, the best-selling first volume of ‘Club Reggae’ finally makes it onto CD, with the original tape masters and artwork ensuring the release remains as faithful to the original vinyl release as possible.

Tracks
1. Holly Holy – The Fabulous Flames
2. 54 46 Was My Number – Toots & The Maytals
3. Double Barrel – Dave Barker & Ansel Collins
4. Groovy Situation – Derrick Harriott
5. Take A Letter Maria – Dandy
6. Wear You To The Ball – U Roy & John Holt
7. Rivers Of Babylon – The Melodians
8. The Law – Andy Capp
9. Hitchin’ A Ride – Al T. Joe
10. (I Need Your) Sweet Inspiration – The Pioneers
11. Mo’ Bay (Montego Bay) – Selwyn Baptiste
12. Boom Shaka Laka (Boom Sha-Ka-La-Ka) – Hopeton Lewis & The Chosen Few

Source: Trojan Records

Marley Doc Due for April Release; Wows Berlin Film Fest

Lawless — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:16:52 +0000

Neville Garrick, Kevin Macdonald, Rohan Marley @ Berlin Film Fest

Premiering at the recent Berlin Film Festival, the new authorized Bob Marley documentary simply titled ‘Marley‘ was a smashing hit.

Critics at the festival were almost unanimous in their praise of the film, directed by Oscar-winning documentary film-maker Kevin Macdonald (“One Day in September”, “The Last King of Scotland”), which some have called the definitive biography of the reggae singer. It’s fully supported by the Marley family and Island Records including having Marley’s son Ziggy Marley and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell on board as executive producers.

“This documentary is the ultimate revelation of my father’s life,” said Ziggy Marley. “The family is proud to be able to have the world finally experience this emotional journey.”

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

The Documentary uses rare footage, archival photos, performances and interviews with family, friends and bandmates to tell the story behind the world known musician who took the music of Jamaica and the Rastafari Movement to the world.

It attempts to explore his whole life from the time of his birth to when he died at age 36 from Cancer from people that were actually there with him, his family, his bandmates and others. The film, as mentioned in the review in Variety from film critic Guy Lodge, touches on subjects such as how he was troubled by his mixed-race heritage, the bullying he dealt with as a child and breaking down the barrier’s surrounding his domestic life such as how his many affairs and children out of wedlock took its toll on wife Rita and their daughter Cedella.

Paste Magazine posted a great review mentioning “The film is fairly detailed concerning Marley’s songwriting and musicianship from his early ska days up through the release of Catch a Fire. After this, however, it skips through his catalog, choosing to focus more on his personal life, conversion to Rastafarianism, the tumultuous state of Jamaican politics, and his prolific womanizing—all of which are important elements of the artist’s character. This makes for an interesting journey, although music geeks will surely miss the behind-the-scenes insight about classic albums and songs that might have appeared.“.

That would be an interesting movie and mirrors comments I made about the Lee Perry ‘Upsetter’ doc. I doubt though too many people will complain about the film’s focus as it sounds very well plotted and the visual look of the film is said to be amazing.

The Telegraph UK posted a rather in-depth discussion of the film including this interesting bit about Marley at the end of his life.

Key interviewees include Bunny Wailer, a surviving founding member of Marley’s band the Wailers. Afterwards the narrative is taken up by Neville Garrick, the Wailers’ artistic director.

Garrick recalled Marley’s frustration at the toll his illness took towards the end.

“He had a stroke on one side so he couldn’t play his guitar anymore and I think that kind of frustrated him,” he said.

“Besides, he lost his locks, that all came with the chemotherapy. But being not able to function 100 percent, I think that really hurt him.

and in his review of the documentary, Telegraph film critic Tim Robey said:

“A documentary with scope and soul, this cradle-to-grave portrait of Bob Marley, executive produced by his son Ziggy, is an inner-circle affair, mercifully short on windy eulogising from his famous devotees; the only talking heads knew him intimately.”

