The Prizefighters Pummel on "Firewalk"

Minneapolis rocksteady ska band The Prizefighters jab through the midwest and northeast in support of their latest studio full length album Firewalk.

Images courtesy of The Prizefighters

Firewalk kicks off with smooth soul-heavy rocksteady song "Just Let the Music Play". The saxophone of Courtney Klos flutters and Jordan Porter's bass playfully strides throughout while brother Aaron Porter lays down sweet vocals accompanied by gang vocal harmonies reminiscent of that sixties R&B flavor. The Prizefighters pick it up on the following rocksteady ska track "You'll Never Know". Drummer Eric Whalen takes the lead rockin' out some tight ska-jazz as trombonist Tony Beaderstadt uplifts the spirit.

The band focuses on street violence and social unrest on rocksteady reggae tune "Temper Running Hot". Jorge Gil steals the show on keys while Aaron rocks the rhythm on guitar as Klos and Beaderstadt lay down some lovely solos on the horns. They keep the soulful rocksteady groovin' on their attack on white supremacists in the streets, "Stop Them". Aaron gets downright funky noodling on guitar and accentuating his brother Jordan, who gets fierce and poppy on bass, while Aaron vocalizes with gang harmonies that "we've gotta put them back in the ground and hang out their sheets". The Prizefighters make it clear that, not only is Firewalk one of the best ska albums put out this year, they are easily one of the top contenders for the best ska bands out there right now.

theprizefighters.bandcamp.com/album/firewalk

The Prizefighters hit the Philly area on July 31st at War3house 3, located at 100 Park Avenue in Swarthmore with Philly ska punk rockers Catbite.

~ Garyn Klasek

Danbert Nobacon Devilishly Destroys on "Woebegoner"

Courtesy of Danbert Nobacon

Northern WA Americana/folk punk rocker Danbert Nobacon (ex-Chumbawamba) liberates Woebegoner with Miranda Zickler and The Bad Things prior to his West-East tour. 

Woebegoner kicks off with dirgy Americana sea shanty "Blow the Man Down." Bassist Austin Quist and accordionist Jimmy Berg set the wavy tone while banjo player Gregory Miles lays down some sweet melodies as Nobacon and Zickler sweeps the listener into a sea of beautiful vocal harmonies. The band continues by livening up the energy on Americana rocker "Johnny Woebegone". Drummer Steve Kamke wails out the beat as Quist swings out an airy rhythm with some excellent piano tickling from Kamke.

"Ramblin' Man/Old Devil Gasoline" shows the record heading a more country punk direction. Nobacon and Miles lay down some fantastic rhythm and melody between the acoustic and electric slide guitars while Kamke throws down some marvelous drumming. Rockin' Americana track "Lilithiana Red" keeps the energy flowing delightfully. Berg enchants on accordion while Quist thumps out a powerful bassline and Miles plucks away on banjo dreamily.

Americana country jam "Evolution 9.01" mellows down Woebegoner yet stands out brilliantly and hilariously. Kamke lightens the mood intriguingly on drums as Miles brings some gorgeous melody on banjo and Beau Herbert drops some lovely mandolin. Nobacon and Zickler deliver humorous yet witty lyrics like "we curse the return of the laughing policeman with every adaptive fiber in our breathing bodies" between back and forth vocal banter and harmonies.

"Long Black Train" is a mesmerizing Americana country punk song. Miles haunts on banjo amidst all sorts of interesting vocals contributing train whistles, raspy blues punk howls and harmonies from Nobacon, Zickler and crew as Berg creeps in with some chilling organ. Woebegoner is a fresh and breathtaking album that shows just how far Danbert Nobacon has come as a songwriter while combining that with the extraordinary chemistry he has with Miranda Zickler and The Bad Things, be it now or ten years ago when they began their studio endeavor.

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Danbert Nobacon returns on June 1st to play Creep Records, located at 1050 North Hancock Street in Philly, alongside Kira Wood Cramer, supporting NYC crack rocksteady legend Stza Crack with Philly thrash punx Roadkiller and NJ anti-folk punkers Crazy & The Brains.

~ Garyn Klasek

Make Time for Eastern Standard Time's "Time for Change"

Courtesy of Eastern Standard Time 

DC rocksteady ska ensemble Eastern Standard Time (EST) returns to the studio with their first full length album in 15 years entitled Time for Change. 

The music of EST has evolved incredibly since 1995. How the band has crafted their self described Caribbean Beat sound that combines ska, jazz, rocksteady, and Latin flavors has been seen firsthand by fans around our nation's capital. Since 2004, the band has released only a handful of songs, such as “The Dragon” and a couple songs released on compilations. In that time, EST has stayed semi-active doing the occasional US tour, European excursion, and backing various artists, including Dr. Ring Ding. At Supernova Ska Fest in 2016, the band backed the legendary Derrick Morgan.  

