Marco On The Bass Live Review: UB40 At BB Kings in New York City

Though it was just a short hop, skip and jump on the subway from my apartment in Manhattan to see UB40 at BB King's in the heart of Times Square, it had been 26 years and few blocks since I had first seen the band during their very first 'Labour Of Love' Tour in 1984 at the Roseland Ballroom on 52nd Street. A lot has changed over that time, but one thing has remained the same -- UB40 still put on a great live show!

I met up with my fellow ska/reggae blogger Steve Shafer (Duff Guide To Ska) at the venue a few minutes before 8 pm and right on cue the band came out on stage and kicked into 'Train Is Coming'. The close to sell-out crowd welcomed them warmly. From there it was a 90 minute trip through the band's extensive catalog with a set list that was definitely crafted for American audiences that included most of the songs the band placed on the U.S. pop charts including 'Red Red Wine', 'Can't Help Falling In Love' and tracks from all four Labour Of Love albums which did quite well here in the States (see the set list the band's sound engineer let me scan below).

New singer Duncan Campbell fills his brother Ali's shoes with ease, and he seemed to get looser and more comfortable as the set went on, really coming to life on the older material. He has a strong, soulful voice and hits all the notes his brother made his vocal trademark. The band's MC/toaster Astro was definitely missed (he was denied a visa by U.S. Homeland Security), but his bandmates filled in for him. It was great to hear album cuts like 'Reggae Music' and 'Baby' where bassist Earl Falconer took over lead vocals and the dancehall sounds of the tunes were a nice change of pace from the band's mostly mid-tempo set. Falconer is an animated performer with a great falsetto voice and it was nice to see him come out from behind his guitar. I also enjoyed hearing 'Dance Until The Morning Light' that the band recorded with Maxi Priest from the 'Twenty Four Seven' album, which had cant miss pop hit written all over it when it was released a few years ago.

True to their word, the set did include 'Tyler', 'King', 'I Think Its Going To Rain' and 'Little By Little' from the 'Signing Off' album in swift succession (see videos below). It was great to hear songs from the album that the band will be playing in its entirety during a U.K. tour which starts later this month. It was the real reason I was most excited to see the band, as that album and 'Present Arms' (the band also performed 'One In Ten') were both huge parts of my musical education. Sadly there were no tracks from the vastly underrated 'Who You Fighting For' album.

Below are videos of 'Tyler', 'I Thing Its Going To Rain', 'Little By Little' and 'King' from 'Signing Off' which I shot on my Flip Video. The visuals may be grainy but the sound quality is very good. Either way you will get a sense of the band live:

Fans in the U.K. should be excited. You are in for a real treat with the 'Signing Off' tour. Enjoy!

Unsung Heroes Of The 2-Tone Era - Channel A: Stan Campbell's Pre-Special AKA Ska Band

I've previously written about the important role that Stan Campbell played in the history of 2-Tone and his sad demise later on. As the voice of 'Nelson Mandela' and other songs from The Special AKA album 'In The Studio" he inhabits a strange nether world. His voice is forever linked to one of the greatest political protest songs of the late 20th century, but he remains a true enigma who never had a chance to make the most of his talent or his gifted voice. Here is very rare studio footage of Campbell and the band rehearsing 'Nelson Mandela'. Its over 8 minutes long and you finally get a sense of what Campbell's voice was like live.

Campbell's star blazed quickly and very briefly and he never actually performed live with The Special AKA, who true to their one and only album title never left the studio. Nevertheless, interest in him remains strong particularly in the one out-of-print self-titled solo album he recorded at UB40's DEP Studio in Birmingham with local musicians which was released after his stint with Dammers and Co. Have a look and listen to the single 'Years Go By' to get a sense of what might have been if destiny had been kinder.

But what about before The Special AKA and a solo career? I only recently learned that Campbell had a musical career going before he was plucked from obscurity by Jerry Dammers to fill Terry Hall's shoes. In fact, it must have been easy for Dammers, because Campbell was performing in an early 80's Coventry-based ska band called Channel A.

Not much is known about Channel A, but recently their co-founders Peter Jacobs and Martin Gardner posted promo and live pictures of the band performing and demo tracks the band recorded on a My Space page. The bands songs are notable for their moody keyboards and crisp bass playing and sound at times like The Police, but the stand-out is Campbell's voice and you get a sense that Dammers must have realized he had a diamond in the rough with him when he heard them perform. You can listen to the four songs on the music player I attached below.

Marco On The Bass Book Review: 'Ska: An Oral History' by Heather Augustyn

Heather Augustyn opens her new book 'Ska: An Oral History' with a preface that reads: 'Everyone who loves ska has a story to tell - the first time they heard The Specials in the 70's, the first time they danced on stage at a Toasters show in the 80's, the first time they saw The Skatalites perform in the 90's'. No truer words have been written! Its why I started a ska band and why I started writing this blog. Its the stories and experiences - past and present -- that keep ska alive for its fans and for the many musicians who have made it their life work.

So who is Heather Augustyn anyway and why did she write a book about the history of ska? She's quite open about the fact that she is a fan who decided to channel her own love of ska by tracing its historical arc. Taking matters into her own hands she contacted and personally interviwed an array of musicians (including Cedella Marley who provides the forward) who have helped ska to succeed and grow. In ten distinct chapters she traces its post-colonial founding in Jamaica via Derrick Morgan, Millie Small and The Skatalites through Laurel Aitken and Toots Hibbert and later its migration with Jamaican immigrants to the U.K. where it was Anglicized by Judge Dread and later re-interpreted by The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter, Madness and Bad Manners. In the final chapter she chronicles the explosion of ska in the U.S. featuring interviews and profiles of key American ska bands including Angelo Moore of Fishbone, Rob 'Bucket' Hingley of The Toasters, Jayson Nugent of The Slackers and Jim Arhelger of Bim Skala Bim, Buford O'Sullivan of The Scofflaws, Tony Kanal of No Doubt and Dickie Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones among others.

Its an ambitious undertaking and it took Augustyn nearly a decade from start to publication. In the end she has realized a long held dream that has become a personal mission: to ensure that the stories of 30 key ska musicians who have played a key role in its invention, development and ongoing success are captured and preserved. It is these personal stories and memories that make the book compelling. And it is the personal stories that Augustyn has collected that take this book from what could have been a rote re-telling of ska musical history from other sources into something bigger - fascinating and inspiring memories, anecdotes and stories that are woven together over nearly 50 years that show ska's strength and endurance as the people's music

Highlights that Augustyn has uncovered about the early days of ska include:

Why Byron Lee & the Dragonaires were selected to perform at the 1964 World's Fair in New York instead of The Skatalites.

Derrick Morgan's account of how he wrote the song, 'Tougher Than Tough', when threatened by a real rude boy.



Millie Small talking about her 1964 breakthrough hit 'My Boy Lollipop' which took ska mainstream in the U.S. and U.K.

As a committed 2-Tone disciple I especially enjoyed the separate chapters Augustyn devoted to The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter, Madness and Bad Manners. Highlights for me included:

Roddy Radiation's account of why the Specials' famous Saturday Night Live performance almost didn't happen.

Dave Wakeling telling the story of why General Public's original video for 'Tenderness' featuring him falling in love with a transvestite bodybuilder was never shown in the U.S.!

Pauline Black explaining the symbolism of The Selecter's logo used on their second album 'Celebrate The Bullet'.

Lee 'Kix' Thompson of Madness recounting how he invented the band's 'Nutty Sound'.

Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners explaining how an appearance on Italian Television where he exposed his 'bum' (when the Pope was watching) ended up getting the band banned from the country!

As an historical document, Augustyn's book is worth the high retail price of $35--where else can you find out the real reason that Neville Staple was denied a visa by the U.S. Government for The Specials recent U.S. tour or how Judge Dread helped to launch the career of Bob Marley in the U.K. in the early 70's

Whether you are a hardcore traditional ska fan, have an academic interest in the genre, were raised on 2-Tone or were in the crowd at one of The Toasters shows all those years ago, you'll definitely want this book.

If you are interested in buying the book, it is available for sale on Amazon.com. Click below:

Listen To The X-Streams!: The Best 2-Tone Era American Ska Band You've Never Heard Finally Make Unreleased Demo Available

I'm happy to report that the surviving members of The X-Streams, an incredibly talented but overlooked 2-Tone era American ska band from the early 80's, have finally made some amazing unreleased demo tracks they recorded in Los Angeles in 1980 with noted Warner Brothers producer Paul Wexler (son of Jerry Wexler) available for all to hear.

The X-Streams, were an Arizona-based ska band that played a part in the resurgent Los Angeles ska scene of the early 80's that flourished around the O.N. Klub. They remain the band I wished I had seen live and their story is one that continues to draw me in. Perhaps because they came so close to success before self-destructing. Perhaps because they brought an energy and intensity that was both mesmerizing and a little bit frightening to those who saw and heard them. Perhaps because for one brief moment they may have been the best hope for what an American 2-Tone era ska band could have been.


The band coalesced around Bob Steinhilber (drums), Peter Tessensohn (bass), Steve Kriol (guitar) and Lorraine Springer, a young woman from Trinidad on lead vocals. Springer had met Kriol in California and travelled with him to Arizona to start the band. The addition of local guitarist Kurt Mayberry was the final ingredient that took them to the next level, but also complicated their future. Much like Pauline Black and Neol Davies in The Selecter, it was the vocal interplay and energy between Springer and Mayberry that set The X-Streams apart and captured the attention of LA-based producers and music industry veterans, who for a short time, were captivated by the band's live energy and their edginess.

Sadly, The X-Streams were plagued by infighting, drug addiction, a nasty love triangle involving Springer and the band's two guitarists and a penchant for self-destruction that seemed to keep them from ever reaching their full musical potential. Nevertheless, they made a mark for themselves in Arizona and L.A. and are best remembered for their raw and edgy take on new wave styled ska.


Now at last its possible to revel in the incredible vocal talent and artistic performance of Lorraine Springer. Her vocals and lyrics are marked by an intensity and anger that are breathtaking. Backed by the band's edgy ska meets punk vibe, all the bands best songs revolve around her performance. The band's cover of Sugar Minott's 'Hard Time Pressure' becomes a story of The X-Streams trials and tribulations during their time in Los Angeles. Their 'Rec A Pum Pum/Wet Dream' is a cover of Prince Buster's 'Wreck A Pum Pum' which segues into Max Romeo's 'Wet Dream' and gives Springer a chance to flaunt her own sexuality. Their clever cover of Third World's song 'Rhythm Of Life' makes the song their own and remains the best 2-Tone era song you've never heard and the hard-hitting ska of 'Games' (which seems to document Springer's complicated personal relationship with her in-band lovers) gives Pauline Black and The Selecter a run for their money. Springer shines on the the aggressive punk of 'Be A Boy' where she fantasizes about changing her gender to enjoy the benefits of being a man. The weird, indescribable but captivating 'Fairies In The Mountain' imagines 'No sex, no race, no color, no creed'. All the intensity is balanced by 'Pretty Baby' which had all the ingredients to be a hit on FM radio. It's an amazing performance that has been hidden away for 30 years and can now finally be heard.

The band has created a ReverbNation page with all these songs plus others that were recorded after Springer left the band. You can listen to them there or on the player below. If you register for the band's e-mail list you can download a song for free.

The X-Streams have also released a CD of their later post-Springer tracks called 'Cloud 10' which you can listen to and purchase from Amazon.com:

UB40 Radio Documentary Hosted by Ranking Roger Tells The Inside Story Of The 'Signing Off' Album

Truth be told, I am incredibly excited to see UB40 play here in New York City on Monday October 11th. The band is just finishing up their 2-week North American tour and have been playing to full houses as they promote their new 'Labour Of Love IV' album and perform selections from their extensive back catalogue of songs. As the band gear up for their 30th anniversary tour of the U.K. to celebrate and promote the re-release of 'Signing Off', I came across a fantastic radio documentary hosted by Ranking Roger of The Beat and produced by Birmingham City University that tells the inside story of the recording of the album and its social, musical and cultural significance.

'Signing Off' was heralded as a landmark album when it was released in late August 1980. Mixing reggae and dub, the album chronicled the times, and wider social and political issues, as well as the plight of inner cities like Birmingham throughout the UK during the early Thatcher years. The album went on to attain Platinum status after spending 71 weeks in the UK charts, peaking at number two, featuring hit singles 'King', 'Food For Thought' and 'I Think It’s Going to Rain Today'.

The documentary features fantastic interviews with members of the band (Brian Travers, Robin Campbell and Jim Brown) along with Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders (who gave the band their first break opening for her band) and Bob Lamb, who produced 'Signing Off' and signed the band to his indie Graduate Records label. The documentary explores life in Birmingham in the early eighties 80's and reveals the band's strong political beliefs.