Rohan Marley, in Berlin for the debut screening, recounts a story as posted in the LA Times of one time when he and his brother Stephen were playing inside the closed gates of the Marley estate at 56 Hope Road when two poor boys came by, and the Marley brothers telling them to leave, “that today they had their dad all to themselves”.

Bob caught the conversation, and angrily said “I’m here for the ones outside the gates,” and gave them some money telling Rohan to buy ice cream for the poor boys and none for themselves. They learned, said Rohan Marley, “we may call him Daddy, but we’re just one of the many.”

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

The film runs 152 minutes (long for some reviewers) and was originally started by Martin Scorsese for the Weinstein Company back in 2008, but he left citing “scheduling conflicts,” and was replaced by Jonathan Demme who also left in 2009 after he and producer Steve Bing had creative differences in the middle of editing. Two hugely influential directors leaving a project might have spelled disaster for any project but Kevin Macdonald soon stepped in to finish it up.

The North American premiere will take place at the SXSW Film Festival in March. Then, as reported in the The Hollywood Reporter, Magnolia Pictures snagged the U.S. distribution rights and will open the film in theaters and on VOD/ digital platforms April 20. VH1 partnered for first screen rights for TV and will include it as part of its Rock Doc franchise.

View the trailer below.

Follow updates on the film via it’s Facebook page.

Take a minute to listen to director Kevin MacDonald’s BBC Radio 6 interview from May 2011 below.

READ THE FULL STORY OF THE FILM BELOW

For nearly half a century, Bob Marley – the musician, the revolutionary, the legend – has influenced various populations at a global level that remains unparalleled. Marley’s passing in May 1981 not only left a huge void in what is perhaps modern music’s most spiritual and yet accessible genre, reggae, but also, as a testament to the star’s power, set the stage for the unprecedented, posthumous growth of his fan base.

The enduring nature of Bob Marley’s fame is anything but a simple pop music phenomenon. Just one index of it is the success of the Marley compilation album “Legend,” which is one of only 17 albums to pass the 10-million mark in sales (in 2009), continues to sell at the rate of about 250,000 albums per year, and is the second-longest charting album in the history of Billboard magazine’s record-keeping. With an ever-growing fanbase (as evidenced by his 33+ million roster of fans on Facebook and Twitter), his fame has elevated his stature to one of a spiritual beacon.

More than 30 years later, the undying messages that go beyond his music make Marley a cultural force to be reckoned with. His way of living was in many ways a political act on the world stage, across the world’s continents. Today, wherever politically minded youth seeks ways to find solidarity (as was exemplified over recent months by the popularity of Bob Marley’s music and imagery amidst scenes of protest in the Middle East and Africa and at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations and its many offshoots), they find him to be an ever-potent cultural touchstone. And yet, for all the loyalty shown to the icon, and all the renewing excitement for those still discovering his legacy, many mysteries and unanswered questions have remained. A glut of concert films, biographies, DVDs and unauthorized videos already have attempted to explore his story over the years since his death, but the man himself remains almost as enigmatic as he is beloved.

Now, through the unprecedented, combined efforts of the Marley family, Oscar-winning master filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Life in a Day, One Day in September) and Shangri-La Entertainment (Shine a Light, Heart of Gold), many of those questions have been given an answer, and many of those mysteries have in great part been solved.

“The thing at the back of my mind,” Macdonald explains, “the question I wanted to answer in making the film, was: Why does he still speak to people around the world (because it’s clear that he does) and why does he speak to people so much more profoundly than any other rock artist or popular music artist….What I was fascinated to try to do in this film was to make something very personal. Who is this man? Why did he become so successful? What was the message that he had to give out to people?”

Full Echoes of Kingston Skatalites Tour Dates Announced

Lawless — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:06:59 +0000

The Skatalites featuring Lester Sterling and the queen of Ska Doreen Shafer are headlining the 2nd annual Echoes of Kingston Tour. The tour will start in Houston Texas on Friday March 30 then head to stops in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizone, Mexico, throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Canada and end at the huge Viva Ska Vegas Festival in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday April 28. Each stop of the tour will feature bands supporting the legendary Jamaican artist bringing together young bands with the forefathers on the same stage. Los Angeles’ Delirians will support most of the California dates making this the second year they have played the tour.

