2007 According To Us

The year 2007 has been an interesting year for us all…Gabe, Bobby, and I(Daoster) were just simple folks, and we simply started "Music Is Our Occupation" as a simple music blog.
We were fortunate enough to have Mike and Andrew jump into the action with us.
In just a short couple of months, the blog has grown and evolved beyond our imagination. We have acquired readers in 44 countries. The most hits coming from United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, and South Korea. Looks like we are averaging over 100 hits a day. Thanks for supporting us in 2007, and we look forward to 2008 as we continue to grow and evolve and improve. We got a few tricks up our sleeves, so look out!

2007 has been a big year in terms of releases related to ska and reggae. Some were great releases, some were not so great, and a lot were in between….And here it is, according to us...Musical Occupation


Favorite albums of the year

Bob: Aggrolites "Reggae Hit LA" is up there. But lately have to give it up to Claudius Linton retrospective on Morphius (a local label out of Baltimore. Album of the year in my opinion great old school reggae tunes unearthed.

Mike: Dr. Ring-Ding – Back and Forth
Slackers – Boss Harmony Sessions
Lily Allen – Alright, Still

Andrew:
The Pietasters - All Day
Deal's Gone Bad - The Ramblers
The Pepper Pots - Shake I!


Daoster: Most definitely The Aggrolites' "Reggae Hit L.A." Lord knows how many times I've played that album this year. Deal's Gone Bad's album has been getting a decent amount of play from me too. Outside of the ska/reggae world, The Hives' "Black and White Album" has been really good (albeit I had to listen to it a few times).

Gabe:This is a hard one seeing as how there were so many. Top of my list is Deals Gone Bad's The Ramblers. Of all the albums that came out this year, this one had the most tunes that I remembered the words to. I seriously could not put this thing away. Talked to a bunch of people who said the same. Seems like every time I hoped in my car, Movin' On exploded out the speakers. Chris Murray's Slackness hit stateside and so did Babylove and The Vandangos, loved em' both.



Biggest surprise of the year

Bob: So many great new bands like The Upsessions, Green Room Rockers, and Steadfast United. The Upsessions great skinhead reggae sounding band that came out of nowhere in my opinion. Green Room Rockers are like a mix of the Otis Redding and the Upsetters how can you go wrong with a band like that. Steadfast United are probably one of the best live acts I have seen this year also have to throw out a mention to the Drastics live show I saw at ska weekend killer live dub.

Mike: The Drastics – I was always a fan but thought their music could get a little repetitive. This year they proved me wrong with both their album Waiting and their live show. They stepped it up a notch and I’m hoping they continue in this direction in 2008.

Andrew: Oreskaband - I normally don't like ska-punk. But this album is so damn catchy!

Daoster: Enchanted...because it was such a great movie...oh you meant MUSIC...
well, Green Room Rockers' debut album was a great album...they came out of nowhere, and certainly wow'd me with their sound....I'm hoping to see them in the West Coast sometime soon.

Gabe: Just heard the biggest one, Predator Dub Assasins - The Hardest. Georgetown Orbit finally released their debut which I forgot was coming, and it was way more than I expected. Black Cat Zoot had some saucy female vocals that wooed me. More surprises came by way of LPs like Penny Real, and Anger Management League. If you can get your hands on these, your in for a real treat.

Could have done without

Bob: The Toasters new album. I used to love those guys but I think the band has not really put it all together for a decent release in quite some time. I feel bad for saying that because behind the scenes Bucket is heavily involved with ska scene through Megalith and ISC.

Mike: Kingston Kitchen. Sorry, I just can’t get into it. Ring-Ding is much better when it comes to the dancehall.

Andrew: Go Jimmy Go - Holiday Hell Yeah. Even though I only paid $7.00 for it, if this album was on SNOCAP, I would have only bought about 5 tracks.

Daoster: The Slackers' Boss Harmony Sessions...not that it was a bad album, I just thought it was a very boring album. I listened to it like twice, and haven't listened to the entire CD again ever since. However, Lil Joe happens to be one of my favorite songs of the year so not all is lost.

Gabe: Besides having to hear Fallout Boy a billion times on the radio...hmm. There were a few I chose not to purchase that would have been on this list. Sucks to say, since I love The Slackers, but Boss Harmony Sessions didn't do too much for me either. Given, Wanted Man and Feed My Girl Ska stood out to me.

What we're looking forward to for next year

Bob: Anything and everything on Stubborn records. Heard the new Dr. Ring Ding and Bombtown discs will be killer!

Mike: New Bomb Town, Hub City Stompers, hopefully a new Rocker-T, and at the top of my list, a new Pama International album and possible US tour!

Andrew: On the immediate horizon, I'm looking forward to the 3 Floors Of Ska show in Hollywood.
If I win the lottery, maybe I'll go over to England and attend the huge Ska Splash festival in April.

Daoster: Did I hear a See Spot album coming out in 2008? Because I'm definitely looking forward to that...PLUS, every year since 2004, I've been praying/hoping that Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra come back to America...and every year, my heart is crushed (especially in 2005 when they actually came back to NYC to play ONE damn show...). But my heart has healed, and I am once again praying/hoping for the return of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.

Gabe: With all these single Pama Intl had been dropping, I cannot wait for Love Filled Dub Band. Dr. Ring Ding's new one with the Version City Rockers - Fully Licensed sounds exciting. The Impalers' full length in Feb? Maybe that Italian band The One Droppers will release an album, they remind me of The Blue Beaters.