Here is a short video of the making of the radio documentary featuring Ranking Roger:

The documentary provides some amazing detail like the band's original influences -- Big Youth, Lee Perry's Black Ark dub albums and Bim Sherman. I was particularly interested to learn that the band's iconic song 'Food For Thought' was originally titled 'The Christmas Song' before a roadie suggested a better title. I also enjoyed hearing how the band went about making their recording of Randy Newman's 'I Think Its Going To Rain' their own.

I can't recommend the documentary enough. Have a listen.

Ub40: The 30th Anniversary Of "Signing Off" Documentary by Sam Coley on Mixcloud

Fishbone Documentary 'Everyday Sunshine' To Screen In New York City: Band To Perform Live Following Screening!

The Fishbone documentary 'Everyday Sunshine' will finally be screened in New York City on Friday October 22nd as part of the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival. Even better is news that the band plan to perform live following the screening at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleeker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village.

The documentary, narrated by Laurence Fishburne and featuring Fishbone, Flea, Ice-T, Gwen Stefani, Perry Farrell, Bob Forrest, Branford Marsalis, and George Clinton is garnerning rave reviews for its filmmakers Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson as it makes its way across the country. In fact, Metzler and Anderson just won the awards for Best Directing & Best Feature Film at the DOC UTAH International Documentary Film Festival in late September.

Read more about the documentary and Metzler and Anderson from an interview they conducted with me earlier this summer.

Have a look at a trailer for the film on the Facebook page for the documentary.

Details below on the screening and show:

Friday, October 22nd at 4 PM
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival
The Norwood Club
241 W. 14 Street
New York, N.Y.
* Post-Screening Q&A

Friday, October 22nd at 7 PM
Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St
New York, New York

Green Room Rockers Release New Self-Titled Album: Collection of Soul and R&B Produced By Dave Hillyard of The Slackers

Lafayette, Indiana's very own Green Room Rockers (GRR) have just released a new self-titled album and with it they are making their case to be one of the brightest American ska bands on the scene. The record, which is the follow-up to their 2007 debut 'Hoosier Homegrown' was produced by Dave Hillyard of The Slackers, which adds to its bona fides.

The band hooked up with Hilyard when he e-mailed them an offer to collaborate in July of 2008. According to the band, it was a 2 sentence e-mail that said 'Hey, if you guys ever need a producer, give me a call'. The band took The Slackers saxophonist up on his offer and Hillyard flew into Lafayette from New York a couple times during the recording process, which spanned two years. Hillyard offered an ear that the band could trust and suggestions for song arrangements and performed on the instrumental dub 'Exit 178'.

Hillyard's influence is clear as GRR have experimented with a sound that comes close to where The Slackers and other band's influenced by them (The Forthrights) are taking American ska in the 21st Century, which is towards a rootsier, more 60's R&B sound with a definite emphasis on soul and blues. While most of the songs on the album retain a Jamaican-influence (a la Toots & The Maytals), there are a lot of songs that are a departure from the band's original rocksteady sound. Among the 14 tracks -- and two hidden tracks if you get the CD -- are a mix of familiar tunes, new songs and a few covers. Many of the songs have been road-tested and by playing them live over and over, the band perfected them before they were recorded. Of the batch 'You and I' offers the best example of the new GRR sound. Below is a video of the band performing the song in front of a hometown crowd.


The album will be front and center on a 16-day midwestern tour GRR are doing with The Slackers through most of October and planning for a European tour is also underway. The album will be available via Jumpuprecords.com, GreenRoomRockers.com, Itunes, and Rhapsody. A limited edition, green vinyl version will also be available from Jump Up Records in November 2010.
The band is on the road in the U.S. and Canada during October with The Slackers. Try and catch them if you can.
10.1 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ the Grog shop
10.2 - Chicago, IL @ the Bottom Lounge
10.3 - St. Louis, MO @ the FIREBIRD
10.4 - Lafayette, IN @ The lafayette brew co
10.5 - Grand Rapids, Mi @ Billy's
10.6 - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
10.7 - Toledo, OH @ FRANKIES
10.8 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Theatre of living arts
10.9 - Bloomington, IN @ NUTELLA FEST
10.10 - Riot Fest, CHICAGO w/ ROY ELLIS aka mr symarip
10.19 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Palace
10.20 - Guelph, ONT, CA @ E-Bar
10.21 - London, ONT, CA @ Call the office
10.22 - Toronto, ONT, CA @ Lee's Palace
10.23 - Montreal, QC, CA @ Le Studio
10.24 - TBA Ottawa , CA

You can listen to or buy a copy of the new album from Amazon.com: