SkaSpot.com has been a long running fixture on the global Ska Scene for a good while now – It acts as a hub linking global ska organizations together as well as operating locally out of Vancouver, Canada…SkaSpot also have a hand in releasing records, promoting gigs (take a look at the Combination13 designed Ska Showcase Poster below!) and hold a weekly news spot on the Ska T Scenic Drive on www.citr.ca radio to name but a few fingers, in a few pies..!

We had a chance to grill the man behind it all, Dan Cowan, to find out a little bit more…

Hey Dan, what can you tell us about SkaSpot and it’s roots..?

Skaspot.com was started by a great guy in S. Florida named Andy Jeter who became a Ska Fan after seeing Less Than Jake several times while attending college.  He was inspired to start Skaspot.com to see if he could find more Ska Fans in S. Florida. I became a friend of Andy’s via the site and he ended up doing some graphic work and logo tweaking for me.  Andy allowed me access to his sites and gave me permission to use his graphics and logos to promote Ska and I ended up creating the Skaspot Live Network as a registered company in British Columbia, Canada with his blessings. Andy is the webmaster and visionary for Skaspot.com, I am the “hands on” live event promoter / producer / talent manager and booking & label rep for Skaspot Live.  In that capacity We produced 6 Ska themed concerts and a 45 week Ska & Reggae Showcase series called Skaspot Mondays, at the Biltmore,  where we also presented a show we created called “The Evolution of Ska”. (2008 – current)  The Skaspot team will continue to produce Ska themed events and coordinate Ska themed tours for acts on our roster.  Skaspot Live is the legal vehicle we use to manage & represent Rude City Riot as well as operate the Indie Label, Skaspot Records and the associated Skaspot Publishing Division.

You’ve promoted some great Ska Shows with SkaSpot – Can you name a particular favorite..?

Favorite Skaspot show? Hard question but I would say the Skaspot Live Ska-A-Thon on March 28th 2008 would be the one.  It was a packed showat the Biltmore Cabaret that featured 7 excellent local Ska bands including the debut of Rude City Riot as well as Los Furios, Easy Brothers, Speed Shaker, Skaboom, Seven O’clock Scandal and Fuzzcat all sharing the same stage for the first time. That night, each one of those bands played better than I had ever seen them play before, inspired performances from every band.  Magic!  There are fantastic photos and video clips that came out of that Ska-A-Thon.

What’s coming up for SkaSpot..? Any news/upcoming events you’d like to share with our readers..?

On the horizon for Skaspot Records is recording the next release for Rude City Riot as well as booking  and promoting their first national tour timed to coincide with their appearance at the Canadian Music Fest 2nd week in March 2010 in Toronto.  Dusty and the band have been writing terrific new songs, one after another and we will be recording demos of those soon.  Rude City Riot continues to get airplay from their debut CD from all over the globe on  college radio, internet radio and many music blogs.  Our online fan base is increasing dramatically over the past few months especially since we have allowed free down loads
of the RCR debut CD off our home page. Touring in a ever widening circle and releasing digital singles every four months pretty much sums up the RCR agenda for 2010.  Expect to see some of Vancouver’s top sound & lighting techs buzzing around RCR when they play locally, the band has recently made some new fans.

I do believe your experiences in the music industry extend beyond ska music and into other genres..?

I doubt that many of my new “Ska & Reggae” friends and any of the musicians I am meeting these days with my Skaspot & RCR activities have any idea about my many years in the high profile “Rock n Roll” music industry. I know that some do appreciate and seek my advice based on what they may have heard about me.  It is funny – in a way I have come full circle.  In 1980 I managed the legendary Ska band “The Villains”, arguably Canada’s first nationally popular Ska Band who set venue attendance and bar records across Canada for 5 years.  In 1986 I walked away from managing and booking Ska bands and focused on my area of expertise, live music & special event production.  Since mid 2007 I have returned to Ska full time but during those 20 years in between I held the following positions or titles:

Sr. Production Mgr. – Western Canada – Universal Concerts & House of Blues Concerts
Entertainment Production Mgr. – EXPO 86 & Pacific National Exhibition
Stage Mgr / Production Mgr. – Commodore Ballroom
Stage Mgr – Juno Awards / Commonwealth Games Festival / Western Canada Music Awards / The Tragically Hip
Promoter Rep – Santana / Dylan / Kiss / Paul Simon / Tom Petty / Janet Jackson / Celine / Cher / Clapton / Page & Plant / The Guess Who / The Tragically Hip.
Tour Mgr. of Canadian recording artists: Doucette / Chilliwack / Toronto / Irish Rovers
Received Award from C.A.R.A.S. For Special Merit / Guest Lecturer at Stylus Music School and the Art Institute on multiple topics

It’s well publicized that Vancouver is going through a Ska Boom right now – Of all those bands who’s spinning on the SkaSpot Stereo..?

