...Skankin' in the Tri-State

I am a child of the NY Ska scene.

Well, I am a young adult of the scene anyway. My high school boyfriend exposed me to this wonderful world in the mid-90's and I have been a devotee ever since the first time I got kicked out of a ska show at The Wetlands for underage drinking.
Fast forward to 2012, a few grey hairs, and I can still be found blasting The Slackers any given afternoon on my agonizing North Jersey commute. It's happy music that reminds me of summer days and sweaty dance floors. Shows without egos. Horns, beer, and guys wearing suits and sunglasses.
This summer, as I book my Slackers and Pietasters Booze Cruise tickets, I will be interviewing, show reviewing, and more or less harassing as much of the modern scene as I can for a summer series on the scene itself...what it was, what it is, and what it is poised to become.

...bring your pork pie hat, your best trousers, and let's dance...

~AJH

Comments

The Pinstripes - I

My Sunday mornings, unless coupled with a hangover, are my favorites. I wake up whenever my body stirs from slumber (or the cat steps on my face), stumble downstairs in my robe and pajamas, and start my coffee. Once a cup or so is consumed and that sweet, sweet blood of life also known as caffeine is streaming through my veins, I like to crank up something good and loud and full of soul and dance to wake my ass up and fill me with life while I do my mundane New Jersey suburb Sunday morning chores. It has to be good. It has to move me. It has to remind me that the world is alive and buzzing around me and I woke up this morning...I should be doing nothing less than dancing, So this is when I usually like to test out new music. My mind is rested and clear, and craving something that will make me move. I waited until a Sunday morning to pop in The Pinstripes for the first time. I don't think I even needed the caffeine. WOW. This album exploded all over me, and I have been nothing sh...

Groovy, Fun and Oh So Different - the Self Titled New Record from Desmond Jones

I think we all know that music in general is full of egos and people that take themselves way too seriously. No scene is immune. No genre is exempt. I'm not saying some people are not justified in their talents to have such an attitude and demeanor, because they are...but it's exhausting. Every so often though, it's nice to come across a band or an artist that has the talent but realizes that shit...life is short. Why you so serious, man? Enter Desmond Jones, a five piece funk-jazz-jam band rocking it's way from Grand Rapids, MI. This is that band for me lately. Have you folks gotten to give these gents a listen yet? If not, let me direct you on over to their website HERE and give yourself a treat. Listen to the new record and meet the band on their about page. The bio for these guys sings the praises of Batman, cured meats, and Stevie Wonder. Honestly, I read their snippets and I wanted them to be my best friends. I was privileged enough to get to review their...

More Than a Mouthful - Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad : Make it Better

I feel like I hit the auditory lottery this last year in a lot of ways. Opening my mind to another side of music has been a delicious adventure that I really didn't anticipate shaping and changing me the way it did. I started this blog/podcast focused on local artists which became almost exclusively a ska/reggae/rocksteady undertaking. It's music that lights me up and a scene that welcomed and encouraged what I was trying to do with this whole project. I wanted to share what I was finding in the scene. I wanted to promote and push bands, albums, and shows that were regional into an international audience. This has always and will always be my mission, but I have had to admit that my blinders were on. Enter my husband. Jam guy meets Ska girl. They bond over punk rock and get married. We found out the two scenes we come from were so incredibly similar in so many ways. The vibe, the crowds, the social ideas were very much the same but still there was some strange imaginary ...

A Perfect Mess

Search This Blog