"In February 2020, I was introduced to NOSAJ from New Kingdom. In a flash (three days,) we recorded a project. Hope you enjoy," reads the headline on J Fusaro aka steel tipped dove's Projects page. We've been hearing rumblings about steel tipped dove & NOSAJ's collaborative EP, now known as NOWNOWNOW, on Twitter for quite a few weeks. It has already been described as "Absurd Punk music" by steel tipped dove (@steeltippeddove) himself. An old Das Racist affiliate, dove has either produced, engineered, or mixed projects for a wide array of artists, including Armand Hammer, Astronautalis, Big Baby Gandhi, Darko The Super, milo/scallops hotel, safari al, billy woods, and Zilla Rocca. NOSAJ AKA Nature Boy Jim Kelly, Nosaj The Great & Jason Furlow is an emcee and producer, likely, best known for his work with 90's Psych-Rap troupe, New Kingdom. Furlow has since recorded and released music with David Byrne (Talking Heads,) KID ACNE, Bill Laswell, Morcheeba, and Tricky. NOWNOWNOW's Bandcamp page attests NOSAJ draws influence for his rhymes throughout from Divine Styler, Bad Brains, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, which would explain the running Punk/Hardcore feel heard across said EP.
"I was introduced to Jason [NOSAJ] for another project he was working on with some mutual friends that's under wraps right now, so I'm not gonna say anything about it. After we got finished recording that, we just started hanging out and vibing. I played some beats and when he heard one he liked, he hopped on the mic and crushed it! We did the four joints in about three short sessions, I mixed them, and, now, they're out!" steel tipped dove recently told The Witzard, via email. NOSAJ elaborated, "this is, without a doubt, the most organic recording project I've ever been a part of. I walk eight minutes to steel [tipped dove]'s crib, walk upstairs, exchange greetings with his dog, Tootles, smoke, [and] steel plays some of his tracks; when I hear "that sh*t," I leap up walk two feet over to the microphone, ill the f**k out. steel bounces it down and texts it to me, say goodbye to Tootles, walk home, and listen to banger we just recorded. All of which takes... one hour!" NOWNOWNOW does, indeed, go "extra-f***ing hard" and it's easy to liken the sound heard throughout to that of Bad Brains, Ho99o9, Rage Against The Machine, and Yeezus-era Kanye West. steel tipped dove & NOSAJ from New Kingdom's NOWNOWNOW EP is now available to purchase, stream, or download exclusively on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and YouTube.
Not entirely unlike Wrestle/Wrassle Rap or Basketball Rap, there's, apparently, a whole sub-genre of hockey-themed Punk/Hardcore—oftentimes, referred to as "Puck" Rock or Hockey-core. Yes, I've been a die-hard fan of Punk/Hardcore for 15+ years and I, too, only first heard about Puck Rock within the last few weeks. Although, once I started diggin' around, I discovered about 10-15 bands at the forefront; this was, then, gradually narrowed down to 10 "front-line" bands, which will be chronicled here over the course of coming weeks. The "top-scoring" bands we selected include: Crippled Youth, SLAPSHOT, The Hanson Brothers/Nomeansno, Two Man Advantage, The Boils, D.O.A. THE ZAMBONIS, Pansy Division, The Hextalls, and The Ramoms' "Gritty Is A Punk" flexi-disc. We sent out a short 6-question interview form to all of the aforementioned bands, received some back, heard a few choice words, and still have yet to hear from a few more. We'll be running those interviews, as well as features, profiles, etc. in the coming weeks. EDITOR'S NOTE: be warned, while I'm a casual hockey fan, I DO NOT claim to be an "expert" on the sport, nor will I EVER claim to know "everything" about hockey-themed Punk/Hardcore. Now, let's just try to have some fun and learn more about the sub-genre together!
This week's band "on the ice" is Two Man Advantage. Oftentimes, referred to as simply Two/2 Man, The Two Man, or 2MA, the band was formed in 1997 on Long Island, New York. Their current line-up consists of vocalist Spag AKA Drunk Bastard, guitar/vocalist Rob Locascio AKA Skate, guitarist Jeff Kaplan AKA Captain, bassist Jeff Marsala AKA Snapshot, drummer Aaron Pagdon AKA Coach, "Metal vocalist" Myk Rudnick AKA MYK, and "crowd instigator" John Heron AKA Rookie. Drunk Bastard wears a homemade wrestling mask and Captain wears a retro composite goalie mask, while the entire band often wear custom-made Two man Advantage hockey jerseys on stage. 2 Man's songs are generally loud, fast, and Punk/Hardcore-indebted and are almost always either about hockey or beer. Now, in their 23rd year as a band, Two Man Advantage have released four full-length albums, numerous demo/live cassettes, a 12-inch mini-album, and an assortment of singles and split EP's on Royalty Records, Go-Kart Records, Rodent Popsicle Records, Drug Front Records, Crapfit, Basement Records, and Sexy Baby Records. We, here at The Witzard, were fortunate enough to get in touch with The Two Man's long-time guitarist and one of its founding members, Jeff "Captain" Kaplan, via Facebook Messenger. Captain was kind enough to entertain and answer our questions for this very Guts of The Ice feature. Spag/Drunk Bastard additionally sent us some archival photos, old show flyers, various 2 Man memorabilia, etc. you'll see scattered throughout, as well. 💀🏒⛸️
Sincerely,
Matt "The Witzard" Horowitz
Puck Rock/Hardcore Purveyor
01. How did you first get into both hockey and Punk/Hardcore music?
Most us in the band got into hockey at a pretty early age and each of us played on some level, whether it be league play or just pick-up games. For me, personally, growing up on Long Island in the early 80's, I had the best hockey team on the planet at that time (New York Islanders) playing 10 minutes from where I grew up. Having your hometown team win four Stanley Cups in a row with, essentially, the same core guys—well, I just couldn't help but become a huge fan. Even though the team hasn't won a Cup since that time and has, generally, seen more dark days than bright ones, that fandom is with me for life. There's nothing like hockey, in my opinion, as far as sports go—it's fast, aggressive, and graceful all at once.
Punk/Hardcore was a bit of an evolution. I'm an only child and spent a lot of time in front of MTV growing up... a time when MTV played music videos 24 hours a day. I found myself gravitating towards the heavier stuff. I had a local record store that I would bike to every weekend and I'd spend all my paper route money buying Metal records. At that point, as far as Punk went, I had only been exposed to what I saw on MTV—which, basically, meant The Ramones & The Clash. But the corner turned around 1986 when I was 13; I went into my local store and saw a Black Flag My War T-shirt hanging up. That image of the puppet holding the knife was so captivating to me that I just HAD to hear this band.
I bought the only two cassettes he had behind the counter, which were the Family Man and Slip It In records, in retrospect, two very odd records to be your gateway, but that's what they were and I loved them. From then on, I skipped over the Metal section and went to the Punk/Hardcore section and that was it. I bought anything that was on SST Records (Black Flag, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Saccharine Trust, Hüsker Dü, etc.) every Dead Kennedys record, and started to get into more local stuff through a bunch of old New York Hardcore comps. I went through high school pretty much alone in my love for Punk Rock and didn't find any sort of community until I went to college in '91. That's when I hooked up with like-minded people, started going to shows, and forming bands.
ARTWORK BY: Steve "Pheck" Ritsua (SOURCE: Captain)
02. What made you decide to combine hockey and Punk/Hardcore stylings through music?
Well, that was our singer, Drunk Bastard [Spag]. When the band originally formed, all of us were playing in different bands—bands that had nothing to do with hockey or any of that. The band was put together back in 1997 for the sole purpose of playing a Halloween party. Drunk Bastard wasn't just a huge hockey fan, but had, actually, played goalie on the all-state team when he was in high school. So, the idea was to write 10 quick and simple Punk Rock songs all about either hockey or drinking. The songs were literally called "Hockey #1," "Hockey #2," "Beer #1," "Beer #2," etc.
And the band concept was that we would be a hockey team... everyone would wear jerseys and hockey gear while we were playing. But this was just for the Halloween party—there was never any intention of doing anything beyond that. But, as it turned out, the party was cancelled last-minute and since there had been some work put into it, a local show was booked. The band went over so well that a second show was booked, then, a third show, then, a demo was recorded, then, more shows, then, some split 7-inches with other Long Island bands, [then,] a label came with an offer to put an album... and next thing you know, 22 years have gone by, you're still a band and still wearing those hockey jerseys!
03. For fans new to the "Puck" Rock/Hardcore sub-genre, which release(s) from throughout your discography would you recommend starting out with?
Tough to say, since I'm really proud of all of our records. Most of the old school fans, who have been with us since the beginning would probably pick the first record from way back in 1998, Drafted, which was originally released on the now-defunct Royalty Records, but was re-released in digital form a few years back by Drug Front Records. It has a ton of songs on it that we still play live and have become a lot of fan favorites. I guess, for me, being in the band with a different perspective, I think, our most recent release, Bar Down, which we put out ourselves, which is more like a mini-LP, has some of the best stuff we've ever written. But overall, I think, I come back to our third record, South of Canada, which came out on Rodent Popsicle Records. I love the songs on that and the production is killer... very in-your-face!
04. Aside from your own band's music, what other hockey-themed groups, releases, singles, etc. would you recommend, as well?
The Hanson Brothers from Canada are, of course, legendary and have almost certainly been doing it longer than anyone else. THE ZAMBONIS from Connecticut are great and to their credit, EVERY song they write is about hockey, which isn't entirely true for us. We're all big SLAPSHOT fans, as well, although, I'm not sure how many of their songs, actually, deal with hockey—I'm sure there's one or two—but, I think, they more use the imagery and symbols of hockey, than, actually, writing songs about it. Of course, there are a lot of great hockey songs that are not necessarily by bands who are hockey-themed: D.O.A.—legends that they are—are mostly a political band, but have found time for a few hockey homages. Anvil, a Metal band, also, from Canada, has a great song called "Blood On The Ice" about the world's [greatest] sport.
05. If still active, what are the future plans for your band? If currently inactive, do you have any immediate plans for any special re-issues or a proper reunion/comeback?
We are still together and active after all these years, although, as our bassist now lives in DC, we're not quite as active as we used to be. We pick our spots and play shows when we can and when we're all available. For this year, we plan on playing a few select shows and, possibly, also, writing and recording a few tunes. We had this idea that we wanted to put out a 7-inch with a big hole in it ha... so, maybe, we'll try to make that happen.
ARTWORK BY: Steve "Pheck" Ritsua (SOURCE: Spag)
06. I recently noticed you've released a number of split 7-inches over the years... but who else would you like to do a split with, if you had a chance? If so, is there any chance we'll ever see them come to fruition?
There have been some bands, over the years, we've discussed doing splits with that just never game to fruition for whatever reasons. The most recent record, Bar Down, the reason it's a mini-LP is because it was supposed to have been a "split" LP with our friends, The Daycare Swindlers from Virginia. We met those guys in the early 2000's when we were both on Go Kart Records and did a three-week tour together, along with Toxic Narcotic. The tour wasn't that great, but we became great friends with both of those bands. Over the years, our relationship with The Daycare Swindlers went from, like, "band friends" to "real friends." Those guys are our brothers in the truest sense and in 2017, we both celebrated our 20th anniversaries as bands. We were going to do a bunch of shows together (which we did do) and a split LP (which, unfortunately, we didn't.) So, we ended up releasing the songs we had recorded for that split as the Bar Down release. If there ever came a chance to do a split with those guys for real, we would jump at it.
