MP3 Ruder Than You - Philly Stylee

Long awaited third CD featuring modern ska, reggae, and hip hop sounds.

10 MP3 Songs
WORLD: Reggae, ROCK: Ska



Details:
Ruder Than You was founded in 1989 at Penn State University and, in 1991, the group relocated to Philadelphia. While ska and reggae stylings have always provided the common musical thread, over the past 18 plus years they've been mixing in dancehall reggae, hip-hop, rocksteady, and rub-a-dub - even adding elements of funk, jazz, and punk - to create their own unique sound. Arguably the most popular ska-influenced Philadelphia band since the Hooters(!), Ruder Than You's musical madness has the power to pull people out of their seats and onto the dance floor.

In 1992, Moon Records, a.k.a. MoonSKA NYC, jumped at the chance to put out their debut album, Big Step, and its follow-up Horny for Ska in 1996. By the mid 90's the group had morphed from a five-piece into a nine-piece outfit and captured a passionate, loyal following in the Philly and New York areas, selling out shows regularly. The group toured nationally, regularly opening up for groups like the Skatalites, Steel Pulse, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Desmond Dekker, Ziggy Marley, Special Beat, Bad Manners, Fishbone, Yellowman, Eek a Mouse, and No Doubt. The Ruder CDs were released in Japan and England, and songs can be found on dozens of ska compilations far and wide.

Now, with Moon Records defunct, the band self-released their long-awaited third album, Philly Stylee, on God's Ghetto Records label. The CD features the late Trish Johnson on bari-sax and several top Philadelphia guest musicians including Philly jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, John Swana. Philly Stylee was recorded in spurts during the 'Third Wave' ska heyday between 1996 and 1999 with final vocal overdubs and mixes completed in 2004. The CD was excruciatingly long in the making for many reasons, not the least of which included the demise of Moon Records, a 3-year incarceration of lead singer and toaster Freddie 3D Weaver, and the death of bari-sax player Trish Johnson, who was killed in a late night car accident in 1998 returning from a solo jazz performance. Despite these obstacles, after taking a nearly 3-year hiatus, the band began performing again in 2003 and completed the Philly Stylee CD.

The band's current roster is packed with veteran members: singer Freddie Weaver, Doug Dubrosky on vocals and tenor sax, John Woodman playing drums, Don Pancoe on bass, Rod Martino on guitar, and Chris Klimchak on trombone. Three of the current band members, including bass and drums, hail from the earliest days of RTY. So, whether it be on the CD player or at a live concert, you are oh so encouraged to let your mind and body succumb to the rude, rude, Philly-Stylee sounds of those brothers of love, Ruder Than You.