E-ZINE # 05 - Rocking Steady!

E-ZINE # 05 

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 ! 

www.rockingsteady.com 

Issue #5 

YOUR E-ZINE & 

DOWNLOAD STORE 

July/August 2011 

FreeZine & 

Download Store 

The new free e-zine for ska & reggae from Europe!!! 

Jamaican Originators 

Ziggy Marley 

in the interview 

from page 04 

SKA | Reggae 

Masterclass 

Desorden Publico 

in the interview 

from page 06 

Ska & Design 

Vol. 4 - CHema Skndl! 

from page 08 

The World of Ska!!! 

Worldwide great ska from 

The Valkyrians, Babylove & 

The Van Dangos, The Magic 

Touch among others! 

from page 14 

Labels A Go Go 

Walt Jabsco Recordings | 

from page 28 

Festivality & Politrix; 

Folkestone Skarbour, Taubertal 

Open Air and more 

from page 30

Issue Nr. 5! 

eDitoriAl the oFFbeAtbomb 


We met Ziggy Marley, the oldest son of Bob 

Marley, at one of his rare shows in germany 

and talked with him about his career which is 

definitely strong related with the aim to keep 

alive the heritage of his father. What should 

I say. He`s an impressiing person for sure 

and also the way he is handling the creation, 

creativity and plans of his father, was a big 

pleasure for us. HIs actual album is just one 

of the lots of his musical productions and 

hard to understand on the first sight. It gets 

clearer, if you met him once. Especially as he 

is doing HIS thing, whatever the medias are 

writing about him. For some musicians this 

would just be a great luxury, but for Ziggy 

every step of his work is a pure passion. 

That`s what we feel when we hear his music. 

Less rare in germany, but still very much 

requested is Desorden Publico, our Ska- 

Masterclass-band of this issue. They are the 

most succesful ska band of Venezuela, maybe 

of South America. But the musicians are still 

down to earth, really personable guys. So 

be pArt 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

our talk about their develoüpment was pure 

fun, just outclassed by the great concert 

afterwards. 

Our series Ska & Design in its fourth part 

presents the great designer „CHema Skndl!“, 

who is well requested as artist and designer 

at the moment, so that we are really glad, he 

took his time for an interview. 

The world of ska is moving on and on. 

We`ve got there some of the best european 

bands: The Valkyrians (Finland), The Magic 

Touch (Germany) and Babylove & The Van 

Dangos (Denmark). Also in this issue: Ellwood 

(Sideproject of some Mad Caddies members) 

and Hog Hoggidy Hog, the south african 

skapunks. Both are touring europe. 

Fine new records are out from Ce`Cile, a 

Mighty Sparrow-Anthology, Dreadnut Inc., 

Skaprifischer, Drewvis, 65 Mines Street, The 

Pepper Pots, The Broliers and many more like 

New Town Kings, The Valkyrians and Pinatubo 

Bay. Bands from all over the globe send us 

their new recordings. And most of them are 

worth a closer listen. 

Once again we portrait a label. This time it is 

one from England. WIth it, the skascene has 

got its new avantgarde. Walt Jabsco Recordings 

is the good chosen name behind a 

promising concept and has don really nice 

first few releases. Read yourself. 

Last but not least, we`ve got some festival 

topics for you. We wish that lots of more 

festivals would have the strength to invite 

skabands on their bigger stages. And we 

want to mention at least those who do!!! 

Yours O.W. 

check the community 

www.rockingsteady.com

Rocking Steady Booking 

eDitoriAl on the roAD AgAin 

After a few month and those lots of contacts 

we found with the e-zine, it was just a small 

next step. And now it is born. The new 

department of Rocking Steady. We are now 

also doing bookings for some chosen, international 

artists. Yes, also a few big names like 

Vin Gordon, Kevin Batchelor, but also some 

european bands who play big venues in their 

countries, but are not on the same level in 

germany yet (PASO). Also established bands 

of the scene like The Blaster Master, The One 

Droppers and The Valkyrians and also few 

great newbies doing Ska, Reggae, Soul and 

Jazz (The Branlarians, Leo & The Lineup a.o.). 

Here are the first tourdates of our first few 

bands. Let`s meet over there! 

The Blaster Master (FI) 

04.09.11 GB-Folkestone/Skarbour Festival 

Freddy Loco & His Gordos Ska Band (BE) 


22.12.11 DE-Rostock, Zwischenbau 

23.12.11 DE-Erfurt, Ilvers 

Jim Murple Memorial (FR) 

01.10.11 DE-Frankfurt, Das Bett 

02.10.11 DE-Bamberg, Morph Club 

imprint Rocking Steady! eZine & download store 

Publisher: Rocking Steady! GbR 

Ludwig Märthesheimer & Oliver Will 

Gundelsheimer Straße 22 

D-96052 Bamberg 

Fon: +49. 951. 7005620 

Fax: +49. 951. 7005619 

projekt@rockingsteady.de 

Leo & The Lineup (DK) 

09.11.11 DE-Weimar, C-Keller 

10.11.11. DE-Bamberg, Morph Club 


12.11.11 DE-Schwäbisch Gmünd, Esperanza 

13.11.11 DE-tba 

14.11.11 DE-Kassel, K19 

Les Skalopes (FR) 


The Loveboats (DE) 

17.11.11 DE-Schweinfurt, Tapas Bar 

18.11.11 DE-Dresden, Ost-Pol 


The One Droppers (IT) 


10.09.11 AT-Wien, Ost Klub 

21.10.11 DE-Stuttgart, KJH Hallschlag 

16.12.11 DE-Schwäbisch Gmünd, Esperanza 

The Spankers (CZ) 



09.09.11 DE-Chemnitz, Subway To Peter 

in Vorbereitung: Deutschlandtour von 

The Blaster Master (FI) | 02.-11.03.2012 

03 

editioral office: Oliver Will (V.i.S.d.P.); Frank Keil, Issa Aryanpure, Lars Kranenkamp, 

Tim-Niklas Kubach, Florian Surek 

credits/pics: CHema Skdnl!, Rocking Steady, Daniel Neumann, K-A. Groeger 

layout: Michael Seibold | 2mcon Bamberg (www.2mcon.de); 

publication frequency: every second month 

press dates: 15the each month before publication 

adverts: Ludwig Märthesheimer | + 49 0951 - 700 56 20 | 

lm@rockingsteady.de 

www.rockingsteady.de | www.rockingsteady.eu | www.rockingsteady.com

Jamaican Originators 

titleStory the mArley Spirit 

Ziggy Marley 

Reggae-icon and five-fold winner Ziggy Marley, 

who is the oldest son of Rita and Bob Marley, 

released his fourth solo album ‘Wild And Free’ 

in the middle of June. Born in 1968 in Kingston, 

the singer, songwriter, and guitar player started 

his successful career with three of his brothers 

and sisters as ‘Ziggy Marley & The Melody 

Makers’ in 1985 and finally published his first 

solo album in 2003. ‘Rocking Steady’ met him 

for an interview at his performance at the 

‘Merck-Sommerperlen’ in the ‘Centralstation’ 

of Darmstadt. After the great opening from 

support act ‘Ease Up Ltd.’, Ziggy Marley won 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Jul/Aug 

interview bob mArleyS heritAge 2011 

www.ziggymarley.com 

favor with the audience from the first until the 

last minute. The “Best-Of” mix of older songs like 

‘Love Is My Religion’, songs from the new album, 

and chosen cover versions of his dad’s songs 

came out perfectly as Ziggy was accompanied 

on stage by experienced musicians (including 

guitar-player Takeshi Akimoto). 

Rocking Steady!: Your musical education 

started early. With guitar, drums, singing and 

dancing. You were always into your dad’s records 

and live songs with the Wailers since 1976. 

Which influences were significant? 

your opinion about Rockingsteady! 

BE PART 

of our online community! 


Ziggy Marley: Primarily, reggae. With the 

Melody Makers, with my brothers and sisters 

(Cedella, Sharon, and Stephen), blues, R & B, and 

hip hop were added. Our debut ‘Play The Game 

Right’ came out in 1985, and other albums followed. 

With ‘Conscious Part’ we got our first 

Grammy in 1988. 

Rocking Steady!: Internationally known and 

extremely popular in the US, it was time to start 

a solo-career with ‘Dragonfly’ in 2003. In 2006 

you followed it up with ‘Love Is My Religion’, and 

in 2009, ‘Family Time’. It was awarded a Grammy 

for the category ‘Best Musical Album For Children’. 

As a five-time father, one would imagine 

you are very happy about that. 

Ziggy Marley: With the solo-career, I further 

developed myself once again. Although my love 

belongs to reggae, I expanded from there 

stylistically into other areas. And, if the work is 

awarded a prize, it is always something very 

special. In the case of ‘Family Time’, it’s essential: 

music is very important for the development of 

children and adolescents. 

Rocking Steady!: ‘Wild And Free’ was recorded 

along with Don Was (producer of The Rolling 

Stones) in L.A. and Kingston, a team player 

with whom you worked together successfully 

many times. The mix was provided by Bob Clearmountain. 

Actor Woody Harrelson, co-worker

Heavy D and two of your sons were presented 

as guests in the 12 new hits. Are such guest 

appearances planned well in advance? 

Ziggy Marley: Not necessarily. I’m friends with 

Woody, and in terms of content it had to do 

with the legalization of marijuana (California’s 

Proposition 19). Heavy D. has a daughter who 

attends the same school as my daughter, so we 

see each other often and talk to each other. So, 

cooperation comes into play casually, it definitely 

doesn’t have anything to do with marketing. 

Rocking Steady!: From ‘Wild And Free‘ to ‘Elizabeth‘, 

arose a varied singer/songwriter album 

on the basis of reggae which presents you as a 

ripe, accomplished artist. The subjects are 

personal, political and also religious. The lyrics 

question life, love and friendship. With that said, 

what is your take on your album? 

Ziggy Marley: I always want to hold up 

the values which were put across by my/our 

parents. For example, my mum does work with 

the Rita Marley Foundation as I do with URGE, 

a non-profit organization which tends to social 

projects in less developed countries. I want to 

inspire and motivate people. It’s all about 

creating positive vibes. I’m a musician, not a 

politician, but songs of remonstrations still 

have their authority. ‘Get Out Of Town’ or ‘Elizabeth’ 

are good examples of that. 

