Monkey Man #7 (Volume 1)
Tomas Charles Willis
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
_____________________________________________________________
##
##
MONKEY MAN ## ##
SKA MUSIC NEWS AND REVIEWS ## ##
_____________________________________________________________
##
##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
VOLUME 1 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11, 1993 ISSUE 7
155+ people strong and growin'
########################################
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ::::::::::::::#
######################################
Once again...thankyou for all the support. I wish to personally
thank all those who have contributed. I made about twenty copies
of MM and passed it out to the different bands while at Skavoovee.
They all found it to be interesting and ammusing...to say the least.
It was incredible to be sitting and talking to Pauline Black (Selecter)
while her band faught for copies of the newsletter. I ended up running
out of copies since they all wanted their own copies.
I would like to thank MOON RECORDS and Bucket of the Toasters for
taking care of me at the show.
ALSO KEEP SENDING THE MAIL.....BUT PLEASE PLACE A TITLE IN THE TEXT
OF YOUR LETTER AND LIST THE CITY, LOCATION, AND DATE FOR SHOW REVIEWS
THANKS.....AND KEEP SKANKIN'
Joel Eisner
P.S. I know all of you haven't stoped seeing shows....but the reviews
haven't been commin in.
This week I will start a multiple part series about the Madison Skavoovee
show. It will not only focus on the music but also on the behind
the scenes action:
Part 1:::::::::::::::
Last week the SKA experience of my life probably occured.....yup SKAVOOVEE
came to town. No, I wasnt impressed by all of the bands. They filled
a complete spectrum of quality and entertainment from good to bad.
I arrived arround 4:30 and the first act was supposed to go on about
7pm. This gave me plenty of time to meet with different members of the
groups. I do have to say that the Skatalites were definetly the high
lights of the night, on and off the stage.
While down in the bassment of the theatre I sat and watched the different
members of the bands walk back and forth. Once I got up enough
courrage to starting knocking on the dressing room doors I chose the
Specialbeat. I figured it would be best to get the boring stuff
out of the way first.
The door opened and there stood Rankin Roger with Neville Staples sitting
on the couch. Immediately Roger offered his hand as a large wave of
smoke came from the room.
I asked him if it is true that this is the last SB tour and he said that
he was 99.9% sure that it was. I was curious about the lack of recording
of the SB other than a live show and some compilations and he said that
they made numerous demos but they never had them signed.
As to what they were going to do after this he said that he is planning
a reunion of General Public and Neville is constantly keeping busy doing
studio work. They both asked for copies of Monkey Man and I let them be.
After that I noticed a lone jamaican about in his late 50's in the
hallway with a stack of albums under his arm. I thought this would
be a good time to meet one of the Skatalites and I was correct.
Joel Eisner (Editor)
1223 Capitol Ct
Madison, WI 53715
USA
********NOTE***********************
If any one needs the any of the last 6 issues please send me e-mail
asking me for them.
########################################
SELECTED LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
######################################
FROM JAPAN!!!!!
Dear Tomas
It's great for me to be contact with any ska-fan.
I'm a ska guitarist,composer of comtemp. music,and also mathematician.
Do you know Skaframes?
Skaframes is the greatest ska band in Japan.
Skaframes is closer to original ska than Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
They are appriciated in UK.
Last year,I met the Skatalites.Also I got the meeting with Gaz.
The Skatroits is the name of my band.
See you.
Ken-Ichi Sakakibara
k...@kusm.kyoto-u.ac.jp <-----Remark
########################################
SELECTED SKA SURVEY::::::::::::::::::#
######################################
From: CMA...@macalstr.edu
Thank for sending out the stuff so quickly, I'm out here in the midwest
too(Minnesota) so you probably know whats going down, but I'll try and fill you
in on anything going on. As for the questions you asked:
I'm from NYC but I'm at school here in MN, at Macalester.
Ten Cent Fun would be my current local favorite, after all, they got me hooked
on the stuff late last semaester. THe pacers just moved up here, but I have yet
to hear them.
The LAst ska show I went to was Skavoovee in Madison
It was probably also the best one, considering the strength of the line up
The last piece of ska I bought was "On the Beach" by the Fabulous Paragons,
some real old school stuff I picked up on vinyl from the Madison show (even
though I dont have a turntable) I love the first wave stuff.
I guess I don't really have a least favorite band, although I dont really like
Bim Skala Bim, though I haven't heard much. And I thought Ths Selecter sucked
at the Madison show., although that was the first time I'd heard them.
I've been listening to ska for about march/april of 93, so about eight months
and I think its the greatest music. I'm so glad I got into it, now I just love
to get into a show and skank to my hearts delight.
See ya,
Colin
########################################
NORTH AMERICAN NEWS
######################################
SKANKIN' PICKLE NEWS!?!?????
It seems that Skankin' Pickle has ousted their bass player, Mike (Mr.Clean).
Here is what I have recieved obout it this week. { ed.)
From: mpo...@flute.aix.calpoly.edu
I heard today, from a friend who knows some of the guys in Skankin Pickle,
that they have given Mike (Mr. Clean) the boot! I guess because he was
just too much of a partier, so my friend said. He said they were on tour
in new york and gave him a plane ticket home....
I don't know if this is true or not, and if it's not, I hope that I'm not
contributing to the spread of false information.....
And from Ramona......
If anyone has seen the more recent shows on the tour, you might
be wondering what Jay (BlueMeanies) is doing on stage for the whole damn show.
It turns out that a week and a half into the tour, Pickle fired
their bassist. The only way for the tour to continue was if Jay
could fill in for the rest of the dates.
Ramona, Empress of the Blue Meanies Emailing List
lmn5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
########################################
EUROPEAN NEWS Ian Miller of Eltham in S.E. London UK (Editor)
######################################
oo-er *someone* wasn't very impressed with skavoovie, I read
with interest in the latest MM (MM is the "Melody Maker" btw!!)
... but then this guy had seen all the bands play better before...
I've NEVER seen (or even heard of until now) the Special Beat, or The Toasters,
and I've never seen the Skatalites, so I expect I would be very impressed
with Skavoovie even if the bands weren't at their best...
Anyway, I'm dismayed to hear of the Selecter without Neol Davies..
that is VERY bad... because I HATE Pauline Black... when I went to see the
Selecter at this uni, she was so full of shite, she just antagonized the
audience all the time - she was really unfriendly I thought... and there
was Neol! The coolest guy in town! Standing there, dripping with sweat and
staring straight down at the stage, like a man possessed... I was really
awed at the guy!
Pauline's got an attitude problem if you ask me, she's far too
political... I mean, fancy writing a song about Rodney King... you're
ENGLISH for fuck's sake!!!! I hate political ska..... although having
said that "Stand Down Margaret" is a classic record by the Beat, and I can
say that even though I disagreed with the sentiment!
SPECIALS NEW RELEASE UPDATE###############
Last week at SKAVOOVEE, Madiosn I talked for a bit with Nevil Staples
of the Specials. He said that the "new" Specials release is old tracks
and b-sides remixed along with some Desmond Dekker material throwm in.
He said that it was pretty good....but hey why wouldn't he say that.
Also there has been a release of the original demos of the band that
became the Specials....Covington Automatics that contains a few songs
that came out on the first Specials release. From the mouth of Neville
"It is SHIT"
That is some of the info I got while mingling arround before the show.
Joel Eisner
===============================================================================
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
. . '||
.... .. ... ... ... .||. .||. .... ... .... .. ||
'' .|| || || || || || || '|. | '' .|| .' '||
.|' || || || || || || || '|.| .|' || |. ||
'|..'|' .||. ||. '|..'|. '|.' '|.' '| '|..'|' '|..'||.
.. |
''''''' '''''''' '''''''' ''''' ''''' '' ''''''' ''''''''
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
==============================================================================
Wanna help me compile a fortune data file of ska lyrics...?
If so, mail yer lyrics to:
ANY format! I'll send you a copy of the file when it's 'done',
... and a copy of a fortune prog if you need one!
Laterz rudeboys 'n' girls!
- Judge Dredd.
===============================================================================
y o y o y o y o y o y o y are you getting the skavoovie tour
and I'm not?!!? I hate you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
===============================================================================
########################################
SKAVOOVEE UPDATES AND SHOW REVIEWS::::#
######################################
FROM MOON RECORDS:
__________SKAVOOVEE:THE TOUR____
For more information send SASE to:
Moon Records, P.O. Box 1412 NYC 10276
OCT 27 BOSTON
SKAVOOVEE, Boston Wednesday Oct 27th
{This is the first of many Skavoovee reviews....lets keep'em
commin' ed.}
From: casi...@hq.lcs.mit.edu (Paula Mickevich)
>From Boston:
First Skavoovee show got out just over 6 hours ago and all
I can say is GO! Show was FANTASTIC!
I saw the whole show from 7:30 to 2am and loved every minute of it!
First on were Thumper, then the Allstonians, two local bands who
showed they knew what Ska is all about. Of course, there was barely
a few hundred at the show at the time so the energy didn't rival
the later groups. Hey! Support your locals - get there early!!
Everyone was at the front of Avalon I guess buying T-shirts and they
do have Tshirts - $16 - you might want to buy several because there
was one for the tour and one for each group.
Anyway Toasters came on first at 9:15 and sang 11 songs. They has
all they could fit up on stage dancing to the last one - Pool Shark.
They sang their well known stuff and were off by 10 of 10.
Lead singer took to diving into the audience.
Selector was on by 10:15. Lead singer the same but band not to familiar.
She sang some new ones and all the favorite oldies.
New were dedicated 1. to hate mongers 2. to Rodney King (called
California Screamin' after Calif dreamin') and third was called Trout.
They did 3 Minute Hero, Missing Words, Too Much Pressure, Karioke
la la la la la lal.... , and the James Bond Theme - 12 songs in all.
Must say I really came to appreciate them from seeing them live!
THEN next to last came the Skatalites!! Crowd was really appreciative.
There are what, 8 people in the group now - and if I could read the
back of my T shirt I would name them. Two of the originals, including
the bassist, are with the show. Several of them are venerable.
The didn't jump around the stage but they had the crowd hopping.
They played 6 songs from 11:20-12:10 including Music is My Occupation,
The Man in the Street, Simmer Down - with a special vocalist, and
Police Woman and Skavoovee from the new album.
I was ready to go home after being there for over 5 hours but am
I glad I didn't. Special Beat came on last and was the GREATEST!
The crowd was really HOT and JUMPIN. Thank goodness SpecialBeat
asked that no one crowd surf. They said they didn't respect that
because people got their heads bashed from shoes. The crowd had
them come back twice. and maybe someone else can tell you what
they sang - I have to nap now!
GREAT SHOW!!!!!! GO!!!!!!
Paula
From: ALLROY <sa...@titan.ucs.umass.edu>
Skavoovee at Avalon, Boston
by David Sarno
PULP November issue 10-28-93
I just got back from one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Skavoovee should have been named Ska Bonanza after all. It was non-stop
entertainment from about 9PM until 2AM. I know my words won't do it
justice, but I will try.
For your information, about half the audience were dressed in suit
and pork-pie hats. A quarter were obviously college students (given BU
and NE are a few blocks away), and the rest were original 2TONE fans.
The mix was appropriate, and few fights broke out. The beer really was
piss (Miller LITE) and was over priced. Not much of a surprise there. The
show DID SELL OUT. Make sure you get your tickets. This one is the big
one.
As for the music, I caught the last two songs of the dreaded
THUMPER. Not much ska to report on there, but they are on the Boston
ska comp., Mashin' Up the Nation '93. Also on that comp. were the
ALLSTONIANS. I hate to give a bad review on a band with so much
potential, but the ALLSTONIANS blew it. Jeremy Mushlin was missing
from the line-up and the horn section just couldn't cut it. They didn't even
play "B-Train to Allston." Part of the problem was that Avalon is just too
big for a band like the ALLSTONIANS right now. Their sound couldn't be
accurately projected. The loss of the ladies in the brass line-up really does
hurt them. I understand that those two have joined the SKAVENGERS
which will be playing in and around Boston soon. That was it for the locals.
The TOASTERS, who I have recently shunned as a washed up mid-
eighties ska band pulled through. I have to apologize for my lack of faith in
them. Their horn section was the best I've ever heard from them. The
power behind songs like, "Weekend in L.A., Shocker, and Matt Davis," was
exceptional. While they played some of their new music, it didn't quite
catch me. I have to admit, I need to hear the stuff a few times before I can
make a judgment call. Overall, the TOASTERS were the surprise of the
night. They played with a spirit I haven't heard from them in some time.
Next up were the famed SELECTER. This was their first US tour
since they played in 1992 at some of the smallest clubs in the States. I had
seen them in London this summer, so I knew what I should expect.
Unfortunately, Neol Davis was not in the line-up. Since most of their hits
were written by him, you can imagine what the new stuff sounds like. They
opened with "Three Minute Hero", and the crowd went wild. They then
played some new stuff which included, "California Screaming," a tribute to
Rodney King. Their new stuff got the axe from the rudeboys, though they
were kind and didn't throw anything. The fact is, most of it isn't ska. The
older stuff, however, was excellent. They played, "On My Radio, Carry Go
Bring Come, Too Much Pressure, and Missing Words." The SELECTER
filled the floor with happy rudies. It was beautiful.
Next up were the SKATALITES. Yow, Yikes, Watch out!!! This
was the first time I ever saw them, and boy do I feel stupid for ever passing
them up before. This was the best band I have seen, EVER. I mean, they
were right on. They played a tribute to Bob Marley and the Wailers,
"Simmer Down," and a tribute to Don Drummond, "Man in the Street."
Other songs included, "Freedom Sounds, El Pussy Cat, and Skavoovee."
The word is, the new stuff is as good as the old. Go, no run, out and get
the new CD Skavoovee. You can also pick it up at the show for $15. It is
great. I can't do their show justice, so you'll just have to see it.
Last up were the SPECIAL BEAT. Opps. maybe I should have
said the Beat. After all, Nevelle Staples skipped out this tour. The Specials
songs sorely lacked thereof. I mean, when they played Do Nothing, it was
some sort of a sing along. They were fun, but nothing up to par with their
show at the Marquee, NYC a few years ago. There was no magic. I was
somewhat disappointed.
Well, make sure you go and let me know what you thought. You can call the Ska Hotline anytime for info at (413) 253-4831. Leave a message about what bands are playing in your area. Skank on...
OCT 28 Philly, PA
From: Caitlin Sasser <cai...@bach.udel.edu>
My message got interrupted by a phone call, but most of what i
needed to say is right here. Skank on, my brother. love, caitlin.
JOEL!!!!! I
went to SKAVOOVEE last night (Oct 28th show at the
trocadero in Philly) and it was just fucking amazing! it started off with
Ruder Than You, who are from around this area, I think. They were all a
lot older than i thoght they were, but they got the crowd skankin, and
that's all that matters. They played mostly new songs, not stuff off the
CD, so nobody knew that much of it, but we all danced anyway. They started
a little after 7 and played for about 45 minutes, and everybody worked up
a nice little sweat. And believe it or not, this was the FIRST EVER
non-violent show at the trocadero i've ever been to. I even went to see
Ride there once, and i got the living shit kicked out of me. And when i
caught the bosstones there about a year ago, i got hurt so bad i vowed
never to go back. Only Skavoovee could drag me back. So Ruder than you
kicked out the jams for a while, and we all got real sweaty and then after
set-up for the second band, the TOASTERS came on. I thought i remembered
the Toasters having a bigger line-up than they did this year, but they
still rocked. The crowd was a little bigger this time, and They played
Thrill Me Up old-style and i just skanked my little ass off. Let me tell
you joel, ska is a religous experience for some people and i'm one of
them. The toasters are really cool about bringing anybody up on stage,
too, so every Rude Boy & Girl who fit were up there dancing right along
side of them. I have to say that i think one of my favorite things about
the toasters is their trumpet player--he's just amazing. So the toasters
played a nice little set, got us all real sweaty and then we had a chance
to cool down before the Selecter came on. The Selecter was a nice change
of pace; they all looked a little older, but that's to be expected. The
female lead singer (shit! i can't believe i forget her name! Is it
Rhoda??) was in Slammin' condition, she had the body of Tina Turner, and
the lungs to match! She belted out a few older Selecter selections, and
then they skipped to newer stuff, and nobody knew it, and plus, it wasn't
really that good, to be honest. It kinda stunk. But we danced thru most of
it anyway. They Jammed out the older tunes, but the newer ones dragged on,
and sometimes the beat would get lost, and everybody would quit dancing.
Thier new stuff just isn't as much ska, i guess, as their old stuff is. So
the next band to set up was the skatellites, and i'm so fucking beat by
this time that i pay the bitchy girl behind the counter $3 for a couple of
pitchers of water for me and my friends, and we sat back for part of the
Skatellites set. They were a little more on the reggae-side of ska than
i'm used to (they were also the only band there that i don't know very
well) but everybody was skanking right along. We joined in after a little
while, and i got a chance to see up close how much older these guys were
too! I started to get nervous, thinking, "god, what if ska dies when these
guys don't feel like carrying the torch around anymore?", when the Special
Beat came on. Roger and Neville were in tip top shape, as always. Totally
in synch, joking, tossing off lines like they were on some higher plane of
knowing than any of us. It was an art form, they way they synchronise
everything! Just totally tight, always on top. They act almost like
twins on stage, now, playing off each other, jumping in the air, racing
across the stage... Just as wonderful as i remember them being. They don't
just sing the songs, they almost seem to re-write them with feeling. it's
just incredible to be a part of. They came back for 2 encores, and
everybody screamed for more, but they played "you're wondering now what to
do" and we all knew it was the end. I don't think a single person walked
out of there without a huge grin, the show was so amazing. It was a really
mixed crowd there, too. All the skins were SHARP which is really cool, and
There was a guy there in a wheel chair, and a girl in crutches, and it was
a really ethnically mixed crowd!
OCT 29 TORONTO
at the RPM Warehouse.
From: Willy Wong <ww...@ibme1.rose.utoronto.ca>
************************************************************************
DISCLAIMER: If you are a die-hard Skavoovee fan and refuse to entertain
any criticism of the show then please ignore this message.
************************************************************************
Skavoovee came to Toronto and I should have left town.
------------------------------------------------------
(Of course, knowing in advance that the show would be poorly organized
and poorly executed wouldn't have stop me from going...)
During the last week, I have seen many positive raves and hype about the show.
This is, of course, warranted since Skavoovee is *the* major ska show of the
year. And who else would you rather have, on this occasion, if not the
infamous quartet Skatallites/Special Beat/Selecter/Toasters? In one concert
we have an unbelievable three generations of ska, promising a night not to be
forgotten...
NOT...
As it turned out, the concert was mediocre at best. Although I felt that
the performances were substandard, not all the fault can be placed on the
performing bands. Let me elaborate on the difficulties and categorize them
into several sections.
LOCAL PROBLEMS
The concert did not start until 9:15... It was billed for a 7:30 start with,
probably, King Apparatus and Arsenal as the warmup bands. It was made known
to us, not until after the concert started, that the delay was due to a
holdup at the Canadian customs. Big deal for the concert organizers... they
didn't care if we got our money's worth... the whole thing is a rip-off for
the kids that go, forgetting that many of the "kids" are adults (20+)
demanding a proper show. No one gave us compensation, no one bothered saying
sorry... Furthermore, for those who were there early, we were subjected
to some pre-recorded commercial reggae. Not SKA- rather, some incessant
music was shoved down our throats. Moreover, we thought we could save some
money (the service charge) by buying the tickets at the door. Fat chance,
the people at the Warehouse decided to jack the price up to be the same as
the advanced ticket price. Ok, I knew beforehand that our chances of
saving some money were slim, but the advertised price is the price to pay,
and not the advertised price PLUS service charge... In general, what a
rip-off.
BAND PROBLEMS
Ok, so the concert did not start until 9:15... Now, the reason, I was told,
why the warmup bands did not play is that they required the equipment of
the late-coming bands. Fine, I understand. But the equipment was actually
setup by about 8:15. No one bothered to come out and play. The problem
with these bands is that they have a very rip-off-y type attitude. Their
work attitude is, at best, lackadaisical. I have the feeling that no one
really bothered to hurry it up and give the people at Toronto a decent
concert, and I seriously doubt whether or not they do a better job elsewhere.
Funny, ain't it, that things were setup JUST IN TIME for Toasters to come
on at past 9:15, eh?
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS
Everything else aside now, let's concentrate on the performance itself.
Although I have a music degree, I'm not tight-assed about playing quality.
If the overall effect is good and brings the crowd jumping on their feet, I
really don't care if their performance is slightly substandard.
(However...)
The Toasters came on first and, without warming up the crowd (which, by the
way, was getting rather pissed off by then), decided to start with this
WAY TOO FAST version of "Matt Davis". Twice as fast at least! I understand
that they wanted to get the crowd moving with something exciting, but they
weren't intelligent enough to realize that 1) there was no warmup band before
them 2) the crowd wasn't exactly in emotional synchrony with the occasion.
