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E-ZINE # 04
m o r e s k a , m o r e r e g g a e , m o r e m u s i c ! r o c k i n g s t e a d y !
r cking
steady
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Issue #4
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Foto: Susan Cadogan | D. Neumann / Livereggae.de
„Monty“ is back?
from page 04
SKA | Reggae
Masterclass
The Slackers &
Intensifi ed Interview
from page 08
Ska & Design
Vol. 3 - Gama Jam Jam
from page 12
Reggae In Your
Jeggae
Uwe Kaa
from page 16
Labels A Go Go
Jewels Records Anniversary
pages 26-29
The World of Ska!!!
Great Ska around the globe
from page 20

Issue Nr. 4!
eDITorIal The offbeaTboMb
www.rockingsteady.com
Issue #4 is here! Time passes so fast, don`t
you agree? And once more we`ve got lots
of news, interviews and reviews for you. For
this issue we`ve been after Eric Monty Morris
like a truffl e pig. Unfortunately, we came up
empty-handed. The story we found is actually
quite sad and really disappointing, but we
have shared it here for you to read.
Our two ska masters this issue are The
Slackers and Intensifi ed. Both are considered
some of the greatest contemporary bands of
the global scene. The Slackers have been in
Europe this year, where they already played
some new material. We wanted to know the
secrets behind their great success and if a
new recording is in the near future.
Intensifi ed released a wonderful new album
with the exorbitant title “Lunar City Groove“.
More details about the name and why the
band is really proud of their newest can be
found in our interview with Steve.
Ska & Design (Vol. 3) presents Gamma Robles,
an illustrator & designer from Central America.
His project “Jam Jam” features awesome
designs that are related to the music of
Jamaica as well as the entire ska scene and
be parT
May/Jun
2011
skinhead culture. After the sad death of Lloyd
Knibb, he did a great memorial illustration for
our title. At the moment, he is working on a
wonderful illustration of that portrait of Susan
Cadogan. You won`t get tired of admiring
the vintage colors of his style. Uwe Kaa is the
artist we choose for an interview in our “Reggae
In Your Jeggae“ column. We spoke with
him about his musical biography and his new
album. And once again, a new main topic is
introduced: Labels A Go Go!!! We will present
great labels of the entire ska scene. We start
with the small, but really fi ne, French, vinylonly
label Jewels Records, which had its fi fth
anniversary recently, celebrated with one of
the best festivals around the scene.
So, we`ve got news all over the globe for you.
Lots of great bands send their recordings,
were available for an interview, or told us
about their experiences on the Off beat-Stages.
We talked with Red Soul Community, The
One Droppers and the Green Room Rockers!
Really promising are the new albums of Danakil,
Terrakotta, The One Droppers, The Hangers,
Prince Perry, Kevin Batchelor and Def
P & The Beatbusters. Great videos this time
came from Eastern Europe: The Chancers and
The Three Teadies now on Rocking Steady
TV!!! We love this stuff and hope you too!
NEW!: Please feel free to send
comments, praise, criticism and
whatever comes to your mind to:
projekt@rockingsteady.de. We
may publish some of your stuff!
Yours O.W.
check The coMMunITy
www.rockingsteady.com

About us!
you... ... abouT rockIng STeaDy!
„Thanks for talking with me and rock steady
always!!....One love Susan“
Susan Cadogan, Jamaica/U.S.A.
„Rocksteady to 4th wave . Brilliant! Blowing my
mind at 2am?? Top Quality 3rd wave European
Ska & Rocksteady ThanX“
Lewis Bandless Rudeboy, Poole, U.K.
„It`s a great thing, you are doing,
need to keep the music alive!“
Aimee Goodinson, from Manchester,
living in Malaga
„Dobry e-zine. Najnowszy numer!“ .
„Simply the best!“
Reda Haddad, Polska
„Great magazine.
And many friends in Indonesia like it!“
Kacang Long Trip, Indonesia
„Looks like a great magazine“
Angus Taylor, London, U.K.
„Yes, I like it“
Al Olmedo, Spain
„Euer/Dein Magazin fi nde ich supi!“
Sebastian Radig, Greifswald, Germany
„Cannot wait for e-zine in english version!“
Rizky Waktunya Terbang, Surabaya, Jawa Timur,
Indonesia
„This is a pub. Thanks to you. We like your magazine,
damn serious! We love jamaican music!“
Alquimia Bar, Valladolid, Spain
„Looks great! Congrats and good luck!.“
Prince Perry, Toronto, Kanada
„Super Olly, weiter so!“
The Butlers, Berlin, Germany
„Keep rocking steady. Cheers!“
Harold Mahoney, U.S.A.
„Great one!“
Greg Frenandes, Sao Paulo, Brasil
„Rock me steady.. go steady go... i like you :) !“
Thoriq Madani, Rocksteady Band, Jakarta,
Indonesia
„Like!“
Gaby Skankin, Okinawa, Japan
„I like the magazine. Good layout, very good
articles and interesting interviews. Keep up the
good work!“
Mark Dale, London, U.K.
Many thanks!
Spread the word!
May/Jun
2011
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credits/pics: LiveReggae.de/D.Neumann, Gamma Robles, Bandpromo, RS
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valid pricelist: 2011 | 2012

„Monty“ is back?
TopIc TITle huMpTy DuMpTy
At this point, we should have had our interview
with Eric Monty Morris. Unfortunately, our
numerous attempts to get him before the
microphone were run into the ground, despite
promises from Buckley Records. They tried to
produce an album with Eric but were anything
but successful. It was probably my early criticism
regarding their recordings that prompted
Sadiki to stop responding to me. It was obvious
that the end product was sub-optimal and
needed improvement. Even the press woman
agreed that she should report that. We even offered
to help and the label repeatedly rejected.
We never got our interview, but we would like
to share the whole story with you. Read it here!
Eric Monty Morris
SpecIal „TearS In your eyeS“
The 8th of april 2011! Head of booking, Imad,
once again, has chosen a musically delight
for his Ska Got Soul-Weekender in the Mc
Cormacks Ballroom in Leipzig, Germany. The
announced highlight: Eric Monty Morris is
back!!!
We remember: There was still this great,
70-year-old man with legendary character,
who we have heard nothing from for many
years, but whose songs we all know as well as
the children’s songs Mama sang before we fell
asleep. His invitation was very exclusive and
for a long time we didn`t hear anything from
the Jamaican originator. Though some classic
songs are composed by him – as well as some
May/Jun
2011
May/Jun
2011
special pearls of Jamaican music, more popular
and known in professional circles, but made
available to all on the stage in Leipzig.
Ironically, The Saloon Soldiers had an acclaimed
performance, going on after what would be
considered a not-so-successful comeback
of the Grand Master “Eric Monty Morris”. This
would prove to be a fatal mistake to Imad,
being the last event he would direct before
being thrown from his own club.
“Shit happens!“
One might say if the stories didn’t have
such so far-reaching consequences.
Imad being ousted from his own club is as
sad a story as that of the brilliant idea to bring
Eric Monty Morris back on stage. It seems the
wrong people had the right idea. Now, Eric
appears less successful than Sadiki, a more or
less successful dancehall artist who runs his
own label, Buckley Records. Sadiki worked with
the legend in his rather badly equipped studio,
lacking any real instruments, picked a few of
Eric’s big songs, and turned it into an album, I
just simply wouldn’t want on my record player.
Out of all of the bad productions in ska, rocksteady,
and reggae, this 70-year old legend’s
debut album tops them all. Not only could
Sadiki not help himself from overdubbing
his own voice to the album (badly, at that),
he dubs it over Eric’s voice several times. The
absence of real instruments also adds to the
horrible sound of the album. As if you could
record a vintage ska album of a legendary
Jamaican originator with a drum machine and
a few bad keyboard loops! These may be legitimate
tools in the dancehall business, but it is
all lost in good ska production. Altogether, this
album would have earned the “yellow lemon“, if
it were not limited to bad cars. What a disaster.
To the Jamaican Observer, who seems not to
refl ect the recordings anyway, the producer
said, that it hasn`t been easy to pin something
modern to the traditional ska sound. What
we don`t understand is why make it modern?
What is the point? It is less about a comeback
for Eric, and more about creating a recorded
series of living, legendary Jamaicans with a
more “modern” spin in order to bring more cash
fl ow into Buckley Records?
Such a series would be no problem but a good
idea at all to make. It would need to be produced
well, though. And because we love the
music of Eric and appreciate him as he was, is
and will always be; we have off ered Buckley Records
to allow our in-house label Rocking Re-

cords to produce the album with
a great backing band in Germany.
All he needs to do is bring Eric’s voice
to the production, and recording voices is
something Sadiki does really well. Surprisingly,
our off er to help with the use of our own label
was fl atly rejected!
Though Sadiki agrees, that the recordings are
far away from being perfect, he seems completely
uninterested in making a really good
album with Eric. In reality, it almost seems like
he keeps things private, seals Eric off from everyone
else and refuses interviews with him to
keep the legend’s opinion secret. So, we never
got any answers from Eric, although they were
promised to us. Instead of answers, they put us
off again and again without any real response.
Since then, nothing has happened. Now, we
cannot even get in touch with Eric Monty
Morris. After Cecelia Campbell-Livingstone,
writer for JahWorks Magazine and the „voice“
of Jamaica, the “Jamaican Observer,” featured
a short article about him in the Dancehall/
Reggae
section of the Observer, it became quiet again
regarding Eric and his comeback. Just one
interview took place for the “United Reggae”-
Magazine. Maybe Sadiki hopes to convince
them that the album is better due to the production
techniques? If somebody would have
off ered the banner-ad, which was on United
Reggae then, to us, we would have defi nitely
declined.
No more tour dates are announced and it`s
hard to get in touch with Eric. The digital-only
release in Sadiki’s series is a fl op. It`s a pity. It
was a really good idea, and it was absolutely
goofed. Eric Monty Morris is a great live performer
and he`s got potential for many more
years of great ska music live from stages all
over the world - if it is done well!
OW
05

Ska | Masterclass
Ska & reggae-preMIere league
TopIc TITle
The Slackers
InTerVIew non-STop global player
www.theslackers.com
Rocking Steady!: “Access denied – you are
not authorized to access this page!” was the
answer of your webpage as i wanted to enter
your biography? Maybe an accident as you gave
lots of interviews the last few years and also
talked about some personal stuff , at least the
things that are related to your music. And even if
you keeped dark what you wanna keep dark, we
know lots of things about “The Slackers” yet: You
are from New York, got your 20th anniversary
this year, recorded lots of great albums at a
distance of one or sometimes maximum two
years and toured around the globe serveral
times. Besides this Slackers-Full-Time-Job few of
you are playing, recording and touring with their
solo projects in a similar busy way. Like David`s
Rocksteady 7 and Vics Singer/Songwriter-Stuff .
Is there anything more about you that we
should know? Anybody else in your band doing
some more things besides being “The Slackers”?
Nobody of you guys tired of your dedication of
your entire lives to Ska music?
David Hillyard: Nice to know that our security
systems are working in keeping the riff raff away
from our websites!
I can‘t complain about ska music because its
been very good to me. Its gotten me out of
a boring suburban existence. I get to travel
around the world and play music. What could
May/Jun
2011
May/Jun
2011
be better than that? Well, getting paid a million
dollars to do that would be be better but I
consider myself fortunate to have any fans at
all. Especially, that we have a little bit of fans in a
lot of places in the world. So that means we can
constantly go on tour.
Like you said me and Vic do a lot of diff erent
stuff . Sometimes I play in a sax/bass/conga trio
with larry Mcdonald and Dan Jeselsohn. Agent
Jay does a lot of other gigs. He Djs and he plays
in a punk band called, The Facts. Ara plays on
and off with Left Over Crack.
Rocking Steady!: There are many bands out
there doing ska, some doing it the traditional
way and at least one who plays 60s-Ska with
great success worldwide. “The Slackers”. What is
the diff erence between The Slackers and may
be “Intensifi ed, Kalles Kaviar, Babylove & The Van
Dangos, Firebug, The One Droppers, Jamaica 69,
The Moon Invaders, Les Skartoi, just to name a
few?
Same thing with the new album of Mr. T-Bone:
Mr. T-Bone & friends. Few really good bands on
it, but with focus on the quality of their grooves,
the contribution of The Slackers outclasses every
other song noticable. Could you explain this
phenomenon?
David Hillyard: Well, Im glad you like our stuff .
A bunch of the bands you name are my friends
and I like their music very much. I‘ve also played
on some of their records.
But, I would say that this is the main diff erence
between the Slackers and other bands, is that
we are very very focused on songwriting. The
band has a lot of songwriters. Vic and then me,
and then Glen came writing stuff , Marcus has
picked up his writing, Jay writes songs, and Ara
is even bringing in a few tunes.
We want to make music that lasts. Songs that
people will be listening to years from now. In the
same way that I love a Sam Cooke song. Try to
make something that is just good....timeless.
Rocking Steady!: Though you seem really
open minded to every kind of good music and
guess your are infl uenced by several styles, there
are some idols for your honestly chosen out of
the jamaican originators. Above all there is Glen
Adams, who unfortunately died in 2010. What
does this mean to you? And could you tell us
something about your collaborations with him?
David Hillyard: Glen Adams‘ recent passing
was a big loss. I still can‘t believe he is gone. He
had been sick with diff erent ailments for a long
time, so I guess it was coming, but it still hasn‘t
completely sunk in.
Glen is one of the guys who was playing reggae
music when it became „reggae.“ He‘s part of the
30 guys or so who made it into the identifi able
form that we know today.
I was lucky enough to work with Glen many
times in his little studio out in the Crown
Heights section of Brooklyn. It was just a little
series of rooms tucked around the corner for a
hair braiding store and on the same corner as
Beckford‘s record store.
You never knew who was going to be there
when you dropped by. I met Dobby Dobson
and Winston Francis over there.
Glen was a good coach/mentor for us. He
started working with us on the Red Light album
and stayed working with us up until around 5
years ago (?).
I was fortunate enough, to record a solo album
with him, „Jackpot“, that was just released in
Japan unfortunately so a lot of people haven‘t
heard it. Its me playing over old Bunny Lee and

Lloyd Charmers rhythms.
Rocking Steady!: One question for Marcus:
You are not the only one playing an electric bass
guitar in an upright manner. But could you explain
your reasons why you begun to play it this
way? Do you think there are some advantages
in playing it this way due to playing jamaican
music?
Marcus:I am not the only one playing bass in
this manner? Please tell me the names of these
other people, as I have never seen or heard of
anyone else playing in my style. (Letku Leroy for
example, the bassman of „The Valkyrians“ and also
me sometimes)
The reason I began playing this way is because
about 10 years ago, while the Slackers were
playing a show at the Velvet Elvis in Savanah
Georgia I broke my wrist skateboarding. I found
I could not move my wrist to play bass in the
traditional position so I threw the bass on a bar
stool and played it like an upright (which requires
less wrist movement). I played for 2 hours
that night and every night for 3 more weeks like
that before I saw a doctor and found my wrist
was a mess.
As to the advantages there are many. I dont
have to carry a bass for 2 hours a night is one. Of
course it does make a real diff erence in playing.
I fi nd playing traditional Ska requires an upright,
you can approximate the sounds but not the
approach on an electric bass. The upright makes
you look at what you play diff erently, certain
patterns are easier or more diffi cult, certain techniques
are more or less eff ective. I have found
that I need an upright to play Ska properly,
conversely I need an electric to play Rocksteady
or Reggae. Luckily I have found for myself that
perfect balance.
Rocking Steady!: At the moment lots of
bands built themselves something like an aggro
or funky image. Above all The Aggrolites, but
also several similar sounding bands from europe.
Seems as this is working to get some fans
out of the skinhead scene. For sure you`ve got
lots of fans out of the scene as well, but there are
also lots of other people who are there cause of
your music, not convinced by any rough image
in your marketing. Do you think that your honesty
in making music eff ects on your audience
this much? Can The Slackers prove that success
is possible with a son-in-law image?
David Hillyard: Hehehe. I am married, so I am
a ‚son-in-law‘ in fact.
I‘m not really into the tough guy thing. I dont
think the band is as a whole. We were joking
about doing a press photo where we did a parody
of the tough band thing. we would all been
grimacing at the camera and holding ridiculous
weapons like swords, a stick of dynamite, a stick
with spikes in it.
I dont know what your experiences is, but for
me, the toughest people are the guys and girls
who go out everyday and do jobs they dont like
so that they can make some money to feed their
kids. Not the guys who go out, have some beers,
and look for a fi ght on a saturday night.
I used to be into the traditional skinhead thing
but I always had a sense of humor about it.
This is like from around age 17-22 or so. I didn‘t
just have friends who were into that though. I
had friends who were into all diff erent kind of
styles and music. Sometimes people can be so
dogmatic y‘know?
Rocking Steady!: Do you think you could be
where you are without hellcat?
David Hillyard: Probably not. That was our big
break. We would have had to run into an equivalent
sized label plus a guy like Tim Armstrong
who gave us credibility in a lot of people‘s eyes.
Rocking Steady!: What are your plans in
releasing at all? Guess lots of the fans are looking
Diskographie (auswahl):
07
forward to get another live-album. And lots of
them are waiting for a volume 2 of “The Slackers
& Friends”. Any chance for such a release within
the next one or two years?
David Hillyard: We have a bunch of new stuff
in the works.
First off , we are releasing a 20th anniversary
album called „Stashbox“. Its 20 songs that were
picked by our fans in a poll we held around 6
months ago. Vic then culled our archives and
tried to fi nd the best versions of these songs he
could fi nd. Its a limited edition thing that will
only be available at our gigs.
Then, we will have a covers project. We are
recording a bunch of covers, some famous,
some not. This will come out on whatevski.org
fi rst. Probably towards the fall. We are recording
the tunes in June right after our European tour
so we will probably be playing some of them at
the shows.
Slackers & Friends was fun to do. I guess next
year will be the 10th anniversary of it, so we
really should get started on a vol II! We are
overdue!
Rocking Steady!: Thanks for your polite
criticism of political aff airs. You take the full responsibility
of being disseminators and idols, but
with a peaceful attitude and a convincing music
regarding these points of view. So your art, playing
music, got a keen refl ection within itsself. Are
there any more political activities of The Slackers
or maybe from one out of your band?
David Hillyard: I dont know if our criticims of
political aff airs is polite. I‘m a pretty angry guy
when it comes to politics. Especially American
politics.
We dont scream about politics. We sing about
them. We try to get people to think about things
in a thoughtful way. Sometimes our lyrics are
coded so that people think its about everyday
life but its all a metaphor for political events.
I heard they‘ve been playing our version of „I
shall be released“ behind a political show in the
United States but I have yet to hear it.
I‘m really sick of the right wing in the US. They
whine, bitch, and scream all the time. If they

dont get 100% of what they want, they start revolting.
And they are revolting, horrible people.
I wish they would just shut the fuck up. If only
for a minute.
Rocking Steady!: My last questions are: Was
there any support on your actual tour. What
do you expect from your audience in the clubs
these days? And suggested there are some
people who wanna throw something upon the
stage at your shows. What would you prefer to
get this way?
David Hillyard: Do you mean is there a
support group for the tour? We have some
diff erent bands playing diff erent shows like
the Dirty Revolution and New Town Kings, but
we are playing a lot of the other shows just by
ourselves.
Intensifi ed
InTerVIew lunar cITy grooVe
Rocking Steady!: Intensifi ed is one of the
matured and succesful ska bands in the u.k.,
touring all over europe since many years. Your
vintage approach and your soulful smooth
sound is well known and far away from the
two tone hype that seems to be still alive on
low fyah in the u.k. these days. Are you the only
traditional (vintage) ska band from england?
And what do you think is your place in the ska
One of the funniest things that was thrown up
on stage was years ago in Santa Cruz. We were
playing this show and suddenly something appeared
at my feet. I wasn‘t wearing my glasses
and I peered at it. I got closer. Fuck! Someone
had thrown a dead mouse at my feet...what the
fuck? I remember standing there stunned that
someone would throw a dead mouse at my
feet. Then I looked even closer and realized that
it was actually a massive piece of weed that was
shaped like a dead mouse. I smiled and quickly
put it in my pocket. To this day, ask a slacker
what a ‚fat mouse‘ is and he will tell you a large
bud.
OW
May/Jun
2011
scene of your country as well as in europe?
Steve: Not very succesful, and I‘m still not so
sure after all these years that we are really that
well known?! Happily, whenever we play we
get good crowds, and defi nitely some people
know us and our songs, which is great, and
makes it all worthwhile. To see people happy
and enjoying it. Though in terms of success...
hmmm....for the amount of time we put into
the band, I guess we have got a lot back...it is
only part time, we all work etc. So we consider
ourselves very lucky to have played around
Europe, met such great people, played with so
many top bands and artists...but we have never
made any money from this, or got huge sales.
There‘s still a big percentage of people into ska
who don‘t know us, I‘m sure. There are other
‚trad‘ bands in the UK, but only a couple...‘No 1
Station‘ from London, still gigging...‘Freetown‘
and ‚TopCats‘ in London who have been going
years but rarely play...‘Delegators‘ from London,
who play more rocksteady, been going three or
four years now, and have gigged in europe
couple of times, very good...‘Goldmaster Allstars‘
from Southend, who also play roots reggae.
Newer band from London called Sidewalk
Doctors who are nice guys, play rocksteady
aswell. The Trojans still occasionally play too.
Rocking Steady!: Your actual album with
a really great artwork from CHema Skndl!, is
called „Lunar City Groove“. What`s the secrets
behind this name?
Steve: Aaah, the secret!? Ha, well, no secret,
but a story! Originally we were going to call
the album ‚Sweeten Up‘, the name of one of the
tracks, and a play on ‚tighten up‘, with artwork
based on the old trojan albums, and maybe
some 60‘s chicks on the cover! It was also a
good name because we recorded the album

in our sax players warehouse, which he sells
sweets from!! We started with rehearsals for
new songs, but the sound was great...we were
in amongst shelving and stacks of sweets and
chocolates, and also chilli and pepper sauces,
as that is what he sells....it helped ‚sweeten‘ and
‚pepper up‘ the songs!! Anyhow...when CHema
said he wanted to do the art, we originally
discussed ideas before deciding the album
name....when he sent the fi rst art through
the internet, he had chosen the idea I had
about a reggae party on the moon! He said he
preff ered that....and we loved the drawings!!
Sooo...change of plan, no more sweeten up!!.....
we discussed for a couple of weeks names
with a space feel, and Lunar City Groove was
favourite..then we laughed, because the album
had no tracks at all to do with the title! Andy
got straight on to it, and came up within a few
days with the ‚hidden‘ 12th track, which he calls
Lunar Landing!! Kind of ties in the moon party
at the end!
Rocking Steady!: On the album there are
lots of smooth tracks. Isn`t this a problem for
you or your audience, at least live on stage?
How do you treat these guys who shout
„FASTER!“ all the time, as they don t understand
that good reggae music doesn`t depend on
the bmp!?
Steve: No, never a problem. When we fi rst
played in germany in the mid 90‘s I remember
a couple of shows where someone shouted
out ‚faster‘, but I always responded by choosing
a really slow tune!! We never get that now, I
guess people know what to expect...and more
and more people love reggae and rocksteady
as much as ska. This particular album does
have more rocksteady than any of our previous
albums...it wasn‘t deliberate though....it‘s not
because we‘re getting old and slow! It just
happened that the new songs written by
people were in that style...there are only three
ska tracks on the new album, where before
the majority of songs were old school ska. As
for fast skapunk etc, I really don‘t mind it, not
really my ‚cup of tea‘, but each to their own. I‘ve
always tried to follow all styles of ska....but ultra
fast stuff with shouting and the odd horn isn‘t
really ska, and even though faster and angrier,
can never be as powerful as old ska or even 2
tone....it sometimes goes so fast that the guitar
ska off beat chop becomes like an annoying
insect or something....there is a natural energy
and drive within the true ska beat, so it doesn‘t
need to race, it needs room to have that powerful
drop on the drums!
Rocking Steady!: On the whole the album
is full of ballads and superb groovy songs,
including really nice melodies, also of the
brass section. Who is responsible for your brass
section?
Steve: Yes, funny, but most of the songs are
about relationships, aren‘t they? We
laughed about this when we had the fi nal
album in our hands. We‘ve always had a
09
couple of either political or story type tunes,
but this time, very lovey dovey!! Not sure why?!
Thanks for the nice words! Melodies are the
key to songs......the original ska formula is fairly
straightforward, intro, verse chorus etc, solo,
verse chorus etc, outro! But the old tunes that
are popular have great melodies on the brass
and vocals.... Karl tends to organise the brass,
he‘s been there almost since day one. Mike and
Simon who are now with him tend to write
stuff down, which the original section never
did, so the harmonies have become more
structured and thought through I think.
Rocking Steady!: Would you say that your
actual album is your 20years anniversary
masterpiece? Could you explain what you love
most on your own new album?
Steve: Masterpiece?? ha....not so sure. It‘s
defi nitely a 20th anniversary present to fans
and to ourselves, as these songs have been in
our live set for a couple of years now, and for
various reasons we haven‘t done any recording
since 2004!! So it was a long time. What I am
so happy with is that it is a good package....it

all came together really well.....the recordings
are good and songs fairly strong, but even if
you prefer a previous album of ours , added to
the DVD, which we love, and amazing artwork,
makes it a great product. I think.....really good
value!! And a piece we are proud of and can
look back on in years to come with a smile....
Rocking Steady!: What s your masterplan for
the next few years? Entering the stage lots of
times? Some more backing jobs for jamaican
originators? Keep on recording great songs?
„BUT THIS TIME,
... LOVEY DOVEY!“
Steve: No masterplan! We rarely have plans...
we tend to just roll along and see what comes!
I‘m not sure really, it is a diffi cult question at the
moment....we feel we are better on stage than
ever before, we‘ve just had a great year or so of
gigs, and the album....but various band members
are a little tired....what do we do next??
We‘d love to play some ‚new‘ places we haven‘t
been...for example Vienna, Copenhagen, Rome,
USA....and we would love to get on more big
festivals or radio here in the UK, that‘s why we
tried a UK label this time...but it‘s not really
happening yet, and sales for the cd are very
disheartening......people just seem to do illegal
downloads from the internet, which is upsetting.....but
what can you do?
OW

Gama Robles (Jam Jam)
TITleSTory Ska & DeSIgn Vol. 3
After Jada Leblanc and Steve Kitchen, who
both live in Canada these days, we continue
our series ska & design with a designer from
Central America - Gamma Robles. He is a really
extraordinary designer and illustrator, who lives
and loves his design as well as the skinhead
scene. It`s a big pleasure to present him and his
works to you. You will be really impressed by
his magical works.
Rocking Steady!: Could you please introduce
yourself to the Rocking Steady! audience in
a maximum of three sentences?
Gamma Robles: My name is Gamma, a.k.a.
Jam Jam. I am a graphic designer, amateur
photographer, illustrator, and screen printer
who lives in the tourist city of Oaxaca, México.
I am a 30 year old, flirtatious, and handsome
skinhead; a lover of vintage design.
May/Jun
2011
Rocking Steady!: How did you get involved
in the ska scene and the bands you designed
stuff for?
Gamma Robles: I was introduced to
authentic Jamaican music in early 2000 thanks
to friends who were beginning to listen to
The Skatalites and also The Specials and other
revival bands. I shaved my head and felt in
love with the ska movement, later, I made a
fanzine called „The Music‘s Kings“ which talked
about the skinhead culture and ska and reggae
music. The last edition was in 2006 with only 6
issues. Ska music became a great motivation to
start studying graphic design. While studying, I
designed some art for a local band.
My career as an illustrator began three years
ago with a project called Jam Jam. I began
printing T-shirts and small flyers for local concerts,
then, in 2010, my work took a giant leap
by ending up designing the posters for a show
called „We Shall Overcome“ where the artist
,Stranger Cole, played and also the largest collector
of Jamaican music, Tommy Rock A Shaka.
I also screen printed the tickets for the show.
Rocking Steady!: Can you tell us more in
regards to your link to ska music?
Gamma Robles: So far, I have my own
portfolio of works which include 7 posters from
September 2010 to March 2011, which were
designed for concerts for the following bands:
The Overlines (ska revival), Island Grove (ska
jazz), Drygrapes (ska revival), Los Guanabana
(roots), The Marginados (two tone) New Lion
Ska (ska jazz), Ensemble 64 (ska jazz) and three
of the most representative Mexican bands
(musically speaking), The Travellers All Stars
(skinhead reggae), Riddim Cats (ska-reggaerocksteady)
and Macklarents (ska & rocksteady),

„Oh me, oh my ......I love it! So nice...thanks a million!!“
(Susan Cadogan)
Oh Wow!! It is really awesome! Thank you Gama!!...I am so proud
of it and blessed that it was done...it will be my keepsake for years
and then for my family. With my thanks, respect and love...Hope
meet you one day.....Susan
as well as two internationally; one of them for
parties given by Solid Rock DJ in Japan, and the
other one for Boss Sounds DJ in Chicago.
Rocking Steady!: Can you describe the
connection between your graphic ideas or
styles and ska music? Is there a deeper sense
that triggers your creativity, or do the images
just appear to you?
Gamma Robles: The posters were created
based on vintage design, music, fashion, movies,
social, and political events from the ‘50s
and ‘60s. I always add Jamaican touches such as
famous faces of the time, things like scooters,
and the distinct clothing styles. Many readers
notice the details of my own style in my posters,
the typography to illustrate those using
songs, poems or phrases that go hand-in-hand
with the general concept. One example is used
in the work I’ve done for Millie Small, people
can notice that the lyrics of the song „My Boy
Lollipop“ are drawn on her arms. For Stranger
Cole, some well-known ska phrases were put
on his beret. In my last work in Chicago, the
icon song titled, “Reggae From The Ghetto,” was
drawn on the girl‘s hair. What I like the most
about these posters are the vintage colors that
I always include in my work, something that
results, undoubtedly, in some happy observers.
Rocking Steady!: Please name a couple of
bands you would love to work with/design for?
Gamma Robles: From all the bands that I
like, I am more focused on the current Aggro
Bands. I would like to make designs for The
Aggrolites, The Crabs Corporation, Intensified,
The Bullets, Los Granadians, Flight 60. Also ska
bands like Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, The
Skatalites, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and Hepcat
among many others.
Apart from the ska-reggae scene, one day, I
would also love to design for the Mexican band
Salon Victoria, some kind of compilation of Jimmy
Hendrix, James Brown, and The Supremes.
I would also like to connect my own style with
Surf and Psychedelic bands.
Rocking Steady!: Which jobs in the skaworld
have you liked the most?
Gamma Robles: In Mexico, unfortunately,
13
there is a low number of concerts where
current Jamaican bands show up because of
the lack of interest shown from people who organize
and attend concerts. If I have to decide
which work I have liked the most, I choose the
one which gave rise to my obscurity: „We Shall
Overcome,“ which allowed me the opportunity

to get to know one of the acclaimed artists
from Jamaica, Stranger Cole. I hope that I
could take off this year and wander the globe
in order to design for concerts globally; I am
not too demanding. I love doing my job and I
deeply enjoy collaborating with people who
respect and print my work.
Rocking Steady!: Which of your works for
the ska scene do you like most of all? Can you
show us which and explain why?
Gamma Robles: Even though I’ve had problems
conceptualizing and explaining my work
and own style, for your magazine; anything! In
my poster number 002, titled, “Vintage Vespa,”
there are two important elements which I
will explain further. In 1964, ska music was at
its height, and you saw, on the one hand, the
boom of the Mods in England, and, on the
other hand, the rise of the Vespa 50. Inside of
the scooter, I drew the name of classic songs
of that year, Dance Crasher (Alton Ellis), My Boy
Lollipop (Millie Small), Woman A Come (Margarita),
and Had A Dream (Lord Tanamo), among
others. At the end of my design I included a
wise quotation: “Spiders trapped flies away,
leaving the wasps.” That is one of my most
representatives posters, the one that shows
the scent of my artwork and helped me to be
motivated enough to continue working and to
take seriously the project, Jam Jam.
Rocking Steady!: Suppose you had to create
a cover for the Rocking Steady! Magazine, how
do you think it should look like?
Gamma Robles: First, I would try to brighten
out the word “Rocksteady” through a great
typography. I would also include a cartoon of
Alton Ellis with an extract of the lyrics of one
of his songs. Then, I would play with different
colors and I would eventually use vintage
Jamaican music symbolism specifically related
to the Rocksteady movement.
OW
More informations about
Gamma Robles and his Jam Jam-project :
http://facebook.com/jamjamvintage
contact:: jamjamvintage@gmail.com

Reggae In Your Jeggae
conTeMporary reggae
TITleSTory
This time Uwe Kaa is the protagonist of our
reggae-range. Those who followed his carrer
know, that about his impressive steps on a
long way within the music business, climbing
up to the heights of his succes at the moment.
With his musical mix, the german lyrics and its
„artist next door“ image he inspires many more
people of diff erent age groups. He left behind
Uwe Kaa DanebenbenehMen
TITleSTory
www.uwekaa.de
Rocking Steady!: Your musical career is
remarkable. You have had many productive
years lately and released your second album
“Danebenbenehmen” on Irie Vibrations records,
with a clear focus on reggae. Do you feel like,
with this album, you have arrived at a special,
established point in your career or would you
say your musical journey will continue and we
can expect a lot more from you?
Uwe Kaa: “Danebenbenehmen“ (Misbehave)
is my third album for them now, if you also
count my Roots Rockers album “Dance & Cry“
from 2004. On it I was also the singer and
lyricist, even though not as Uwe Kaa, but as
part of the Roots Rockers. I feel really good
about the new album, at least for the moment.
“Danebenbenehmen” may sound kind of experimental
to many people, but only at fi rst sight.
For me, this is simply an artistic development
May/Jun
2011
his „Roots Rockers“ times and found his own
style of reggae, that is characterized primarily
by lightness, openness and honesty. „Danebenbenehmen“
(Misbehave), the title of his new
album cannot be understodd literally, although
it seems to refelct it‘s current state of mind well,
which includes a wide, confi dent grin.
May/Jun
2011
as a musician and a channeling of musical
styles that have infl uenced me over the years.
Though I experienced myself, I realized that it
works.
Rocking Steady!: Some things in the album
remind us of your roots in the Hip-Hop-scene,
but it targets the reggae and dancehall-scene
much more now. Is Hip Hop important for
your actual music anymore? And why are the
Jamaican genres so important to you?
Uwe Kaa: Hip-hop does not really matter to
me currently. Also because I‘m nostalgic with
this style and still like acts like The Pharcyde,
Brand Nubian, Digable Planets and so on. The
urge to make reggae came by collecting and
djing this music. Input equals output.
Rocking Steady!: For me, your voice fi ts
better for singing than for the spoken word
parts within your music. However, I’ve got
some diffi culties with lyrics like “the early bird
sings with me“, “the devil wears a hat“ or “I’ll
throw a cat from the balcony, simply because
she has to get what she deserves.” Your writing
in general started with poetry. That`s in your
creative process until today, right?
Uwe Kaa: Clear. The German language is often
diffi cult to digest for many listeners, simply
because everything that is said arrives more
directly and without fi lters to German speaking
people. I‘ve always liked to play with the language
in texts to form phrases by amendment
of new meanings. In purely colloquial texts lots
of things gets lost between the lines. This is
precisely the space that I seek. Texts, however,
are generally, as well as the music and everything
that is not truly objective measure, a
matter of taste.
Rocking Steady!: Where would you currently
classify yourself in the German reggae scene?
The RIDDIM-audience has honored your work
for a long time. I see a clear diff erence to acts
such as Nosliw, Peter Fox, Sebastian Sturm,
etc.! What`s your opinion regarding those
comparisons?
Uwe Kaa: I‘m defi nitely a part of the German
reggae scene, but I am also very pleased about
an obvious diff erence to my esteemed colleagues.
Unique selling points are important. Someone
has to sound like he does, not like anyone
else out there. For me, many people have
already drawn parallels to pop songs in terms
of the catchiness of the music and perhaps also
because of my voice. This is actually a positive
thing to anyone who has ever drawn that comparison.
I actually think that reggae songs are

this special type of pop songs, which we call
„Schlager“ in gemany. I don`t want to
discuss this detailed over here, but for those
who are interested, they can read it on my blog
at www.uwekaa.de.
Rocking Steady!: “Danebenbenehmen” is
meant to be rather soft and very sunny, even if
the songs have some little naughty innuendo.
I see this album as feel-good music that often
sounds like standard summer reggae, with
infl uences from soul, funk, blues and a lot of
pop. Are you a generally happy person, doing
honest music or does the good mood come
from elsewhere?
Uwe Kaa: The music is defi nitely honest but
in no case typical summer-reggae. I‘m usually
in a good mood when I make music or write
lyrics for a song. In titles such as “Zu Besuch,“
then again, I make clear that not everything
is a perfect world. In general, the album is a
little party-heavy, more refl ective and critical,
but this seems to not be so off ensive to the
listener. This is a good sign for me to be neither
understood as “fi nger-lift“ nor as a sourpuss;
that even critical voices can be transported and
received positively. Maybe you have to listen
twice or more until this message goes down in
general.
Rocking Steady!: I expect that we will see
you performing live a lot. With whom will you
be on stage? Which concerts are you looking
forward to most of all?
Uwe Kaa: With the One Drop Band, I attend
many festivals, also with those who are not
necessarily focused on reggae. I think the show
at Chiemsee Reggae Festival will be one of our
werbung
highlights, because when we played on the
tent stage last year with a great success. After
the show there was no “extra“ call, but the
people shouted “main stage“. The organizers
have accepted the call. Therefore, thank all
the fans. So one can really get things moving.
Big up!
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sign up for
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click here!
17
04.06. DE Geislingen Helfensteinfestival
11.06. DE Hauzenberg Pfi ngst Open Air
24.06. DE Bobingen Rock Im Block
08.07. DE Ravensburg Summerbang
09.07. AT Lienz Eastrock Festival
16.07. AT Bludenz Woodrock Festival
22.07. DE Dalhausen Tittemania Festival
30.07. DE Massing Sommerloch Festival
14.08. DE Erlangen Karibische Wiese
27.08. DE Übersee Chiemsee Reggae

Danakil (FR)
reVIew echoS Du TeMpS
Chino
reVIew
chIno (Vp recorDS)
Gentleman (DE)
reVIew
DIVerSITy (Vp recorDS)
May/Jun
They are undoubtedly one of the brightest new
stars on the reggae horizon: Danakil, named
after a large desert in Africa, where they, besides
jamaica, have sought and found their inspiration
for their current album „Echos Du Temps“. And
with this, the French, who sing in their native
language, take their place within my favorite
candidates for the best reggae album of the
year. Danakil have worked with prominent guest
musicians like Natty Jean, Mc Anuff , and the
legendary U Roy, who collaborated with them
and turned the classic “”Non, Je Ne Regriette
Rien,” into a great reggae tune. It’s about time a
well-done cover was made for this genre.
Respect! Overall, this is a very good roots reggae
album with an exceptional singer and a great
May/Jun
2011
Chino, singer and toaster, somewhere between
U-Roy and Shaggy, has has a very modern sound. sound. A
pleasure for both the reggae/dancehall massive
and the usual listeners as well. The production is
neat and can be fun. With „The Link Seal”, Chino
off ers his version of a summer hit for 2011.
It has the commercial potential of Shaggy‘s
„Mr. Lover Lover“ and Lou Bega‘s „Mambo No.
5,” but it remains an authentic and modern
reggae number. I wasn’t a fan of „I Am,“ a lushly
produced dancehall song with a lot of “bumbums”,
“antares autotune” and too many eff ects.
Absolutely nothing there for my record player,
but an option for the dancehall.
OW
May/Jun
2011
We’ve got lots of fun with the new Gentleman
single. The German-Jamaican shows his best
side again. A good riddim, melodic vocals, nice
background vocals and also the mastermind
toasting as well as singing. A great chorus and
a fat production. This will be a big pleasure for
the dancehall fans. The Jamaican-American
label V2 must agree, as they have worked with
the German musician since early February. Very
good. We want more!
OW
2011 brass section with sophisticated arrangements.
In addition to Danakil’s version of the French
classic, there are several other great tunes that
stick to the simple roots. Even if they remain
faithful to their mother tongue, the musicians
from the Parisian area will surely climb the international
scene very quickly. And quite possibly,
all of the big stages, due to their soulful lyrics,
with which they will conquer the hearts of all
reggae fans in the long run. This disc belongs on
your record shelves!
OW

Mono & Nikitaman (DE)
reVIew
unTer freunDen (rooTDown)
Etana (U.K.)
reVIew free eXpreSSIonS (Vp recorDS)
Terrakotta (PT)
reVIew
worlD MaSSala (oJo! rec.)
May/Jun
2011
One of the best German acts combining reggae,
dancehall, hip hop and pop-punk presents us
with „Unter Freunden“, his fourth studio album.
Miss and Mr. Mono Nikitaman climbed to the
top in recent years by playing as a sound system
and also with a band. With these 15 new pieces,
they have succeeded again with translating the
live atmosphere successfully to the studio. The
duos lyrics are direct, powerful, and authentic.
The extraordinary collaborations add a lot to
stay on track: Cecile refi ned „Karma“, Jamaica‘s
exceptional producer Stephen McGregor gives
„Komplizen“ the necessary ground, Gentleman
May/Jun
2011
Etana’s career has skyrocketed quickly. With her
debut, she had been awarded with „Best New
Reggae Artist“ at the MOBO Awards in London.
Now, with her latest CD, „Free Expression“, it
is clear that we are dealing here not just with
a new reggae artist, but with a singer on a
worldwide level. Her music is incredibly soulful,
with a good eff ect on the whole sound, though
her main music is still dedicated reggae. Comparisons
with Lauryn Hill and Erykah Baduh are
more than justifi ed. Like them, Etana has the
necessary space and tone for political statements.
The songs and the singer always remain
extremely charming and catchy, and not only on
May/Jun
2011
Terrakota justly got cult status in Portugal. The
septet around the exceptional singer Romi
Anauel shines again on their fourth studio
album, „World Massala“. The Afrobeat pioneers
from Lisbon have gone to India for a majority
of their recordings in order to connect its local
music with reggae. Various ingredients based on
percussion blend with guitar, keyboard, bass and
drums to form a harmonious whole, without
losing sharpness on any of the eleven tracks.
Whether on the title track, the India-Jamaica
mix „I Am“ or on „Gripe Económica“, the band in
every case is full of energy. Indian guests such
19
on „Wenn der Nebel sich verzieht“ and Gambia
rebellion on „Showdown“ ensure international
standards. The list of huge producers that have
fi nished the album together with the Royal Flash
Band in Berlin is long. Pick up „Unter Freunden“ if
you want a CD that stays true to its infl uences
and still remains unique.
Frank Keil
the compositions that revolve around the most
beautiful thing in the world. VP has done it right
again. The production is fantastic, on a fi rst class
level, played with real instruments and simply
impeccable. This disc will be enjoyed by many!
The offi cial video for „Free“, which was released
as a single in 2009 and shot by Chris Browne in
Kingston, should now experience a revival. What
remains? Just be thankful for this music - Maximum
Respect!
OW
as Mahesh Vinayakram and the Angolan singer
Paulo Flores make it clear that the powerful
ensemble is not just about summer beats. Terrakota
defi nitely implement social and societal
ills thematically. Anyone who has seen the band
live before will confi rm that their live show is far
from boring. Whether at home or elsewhere,
“World Massala“ has a highly eff ective, euphoric
impact.
Frank Keil

The World of Ska
arounD The worlD ...
TITleSTory
Red Soul Community, The One Droppers &
Green Room Rockers. The Loveboats, Soweto
and The Upsessions. This time we are featuring
some of the best current ska and reggae
bands in Europe (or on a European tour).
We feature those artists from Spain, Italy and
visiting bands from the U.S. in a personal talk.
And met artists from Spain, Germany and the
Netherlands at the most exciting ska festival
of the year – The Jewel’s 5th Anniversary Festival
in Rennes. We have such amazing bands
playing great contemporary and traditional
ska, reggae, and early reggae now. The scene
life is pure fun and the justified hope remains
that ska will receive the wide audience it deserves
again. The new albums of this selection
are ace and we also received very interesting
May/Jun
2011
recordings from the rest of the world: Canada,
Mexico, Italy, England, Wales, Czech Republic,
Finland and the Netherlands. They not only
show how flexible and diverse the world of
ska actually is, they also show a really good
and creative handling of the Jamaican genres.
Read for yourself about the newest in rough
ska-punk through early reggae, to up-tempo
ska, crossover ska, hip hop influences with ska
sounds, the classic Two Tone and especially a
lot of ska-pop, which currently contains everything
that your skanking heart desires.
Issa Garcia | Red Soul Community
Foto: D. Neumann/livereggae.de

Red Soul Community (ES)
porTraIT
reggae froM The IberIan penInSula
You don’t have to be from Jamaica to be a
successful international Jamaican music act.
This has been proven many times over the last
few decades and is being proven once again
by Red Soul Community. This Spanish group
from Granada / Andalucia has what it takes
for a global career. Their early modern mix
of reggae and soul already caused sensation
among fans and media through contributions
on compilations since 2006; the „Red Soul
Community“ mini-CD (2006) and its sequel,
„Pumping Reggae“, a double 7“/ CD (2007),
released on Liquidator Music. After numerous
tours at home and abroad, singer Isabel
Garcia, Labase Martinez (bass), Carlos „Dingo“
(guitar /keyboards), Fede Castro (guitar)
and Nano Diaz (drums), presented their first
album, „What Are You Doing?“(Grover Records)
on a recent tour in Germany. Time for Rocking
Steady! to talk with singer Isabel Garcia, who
was also active in Isa & Carlos Dingo and the
Jumbo Kids, at the start of this tour. „Toni Face
of Music Liquidator has allowed us to start a
career with the label, but in the fall of 2010 he
was strongly bonded with other productions.
As Nico Leonard of the Moon Invaders mixed
the new CD at his studio and Oswald Münnig
always had an interest in RSC, it was the
ultimate fate of the new CD to be released
on Grover Records. Red Soul Community may
benefit from cooperation with both, who are
huge in terms of clout in the Jamaican music
scene in Europe,” Isabel explains to me in her
introduction.
May/Jun
2011
www.redsoulcommunity.com
The quintet, founded at the turn of the millenium
by Carlos Dingo, was initially based on
ska and is about the love of classic Jamaican
artists such as Ken Boothe, Toots and The
Maytals and Derrick Morgan. Over the years it
became more and more reggae, refined consistently
with soul today. „First there was the
Los Dingos, with whom we have played ska.
After an EP and LP, we reduced the lineup,
to still be able to work intensively and
effectively,” says Isabel. „With ‚Pump Reggae‘
we were already on the right track, but just
the last three years with the production
of `What Are You Doing?` were especially
important. The many shows, whether alone
or with known colleagues, have contributed
significantly to our development.“ And in fact,
the 12 new songs on `What Are You Doing?`
keep their promise. The opener ‚Now Or
Never` confirms the positive concept of the
exceptional anglophone band. No technical
tricks, no compromise; only original strength
and talent that is perfected by the charisma
and voice of Isabel Garcia. „While the EP was
still recorded as a quartet, the CD was made
as a quintet. Lyrically and musically, we have
improved, the songs were worked out with
more attention to detail. We also have learned
a lot while working with Chris Murray, who
became a paragon with his love for ska and
reggae, especially since he is a perfectionist
as an artist. Also, the shows we played as the
backing band for Roy Ellis aka Mr. Symarip
helped a lot.” This list could still be continued
21
indefinitely, as Red Soul Community has
already shared the stage with bands like Boop
and the Sound Makers, The Pepper Pots and
The Ratazanas. Like the Andalusians, RSC have
opted for English as the primary language of
expression on the album.
„The Rest Of You”, „Do Not Let It Get Closer“,
and the in-my-opinion, fabulous „Muerte
En La Alhambra“, sung in Spanish, are songs
that only make one statement: „Reggae Got
Pure Soul.“ “During the Los Dingos time we
had some Spanish songs in the repertoire,
but English is more international and makes
the worldwide communication much easier.
My lyrics are based on personal experiences
and adventures, but they can certainly be
understood by a lot of listeners. „Money“ for
example is about how unfair businesses often
mistreat employees to push towards a bigger
corporate profit.” After a few reshuffles, a
quintet was born, from which one may expect
some more great music in the future. Because
with ‘What Are You Doing?’ one can assume
that the end of the career ladder has not been
reached. For further success it is important,
of course, to play live as much as possible - a
purpose which the band implemented in late
June with their Germany tour. „We were already
in Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium
on tour, but of course we want to go further.
After Germany, later in 2011, performances in
France and Belgium will follow, a split-single
with the Green Room Rockers will be released
on Jump Up Records, and if possible, we want
to travel to some other countries until the end
of the year. But whether at home or abroad,
the fact that the fans like and appreciate our
music makes us happy and is an incentive to
keep going.“
Frank Keil

The One Droppers
brIllIanT ITalIan preMIere
InTerVIew
Milan has much to off er in fashion, sports and
media. Part of that rich culture includes The
One Droppers. They started in 2003 with a plan
to bring their 60s style Jamaican-infl uenced
music from Lombardy out into the world. After
numerous lineup changes, the current line-up,
an eight-piece band, has fi nally emerged in
2008. Nevertheless, it took three more years until
the band presented its long awaited debut
CD „The Big One“,“ released on Rocking Records!
alongside two great concerts in Erfurt and
Bamberg. Rocking Steady E-Zine got a chance
to talk with bassist Tommaso ‚Musta‘ Collini
over the previous career of these northern
Italians.
Rocking Steady!: I am assuming that today‘s
members of The One Droppers already have
experience in various ska, rocksteady and
reggae bands. Can you name a few?
Tomasso Collini: Absolutely! I think one of the
other names such as Mr. T-Bone, Franziska, The
Smarts, or Arpioni and Jamaica Red Stripe are
likely to have heard it before. What connects
www.onedroppers.com
May/Jun
2011
us all is the love of Jamaican music in the 60s.
After a tour in 2006 with Lord Paul, there was
enough feedback from fans and media to
record a fi rst EP.
Rocking Steady!: The „1D EP“ was released
in 2007. With „The Ska“ (Jackie Estick), „The
Harder They Come“ (Jimmy Cliff ) as well as the
live recorded „Third Man Theme“ (version by
Granville Williams Orchestra), it became a total
of seven cover versions. Singer Davide ‚Jack‘
Mazzantini gave the songs a lot of soul, but secretly
everyone wished for some good original
compositions from The One Droppers.
Tomasso Collini: In addition to the Jamaican
oldies we have other infl uences, mainly soul
and funk. Therefore, from 2007 we didn`t want
to strictly limit ourselves on covering and
began to ever increasingly work out our own
compositions. After we’d found the current
line-up, then we created more and more
original pieces.
Rocking Steady!: Thanks to the great quality
Free Audio Track
Check our Multimedia-PDF
of the band‘s debut, comparisons with Hepcat
and Intensifi ed are entirely justifi ed. The
audience responded with great enthusiasm to
your shows, even outside of Italy, in clubs and
at festivals. Nevertheless, it took three years
until your long awaited debut album „The Big
One“ was fi nally done and released. Why was
that?
Tomasso Collini: We all have normal jobs, have
families and can only work and tour on weekends
or on holidays. Every cent we earned we
used for the recordings, which needed to meet
our own high standards. There were contacts
with various record companies and fi nally the
contract with Rocking Records!, with whom we
are more than satisfi ed so far. Rocking Records
now also handles the booking for The One
Droppers and we are back in Germany in September,
October and December 2011 to
promote the new CD live. The album, with its
total of 14 pieces, was recorded in the Milan
‚Offi cine Meccaniche studio”, live, all together
in one room and with original equipment from

the 60s. We produced everything ourselves in
less than a week with the great help of sound
engineer Giuseppe Salvadori. You can believe
us – we are really glad to have the CD in our
hands now, after all these years.”
Rocking Steady!: Is there a kind of message in
the music of The One Droppers, or is it mainly
about entertainment on the CD and live?
Tomasso Collini: The One Droppers are already
a serious band, but primarily we want to
convey entertainment and fun to the public via
CD and live. And of course, we all have a good
time when we compose and play music, we all
like that.
All musicians are primarily in the service of
the whole band, but are equally outstanding
instrumentalists.
Rocking Steady!: Can you please comment
briefl y about the one track or another that you
would consider the group’s favorite? There
is defi nitely more than one highlight on the
album.
The One Droppers (IT)
reVIew
Tomasso Collini: My pleasure. First let me say
that the album is made up of the 14 pieces of
original songs that we play live. But of course,
we already have one or the other cover.
„Feeling Fine“ is a title with respect to Italy, how
hard it is there, the music that we like to see
in the media, on radio and TV. And „Boogaloo“
is, for example, from a trip of the guitarist and
trombonist, Giovanni Biagio and Ludovico Pacchiana,
that led to Jamaica and in the course of
which they had met many individuals from the
Jamaican music scene.
Rocking Steady!: What`s next for the band,
which has made a tremendous step forward
with the CD?
Tommaso Collini: First of all we hope for the
encouragement from the scene between ska
and reggae, but also a positive response from
‚normal‘ audiences and ‚normal‘ buyers. Since
we still have all the regular jobs and have to
have them, we will play extensively again in
the fall and then hopefully a successful start to
the year 2012 in order to continually expand
our fan base!
Rocking Steady!: We wish you a lot of success
in the wider musical and personal way, we are
there for you!
Frank Keil
The bIg one (rockIng recorDS)
Specia-Prize for our readers 10.- € + packaging
Orders to: ow@rockingrecords.de
May/Jun
2011
23

Green Room Rockers
fIrST TIMe In europe
InTerVIew
As part of the renowned ‚Easter Ska Jam‘ 2011,
the Green Room Rockers from West Lafayette,
Indiana (USA) have been in Europe from mid to
late April. Together with the Ratazanas from
Portugal and Roy Ellis aka Mr. Symarip, they
have completed a total of 12 shows in Germany,
the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and
Switzerland. Sent on tour from Grover Records
& Moskito Promotion for the Green Room
Rockers, the presentation of their latest cd from
2010, produced by Dave Hillyard, stood in the
foreground. Rocking Steady! took advantage
of a day off in Salzburg for an interview with
the band, where loud voiced mastermind Mark
Cooper- front man on vocals & keyboards -
answered our questions.
Rocking Steady!: Can you please brief us
about the current lineup of the Green Room
Rockers, even after sitting here, with you as a
founding member.
Mark Cooper: The cast on tour are: Alex Pirolo
(bass), Ron Shoemaker (sax / guitar), Ryan
Frahm (guitar) and Taylor Davis (drums). Taylor
www.greenroomrockers.com
May/Jun
2011
is replacing our regular drummer Perry Clark
who had to stay home for professional reasons.
Rocking Steady!: Let‘s talk about the beginnings
of the band‘s musical development since
the band‘s inception. Lafayette is indeed a bit
far away from Kingston, but you have decided
to primarily play Jamaican music of the 60s.
Mark Cooper: The first private sessions are
from the year 2001, but only since about 2006,
one can speak of a fixed band arrangement. In
2007 the debut „Hoosier Homegrown“ was recorded
by the original line up. That was when I
founded the label, Rude Music Intl. A significant
proportion of the CD and label was all Ron,
who stood helpfully by our side with original
old equipment from his university. In any case,
since then our quality and desire to establish
between ska, rocksteady and reggae and to
emulate successful bands like The Aggrolites,
The Slackers, Deals Gone Bad or Westbound
Train distinguished itsself. Some pieces from
this period, e.g. „Fight for Your Love“ and „Everyday“
are still an integral part of our lineup,
which has gained more and more autonomy.
Rocking Steady!: Parallel to the development
of your musical and stylistic extension of
soul (mainly motown & stax), pop and rock
there have been some more lineup changes
between 2007 and 2011. Currently, the band
appears as a quintet and it seems in every way
that it has found the optimal track.
Mark Cooper: Yes, I think it is fair to say that
the current formation has been established
with the second album in the U.S. within the
ska scene. The clubs and festivals are where we
will play more consistently, and the ‚Ska Is Dead
Tour‘ in the spring has brought many new fans.
The album was produced in collaboration with
Dave Hillyard, of which we have learned a lot in
the studio. In addition, the work was done with
Jump Up Records, a label which is known for its
good work throughout the scene.
Rocking Steady!: But the band had to notice
at their first European tour that the shows with
Roy Ellis aka Mr. Symarip got a guarantee for

a full club, while you had to play at shows
without the legend in much smaller settings.
Titles like „Conqueror“, the „Basement Song“, or
„Twenty-Five“ have been audience favorites. Do
you think because of the lyrics about ‚everyday
people‘ that Germans fi nd they can identify
with the lyrics as well?
Mark Cooper: I think the composition of the
tour fi ts perfectly. Roy Ellis aka Mr. Symarip is
a great musician and an individual with class,
just as the Ratazanas from Portugal. They let us
fi nish the show more than once and on stage
we have complemented each other and had
lots of fun together. What unites us and the
audience is ultimately the common love for old
Jamaican music, no matter whether there are
50 or 500 visitors in front of the stage. And if
they take the line with one or other home that
is more than ok for us.
Rocking Steady!: You‘ll land in Chicago in the
afternoon on May 1st and play in the evening
as the headliner at a festival. It looks as though
you will have a lot of work for the rest of 2011.
Mark Cooper: Well, fi rst we want to promote
the new split-single with Red Soul Community
of Spain, a limited green vinyl on which we cover
„I‘d Rather Go Blind“ by Etta James. In May,
we supported the 80`s legend Bad Manners
from Great Britain besides our regular shows.
Since we are still pursuing regular jobs, we usually
play on weekends, which would otherwise
have to serve well for rehearsals and recording
new songs. We are looking forward to a trip
to the U.S. West coast or East coast this year.
We will also maintain contacts with Europe, to
come back here as soon as possible -if only for
the good food and fabulous beer.
Rocking Steady!: We wish you all the best for
the future and stay in touch.
.
Frank Keil
your opinion about rocking steady!
BE PART
of of our our music-community!
music-community!
www.rockingsteady.com
25

Jewels Records
5Th annIVerSary
TITleSTory
One of the few smaller vinyl.only labels in
europe is based in Rennes, France. It dedicated
itsself to the tough sixties sound of ska.
Bands like Aspo, The Pepper Pots, Go Jimmy
Go, B Soul Allstars, Ska D Lite, King Pepe & His
Calypso Combo, The Loveboats, The Branlarians
and some more have been signed for a
great collection of 45vinyl of contemporary
tradska, calypso, rocksteady and skinhead
reggae. Original, rare vinyl of contemporary
acts for the open minded DJ, for the collecter
and skalover are done yet. So at all 10 singles
have been released in the fi rst fi ve years of the
labels history!!!
EP SKA D LITE - Sweet Madonna/Friday
Payday (jwl001; Feb/2006)
First release from Jewels and fi rst for the
redheadman crew outside of France. On the
A-Side, Sweet Madonna, very soft, close to
a rocksteady style and on the B-Side, Friday
payday, a very traditional but much more
dynamic piece that should make you dance.
EP B SOUL ALLSTARS - My Best Girl/The
One to Blame; (Tribute to John Holt)
(jwl002; April/2006)
With this second release, we are back East
whilst still in France as it is the B-Soul Allstars
www.redheadman.org
May/Jun
2011
from Savoie that are taking over. A very soft
single that brings back to date the Reggae
Lovers with two repeats from the one and
only Jamaican master of that style : John Holt.
EP NINE TONE PEANUT SMUGGLERS -
Professor Moriarty, I Presume/Dance Like a
Wide Man (jwl003; Nov 2006)
The „Neine Ton“ were a big sensation during
the Dance Ska La festival in January 2006.
Before this, the almost same people played
in „The Great Googa Mongas“. It is a title from
this band, new and revisited by the 9TPS, that
is engraved on the A-Side, an instrument Ska
from the 60s which is dynamic and brassy.
Now on the B-Side there is also a new piece
especially composed, which is calmer and
that integrates some Mento tones.
EP ASPO - Artibella/Hard Time (jwl004;
Sept 2007)
A long story between the Ska group from
Bordeaux and the RED HEAD MAN family. 6
years after the vynil version of their second
album, „In The Web Of Love“, ASPO present us
two superb repeats from the Jamaican sound:
Artibella from Ken Boothe and Hard Time from
Carl Dawkins. Both titles sang with the hottest
and most powerful voice of French Ska, i.e.
Perrine, during one of her latest appearance
with ASPO.
EP GO JIMMY GO - Mama Bird/Pretending
(jwl005; März 2008)
Strange genesis for the EP of this Hawaiian
band that Red Head Man has been following
for quite a while now. The concert plan of
Sunday afternoon is abandoned but the
EP stays and fi nally everybody‘s happy. The
pieces are chosen from the third album of
the band,“Soul Arrival“, which has hardly been
distributed in Europe with absolutely no vinyl
version. On the A-Side, Mama Bird is a current
traditional Ska, whereas the B-Side seems to
follow more Rocksteady rythms, particularly
with Predendingw..
EP THE PEPPER POTS - I am in Love/The
King of the Street (jwl006; März 2008)
The contact had been so good with the rising
stars of spanish Ska during Dance Ska La 2008,
that it was simply not possible not to release
anything from them that year. But no luck, as
„Shake it !“ had just been released, there was
nothing left ! Luckily our Japanese friends
are so jealous of the titles released in their
country that it is almost impossible to fi nd
any of them in Europe. Therefore it was too
good to miss an opportunity not to release
in Europe the repeat of I am In love from The
Techniques. Thanks to the three singers, this
Rocksteady title has stronger Ska touches. On
the B side, King Of The Street, from the album
„Swing and sixteen“ should also make you
swing on the dancefl oor.
EP THE LOVEBOATS - Swing your belly/Man
of Wisdom (jwl007;, Nov 2009)
Seventh single from Jewels and fi rst mistake
on the sticker! No the title written on the
B-side label is not Pacifi c princess but in fact
Man of Wisdom - the result of unfortunate
circumstances. However, this should not stop
you from enjoying this second single from the
Loveboats (the fi rst one was released by Grover).
Suave and melodic, there is something
from Mento in their sound, especially on this
famous B-side. In any case, Swing your Belly
should make you dance hard.
EP SAINT PETERSBURG SKA JAZZ REVIEW
- Night on The Bus/Policy of Truth (jwl008;
Nov 2010)
We continue the label walk with a jewel
coming from East, and an inovation : a skajazz
band. Don‘t worry, the chosen pieces
are instrumentals with a lot of brass, tending
more towards trad ska than towards jazz. A
composition and a cover (Policy of truth) ...
amazing. I let you look for the original version.
The SPSJR have made a real goldsmith work
to disguise this reference.

EP THE BRANLARIANS - High grow/
Derrick‘s song (jwl009; Nov 2010)
What ? Jewels is a Ska and Rocksteady label
?! So what ? Shouldn‘t Early reggae be part of
the family ? Here are the people from the Gers
who are continuing their musical survey with
their fi rst single. A composition on side A, an
instrumental as rough as expected , a heady
rythm which will set fi re to the end of the parties.
A most amsuing side B, that our german
friends will listen to admiringly since it‘s about
a national idol : Inspector Derrick...
EP KING PEPE & HIS CALYPSO COMBO
- Just one ticket/ Pig knuckle and rice
(jwl10; Jan 2011)
Aller hop! One more records and it`s calypso
time. Ronan met this trio at a music festival
and took his chance. It would have been a
blame, if he would`t release this ensemble
from his hometown. Just Sax/Flute, Bass
and Ukulele are bulding a small iine up. So
authentic calypso sound can start, hot and
groovy! „Just One Ticket“ is the one side of the
band. And on the B-Side they show another
one with that chosen coversong „Knuckle and
Rice!“. Yeah!
27
„JEWELS releases more or less rare Ska- and Rocksteady-Singles
(45). Like an original jamaican label
(but without swindle), wiht a mystical name and a
kind of kitschy layout. The budget is small, but the
ambition really big.“

Jewels Records
5Th annIVerSary
TITleSTory
www.redheadman.org
May/Jun
2011
The five years jubilee of the spruce label was
celebrated in a proper way. Ronan, head of
jewels records, invited three of his favourite
bands and with them he put together a line
up for an incomparable festival:
The Loveboats, Soweto and The Upsessions
In the Le Jardin Du Moderne there was a really
good atmosphere from the afternoon to late
in the night. The Soundchek was easy going
(thanks to the techniquian!) and the big green
grass outside offered a lot of space to relax,
to hang out, meet some nice people or even
play football or something else. The selecter
took care for some of the sweetest ska tunes.
Everything was really fine.
Exact 9pm The Loveboats entered the stage,
ready to start. At this time, the hall was absolutely
empty. Noone has been in there. After
the genial band started playing it lasts about
one minute and the hall got full. Wow! It took
about three more minutes until there was a
real big party started. The whole set of the
german hot tip of the ska scene showed they
are a really crowd-pleaser,
doesn`t matter if they did
cover or presented their own
songs. They had no chance to
leave the stage before two great
encores (besides their trombone player
who felt of stage while their last song accidently
and can t come back for a few songs
more.)
Soweto entered the stage immediately and
continued the great party which was going
on without any break. They also did well
chosen covers and a bunch of really nice
own tunes and pleased the crowd from the
beginning to the end of their set.
Last but not least The Upsessions climbed
the stage after a longer break for their own
soundcheck. A really lucky crowd cheers as
they went on stage, but they didn`t tie up to
the party, which was done by the prior two
bands.
OW
Jewels Festival:
Soweto on stage!

Jewels Records
gIfTeD & green
young,
The newest coup of Jewels, smart and tough
and green is called „Jewels Clash“. It will be a
series of split singles, from which the fi rst one
is available yet and hoisted the spanish fl ag.
„Red Soul Community“ and „The Hypocondriacs“
share the honour to be on the fi rst vinyl
of this toxic series.
RED SOUL COMMUNITY, the other granadian’s
band from the south of Spain, play a really
traditional reggae music with drops of soul.
Their track is an unreleased version mixed by
King Django (The pope of Ska and Dub from
New York) : „Rest of You“
May/Jun
2011
29
„JEWELS CLASH“ - the new home for split releases,
in a new, own design, coloured tocix green or in
similar saucy jewel(s) colors !!!“
THE HYPOCONDRIACS, another spanish ska
band, discreet but eff ective, play a pearl from
their debut album : Horny ! An Early reggae
track mixed by Dr. Jau, a kind of new star
behind (when you come from France ;-) The
Pyrenees.
To inaugurate this new series, Jewels, got a
new design, new logo, green vinyl and black
inner-sleeve. An emeral to put in your jewels
case.

The Ratazanas (PT)
reVIew para caMInar con eSTIlo (eIgenVerTrIeb)
The Chancers (CZ)
reVIew age of ruDeneSS
May/Jun
2011
The Ratazanas present themselves in a modern
light, but still are committed to tradition,
especially on their second album, „Lick It Back“.
It off ers an early reggae sound underscoring its
classic roots phase, keeping themselves close
to the beginnings and away from modern
dancehall. The Portuguese The Ratazanas, who
started in Europe in 2009, hailing from Oeiras/
Lisbon with their debute album “Ouh La La,”
dedicated themselves to this style. For „Lick It
Back“ they insisted on seeking again the expertise
of Nicolas Leonard and Sergio Raimundo
(The Moon Invaders) for assistance in the studio.
Matured, in terms of music, through extensive
May/Jun
2011
Here it is: The coolest work of the coolest ska
history. Simon Ruff skank has always been
the charismatic force behind “The Chancers”.
But with „The Age of Rudeness,“ he goes even
further. They did everything to give the band
a mature, friendly face. The sound has been
cleaned up and yet remains suffi ciently rough.
And so, “The Chancers” currently provide us a
really viable model of a Two Tone band, of which
there already exists none but a few outside the
UK. And in contrast to what is coming from the
island, this Two Tone sound is timely and FUNKY!
It off ers great attention to detail, a harmonica
for example, hard-driving horn sections, and
touring with Susan Cadogan and Roy Ellis, the
quintet of drummer and keyboardist André Luís
Carmona Novoa has developed signifi cantly.
The Ratazanas present all their musicianship
in a total of 15 pieces, which are coupled with
the usual humorous lyrics on a historical basis.
And the hint of funk heard on songs like „Family
Issues“, „Baker Woman Of Maple Leaf,“ „Magellan,
The Stallion“ and „Nefertiti“ make them real danceable,
which fi ts them extremely well. Between
infectious piano-rhythms and lively saxophone
riff s, the distinctive retro-reggae sound of the
portuguese world is well received.
Frank Keil
more vocals than ever before. Lyrically, however,
the band has remained loyal. With „Hooligan In
Love“, „Age of Rudeness“, and „Rude Boy Back
In Jail“, the band from Prague clearly targets its
audience. The courage to include their own
language in „Math kliku, vole“ deserves special
praise. Also, they remain loyal to their political
ideologies. They all are not getting any younger
but rather more mature. A very successful start
to the next level, „The Age of Rudeness“ has
begun. Check out the video and you‘ll know
what I mean.
OW

Rocker T (US)
reVIew
The Hangers (CA)
reVIew geT your TIckeT (DIy)
Advert: Shirtshop?
alphabeT cITy (STubborn recorDS)
May/Jun
2011
Rocker T is back once again. The Singjay, who
has delivered his art with some good humor
with the Version City Rockers, chose a superb
backing band for the recording of his latest
album, „Alphabet City“. The Stubborn sound, as
we know and love it, can be heard especially
on the tracks „Some Kind Of Woman“ and „Last
Night In Eindhoven“, which together with the
instrumental „Roland and Tommy“, presumably
dedicated to the Skatalites veterans, stand out
very positively. Rocker T, himself, is very diversifi
ed. There are fi ne uptempo tracks, like the
opener, „Domino Shuffl e“. Some reggae-heavy
sounds can be heard on numbers like „I Am
May/Jun
2011
They could be many things: an outstanding Santana
cover band, a compelling and idiosyncratic
beat combo, a fi rst grade power pop quintett,
a hornless funk group with a groove, a reggae
band, and a genuine rock group. But, while they
seem to not fi t into the categories mentioned
at times, they are all of that. The Hangers are
nothing for reggae purists, but an uncommonly
rich crossover project that uses the qualities of
several divisions and combines a unique mix. On
their album, lots of facets appear, ranging from
Genesis to Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Suede
to The Housemartins, and on to Aerosmith.
Then, again-and-again, there is this authentic,
spectacular, sixties touch that you would like
to capture in the long run. Or, just a reggae
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ska / Reggae / rocksteady fashion
Exclusive Shirtdesigns
of selected
Ska-/ Reggaeartists
all over the world.
31
Free Audio Track
Check our Multimedia-PDF
A Rastaman“ and „Jah The Master“, and fi nally,
dancehall vibes can also be heard on such tunes
as „Baby Wrong Low Way“ or „There With You“,
which blends both reggae and dancehall and
reminds me a bit of Gentleman, but not quite.
Nonetheless, a big thank you to Rocker T, even
though his performance is for better or worse,
depending on the style. A suggestion would be
for him to work out his strengths for next time,
then there won`t be objections against a bit of
variety, especially if the band can continue to
shine like on “Alphabet City”! OW
outfi t, that fails to make itself free from the rock
attitude of the band. The Hangers are fi nally not
a roots-reggae project, but a band that makes
very good music, with all the compromises you
need for so many infl uences. Musically, this is
always at the highest level. Also, the rock ballad,
„Wait“, makes it clear with the sudden turn to
heavy reggae and funk without losing quality.
Their music is the driving force in what is a
successful merging of very interesting melodies
and rhythms into a diffi cult defi nable totality:
Good for moving legs and belly, but also a real
listening pleasure on your couch!
OW

Miacca (GB-Wales)
reVIew
Prince Perry (Can)
reVIew whaTeVer ep
wITh loVe anD anger (ep)
May/Jun
2011
Miacca is a very talented, new band from Wales.
Although you can hear some inexperience in
the music, the singer’s voice is very pretty, and
in any case, has a sound uncommon in ska.
Overall, there are a lot of pop sounds in Miacca’s
music, and I‘m not sure if the band‘s compositions
improve through playing them with
off beat-focus. No, this really is not bad, not at all.
The melodies are very beautiful and certainly
have a catchy female acoustic-pop tone in it.
This is a point the band has to think about once
again. Otherwise, I am very grateful for such
fresh stuff , brought to us with ska elements and
lots of fun. Carry on! A little more maturity and
this will be very good music, doesn`t matter
The Hotknives, Madness should be warned.
Besides Buster Shuffl e there is a new great
ska-pop band from Canada following in their
footsteps: Prince Perry, a group which is quite
unpretentious, but absolutely compelling. With
the EP „Whatever“, Prince Perry came out from
Toronto and entered the worldwide ska-scene.
Their music is simply stunning. They`ve got
everything to play the big stages and after their
„Extended Player” they will build an extended
career quickly. Singing in English and a goodie
for the Spanish speaking world, „Yo Te Vi“, they
pull us in with impressive compositions; incredi-
Free Audio Track
I`ve got a boyfriend now!
which favourite rhythm there will be. For all the
listeners – check out „I‘ve Got a Boyfriend Now!“
This track is a really successful number; an excellent
tune for the pop-oriented audience and has
great potential. The two girls at the microphone
complement each other well and will convince
us to listen more and more day by day.
OW
May/Jun
2011 ble, catchy melodies and sing-a-long choruses,
which are at least as great as the most successful
songs of the big Brit-pop bands of recent
history. Their fi rst single, „Until It Don’t Happen“ is
already a big hit. “Whatever You Can Get Away“
is a peaceful sovereign reggae number. „Love At
The End Of The Century“ is another big hit. And
that‘s not all. Englishmen, hang up your coats.
The Canadians, with their incredibly catchy
tunes are on the fast track. See for yourself!
OW

The Capital Beat (FI)
reVIew on The MIDnIghT wIre (STupIDo recorDS)
May/Jun
2011
Since April, the disc of the successor project of
the “Evilsons” from Finland has been available,
and they’ve already put out a Skank ‚N‘ Roll
album several years ago. As „The Capital Beat“,
they`ve got far less „Roll“ in the program, but
are much inspired by reggae a la Peter Tosh and
Jimmy Cliff . There is also a ska feel with elements
of hip hop and jazz on the album. Always stylish,
the album keeps ska and reggae as the defi ning
genres within. The melodies are usually very
poppy, melodic, and sung in several voices. Here
and there, a rap or toasting appears. „On The
Midnight Wire“ is very diverse; very open minded
throughout all genres. The disc should be
fun and it really is. The ska numbers like „Crimi-
33
nal”, „Fistful Of Fire“, and „Cry For Me“ absolutely
capture you and sounds a similar quality to
that of „Papa Noah“ by Seeed. Nevertheless, the
reggae vibes of the disc are the focus. They are
fi ne as well, but with more power to ska, Finland
could send one more really good ska band to
Europe. We would enjoy this much more than
one more reggae project, right in the middle of
this wonderful genre.
OW
Rocking Steady presents:
Swing and Sway
Numero 2
Swing & Sway bamberg geht in die zweite runde. und auch diesmal
ist ein ausgewähltes, internationales DJ-line up mit von der partie. am
freitag gibt es zum grand opening eine band der extraklasse: The one
Droppers aus Italien. Da lohnt sich der ausfl ug in die schönste Stadt unseres
landes doch gleich mehrfach! und noch eins oben drauf. für alle die,
die es vor einigen Monaten nicht ins kino geschaff t haben: Samstag wird
die fabelhafte rocksteady-Dokumentation „rocksteady - The roots of
reggae“ im lokalen programmkino extra für den weekender abgespult.
Zu gast und für fragen off en wird der regisseur Stascha bader sein.
welcome to the second edition of Swing & Sway. we‘re still knee-deep
in organisational work, but feel brave enough to promise a premium life
band on friday: The one Droppers from Italy! on saturday we‘ve arranged
for top class international DJs for your dancing pleasure! before the nighter
kicks off , the rock Steady docu „rocksteady - The roots of reggae“ will
be screened and we are happy to have the director, Stascha bader, with
us who will introduce his work and is pleased to answer all your questions
after the screening. now all you have to do is book your accomodation in
lovely bamberg.
DJs confi rmed so far:
heiko Treasure Sounds & Dan the Man (hamburg)
Dr. Dreler (osnabrück)
goegel (Ska & reggaeshirts)
brick Top (rude attack - ch)
Texas ranger (london - uk)
bazza (Straighten up! club - caT)

The Beatdown (CA)
reVIew
Yataians (AR)
reVIew whaTeVer ep
The beaTDown (SToMp recorDS)
May/Jun
2011
Alex Giguere and his crew have already published
their current self-titled disc a few months
ago on Stomp Records. They`ve also been in
Europe for the fi rst time this year and returned
again back in the summer for some festivals
and club gigs. The formula of their music seems
simple and eff ective: Four tough musicians, a
rough sound, music (somewhere between early
reggae and classic punk rock), simple compositions,
some well known interpreted classics, a
few chosen guest musicians, and the production
done by themselves. It is not the fi rst time
producing for the frontman, who has recently
The argentinian scene is alive, and more and
more feedback and even submissions reach us
from the southern end of america. The album of
the Yataians is one you have to get used to fi rst,
but it is also quite interesting. The sound is quite
rough, the vocals smooth as silk - the blend of
reggae and rocksteady songs with a lot of organ
and background vocals is very independent and
pleasantly unconventional. As if we have found
a vintage record collection, on which some
musicians from argentinia recorded their very
own versions of Jamaican delicacies in the early
70s. The guitar stands out especially, but the
voice in some places seems a little overreaching.
Kevin Batchelor`s Grand Concourse (US)
reVIew granD concourSe (MoSSburg MuSIc)
It was only a matter of time until we got the
fi rst few solo albums of the younger generation
of the Skatalites on the table. Kevin Batchelor
has published his fi rst solo album „Bachelor
Party“ (Living Room Records) in October 2005,
and now presents a second one, titled „Grand
Concourse“, with 13 tracks; each better than the
last. His voice is incredibly good, the compositions
are light and fl uff y and very authentic.
With Moosburg Music, a label operated from
the current keyboardist of The Stingers, he
has found a very good partner to conquer the
worldwide ska scene gradually and with his
own material. Without any exception, we fi nd
excellent ska and reggae tracks on the album.
Varying in tempo, but kept very smooth, the
compositions are always grooving at the highest
level. The quietest ballad, „Sad Town, New York“,
produced the brilliant album by The Resignators
from Australia. This mixture is currently very popular,
and not much more can be derived from
the concept of just four musicians. Although this
is a lot more fun live than on record, it is quite
good, even if it loses its appeal after listening
some more times.
OW
May/Jun
2011 The rhythm section is fi ne. Certainly, The Yataians
May/Jun
move their audience from the start to the end.
The highlight of the well-rehearsed live recordings
is „Here Comes The Boss“, which not only is
very authentic, but extremely catchy and danceable.
The song should be scratched in vinyl from
someone. The DJs in the world would thank him
for it. In general, the record gets better at the
second half of the album. Very good song ideas
went into really nice rock steady there.
OW
2011 is dedicated to his hometown. A second called
„Fly“, is very heavy reggae, showing his vocal
kinship to Stevie Wonder. While songs like „The
Singer“, „New Orleans“ and „Five Minutes“ remind
of midtempo to upbeat songs a la Dr. Ring Ding
or even Mr. T-Bone & The Young Lions. The three
musicians on their solo albums also convince
as singer, each and everybody, while Kevin`s
vocals and trumpet are far ahead. Partner and
songwriter of the project is guitarist Jonny Meyers,
whom we already know from The Stingers,
and with whom Kevin has found the right man
for the compositions. The rest of the crew are
no strangers to each other. Musicians Musicians from West
Bound Train Train or the NY Ska Jazz Ensemble completeplete
the the line-up. line-up. Strong buy buy recommendation!
recommendation!
OW

Manovalanza (IT)
reVIew lIVe aT coMpaSS roSe
Usual Players (U.K.)
reVIew STreeT Ska
Def P & Beatbusters (NT)
reVIew harD op weg
May/Jun
2011
It’s a nice thing that there are more live albums
around these days. It is still the best way to
capture the energy of a band properly, if it has
any. Manovalanza has that energy. The 13 songs
ranging from punk to skacore, with lots of fast
off beats, lots of guitar fi ngerboard and brass
sections, are absolutely convincing, varied and
exciting. With 260 mph, the Italians enter the
stage and invite the audience to have a race.
Pogo, fun, and lots of cold drinks is the claim.
The music is just plain and stylish and therefore
easy to categorize. „If The Kids Are United“ could
be the musical guidance with open boundaries
between skins and punks, from ska, punk and
hardcore wide open. Skalovers listen to „Ska-
May/Jun
2011
The rough sound of Usual Players is catchy and
diverse. The English accent gives this British
ska band their authenticity and a certain twotone
feel, while the punk infl uences can not
be denied and make clear that the band got
the Two-Tone era punk movement still deep
in its heart. The entire project is: Very British! If
Usual Players then sing „Soul of Rock n`Roll (is
dead),” we mustn`t believe them, not musically.
The band’s tone is a take on icons such as the
late Joe Strummer, which has become a rare
nowadays. And yes, those were the days. Usual
Players perfect their album without much nostalgia,
always committed to a certain pace and
May/Jun
2011
The Beat Busters are not new for us. In addition
to Mr. Review and Rude Rich & The High Notes,
they are one of the top ska acts from the Dutch
scene. Their cooperation with Def P is also not
new, at least not for the Dutch. In the rest of the
world, however, we are not so familiar with this
exciting project. Especially as MC and singer,
Def P sings in his native language: Dutch! Why
not? Songs of the brand, „Op Hard Way“, „In Deze
Wereld“ or „Kijk Naar Rijken“ are highly appreciated
and each have many infl uences, mainly
hip hop, reggae and ska. These genres shape
the orchestral sound with a large horn section.
Everything is beautifully balanced so that fans
of these genres may enjoy each and every note.
Here and there you can hear the Beat Busters’
35
torbia“ and „Scapestrato“, all Ramones fanatics
who don`t wanna miss the obligatory “One, Two,
Three, Four” for opening each song check out „La
Citta Di Vetrot’ and all the ladies and gentlemen
with the large X on their arms might like „Siamo
Anziani A Vent` anni“„. While „Para No Verte Mas“
is a prime candidate for the best Italian uptempo
number of the year. Not so militant and hard
as Persiana Jones. No, just likable, straight from
the heart, perfect!
OW
Free Audio Track
Check our Multimedia-PDF
with nice details (such as bass-bending and the
rockabilly guitar in „Fancy A Facebook“.) There is
one more among the few credible and rough
ska bands. Street ska is therefore absolutely the
well-chosen title. And within this genre Usual
Players will be in demand in the future.
OW
Free Audio Track
Check our Multimedia-PDF
sound, which pleases without exception. The
record explodes with lots of charm and even
alarm. It will certainly bring the group onto the
great stages of Holland‘s biggest festivals again
and to continue their past success. If they make
their fi rst steps across the border of their country,
we`ll see. Unfortunately, the music scene
in Europe is still far too heavily infl uenced by
Anglo-American texts. Def P & The Beat Busters
could well help to change that if we Europeans
could be a little bit more open minded within
our own continent.
OW

Rocking Steady! Zapping
arounD The globe
newS & hInTS
Rocking Steady!: Who is Urang Matang, in
just a few words?
Urang Matang: Scotlands new Original Ska/
Roots/Reggae-Band!
Rocking Steady!: What about the scene in
your country?
Urang Matang: The scene in the u.k. has seen
a big upsurge in ska and reggae-bands in the
last few years.
May/Jun
2011
Urang Matang - Ska from Scotland
SnapShoT orIgIn of The SpecIeS
Rocking Steady!:What about your recordings
and your masterplan for the next two years?
Urang Matang: The recording of Urang Matangs
debute album „Origin Of The Species“ was
recorded in the bands own studio near Pebbles
in the scottish borders. The band are currently
working on their new album. Urang Matang will
be performing at a number of uk-festivals this
year and next year plan to tour europe.
The four members of Urang Matang are all well
Mai/Juni
2011
accomplished musicians and have played in
bands such as „Lights Out By Nine“, „Reasons
To Be Cheerful“, „Missing Cat“, „Shake the Shack“.
Peter Meaney (sax) has done session work for
(Mike Whellens) & Jimmy Hush`s „Writing On The
Wall“.
www.urangmatang.co.uk/

Rocking Steady TV!
VIDeoS MuSIQue ruSTIQue
Ratapignata | La‘ ga ti ddu dongu
The Three Teadies | Jobb Ember
ROCKING STEADY TV!
tv.rockingsteady.de
May/Jun
2011
INTERVIEWS, SHORTCUTS, MUSICVIDEOS@
TV.ROCKINGSTEADY.DE MORE SKA, MORE REGGAE, MORE MUSIC!
37

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May/Jun
2011
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