Continuity: An interview with Skatalites guitarist Natty Frenchy
My favorite Skatalites show? Every one I’ve ever seen. And that’s true for the recent show at The Haunt in …
Interviews
Producer Mitch Girio on his work with Jamaican singer Susan Cadogan
Prior to the upcoming shows that Susan Cadogan will be playing in Europe in 2018, we shot a few questions at a man who has helped the singer come up with exciting new tunes so that she needn’t solely rely on her (nonetheless impressive) back catalogue. Canadian producer Mitch Girio talks about how they worked together without ever meeting in person.
An interview with Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records
It will be hard to find a more passionate and out-spoken person in the worldwide ska scene than Chuck Wren. Unfortunately, …
Burning questions for Phoenix City All-Stars
Sean Flowerdew is a busy man. In January, he released Pama International Meets Manasseh, putting the band’s amazing Trojan Sessions …
Getting schooled—an interview with the authors behind Alpha Boy’s School: Cradle of Jamaican Music
As of this post, Adam and Heather have never been in the same room. Heather lives near Chicago and Adam …
Interviews
“I feel so lucky” – Backstage with The Big Takeover
Jamaica meets Motown. That’s the spot-on way The Big Takeover describe their soulful ska sound. Jamaican-born lead singer Nee Nee …
“You adjust. You Move on.” A conversation with The Pandemics
Bosstones-esque vocals, Pietaster-ish lyrics, Slackers-level musicianship and Reel Big Fish energy. You could make a solid case that The Pandemics …
Interview Mixtape from SuperNova Ska Fest: Part one
Back-to-school sale ads have taken over the airwaves so I suppose that the summer of 2017 is winding down to …
Reggae On The Menu – The Don Letts interview
Have you heard about the new podcast series “Reggae 45”? Well, you should. The number one reason being that Don …
Spicy graphic pop: an interview with CHema
Thick, black outlines, bold colors, quirky characters and stray ink spots. CHema’s style is instantly recognizable. If you like your …
Alive and dancing: An interview with Death of Guitar Pop
A good hunk of my spare time is spent to listening to debut releases from just-getting-started ska bands. These formative …
Take Two: In the studio with The Skamanians
You can hear hints of mento, jazz, blues, and/or R&B in just about any ska song, and if that song …
“Jamaicans and Greeks have a lot of things in common”: An interview with Les Skartoi!
If you’ve been to Greece, you’ve got a thousand reasons why you want to go back. Let me add one …
Freedom Sounds Festival 2017 – A Chat With Organiser Peter
Five years ago, three ska and reggae fans based in Cologne with no experience in the matter set out to …
Monique Powell is an open book: Checking in with Save Ferris
You never forget your first time. And for thousands of ska fans, that first time was back in 1998 at …
“I love the hard jam” – A conversation with drummer Fred Campbell
I can usually tell how a phone interview is going to go by the first question. Sometimes there’s a long, …
Drunken, slack and fun: Complicated Men of Leisure have nothing to apologize for
You can tell a lot about somebody by checking out their exes. Good or bad, they’ll be judged by the …
Boomtown Fair – Welcome to the Town of Fun
Boomtown Fair in the lovely countryside near Winchester in the south of England is a festival like no other. The …
Something Better: chattin’ with Steve Jackson of The Pietasters
Back in October of ‘95, I got a copy of The Pietasters’ Oolooloo stuck in the CD player of my …
Interview with Bob’s Ska Radio – So you want to run a ska radio station?
In the US, it’s possible to live your whole life and never hear a ska song on commercial radio. Maybe—and …