Of the local Ska Bands, I often listen to Los Furios, the Easy Brothers, The Elixxxirs and most recently, the Valuables but it is Rude City Riot that I can’t seem to get enough of.  Every song they write sounds like a hit to me.

Thanks for your time Dan, always a pleasure – keep up the Great work..!

http://skaspot.com/

Rude City Riot exploded onto Vancouver thriving Ska Scene in early 2008 with their shout-a-long chorus and high energy live shows – Since then they’ve rightly picked up many admirers for both their musicianship and accomplished songwriting…In fact, I feel there’s not much need for my waffle here when you can go download their debut EP for free right here – www.rudecityriotsquad.com – Every track is killer, you have the Combi13 seal of approval right there..!

We’ve been lucky enough to be involved from an early stage and have designed a couple of logo’s for the band and some rather tasty T-Shirts too..!

As if that wasn’t enough to rattle your senses, take a hop over to YouTube and have a butchers at the Victoria video..!

RUDE CITY RIOT – VICTORIA

We recently waded into the heart of the Riot and spoke to Dusty about all things Rude…

Wow Dusty! You guys have really hit the ground running, can you tell us about your first show..?

Our first show was in March 2008. We made our debut at Dan Cowan’s SkaSpot Live Ska-A-Thon. We coudln’t have asked for a better bill to introduce ourselves on. The production was smooth and professional and the talent was Vancouver’s finest. Playing your first show with the likes of Los Furios and Skaboom is pretty special. I remember we were begging Dan to put us in and he came to a practice. We were new and a wee bit unpolished but we gave it our all. RCR is forever grateful that he took a chance on us. The momentum has been full steam ahead ever since.

Rude City Riot’s debut EP is now available for free download through www.rudecityriotsquad.com and it’s one of my favorite releases of 2008, as a band, you must be very proud of it..?

First off, thank you for picking it as one of your favorites. We are very proud of this EP. Especially for a debut release. It took us quite a while to get it out. We wanted to make a lasting impression on The Ska World and hopefully recruit some newcomers along the way. We had the right guy Producing it. His name is Alex “Condor” Aligizakis. Fantastic talent. He has a rock background and you can tell this by listening to the EP. I think though the balance between genres flows nicely. In your face grit yet smooth in places making you feel good. You could describe it as throwing a knockout punch but catching the recipient before they hit the ground.

You’re known to cover The Hotknives’ ‘Don’t Go Away’ during your Live shows, Who else has been an influence on your songwriting..?

There are so many influences on my songwriting. So many in fact that it would take hours to get through them all. I constantly get influenced by new artists all the time as well. To name a couple though, I would mention Jonny Cash for sure. I admired his grit and reality. Many of my songs are in a story format similar to lots of Cash’s work. It is really fun to tell a story and let a tale evolve.

I also like to listen to anything from The First Wave. The Rulers, Prince Buster, Toots, Laurel Aitken. In essence lots of RCR material can relate to this era at least content-wise. Songs about Rudies, can’t go wrong there.

When do you plan to release Rude City Riot’s full debut Album..?

We are already in the process of making the first Full Length happen. myself and the other guys have been writing and writing and writing. We honestly have enough material for two Albums. It will be a tough decsion to narrow down which tracks will make the cut. Pre-production will be under way shortly and hopefully we will have a new release early for 2010. We are in talks with some well respected Producers and everyone is getting very excited to get this ball rolling.

Rude City Riot are headlining this years ‘Xmas in Skaville’ at the legendary Railway Club, Vancouver – Sharing the Bill with The Elixxxirs on the night, that will surely be a Xmas to remember..?

It most certainly will. Bobbi Jo and The Elixxxirs have a solid following. As they should. She is a wonderful talent. We are also excited to be playing with The Valuables. This group is new but they have left a trail of fire everywhere they play thus far. The Ivy League Brawlers put on an energetic and fun show as well. As I am talking about this I am thinking it is going to be one hell of a party! Of course a party in the name of a good cause is even better. Non perishable food donations for those less fortunate will be collected at the door. It’s win win and grin grin.

Cheers Dusty – All The Best Mate..!

Cheers to you as well my good friend Steve! Stay prolific. Much respec!

If your favorite genre of music is ska and you live in the UK, you’ll know Do The Dog Records well…To date, this small independent label have flung over 50 albums into the universe and you’ll be hard pressed to find a dud in their catalogue…

DoTheDog can boast a roster of bands that can & will, blow your socks off – Featuring the likes of Smoke Like A Fish, Cartoon Violence, the Steady Boys and Resolution 242 to name a few, this is one hell of a skankin stable..!

Kevin, the label’s boss and one and only employee, has consistently produced a long running skazine alongside the label work, as well as organizing the odd DoTheDog Birthday Bash..! As if that wasn’t enough, you can now stay upto date with all your DoTheDog news via the DoTheDog Podcast..!

www.dancingmood.net/musicaloccupation/category/do-the-dog-podcast

We at Combination13 hope that long may DoTheDog prosper & bring great bands to the attention of music lovers all over the world..!

We’ve had the pleasure to work with DotheDog on numerous releases down the years, here’s just a few..!

We caught up with Kevin Flowerdew and hit him with some questions…

1 – Blimey..! Up to 46 releases and going strong, did you ever dream of releasing that many albums..?

No not at all! When I put out the very first Do The Dog release, the “Rude Vibes” international ska compilation in 1996 it was only supposed to be a “one off” release to celebrate the 50th issue of the skazine that I was publishing. But I enjoyed putting out the compilation so much that I decided to continue with the label & release more ska CD’s. Even after the first few Do The Dog Music CD’s I never imagined that I would still be going as a label 13 years & 46 releases later! Its all a bit strange how I’ve survived so long really, I still don’t really know how to run a ‘proper’ record label & I pretty much make it up as I go along, ha ha!

2 – You’ve just released The Bakesys “Return To The Planet Of The Bakesys” live CD & received some great reviews. You actually co-founded the band playing keys, are there any calls for a one off reunion..? Fancy tinkling on the ivories once again..?!

To be honest all the great reviews & radio airplay that the CD has been receiving have come as a huge surprise to me & the rest of the members of The Bakesys! The wonderful reception that our 15 year old songs have received has indeed made us begin to think about the possibility of a Bakesys’ comeback. Due to the work & family commitments that members of the band now have I don’t think we would ever tour regularly again, but we have been talking about the possibility of a one off reunion gig sometime in 2010 & also writing some new songs for a second Bakesys’ studio album.

3 – Your brother is also a supremo independent label boss (heading up Rockers Revolt) and stars in Pama International (also on keys) – The Flowerdews have done a hell of a lot for UK Ska. But where does your brotherly love of the genre come from..?

We both got into ska when 2 Tone mania exploded in the UK charts in 1979. I was 12 & Sean was 9 so we were too young (& too scared, ha ha) to go to any proper ska gigs at the time, but we both started buying all the records by the likes of The Specials, Madness, The Beat & The Selecter that we could lay our hands on! Back then of course we would never have imagined that 30 years later Sean would have played keyboards onstage alongside various members of all of these bands!!!

4 – What’s up next for the Do The Dog, any new releases on the Horizon..?
Yeah we have a bunch of new Do The Dog Music releases hopefully coming out over the next few months & into 2010 including the debut full length albums by Jimmy The Squirrel, Captain Black No Stars, Dirty Revolution, Rasta4Eyes & John Player Specials, plus new albums by Smoke Like A Fish, Liam O’Kane, Rebelation & Cartoon Violence!

5 – Combi13 have designed many Albums/Gigposters/T-Shirts/SkaZines for DoTheDog – May we be so bold as to ask your favorite..?
Well I’ve really liked all the artwork that Combination 13 has done for the Do The Dog label & zine, that is why I keep coming back for more, ha ha! But my personal favourite of course  is the album artwork you did for my band The Bakesys!

Pleasure Talking to you Kevin, All The Best mate..!

www.dothedog.com – www.myspace.com/dothedogmusic

When one of the best Ska/Reggae Podcasts comes a knockin for artwork It’s best to get your scribble on – Here are but a few of our Pressure Drop Soundcast Flyers…

You can tune in yourself via download through www.dancingmood.net/musicaloccupation, which as it happens is the equally as entertaining Musical Occupation blog..!