Rocking Steady!: The actual CD is released 

on the label Tuff Gong Worldwide. Is the label 

still alive and has it been continued? 

Ziggy Marley: It was founded as Tuff Gong 

International by my father to promote his music 

independently with his own label. He developed 

a master plan which I want to continue: to be 

free and to offer classic talents. Not only reggae 

acts either. Last time, we dedicated it with 

the compilation ‘Dancehall Orginators’ in another 

genre. (Check it out: www.tuffgongworldwide.com.) 

Rocking Steady!: Keyword: all-rounder talent 

- Ziggy Marley. Songs were used as soundtracks 

in some movies, in some series you also had 

guest appearances. When you aren’t traveling 

between L.A., Miami or Kingston, you have another 

talent, as an author of comics. What’s the 

story about the ‘Marijuanaman’? 

Ziggy Marley: It’s a successful try to be 

creative on another level. Like every child, I liked 

to read comics, especially with American superheroes. 

I kept this idea for this ‘graphic novel’ in 

mind for ages and could realize it perfectly with 

Joe Casey and Jim Mahfood. ‘Marijuanaman’ 

represents the hope for a future where we could 

use our abilities to save the earth. (Check it out 

here: www.marijunamancomic.com) 

Rocking Steady!: As a ten year old, you recorded 

the song ‘Children Playing In The Streets’ 

written by your dad, and now you have 12 

albums under your belt! We wish you all the best 

for the future and a lot creativity and success, 

whatever you do! 

Frank Keil 

05

Desorden Publico 

veneZuelAn SkA pioneerS 

interview 

www.desordenpublico.net 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Recently, Desorden Publico ended a successful 

month-long tour through Europe, promoting 

their most recent album, ‘Los Contrarios’. 

The octet from the capital of Caracas is still 

undoubtedly the number one ska band out of 

Latin America and still enjoys great popularity 

with fans and media, especially in Germany. 

After seeing the band at the beginning of the 

tour in Berlin and at a festival in Mainz, we met 

them once again in Erlangen at the end of 

the tour. Before and after the concert at the 

‘E-werk’, we took a detailed look behind the 

scenes of the musicians from Venezuela in an 

interview with the founding members Horacio 

Blanco and Caplis. 

Rocking Steady!: Please introduce yourself 

briefly and tell us something about the start of 

Desorden Publico which included a lot of 

restructuring. What’s the meaning of the 

name? 

Horacio/Caplis: We are Horacio Blanco, singer 

and guitarist and José Luis ‘Caplis’ Chacín, 

the bassist. We are both founding members, 

we brought the band into being in 1985 after 

I got to know Horacio through his sister. Early 

punk rock, new wave and 2-tone ska were 

also his most important musical roots. Caplis 

also had a sound system as a DJ from which 

the band emerged. The cars of the national 

guard in Caracas had the inscription: ‘Orden 

Publico’ and this contrast seemed very suitable 

for the band. At first, we recorded tapes and 

organized their sale across Caracas. Bit by bit, 

we played everywhere in Venezuela and the 

project became a real band. Today, we have 

four constant members, both of us plus the 

drummer Sarmiento and the percussion player 

Alcaino, but we also have other musicians who 

fill-in and accompany sometimes. 

Rocking Steady!: From the beginning, you 

sang in Spanish, especially in Spain. So, everyone 

in your home country could understand 

you, and here it’s one of the big pluses of Latin 

ska. How has your music developed since 

Desorden Publico’s LP via CBS in 1988? 

Desorden Publico at E-Werk Erlangen

Horacio/Caplis: We wanted our fans to be 

able to understand our lyrics; we wanted to be 

close to reality. Almost all bands in the community 

in Venezuela sing more or less successfully 

in English. We were different. Until today, we had 

a kind of infotainment type of view; the content 

reflects the experiences of our life - should bring 

fun, but also make listeners think by their selves. 

There was a consequent development over the 

years, in addition to the roots, we added Latin 

styles like salsa, merengue or cumbia, but also 

rocksteady, reggae and soul. 

Rocking Steady!: When did your career start 

to get international recognition? When were 

you touring in Europe for the first time? 

Horacio/Caplis: In Latin America, ‘En Descomposicion’ 

had its breakthrough in 1990, 

the tours followed through the USA in 1993 

and Mexico in 1994. Since that time, the band 

has become a fulltime business. We travel to 

Europe at regular intervals since 1996, which 

started with an invitation from David Byrne of 

The Talking Heads to play a festival in Barcelona. 

In September 2011, we will play in Australia 

for the first time. 

Rocking Steady!: An energetic and exciting 

sound forms your shows; band and audience 

melt into a euphoric unity. How have you 

developed the relation between studio and 

live-performance over the years? 

Horacio/Caplis: Of course, we improved 

ourselves in the studio; we extended our 

knowledge as musicians and also technically. 

The aim is to be at the same level as at the live 

performances. Of course, our love still belongs 

to the stage. There is nothing better than the 

direct contact with our audience, the common 

party inside and outside. 

Rocking Steady!: ‘Los Contrarios‘ is the new 

album, containing 15 songs. This is on your own 

label and the published production is captivating, 

with the original compositions and guest 

collaborations. 

Horacio/Caplis: We think ‘Los Contrarios‘ was 

a success in every respect. The songs came into 

being in our rehearsal room which we have 

had for 16 years. With the pre-production, 

we went to the studio where our keyboarder 

works as an audio engineer. The result: the al- 

bum sounds catchy, multilayered and features 

many special guests. Ruben Albarran supported 

us in ‘El Poder Emborracha’, Kanikazu Tanaka 

in ‘Los Dados De La Muerte’ and then we won 

over a very special singer for the Clash cover 

from ‘City Of The Dead’: Campino (Die Toten 

Hosen). He has supported us before and we are 

also friends after playing many shows together 

in Venezuela. Also, The Busters benefited from 

the hospitality and came to support us in 

Caracas over Spring. And in that way, the cycle 

is complete with the cover of ‘It Must Be Love’ 

(Madness), and in doing so, we have returned 

to our roots once again. 

Rocking Steady!: You also deserve big praise 

for the commendable presentation of the band 

on the internet. Desorden Publico’s website, 

Myspace, Facebook, and so on – You are absolutely 

‘up-to-date’. 

Horacio/Caplis: Part of being successful is 

keeping up with modern times. We use every 

possibility to present ourselves, it doesn’t matter 

if it is on TV, radio, the internet, with CDs, or 

on the stage. So, we still could set the course 

for success. 

Rocking Steady!: At the end, there is another 

question in relation to the political actions in 

Venezuela. Hugo Chavez has been the president 

for 12 years. He has formed the left wingers 

of Latin America, although it’s disputed. 

In spite of his cancer and his surgery/chemotherapy 

in Cuba, he aims for the reelection of 

2012. Are Chavez and his politicians an issue of 

Desorden Publico? 

Horacio/Caplis: Yes, of course, some songs 

on the new album deal concretely with his 

political actions and its effects for every single 

citizen of Venezuela. Chavez polarizes, either 

you love him or you hate him. But, we want to 

produce music for everyone in Venezuela. 

And truly, his party and the opposition try to 

take us over. That’s a difficult tightrope walk 

because we are primarily musicians on the CD 

and on the stage. 

Rocking Steady!: And in addition to that, we 

still wish you the best and a lot of success with 

‘Los Contrarios’. 

Frank Keil 

07

CHema Skndl! 

titelthemA SkA & DeSign vol. 4 

Tataaaaaaaaa! With CHema Skndl! we present 

you the number 4 of our ska & design series. 

And I am sure, you will also be impressed by 

this in Chicago living, mexican designer. 

Rocking Steady!: Could you please introduce 

yourself to the Rocking Steady! audience in 

maximum three sentences? 

CHema Skndl!: Hello, I am CHema Skandal!, 

graphic artist and illustrator, musician and 

music aficionado. Supporter of everything related 

to classic jamaican music and the peanut 

culture. 2tone lover! 

Rocking Steady!: How did you get involved 

with the ska scene and ska-bands, for which 

you designed stuff. 

CHema Skndl!: Well, as I was throwing the 

Tritón Sound System parties in MéxCity and I 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

had to promote them. By that time I was studying 

design at art school, so I joined these two 

paths: graphics and music. Afther that I started 

promoting some shows with friends from 

California and I was doing the posters for them 

as well. The rumour about my artwork spread 

and I started doing a lot of stuff related to 

music: record covers, posters, t-shirts, patches, 

stickers, etc. 

Rocking Steady!: Can you tell us some more 

about your link to ska music? 

CHema Skndl!: When I was a teenager I discovered 

this music through some South American 

bands, although I had no idea what kind 

of music they were playing. The music caught 

me and I started searching for more bands and 

the history about it, so I ended up buying and 

trading records from different countries. And 

also by writting letters with other people that 

had fanzines, because the internet wasn‘t popular 

or cheap then. 

My friend Octavio and I started the Tritón 

Soundsystem to spread the skinhead anthems 

and the real Ska sounds around México (there 

had been a misunderstanding about what Ska 

music is and how it sounds). After a while I kept 

running the sound system project alone, due 

to my friend‘s obsession of becoming a movie 

star. Now he is famous! As you can imagine I 

love Drummond‘s „Scandal“ and the „Ska Ska 

Skandal!“ german compilations. Skad‘ for life! 

Rocking Steady!: Can you describe the connection 

between your graphic ideas or styles 

with the ska music? Is there a deeper sense or 

just an pictographic idea or what is responsible 

for the result, for your style for graphics promoting 

ska music?

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 

Chema is an incredible artist....everyone loves his work, it is so 

instantly recognisable and fresh. He captures something unique every time he 

paints...we said for years we would do something together....now we finally 

have! Who else out there mixes mexican wrestlers and jamaican rude boys 

with clip art aliens in a 50‘s/60‘s style?? 

It was great to meet up in London recently for the Skafest, he‘s a real nice 

guy too.... (Steve Harrington | Intensified) 

09

CHema Skndl!: Well, I have been working 

with rubber stamping for a long time now. That 

„record-stamped“ graphic style influenced my 

sketches and drawings. Of course the connection 

comes from the music industry and the 

youth cultures surrounding it. But there is a polysemic 

discourse too, you can find social issues 

and cultural references, many times involving 

mockery in my artwork. 

