2006-03-15 - 6:46 p.m. Had fun exploring some new-to-me venues last night. First, the cozy Rockwood Music Hall: the reality of the place (tiny, glass-enclosed storefront bar on Allen Street) and the name (suggesting a dinner theater venue in Syosset where New Riders of the Purple Sage would be playing, with radio spots advertising Rrrrrrrrrockwood! Music Halllll!") creates a funny disconnect. Then hopped over to Banjo Jim's, where Erica Smith gave a really lovely performance. Our girl did some tunes that sounded new to me, along with her old classics and both a Dan Sallitt cover and an amazing Love Camp 7 song--although mathematically speaking, Erica's band practically is Love Camp 7. Well done, chimps. Lots of new music to opine upon, but I must devote all my words today to a song I re-discovered while trolling Emusic the other day. I don't like posting MP3s, so I shan't, but I have fallen deeply in love with "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker and you can, too. Ska has never been one of my favorite genres--I love the (English) Beat because their songs are so well written, and I had the first Specials album cuz--well, cuz it's the law. But that's about it...and the resurgence of ska in the 90s as a jock-y beer-guzzling soundtrack only distanced me more. But hearing this song is like eating this after a steady diet of Twinkies: oh! So that's what cake tastes like. That's what ska is supposed to be. My food-related metaphors never really work, do they?
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