This Is England '86' TV Series Finally Released On DVD

For anyone who has seen the film 'This Is England' and was caught up in the story of a band of young skinheads in the north of England, the news that Channel 4 in the U.K. commissioned the film's director Shane Meadows to create a 4-part TV series titled 'This Is England 86' was greeted with deafening cheers! Picking up 3 years after the end of the film, the TV series was an immediate hit when it aired in the U.K. in September. It also created demand for access to the series outside the U.K. which may finally be satisfied with the release of the series on DVD which is available from Amazon.com UK (unfortunately the U.K. DVD format is not compatible with DVD players made in the U.S. so fans of the series like me are out of luck until a compatible version is released in the States).

As a quick overview, the film centred on 12-year-old Shaun (played by Thomas Turgoose), and his acceptance into a group of skinheads, which is eventually split by a growing racist influence. 'This Is England '86' revisits the main characters – Shaun, Woody and Lol – in 1986 – the year Maradona ends England’s World Cup dreams in Mexico; the year Top Gun is the highest grossing film and the year over 3.4 million Brits are unemployed. Shaun and his skinhead friends are older, but not much wiser. As they make their way through Thatcher’s England, life gets ever harder and darker. Despite this, Meadows’s rampant humor holds fast throughout and Turgoose superbly portrays Shaun’s rise to adulthood. Reviews of the show when it aired in September were uniformly positive including one's from The Telegraph and The Guardian. The DVD release has garnered an additional slew of rave reviews from The Independent and the great film review site DVD Outsider.

When the program aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. in September it was made available for free viewing on the network's Web site for anyone living inside the U.K. (but blocked viewers living outside the U.K.) That said, the movie made fans around the world and their has been significant demand for the T.V. series outside the U.K. For fans living outside the U.K. (including the U.S.), the entire series has been posted for streaming on several Web sites like this one.

In the meantime have a look at a great video interview about the series with Thomas Turgoose (Shaun) and Joe Gilgun (Woody).

The DVD is available for sale on Amazon.com (NOTE: It is for Region 2 DVD players only)

Introducing 100 dBs: The Slackers Tour DJ Embarks On A Tour Of His Own

I've noticed that more and more touring ska and reggae bands are bringing a DJ along with them to set the mood before and after their shows. Given the historical importance of the DJ (or Selector in Jamaican slang) in the growth and development of ska and reggae, I think it makes perfect sense. The bigger the band, the more likely the DJ may be someone worth giving your attention to. When I saw The Specials in New York City earlier this year, I made sure to get to the venue early so I could take in a DJ set by Terry Hall's son Felix Hall and his partner Trevor Evans. The role of the DJ as a touring artist seems to be more of a Hip Hop-and Dance music-based phenomena, but ska and reggae DJ's are beginning to branch out and perform live as well.

Case in point is American ska band The Slackers. If you have seen the band perform live recently, then there is a good chance you've heard their tour DJ 100 dBs do his thing. Though still relatively young, he has quickly established himself as a live DJ, mixer and studio producer. Taking inspiration from iconic reggae producer Lee Perry, 100 dBs saved up to buy a primitive four-track recorder and began crafting dub remixes. Soon he was creating more modern compositions and became interested in the art of DJing. From there he became an in demand producer branching out in to hip-hop. However, based on the mixes available for download on his Web page, its clear that reggae and ska remain his true love.

With The Slackers leaving on a tour of South America this month, 100 dBs is hitting the road on his own with some help from up-and-coming ska and reggae DJ Grace Of Spades. Still only 21 years old, Grace has also quickly become a staple on the New York music scene, holding DJ residences at several New York clubs. The daughter of Jahn Xavier, bassist of the legendary New York punk band Richard Hell & The Voidoids, she comes from a strong musical tradition, but is also well steeped in reggae and ska. Its refreshing to see a young woman drawn into the world of ska and reggae DJing and Grace of Spades has an opportunity to make a name for herself. 100 dBs and Grace of Spades will be spinning back to back every night on the tour.


Here is a download link to Mr. Echo Inna Killa Dub, which was lovingly created by 100 dBs using two turntables and an echo chamber. It is one of the many free mixes he has posted for download on his Web site. This should give you a sense of what you can expect to hear if you head out to see him on tour.