Rocking Steady!: Please name a couple of 

bands you would love to work with/design for? 

CHema Skndl!: Bands I like right now are The 

Soulsteppers, The Lions, See Spot and bands 

that sound alike. The Pioneers, The Specials... 

and of course many original singers and musicians. 

Rocking Steady!: Which jobs in the skaworld 

have you liked the most? 

CHema Skndl!: Recent posters I‘ve enjoyed 

working on a lot are Roy Ellis‘ Chicago show 

and the L.A.‘s Reggae69 project. And last year I 

made some artwork for Pama International‘s last 

album, The Caroloregians and King Hammond. 

Another one was Intensified‘s 20th anniversary 

album for which I had total freedom to propose 

and the result was great. I think they liked it too. 

Rocking Steady!: Which of your works for the 

ska scene do you like most of all? Can you show 

us which and explain why? 

CHema Skndl!: Record covers are always a 

challenge but it‘s very satisfactory when you 

see the end results. As I said, Intensified‘s „Lunar 

City Groove“ was a really nice project. For that 

record I was asked to translate the mood of the 

last recording of the band from Kent: a moon 

party landscape full with different characters . 

Each character has it‘s own attitude and they 

look if they are having a good time. 

All the process for this project took around six 

months and was supervised by Steve Harrington 

himself. The packaging design had to be 

very special due to it‘s anniversary nature and 

the two-disc (CD+DVD) format. 

Rocking Steady!: Suppose you had to create 

a cover for the Rocking Steady! Magazine. What 

do you think should it look like? 

CHema Skndl: The first thing I would think 

about is the Rocksteady music era and it‘s 

evolution. You know, The Uniques, The Gaylads, 

The Paragons and all these obscure recordings 

made by Hopeton Lewis and Junior Soul. It 

would include Jamaican nature, a sand beach 

and... a cold jamaican beer! 

OW 

Mehr Informationen zu 

CHema Skndl!:: 

www.chemaskandal.com

11 

www.myspace.com/chemaskandal 

www.facebook.com/chemaskandal

Cookie The Herbalist (CH) 

review like A tree (rootDown rec.) 

One Drop 

review 

Dubtari (DE) 

review 

The theme of the album „Like a Tree“ seems 

very earthy - and in that way, the CD starts. The 

second track shows that the diamond which 

was brought abroad by Rootdown still needs 

more of a finishing touch. While toasting, the 

voice sounds perfect, but in spite of the good 

production, the vocals could still be improved. 

Because of this, the songs featuring the toaster 

supported by female backing vocals attract 

better attention. With all of that said, the voice 

of Andrew Robinson is very striking and convincing 

in the opening track, „Hold On“. The band 

works well with Cookie and aids to emphasize 

his talent. The compositions are varied and 

multifarious - something between Gentleman, 

a bit of Nosliw and his own modern reggae 

the biggeSt reggAe one Drop AnthemS 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

„The Biggest Reggae One Drop Anthems 2011“ 

became a high-quality soundtrack for the summer 

here. This official hit compilation produced 

by Christopher Chin consists of the latest 17 

songs from Tony Rebel and Romain Virgo, to 

Bunny Lee and Gentleman (from Germany). In 

terms of styles, this annual compilation from 

2011 covers a wide spectrum of Jamaican music 

and presents many successful foreign performers. 

The retro style cover wasn‘t necessary 

to attract potential consumers, as tracks like 

„Tempted To Touch“ by Busy Signal or „It Hard“ by 

DiverSity (DubtAri rec./SoulFire) 

Jul/Aug 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

The ensemble group Dubtari from Hamburg 

produces easy-listening summer ska. The name 

of the band is an allusion to the cult program 

„Daktari“ and the dub music style. The fifth 

album from these eight musicians is a bootleg 

recorded on November 13, 2010 at The Fabrik in 

Hamburg with the concise title: „Live in Altona“. 

It‘s a varied cross-section of the 12 year-history 

of the band. It begins with the instrumental 

song „Madrugada“ - a good choice to introduce 

the listener to a load of ska. Of course, classics 

like „Drogen“ or „Altona Kicks“ are not missing 

on the compilation or rather, at the concert. 

Reggae In 

Your Jeggae 

2011 sound. „Running Away“ is my personal favorite. 

It is a beautiful and relaxed reggae-cruiser with 

nice key-fills and an integrated showcase of the 

authentic toaster qualities of the debutant. „A 

Girl Like You“ is the only tune which I think could 

be a potential commercial hit. Following that 

song is „Move On“, which is also a great contemporary 

reggae track. After that, the album turns 

toward a dancing mood again. Even though I‘m 

not into it, these tracks could be interesting for 

dancehall fans. Interesting vibes, but definitely 

needs development. 

OW 

Queen Ifrica are definitely able to pull listeners 

in. On this compilation, dancehall is left out to 

a great extent. Instead, you will find acts like 

Vybz Kartel with authentic roots reggae vibes. 

Any of those out there who want to save on the 

airfare to Jamaica, should first try getting that 

Caribbean feeling with „The Biggest Reggae One 

Drop Anthems 2011“. 

Frank Keil 

This album features partially fast ska mixed with 

reggae and dub, additional punky-seeming 

lyrics sometimes in German, English or also in 

Spanish. 

The singer Marcophone‘s voice comes across 

in different ways from cawing to dirty, which 

forms a contrast to the empathetic voice of the 

front woman Quiandra. All in all, it doesn‘t ignite 

a spark - but nevertheless, it‘s a steady going 

album. 

Tim-Niklas Kubach

Dreadnut Inc (DE) 

review FirSt Drop (SoulFire ArtiStS) 

Ce`Cile (JM) 

review JAmAicAniZAtion (kingStone recorDS) 

The Mighty Sparrow (TT) 

review 

Dr. birD (17th north pArADe) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Dreadnut Inc. presents themselves as snazzy 

and offbeat, featuring a talented wind section 

on their first album. It isn‘t at all out of the question 

to award them with the title „Newcomer of 

the Year“. Even though this band from Münster/ 

Paderborn has existed since 2004, the eight musicians 

only just released their first album. With 

„First Drop“, they start auspiciously with huge 

potential. The opener is a beautiful reggae track 

- like the feeling of summer for the ears. 

„Just a second before we explode. Let me be 

your five minute break before your real life 

starts,“ breathes the 25 year old singer and 

front man, Paul Jungeblodt, singing the second 

verse of the song „Ready to Rise“ - a great song 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Ce`Cile presents 16 songs on her new album, 

„Jamaicanization“, and satisfies 100% right from 

the opening track: „Where You Want Me?“ - Right 

here and in that way, Ce`Cile‘, right here and in 

that way. It has a catchy reggae groove that is 

good to dance to, with a successful hook sung 

by a lovely voice. It follows similarly with „When 

You‘re Gone“, „Sweetness“, and especially „Touch 

Yourself“. The last track has a reggae groove that 

is true to the original style, and toasting by the 

singer as sweet as sugar. Right in the middle of 

the album is the ballad-like tune, „Ok Without 

You“. In „Hey“, Ce‘Cile features Agent Sasco, who 

adds more interesting toasting to the album. 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

The sublabel of VP Records compiled this whole 

package with a double-CD plus DVD. And of 

course, it has become a Soca Anthology. 30 

songs, showing the musical history of Trinidad, 

are sung by the exceptional artist Slinger Francisco 

who is promoted under names such as 

„Mighty Sparrow“ and the „King of the Calypso 

World“. His song „Jean & Dinah“, which he won 

an award for in 1956 at the Carnival Road, is 

probably his most famous and beloved calypso 

tune of all time and is also the opener of this 

compilation filled with awesome songs. 

There you find also other famous pieces like 

„Congo Man“, „Obeah Wedding“, „Sell the Pussy“, 

13 

that leaves you wanting more. The explosion 

follows only with the next few titles on the disc. 

„One Love“ - the fast-paced ska song - isn‘t an 

objectionable invitation to dance. The debut 

album, „First Drop“ is a successful outcome to 

the core, especially convincing because of the 

wind section. What has to be highlighted is 

Jungeblodt‘s voice: with his voice, it would be 

a tragedy not to play reggae and ska. Dreadnut 

Inc. - a band from which you will hear a lot in the 

future. They get a strong „buy“recommendation 

for their debut. 

Tim-Niklas Kubach 

The groove is excessively good to dance to. „Singing 

This Song“ is a dancehall smash. Also, „Woot 

Woot“, „Wicked & Wild“ and „Want More“ 

are good to dance to, but they go beyond 

my tolerance limit for modern rhythms. Only 

„Exclusive“ brings me back in the right mood 

to relax with melodious sound. Incredible! This 

continues with the rest of the album. Conclusion: 

It‘s possible to produce modern reggae without 

overwriting the essence of this beautiful music 

beyond recognition. Pump up the volume, 

dance and have fun: „Nah Stress Over Man“! - 

„Upon The Dancefloor“ 

OW 

„Tobago Girls“, „Mother‘s Love“, and „Ten To One“ 

amongst some less familiar material. Great 

musicians and personalities of Trinidad are 

featured as well, including Alvin Daniells, Roy 

Cape, Diana Rhyner, Winston „Gypsy“ Peters, Ed 

Watson and Holly Betaudier. The guest artists 

shape the image of the musician, which dispels 

the any lasting doubts. The Mighty Sparrow is 

an exceptional artist who plays special music in 

a beautiful and perfect way. This is an excellent 

double-album with over 2 hours of DVD footage 

following Mighty Sparrow‘s life. Awesome! 

OW

The World of Ska 

ArounD the worlD ... 

titleStory 

Once again, we present some of the best 

bands of europe for you: The Valkyrians, 

whose new long player „Punkrocksteady“ 

is out. The Magic Touch, the restless and 

prolific Rocksteady-Cats from Berlin/Leipzig, 

who also are working on new stuff those days. 

And we ve been at one of the great concerts 

of Babylove & The Van Dangos. Then we`ve 

got loads of reviews who really argue for 

good, good ska music. 

And the lots of new releases are still going 

on. All of real good quality. All over the world. 

