The Scene/HT, Bloomington, IN, FEATURE 'Audibles'- The Slackers return >>
The Slackers return to Bloomington
Ska music is a Jamaican-born music style that originated in the late1950s, making it a precursor to reggae. Ska was heavily influenced by American soul and R&B, which came to the island from radio stations in the deep South. Ska music infuses traditional island rhythms with federally upbeat melodies, and is generally recognizable for its “rocksteady” drum and bass interplay and clean, bouncy guitar lines, generally played in the higher registers of the instrument. A key component of ska is also the use of horns to augment the melodies, typically trumpet and saxophone. The music is usually lighter-hearted in nature than reggae.
There have been three “waves” of popularity in ska music, the first in the beginning with bands like the Skatalites and Desmond Dekker. The second was in the late ‘70s, when British punks and mods rediscovered the form and combined its danceability with their rock idioms, exemplified by the Specials and Madness, and the third wave was in the ‘90s, with hardcore and puck bands again reviving the form, combining it with their styles. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are probably the best known of the batch of revivalists.
Which brings us to The Slackers. The New York City group was borne from the third wave ska, but chose to concentrate on the traditional side of the music, with little rock or punk influence. Instead, the Slackers look more in to the past, incorporating traditional ska and reggae with elements of Curtis Mayfield-style soul, along with touches of jazz and ‘60s pop.
The band’s release Close My Eyes, is loosely organized concept album celebrating-and lamenting-the seven piece ban’s hometown of NYC. Obviously inspired by the events of 9/11, the album expands on the theme, referring to not just the overwhelming tragedy of the attacks but also personal tragedies and how they were all intertwined. As frontman Vic Ruggerio said of 9/11 in the band’s press kit, I remember my dad saying the end of the world is the end if it happens to everyone or just one guy.”
The songs on the album bear out that simple truth-that we are all important, and our lives all matter somehow. The record doesn’t dwell in those sorts of deep thoughts, though. The underlying message seems to be to enjoy the time we have, and the band’s sound on this, its seventh record, is finely honed distillation of its myriad influences.
The band’s percussive attack is insistent, making even the most lyrically heavy songs danceable, and the instrumentation—bright horns, clean guitars and bubbly bass—is uncluttered, allowing Ruggerio’s gruff vocals to lead the songs. The vocals are occasionally augmented by an MC, in a nod to the “toasting” tradition of traditional dancehall. That’s fitting for The Slackers, a band steeped in tradition but firmly planted in the present.
The Slackers will be at Uncle Fester’s at 9 tonight. Cover is $7.
Audibles by David Coonce
10/02/03
