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I got to the Hard Rock Cafe an hour before the bands were scheduled to
go on. The show was a 5 dollar cover charge, which wasn't too bad at all. I
have never seen a show at the HRC before, so I was really surprised with what
I saw. Most of the people have never ever heard the bands, or even knew what
ska was. They soon,however; were in for a treat.
The Rudy Crew started things off. RC had a tight, reggae, sound. They
also played their instruments rather well. I found them very enjoyable, as
they played one great song after another. One of the things that I liked was
that one of their singers was really good at toasting. When the guy started
doing it, my mouth just dropped.
Some really didn't know what to say about them at first, but after a
while, they were enjoying themselves . I look forward to seeing these guys in
the future.
The legendary New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble came next. NYSJE are always
going through lineup changes, and it's really weird each time. The change,
however, didn't have any affect on their playing, as they tore through one
amazing song after another.
NYSJE played great songs. The played my favorites, like: "Blow Wind
Blow," "Nasty By Nature. NYSJE played 2 Toasters songs, and they even played
"Skalloween" by the legendary Skatalites. It's funny how even the greatest of
bands have someone who inspires them.
What I enjoyed even more than the music, is seeing how the people, who
had never seen NYSJE, reacted to them. Almost everyone in the place was
really digging them. Oh the power of ska music!
The show was really fun, and I thank Converge records for getting some
ska shows up. They will be having a ska/reggae night every last friday of the
month. I hope this will give the scene a spark, and we could even see 3 or 4
ska shows a month.
Alex Rud is a Staff Columnist. Contact him at arud@rockzone.com.
