The Witzard

Victor "Vic" Ruggiero is a Bronx, New York-based musician, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, who's best-known as the keyboardist and frontman of beloved Ska band, The Slackers. Ruggiero has, also, spent time playing with Stubborn All-Stars, Sic & Mad, SKAndalous All-Stars, Crazy Baldhead, Da Whole Thing, The Silencers, The Mooks, and Reggae Workers of The World. He's released several solo albums, EP's, and singles and has, additionally, been featured on recordings by Rancid, Transplants, P!NK, Tim Timebomb, and more. The Slackers recently released their latest 12-inch/digital single, "Nobody's Listening" B/W "Sleep Outside," as well as a vinyl re-issue of 2000's Live At Ernesto's! originally a CD-only release on Hellcat/Epitaph, with Pirates Press Records. Just a few months ago, we purchased a digital copy of Lauren Napier & Vic Ruggiero's collaborative Duets, Vol. 1 EP released on Chicago-based imprint Happy As A La...

Never Thought by Renaldo Domino " Renaldo Domino , one of the unsung heroes of Chicago Soul , is joined by six Chicago music veterans to unleash a groove explosion," reads the About Me section on The Renaldo Domino Experience 's Facebook page. The Experience consists of Renaldo "Domino" Jones on vocals, Jason Larson on guitar, Kenn Goodman on keys, Ralph Baumel on bass, Joe Camarillo on drums, David E. Smith on saxophone, and Justin Amolsch on trumpet. Goodman & Smith previously appeared on "Lady (You Are My Woman)" B/W "Mercy On Me" from Pravda Records' 2017 7-inch as part of Renaldo Domino & The Imperial Sound . Renaldo Domino is a " Chicago Soul & Funk singer from "The Valley" around 49th & Forestville. He got his name because his voice was sweet like Domino Sugar ," according to Mr. Jones' Discogs page. Domino originally released, at least, six 7-inch singles on Smash Records,...

Anthony "Nantee" Abbinanti AKA King Tony is the CEO & Co-Founder of Chicago -based Reggae label Happy As a Lark (HAAL) and moonlights as drummer and producer for the label's flagship band, The Drastics . Abbinanti and a few like-minded friends initially formed HAAL around 2009 to quietly issue two MC Zulu -assisted Drastics 7-inches and recently re-formed early in 2017 as a more fully-formed label; Happy As a Lark has since released a brand new Drastics album, Noir —accompanied by a feverish remix album, Noir Dub —each digital album packaged with an exclusive 7-inch from the imprint's artists and affiliates. The Drastics quite fittingly describe themselves as channeling " Roots Reggae from 1982's future of 2187" and in addition to a slew of original material, have released not one, but two EP's-worth of Reggae -fied Michael Jackson covers, dubbed MJ a Rocker and MJ a Rocker No.2 . Now, Anthony Abbinanti has teamed back up with The ...

Noir Dub by The Drastics The Drastics drummer-producer and founder of Chicago -based Reggae imprint Happy As a Lark , Anthony "Nantee" Abbinanti sat down with fellow Chicagoan Richard Milne from 93XRT for a recent installment of his Local Anesthetic Podcast . Milne asked Abbinanti to define "Dub" and to clarify the difference between Dub and Rub-a-Dub . Anthony Abbinanti readily replied: "So, Dub is... I think you could apply to anything. I mean, I think The Clash dubbed their albums. So, it's just taking the track and adding the delays and the reverbs and sparing it up. Basically, Lee ["Scratch"] Perry called Dub "X-ray Music," which is a term I really like; where you kinda take the track and you see different layers at different times. Rub-a-Dub : the actual origins of it, I couldn't pinpoint exactly right now... but it sort of encapsulates more of a backbeat-style Reggae that was popularized more in the 80's. Gr...