Ska Boom-Episode 017: NYC SKA LIVE Compilation

On this episode, I focus on the story behind the 1990 live compilation album NYC SKA LIVE.   It’s hard to believe its been 30 years since it was recorded and released. The NYC SKA LIVE concert was originally organized by Moon Records so that the crop of bands then on the NYC ska scene could be filmed by director Joe Massot for New York City Ska Craze, a planned sequel to his 2 Tone era film Dance Craze released in 1981.  The show was taped live at the Cat Club, which was located on 13th Street and Fourth Avenue in Manhattan on March 26th, 1990.  The dawn of the 90s NYC ska scene was marked by the release of the Toasters third full-length album 'This Gun For Hire' -- the first without co-front men Sean Dinsmore and Lionel Bernard who had left and signed a record deal as The Unity 2 -- and the New York Citizen's seminal 'Stranger Things Have Happened' EP which it can be argued was the first American ska album to feature ska core.  Don’t believe me? Give “Hell Town” a listen. Nearly five years on from the release of the N.Y. Beat: Hit & Run compilation which captured the sound of mid-80's New York City ska, NYC SKA LIVE documents the evolution of New York City ska into a diverse, post-2-Tone mix of sounds with more of an emphasis on roots reggae, traditional ska, rocksteady and dancehall reggae. While The Toasters and The New York Citizens are evolving sound wise, newer bands including my band Bigger Thomas, King Django's post-Boilers band Skinnerbox, The Steadys, Skadanks and Long Island's Scofflaws all offer their unique takes on American ska at the start of the 1990's.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices