Every summer, New York City ska band The Slackers plays on a boat cruise around the Boston Harbor. I’ve been to two of these since I moved to Boston. I went to 2 or 3 of them when I lived in NYC. They’re a ton of fun. This summer, I have the honor of opening the show with my band The New Limits. We made this short video to make the announcement: (more…)
I moved to New York City in 2008. By early 2009, I had found my way into a few bands. One of those bands was the instrumental reggae band The Hard Times. By 2010, we were a part of a really great scene. How did that happen? (more…)
Releases? Release? “The Hard Times” is a single unit, but it’s more than one person, but… whatever.
With not a lot of fanfare, my reggae project The Hard Times released our first 3 song EP “Two Bucks For Bob” on Whatevski, a boutique online store that specializes in b-sides, live songs, rarities, and side projects from the world of NYC ska/reggae band The Slackers. So how did we get in? I’ll start at the beginning but I’ll jump around. (more…)
Since I first wrote my first post about summer gigs, I’ve played a few shows, been to a few shows, and booked a few more.
I still can’t get over how much fun I had with The Hard Times when we played a set of blues covers and classic ska/punk tunes with Vic Ruggiero of the Slackers (videos and more excitement here). I caught Common in Ft. Greene at a festival. It was great to finally see him, but he played a very short set, half of which was a cool (yet, too long) medley of classic hip-hop tunes. The opening acts were also pretty lame and I missed Soulive entirely, who I was there to see in the first place. I caught The Aggrolites with The Have Nots at Highline Ballroom, one of the few all ages venues in Manhattan where you can see bands that aren’t big enough to fill Irving Plaza and the like. The Have Nots killed it and A.G.G.R.O. played a great set, though I felt like the whole night was a little bit better a year ago, when I saw the same two bands and one more at the Mercury Lounge. It’s a smaller, more intimate venue, though not all ages. A few nights later, I caught half a set at the pizza place near me (Two Boots Brooklyn, nothing like Two Boots in Manhattan, go right now) from a new project called Grand Concourse, featuring Kevin Batchelor of The Skatalites, Rhianna, Batchelor Party, the list goes on, Johnny Meyers of The Stingers ATX, Gideon from Westbound Train, and Eddie Ocampo of The Stubborn All-Stars and The Jammyland All-stars, as well as some other amazing musicians I know I’ve seen before. They KILLED it.
Summer is pretty much going to rock. This past weekend was The Slackers CD release show, The Specials are playing at the Central Park Summer Stage, Warped Tour has a handful of bands I’m psyched to see, The Aggrolites hit NYC the end of June, and most importantly I have a whole mess of gigs with more on the way.
Hey Stranger began recording back in March and will be working through the summer; stay tuned for details on that. Hey Stranger is also currently in search of horn players and a 2nd guitarist/vocalist. Email the band if you’re interested. The Hard Times finished a recording session recently and is the midst of mixing.
THE HARD TIMES
Friday, June 11, 2010, 7pm
Eastern District, 43 Bogart St, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, L Train to Morgan
with The Forthrights, Royal City Riot, 1592, Silver Dollar, 100dbs
Facebook Event
Friday, June 18, 2010, 8pm
Rock N Roll Reggae Show
Death By Audio, 49 S. 2nd St. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
L Train to Bedford, JMZ to Marcy
with Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers) – Solo performance of R n’R, Blues & Country
The Heavy Beat – PA. Reggae, Soul, Ska, Dub
& Vic backed by The Hard Times and guests for a set of classics by The Clash, Hank Williams, The Wailers, Elvis Costello, The Nods!
Agent Jay (The Slackers) spins Rock n’ Roll, Reggae, Rhythm n’ Blues & Ska!
Facebook Event
Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 8pm
The Forthrights Tour Kick Off Show
Eastern District, 43 Bogart St, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, L Train to Morgan
with Vic Ruggiero, Chris Murray, The Forthrights, The Bandulus
Facebook Event
Thursday, July 10, 2010, 9pm
Dirty Reggae Party VI
The Lake, 258 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, NY
L Train to Montrose
with R-Tronika, The Bandulus, The Frighteners, Crazy Baldhead Sound System
Facebook Event
HEY STRANGER
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Version City Party
Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY
L to Lorimer, G to Metropolitan
Details TBA
More to come! As per usual, I’ll make a dozen changes to this once it’s posted as I get more information and catch mistakes…
I have to admit, it’s a thrill to be participating in a annual event I used to travel from CT to see. The Slackers Holiday shows are like nothing else. There are special guests, songs they don’t play year round, and it’s just a very special vibe. The first time I went, they were joined on songs by members of Hepcat, The Pietasters, and The Stingers ATX. Last year they played a reggae version of Little Drummer Boy, their version of the Dreidel Song, and Santa Clause is coming to down in a very swing/ska style. Last year, Sammy from The Forthrights dressed up as Santa and gave out gifts while Vic, the keyboardist and songwriter for the Slackers, told stories. The list goes on…
This year, The Hard Times will be opening the first of their 2 nights at the Brooklyn Knitting Factory. I’m amped.