From France, lots of news from Germany this 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

time, Finland with some more releases, Spain 

and also the anglo-american territories. And 

last but not least we`ve got news from South 

Africa - a really well ska punk record. And lots 

more....! 

www.thevalkyrians.com

The Valkyrians (FI) 

interview 

mADe in FinlAnD 

New stuff from Finland! Punkrock cover 

versions by the VALKYRIANS. A matter to talk 

with “Angster” and “Mr. Moonhead” about this 

lovely creation and plans for the next months. 

Rocking Steady!: THE VALKYRIANS just 

released „Punkrocksteady“. Some of the tracks 

never have been better before i think. Who 

has got the idea to record this fine assortment 

of punkrock classics dressed up as rocksteady 

versions? 

Angster: While our first tours in Europe 

some people criticized us for playing too 

many cover songs. We never forgot that and 

decided now to make a pure cover album. We 

also used to play some gigs as The Vampyrians 

(horror reggae). Then we played for instance 

Misfits‘ song “Astrozombies”. But why punk 

covers? Because we have all been punkrockers 

when we were young. Letku-Leroy was 

a member of Ratsia, which was one of the 

first punk bands in Finland. We wanted to 

honour our early favourite bands, which have 

influenced us (besides reggae). And why rocksteady 

versions? Because we love rocksteady. 

Mr. Moonhead: We also played Devo´s 

“Mongoloid” as The Vampyrians. We have 

another side project called The Valkilmers, 

which is a naughty-reggae band. Music for 

adults, you know. I love cover songs. I love 

bands that make good covers: The Cramps, 

www.thevalkyrians.com 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Rolling Stones, The Clash. In the early 60´s in 

Jamaica, people started to play RnB and soul 

covers and they invented Ska music. A cover is 

an homage to good music! 

Rocking Steady!: There are some rare 

cover tracks on the album. Is one of you guys 

especially responsible for the track list or is it a 

teamwork compilation? 

Angster: We all knew these songs before 

and we all have been fans of these bands. Of 

course there would have been lots of other 

songs (or bands), which could have been 

selected. But we are a democratic band, 

which means that the one who has the loudest 

voice, and who has more energy at the 

moment, will win. But I guess we all love these 

particular songs. And we didn‘t really choose 

the most obvious ones. 

Mr. Moonhead: All songs were arranged by 

The Valkyrians. Each one of us made a long 

list of punk-rock classics to play. Some songs 

we tried but nothing happened. Other songs 

just found their place quite fast. The songs 

that made it to the album are the ones that 

worked the best. 

Rocking Steady!: Tell me something about 

the collaboration with T.V. Smith who wrote 

the song „Gary Gillmore‘s Eyes“ **in the 1970s 

** which is also on your album. 

15 

Angster: We made a version of this song 

last year, and I used to sing it at our shows. 

Then we thought we should ask T.V. Smith 

to sing it. Our Finnish Record Company‘s 

big boss said that his friend knows him, and 

he could contact him. But when we were in 

Berlin last November, we accidentally met Mr 

T.V. Smith at Mutti‘s Bookings office. He also 

had a gig at the same day in Berlin. Then we 

asked him to record Gary Gilmore‘s eyes with 

us, and he said of course. In January he came 

to play in Helsinki and we recorded the song. 

Very cool guy 

Mr. Moonhead: Tim had not heard our version 

before he came to Helsinki. Our version 

is quite different to the original, the verses 

are shorter and even the chords are different. 

Tim sat down, listened, thought and sang the 

song in three takes. Just like that! He is a very 

down to earth guy. Really natural and easy going. 

It was great to meet him. Later we went 

to his show and had a few pints together. 

Angster: Actually the verses are longer in our 

arrangement, and we didn‘t drink only a few 

beer after the gig. 

Rocking Steady!: Expectedly this question 

- Did you already get any feedback from another 

of the original singers or authors? 

Angster: Not yet, I guess they have not 

heard of it yet. It would be great to see Glenn 

Danzig‘s reactions. Imagine, a reggae version 

of his song. 

Mr. Moonhead: In our last record we made 

a cover of Dead Kennedy´s “Too Drunk To 

Fuck”. Jello Biafra was in Helsinki not so long 

ago and I forgot to give him a copy of our 

single. I guess we have to wait for the record 

to come out to get some feedbacks.I can´t 

wait to meet Debby Harry! 

Rocking Steady!: I noticed that THE VALKY- 

RIANS will come back to Germany for some 

shows in november. Finally the question if you 

already played the new songs in Finland or 

somewhere else? How was the reaction of the 

audience?

Angster: We‘ve played a couple of these 

songs sometimes in the gigs. But in last two 

gigs in Finland we played more of them. People 

were very happy, some of them said that 

this is so unique and special. I think so too. 

Mr. Moonhead: Last fall, we had a show in 

Helsinki where we played all of these songs 

and more. We asked two very famous Finnish 

punk rockers to play with us. The show was 

sold out and the night was great. At the 

end of the last encore, Andy McCoy, from 

Hanoi Rocks, came to the stage and played 

“London Calling” completely out of his head. 

That moment became a legend - many music 

magazines wrote about it. 

Rocking Steady!: Well we‘re looking 

forward to listening „Punkrocksteady“ live on 

stage! Thank you and let‘s keep in contact to 

talk about your Heavy Metal album in a few 

months ;-) ok?* 

Angster: A splendid idea! Then we can start 

to talk about real money. At least in Finland 

heavy metal is the thing. Gotta talk with the 

www.facebook.com/kingstonize 

guys about it right away. In the mean time, 

let‘s rock(steady)! 

Mr. Moonhead: Heavy metal? Over my dead 

rotten body! See you Lars in Berlin. Let’s play 

some ping pong. 

Lars Kranenkamp 

Out Now! at Rocking Records 

www.rockingrecords.de

The Magic Touch (DE) 

tmt! they Are DynAmite! 

interview 

Without exaggeration you could say that The 

Magic Touch is the best rocksteady and early 

reggae band in Germany. The Magic Touch set 

standards in their country and it seems that 

they have become unstoppable. Between two 

albums, a large number of live shows and 

several brief tours as backing group of diverse 

leading jamaican singers, TMT stopped by 

briefly to our box. 

Rocking Steady!: You have been playing a lot 

of concerts, as well as tours backing up Roy 

Ellis and Susan Cadogan, coming soon with Pat 

Kelly. You are also working on your next studio 

album which will be published at the end of 

the year by GROVER. Honestly, are you still 

up for music? 

Magic Alex: Quite the reverse, we don’t have 

enough time for making music. The songs 

which will be on the new album, ‘Shocks of 

Lightning’ are again 9-12 months old, and 

there are lots of new songs and ideas as well. 

As for an overkill of music, that’s not possible. 

www.myspace.com/themagictouch6 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Rocking Steady!: Your own shows are highly 

acclaimed, evidenced by a major quote by 

Wagner & Rivas during a concert of yours with 

the Aggrolites in Berlin – ‘Hell Yeah!’ . You developed 

relatively fast into a very popular backing 

band. You hear eulogies from Mr. Ellis and Ms. 

Cadogan which leave you speechless. What 

appeals you to backing? 

Magic Alex: Firstly, the Aggrolites say “Hell 

Yeah” very often ‚ day in, day out. In matters of 

the question: what is the big pleasure to play 

the Evergreens with Susan Cadogan or Roy 

Ellis? Appeal isn’t sufficient as description; it’s 

a prerogative for young musicians to perform 

live with people who have lifelong experiences 

on an impressive level. We go to great lengths 

to play the songs in a great way and beyond 

that we were lucky to quickly find a wavelength 

with the singers what allowed us to 

collaborate like a house on fire. In english and 

swiss german. 

17 

Rocking Steady!: For the mentioned new 

album, you quartered yourself again in the 

studio at the Lovelite in Berlin. One day, this 

could possibly become a place of worship for 

rocksteady fans. Besides a lot of other acts, The 

Slackers from New York recorded new material 

there again four weeks ago. What’s so outstanding 

about this studio? 

Magic Alex: It’s the head Jochen, Engineergenius, 

Relaxo-Johnny and in general, the 

individual, unique features inside that don’t 

compare to other studios. There is also a lot 

of junk (s. ‘Studio’) which belongs to him and 

which he can handle. 

Rocking Steady! Now, you will tour soon. 

Among other things, you will pay a visit to Italy, 

Hungary and Switzerland. What’s the plan for 

the rest of the year? We hear that the families 

of the single members of the band may grow? 

Will you shift down a gear or will you keep your 

work quota? 

Magic Alex: Of course, the bellies will grow 

but that’s not the point now. We will not shift 

down. We will play a lot for the Eastern German 

Lowlands and hopefully, finally for the north 

and east coast. We also have to go to Vienna. 

By the way, as postscript for the gushing praise: 

Ken Boothe would like to take us to Jamaica 

after cooperation in 2004. Ken, call us! 

Rocking Steadyl! Thanks for the brief pit stop 

and we will meet up for the new album. All the 

best until then! 

Lars Kranenkamp

Babylove & The Van Dangos (DK) 

Swing & SwAy 

konZertbericht 

“Broken Bottles, Broken Hearts“ – The residue 

of a merry concert eve has rarely been put in a 

nutshell as it has with the beginning of the new 

album from ‘Babylove and The Van Dangos’. 

With ‘The Money & The Time’ the Danes present 

their third LP and are still filling the people with 

enthusiasm. In 2004, coming from the leftovers 

of the legendary ‘Furillo’, the Van Dangos played 

their selves to the top of the European ska 

and rocksteady ranks. With very young, but 

outstanding musicians they managed to fill the 

audience with enthusiasm with their exciting 

and fun live shows. Their European tour in the 

early summer makes it obvious: at the ‘FFT Freitagsclub’ 

in Düsseldorf, only 50 people showed 

up, but the Danes displayed all of their skills on 

the stage in the theatre lobby. 

The evening started cozy with a new reggae 

song as the audience came in from the street. 

‘Friday Night, Saturday Night‘ tells about the 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

experiences of the band on tour. With a beat 

based on the guitar, they go again and again, 

fast forward until a drum break with the fanfare 

of the wind section, and leads into a new bend. 

