The Drastics with
MC ZULU and
Fada Dougou
at
The Hideout
1354 W Wabansia Ave / Chicago
Friday / December 21
Drastics Set / 10pm
with Low Down Brass Band
Wild Jesus and The Devils Lettuce
THE MEDITATIONS
THE DRASTICS & MC ZULU
DJ CHUCK WREN
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 / 8pm
REGGIES
2105 S STATE ST / CHICAGO
MORE INFO HERE
Finally!
Here it is! A new single for ya'lls! We know it's been a while, but we've been on the road and working on this new album, and this applebutter ain't gonna churn itself! A new hard-hitting, dark and heavy rocksteady jam! There is an ulterior motive however ... This track is our entry into a remix competition featuring Drastics' mainstay vocalist MC Zulu.
The original track was laced up by the man called Dub Gabriel and is a spicy little dancehall/dubstep-ish riddim ... well, just like The Skatalites took the music from the movie and put it to the ska, Your Drastics took the music from the dancehall and put it to the rocksteady.
And bump it regularly!!
MC Zulu: Vocals
Andrew Zelm: Trombone
Gerald Bailey: Trumpet
Chris Merrill: Bass
Luke MacRoberts: Guitar
Anthony Abbinanti: Drums, Melodica, Baritone Sax, Juno 60, Fender Rhodes, Bells, Percussion
Production, Dub & Horn Arrangements: A. Abbinanti
Recorded at Dirty North, Chicago
Let's go kids, time to get back up off yer outside playing around and get back inside in front of the damn computer screen! Cause we got a MASSIVE SOUND for you this month .. and until we release it on the iTunes you gotta listen to it online! Save the CDs and Damn the bandwidth! Yes, this month we got a big tune featuring our regular vocal partner in crime MC Zulu .. Here Comes The Bass with accompanying instrumental version Earl Warren Ska!
This tune does require a bit of the 'ol backstory ... See, we here in La Casa de Drastique don't really "do the ska" too often (though we get labeled and thrown on ska bills cause we're white dudes playing Jamaican music, but that's a rant for another day) but we do appreciate the hell out of The Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, et. al.... because of that we do keep one trad ska tune in the repertoire. That one tune was titled "Jack Ruby" and was written by our old cohort Mr. Corey Dixon. The version recorded and put up today is slightly different than the original in that the whole melody has been reinterpreted.
Corey wrote "Jack Ruby" as a sort of response to the Skatalites tune "Lee Harvey Oswald" ... See, when the Skatalites perform live, it is not uncommon to hear Lloyd Brevett say "Who killed JFK?" before the band drops into the Oswald Ska. So Mr. Dixon thought it clever to start up a tune with "Who killed Lee Harvey Oswald?" .. "Jack Ruby" ... Then we thought it even MORE clever to start our version of the tune with "Who Killed Jack Ruby" ... well, the answer to that would be lung cancer .. and, frankly "Lung Cancer Ska" doesn't have the ring to it we'd like .. So we settled on "Who prosecuted Jack Ruby under the LBJ appointed commission to investigate the assassination of JFK?" .. Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court Earl Warren .. that's who!
Anyway, enough of the past, on to the future! MC Zulu took the riddim and spit hot-double-time-fire on it inna dancehall style! I know this phrase get's used alot on this blog, but we're pretty sure you t'aint heard nothing like this before (unless you've been to our live show) ... Turn up the bass and let it rip brother!
DANCEHALL + SKA = BRAIN OVERLOAD
The track might be titled "Monday Morning" but it's getting released on a Tuesday ... cause it's been 30 days and it's time for yet one more installment of our First Tuesday New Music Series! Featuring MC Zulu, this track is built on the Drastics' own "Strikeback! Riddim" (off of our third release "Waiting" .. you can check out the unreleased dub of Strikeback! on the player above .. entitled "Counterstrike!"). "Monday Morning" comes with its own dub and immediately follows on the player .. appropriately titled "Striped Curtain Dub".
8 MINUTES HARD LABOR
DRASTICS LIVE
THIS THURSDAY!
We got conscripted last minute to help out our friends The Pinstripes at The Cobra Lounge .. This Thursday, April 8 .. part of a big night Ska Brewing has going, we'll be playing a 50 minute instrumental set early in the night .. around 10pm or so, but the music continues throughout the night with 2 sets from The Pinstripes ... no cover! Ska Brewing will have 8 taps going as well as limited edition and unreleased cans .. if yer into beer, be sure to check it!