We had, also, briefly discussed [the idea] a few years back of doing a split 7-inch with THE ZAMBONIS. I think, that would be cool for a few reasons... not just the hockey thing... not just that we're geographically close (we're on Long Island and they're in Connecticut)... but, also, that the two bands will reach each other's audiences, which, probably, don't overlap all that much. Hey, maybe, your article will inspire something!
Thanks for the interview, Matt. I really appreciate it. Anyone who wants to can contact us at TwoManAdvantage@yahoo.com or through our Facebook page. All of our stuff can, also, be found on our Bandcamp page or on Spotify. Let me know, if you need anything else!
The Pathetx were a "transitional" Detroit-based Punk band originally, albeit briefly, active during the early 80's and were often credited with bridging the gap between Punk & Hardcore in its earliest aughts. The Pathetx's core line-up consisted of frontman Mark Leavitt, lead guitarist Greg Kutcher, rhythm guitarist Tom McHenry, bassist Michael "Mick" Goldwater AKA Filthy McNasty, and drummer Ted Meek AKA Iggy Moon. The Pathetx quickly became infamous for their extremely fast-paced original compositions, zany covers, and spirited live shows, which were often filled with slam dancing, stage diving, and blood-drenched sweaty teens. The band frequented Nunzio's, as well as local venues, Bookie's Club 870, The Freezer Theater, and The Red Carpet. "The shows were fueled with blood and destruction. Bloodied faces, fists, broken guitars, cymbals, and limbs all became part of the show," boasts a recent Third Man Records press release. It appears as though The Pathetx disappeared as quickly as they burst onto the scene and never released a proper album, 7-inch, or single, for that matter, before breaking up; although, it HAS been widely reported The Pathetx recorded something at Reel Sound Studio in the fall of 1981. While the coveted multi-track reels for said recording sessions were "lost" soon thereafter, the master tapes remained with the band's manager, Steve Shaw, for over three decades.
Yesterday, Jack White's Third Man Records announced the first-ever release of the aforementioned Pathetx album, now known as The Pathetx - 1981. The "album" spans nine tracks clocking in at just 18 minutes and 16 seconds and will be released in both standard black and limited edition colored vinyl 12-inch/45RPM versions, as well as digitally. Along with the album announcement and release details, Third Man, additionally, shared album highlight and Side A opener, "Kmart Krowd." White's recent affiliation with The Pathetx makes complete sense, as his passion for Iggy & The Stooges, MC5, and early Detroit Proto-punk bands has been extremely well-documented in the past. Mark Leavitt, Greg Kutcher, Tom McHenry & Mick Goldwater reunited with manager Steve Shaw in recent years, although, sadly, drummer Ted Meek passed away in the early 90's. However, his son, Keith Smith, has followed in his father's footsteps and became a drummer, as well. Coinciding with their debut album release 39 years in-the-making, The Pathetx have announced a Record Release Show to be held on Friday, March 13, 2020 at their old haunt, Detroit's own UFO Factory. It's currently unclear, if Keith Smith will step behind the kit in his father's absence at the UFO Factory gig or if The Pathetx will enlist a fill-in drummer. Again, The Pathetx - 1981 will be released the same day as said Release Show, March 13th, on Third Man Records.
This past Saturday night, The Carolina Hurricanes squared off against The Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a bit of a nail-biter, to say the least, and The Hurricanes ended up beating The Maple Leafs in a miraculous 6-3 victory. Although, the most astonishing attribute on the ice Saturday night might have been when, in a pinch, The Canes had to turn to 42-year-old emergency back-up goalie (or E.B.U.G.) David "Dave" Ayres to help finish out the game. Ayres was called in midway through the second period when both goalies Petr Mrazek AND James Reimer were forced to exit the game due to injury. Regularly, David Ayres is a Zamboni driver for The AHL's Toronto Marlies and on that fateful night, was the E.B.U.G. for both The Hurricanes & The Maple Leafs. A feat unto itself, Ayres, was, then, able to block eight out of the 10 shots attempted on goal, while, also, scoring a shot on goal of his own.
