23min of Ska Convoy : Nobody Knows Me in this Big Windy Town

With all of the craziness surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve found myself listening to a lot more ska. It’s hard to put my finger on why, but I’d liken it to my favorite type of comfort food: not only is it good for the soul but it provides a bit of certainty in these uncertain times. To that end, I picked out a few upbeat tunes that I’m hoping will help provide at least a small distraction. Stay safe out there, and keep washing your hands!

00:00 – the KING LION – Skatman (Blank ’19)
03:06 – the Kubricks – Criminals (Criminals ’20)
05:51 – Roland Alphonso w/ the Skatalites feat. Don Drummond – Nimble Foot (Nimble Foot / Love is Stronger ’65)
08:53 – the Radiation Kings – Murder (Early Years ’99)
13:19 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Be Mine Tonight (Guide to Boat Drinks & Cruise Cocktails ’02)
17:19 – North East Ska Jazz Orchestra – Hard Man fe Dead (Stompin’ & Rollin’ ’15)
20:55 – the Operators – 6 Month Blues (Ain’t it Obvious / 6 Month Blues ’19)

RJ sez: Jim is one half of the very excellent Windy City Sound System, which you should totally have checked out by now! Building on Jim’s picks, I added the new single from the Kubricks and the closing track from the Operators. I had the pleasure of meeting Jim and his WCSS co-star at the Jump Up Records 25th Anniversary show a few years back, and I couldn’t be happier then, and I couldn’t be happier now that they’re still in the game creating their show! Give it up for the Windy City Sound System!

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by donating on Patreon or by finding & liking 23min of Ska on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, feel free to subscribe and listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

Want to submit your band? Email: submissions@23ska.com
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Another way to support this podcast is to listen to and support our sister podcast the Ska After Party or to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

Special : In the Sixties…

Here’s a special one for you, ska from the 60s! That’s right! An episode dedicated to all those original fine music makers from Jamaica. This isn’t a definitive episode or list of bands, just a little taste of what it was like when these songs were the latest hits.

Desmond Dekker & the Aces – It Miek (It Miek / Problems ’69)
King Perry – Doctor Dick (Doctor Dick / Magic Star ’66)
Lord Brynner & the Sheiks – Congo War (Congo War / Teach Me to Ska ’65)
the Paragons – the Tide is High (On the Beach ’67)
Jimmy Cliff – Miss Jamaica (Miss Jamaica / Gold Digger ’62)
Roland Alphonso – 1,000 Tons of Megaton (1,000 Tons of Megaton / Musical Resurrection ’69)
Don Drummond – Man in the Street (Man in the Street / You are My One Love ’65)
the Ethiopians – the Whip (the Whip / Cool it Amigo ’67)
Derrick & Patsy – Housewives Choice (Housewives Choice / Gypsy Woman ’62)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode.

Hey, be a pal, check out these ska records that I’m making over at the Big Ska Gamble!