It wasn't until the third piece that they gave us something danceable with
the slower "History Book". They settled down nicely afterwards and I enjoyed
their remaining selections.
Next up was Selecter. For starters, they made a boob when they used a new
piece to start off. Heck, most of the people weren't even dancing
because they were unfamiliar with the tunes. Furthermore, in my opinion
the new pieces are substandard. Although Pauline Black wrote some of the
classical Selecter tunes and probably had a big part in writing the new
pieces, they are not works of art. Really, this group is missing a Neol
Davies. The crowd didn't really even budge until they did "James Bond",
"3 Minute Hero". Their performance, however, did not do justice to those
classics. First of all, the drums were way too loud... all I could hear is
BOOM BOOM BOOM and Black singing. Nothing else:
Three minute hero...
I gotta be
a three minute hero...
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Tada BOOM Tada BOOM Tada BOOM <== This is the point where I made a hasty
visit to the washroom.
The crowd seemed genuinely pleased when they did "Too Much Pressure".
However, I was just as ready to puke here as before. Black, on the vocals
should have been singing: (as you can verify, the piece is in A major)
c# b a a VERSION 1
Too Much Pres sure
Instead, she was singing:
a a a a VERSION 2
Too Much Pres sure
In the original recordings, (2) is what she should have sung in support of
Art Hendrickson's main melody line, (1). However, in the concert, no one
was singing (1) as the main line, and so all you hear was Black singing
(2) FOR THE ENTIRE PIECE. Now, musically speaking, "Too Much Pressure"
is not the most exciting piece of music, so that Black was REALLY making it
sound worst by singing the "wrong" line. This is one example, among others,
of the overall unprofessionality of some of these bands. (Frankly, do THEY
care? They've already got your money... ;-) )
Well, I wanted to stay long enough to hear the Skatallites. However, Special
Beat came up next. I'm not sure if the Skatallites played at all that night.
The Beat didn't sound too bad, but I was too disgruntled with the evening that
I made a quick departure. Besides, how much can they do without a Finny
or Terry or anyone else with a name that rhymes?
COMMENTARY: THE MORAL OF THE STORY
We really should smarten up (myself included). A higher overall quality
must be expected from such shows in the future, especially for the price they
are asking (my g.f. and I spent $90 CDN on tickets and tshirts and cassettes).
In fact, we should all together stop going to these events. Isn't it a
shame to find hordes of people attending a concert of a long-since
defunct group consisting of only one member of the original band? These
"leftovers" are really losers who couldn't make a living elsewhere, and
instead like to live in the past. They make a poor showing and do their
reputation a disfavour, try to rip-off every available penny from
silly kids (YES, that includes me!) by doing an expensive, unprofessional
nostalgia concert... Really, it is as bad as the celeb athlete who comes
out of early retirement when they look at their bank books after years of
overspending. Most don't come back for the sports or excitement- they come
back for the money. The Beat, Specials, and Selecter all broke up when
they knew the time was up. Two or three albums to get across what they
wanted to say and then goodbye. Why couldn't it have stayed that way?
I mean, what's next? How about getting an entirely new cast of characters
for Special Beat (heard this is their last tour), getting Milli Vanilli
to lip-synch Neville Staples, and charging $50 for such a good impersonation?
I've seen these groups individually many times before. In the past, their
quality has been better (except for the Toasters, who have improved over the
years). The time has come to lay down the past; nostalgia concerts are
like dirty books- they are good only on the first pass. ;-)
Willy
From: Lil'Davey <DMV...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu>
I am not going to tell you the typical Skavoovee review. We all know that it
is an inccredible show, but I am going to talk about the Toasters at this
venue. All I can say is I am deaply dissapointed. The band itself was as good
as before, but Pablo is greatly missed. They have a new singer now and he is
awful. He sings fine but he does not go well with Toasters at all. He is a
hip-hop Mtv like singer who promotes moshing and stage diving. He was a "Put
your hands in the air" type of singer. I liked his energy, but it was used
negativly. I was incredibly dissapointed when the crowd started a pit for
The Selector and Special Beat, I don't believe it would have happened if it
wasn't for the new toasters singer. Thank god there was a skanking section in
the back of the place. A lot af great people were back there and they deserved
to be in the front. Sorry if this seems like a flame.
Lil' Davey
From: "Roland (R.W.) Wippel" <wip...@bnr.ca>
The Skavoovie show in Toronto was a let down. The show started 1.5 hours
late so they dropped the local bands, Arsenal and King Apparatus.
Judging by all the K.A. tee shirts there were a lot of people
disappointed by this.The Toasters came on at 9pm and took quite a while
to warm up. They gave some excuse about being stuck at customs, but that
is the standard excuse for American bands coming to Canada. Usually,
they are just to lazy to get going. I had seen the Toasters open for
Special Beat about 2 years ago and they were 10 times better then than
now. The lead singer has changed I think, and the guy now has a real
attitude. He tried a bit of stage diving but I think many people in the
crowd would have rather seen him hit the concrete than catch him. Too
bad, they are one of my favourite ska acts and their previous live show
were great.
The Selecter was next. They were great, they saved the show and made the
money spent worth while. It was really a contrast after the Toasters to
see a band playing for the audiences enjoyment. They did several oldies
and some new stuff that will make me run out and buy the album when it
is due to be released in March. They had lot's of energy, enthusiasm and
showed some fun.
