Author Archives: 100dBs

Last Coney Island Reggae of 2012

This Sunday, I will return to the boardwalk at West 19th Street in Brooklyn to help wrap up the summer season with the last Coney Island Reggae party of the year. To shed some more light on the other people supporting this great event, I asked Quoc Pham (Director of Sound Liberation Front) a few questions.

Coney Island Reggae 2012

Sunday, September 9 – Coney Island – Boardwalk at West 19th Street, Brooklyn, NY – No Cover

100dBs: Tell me a little bit about Sound Liberation Front, and how you got involved with Carter Van Pelt and Coney Island Reggae.

Quoc Pham: Sound Liberation Front is a music organization that I started about 4 years ago after relocating to Brooklyn. SLF was born out of a group of individuals with a passion for music and a deep interest in exposing diverse musical cultures to the community. What started as a small side project turned into a full fledged event production and marketing start up and we are quickly expanding into exciting new ventures.

I met Carter during the inaugural Coney Island reggae event. I had heard about it from seeing the flyer on Facebook but didn’t really know what to expect. When I got to the boardwalk, I was pretty much blown away by the concept of bringing Jamaican sound system culture to an iconic environment and the unique vibes that this created. Out of luck, I had brought my camera that day and ended up capturing the event. Carter ended up seeing the photos on Facebook shortly afterwards and ended up contacted me. I immediately saw the potential to connect the dots between his vision and our mission statement and that’s how the collaboration started. Over the past three seasons, we’ve been mostly taking on the marketing and content production side of the project and helping establish it among other popular summer events in NYC.

What drew me to this project was Carter’s integrity and focus in promoting the culture and a sense of community. I think very few people, even in reggae circles understand or appreciate the centrality of sound system culture in the development of Jamaican music. Nowadays, it feels like reggae is often relegated to being a soundtrack for second tier clubs so this was a great opportunity to present and expose the music in the format for which it was originally made and meant to be experienced.

100dBs: What’s your background? When did you move to Brooklyn, and what made you do it?

QP: I grew up in France but was originally born in Vietnam. I moved to Brooklyn 5 years ago after going to college in Seattle and moving around different cities in the US. When I first came here, I immediately felt a sense of home. I think that the people, overall energy and sense of community really appealed to me. Brooklyn is definitely home for me, at least for a while.

100dBs:  It seems like Coney Island Reggae gets bigger every year. What was your favorite moment so far, and why?

QP: That’s a tough question. There’s been so many memorable moments but I think the highlight for me was seeing Carlton Livingston performing “Hey mr DJ” in a rub a dub style during the second Coney Island session. Next to that would probably be the tune for tune segment between Son’s Junior and Sir Tommy’s earlier this year.

100dBs: I’ve been seeing pictures of the soundsystem you built. Give me some details about that, and tell me what the biggest challenges were.

QP: Ha… This has been a secret project in the making. As mentioned earlier, I have a fascination (turned obsession) for sound system culture so to me, building one was almost a necessary learning step. I found a very skilled builder in Brooklyn and we’ve been working on this system over the last 8 months. We spent a lot of times doing research to find the perfect combination of design and components. The rig has 12 boxes housing 24 elements powered by a total of 12,000W! I’m really happy about how the system turned out and from the few test we’ve done so far, I can honestly say that this is going to blow people away!

The biggest challenge was turning my apartment into a full on wood workshop and still being on good terms with my roommates and neighbors. We have a lot of exciting projects for the system which I can’t talk about yet but people will definitely be seeing it and hearing it soon!

100dBs: Got any surprises in store for this last one, or for next year?

QP: Wouldn’t be fun if I told you right? What I love about this event is its sense of unpredictability. You never know what’s coming and there will always be surprises, even for us.

Coney Island Reggae 2012 - Directions

Nice It Up Again with Glen Pine

Tomorrow, I return to The Monro Pub with my good friend Glen Pine of The Slackers. His debut on the wheels of steel will include a wide array of psych rock, garage, and other obscurities (from what I’ve been told). Come hang with us starting at 10:00 PM.

Nice It Up with Glen Pine

Saturday, July 28th – The Monro Pub – 481 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York – No Cover

Though I’m not spinning or performing tonight, I’ll be hanging out at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook with another beloved Slacker. Dave Hillyard’s jazz trio (including Big Dan Jeselsohn and living legend Larry McDonald) will be playing. Pass through and enjoy the music.

Nice It Up at The Monro Pub

Nice It Up at The Monro Pub

Saturday, June 30 – The Monro Pub – 481 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York – No Cover

The Monro Pub

The Monro Pub's menu

I’m launching the first DJ night at the brand spankin’ new Monro, a British pub with great ales on tap and meat pies in the toaster oven. Located right at 5th Ave and 11th Street in Brooklyn, I think this is going to be one of the coolest little spots in the southern part of Park Slope.

Vinny, owner of The Monro Pub

Vinny, the owner, came to Brooklyn from Liverpool and wanted to bring a bit of his own flavor with him. I’ll be spinning there this Saturday from 10:00 PM onward with the inimitable Ticklah also joining me on the decks!

Earlier on Saturday, from 2:00 til 4:00 PM, I’ll be helping President Carter out with his show Antiques Roadblock at Miss Lily’s. Stop by to hang out and eat, or just tune in online at www.radiolily.com.

In other news, the Frightnrs (formerly known as the Frighteners before threat of a lawsuit) have just digitally released their debut EP. Recorded at Ticklah’s studio and produced by Agent Jay, this release really displays how tight this young group is. They’re no longer a secret. Grab it here.

Deep Brooklyn: Sunset Park

At the far end of Sunset Park, almost to Bay Ridge, you’ll find Arish’s Barber Shop just past 5th Avenue on 61st Street. He’s from the Dominican Republic, and came to New York City in 1990. Mention any neighborhood in southern Brooklyn to him and he’ll tell you a story about it.

Arish Barber Shop

Arish’s place is a little gem in this neighborhood, where many barber shops are noisy, dirty, and unwelcoming to newcomers. The inside of his shop is filled with dark wood detailing and artifacts of Afro-Caribbean origin he’s picked up along his travels. He only works with one other barber and knows his clients well… and they come from all over Brooklyn to get their hair cut here. Sometimes I see entire families waiting on the bench, waiting for a turn to sit in the chair.

Arish in his barber shop

The cool thing about Arish is that he can make you feel comfortable by talking about pretty much anything. If you crack a joke in Spanish, he’ll respond in kind. If you bring up local news, you’re sure to get his opinion. Bring up reggae music and he’ll recommend some tunes… all while craftily handling the straight razor. Just don’t talk too much while he’s got it on your neck.

Arish Barber Shop

I love this spot because it’s affordable, unpretentious, and really chill. I usually call ahead, but if you drop by and don’t mind waiting a bit he will always find time for you. I lived in Sunset Park for years, and though I no longer reside there I make trips back every few weeks to see Arish. It’s always worth it.

Sunset Park

The neighborhood is a mix of Central Americans, Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and an increasingly visible minority of young professionals looking for affordable housing. Many people consider it a far-flung neighborhood, but to be honest, the presence of the N and D express trains at 36th Street makes it about a 25 minute trip from lower Manhattan. Rents have been rising steadily. The neighborhood feels different than it did even seven years ago; things are changing fast. 5th Avenue is the main drag, filled with restaurants, shoe stores, 99 cent stores, and amazing cake shops.

Cake Shop

If you go to 51st Street and 5th Ave, you can eat the best tacos on the east coast at Ricos Tacos. Choose from carnitas, bistec, pollo, lengua, al pastor and more meats than I can remember at the moment.

Ricos Tacos

They serve the corn tortilla tacos with radish, cilantro and lime. The best part is that they’re open 24 hours a day – perfect after a long night. Grab a Sidral Mundet (Mexican apple soda) or horchata and sit outside. I have yet to find a better taco spot on this side of the country.

Ricos Tacos

You can’t miss this spot. Just look for the pig mural.

Ricos Tacos

Sunset Park is also home to Johnny’s Pizza, a holdover from a time when the neighborhood was more Italian. Many of these folks have moved on to Bay Ridge, just south of this corner at 58th Street and 5th Ave. Johnny’s has the best grandma slice in New York for my money. A few years ago Papa John’s opened a store next door, but Johnny’s is still going strong.

Johnny's Pizza

Dominican restaurants pepper the blocks throughout the hood. Most of them have counter seating and hot trays of specialties like carne guisado, platanos and oxtail.

Dominican Food

Another distinguishing characteristic of Sunset is the density of churches. I’m pretty sure it has more churches than any neighborhood in New York. The most famous one is the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at 59th Street and 5th Ave. This huge building is an architectural landmark, and was built around beginning of the 20th century on what was then known as Irish Hill. Like the Italians, most of the Irish residents of this neighborhood have long since left, though you can still see some hanging out at the Irish Haven on 58th Street and 4th Ave.

Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

These days, it’s not uncommon to see Puerto Rican flags alongside American flags draping out of apartment windows or on flagpoles outside restaurants. To me, it’s a perfect symbol of what Sunset Park really is: a neighborhood full of immigrants who are working hard to make it in America.

Puerto Rican flag

Coney Island Reggae

This Sunday, I will have the honor of opening up the summer season for the Coney Island Reggae beach party with a set at noon! If you’ve been to the event before, you know how much fun it is… but just in case you haven’t, I’ll break it down for you right here. I had a little chat with President Carter Van Pelt of WKCR radio, the founder of this party, to shed some light on its history and its future on the boardwalk. Huge thanks and praise are due to him and Sound Liberation Front for keeping this event running for years, and hopefully many more years to come. I look forward to seeing you all this weekend, right by the Space Needle!

Coney Island Reggae 2012

Sunday, June 3 – Coney Island – Boardwalk at West 19th Street, Brooklyn, NY – No Cover

100dBs: Talk a bit about how the event started and what inspired the first Coney Island Reggae.

Carter Van Pelt: For years I saw guys playing small PA systems on the boardwalk under the little pavilions and thought it would be good to do that with reggae. I didn’t realize it was as simple as a Parks Department permit and a sound permit from the NYPD 60th precinct. I wasn’t originally thinking we could get away with a proper soundsystem because of the volume they can produce, but I tried the first one on June 5, 2010 and it was a pretty big success for a trial run. A handful of loyal WKCR people came out and we were capturing interest from random people on the boardwalk. The volume was never actually a problem because the boxes are pointed out at the water, and whoever didn’t want to hear it could walk away. That first time it was me, Vaughn Davis from WKCR, Dave Hahn (Solo), and Joseph Ladipo aka Sound Demension, a brilliant young selector from Queens. Mikey Jarrett, Peter Ranks, and Willow Wilson came out and gave us great vibes on the mic, and both Niney the Observer and Clive Chin were there to endorse it.

At the first event two years ago, Quoc Pham and Oona McCarthy from Sound Liberation front were there just checking it out, and later Q approached me about partnering, and we’ve done that going forward. They do a great job branding and promoting the event and bringing people from outside the WKCR reggae community.

Setting up the sound system at Coney Island Reggae

100dBs: What were some of the biggest challenges in organizing this event (besides getting dreads to show up on time)?

CVP: Running a sound system off a gas generator is a challenge because technically, it has to provide enough amperage (power), and if it falls below what the system needs, everything goes to hell fast. We kept having trouble running the first sound system, with my friend Basil/742 Sound. He is not used to running his system off a generator. Sir Tommy is friends with Barry Chanter Dinham, who has a huge rig at his place, also has vans, and has a generator. So I’ve been working with him since last year, and he and his sons, Timeless Movement, are really professional. Barry is old school and has been doing this since the 70s.

Chanter at the controls on Coney Island

100dBs: Right. We had some people asking about stereo, and you explained why mono is more efficient with power and easier to set up properly. Do you wanna recount some memorable moments from years past?

CVP: Can’t top two years ago when Johnny Osbourne and Carlton Livingston hit the mic. At the first event, I was carrying a copy of Dennis Brown’s “No More Shall I Roam” and flipped it for Willow Wilson, and he just killed it, totally channeled Brown. That same first event, I got the vibes going along mid-afternoon, playing mellow lovers rock, and then Vaughn came in and took it to another level. Vaughn is really good and playing a combination of records people know and records people don’t know. He started off with the Mighty Diamonds “Pass the Kutchie,” which while it may seem like an obvious song, when it came to the line “I could feel it cause it was the month of June…” people went bananas – crazy forward vibes. That’s the art of selecting.

Last July, Fidel Luna, aka Twice, knocked out a really tough digital set with Daddy Lion on the mic and that was memorable because it changed up the vibe. Also last year we started doing a tune for tune at the end of the day and the energy and joy and friendly oneupsmanship of that is a blast.

Deejays and selectors combine at Coney Island Reggae

100dBs: Do you see people from outside the NYC reggae scene getting interested in the music through the event?

CVP: I have to think it’s possible if it’s done right, because I swear that reggae can be a revelation when played on a sound system. A song you know or a song you don’t know can sound like the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard when it’s larger than life. This music was conceived to be played this way, and we hardly ever get to hear it this way in the States. So hopefully it does bring in new people and the older heads are reenergized and reminded why they love it so much. Plus, Coney Island is a wonderful place and the combination of the sound system at the boardwalk is about perfect in my book.

Crowd at Coney Island Reggae

100dBs: Who ripped your favorite sets in the past, and who are your favorite selectors participating this year?

CVP: I’m not going to reveal who the new names will be for this year – most of the people from last summer will be back, including Downbeat (Tony Screw), Digital English, Sir Tommy, Son’s Junior, Jah Steve, and Clive Chin, plus I’m going to have 3-4 key people who haven’t come out yet – some reclusive types. It’s really really important, actually critical that this event includes people who have been doing this since the music was cutting edge – who were going to dances in Jamaica in the 60s and 70s and really know the music through the 7-inch single and the dancehall. That’s the real foundation. There are a lot of younger people who are more visible, but I feel strongly about cultural authority. Not that we who are outside Jamaican culture can’t do it well, but I will always respect the elders, because without them we wouldn’t know anything about this music. On top of that, I respect the amount of work, time and money they all had to invest in learning about music and building collections when there were no MP3s, no internet databases, no sharing of that sort. It was learned at the dancehall and in record stores.

Selecting is an art at Coney Island Reggae

100dBs: That’s great insight and wisdom. I don’t shun technology but it’s vital to know the roots. When did you move to NYC and how did you get your start with Jamaican music here?

CVP: I moved here in 2003. I previously had a life as a concert promoter, radio deejay and “music journalist” and had written about Jamaican music extensively in the 1990s for The Beat, Reggae Report, and Dub Missive – all key publications that are sadly out of print now because of the internet. More people knew me then than now, I think, because I had a reputation from those magazines and as one of the first people to use the internet for reggae journalism and oral histories. That’s why my name is in the Rough Guide to Reggae, for example. I also was well connected in Jamaica before I moved here – Linval Thompson is like my Jamaican step-brother, or something. He’s always looked out for me there, and I can move around with ease in Kingston as a result of him and other people who check for me like Willi Williams, Mutabaruka, et al.

So getting into the community here was just a matter of meeting people, and WKCR was a key. I was in grad school at Columbia and met Vaughn and Vinnie of King Crown at the station. I used to fill in for their Thursday slot, then took over when there were some station politics that left them without a show. I was able to bring Vaughn back circa 2009. Their audience was longtime and very loyal and very largely Jamaican / West Indian. So when I was able to go in and get validation from that audience for what I was doing, I knew wasn’t a total impostor. I have been playing out more in recent years and invited to be on community shows, thanks largely to Vaughn and the WKCR connection.

Coney Island Reggae goes from noon til night

100dBs: Nice. Have you thought about expanding to different cities or doing a different spot in NYC?

CVP: Taking a soundsystem on the road would be a full time job. I wouldn’t attempt it without a strong singer and a strong emcee, but I would love to do that. I’m not sure people would “get it” though. It could be fun to try, or possibly a nightmare!

Coney Island Reggae 2012 - Directions

Double Header & 4/20 Weekend

During an intense basketball game with Ticklah, The Forthrights and The Frighteners last weekend I somehow managed to fracture my finger. Despite this and because I am a bad bad man, tonight I will be spinning records at Motor City Bar once again for Roots Rock Reggae with Hahn Solo and President Carter. After that wraps up, I’m heading up to Otto’s Shrunken Head for Move Your Mule with the Crazy Baldhead crew. I will have nuff 45s in my box to murder any sound.

On 4/20 itself (Friday) I’ll be engineering some sound for Top Shotta at Sunny’s in Red Hook. This is out of the way for most folks but well worth it… it’s the best bar in Brooklyn, in my humble opinion.

Saturday will feature Dub Is A Weapon playing heavy sets at Zebulon in Williamsburg with me DJing between sets. I feel fortunate to be able to do nothing but Brooklyn and LES gigs all weekend. Big up each and every one of you in New York playing (and supporting) local gigs. You make me proud to reside here and eager to participate, every time.

Thursday, April 19 – Motor City Bar – 127 Ludlow Street, New York – No Cover

Thursday, April 19 – Otto’s Shrunken Head – 538 East 14th Street, New York – No Cover

Friday, April 20 – Sunny’s – 253 Conover Street, Brooklyn, New York – No Cover

Saturday, April 21 – Zebulon – 258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, New York – No Cover

Roots Rock Reggae at Motor City Bar

Thursday night is reggae night in NYC. Between Dave and Carter’s night at Motor City Bar, Deadly Dragon’s party at Happy Ending, and Crazy Baldhead’s weekly takeover of Otto’s Shrunken Head, there are plenty of places to hear Jamaican tunes from the evening til the early morning. This week I’ll be joining Hahn Solo and trying my best to fill President Carter’s shoes at Roots Rock Reggae. Strictly vinyl and nice vibes every time.

Thursday, February 23 – Motor City Bar – 127 Ludlow Street, New York – No Cover

The Full Watts Band

This Saturday, I’ll be doing some ragtag sound engineering for The Full Watts Band, Eddie Ocampo’s latest foray into reggae classics from times past. Hearing this group play is a real treat. I’ve been fortunate enough to take some drum lessons with Eddie, who learned a lot from the late (great) Lloyd Knibb, of Skatalites fame. His wisdom lives on and shines through every time this guy sits at the kit. Come to Two Boots Brooklyn this weekend to experience it for yourself over some red beans and rice:

The Full Watts Band at Two Boots Brooklyn

Saturday, February 4 – Two Boots – 514 2nd Street, Brooklyn, NY – No Cover

Deep Brooklyn: Bensonhurst

This is the first post I’m making in a category called Deep Brooklyn – a highlight of places in my favorite borough that most people don’t encounter. If it’s easy to get there from Manhattan, chances are it will never be on this list.

I don’t find myself in Bensonhurst often, though it’s not too far away from me. On this particular day, I was not in the best of moods because I had somehow managed to get an eye infection over Christmas weekend while everyone else was getting gifts. The only doctor that could see me the following Monday happened to be on 86th Street near Bay Parkway, so I hopped the N train for my appointment.

When you pass 59th Street on the N, the train suddenly surfaces and southern Brooklyn opens up before you. It’s a different world when you’re used to riding underground. I got off at New Utrecht and switched to the D until Bay Parkway. The doctor was thorough, diagnosed my problem right away and instructed me to boil an egg and put it on my eye to increase blood flow to the area. Great, I guess I’ll eat some eggs later. After picking up some prescription eye drops, I realized I wasn’t too far from a great place to grab some more appetizing food: L & B Spumoni Gardens, at the border of Gravesend. So I walked east on 86th underneath the tracks.

Bensonhurst is a mix of mostly old-school Italians, former Soviet immigrants and newer Asian immigrants. I saw a lot of places on my walk that I wanted to stop into but I was on a mission. Next time I’m around I’ll check some of these other places out.

Most people don’t think about getting Italian ice on December 26th, but Spumoni Gardens is busy til closing time without fail. I’m not known for my proclivity for cold weather, but I grabbed a Sicilian slice (the best in Brooklyn by far) and a cup of spumoni and sat outside to eat.

For those of you who don’t know what spumoni is, the best way to describe it is a pistachio flavored cream ice. It’s the perfect dessert to follow up a piping hot square slice of pizza on a cold day. My hands were freezing cold but I didn’t give a shit. I walked to the train station finishing my cup, feeling fortunate that a mishap led me back to this neighborhood.

The Slackers Holiday Show 2011

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The Slackers Holiday Show is this Saturday, and I’ll be DJing at Irving Plaza between sets by supporting acts The Pietasters and Bomb The Music Industry. Get your ticket now, cuz I predict this one will sell out.

The Slackers Holiday Show 2011

I’m proud to say my man Tom over at Whatevski did a fantastic job promoting The Slackers’ new record full of covers, The Radio. When the due date for funding came around, the goal of $5,000 was more than doubled! Tom can now buy a used car with the extra dough. In all seriousness, this is a great sign for the band, Whatevski as a label, and crowd-sourced funding in general.

Unfortunately, someone amongst the approximately four hundred supporters decided to put an exact copy of the release on a pirate site for free download.

The troubling fact here is that it was a true fan; at least, that’s who it appears to be. With all due respect to the members of the band, they aren’t nearly big enough a target for someone from the outside to bother with this sort of tactic. This means someone on the inside thought it was cool to support the project via Kickstarter, then turn around and stab them in the back. I’m not going to sit here and preach about the wrongs of piracy, as I’m pretty sure everyone reading this has done it at some point in their life. But when you do it in such a small bubble and within less than 24 hours, it feels personal and very wrong.

This reminds me of an experience I had with Ryan-O’Neil when we were finished with our first album. We were excited to see orders pouring in on release day, both for our physical CD and the digital download. One week later I came across a Russian download site that had our full album available for download, including scans of the CD and booklet itself! Needless to say, we were floored. If The Slackers are considered a small independent group, then by comparison Ryan and I are infinitesimal.

I was impressed by the pirate’s dedication in bothering to scan the physical product, but I felt cheated. This wasn’t really about money. This was about someone within our circle who felt it was right to give away our hard work for free. If you know me at all, you know that most of what I make is freely available and what I do charge for is very reasonably priced. I don’t chase down bootleggers and I don’t realistically think that my art is above piracy. However, I would have really loved to believe that our fans wouldn’t insult us like that.

Tom is asking whoever did the act to step forward in exchange for full amnesty. Otherwise, he’s threatening to cut off the official download links, and will probably look into the issue more deeply. So here I am, asking the same thing. I love this band and if you do too, you’d step forward now. By refusing to do so, you’re discouraging artists from releasing special projects and depriving everyone else of that beauty.

See you this Saturday.

Saturday, December 17 – Irving Plaza – 17 Irving Pl, New York, NY
– $17.50