Saturday night, Adam Gretz at NBCSports explained, "the fact that an emergency goalie had to enter the game is fascinating enough. But that he played as well as he did, and managed to get credit for the win, makes it one of the most stunning accomplishments in recent NHL memory." Immediately following David Ayres & The Hurricanes' miraculous win, THE ZAMBONIS—"the greatest and only ALL Hockey Rock band in the world"—posted a picture labeled "THE ZAMBONIS Back up goalie song alert" on their Instagram page (@thezambonis) along with the caption, "write/record/release a new song about E.B.U.G.'s by today at 6 pm. Great job #davidayers ps Emergency Back Up Goalie #hockeyrocks #thezambonis #ebug @canes @charlottecheckers." As promised, by 12 noon Sunday afternoon, THE ZAMBONIS had, indeed, released a song about Ayres & The Hurricanes' Earth-shattering win entitled "E.B.U.G." It was written by Dave "Zamboni" Schneider & Tim Walsh with instrumental backing provided by Dave, Tim & Cary Pollick, as recorded by Walsh in just eight short hours.
Upon release, THE ZAMBONIS' shared some additional details concerning "E.B.U.G." on their Bandcamp page: '"E.B.U.G." Emergency Back Up Goalie is what David Ayres was/is. It was a dreamy night for him, his family, hockey fans, and anybody who loves a great story. We love it so much, we wrote this song in about 8 hours. Written, recorded, and released in about 8 hours. We are hungry and going to go get a beer now. Please, support our stupidity, obsession, and very focused borderline unhealthy love of music and hockey. Have an ice day, THE ZAMBONIS." It appears as though "E.B.U.G." may be included within THE ZAMBONIS' upcoming as-yet-to-be-titled new album, which we've heard should be dropping in September 2020; "it's coming out on the new record, already recorded and in-the-can "Beer League Hero," @TheZambonis wrote within a Reply to a fan on Twitter over the weekend. An interview with THE ZAMBONIS' own Dave "Zamboni" Schneider will soon be released as part of The Witzard's new column, Guts of The Ice- An Exploration of "Puck" Rock/Hockey-core. THE ZAMBONIS' new single "E.B.U.G." is now available to stream, download, or purchase exclusively on Bandcamp.
William J. Sullivan is a producer, engineer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist now based out of Los Angeles, but originally hailing from Philly. He's released music, over the years, on his own label, Wreckin' Joint Productions, as/with Architects of A Broken Design, Memo, Priesticide, and Upon Creation, as well as under his own. We first heard about William J. Sullivan when he produced "Make The Sickness, Sell The Cure" from Zilla Rocca's phenomenal 2019 album, Future Former Rapper. Sullivan's Discogs page additionally lists Technical (Engineering) work on The Harlem Experiment's 2007 self-titled album, Leilolai, Zilla Rocca & The Shadow Boxers' No Vacation for Murder, Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, "Champions" with Gucci Mane, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Yo Gotti, Quavo & Desiigner, ye, and Kids See Ghosts with Kid Cudi, and ScHoolboy Q's Blank Face LP. Architects of A Broken Design is a Metal/Hardcore duo consisting of Sullivan and vocalist Jon Costello. They've been largely inactive since releasing their 2010 full-length, The Great Reflection—aside from a 2014 stand-alone single entitled "A Mask of Hell"—although, now they're preparing to make a proper return to form.
