The Witzard

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 ...

Amy Winehouse was not unlike the late-great Ol' Dirty Bastard : Wildly talented, mildly deranged - A genuinely tortured soul. Winehouse's last known batch of proper recordings was recently collected and released as Lioness: Hidden Treasures . The Jolly Boys consists of 3 laid-back 70-something gentlemen: Albert Minott, Derrick "Johnny" Henry , and Joseph "Powder" Bennett . Utilizing sparse instrumentation -- acoustic guitar, 'rumba box [bass sub.] and maracas -- The Jolly Boys create a distinct brand of "Mento" music... a centuries-old style of Jamaican Folk not generally known outside of the island region. Legend has it that The Jolly Boys' up-beat riddims were the soundtrack to many of [actor] Errol Flynn 's infamous "never-ending" yacht parties. "Powder" & "Johnny" were 2 of The Jolly Boys founding members, upon it's formation back in The Roaring 50's. Albert Minott seems to be the ...

I think it'd be legitimately "safe" to say that a [Third Wave] Ska-Punk Fusion band like Rancid would not even exist without vets, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff . Fuhgeddaboud Bob Marley & The Wailers for a minute, Jimmy Cliff was the true originator of the 2 Jamaican -bred Reggae musicians; Cliff is widely known for his beautiful, honey-drenched Soulful harmonies... and was recently recognized as one of the few Reggae -tinged Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees (March 2010). Past mainstream hits have included "The Harder They Come," "I Can See Clearly Now," and "Many Rivers to Cross." Dr. Cliff is currently putting the finishing touches on a 2012 full-length, Existence . Jimmy Cliff effectively teamed up with Rancid-Transplants frontman, Tim Armstrong to record what would become his first proper studio release in nearly 8 years, Sacred Fire EP . The by-product of 6 arduous months is a set of 5 songs... produced by Armstron...