Dizzybeat.com

Dizzybeat has really been neglected in 2010, due in large part to pouring so much energy into the Dawn Penn and Stranger Cole gig while I tried to hold down a job and do a couple of uni subjects as well. Dizzybeat is always the thing to give, unfortunately.

Anyway, the gig is over, and it was one of the most interesting musical experiences of my life. Just mind-blowing really, and for the most part fantastic. I didn't take any media as Gen and I were kept pretty busy, but there are pics over at: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/gallery/16026/1/The-Reggae-Showcase.htm

Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll be able to get things updated here, as there is quite a bit on.

Ska, reggae and rocksteady institutions The Slackers have a new album out on Hepcat within the next few weeks. Titled The Great Rocksteady Swindle, you can pre-order it from interpunk.com. In Australia, Shock distribute Hellcat, so one would expect you'll be able to get it from JB Hi-fi or preferably a smaller shop like Resist Records or Missing Link. You may have to ask them to get it in for you though.

So while I am shouting from the rooftops about Dawn Penn and Stranger Cole playing in Sydney, there is another great Thursday night of Garage Land coming up.

Here is the low-down:

LINEUP:

GAY PARIS
THIS WAR (Melb)
DJ GLEN DIZZYBEAT
TOMMY GUN
DJ FROM FULL HOUSE

Garageland appreciates the Sydney response for our show last month. We try to keep the entertainment flowing (and I don't just mean the Young Liberals meeting upstairs) so we're back in April with a killer lineup, including another interstate showing.

GAYPARIS is what you get when you put a particularly effeminate ginger showman in front of a band playing a mix of blues, gospel, hillbilly and hardcore punk music. While many shy away from the spotlight, Gay Paris stand firmly in it and pull everyone they perform to towards it. A novelty as enjoyable and intense as this band ceases to be novelty.

This War will make you forget for a night that Melbourne's other great punk act, H-Block 101, have broken up. They won't remind you of it, because their sound is more melancholy, though no less infectious. Their mix of punk, ska and pop with a strong critical questioning to their songwriting will make you do what any good punk does and think critically yourself, while ensuring you still know exactly what the dancefloor is for.

Before, between and after the bands DJs Glen Dizzybeat, Snap! Soundsystem, Tommy Gun and DJ from Full House will be spinning the smoothest sounds for the dancefloor, from JA to the UK and all the way to the Motor City.

http://www.myspace.com/garagelandnight

Who'd have thought - someone willing to put together a regular punk magazine in Australia with a local focus to go with it. I've been asked to write a regular column, which I duly accepted, and I suggest you support such a fine project by buying a copy. Head to: http://renegadesempire.com to buy their latest issue online or find out your closest stocking newsagent.

The latest issue has just come out and features some great features. The editorial team are travelling the country going to gigs, so you can expect some really good insights into Australian music.

Keep an eye out for my first article in the May/June issue!

Two of Jamaica's greatest singers, Dawn Penn (No, no, no) and Stranger Cole (Rough and Tough) will be performing at the Annandale Hotel, Sydney on Saturday May 8.

They'll be backed by Sydney favourites King Tide and supported by Melbourne's fabulous Ska Vendors.

This will be the greatest reggae, rocksteady and ska revue Sydney has ever witnessed.

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE: http://www.annandalehotel.com/anh/eventdetails.asp?id=2362

For fans of: Ska acts who offer genre variety and good musicianship, but know their main job is to make people move on the dance floor.

I don’t know how Ruder Than You were never on my ska radar – they’ve been together off and on since 1989 and have released a bunch of records including 2 on the most prominent ska record label of the 90s, Moon Ska Records.
The band, hailing from Philadelphia, have a sound that sits quite strongly in the USA third wave, but with the benefit of different influences and time to hone their craft, something which many bands lacked around 1998 in the USA. If I had to find another reference point, bands like Let’s Go Bowling or even Moon Ska’s Bucket Hingley’s own band The Toasters come to mind. However, Ruder Than You are probably a little harder to pin down than these other two groups because of their wider mix of ska, rootsy reggae with some dancehall and punk influences.

The bass driven intro instrumental pRaise HaVoc (as it reads on the CD cover) reaches a crescendo, leading into the rather horny thrash metal-like (at least in the chorus) Baby Tonight and the upbeat Creation Sounds, where saxophonist Doug Dubrosky really shows what he can do. The next track is Faith, which has a strong groove and a nice enough sentiment (even if I disagree about the source of the sentiment).

The last two songs of the album are the highlights; with the kicked back Give the People What They Need showing how well a simple upbeat ditty can work and The Witch making it clear Ruder Than You’s talents are broad with a minor key rootsy number.

Favourite tracks: Give the People What They Need

Overall: An impressive album that sits well in the contemporary setting, while still having strong connections to America’s most popular period for ska music.

Available from: http://www.ruderthanyou.net

For fans of: Crude, obnoxious punk fashioned in way that will be fairly new to you.

With a style described as gutter calypso, I found it hard to form any sort of expectation of this record. Consequently, I’ve never heard anything quite like it. It’s not pure novelty, although there is plenty of that. It’s not what I would call youthful rough-round-the-edges DIY recording, although that it is at the essence. So what is it? It’s well polished uninhibited smut, with a splattering of steel drum, and I actually quite like it.

I’d like to say the humour in this record, which is plentiful, was clever and layered, but it’s difficult to claim with songs such as Pee in the Butt and Commando. Calypso was already in the gutter, but this band takes it one step further to cross a line I would imagine not everyone would be comfortable with.

The music is what makes the record for me. Take away all the joke lyrics and what you have is a fusion of punk rock and a West Indian sound that is not often attempted, but in this case works well. The Donkey Song is an infectious catchy example of these two styles. The band’s cover of Jump in the Line, is close to being sacrificial, but it fits with their style.

Favourite tracks: Donkey song, Jump In the Line

Overall: The band doesn’t claim to be everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m sure that’s the case, but if you like a laugh with you dose of punk, have a listen to this record.

Available from: http://www.guttercalypso.net