The journey goes on to Copenhagen, the 

hometown of the band. They dedicated the 

song “Bath House” to a historical bath which 

was closed last year. The home-love of the 

Danes is presented also with the song: ‘So 

Long, Copenhagen’ off their second album, 

‘Lover Choice’ (2008). The reggae track is an 

awesome homage to the city which is based on 

the unique voice of Daniel Bromans. After their 

highly reviewed debut ‘Run Run Rudie’ (2005), 

the Van Dangos were supported top-flight on 

the second album: Coolie Ranx of The Toasters 

refined the song about the ‘Big Baboon’, a 

monkey, who sits in a white house, with some 

toasts in the middle. They also won over Doreen 

Shaffer for a duet. To have this classic female 

Foto: karen-Anja groeger 

Foto: karen-Anja groeger 

musician in the studio was an impressive 

event for the band. As singer Daniel ‘Babylove’ 

Broman explained in Düsseldorf: ‘You would call 

it ‘Granny-porn’ in Germany’ he said slyly. 

The singer from Sweden proves himself in Düsseldorf 

to be a thoroughbred entertainer – not 

only with his humorous and nonsensical announcements 

and banter with the audience, it’s 

the general appearance of Broman. He moves 

his body in an apparently easy going manner to 

the rhythm of the music, one twist of the pelvis 

drives out the next. It’s crowned by a powerful 

voice which strikes the high and also the low 

notes perfectly and with which he sings parts 

of the songs without the accompaniment of his 

band, a capella. With it, he can rely totally on his 

colleagues of the band. Mikkel Szlavik on the 

drums plays powerful, but always with the right 

beats, which the rest of the band can get into. 

The concerts are more like jam sessions in a 

sense. Jakob Thomhav takes playing liberties on 

the guitar and also opens up the intro as Kristian 

Rinck-Henriksen (trombone) and Johann 

Bylling Lang (saxophone) scintillate as a twopart 

wind section. Often, they decide during 

the concert which of the both plays a solo. You 

can really see the pleasure of the band of playing 

together. Of course, they also revise their 

own songs happily. ‘Jump ‘N Swing ‘N Sway’ is 

prefaced with a rhythm-and-blues intro, while 

‘But I Love You’ contrasts the acoustic version on 

the first album and is played as a lively dance 

track. 

For ‘Babylove And The Van Dangos’ there is 

more here than just music and partying. Besides 

love and heartsickness, the lyrics are also about 

politics. On the first album they denounce the 

‘Politrixians’ and the people who submit them-

selves to the despotism of society and 

political correctness. On ‘The Money & The 

Time’, they don’t mince words. The cheerful 

rocksteady tune ‘Still Out There’ also balances 

an account with the brown mob, who present 

themselves in a civil slate, but still stand for the 

same inhumane opinions. The band clearly 

wants to make people think, and not just with 

what is printed in their liner notes in lieu of 

lyrics. It boils down to what they say in ‘Friday 

Night, Saturday Night’ – “It’s not just entertainment…” 

Florian Surek 

Ska-punk from South Africa? A few won’t believe 

it, but for other people it’s old hat. After all, 

Hog Hoggidy Hog, the band from Cape Town, 

has toured for 14 years and has a huge community 

of fans outside of South Africa. Now, 

they present their sixth album ‘Method To 

Madness’ in Europe and they will not by any 

means hold back on our stages. HHH’s socalled 

‘Pork Rock’ is a merciless mix of ska/punk 

with African musical influences. They throw it 

back at us that it puts the boat out. In contrast 

to a lot of different bands that have bigger 

success overseas, they became icons in their 

home country first and are seeking that same 

recognition throughout Europe. 

OW 

Rocking Steady presents: 

Ellwood (US) 

europAtour 

‘Ellwood’ is a prominent new side project 

coming to Germany with their debut album 

released on Fat Wreck in September, called 

‘Lost in Transition’. Chuck Robertson and 

Todd Rosenberg from the Mad Caddies 

together with Dustin Lanker and Graham 

Palmer will present us reggae and ska in the 

style of Sublime and the Long Beach Dub 

Allstars. We also have a review of the album 

and an interview from the tour for you next 

time. We don’t want to miss the show and 

want to ask the guys from California about 

the purpose and goal of this project!!! We 

will see you at the concert! (TOUR HAS BEEN 

POSTPONED UNTIL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER) 

Hog Hoggidy Hog (ZA) 

rough & tough 

europAtour 

06.08. SL-MCT/ Trbovlje 

07.08. SL-O.F.A.K. Stunf/ Ormož 

08.08. SL-Trnfest/Ljlubljana 

09.08. SL-Kamfest/Kamnik 

13.08. SL-Crnfest/Crnomelj 

14.08. SL-Punk Rock Holiday/Crnomelj 

17.08. SL-Zmaj ma mlade/Postojna 

18.08. DE-Bierg.Groggensee/Ehingen 

20.08. DE-Hemperium/Ulm 

21.08. DE-JUZI Göttingen 

24.08. DE-Halle VL/Halle 

26.08. DE-Duncker Club/Berlin 

27.08. DE-JZ Ostbunker/Osnabrück 

OW 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

cAliForniA Sun 

19 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

16.09. DE-Stattbahnhof/Schweinfurt 

17.09. DE-Essigfabrik/Köln 

18.09. DE-Markthalle/Hamburg 

19.09. DE-Chez Heinz/Hannover 

20.09. DE-Lovelite/Berlin 

22.09. AT-Arena/Wien 

23.09. DE-Goldmarks/Stuttgart 

24.09. CH-Sommercasion/Basel 

25.09. DE-Club Vaudeville/Lindau 

27.09. NE-Melkweeg/Amsterdam 

28.09. BE-Oostende/OHK 

29.09. UK-Academy Islington/London 

30.09. UK-Rock City/Nottingham 

01.10. UK-Club Alter Ego/Manchester 

02.10. UK-The Croft/Bristol

65 Mines Street (FR) 

review 65 mineS Street (proDuctionS impoSSible recorDS) 

In terms of style, the French guys of 65 Mines 

Street from Franche -Comté/Audincourt have 

signed themselves off on a mix of the finest 

punky reggae & ska music since 2009. Anyone 

who associates bands like The Specials, The 

Aggrolites, 8°6 Crew, The Slackers or Jim Murple 

Memorial with it, is definitely right. The album 

features 17 tracks, as well as a bonus video 

track. The sextet around singer John Lewis and 

organist Mista Purple (who also plays with the 

currently breaking band Two Tone Club) have 

gained some workmates in the studio who 

have given the final touches to the original 

The Pepper Pots (ES) 

review trAin to your lover (blAck pepper corp.) 

Ellwood (US) 

review loSt in trAnSition (FAt wreck) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Until their third album „NOW!“ (2009), the 

Catalan Big Band managed to do a perfect mix 

of old-school soul and Jamaican music. On the 

current CD, „Train To Your Love“, the stylistic direction 

has changed after the change of instrumentation 

of the three singers (Aya Sima came 

for Merce Munné). All 12 songs from „Can‘t Let 

Him Go“ and „Dreams of Coming Back“ to „Gladden 

Your Soul“ dominate over American soul of 

the Motown era. Logically, the ten members of 

the band have invited American sound engineer 

Bob Ohlsson, who had great success working 

at Motown Records from 1965 to 1972, to their 

own studio. The collaboration on „Train to Your 

Lover“ works out well because the participative 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

This small gem has a playtime of 31 minutes, 

recorded in the mood of the holidays with a 

dash of lovesickness, and featuring beautiful melodies. 

I don‘t have to say much about the voice 

of Chuck Robertson. 

A good voice is a good voice. The new songs 

aren‘t necessarily varied, but very unique. To 

justify the hype, one would have to see the 

band perform live. I‘m anxious to see what the 

four Americans can do to turn 31 minutes of 

music into a full concert. There must be more 

than nine songs which are polished by the sun 

and sung in a melancholic groovy style but are 

very beautifully recorded and sung well. The 

influences of rap, funk, pop and rock are clear 

compositions/arrangements of „65 Mines Street 

vs. Kentish Town Road“ and „Brand New Spring“. 

The only cover on the album, „Stuck in the 

Middle With You“ (Steeler‘s Wheel), fits smoothly 

into the conclusive and enjoyable concept of 

the band 

Frank Keil 

singers and musicians operate with the highest 

musical quality. The entire sum of it is a classic 

sound of the Sixties which will lead the band 

from Barcelona to guest performances around 

the world as of June 2011. Of course, everyone 

will be anxious now about what will come out 

of their next project - a record featuring American 

singer Eli „Paperboy“ Reed.. 

Frank Keil 

on this album. The contextual focusing on love 

stories plays an essential role. You can imagine 

how it should sound live, amongst others played 

by musicians like the Mad Caddies. On disc it‘s a 

very beautiful listen-along album which asserts 

itself as very catchy. Despite not having any 

highlights, it is a constantly enjoyable album. 

The breakout song, „Sunshine Garden“ could be 

a candidate for bigger success of the project. At 

the very least, this CD has ended up in the CD 

player more than once - a definite good sign! 

OW

Ratatouille (DE) 

review 

SeArch For golD (eigenvertrieb) 

The Broilers (DE) 

review SAntA muerte (people like you rec. ) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

This album by the offbeat disco supergroup 

Ratatouille, isn‘t much of a dance album by any 

means. It‘s hard to get truly into move with this 

album. Everything is very smooth: definitely not 

an album to break out and dance to, but rather 

one to sit and listen to. By the way, it‘s perfect. 

The CD has a vinyl style and is packed in a 

digipack. That‘s not anything new - but it always 

looks good. Ratatouille presents smooth ska 

with almost breathing vocals. It‘s fun to listen to 

the guys from Bochum, who have been around 

since 2003, and tap your feet to the music - but 

that‘s the highest of high. The style of Ratatouille 

could be described as a little pop-influenced, for 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

The Broilers were founded as an oi and punk 

band in Düsseldorf back in 1994 by singer/guitarist 

Sammy Amara and drummer Andi Brügge. 

Over time, they have developed themselves and 

show how far they‘ve come on their new album 

„Santa Muerte“. The new titles produced by 

Vincent Sorg that include the standard-setting 

energetic opener „Harter Weg (Go!)“, are musically 

enjoyable and complex. The most recent 

change in the group‘s formation was in 2004, 

and now they have continued to evolve. Due 

to the „family of four wind section“ influences 

from ska and reggae, The Broilers come back 

Rockingsteady - Shirtshop 

ska / Reggae / rocksteady fashion 

Exclusive Shirtdesigns 

of selected 

Ska-/ Reggae artists 

around the world. 

21 

the majority of songs feature pop elements, like 

the opening track, „Search for Gold‘. But perhaps, 

it‘s „Part of the Plan/Part of the Strategy“, as they 

say in the last song on the album. Highlights of 

the second studio album of this ska band from 

Bochum are definitely „Southcity Moon“ and 

„Jammin‘ Soul“. 

Tim-Niklas Kubach 

with these added influences, making sure to 

not forget about the classical elements. Music 

and lyrics from the pen of Sammy cover a wide 

spectrum, as in „In Ein Paar Jahren“ or 

„33 RPM“. These tracks are absolutely qualified 

to be big hits. The songs from „Santa Muerte“ are 

definitely suitable for singing along with at a live 

performance and were probably played at Rock 

in Concert Festival in Waldstadion Weismain. The 

Broilers appear to be prepping for the JKP deal 

for the Germany Tour in autumn. 

Frank Keil

Skaprifischer (DE) 

review 

FriScher ASpik 

Mr. Freak Ska (CAT) 

review SkA cASolA (emporDá Son) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Due to the name of the band and the title of 

the album you could believe, that this is more 

of a ‚to pass the time project‘ of some eastern 

german musicians with a strong sense of humor. 

But with the first listening I‘m overtaken by 

this likable, round piece of black vinyl. The mix 

of the chosen covers and the original compositions, 

sung in four different languages (German, 

English, French and Italian), provide a small, yet 

nice offer to travel in a discarded ska-train that 

knows to call on the still untapped places of the 

music landscape. You hear Adriano Celentano 

packed in a ska-can. His humor is translated into 

our favorite genre. This and many other covers 

are performed successfully by the guys from 

Mr. Freak Ska - published on Empordà Son? 

Whom?! We should all be excited and open 

our ears to this. Spain, more precisely Catalonia, 

is chock-full of new projects and at the same 

time - new labels. It makes our heart beat faster, 

especially, because the first publication,“Ska 

Casola“ from Mr. Freak Ska, is a very nice album 

in a remarkable and little known language. No, 

it‘s not Russian, nor is it Hungarian or Polish, or 

even Romanian, or Finnish - the album is sung in 

Catalan. Even though initially, it‘s hard for some 

to understand, it‘s a very suitable language to 

sing with and is a very welcome alternative. 

Dresden. They perform Serge Gainsbourg as 

well as Lennon and McCartney, the Pointer Sisters, 

Helge Schneider and Allen Touissant. In the 

same way, the choice to do this on vinyl is fancy, 

eye-catching, and enjoyable. Mixed with their 

own, just as well varied compositions, this is a 

successful and complete work of art which will 

probably be a rare record in the ska community. 

What a pity! Perhaps Skaprifischer will do us a 

favor after (hopefully) many performances and 

put another album out on vinyl! 

Another good thing to note - the download 

code for digital use of this album is delivered 

automatically free of cost. Good Thinking! 

Jul/Aug 

2011 The album has a nice groove at the beginning 

Check our multimedia-pdf 

OW 

which continues through the whole thing. 

The vocals are enjoyable throughout all of the 

compositions, with a choice of some interesting 

cover versions (especially the Catalan version of 

Roger Miller‘s „King Of The Road“). Generally, the 

total musical interplay is great. With 17 songs 

and a duration of almost 50 minutes, the album 

seems almost like a never ending story, albeit 

entertaining. The song „Tal Farás Tal Trobrarás“ 

totally rocks. Check it out, as this is certainly my 

next suggestion for the ‚Ska Album of the Year“. 

OW

Los Granadians (ES) VINYLSINGLE 

review por mucho Que pASen loS AnoS (liQuiDAtor recorDS) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

The sextet from Madrid has recorded again! 

Almost immediately after their previous EP 

„New York City“ was released, the Spanish guys 

were busy once again. And this time, they are 

in the mood for love. This is not a love song? Of 

course, it is a love song. It‘s titled unmistakably 

and appropriate: „Por Mucho Que Pasen Los 

Anos“. Los Granadians are looking through rosecolored 

glasses. Who‘d have thunk it or rather 

who wouldn‘t have thunk it? There is an instrumental 

version for interplanetary relationships 

on the B-side, but with a lot of organ. If there 

really are creatures in outer space, they will be 

addicted to this sound. 

OW 

23 

Aweseome Jamaican R&B, Ska, Jazz, Soul, Mento, 

Calypso & Reggae from paris 

Sa. 01.10.2011 

Das Bett 

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 Ausflug 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 geschafft 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 offen 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 confirmed 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) 

Schmidt- 

str. 12, 

Frankfurt

Karikatura (US) 

review 

muZon (ep) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

This album consists of five songs by this band 

from Brooklyn, New York. So small, we almost 

would have forgotten, but listening was a lot of 

fun. „Muzon“ is a remarkable and uncategorizable 

effort from Karikatura. The singer is a true 

pleasure, the musicians play their solos in brilliant 

ways, and the musical talent level is high. 

The arrangements are special and varied. You 

could even consider the album offbeat, with 

Karikatura‘s mix of styles. The clarinet is incredible 

and the music gets an Eastern European 

ethnic influence. The music presents us with 

very beautifully played acoustic guitar, sneaky 

Less Than Jake (US) 

review greetingS From leSS thAn JAke (e.p.) 

Go, go, go! This EP has a lot of guitar, powerful 

drums and some fill-ins on the wind section 

here and there. The voice is high and light, the 

sound is blazing and massive. That is classic Less 

Than Jake, the way we know the quintet who 

banded together at the university in Florida. 

Their style is a staple of the commercially 

popular ska-punk sound made famous by the 

likes of Green Day, Rancid, and so on. There are 

a lot of fans who want exactly this kind of music 

and nothing else. But unfortunately, I can‘t 

hop on that bandwagon. The actual creation 

shows that the music gets a raw deal, what with 

the tempo and noise. On the plus side, these 

Hog Hoggidy Hog (ZA) 

review methoD to mADneSS (Southern pulSe) 

Hog Hoggidy Hog is the most successful ska 

punk band from South Africa. The band was 

founded in Cape Town in 1995 with singer 

George Bacon. Initially, the Hogs opted as a 

quintet stylistically for ska, punk, trash, jazz, doo 

wop and traditional African sounds. In 1998 the 

members expanded by adding a trumpet and 

trombone and the sound was developed in the 

direction of „Pork Rock“ or „Hogcore“. That‘s how 

the band and the fans call it. With all due force, 

the South African guys always stay optimistic 

and with a wink, humorous in their lyrics. 

Their sixth album contains 14 titles, and from 

the opener „Scene Police“ to „John And Phillip‘s 

drums and more poppy baselines. Is everything 

elaborated on purpose or is it all instinctual? It‘s 

hard to say, but if it‘s the latter, that‘s great! It‘s 

very hard to describe this music, but easier to 

evaluate it. Awesome. 

OW 

Jul/Aug 

2011 Californian guys provide a lot of melodies. All 

Jul/Aug 

Free Audio Track 


in all, it sounds like an escape, like a trailer for a 

new high-speed-train or the induction of a float 

of jets, if I can be totally honest. Less Than Jake 

plays nothing different than before and will go 

on with it in the future. It will be less inventive, 

less musical, but in exchange, fast, melodic and 

once more - fast. Their fans will love the album, 

although it‘s a bit short. If they can widen their 

fan community with it, remains to be seen. My 

record player is fed up. Over! 

OW 

2011 Song“, manages to easily and honestly balance 

between mainstream and alternative posture. 

„Method to Madness“ was recorded in Cape 

Town with the great producer Theo Crous. 

Hog Hoggidy Hog can prove themselves live, 

even on big stages, as they demonstrated with 

NOFX, Mad Caddies and Lagwagon. And with 

their third European tour in August, they will be 

in competition with the other Anglo-American 

role models. 

Frank Keil

New Town Kings (GB) 

review m.o.J.o. (bomber muSic ltD.) 

The Valkyrians (FI) 

review punkrockSteADy (StupiDo & pork pie) 

Pinatubo Bay (DE) 

review no one below - no one Above 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

A new hope for the future from the United 

Kingdom has come with „M.O.J.O“, New Town 

Kings‘ second album. The nine musicians from 

Colchester, Essex play a kind of traditional 3rd 

wave ska, and for the most part, several voices 

which sounds great. They play their set with 

a spring-in tempo and very poppy melodies. 

It‘s good to listen to and it is very catchy, but 

nothing really new. The recordings are very 

rough, which could appeal to some and feature 

a lot of live energy for the tape, but a proper producer 

would have pushed the album quite a bit 

better. Some of the compositions are very good, 

though. „Games That People Play“, „Stop“ and 

„News Stand“, for example have what it takes 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Punkrock cover songs? Who needs it? Pretty 

damn sure you need it! The Valkyrians have a 

resolution. The album has all of it! With ‘Nasty 

Nasty’ you get the usual party-stomper which 

runs perfect side-by-side with the bittersweet 

melancholy heard in ‘Astro-Zombies’, and even 

with a load of darkness like in ‘Babylon’s Burning’. 

However, the direction of style on ‘PUNKROCK- 

STEADY’ has all of it. It’s a nice choice, which gets 

along without the typical overused popular 

songs which serve in general as cover songs. It is 

roughly interpreted and awesomely produced. 

‘Mongoloid’ or ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ get 

optimized and sound better than before – for 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Pinatubo Bay from Tübingen score again, as 

expected, with their second album, „No One 

Below - No One Above“. It is an album full of 

good tracks from rocksteady and reggae to soul. 

„All Because of You“ is a nice first track which 

will hopefully be transformed into a live-intro 

for future concerts. „Last Call“, a song from their 

last record, is recorded in a powerful and new 

rocksteady style and it fits perfect. 

Additionally, there is an easy-going track, „Lonely 

Not Alone“, which is full of soul. All in all, they 

don‘t avoid a mix of styles. „Take Over“ sounds 

very dirty and reminds me of The Beatdown 

from Montreal, which should be interpreted 

as an open compliment. Although the album 

has consistently great vocals, „Gare De Les“ is a 

25 

to become ska classics. „Round and Round“ is 

a direct hit. Other songs are fill-ins like „String 

Along“, and „New Town Hop“ with the Latin wind 

section arrangements and the leftovers of the 

album. The guys from England are reminiscent 

stylistically of The Stingers or also a bit of the 

Hepcat, whereby, they have a lot of rivals in their 

chosen musical environment. But, the band is 

still young and the ambitions are huge. With 

a bit of luck, they could become something 

successful. Keep your fingers crossed and watch 

them live, as this should be the strength of the 

band. 

OW 

my unassuming auditory canal. Organ and 

guitar on this album are hard to outbid with 

tightness and singer Angster varies brilliant 

with his voice what only could be better shown 

by the Punkrock legend T.V.Smith and his once 

written ‘Gary Gilmores’s Eyes’. With ‘Breakdown’, 

‘Mongoloid’, ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ and 

‘Borstal Breakout’ there is only one thing left 

to say: the album is awesome, is produced by 

Stupido & Pork Pie which make it a success! 

Lars Kranenkamp 



real highlight, being completely instrumental 

(the organ sounds a bit like Deep Purple). When 

Daniel ‚Babylove‘ Broman also takes the mic in 

the final minutes, it makes the album perfect. 

Finally, you get „The Wall, No More!“, a smashing 

dub track. Pinatubo Bay - hopefully you will be 

able to see them live all over the world. For this 

album - my compliment! 

Lars Kranenkamp

Union Street (FI) 

review 

thiS iS union Street (ep) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

This EP has been resting on my desk for some 

time. I have no idea why I had forgotten about 

it, as this band surely doesn‘t deserve to be 

forgotten! The five guys from Finland have 

recorded a very good EP, showcasing some 

very poppy 3rd wave ska with a fresh and really 

good female voice. The necessary drive is there 

as well as some very catchy melodies. You 

can‘t ask for more from the first record of a still 

young band. „City Lights“ reminds me of good 

Brit-pop bands. Perhaps it‘s something between 

Echobelly, The Caine and Lemonbabies. It‘s a 

very beautiful track, the arrangement varied, and 

has, in spite of the poppy sound, a rough touch 

V.A. - Now That`s Walt I Call Music (GB) 

review wAlt JAbSco recorDingS 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Walt Jabsco has sent an EP. What should I say? 

That‘s true „Lunar City Groove“. „Don‘t Give 

Up Your Day Job“ from The Olive Branch, we 

have praised to the skies. You will have a lot of 

fun with the following tracks of the EP. The EP 

provides attitudes of spacey, easy-going, trashy, 

multifarious, open-hearted, electronic, Spartan 

and many more; but always in a positive way. 

The exceptional case of the EP is definitely 

„King of The Mad Man (from The Monotones)“. It 

sounds like a power station that plays oi music. 

Who dares wins! 

OW 

Drewvis (GB) 

review DeSpoSAble pleASureS & meAningFul purSuitS (Do the Dog) 

Jul/Aug 

The title hits the bull‘s-eye. Drewvis gives us 

abundant joy which you can hear in every note. 

They take their music seriously. But that seems 

necessary, if they dare to take up the cause for 

‚Acoustic Ska‘. And with their style of playing 

ska music, you would not miss anything. Not at 

all! This album contains a lot of popular sound. 

As if Belle & Sebastian reinvented ska music, or 

the great-grandchildren of the Beatles played 

contemporary, beautiful ska. A Scottish band 

with a similar name „Travis“ has gained some 

fame. Even though they found their way into the 

Britpop-community very graceful, balanced and 

youthful, I would wish that Drewvis rough up 



for wanting to get up and dance. „Last Exit“ is 

my favorite. It sounds like pop ska with qualities 

similar to The Hotknives. It has an up tempo with 

a good melody, befitting the rank of the refrain. 

„Dystopia“ sounds a bit like Madness, but has 

the successful fills of the guitar in surf style to 

add an original twist. Last, but not least is „Best 

Night“. It ties in with the previous songs and also 

has very catchy and popular melodies which are 

combined with up-tempo off-beats and a load 

of guitar. Very good! I wanna hear more of it! 

OW 



Be always up to date 

sign the 

2011 the ska community and are successful with it far 

beyond this. It clearly sounds like they will play 

music forever. It‘s a reason to be glad, to celebrate 

and to write. I want more of it, not only for a 

friendly campfire party with ska music, no, - we 

want to see the band in small pubs, lounge bars, 

crowded halls and at all sorts of festivals. There 

are no hints. Buy the CD! There isn‘t a blank and 

all songs are audiolicious. 

OW

V.A. - Ska In Your Head (ES) 

review Sombrero club Zine 

Moon (US) 

review the lAnDing 

The Dub n Tuff Allstars (GB) 

review 

5 trAck ep (promo) 

PROMO 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

One Country, ten bands, 19 songs: „Ska In Your 

Head“. The device and the sampler are carefully 

matched. This album from the Sombrero Club 

Zine unites some of the most well known Spanish 

bands on one beautiful disc where you will 

hear some ska, mostly in the traditional style, but 

with some other facets. The Penguins‘ self-titled 

EP had already been released to positive reviews 

several weeks ago. Two songs from that album 

appear on this compilation. In addition, you 

will hear:Briatore as well as Akatz, my favorites 

from South-Western Europe, Soweto, Majaicans, 

Sally Brown, La Familia Torelli, GuaitaIs, and The 

Upsttemians, who just recorded a new album. 

All in all, you hear a lot of organ and generally, 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Whether the moon landing was real or fake, it is 

still a secret to all. What we do know, is that the 

band Moon has published an album with the 

name „The Landing“. What is also true is that the 

two two-tone figures on the cover should have 

danced after the landing on the moon. What 

about an astronaut could be really surprised: 

‚WTF?‘ 

The album isn‘t a miracle yet, expressed extremely 

with words. Let‘s say, the first step has been 

made. What we hear is a continuous ska beat 

with very poppy arranged bass and vocals that 

almost sounds like it would be found in the popular 

music section, but is better off without a 

doubt. The melodies are also very nice, but all in 

all, the band still needs to condense themselves 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

The band from Soul Bay, U.K. presents five tracks 

and adds their name to the list of good ska and 

reggae bands. The opener, „She‘s Got Soul“ 

sounds likable - old-school - a ska track which is 

heard many times in the graceful outfit of The 

Dub n Tuff Allstars. With „Tief“ follows beats and 

toastings, heavy on reggae. Then the appeal 

- „Take It Easy“. The vintage-style is especially enjoyable 

in this song, reminiscent of the sounds 

of the early years of ska music. With „Really Rocking“, 

the sextet approach early reggae sounds 

and decorate them with a bit of dub. „No More 

War“ is left in a calm, kindly cordial sector of our 

27 

all modernists should be glad about this CD, 

especially, about Briatore where the influences 

are most distinctive. 

On this album, you will hear more than one 

reggae guitar. The melodies are often informed 

by diverse vintage-sounds, the vocals, by part, 

singing. The album goes swimmingly. No reason 

to stop it. It‘s a thoroughly successful work. I only 

say it unwillingly, but the German community 

finds themselves in a difficult position now, having 

to measure up to such a great nation-wide 

ska sampler like this. 

OW 

rhythmically. Perhaps they should play stronger, 

otherwise it sounds very dreamy and rhythmically 

reserved. It would be fitting for a popular 

music project, but for the ska community it 

seems very risky. It sounds similar to The Beatles 

(it really does sound like it) smoking weed and 

playing with offbeats. 

Please don‘t get me wrong - it shows the existing 

potential of the band. They will develop and 

have to make a decision, in matters of style and 

especially in matters of music. Check out Ringo 

Ska, guys, because then you will know what I 

think and what you should change. 

Then the next album will be really good! 

OW 

favorite genre. All in all, it‘s a welcome lookingback 

orientation for a new band. While there 

is still a lot of room left - in matters of vocals, 

instruments and rhythm. Hopefully, the band 

will stay together and will grow with their talent 

- then they would become an interesting act. 

OW

Walt Jabsco Recordings (GB) 

titleStory 

The giveaway EP from Walt Jabsco lasts 21 

minutes and 54 seconds, which they make exceptionally 

tempting to us by offering for free. 

Anyone who still hesitates to get to know this 

young English Label is totally hopeless. Walt 

Jabsco, the mastermind of this small, exceptional 

label got the chance to work on a lot of 

different music. No less than 2Tone, Upsetter 

or Treasure Isle - labels he considers as role 

models. He named his label after the famous 

Two Tone little man, Walt Jabsco, who advanced 

probably as the most famous icon of the 

ska community in the era of the 2Tone label. 

It’s less known that the smart-dressed rude 

boy on the pictures can be attributed to Jamaican 

artists like The Wailers and Peter Tosh 

(who, for example, pose in exactly this way for 

the picture on the covers of ‘The Wailing 

Wailers’ or ‘The Toughest’. 

now thAt`S wAlt i cAll muSic! 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

In my opinion, it’s an appropriate choice 

for a person who searches from old school 

Jamaica to contemporary ska music for a very 

special 

new sound that takes a leaf out of the 2Tone 

book. And with a good look at his current 

releases, one thing becomes definitely clear. 

It’s less about a retro-vinyl label that dedicates 

itself to the traditional sound of the 

forefathers of the genre. It’s more about the 

standard of the label profiles for which Walt 

shoots now. He went in the right way. His 

portfolio convinces, surprises, amazes, astonishes 

and it’s a lot of fun. What we noticed immediately 

with his release ‘Skafusion’ goes for 

the whole current catalogue: ‘If there would 

be an avant-garde in ska, then we would find 

it especially with Walt Jabsco Recordings and 

namely with all its consequences.’ 

OW 

Walt Jabsco Recordings (GB) 

„... Walt Jabsco Recordings is a record label which was 

created after the model of such brilliant cult labels like 

2Tone, Upsetter, Treasure Isle, Harry J’s and others from 

the 60s and 70s. The goal at Walt Jabsco is to create 

publications of selected ska music and also some dub & 

reggae tunes. The first publication ‘Walt Jabsco… The Return 

Of’ has been met with a solid response and was stylized 

as a classic fast. At first, it was planned as a totally 

digital label, but after enjoying great popularity, they 

also offer CDs now. The next step will be to add vinyl to 

the mix. By the end of this summer, they will publish a 

brand new album: ‘Rock dis Shot‘ by Isotope X featuring 

Horace Panter (Specials) & Noel Davies (Selecter)`.“

Walt Jabsco started as a pure digital label, 

but soon starts to release cds and vinyl: 

Walt Jabsco...The Return Of 

(CD & Digital) 

Walt Rides Again 


Ska Fusion - The Olive Branch 


Politcal Jesters - The Olive Branch 

(CD-Single & Digital) 

The Liquidizer - The Liquidizer 

(Single & Digital) 

Now That`s Walt... I Call Music 

(Free-EP) 

We are leaving the future - 

The Downsetters 

Loosen Up - The Big Boss Review 

(soon available on CD) 

More informations: 

waltjabscorecordings.blogspot.com/ 

www.myspace.com/waltjabscorecordings 

29 

www.waltjabscorecordings.co.uk

Rocking Steady! Zapping 

ArounD the globe 

newS & hintS 

Folkestone Skarbour Festival 2011 

FeStivAl FolkeStone goeS SkA 

John Sims himself is one of the masterminds 

of the young, international Folkestone Skabour 

Festivals, which takes place on the first weekend 

of september 2011 for the second time. Besides 

great headliner they booked fine acts from all 

over europe. So the lineup of the jamaican music 

festival promises a big variety of styles: 

: 

folkestoneskabourfestival.co.uk/ 

This Is Ska 2012 

FeStivAl wASSerburg roSSlAu 2012 

After the festival is before the festival. That’s 

decided for a long time for most visitors of one 

of the most important ska festivals in Europe. 

And it is purported that 2012’s date is very welltimed 

by the organizer so that we can make this 

weekend a special event. We will do that, but 

first – we also want to know what will await us 

in 2012 at the Wasserburg in Rosslau. 

We can expect great Jamaican acts as well as 

established bands worthy of consideration, who 

haven’t been in Rosslau for a long time. Whether 

they will take up with some unknown or if they 

will opt for a newcomer still remains. But that 

wouldn’t be anything new. 

2011 had a wicked lineup, and we are awaiting 

to hear from Jörg and Franze about 2012’s, 

which will hopefully fill us with enthusiasm 

again and keep us going until we get to Ross- 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Friday: 

The Coolers, Hey Rudi, Skabilly Rebels with 

Roddy Radiation, The Selecter, The Beat 

sowie The Chambers und Semi Skinned auf der 

Nebenbühne. 

Saturday. 

Hey Rudi, The Real Bad Habbits, Freddy Loco & 

His Gordos Ska Band, Easy Snappers, TootnSka- 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

lau. Everything should be in place by December. 

Then we will also print a festival journal that will 

cover all of the participating bands. 

OW 

men, Les Skalopes, Sidewalk Doctors, The Skanx 

und The Dualers sowie abermals The Coolers 

Sunday: 

The Cover Ups, The Blaster Master, The Popes Of 

Chilltown, The Estimators, The Skatonics

Taubersteady! 

FeStivAl SkA beim tAubertAl-open Air 

Bigger festivals that get a decent portion of ska 

on the stage become hard to find here in these 

parts. It’s a great thing that some of the most 

pleasant festivals still bring ska acts on stage 

and have not been robbed of performers in that 

style. We would love to see more ska acts from 

organizers of these larger festivals. 

12. bis 14. August 

16. Internationales Taubertal-Festival 

The Taubertal-Festival in Rothenburg o.d.T. 

established itself all over Germany for a long 

time and will be sold out one year after the 

anniversary. More than 30 000 guests come 

to the Eiswiese every year. In 2011, headliners 

included Rise Against, Iggy & The Stooges, Bullet 

For My Valentine, Pendulum, Dropkick Murphys 

and Die Fantastischen Vier. In addition, plenty of 

up and coming artists performed in the popular 

European Emergenza Newcomer Festival from 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

Friday until Sunday. These included various ska, 

rocksteady & reggae acts like Talco, The Locos 

and La Vela Puerca. Talco, the left-wing ska/punk 

band formed in 2000 around the singer/guitar 

player Dema from Venedig, and is a fixed 

opener on the festival-stages in Europe. His very 

dancy music is influenced heavily by Italian folk 

music, patchanka and Balkan beats. Ska P-singer 

Pipi has a second band with The Locos, who are 

second to none of the Taubertal-favorites in the 

matter of energy, skills and show. Impulsive ska/ 

punk, virtuosic wind section and full entertainment 

are assurred. Dancing and partying is also 

the theme with La Vela Puerca from Uruguay, 

who fill up stadiums in their home country 

and are no strangers to the European stage. 

Although the influences of ska have given 

way to more rock, their performances with the 

‘Normalmente Anormal’-tour will definitely be 

a highlight in the valley where a huge peaceful 

31 

party happens in the middle of primal nature 

and lasts for years. ‘Sounds for Nature’ shows 

ways and opportunities for saving the nature 

and environment without compromising the 

fun factor. Moreover, there is a large but not 

overdone/over-priced supporting program. 

Information and tickets here: 

www.taubertal-festival.de 

Frank Keil

Reggae Hit L.A. - Story of Moises 

Story perSonAl view on the l.A. Scene 

In L.A. It all starts with a wave of punkrock. I grew 

up in San Fernando Valley, where I`ve been influenced 

since I was young. First from the punk 

rock movement, but also from the oi scene. 

Yet in summer before I went to highschool i 

caught attention of this brilliant and cerishable 

culture. The skinhead scene in L.A. is big and 

multifarious. And even if not all feel conntected 

to each other, each and every one lives this 

music and cultur with the same big passion. 

I was into heavy reggae and ska before some 

older skins of my town picked me up to go to 

the ska- and reggae-allnighters. The scene was 

and still is very active. All emphasize their look 

and style, are into Button Down Ben Shermans 

and their slickly Loafer or Doc Martens. The ska 

and reggae music was akquired euphorically 

by the crowd. Within the L.A. reggae club scene 

you can find all styles: Mods, Rude Boys and also 

Punks. Reggae, Ska, Northern Soul, Rocksteady 

and 60s Sound is played regularly. The most popular 

partys are „Hotshot Sound System“, „Angel 

Never Buy The Sun 

Freemium billy brAgg - brAnD new Song 

Hands up Rupert Murdoch. BIlly Bragg shoots 

with free songs against the international Imperium. 

He indicts media, politics and police. as 

they won`t escape from the eavesdrop-scandal 

around the british yelloe press paper „News Of 

The World“, which extends itsself to „The Sun“ 

yet. His adequate protest, for which we know 

him well, underlines the necessity of borders 

for each and every information procurement as 

well as he complains the over-the-top handling 

of it. 

To remind of peoples power he recalls the succesful 

restistance of the liverpool people, which 

boycot „The Sun“ since there article about the 

Hilsborough-disaster: „Scousers never buy the 

sun!“ 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

City Soul Club“, „Soulside“, „Trojan Lounge“, „The 

Long Beach Sound Society“ and „Intensified“. As 

well a the „Rocksteady Lounge“, known for its 

young and stylish guests while focused on rocksteady. 

Soulside also is host of the Soul Invasion 

Rally once a year. At its travels and parties with 

reggae, soul and ska, you can meet good old 

friends in a friendly atmosphere and have some 

unforgettable moments. So you should visit 

one of these clubs whenever you are in my city. 

Leave your politics at home and better use your 

dancing shoes. Everybody is welcome. 

Since ebay changes the possibilities we`ve 

chosen the traditional look and have got used 

to wear the british brands like Fred Perry or Ben 

Sherman, instead of the american hardcore 

version, which is still very popular for some american 

skins. For our cloth there is just one shop 

over here. It`s called „Posers“. They sponsor some 

of our events. He is about 20 years old. Just the 

owner changed once or twice. 

(Moi from SFV., U.S.A.) 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

If citicism could be so easy everytime! And while 

it`s not a hit, the song he has done therefore, it 

is more of a really fast artistical reaction towards 

the contemporary politics and especially the 

power of the media. And why should our reality 

not depend on such activities more and more. 

Must not be the objective way, but in this case, 

it`s meant more than true. I won`t assume that 

in case of a yellow press of this size anymore 

nowadays! 

‚Never Buy The Sun‘ - Billy Bragg (words and music B. 

Bragg 2011) copyright control 

Recorded 11th July 2011 at Mike Hallett Studio, Weymouth, 

Dorset 

Billy Bragg - acoustic guitar and vocals 

Tom Hughes - piano and organ 

Chris Lonergan - bass guitar 

Ady Milward - drums and percussion 

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Mike Hallett 

All pulled together at the drop of a hat by Adrian Collis of 

Thoroughbred Music 

Download auf www.billybragg.co.uk. 

The download is not a question of taste, but a 

political statement. So go on! 

OW

Rocking Steady TV! 

viDeoS beSt oF SkAviDS!!! 

Dr. Jau meets Fabiani | Mad World 


Prince Perry | Whatever You Can Get Away With 


ROCKING STEADY TV! 

THE NEWEST SHORTCUTS, VIDS AND INTERVIEWS NOW ON: 

tv.rockingsteady.de 

Jul/Aug 

2011 

TV.ROCKINGSTEADY.DE MORE SKA, MORE REGGAE, MORE MUSIC! 

33

Twitter 

www.twitter.com/theoffbeatbomb 

Preview 

topicS oF 

Myspace 

www.myspace.com/theoffbeatbomb 

... rocking SteADy! eZine #6 

Interviews: THe Pioneers, The Dualers, 

Hollie Cook, Maddie Ruthless, 

Yellow Cap, & more. 

*** 

Ska & Design Vol. 5 - Arthur Allblack 

*** 

tons of Reviews 

*** 

labelportraite PoP-A-TOP Records 

*** 

shortcuts and many more 

*** 

Jul/Aug 

2011 


Facebook 

34 

www.facebook.com/theoffbeatbomb

E-ZINE # 05 - Rocking Steady!

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?