Time for Change opens up with a call to action on the title track. The lyrics delve into various topics including a return to the dancefloor, social justice (including Black Lives Matter), and a plea for peace. The next track is a ska-jazz instrumental ala The Skatalites called “Totem Pole.” This tune showcases the amazing horn section of EST including sax man Morgan Russell. The opening songs provide a blueprint for the rest of the album. The band jumps from topical to tender love songs: a characteristic that began since the early days of Jamaican music where artists wrote songs that spoke about issues like Jamaican Independence (see “Forward March” by Derrick Morgan) to songs about love (“Sweet and Dandy” by Toots and the Maytals).

Throughout this album, many of the songs recall what Eastern Standard Time does best by infusing soulful lyrics on top of finely crafted Jamaican infused melodies. “Lovely in Mad” is a true ska love song with a catchy organ melody written by trombonist Alex Powers and lead singer/percussionist Unikue Peace. Peace's vocals on this tune are infectious, harrowing back to the classic 1960’s style of Jackie Opel and Justin Hinds. “Hayati” is a song about love lost and heartbreak. The band sets the perfect rocksteady infused groove provided by drummer James McDonald, bassist Reid Attaway, and keyboardist Bill Dempsey. “Left for Dead” is another upbeat love song with a catchy chorus that's hook accented by drums. The song showcases Powers with a killer trombone solo.

The band returns to the topic of social justice with a groovy reggae cover of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come.” This fits perfectly with the title track and the direction of the album. On the second side of the LP, the band includes a number of covers including Maxwell’s “Pretty Things”, Alton Ellis’ “People Get Ready”, and The Shirelles “Thing of the Past” (also covered by Phyllis Dillon). These covers demonstrate how EST can float around genres including modern R&B, soul, and classic ska/rocksteady. My favorite track on the album is “Sugar Shack”, which jumps around from singing to toasting. Guitarist Zachary Cutler throws in some modern reggae melodies that align well with the toasting/reggae backing vocals. Even the horns are catchy, making the listener just want to move and groove.  

Overall, Time for Change is essential listening for all who have enjoyed Eastern Standard Time in the past yet is the perfect jumping off point for new fans. The album demonstrates how a band can masterfully swerve between genres, crafting timely tunes to get people dancing, and infusing meaningful messages while paying respect to the past.

easternstandardtime.bandcamp.com

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Eastern Standard Time are throwing their album release party, The Capital Ska & Reggae Review, on May 24^th at Songbyrd, located  at 2475 18th Street NW, in Washington, DC.

~ Bobby Bobson

Catbite Claws into our Hearts with "Catbite"

Courtesy of Catbite

Philly powerpop ska band Catbite (ex-The Snails/Dull Blue Lights, Posers and The Up Up Ups) sink their teeth into This is Croydon Fest 2 and open for The Slackers before unleashing their debut S/T album on May 7th.

Catbite kicks off with rockin' powerpop ska track "Come on Baby". Drummer Chris Pires and keyboardist Brittany Luna take the helm while guitarist Tim Hildebrand releases a furious solo. The band mellows down on R&B flavored rocksteady tune "Can't Give You Love", which is the latest single that they made a music video for. Johnny Mick lays down one groovy bassline while Hildebrand rocks out on guitar with Luna stealing the show on vocals as Matamoska's Esteban Flores Valenzuela takes over on keys.

Catbite picks it up with their first single, powerpop ska song "Amphetamine Delight". Drummer Pires pounds out the beat as guitarist Hildebrand shreds out the rhythm and slays with a solo while Luna and Hildebrand lay down some killer dual vocals. The album closes out with catchy powerpop ska anthem "Scratch Me Up". Luna throws down some wicked keys with Mick's upbeat bass skills as both Hildebrand and Luna level the jam with some sick guitar and keyboard solos. Catbite is one standout ska album that exceeds expectations with a perfect blend of ska, rocksteady, R&B, rock and even dub, delivered with punk ferocity. Watch out for Catbite as they continue to pounce around the country and into our minds.

catbite.bandcamp.com

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Catbite is playing This is Croydon Fest 2 at Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, located at 909 Ray Avenue in Croydon, PA on May 4th and with NYC ska band The Slackers and Philly ska band Ruder Than You at World Cafe Live, located at 3025 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA.

~ Garyn Klasek

The Scotch Bonnets Strike on "Come on Over"

Courtesy of The Scotch Bonnets

Baltimore punky reggae rockers The Scotch Bonnets, who've worked with HR from Bad Brains and Roddy Radiation of The Specials, release Come on Over for their ten year anniversary while touring across country.

Come on Over kicks off with sixties R&B-styled ska track "Another Saturday Night", with some impressive saxophone by David Hillyard and Pablo Fiasco's keys standing out, along with a fantastically rockin' guitar solo by Kristin Forbes. The Scotch Bonnets keep the traditional ska flavor going with "Hair Did". This is one tight song between Names Thompson's drums and Dan Breen's bass, as well as the killer vocals of Forbes and MC Selah, plus a terrific sax solo from Hillyard. 

The band simmers down on rocksteady jam "Blank Stare". Breen's bassline and Fiasco's key tickling really sizzle here with a stripped down feel that isn't lacking in the least, with a dub groove standing out on Thompson's percussion and Forbes' guitar. The album closes out excellently on R&B/rocksteady tune "We Can't All Be Astronauts". Fiasco's keys and Breen's bass dominate while the drumming of Thompson and dual vocals set the mood here, whether it's Forbes' sixties harmonies or Selah's dub flair. Come on Over is certainly a top contender (if not the top contender) in a sea of ska albums being released this year. This is no freak occurrence: The Scotch Bonnets might just be what fans are looking for who love the sounds of amazing Jamaican-influenced dynamos such as The Slackers or Hepcat.

thescotchbonnets.bandcamp.com/album/come-on-over

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The Scotch Bonnets play War3house 3, located at 100 Park Avenue in Swarthmore, PA outside of Philadelphia, on May 3rd with Philly Reggae Girls. 

~ Garyn Klasek

Lucero Enraptures on "Among the Ghosts"

Courtesy of Lucero

Memphis country-punk rockers Lucero embark on a cross-country tour, and enter Canada, supporting their latest full-length album Among the Ghosts.

Courtesy of Lucero 

Lucero kicks off their most recent endeavor with eponymous rockin’ epic country track “Among the Ghosts”. It stands out hauntingly between the delicate yet brash guitars of Ben Nichols and Brian Venable plus the breathtaking keyboards of Rick Steff, as well as the marvelously memorable vocals of Nichols. The band takes a dark turn on punk-spirited country rocker “Everything Has Changed”. Bassist John Stubblefield delivers a mellow yet melodic bassline while drummer Roy Berry pummels out a steady beat as Nichols informs the listener that “somewhere down in Hell, they call my name”.

Lucero heads down an intriguing path with epic country ballad “Long Way Back Home”, which Jeff Nichols (Ben's brother) made an eponymous short film around featuring Michael Shannon. Nichols and Venable conjure some mystifying guitars while Steff provides atmospherically somber keyboards. The album closes by picking up the pace on country-punky rock tune “For the Lonely Ones”. Keyboardist Steff uplifts on this song as Nichols and Venable soar, playing high-spirited guitars alongside some soulful saxophone. Among the Ghosts smacks of Lucero's early energy while trailblazing forward momentum for the band that throws back to the country and Motown that has surely influenced them.

luceromusic.bandcamp.com

Lucero plays The Fillmore, located at 29 East Allen Street in Philadelphia, with L.A. Celtic folk punk rockers Flogging Molly on February 23rd. 

~ Garyn Klasek

"The Fuck Tape" is Fantastic for Fucksake

Philly thrashin’ hardcore pogo punx Fucksake discharge The Fuck Tape, continuing their nearly two year quest, having already graced the stage with acts like Some Kind of Nightmare, The Droogettes and even U.S. Bombs.

Images courtesy of Fucksake

Fucksake lets loose on The Fuck Tape via hardcore punk rock track “Anxiety”. Muppet opens with a sweet bassline before Earl busts out some tight drumming accompanied by Muppet’s twisted vocals. “No Strings Attached” unleashes the band's nihilistic hardcore punk fury. Ruza shreds out on guitar as Muppet leads the way on bass, declaring “war with the world”. Fucksake brings the brutality with hardcore thrash metal tune “Nazi Scum”. Earl attacks his drum kit while Ruza rips it up on guitar. This album boils down to the ability of Fucksake to expose their drive and talent for coalescing hardcore, punk, and thrash to the delight of punks and metalheads alike.

fucksake.bandcamp.com/album/the-fuck-tape

Fucksake plays the New Year's Eve Eve Eve Punk Rock Piss-Up on December 29th at Century, located at 1350 South 29th Street in South Philly with Trenton punk rockers Doc Rotten, Philly street punk rockers The Lot, NJ punk rockers Houston and the Dirty Rats and Philly Americana country punks Side Pocket Louie.

- Garyn Klasek