The last two bands got flip-flopped. Special Beat was supposed to be
last, but they came on next. They played a few of the classics and some
of the lesser known songs. Missing from my list of 'must play' where
Concrete Jungle, Rat Race, Nite Klub. They were good by most bands
standards but lacked the magic that they displayed the last two times I
have seen them. The songs were played 'word for word' from their live
album which kind of made it sound very rehearsed and not at all natural.
The crowd was into it for S.B. but were mainly disappointed by the
length of the show (< 1hr.).
The Skatellites were interesting. I enjoyed the tribute to Marley with
Simmer down and some of the other songs. I must admit though, that
lyrics are a big part of my enjoyment of ska, and the long ska
instumentals played by The Skatellites tended to drag.
In summary, I doubt I would drive 4 hours to see this show again. I'd
love to see the Selecter again when they had more time on stage. The
local acts should fell ripped off, since they missed out on a great
opportunity to play to a large crowd. The organizers should be
embarrassed. There's now excuse not to have the first band come on time,
they've had all day to set up. Special Beat played one 'new song', Rainy
Days, which was poor. They will have to revamp their show to regain
their appeal with me. I hope the other shows are better.
OCT 30 DETROIT
The MAJESTIC THEATER
OCT 31 CHICAGO..The Metro..
From: <gagme!maynard!unn...@xnet.com>
Well, if you want a review of the Chicago Skavoovee, show, I'd be more
than happy to write one up..
I got there too late for Skapone, but I have seen them a few times before
and dig them pretty much.
The Toasters I had seen before, too, and I thought they were about the same..
though I did note the guy stage diving and figured it would piss a lot of
ska heads off..
And, personal bias since I play keyboards, I miss all their keyboard lines..
Seeing Selecter was pretty cool, though they really aren't one of my
personal favorites.
The band that blew my mind and made me really glad I paid the outrageous
$20 was the Ska-ta-lites.
I had heard some stuff from them before and was expecting quite a show.
They certainly lived up to my expectations.. and more..
just incredible.
And they were such bad asses, they wouldn't get off the stage til they
finished their set (the metro weenie kept saying "one more" and motioning
a cut throat from back stage and Tommy McCook just smiled and said, "Two
more, mon.." then they did 3..) so Special Beat didn't get to play all
too long.
Four songs then an encore..
And a fight broke out during their set, too..
close to a brawl, actually, a good many got involved.
Special Beat did not approve and pulled the whole, "We're leaving thing."
Which isn't a good solution.. ripping off the guys like me who paid to
see them and behaved nicely during their set..
but they came back (suprise) so it didn't matter too much..
NOV 2 ST LOUIS Mississippi Nights
NOV 3 MADISON, WI
Barrymore Theatre (Madison,WI) on Wednsday, November 3rd.
w/The Weaker Youth Ensemble.
7:00pm $15/$17 D.O.S.
NOV 4 MINNEAPOLIS First Ave
NOV 5 DENVER Ogden Theatre
.... Tickets are around $20, and it is an all ages show.
Everyone who is under 21 has to skank in the balcony. Too bad..
NOV 6 Spanish Fork UT (a few miles south of PROVO)
NOV 8 VANCOUVER
At The Commodore
"Me, Mom and Morgetaler" are going to be playing in
Vancouver on October the 8th, tix are $10 (cdn).
NOV 9 PORTLAND, OR Roseland
NOV 10 SANTA CRUZ, CA - Civic Center
NOV 11 SANTA ROSA, CA Luther Burbank
NOV12 SAN FRANCISCO Warfield
NOV13 LOS ANGELES Palace
NOV14 LOS ANGELES Palace
NOV19 ATLANTA, GA Masquerade
NOV20 NORWALK, CT - Marquee
NOV21 Trenton, NJ City Gardens
NOV22 Providence, RI Lupo's
NOV23 Buffalo, NY - Icon
NOV24 NEW YORK CITY - Manhattan Centre
Please keep the local show information comming in.
I would like to thank Steve Shafer at MOON Records for Faxing the
information to me and keeping us informed.......{ ed.}
########################################
MOON RECORDS RECORD REVIEW :::::::::::#
######################################
From: Ian Hodkinson <HY...@musicb.mcgill.ca>
Christmas Party! - A Ska And Oi Compilation
This album was put out by Division Nada of France and is an interesting
mix of some good and bad stuff. Artists featured include Skarface,
Checkmate, Dr NO, NAM, (The Ska bands), Molodoi (ska & oi), Klasse
Kriminale, The Abhorred, and another band whose name I forget (Oi
bands).
The ska on this album is outstanding. Skarface is
one of the better bands I've heard in a while. Their tunes 'Skarface
Anthem' and 'Freddy Goes' are tight, up-beat, and fast as all hell.
What's amazing is that they manage to mix their speed with a
wicked rubbery ska style; reminds me a bit of the Busters.
Another great ska band is Checkmate. 'Rankin' hold up' and
'Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Rudi' are both definitive rude boy anthems. Rankin'
hold up' is more mellow, while 'Dr Jeckyl and Mr Rudi' is a skankin'
tune.
Dr No is more mellow, though their tune 'Jamaica People History'
has a great groove. NAM, however is mediocre at best; they can barely
hold a ska beat.
Molodoi is a great, allbeit confusing band. Originally they
were a French punk outfit called Berurier Noire; When Berurier split,
Molodoi formed. However Molodoi is primarily an Oi band, with a couple
of ska-influenced tunes. Two of their songs on this album are pure
ska, and good ska at that; the third is a hillarious oi version of
'Silent Night' called "Christmas Party'.
The oi on this album is pretty bad. I like the stuff by
Klasse Kriminale, although I can't understand most of the lyrics
(they're in Itallian). They do an Itallian oi version of
Jingle Bells called 'Din Don Dan'; quite funny.
Overall, a great album, and relatively cheap for an import too.
(Cost me 12$ CDN) Definately worth it if you can find it. E-mail
me if you want the address of the record label, Division Nada.
From: Willy Wong <ww...@ibme1.rose.utoronto.ca>
THE LONG HOT SUMMER by The (original) Skatalites and Laurel Aitken
ROIR, in North America, under license from Unicorn Records, U.K.
A-201, Stereo (I doubt this...), 1991.
Contact: ROIR
Suite 411
611 Broadway
N.Y.C., N.Y. 10012
Telephone: 212-477-0563
(may be outdated)
As EMC points out, this is not a good recording to start off with.
It was recorded in 1963, when Aitken returned to Jamaica, visiting
from England. Apparently, the twelve tracks were recorded in a
span of two days. It sure sounds like it.
Actually, the first three tracks are great, they really are...
However, eventually, all the remaining tracks sounded the same
as the first three cuts. Didn't seem like too much planning
went into the recordings. For example, Devil or Angel sounds a lot
like Hometown; and, even worst, the tracks are side-by-side.
The Skatalites sounded vintage on the good tracks, but occasionally
lapsed into harmonic discord (ie. they forgot to change the chord, or
they used the wrong chord). Furthermore, the "jazz" solos weren't
always hot. In the liner notes, it was mentioned that most of the
Skatalite members were "failed jazz musicians". You can tell.
Frankly, the sax solos were the worst- the playing was uninventive,
unmusicial, and definitely uninspiring. However, their playing
as a whole on these recordings is adequate.
Someone mentioned earlier that the Skatalites sounded boring after
a while in Skavoovee. Well, these tracks trys to fill in the missing
piece. I must admit, Laurel Aitken's voice sounded very professional
and very appropriate. The singing was good; the texture of his voice
made a very good match with the instrumental backing of the Skatalites.
However, the lyrics.... THE LYRICS really really was the pits! They
seemed to have taken about 5 minutes per song to figure out the lyrics
(ie a collection of words that rhymed). Actually, some of the pieces
like Mary had better lyrics than others, like Hometown:
Well, I'm going back,
I'm going back to my hometown
Well, I'm going back,
I'm going back to my hometown.
I'm going back to my hometown,
I'm tired of messing around.
Oh, I'm going back... I'm going back to my hometown.
(etc.)
.
sic...
That's about all. Since I got this recording pretty cheap, I'm not
complaining. Check it out if it doesn't cost a fortune.
*************
Remember to support your local record store, but if they don't have it
tell them where you can get it and they can too.
Also....Tell them 'The Monkey Man' sent you!
NOTE: This CD is available from MOON RECORDS:
MOON RECORDS (201) 857-7160
PO BOX 1412
COOPER STATION
NY,NY 10276
USA
########################################
WEEKEND IN REVIEW :::::::::::::#
######################################
Blue Meanies/Skankin' Pickle Chicago
During the Blue Meanies set I found myself thinking, "Man, Skankin' Pickle
have gotta feel bad.. their opening band is putting on a show that will
probably beat theirs.."
The Blue Meanies are Gods and the band I'm in, Greenhouse, has been buggin
the hell out of them to get a show with them.. things are looking good,
so I'm quite excited..
Anyway, Pickle proved themselves worthy of the main slot and put on a
great hyperactive show.. tons of goofy stage stunts and, of course,
wonderful music..
One final note:
The fact that the Oct 30th MU-330/WYE show was over 21 sucked balls.
thank you.
########################################
SHOW INFO :::::::::::::::::::::::#
######################################
EUROPE:***************
From: debb...@servus.rus.uni-stuttgart.de
The Busters
===========
in December:
7 Erlangen E-Werk
8 Muenchen Terminal
9 Donaueschingen Animal House
11 Stadthagen Festhalle
12 Dresden Star Club
13 Koeln Live Music Hall
15 Stuttgart Altes Schuetzenhaus (see u there)
16 Ulm Roxy
17 Aachen AZ
18 Mannheim Alte Feuerwache
19 Karlsruhe Festahalle Durlach
20 Kaiserslautern Irish House
21 Freiburg Buergerhaus Zaehringen
22 Loerrach Werk 1
22 Loerrach Werk 1
23 Biel (CH) Blue Velvet
25 Wuppertal Boerse
26 Frankfurt Batschkapp
27 Bielefeld PC 69
28 Hamburg Fabrik
29 Bremen Modernes
30 Berlin Huxleys
in January
15 Aschaffenburg Colosaal
29 Potsdam Lindenpark
Judge Dread & Band
==================
12.11 Jena/Kassa Blanca
13.11 Berlin/SO36
Bad Manners
===========
19.11 Bern/Wasserwerk
19.11 Genf/L'usine
20.11 Luzern/Schueuer
23.11 Oberhausen/Old Daddy
Dr. Ring Ding & The Senior Allstars
===================================
24.11 Muenster/Odeon
Mr. Review
==========
3.12 Leipzig/Haus Leipzig
4.12 Berlin/TU-Mensa
Maroon Town
===========
2.12 Hamburg
3.12 Leipzig/Haus Leipzig
4.12 Berlin/TU-Mensa
5.12 Hannover
9.12 Heidelberg/Schwimmbad
11.12 Bielefeld/Kaffe Kleinkunst
Mark Foggo's Skasters
----------------------
Maroon Town
-----------
02.12 Hamburg
03.12 Leipzig/Haus Leipzig
04.12 Berlin/TU-Mensa
05.12 Hannover
09.12 Heidelberg/Schwimmbad
10.12 Wuerzburg/Cafe Kairo
11.12 Bielefeld/Kaffe Kleinkunst
Skankin' Round the X-Mas Tree '93:
This years festival will be in Potsdam near Berlin, not near Aachen as
it used to be. Days are probably December 25&26.
Stay rude, stay rebel !
Reiner, Stuttgart.
UNITED STATES:***************
MASSACHUSETTS:*****
From: Brendan Tween <bre...@panix.com>
Mephiskapheles Gigs as of 11/10/93
Saturday, 11/13/93 at the West End Gate, Broadway @ 114th St. opposite
Columbia University at 11:00pm.
Friday November 26 at The Tune Inn, Hartford, CT.
December 10, 93 at teh Wetlands, Hudson St., NYC
So whoever can make it, it'll be great to see you...
And if anyone wants information about the Mephilegion, or Mephiskapheles,
write to me: bre...@panix.com
or snail mail:
Mephiskapheles
PO Box 1068
New York, NY 10009
MINESOTA:*****
Twin Cities
Nov. 13 Ten Cent Fun/The Pacers The Whole at the U of M
Nov. 17 Ten Cent Fun The Emma Center
Dec. 3 Ten Cent Fun Northern Lights Music instore
WISCONSIN:*****
Madison
Weaker Youth Ensemble
-11/13
-Memorial Union Rathskeller at UW Madison.
-Show time is 9:00PM.
NEW YORK:*****
New York City
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
-Fri 11/7 at the Academy;
Murphy's Law
-On Halloween at the Grand (they're part hardcore and part
ska).
VERMONT:*****
Burlington
NATIONAL:
BLUE MEANIES SHOW DATES:
{looks as if things are real busy for the Meanies....they are
ones to checkout ...ed}
BLUE MEANIES OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1993 TOUR DATES
Corrections and updates to the Blue Meanies tour with Skankin'
Pickle.
OPENING FOR SKANKIN' PICKLE
Fri 12 ?? XX Provo, UT
Sat 13 ?? XX Salt Lake City, UT
TOUR WITH PICKLE ENDS, FOR REAL THIS TIME
Sun 14 ?? XX Colorado Springs/Ft. Collins, CO (tent.)
Mon 15 Y-Not 18+ Wichita, KS
Wed 17 Rhumba Box AA Kansas City, MO
Thu 18 RIBCO 18+ Rock Island, IL
Sun 21 Alumni House AA Beloit, WI
Wed 24 Oak Theater AA Chicago, IL w/Pegboy
DECEMBER
Fri 3 Madison Theater XX Peoria, IL
Sat 4 Rhino's AA Bloomington, IL
Thu 23 Metro 18+ Chicago, IL w/Lovely Trees, Triple Fast
Action
Ramona, Empress of the Blue Meanies Emailing List
lmn5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Skankin' Pickle Tour Dates
November
11 Greenly, CO - Armory
12 Salt Lake City, UT - DV8 (TBA)
13 Provo, UT - (TBA)
18 Seattle, WA - Weathered Wall
19 Eugene, OR - Wow Hall
20 Humbolt, CA - Humbolt St.
TBA = Not Definite
REGATTA 69 MIDWEST TOUR '93
Nov 12 MADISON WI - THE NEW LOFT
########################################
QUESTIONS
######################################
From: Raymond Meijer <rme...@cs.vu.nl>
Hi there!
Can you tell me where I can get an LP of Judge Dread
called 'Up with the cock'? I've been looking for it for
3 years now, and even Boudisque in Amsterdam doesn't have
it....
Thanks anyway,
Raymond Meijer
e-mail: rme...@cs.vu.nl
########################################
SKA RADIO
######################################
88.1 WMUC College Park
-ska show on Friday's 9AM to 12 PM
89.7FM Henrietta , NY (Rochester, NY)
91.7 FM St.Paul, MN
Kickin' Skalistics
Hosted by Jesse Miner
Thursdays 6-8 pm CST
Macalester College
KLWD COLLEGE STATION TEXAS
90.1 FM WRUV FM, Burlington VT
Sundays 6-8PM
Saturday Mornings 9:30-12 (Half SKA and half Punk)
88.3 FM Ann Arbor Michigan
Train to Skaville
Host: Brian Thomsic
Tuesday 7-8pm every week
University of Michigan's student-run station
91.3 fm Wednesdays's from 5-7pm
SKABOOM!
Cal Poly Radio, KCPR
Graphic Arts, Room 201
San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407
(805) 756-KCPR(5277)
I started the show in June of 92, and we play 2 hours of SKA and
related stuff. Old reggae, skinhead tunes, ska-core, etc., are all
a part of the show. It is currently hosted by "Uncle" Larry
THE END***********mmv1i7