Bombtown - ?!INTERROBANG!? Review

2008 Stubborn Records - Review by Gabe Pressure

The Bombtown Crew is back and better than ever on this 14 track brain melter! Since the release of the band's debut release on Megalith they have really polished out their sound. If you liked Logical Reality you are going to love Interrobang, no question. This time around Bombtown entered the legendary Version City Studio under the guidance of King Django to record. Each tune is drenched in the that Version City sound like Django dipped them in his musical batter and served em' up with some throat scorching hot sauce.

Right from the start it's an onslaught of the musical mayhem that is Bombtown. If you have sensitive ears, too bad for you because the first tune, Undertaker, will blow out your precious ear drums with a vengeance. Giving you a full sample of the Bombtown sound with a furious punk, hardcore, and ska introduction. The thing I love about these guys is you never know what your gonna get next, and what you think is coming can change in an instant. They blend ska, dub, reggae, dancehall, punk, and hardcore in a way I never thought possible, it's mind blowing. The songs Acid Rain Dance and Fire Come Down prove it, and you can hear the attention to detail from the drum and bass to the sweet sax and blistering guitar making those rhythm and style changes so seamless. It's not just noise.


Tommi Infamous has also stepped up his game lyrically. Babylon Girl is a personal response to a relationship gone sour and the aftermath that ensued. Right here is where you start to hear that defined dancehall style and percussion they have developed. And if you wanna hear what I think is the peak of that musical development check the riddim on The Devil and the Lord of Hosts featuring Rocker T with his soothing vocals. This thing could be on a Version City Rockers album and I would have been fooled.

They touch on subjects like racism and police corruption on Nother Cop Done. Another guest vocalist Crusador Lion takes the helm chatting and singing over a wicked riddim. Midway through the tune listen for a narrative between two characters - a cop and an innocent man being harassed because of the color of his skin. Well done.

Bring in another deadly dancehall riddim with the lyrical assassin Dr. Ring Ding making an appearance on Lyrics By The Ton in a combination style with Tommi Infamous and you gotta be hooked by now! But if that ain't enough they rework Skinnerbox's tune with Next Finger and Tommi is in top form with King Django on trombone and backing.

These tunes are just some of the highlights for me. I must have listened to the album a couple of 20 times and still can't get enough. Definitely a standout album this year amongst so many traditionalist out there. It's great to have a band bending and blending genres the way these guys do. They use all the right elements with none of that irritating poppy stuff. Interrobang is true to the underground roots Bombtown draws from and you should definitely add this album to your library.

Buy it at www.stubbornrecords.com

Check www.myspace.com/bombtown

Read Mikey Tag's interview with Tommi Infamous

Listen to new tunes and an interview with Tommi on Pressure Drop Soundcast

Tommi Infamous of Bomb Town

Bomb Town is a punk rock dancehall band hailing from New Jersey. Under the wings of Hub City Stompers, King Django, and other New Jersey ska and reggae stalwarts, Bomb Town has emerged with a unique and exciting sound in the past few years. In a time where most ska bands are typically judged by their level of authenticity and innovation, and “ska punk” can be easily be dismissed by traditionalists, Bomb Town rise above the norm by tastefully mixing their true roots in a wicked combination. With a punk attitude, hardcore mentality and a dancehall sensibility, Bomb Town is a force to be reckoned with in the scene. Singer Tommi Infamous took the time to answer our questions regarding these influences, their upcoming album and more…

How did Bomb Town form, and what are your main influences?
Well at the time I was playing drums in a punk band called the Insults. I grew tired of not having musical control and being a drummer. I decided to start a musical project using some old school NJ Ska crew and some fresh faces. The influences of the band range from classic reggae and ska to all forms of punk rock and hardcore. My biggest influence at the moment is dancehall and all dancehall DJs.

Where did the band name come from?
The name Bomb Town came from two sources mainly. The first being an adaptation of a Desmond Dekker lyric:
Dem rudeboys get a probation - A Shanty Town
And rudeboy bomb up the town - A Shanty Town
The other source is from the term "Bomb" in a graffiti sense. I love graffiti culture and love seeing towns covered in graffiti, hence "Bomb Town." I basically want the entire world covered in BTC stickers and stencils!

Who’s in the band these days? I think you’ve had some lineup changes? Who plays what?
It’s pretty much the usual suspects. Our original drummer CK joined the Air Force in the early stages of the band and was replaced with Scragg on drums. Other than that, saxophone is still Jen Plum, Matty Glock on guitar, Crash Maline on keys, myself on vocals, and our original bass player Krispy is leaving due to personal reasons and is soon to be replaced with Joey G on Bass.

You already have one album under your belt, Logical Reality on Megalith Records, and a second album in the works. What’s going on with that?
The new album is going to be called !?INTERROBANG! and is in the mixing process as of now. We ran into some budget issues... so once we overcome that it will be released, haha.

How has the recording been going? Are you doing anything different this time around?
Recording this record was awesome! It was a lot of fun and we had the opportunity to do it with my friend and mentor King Django. This album I feel is more reggae and punk rock and not as much ska. There will still be the traditional BTC ska-punk rocker tunes but it’s definitely more reggae than the last.

How has your sound progressed since the last album?
As I stated it’s way more reggae. We experimented a lot with DUB on this album along with other sounds that definitely separate it from old Bomb Town recordings. The band is tighter, my singing has improved (thanks to Django as the producer!) and I feel it’s just an overall improvement. We recorded a lot of our tunes in a reggae riddim style in order to allow for guests and additional dubs.

Logical Reality had a few guests. Can we expect the same on this one?
Yes there are NUFF guests on this one, including Dr. Ring Ding, Rocker-T, Crusader Lion and Weatherman.

How were those recording sessions?
Working with Ring-Ding is always a pleasure. He’s great to have in the studio. He did the recording at Version City when he was here visiting and it was great. Ring Ding appears on our song Lyrics by the Ton which he does in a combination style with myself. Rocker-T recorded his vocals in Cali where he currently resides, so sadly he hasn’t visited Version City recently. Hopefully that changes. Crusader Lion appears on a track called ‘Nother Cop Done which is a song about corrupt police officers. It is done in a very interesting storytelling fashion. New Brunswick’s own Weatherman was in the studio recording some tunes for Django and he was kind enough to chat on our song in a dub plate style where the chorus is "Bomb sound is the ruling sound!" It’s rather entertaining, haha.

Who’s going to release the album?
!?INTERROBANG?! will be a Stubborn Records release.

When is the album coming out?
The album will be released as soon as it’s done. There is no confirmed release date.

I haven’t been to one of your shows in a few years, but from the reviews I’ve read on the forums, they seem pretty crazy. I hear people bring air horns. That’s both hilarious and awesome! How did that start?
Well the air horn thing came from dancehall influence. I just started bringing them and it caught on. It is rather hilarious. At one show there was some heat from another band who thought we were telling our fans to bring air horns to blare during their set to "ruin it.” They didn’t really understand why I would want people using air horns during our set but I love it!

What else can we expect from a Bomb Town show?
Well I have been fire breathing at shows which is also hilarious and dangerous. Other than that you can expect general craziness.

Aside from the band, I know you do some solo work deejaying bars and parties. Your skills have improved tremendously over the years. What would you attribute to your success? Did you have any coaching, or was it self-developed?
Well music is a constant growth. I am always striving to create a better product and improve myself along with the music itself. In music there is no "success" as far as I’m concerned. It’s a constant forward movement to figure out your next move and to top what you've already done. The only direction I’ve had has been from King Django. He has pushed me to work on my singing and to develop my lyrics and concepts. I feel that I have made monstrous leaps in my music just from working with Django and doing this last record with him.

What’s been your best experience yet as a musician? Any memorable shows, stories, etc?
Well I could go on about this for hours. Bomb Town is hilarious. At shows, outside shows, wherever we go, there is always something hilarious going on generally. The most amazing thing to me is having people actually enjoy our music. To have someone tell me they like our music is the biggest honor. Any show where the attendees have a good time is memorable. Doing shows with my friends for people that appreciate it is the best feeling in the world!

Are you planning on touring after the album drops? Will you hit Chicago? How about the west coast?
There is nothing in the works as of yet. But we plan on hitting the road as much as we can in 2008. And of course we will come back to Chicago! Chicago has always welcomed us with open arms and it’s a great city to play. Eventually we will make it west but as I stated nothing is in the works as of yet...

What else is going on in the Bomb Town world? Other projects, gigs, etc?
We are getting the new bassie up to speed and awaiting the release of the new record. We are reinventing our live shows a bit with different transitions etc. Outside of Bomb Town I've been doing sound system shows with my selector King Stout of Steady Sound System fame. We are planning a sound system tour called "DUB THE PUNX!" which is basically a dub dancehall set with me chatting. The tour is scheduled for launch on January 11th and we are heading south to Florida for a week. The logic being....well it’s friggin’ cold in New Jersey in January so why not go somewhere warm! And of course to spread Jah Love. Other then that I’m going to be doing some guest spots on a new FretWide tune and I’m going to be recording some dancehall tracks soon as well.

Anything else you want to talk about? Here’s your chance for rants, raves, shout-outs, etc.
I think I covered pretty much everything. I would like to shout out respect to all reggae ska punk rock and hardcore massive! Music is my weapon in this war against Babylon and I appreciate all the support I have received attempting to spread my message. Thank you for this opportunity. Bless!

For more Bomb Town visit www.myspace.com/bombtown , and for Tommi's solo work, www.myspace.com/tommiinfamous

Tanya Stephens - Rebelution

Yes, I know this album came out last year, yes I know I missed the boat… but better late than never. Rebelution is a cohesive 20-track album with barely any filler, which is a surprise for a commercial dancehall full-length. The music is fairly generic rootsy dancehall, mostly mellow and laid-back, with a slight R&B feel. However what sets this apart from other albums in this genre are the lyrics, which are slowly making this my favorite album in recent years, and also making Tanya my new favorite singer.

Every song tells a story, most of which share the theme of female empowerment, whether it’s personal, social, or sexual. This is an album that would serve better closely-listened as opposed to a background album. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear many clever verses weaved over the riddims that will make you reflect and think, and some witty one-liners that will make you chuckle. One of the most moving tracks is Do You Still Care, which is reminiscent thematically to Alanis Morissette’s Ironic - if the irony was a dying Klansman who’s only hope of survival was a liver from a black man, or a homophobic thug dying in the street, being found and saved by a homosexual. Makes you think, in times of desperation, if any of these trivialities really matter. This kind of subject matter and wordplay permeates the entire album, and I could cite many more examples, but it’s best to leave it open for your own enjoyment.

The album also includes a 40-minute DVD containing an unplugged performance of some of the songs from this album and her previous album Gangsta Blues, which I also hope to pick up soon. The stripped down versions of the songs further highlight the lyrics, and are interspersed with interview bits with Tanya and her producers in the studio. It’s a great deal and well worth purchasing, and I’m hoping she continues to release quality music, and maybe even tours in the near future.

Check out www.myspace.com/tanyastephensmusic for more info and sound clips.

Review: Dr. Ring-Ding - Back and Forth

Jump Up Records - 2007

Touted as a personal selection by The Doctor himself, Back and Forth collects tunes spanning Dr. Ring-Ding’s entire career. Cuts from all his studio albums with the Senior All-Stars, plus 7” singles, remixes, and even some new tunes showcasing upcoming solo projects and collaborations leave no stones unturned.

The album starts off strong with “Doctor’s Darling”, arguably one of the best, if not most recognizable tunes Richie has ever recorded. The backing track of the same name is a re-working of the classic Night Nurse riddim, and was written by the Seeed band, one of Germany’s top notch dancehall reggae producers. This tune was so good it was featured on VP Records’ Riddim Driven series, where such greats as Tanya Stephens, Luciano, Anthony B, and Sizzla all took turns riding it. In my opinion, Dr. Ring-Ding is the strongest at the dancehall, and this album delivers about 8 more scorchers – some of my favorites being Badness, Millionaire, Fever, and The Best. Like a true master, his boastful lyrics and killer vocal delivery permeate all these tracks, proving his own words that he is “the best” and “any rude boy who come can’t test”.

One of the biggest surprises for me on this album is the ska version of the song Ram Di Dance. I didn’t think I would like such a change in tempo from the original, but in this case it works. Over the upbeat ska and monster horn lines, he changes the vocals ever so slightly, and adds a full new verse at the end, again demonstrating his lyrical ability.

Showcasing his new and upcoming projects, Back and Forth includes two tracks from Today’s Special, the new album by super group Kingston Kitchen. Kingston Kitchen sees the members of Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation seamlessly fusing ska, jazz, lounge, and swing while Ring-Ding adds his smooth, crooning vocals. Also present here is a tune from the forthcoming “Fully Licensed” album recorded at Version City. “What it Takes” features Vic Ruggiero and Richie trading vocals over a signature Version City reggae track.

The rest of the album features some of the best songs from his Senior All-Stars days, a few unreleased numbers, and two tracks with The Scrucialists, “Obeah Wedding” and “Feast”, the King Django collaboration. Clocking in at almost 80 minutes, this CD packs 21 songs total, and is a great pick for both die-hard and casual Ring-Ding fans alike. It’s a nice nod to the past, and a promising glimpse of the future. Also keep an eye out later this summer when Dr. Ring-Ding comes back to the US for a short tour. More information can be found at www.myspace.com/drringding .