Architects of A Broken Design's second long-form project, Total Collapse, will be released on Wreckin' Joint Productions Friday, March 6, 2020. Ahead of the album, William J. Sullivan & Jon Costello have unveiled lead-off single, "The Name Stone." Today, we're treated to both an Album Version & Live Playthrough of "The Name Stone" self-released on Bandcamp. Next Friday, February 28, 2020, a companion music video for "The Name Stone" will be released and then, Monday, March 2, Puregrain Audio will be hosting an exclusive streaming premiere of Total Collapse until its wide release that following Friday. William J. Sullivan explains, "with this album, I found myself coming to terms with the fact that Jon & I probably won't perform with this project again. We live on different Coasts, have our own individual careers, and very little time. The album title is pulled from that, while, also, being a dedication to one of our favorite bands."
"I wanted to play into the hopelessness of our situation, the name of our group, and apply that to a larger picture. When we started this project in our early 20's, we looked at the world in a different way. Now that we're almost 40, the terms "Broken Design" and "Total Collapse" mean a much different, but real thing to us. Take the homeless and environmental problems where I live, in California, as examples," Sullivan continued within a press statement. Vocalist Jon Costello adds, "it's been a pleasure to be a part of this project since the begging. I'm most proud of these songs and the effort that I put into them. I really wanted them to hit home and, I believe, we did that." Total Collapse has been described as "a pounding 24-minute roller coaster ride of down-tuned groove" recommended for fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, Periphery, Suicide Silence, and other like-minded head-bangers. Architects of A Broken Design's Total Collapse is out Friday, March 6, 2020 on Sullivan's own Wreckin' Joint Productions.
Not entirely unlike Wrestle/Wrassle Rap or Basketball Rap, there's, apparently, a whole sub-genre of hockey-themed Punk/Hardcore—oftentimes, referred to as "Puck" Rock or Hockey-core. Yes, I've been a die-hard fan of Punk/Hardcore for 15+ years and I, too, only first heard about Puck Rock within the last few weeks. Although, once I started diggin' around, I discovered about 10-15 bands at the forefront; this was, then, gradually narrowed down to 10 "front-line" bands, which will be chronicled here over the course of coming weeks. The "top-scoring" bands we selected include: Crippled Youth, SLAPSHOT, The Hanson Brothers/Nomeansno, Two Man Advantage, The Boils, D.O.A. THE ZAMBONIS, Pansy Division, The Hextalls, and The Ramoms' "Gritty Is A Punk" flexi-disc. We sent out a short 6-question interview form to all of the aforementioned bands, received some back, heard a few choice words, and still have yet to hear from a few more. We'll be running those interviews, as well as features, profiles, etc. in the coming weeks. EDITOR'S NOTE: be warned, while I'm a casual hockey fan, I DO NOT claim to be an "expert" on the sport, nor will I EVER claim to know "everything" about hockey-themed Punk/Hardcore. Now, let's just try to have some fun and learn more about the sub-genre together!
This week's inaugural band is Crippled Youth, which seems to have been a very short-lived band and later, morphed into BOLD. Unfortunately, we didn't get a Response back from anyone in Crippled Youth/BOLD... but Revelation Records' owner and co-founder Jordan Cooper was kind enough to send us a couple pertinent REVHQ FUN FACT installments concerning both hockey-themed Punk/Hardcore and Crippled Youth's iconic 1986 7-inch, Join The Fight. While it isn't exactly "Puck" Rock, it's been stressed to us, by numerous people, that this 7-inch EP/cover was very important to the sub-genre, as well as the genres as a whole. You can learn more about Crippled Youth, Youth Crew Hardcore, and the so-called "Jock Punk" look at Rolling Stone. Special shout-outs are due to Dan Lactose, Dave "Zamboni" Schneider from THE ZAMBONIS, "Captain" Jeff Kaplan from Two Man Advantage, Jordan Cooper, Adam Lentz & David "Igby" Sattanni at Revelation Records, Christian Wagner at Pirates Press Records, Dave "Sausage" Walling from The Boils/Six Feet Under Records, and John Bachman, who helped coordinate this fine mess! Enj-Oi! our latest column, Guts of The Ice - An Exploration of "Puck" Rock/Hockey-core, and stay safe out on the ice, my friends! 💀🏒⛸️
5/2/14
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REVHQ FUN FACT
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If you've seen the Crippled Youth - Join The Fight 7" cover and aren't steeped in sports history, you may have wondered what the origin of the hockey photo was and how it ended up on the cover of the record.
The photo was taken by Roger St. Jean after the 1952 Stanley Cup Semi-Finals with The Bruins & The Canadiens. During the seventh game at The Montreal Forum, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard of The Canadiens was bleeding from a concussion suffered earlier in the game, when he returned in the Third Period to score the winning goal. In that play, he skated end-to-end, weaving through The Bruins players, out in front of the net, and put the puck behind startled [Bruins] goaltender "Sugar" Jim Henry. After the game, Henry shook hands with Richard in what became one of the most famous sports images of all time.
We asked Crippled Youth bassist Tim Brooks about it and this is what he had to say: "as for the hockey player image, my father is a huge hockey fan and sports memorabilia collector. He has a 2' x 3' print of the [picture] hanging on the wall in his home office. Matt, Drew & I liked the idea of these rivals coming together at the end of a brutal game and shaking hands." Check out the Crippled Youth cover and original image here.
4/28/17
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In appreciation of the current NHL Playoffs, we thought it'd be fun to come up with a list of Hardcore/Punk connections to The NHL or hockey, in general. Enjoy...
Russ Rankin, vocalist of Good Riddance & Only Crime, worked as a hockey scout for The Kootenay Ice and now, works for The Tri City Americans. Both are major junior hockey teams in The Western Hockey League.
Former goalie for The Montreal Canadiens, Jose Theodore, is a big fan of NOFX and once played guitar on stage with them at a show in Montreal.
POWER TRIP gets played over the PA at Anaheim Ducks & Calgary Flames games.
Bo Thompson, former vocalist for Donnybrook! & Snakeyes, has a cousin named Mitch Callahan, who once played for The Detroit Red Wings.
Former Maple Leaf player Boyd Devereaux once ran an underground Noise label called Elevation Recordings.
Joey Sh*thead from D.O.A. released hockey-themed compilations on his label, Sudden Death [Records] (which, itself, obviously, got its name from hockey.)
Drew Stafford, Boston Bruin (formerly of The Buffalo [Sabres] & Winnipeg Jets) appeared in the Every Time I Die video for "Decayin' with The Boys," playing Jenga at a party in full hockey gear.
James Reitano is a director, animator, graphic designer, illustrator, and devout Skinhead. No, not THAT kind of "Skinhead!" A different kind of Skinhead... one often motivated by social alienation and working-class solidarity, who could often be seen wearing their hair close-cropped or shaven and working-class clothing, such as Dr. Martens/steel-toe work boots, braces, high-rise and varying length straight-leg jeans, and button-down collar shirts, usually, slim-fitting in check or plain. Skinhead Punk/Reggae was initially popular in The United Kingdom during the 1960's and experienced a second wave of popularity through the mid-70's to early 80's world-wide. Reitano currently runs a "tradition Skin-zine" out of Santa Cruz, California called Boots N Booze (or @bootsnboozemagazine on Instagram) which regularly posts archival photos, nostalgic show flyers, sought-after 7/12-inch covers, and Skin-centric nuggets of information. James Reitano, also, runs a production company called Proper Skins Productions and has his own multi-volume line of graphic novels entitled Nineteen85/87.
