Last year, Brooklyn rocksteady band The Forthrights recorded a number of tunes with Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers), Chris Murray and Maddie Ruthless at Treehouse Studios in Niles, OH. The result? A 7-track self-titled album that will brighten up your day! Preview the tracks and download the album The Forthrights HERE
The May edition of Boss Sounds Downtown is upon us! Beautiful late Spring weather in Minneapolis is only made sweeter by the heavy 60s Jamaican beat pumping through the sound system, and it’s all going down at Grumpy’s downtown this Thursday. Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae all on original 45 for your dancing and listening pleasure.
Music starts at 10, no cover! Come on down and have a drink with friends and dance the night away.
Local ska/punk band Rocksteady Breakfast have announced their Midwest Summer Tour which starts in June. The band is still working on some of the dates but here are the confirmed ones so far:
6/14 @ Mr. Roberts in Madison, WI w/ 4 Aspirin Morning and Pervert Preachers
6/16 @ Cobra Lounge in Chicago, IL: w/ Mustard Plug, Dropsteppers and Los Vicios De Papa
6/17 @ the Fremont in Des Moines, IA
6/18 @ Louis’ Bar & Grill in Omaha, NE w/ DSM-5
6/20 @ Soundpony in Tulsa, OK
6/22 @ the DIY Event Center in Colorado Springs, CO w/ Tater Twat and tba
6/24 @ Nameless Cave in Rapid City, SD w/ Wax Bananas abd tba
6/27 @ Triple Rock in Minneapolis, MN w/ Curious Volume, Roots in Stereo and tba
Stay tuned to MNSKA.com for updates!
MNSKA band The Prizefighters have been added to the bill for the Sunday, May 20th show at The Cabooze! The show includes headliner The Aggrolites along with special guests Old Man Markley and New Jersey ska/punk band Hub City Stompers. It is nice to see some local support on such a big show and gives you all more of an excuse to head out on a Sunday night!
You can RSVP for the show on Facebook HERE
You can buy discount tickets in advance HERE
Cincinnati ska/reggae band The Pinstripes played a spirited set at the Motr Pub on Cinco De Mayo. The band was nice enough to post their hour long set on YouTube for those of us who weren’t able to enjoy the festivities.
You can check out the video on YouTube HERE
This Sunday at The Cabooze in Minneapolis, LA’s The Aggrolites will be once again bringing their dirty reggae party to the Twin Cities! That alone would make any fan of reggae and soul shout for joy, but as a special treat, New Jersey ska/punk band Hub City Stompers are sharing the stage for their first ever show in Minnesota! This 18+ show starts at 7pm and features special guests Fat Wreck Chords artists Old Man Markley. Be sure to get there early!
Tallgrass Brewing Company, makers of fine beers like Oasis and 8-Bit Pale Ale, is bringing you a Friday night of ska, folk and punk at the Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis! Local ska-punkers Rocksteady Breakfast are headlining a bill of great bands, including other locals Stop Drop and Secondhand Ska Kings! Special guests include Michigan folk-punk band Matt Wixson’s Flying Circus, who are making their Twin Cities debut! Just $5!
New England ska-punk band Brunt Of It posted this live video for their new song “T.H.C.” from their upcoming album All Aboard The Cannabus
You can check out the video on YouTube HERE
Michigan ska-folk-punker Matt Wixson has just released a solo album called Welcome Home via Open Hand Records. The album features Wixson on acoustic guitars, melodica, harmonica, and percussion performing original tunes as well as a Sam Cooke cover (I’ll Come Running Back To You) and a Flaming Tsunamis cover (The Ritalin Conspiracy). Wixson describes Welcome Home as such:
It’s simultaneously more depressing and more optimistic than any of the albums before it. The recording style varies a bit, as a few of the songs were performed live and others have layers of extra recording on them. Overall, though, I feel they’re a cohesive snapshot of myself over the past couple years.
You can stream and download the album HERE
Be sure to check out Matt’s first show in MN on Friday, May 18th as Matt Wixson’s Flying Circus at The Nomad World Pub with MNSKA bands Rocksteady Breakfast, Secondhand Ska Kings and Stop Drop!
(Updated 5.6.2012)
Lloyd Brevett, the upright bass player for the legendary Skatalites, has passed away at the age of 80 in St. Andrew’s Parish, Jamaica. Brevett had been hospitalized a few weeks earlier due to a series of seizures and a stroke. While he was already in poor health, Lloyd’s health began to decline following the tragic murder of his son, Okine, in February of 2012. Okine had just accepted an award on behalf of his father earlier that night, but the celebration was cut short after he was accosted not far from the Brevett home.
Lloyd Brevett’s musical legacy cannot be understated, although his name sometimes does not get as much mention as other Skatalites members. Lloyd was introduced to the bass at a young age, as his father was one of Jamaica’s first jazz bass players. His father taught a young Lloyd not only how to play bass, but also how to make his own upright bass. As a young bass prodigy, Lloyd would be exposed to many local bands and players through his father’s work, meeting other up-and-comers like future Skatalites drummer Lloyd Knibb, who was learning how to play drums from Donald Jarrett, who was playing with Eric Dean’s band at that time. Both Knibb and Brevett would eventually go on to play with Eric Dean’s band (as well as many other club and hotel bands), and from there, both became highly sought-after musicians in Jamaica.
As the recording industry began to take off in Jamaica in the late 1950’s, Brevett found plenty of session work, where the best of the local musicians would find themselves doing many sessions together for various producers. It was at Studio One, however, where the core group of musicians that would eventually become the Skatalites recorded some of the most popular tunes of the early 60s. Sir Coxsone would play his Studio One productions at his Downbeat sound system dances, and as the local demand for buying these records grew, Coxsone figured that the people would want to know the name of the band that everyone was dancing to. Coxsone then assembled his finest group of session players, and attracted the talents of other in-demand players like Tommy McCooke (who was working in Nassau), Lloyd Knibb (who was working in Montego Bay) and Lynn Taitt (who was doing session work in Kingston), and thus the Skatalites were born.
Lloyd Brevett’s bass work was quintessential to the Skatalites’ sound, even though his bass lines may not always be all that easy to define. That was really his genius coming through, though. Although he learned the instrument from his father, Lloyd had been developing his own style based on all of the styles he played in his earlier career, as well as his understanding of drumming styles like burru and mento, which were uniquely Jamaican. Listening to certain Skatalites tunes, it can be quite difficult to pick out just what Brevett is playing; at times he seems to be all over the place, but it becomes apparent that every note is exactly in its place.
Brevett was also crucial in the transition from ska to rocksteady, as he was the bass player for the Soul Vendors, the studio band that rose from the ashes of the Skatalites and the Soul Brothers.
This is Lloyd Brevett’s legacy; the sublime beauty of his musicianship, a crucial foundation of the ska beat, and a true Jamaican legend. His music will live on in his numerous recordings, from ska and rocksteady to roots and dub, and his memory will endure as one of Jamaica’s best known and most-beloved bass players.
If you would like to donate money to the fund for both Okine and Lloyd Brevett (for funeral arrangements and hospital bills), please see the information listed below. Even though Lloyd was a US citizen, he was unable to receive any health or social security benefits while being hospitalized in Jamaica. His wife (Ruth Brevett) and family would appreciate any assistance during this tragic time. Rest In Peace, Lloyd Brevett.
c/o Lloyd Brevett
National Commercial Bank, Hagley Park Branch -
Hagley Park Road
Acct # 174274584
Western Union –
Ruth Brevett, Kingston Jamaica
876-850-4403
originaljamaicaskatalites@gmail.com