Follow updates on the tour at the Skatalites official page or the tour website www.echoesofkingston.com. I’ll actually be tweeting along the tour as well so follow daily updates from the tour via the Skatalites Twitter account or the Jamrec Ent Twitter account.

FULL TOUR SCHEDULE
Fri 3/30/2012 Houston, TX @ HOB
Sat 3/31/2012 Austin, TX @ Flamingo Theater
Mon 4/2/2012 Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Sol
Tue 4/3/2012 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
Wed 4/4/2012 Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theater
Thu 4/5/2012 Denver, CO @ Cervantes
Fri 4/6/2012 Durango, CO @ Abbey Theater
Sat 4/7/2012 Phoenix, AZ @ Compound Grill
Wed 4/11/2012 Ensenada, Mexico
Thu 4/12/2012 San Diego, CA @ World Beat Cultural Center
Fri 4/13/2012 Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos Theater
Sat 4/14/2012 Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
Mon 4/16/2012 Santa Rosa, CA @ Last Day Saloon
Tue 4/17/2012 Arcata, CA @ Humbrews
Wed 4/18/2012 Portland, OR @ Goodfoot Lounge
Thu 4/19/2012 Vancouver, CAN @ The Venue
Fri 4/20/2012 Victoria, CAN @ Club 9ONE9
Sat 4/21/2012 Cumberland, CAN @ Waverly Pub
Mon 4/23/2012 Bellingham, WA @ Blue Horse Gallery
Tue 4/24/2012 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
Wed 4/25/2012 Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
Thu 4/26/2012 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
Fri 4/27/2012 Oakland, CA @ The Uptown
Sat 4/28/2012 Las Vegas, NV @ Viva Ska Vegas Festival

Prince Buster & Madness Sing Madness; LA, SF, SD Shows Announced

Lawless — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:35:26 +0000

Want to see the artist that inspired one of the biggest bands in the world step out on stage to sing the song that originally inspired the band and gave the band their now world famous name? Yeah I thought you might.

Just a fun little video from Madness but the real news is Goldenvoice just announced a Los Angeles show at the Nokia Theater on Monday April 16th for the band! This follows other already announced shows including stops in Las Vegas, San Diego and San Francisco book-ended by their performances at the Coachella Festival on April 13th and 20th.

This is sure to start a riot! People have been asking about an LA show ever since the big C shows were announced. The last time Madness came through town on such a trip they were playing the Inland Invasion fest and held a secret show at the Troubadour which was SO amazing. I was able to get tickets to the show and it was by far one of the greatest shows I have ever been to. Seeing this band that plays stadiums on such a small stage was mind blowing.

Tickets for the Nokia show go on sale this Thursday March 8 at 10:00AM. Follow Goldenvoice on Twitter for more announcements.

MADNESS TOUR DATES:
Friday April 13 – Coachella
Saturday April 14 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV [Tickets: $29.50 + $10 Fee]
Monday April 16 – Nokia Theater – Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday April 17 – Humphreys Concerts By the Bay – San Diego, CA [Tickets: $48.00 + $10.55 Fee]
Thursday April 19 – The Warfield – San Francisco, CA [Tickets: $42 + $11.50 Fee GA]
Friday April 20 – Coachella

See the rest of the Goldenvoice calendar in the image to the left. Click it to see an expanded view.

Will there be more dates announced? Possibly but I doubt it. They’ve pretty much covered all the markets available. Maybe it LA sells out fast they could add another on the 18 or 15 still right. Either way I doubt I’ll get to see em this time around as I’ll be out on tour with the Echoes of Kingston tour featuring the Skatalites. Bummer right? Tough life. Madness Vs. The Skatalites. Sure wish I could figure out someway to get them together. Imagine that right!!