Tour dates below:

11/7: New York, NY (Niagara)
11/8: Long Island, NY (Mr. Beery's)
11/10: West Chester, NY (WCUR)
11/11: Washington DC (Patty Boom Boom)
11/12: Baltimore, MD (Dionysus)
11/14: Raleigh, NC (White Collar Crime)
11/17: Chattanooga, TN (Discoteca)
11/19: New Orleans, LA (Maison Frenchman Penthouse)

Simon Cranstoun Announces His Departure From The Dualers

There is some sad ska related news out of the U.K. this week. Simon Cranstoun, one of the two brothers who have fronted The Dualers, a fantastic 60's styled ska band with soul and pop influences, has announced that he is leaving the band to pursue an R&B career following the unexpected success of his solo song 'Dynamo.' His brother Tyber will continue to front the band without him. For the uninitiated, Tyber has always been the brother more inclined towards ska and reggae roots, while Simon has never hidden the influence that Sam Cooke, Ben E. King and Jackie Wilson have had on his vocal style. The amicable split allows each brother to take their preferred musical style to further success.

In an open letter to the band's fans on The Dualers Web site Simon wrote: My brother and I have sung side by side for the last 15 years and have received so much love and support from you all, so it brings me much sadness to inform you that after a lot of thought and careful consideration I have decided to leave The Dualers. I have reached this decision for several reasons. One of these is my desire to explore the influences, particularly those of musical greats like Jackie Wilson, which are shaping my current creative direction. Some of you may already know that I have released a new song called Dynamo which has become a huge hit on the underground R&B scene and is available on iTunes. Read the whole letter here.

Here is the video for the song 'Dynamo' which has received significant radio airplay around the U.K. and E.U.:

Starting their career as street performers, the Cranstoun brothers built a repertoire of classic ska, reggae and soul songs, receiving a phenomenal audience response wherever they performed around the U.K (watch video of their street performances here, here and here). As their street performances became more popular, they drafted a band and landed their self-penned song 'Kiss On The Lips' at an impressive #21 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2004. As an unknown act, they became the first street performers ever to achieve a chart position, selling more records that week than some internationally well-known artists. With no backing or publicity, the band attributed their success to their street shows and a very dedicated fan-base. The band has played support for a variety of bands including Madness and UB40.

Their second single, 'Truly Madly Deeply', was released in November 2005, reaching number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was picked as a featured song in the 2008 major motion picture Fool’s Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, bringing them to the attention of a wider audience. The brothers later launched and hosted Skavoovie: a monthly ska club night in London’s West End which quickly gained a regular following and became very popular with ska fans.

Simon will perform one last show with the band in December before he and his new band beging a tour and release a new album titled 'Throwback' in 2011. More information is available at his Web site. The Dualers will perform all advertised live shows as planned. More information is available at their Web site.

You can buy The Dualers album 'Melting Pot' on Amazon.com:

Members Of The Specials Back M.I.A. On 'Later Live With Jools Holland'

The music blogosphere is on fire today with news about The Specials. It turns out that on Wednesday night's episode of UK music program 'Later With Jools Holland', M.I.A. performed her cover of Spectral Display's 1982 electronica hit "It Takes a Muscle" along with members of the ska greats as part of her backing band. It's a smart pairing as it’s one of the more melodic tracks on M.I.A.'s new album 'Maya' and her reggae-flavored version of the track plays to the The Specials strengths. In my humble opinion, Specials drummer John Bradbury, bassist Horace Panter and keyboardist Nik Torp are the stars of the performance, as its clear that M.I.A. is more rapper than singer. Here's to hoping the band use this collaboration as inspiration when they go into the studio to record new songs. I'll say this -- The Specials rhythm section is set and ready to go!



Here is the original by early 80's Dutch electronic group Spectral Display:

Sublime's Original Sax Player Re-Joins Sublime With Rome: Harvard Educated Family Physician Returns To Tour

Sublime retain a very special place in the minds of ska and reggae music fans. Along with other American bands like No Doubt, Fishbone and Reel Big Fish, they radically changed the musical landscape of the 90's and beyond by bringing the sound of ska and reggae into the mainstream. But Sublime also stood apart from their ska brethren. Where the original breed of American ska and reggae bands had looked to the U.K. and 2-Tone for sonic and visual inspiration, Sublime embraced a completely California-centered alternative surf culture of bare chests, tattoos and partying. Their songs, which incorporated elements of dub reggae, first-wave and second-wave ska, punk rock, and dancehall reggae chronicled their misadventures and struggles. To that end it placed them squarely into the historical context of the reggae artists and 'Rude Boys' they worshipped and drew influence from.

When the band's singer Bradley Nowell died in 1996, Sublime broke-up replaced in time by a tribute band that made a tidy living playing the band's songs live for a generation of fans too young to have seen the original band. But Sublime has been resurrected. Drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson reunited for an unannounced show in early 2009 with a 20-year-old singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez. The reactions from the show prompted the trio to continue working together until a legal snafu over the use of the band name, which was trademarked by Nowell's estate, forced the trio to alter their approach. Enter Sublime with Rome who have been touring and playing shows across the U.S. and U.K.

Much has been written about the return of the band and there has been a lot of scrutiny of Ramirez despite the fact that many of today's fans never saw the band live (you can read a few positive and negative reviews here, here and here). One person who has a truly unique perspective on the history of the band is Sublime's original saxophonist Todd Forman, who also happens to be a Harvard graduate and a family physician! He toured with the band during summer breaks from Harvard in the early 90;s and has continued to play music while practicing medicine. He's taken a leave of absence from his medical practice to tour with the band once again and has been profiled in an article in the band's hometown newspaper. The paper also posted a video interview with Forman which is below:

With the new band, Forman alternates between playing saxophone, melodica, keyboards and percussion to help recreate the layered sounds of the band's studio recordings. It's interesting to hear the trombone solo for the studio recording of 'Wrong Way' replayed by Forman live on a baritone sax. He's also managed to replace the entire horn section for the band's sole studio hit 'Date Rape.'

To hear an incredibly informative and interesting interview with Forman about the early days of Sublime, Nowell's death, and how he came to re-join Sublime with Rome watch the lengthy video interview below.







Sublime With Rome are currently touring. You can check tour dates on the band's Web site.

Canadian Reggae/Rock Trio Bedouin Soundclash Return With A New Album 'Light The Horizon'

Canadian reggae rock trio Bedouin Soundclash arrive in New York City tonight (after an around the world tour that took them from Shanghai, China to India and the U.K.) to promote their new record 'Light The Horizon' which was just released here in the U.S. in late October. The band who are a huge draw in their homeland (where they have had several songs chart on Canadian commercial radio, enjoyed a Juno nomination for album of the year and performed a high profile slot during the Vancouver Winter Olympic games earlier this year) as well as the U.K. (where they have charted several songs) has mostly flown under the radar here in the U.S. despite playing support for No Doubt on their 2009 U.S. tour. I believe that they could possibly change with their new record which was recorded in Philadelphia and produced by King Britt who toured with Digable Planets.

I was originally drawn to the band by their sound which seems to mix elements of The Cure (when the were a 3 piece) with both The Police (particularly lead singer Jay Malinowski's vocal inflections that recall a more soulful and rough voiced Sting) and The Clash. Despite some unwillingness on the band's part to identify themselves as a full out ska or reggae band (they call themselves 'street soul') it sounds to me like their heart lies in reggae. While many other rock and pop acts continue to dabble in ska and reggae, Bedouin Soundclash sounds more like a reggae act dabbling in rock. Not only do they maintain a traditional reggae style rhythm on many tracks but they imbue their music with a genuine soulful edge that's sadly lacking in a lot of newer ska bands today. The band also has a lot of high profile admirers including Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jennifer who produced their breakthrough album 'Sounding A Mosaic' and reggae legend Vernon Buckley of 70's reggae duo The Maytones who has been known to perform with the band.

Here is video for the song 'Mountain Top' the new single from 'Light The Horizon' and my favorite song 'Rude Boy Don't Cry' from 'Sounding A Mosaic'

You can listen to tracks and purchase the new album 'Light The Horizon' on Amazon.com:

Spanish Band Ska-P Finally Bring Their Political Ska-Punk Sound To The U.S.

The Spanish ska band Ska-P will make a very rare appearance in the U.S. during the month of November to play one show in New York City and two in Southern California. Never heard of them? I'm not surprised. Ska-P were formed by a group of friends in Madrid in 1994 and their name, when pronounced in Spanish is phonetically identical to the Spanish word for ‘escape’. Somewhere between a left-wing revolutionary political movement and a ska band, they have become a household name in most Spanish speaking countries around the World and easily sell-out tours across Europe.

Because of their uncompromising political stance and their insistence on only singing in Spanish, Ska-P have made few in-roads here in the U.S. or in the U.K. They have been compared to a mix of The Specials and Rage Against The Machine and sing about topics ranging from abolishing the death penalty, social injustice, women's rights, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, the legalization of marijuana, and the abolishment of bullfighting. The band has notably released a song in support of the Palestinian intifada and another critical of the Catholic Church for its handling of the sex abuse scandal which highlight their political worldview but may also limit their marketability in many places. Politics aside, the band put on an explosive live show and they may be one of most underrated live ska bands in the world.

What is an Ska-P show like? Complete and utter chaos apparently. Here is a English language review of the band's show in London in Mid-October. Below are some videos that provide a sense of the band's sound and their live show including 'Cannabis', 'Welcome To Hell' and 'Paramilitar'.

The band will play Irving Plaza in New York City on Thursday November 11th and then two shows in Southern California on Saturday November 13th as part of the Monstros Del Rock 2010 show in Pico Rivera, California and Sunday November 14th as part of Skafest 2010 in San Diego.

You can listen to and purchase the album 'Incontrolable' from Amazon.com: