New Classics #1: The Adjusters - Otis Redding Will Save America

A new monthly feature for MIOO in 2008, we’ll be taking a look back at some overlooked albums from ska’s past. Rather than beating an obvious classic to death, or solely focusing on new releases, our goal is to revisit some underappreciated albums and give them their due respect. We’ll be focusing on the years between 1993 and 2003, the height of popularity for the “third wave”, give or take a few years. This period definitely has a reputation, but for better or for worse, it got us to where we are today. Among some of the better known albums of this time period were a number of hidden gems that have become New Classics in our opinion. Maybe it was for personal or sentimental reasons, maybe it was a groundbreaking sound, or maybe it simply stands the test of time. Whatever reasons we choose, we hope these selections will inspire you to dig into your collections and replay these albums, or possibly turn you on to a new band or disc you might have missed along the way.


The first album in our series is The Adjusters 2003 effort on Grover Records: Otis Redding Will Save America. The Adjusters rose out of Chicago in the mid-late 90’s, and had two previous albums on Jump Up Records before this one: Politics of Style and Before the Revolution. While these albums were excellent in their own right, seamlessly mixing soul and ska, their third album took on a much broader life in terms of both recording and style. Recording for Otis spanned the US with tracks recorded in NYC, Chicago, and LA, and their style built upon their prior foundation, adding elements of hip-hop and dub. A number of songs have a trip-hop influence, with more emphasis on the ska and reggae. Fans of the Thievery Corporation or even The Gorillaz might find this album a pleasant surprise. With this framework in mind you can easily see the progressive approach The Adjusters were taking on this album.

Otis hits hard right out of the gate with driving bass and groovin’ rhythm on the instrumental WTF Ska, DJ scratching on Gun, and Dr. Ring-Ding’s guest chatting on Can’t See the Light. These three tracks alone give the listener an idea of the extremes the album goes to, flawlessly jumping from reggae to soul to hip-hop without a second thought. Daraka Kenric’s vocals take a soulful edge on his lead tracks – sometimes angry, sometimes urgent, always heartfelt and genuine. A deep roots rocker comes next, the brilliant Master Blaster with lead vocals by Jessica Basta. Jessica carried a number of songs on her own in The Adjusters, and also acted as a great compliment to Daraka, creating some excellent harmonies. Some other standout tracks are If You, Monkey Hate Reggae, Supergoodlookin (one of the catchiest beats on the album, and some great guitar work by Jason Packer), and my personal favorite, Loose Version. Loose Version is a wicked dub of Loose Roots taken from Before the Revolution. Great lyrics, and almost haunting backing vocals. Musically, it reminds me of The Specials’ Ghost Town.

Without taking anything away from the musicians in the band, the production is what really shines. Rench drops some heavy beats and samples throughout the album, and let’s face it, anything Victor Rice touches turns to gold. Also notable, Brian Dixon of The Aggrolites had a hand in the recording process too!

It’s amazing how you can hear a 5 year old album in a new light when you really sit down and pay attention to it. As the musical spectrum changes and your personal tastes change, you can always find something great in the past. Progression is important in any scene, and Otis Redding Will Save America is a prime example of what can happen when musicians exercise their artistic freedom and aren’t afraid to push boundaries. Listening to this album led me to research the members’ current whereabouts. Daraka has a political blog at hoverbike.blogspot.com , Jessica has several projects at www.jessicabasta.com , and Matt Parker is involved in the new Jandisc Records label. Probably the most intriguing is Rench’s hip-hop/country/bluegrass project at www.renchaudio.com , something I’m really looking forward to checking out. I hope this wasn’t the last we’ll ever hear from The Adjusters, but if it is, there’s no doubt it will stand the test of time as their final masterpiece.

The New Kids On the Block Bring Soulful Reggae To Keep You Movin'

Green Room Rockers “Hoosier Homegrown”
2007 (downtown records)

What happens when Otis Redding meets The Upsetters uptown in Indiana? The Green Room Rockers happen. One of the newest bands to play a very soulful style of reggae such as Deals Gone Bad, the Aggrolites, and Westbound Train. I actually heard about this group last time Deals Gone Bad played Balitmore, because they had mentioned taking these guys under their wing. And the from the quality of this album the Green Room Rockers have made quite a statement with this their debut album.

“Endure’ opens up the albums with a straight Motown drum beat with Mike telling everyone who they are which transitions into the actual song. “Endure” also has a sweet hornline thanks to El Ron (sax) and Chris aka Rusty (trombone). “Cold Hearted Woman” has some wicked organ and cowbell action. Rudy G’s organ playing emulates the greats like Mittoo, Billy Preston, Glen Adams, etc. “Venus Man Trap” opens with a killer sax and has a sort of sing songy/sing alongy type of vibe throughout. I think this song would be perfect with some hand clapping as well. Its really catchy song as are most of the ones on the album and most of the songs take up those universal topics such as women, drinking/partying, and surviving day to day. My favorite track on this album (and the one I used on one of my podcasts) is “Northbound Train.” Jamaica is filled with songs about trains and there is a certain fantasy element about taking a train and seeing where it goes.

The Green Room Rockers bust out more heavy soul sounds and foot stomping reggae on the title track “Hoosier Homegrown” in the vein of the Hippy Boys and the Mohawks. “Humor Me” brings a more reggae sounding tune to the forefront this song and this album at times reminds me of a time when there were a lot of quality recordings coming from Moon Records during the mid to late 90’s. “Divided” is an acoustic tune and I think it shows a good choice for a young band to try to mix it up so much on their album. The rhythm section of the GRR is rough and tough and this is exemplified on the latter part of the album during “Fight For Your Love.” “Everyday” is a fast pace ska tune that will keep you out on the dancefloor for a long, long time. “Untitled” is a cool grooving latin flavored instrumental with heavy percussion. The album ends with “Pieces” a happy-go-lucky soul-ska tune. GRR is a new band to keep your eyes on and your ears out. Check this album out and also if they are coming to a town near you go see them!!!

For more info about the band/album go here...
http://www.myspace.com/greenroomrockers

Mike's Official Introduction

The very first memory I have of Jamaican music is when I heard Mad Cobra’s “Flex” at the innocent young age of ten. I don’t think I fully understood, or even cared about the lyrics then, but something about the rhythm and unique vocal delivery hooked me in. Looking back on it now, 16 years later, I wasn’t aware of how much I would come to love JA music in all its forms, especially modern dancehall and American reggae and ska. I’m now 26 years old and living in Chicago, and have finally decided it’s time to do my part to contribute to this scene. I’m not a musician, not a DJ, not a promoter. The best description I can label myself is an active and passionate fan. I want to be able to listen to this music throughout my life by continuing to support it. By not only embracing the past, but looking into the present and future, I hope it will continue to thrive and reach new ears.

My gateway into this scene, as was common for most teenagers in the mid to late 90’s was through such bands as Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and Operation Ivy. Around age 15, I began to discover MTV’s punk bands of the day, and somewhere along the line I heard a Less Than Jake song on my local college radio station. My first two punk CDs were Epitaph’s first Punk-O-Rama comp, and the Vans Warped Tour comp where I heard Reel Big Fish. Those two bands got me hooked on any and all “punk with horns” - admittedly, yes, my first definition of ska.

Around the same time my local scene in New Jersey was blowing up. Catch 22, One Cool Guy, the Royalties, Inspecter 7, Foil, The Derringers, and countless others were playing shows in local halls and clubs almost every weekend. I spent the majority of my high school years at The Palace in Bound Brook, The Cove in Roselle Park, The Cheesequake Fire House, and The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Every so often I got to see some better regional bands come through like The Toasters, Skinnerbox, Mephiskapheles, The Slackers, etc.

As the New Jersey scene began to fade out when bands broke up or moved onto other things, and the shows stopped, I began to dig deeper into the roots of this music. My progression took me backwards through each “wave”. From the Toasters to The Specials to The Skatalites, I became hungry for the true history and meaning of Jamaican music. While I loved all of it, as I went back I noticed what seemed to grab me most was always the deejay music, the toasting and chatting. It could be Coolie chatting on a Toasters tune, Ranking Roger with The Beat, or some of the early deejays like U-Roy. While I respected and appreciated the classics, I found myself always gravitating toward the new music at my disposal: Dr. Ring-Ding, Rocker-T, King Django, and modern dancehall like Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Shabba Ranks, etc.

Fast-forwarding to 2003, I can thank Chuck and Buck of Jump Up and Megalith respectively for releasing “Still Standing” and re-kindling my interest in this scene and culture. Through the formation of Hub City Stompers around the same time, and Bomb Town shortly after, along with King Django’s Version City parties, I was able to find good shows to attend again. I met a good group of people dedicated to reviving the NJ/NY scene (big up Steady Sound System!), as well as other like-minded individuals on trips through NY, NJ, Philly, and Baltimore in their respective scenes (props to Bob and the DC Ska crew!). Moving to Chicago 3 years ago, I was privileged to become part of the Chicago scene, with regular shows by Deal’s Gone Bad, Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians, and The Drastics, and regular reggae nights around the city. Lately however, the amount of gigs seems to be on the decline, and I find myself again starting to explore new music. But this time instead of digging through the past, I’m looking at the present, trying to find bands that are active today, and new bands that will continue to push this scene into the future. We are lucky to have a handful of great bands coming up through California like The Aggrolites, The Hi-Lites, and Penny Reel Junction, with The Aggrolites as well as Westbound Train gaining national attention through Hellcat Records. New Jersey is booming again with Hub City Stompers, Bomb Town, Bigger Thomas, and King Django still going strong, and younger bands like Awful Waffle and The Defending Champions carrying the torch. Also keep an eye out for newcomers Silver Dollar, a traditional ska band featuring Lord Skoochie of Inspecter 7 fame on vocals and sax, and King Django on trombone. Chicago is seeing Deal’s Gone Bad and The Drastics branching out of the Midwest and touring the east and west coasts. Chicago also has a younger ska/punk band, Manic Sewing Circle, that have grown tremendously in the past three years, both in songwriting and in popularity. They are playing a few Warped Tour dates this summer and have recorded a track on their upcoming album with Todd from Deal’s.

On the international front we have Megalith Records bringing us ska from all over the world, with a large focus on European bands such as Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation, Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra, and St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review. Not to mention a resurgence of influence in British music with the likes of The Dead 60’s, Hard-Fi, Lily Allen, The Dualers, and Pama International.

The names I’ve listed are by far not the be-all-end-all of contemporary ska and reggae music, just the ones I find myself most interested in. I won’t claim to be an expert on this music. I won’t be able to tell you the names or writers of any obscure tunes or riddims, or even break down each individual era into its finer points… but I can tell you about what I like. I’m not here to educate – I’ll leave that to the experts. I’m here now, in 2007, where this scene is continuing to rebuild and progress stronger than it has in many years. I hope to contribute to this site by sharing my passion and interest for the players in our scene that are helping it thrive. Thanks to Gabe, Andrew, Brian, and Bob for inviting me to join, and I’m looking forward to contributing.

"The Ramblers" won't leave you rambling just dancing

Deals Gone Bad "The Rambler" (Jump Up Records)



I anticipated the release of this album from the band for what seems like years. And the album lives up to every expectation I had going in. The band helped to establish Jump Up Records as a viable ska label as third wave ska floated from popularity to obscruity in the 90's. Thanks to bands like DGB Jump Up is still around and still putting out great albums that deserve to be heard. Deals Gone Bad always played a mix of Jamaican ska/reggae with elements of soul, rock, and jazz. Their live show is probably where the band has always shined with their scorching originals about Pirates with covers from bands such as Judge Dread, Derrick Morgan, and Ken Boothe. With singer Mike Park the band released 3 albums on Jump Up Records. Mike left the band a few years ago (now he plays in Lord Mike's Dirty Calypsonians - Check Them Out!) and was replaced by Todd Hembrook who belts out his vocals like Sam Cooke and Otis Reddng. This album is a non stop pleaser with the first tune "Messin' Around" Todd's vocals stand out as this agonizing soul that has loved and suffered. Mike Corcoran on drums transitions from a foot stomping soul beat to a smooth rocksteady rhythm. "Movin' On" begins with a Pet Sounds sort of organ intro supplied by Karl Gustafon. This song is very reminiscent of Todd's old soul reggae band Heavy Step.



What I like most about this album is the music covers all styles of Jamaican music with ska, reggae, rocksteady and has a healthy dose of other musical delights. "Cry For Me" has Todd channeling his inner Motown and even somewhat resembles the feel of a certain Van Morrison tune. "One More Day" is a love ballad of sorts, the horn players add the perfect melody that floats and grooves in the pockets. Deals Gone Bad prove they are at the top of their game with "Things Are Gonna Get Better", which demonstrates the bands' ability to jump from style to style. A more rootsy reggae sound is present in "Rough & Ready" which the band quickly grooves to. Aaron Hammes wrote the song "Good Old Days" that sort of harks back the past without being sentimental, just realistic. "City City" is a catchy ode to Chicago… "The second city, beats the first / Keep New York, forget LA, Chicago is my curse." "Take Time" and "The Cost" are two more reggae grooves number that keep the energy on the disc sky high. The album ends with a Western (fitting in theme with the album art) acoustic number that is just spooky sounding "I was Wrong." This will be on the top of the list for this year's best releases. And if you get a chance do not deny yourself an opportunity to see this group live on stage. Doing what they do best giving the fans all their blood, sweat, and tears and ripping from song to song. Lets hope they never stop.