Reitano operates under his own company, TFU Studios/T.F.U. Recordings and previously worked for Santa Cruz Skateboards, Digital Entertainment Network, and FOX.com, as well as campaigns for HBO, iFilm, Toyota, and Nike. James Reitano has directed/animated music videos or album artwork for Cut Chemist, CZARFACE & MF DOOM, DANGERDOOM, The Dickies, Mayer Hawthorne, KutMasta Kurt, MADVILLAIN, Manchester Orchestra, Biz Markie, Quasimoto, and 12th Planet & Skrillex. Reitano was, additionally, part of his own short-lived bands, Buddys Riot & Apocalypse Con Queso, as well. On the heels of newly-pressed Nineteen Eighty Seven, Vol. 3, James Reitano was kind enough to curate a playlist we're calling "With The Quickness #3: James Reitano's Punk/Reggae Playlist for The Witzard!" Below, you will find James' 19-track Spotify playlist, along with some commentary from our resident Skinhead Reggae/Punk specialist himself. The 1985 Anthology and Nineteen Eighty Seven, Vol. 1-3 graphic novels are currently available to purchase directly from Nineteen85. There's, also, a newly-launched companion Nineteen Eighty Five/1985 Graff Map available to download, via the iPhone & Android App Stores.
With The Quickness #3: James Reitano's Punk/Reggae Playlist for The Witzard! Breakdown
01. 4 Skins - "One Law for Them:" An awesome opener by the band with one of the best names. 'cause, know, the band's comprised of Four Skinheads!
02. The Redskins - "Go Get Organized:" One of the more dedicated and serious Socialist bands with just about all songs involving Socialist politics. And, musically, one of the greatest rhythm sections. Put it this way, these guys would be campaigning for Bernie, if they were Yanks.
03. Laurel Aitken - "Fire In Mi Wire:" Some great innuendos going on here, as well as one of the BEST baselines of all time.
04. Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night:" A crew fave here! Perfect for drinking outside in damp conditions.
The 4-Skins, 1980 (photographer unknown)
05. The Upsetters - "Dry Acid:" A classic here! An epitome of Skinhead Reggae, if there ever was one.
06. The Business - "Out In The Cold:" Punk Rock royalty here, when they were writing sappier, love songs. We'd refer [to] these tracks as "Fancy Business!"
07. The Kingstonians - "Sufferer:" A classic 1969 Reggae classic!
08. U-Roy - "Driver Her Home:" Talkover great U-Roy. He didn't invent it, but he was a true pioneer of "Talkover Dub," the predecessor to Hip-Hop/Rap!
09. Lee "Scratch" Perry - "Fu Man Version:" Stoney Dub track here with Lee's rambling vocals over the top!
10. Sham 69 - "Hurry Up Harry:" Jimmy Pursey! The true man of the people, in this rousing track of "goin' down to pub." "No, I don't want a cup of tea!" (* Not Available On Spotify... *)
11. The Outer Limits - "Just One More Chance:" Some Blue-eyed Northern Soul from these lads from Leeds.
12. Toy Dolls - "Idle Gossip:" Though, these guys are good in small doses (I compare these guys to audio espresso,) but one of my favorite LP's from them!
13. The Business - "Employers Blacklist:" Here we go! Another Business track. Punk... Rock... right here!
14. Splodge - "Two Pints" (Dub Version): Punk/Novelty act, [Splodgenessabounds]. Their classic tune expressing the frustration of being ignored at the bar.
15. Prince Buster - "Enjoy Yourself:" Later covered by The Specials, this is one of my favorites from The Prince!
U-Roy (photographer unknown)
16. Lloydie & The Lowbites - "Birth Control:" Some serious blatant references here! Again, later to be covered by The Specials [on] Too Much Too Young!
17. The Undertones - "Hypnotised:" When some bands wrote about the war zones of Northern Ireland, these guys kept it light with some of the best songs ever written!
18. The Last Resort - "Skinheads In Sta Press:" From the all-time incredible Way of Life LP, Last Resort were like no other band!
19. Jr. Walker & The All Stars - "What Does It Take (to Win Your Love):" Closing things out with one of my all-time favorite Northern Soul tracks!