We got in touch with Gabe Pressure to find out a little more about this Soundcast…

1 – Wow Gabe – 166 Episodes and counting, the Soundcast goes from Strength to strength huh..?!

It’s hard to believe really. What started out as a simple mix of music I enjoyed kind of took on a life of it’s own. The real action started when Daoster and Andrew Barker got into the hosting mix. It’s their enthusiasm and varying tastes that give the podcast it’s charm I have to say. That combined with the connection we’ve been able to make with like minded people around the globe is what keeps us motivated and moving along.

2 – Of the all these episodes, can you name any favourites..?

Man Steve, what kind of question is that! Okay, for me my favorites are the interview episodes. We learn so much from these musicians and our appreciation for the music becomes deeper every time. One major favorite is having interviewed Horace Panter of The Specials. First because it was like “holy crap I am talking to a member of the freaking Specials!” Second because “holy crap he is totally normal and The Specials are back!” Another was out tribute episode to Hepcat and Dave Fuentes. We interviewed many friends and family members. Their love for each other really showed in what they had to say. We realized just how human our musical heroes really are and where their true inspirations comes from.

3 – What inspired you to start the Pressure Drop Soundcast..?

Since grade school I was always putting together mixtapes for myself and for friends. Playing with ideas of what songs would sound cool together. My good friend Bob who hosts the excellent Mobtown Ska Sounds introduced me to podcasting. He taught me how to do it, and inspired me with his show. There was such an endless creative outlet here, and I got sucked right in.

4 – King Django took the time to write and record a theme tune for the show, how cool is that..?

More cool than being by the pool after school! King Django is one of my all time favorite artists and I can’t even believe he takes the time to deal with us. We started talking a few years ago when we did a Stubborn Records Anniversary Special. He has has passed on tons of support and wisdom to us ever since. My early podcasts sounded terrible and he told me so! Without his help I don’t think anyone would be able to listen to my episodes without cringing…maybe at least not as much. Being able to work with someone I look up to is really an honor. Big up a man like King D bringing the pressure from New Jersey!

5 – Pressure Drop Episodes are also hosted by Andrew Barker and on occasion, Daoster – Can you tell us more about these guys..?

Yes, they are the heart and soul of this thing. We alternate hosting duties each week. Daoster lives in San Jose and has a crazy fascination with Japanese Ska. Namely a love affair with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. He loves straight up real ska and will not be deterred from his eclectic taste and determination to one day interview TSPO. Andrew Barker used to host a ska/reggae college radio show in Chicago. He likes to play heavy monster dub and soulful reggae. When he graduated he joined us and brought along his great interviews and suave radio voice. He’s a real ladies man and an all around lovable guy.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Gabe, we’re always looking forward to your next show..!

www.dancingmood.net/musicaloccupation

Sonic Boom Six have been tearing up dancefloors all over the world for a good couple of years now, and have earnt a reputation as a formidable live band – Having seen them play a few times myself I can vouch that a boom night out is time well spent…If they’re playing to 50 in Serbia or 40,000 on Readings Main Stage, the band always deliver a ferocious set peppered with delightful ska & nicely timed breakdowns…

Hailing from Manchester, England, the Boom seem to effortlessly fuse Loud Guitars, Hip Hop Beats, Ska, Jungle, Punk Rock & even a cheeky dash of Bangra into their Molotov performances…Their latest release, ‘City Of Thieves’ has picked up rave reviews across the board and further cements their position as one of the hottest acts out there…

Enough of my Waffle, why not have a little look see for yourself..?

SONIC BOOM SIX – BACK 2 SKOOL

Over the years, our paths have crossed many times with the band, and we’re proud to have contributed our artwork in many forms.. Here’s just a few from the archive, including the brand new, Ruff Guide To Genre Terrorism deluxe edition digpack – All of which you’ll find on sale in the Boom Bunker – http://sonicboomsix.bigcartel.com

Despite endlessly touring onna schedule that would make Henry Rollins go weak at the knees (see below for current dates), the band also find time to run Rebel Alliance Recordings…Their Independent ethics have led them to not only self release their own Sonic Boom Material, but to sign up fellow bands and give em a crack too – With a roster proudly bearing the likes of The Skints, Random Hand, Mouthwash & the Babylon Whackers, Rebel Alliance has fast become a great place to find your next favorite album…

www.rebelalliancerecordings.com

www.sonicboomsix.co.uk

We had a chat with the bands spiritual leader, Bassist & Vocalist Mr. Barney Boom…

For the benefit of anyone new to the Boom, could you please introduce yourself and the Band..?

Well hello there. This is Barney Boom from Manchester punk band Sonic Boom Six. Even though it says six, there is actually five of us. We play a style of punk music that takes in a lot of influences like ska, hip-hop, reggae and dance music like jungle and dub and all things in between but the whole thing revolves around using those different sounds in the context of a punk band. We don’t like too many labels like ’4th Wave’ and ‘political’ because they rarely convey anything but a preconception of what a band is going to be about. I implore people to come and see us live and check out our music and if you like it, awesome, come and join the Boom fun and if you don’t, fine! Oh but don’t talk about it on the internet. And that goes for anyone saying anything bad about any band on the internet, ever. Next question!

City Of Theives has picked up great reviews/airplay all over the world, and the band recently played Reading’s Main Stage – you must be feeling pretty good about the band’s future..?

It’s been a hell of a year. As well as Reading/Leeds we’ve done the best headline tour we’ve ever done and the label is really getting moving and it feels like we’ve won over the respect of a lot of our detractors with the last record. However, it’s all change at the moment because our guitarist and co-main songwriter Ben C has left the band, touring-wise anyway, and is settling down with his new wife. On the one hand it’s bad because even though he’s still gonna be with us, we can’t realistically expect him to have the presence within the band as he did have. However, it does mean that we can find a new guitarist which is exciting because if someone is going to be coming into the band and bring new ideas into it, then it’s gonna be stimulating and exciting for us in a different way. In a sense, City of Thieves was the natural conclusion of the mix of styles we’d been doing since the start of the band and it’s definitely been our most successful album to date so it’s cool that we can kind of draw a line under that and start afresh. We’ve got lots of ideas for fresh sounds and hopefully are going to be playing with a new guitarist after the New Year so it’s all feeling very cool.

So how’s running your own label, Rebel Alliance, along side the band..? For such a young label, your stable of bands is very impressive..!

Yeah, I mean, with the release of the Skints album, it now seems like people are seeing Rebel Alliance as a roster rather than just a vanity thing because there is five bands on there. It’s definitely coming into its own. We definitely have a vision of where we fit in with everything and are dead-set on making the whole thing work. Every band on there complements each other and by being united together like this, we can help each other, learn from each others mistakes and use each others knowledge and all that. We want to keep the stable impressive certainly. It’s hard at the moment because we’re taking everything one step at a time but there are a hell of a lot of bands out there that are coming up with new sounds and ideas and it feels like things are getting moving again and if I had my way, we’d already have released 30 records. But I can see the wisdom in not doing that, that lack of quality control is a death knell for a label. A label needs consistency and their logo needs to be a sign of unimpeachable quality. So we’re striving to keep it that way!

You’ve played with some great bands down the years as a result of your constant touring, can you name any favourites our readers may be interested in..?

Well, it’s always great to play with bands like Big D and the Kids Table, Reel Big Fish, The King Blues, Anti-Flag and stuff but there are a ton of great bands your readers might never have heard. If you haven’t checked out the Rebel Alliance roster, come over to www.rebelalliancerecordings.com and have a look and a listen to the Babylon Whackers, Random Hand, Mouthwash and the Skints, all of which are incredible bands. In terms of the UK, as I say, there are a ton of awesome bands about at the moment. Off the top of my head I can recommend Clayton Blizzard, Babar Luck, Dirty Revolution, Stand Out Riot, Blag, The Hijacks, Clay Pigeon, A War Against Sound, Gecko, Jimmy the Squirrel, The Junk, Inner Terrestrials, JB Conspiracy, Chief and Suicide Bid, who we are a part of. Over in France, Guerilla Poubelle and Mr Jingle are great, in Belgium, check out Black Sheep and over in Holland, Jaya the Cat rock.

Lastly, you’re a band well known for keeping in touch with your fans – How can we keep tabs on your antics/releases..?

We’re always keeping things very up-to-date online so sonicboomsix.co.uk or myspace.com/sonicboomsix. Please don’t be shy about sending us a message, we read it all and welcome it totally.

Cheers Steve, now finish our art.

Say wha..?! Pleasure talking talking to you Mr. Boom..!