Love Is Stronger






David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 pay tribute to Roland Alphonso
Hank's Saloon, Friday January 27th, 2017

Photography by Miki Marcinkiewicz © 2017

No Sleep For You



RUNNY
RISK/REWARD • LITTLE BOMBS

Saturday, January 28th at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at 8PM. $7 cover. 21+ with ID.

Brighter Shade of Roots



THE ROCKSTEADY 7
Play the Roland Alphonso songbook
Plus: DJ 100dBs on the wheels of steel

Saxophonist Roland Alphonso was one of the major figures of early ska and reggae on several fronts: his recordings as a soloist and bandleader, his work as a member of the Skatalites, his prolific log of session appearances on 1960s Jamaican recordings, and his role as arranger for Studio One. (The Skatalites backed everyone from Jimmy Cliff, Ken Boothe and Toots and the Maytals, to Lee Perry, Marcia Griffiths and Bob Marley and the Wailers.) Although his roots were in the jazz he played as a teenager and young man, he adapted to the emerging Jamaican popular music so well that he became one of its defining innovators. Certainly he was one of reggae's most accomplished instrumentalists — Alphonso's tone was in a league with American jazzmen and R&B players. His versatility allowed for a wide scope of recorded material, from up-tempo ska novelties and ballads that showed his skill at jazz improvisation to numbers with an R&B/soul base. Alphonso died in 1998 when a blood vessel burst in his neck just after he had completed a solo while playing live with the reformed Skatalites.

The Rocksteady 7 is an influential American ska and jazz band from NYC. Since the early '90s the group has consisted of tenor saxophonist and band leader David Hillyard (of Slackers fame) as well as percussionist Larry McDonald (Afro Jamaicans, Bob Marley, Taj Mahal, Gil-Scott Heron). In live performances, they are supported by a rotating cast of musicians, including drummer Eddie Ocampo and Dave Wake on keys among others. Given reggae's globally reaching influence, the Rocksteady 7 holds true to the genre's roots and the self-described "Jamaican Jazz" sound combines ska, rocksteady and reggae with extended jazz improvisation, intricate melodies, and complex harmonies. The group incorporates many diverse elements of world music with rocksteady rhythms, including ska, jazz, calypso, as well as early African and American jazz influences.

100dBs is a producer and DJ living in Brooklyn whose signature style blends performance and selection: astral echo pedal on a wild crate-digger's chase through the genealogy of a tune. He came up listening to Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder, thanks to the bootleg cassettes his mother managed to bring with her from Cold War Romania. An adolescent encounter with a Lee Perry record flipped his whole world and led to formative dub experiments on an old four-track. He got his start spinning hip hop nights on the Lower East Side and has toured the world since. He's rocked parties for burners, breakers, Berlin artists and Brooklyn's reggae revivalists.

Friday, January 27th at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at 8PM. $8 cover. 21+ with ID.

Rock'N'Roll Reunion


THE WHORES • A DEVIL'S BROADCAST

Saturday, January 21st at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at 8PM. $5 cover. 21+ with ID.

React/Resist


Official after-party for Handbills Of Subversion art-show at the MF Gallery. Come enjoy some great music from some of New York City's finest underground artists and DJs all for a great cause!

Friday, January 20th at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at 8PM. $10 suggested donation. 21+ with ID.

Can You Feel The Beat?


Break out yer tracksuits and let the music play all night long... It's the first ever Drakkar Knights party with DJs Melly Sustanon and Angry Eddie on the wheels of steel!

Friday, January 20th at Banter
132 Havemeyer, Brooklyn U.S.A.
Kicks off at 10PM... No cover!

A Benefit For Punk Island



Punk Island (P.I.) is led by a collective of artists, curators, musicians, and educators whose goal is to bring the vitality, diversity, and intensity of the NYC punk scene into the light of day. We are a community of punks who love music, musicians and the fans, friends, and family that participate throughout the year to keep our culture true to the lives we want to live. We aim to support a philosophy of creativity, rebellion and work to feed those who are hungry for a world where passion is valued over profit. We promote a counter-culture through our collective, art, music, writing and events. Punk Island's efforts culminate annually as a free, all age's Music Festival, as a not for profit organization we are funded by Make Music New York, the collective and the community

Friday, January 6th at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at 7PM. $10 cover. 21+ with ID.

Hank-O-Rama XIII


Hank-O-Rama is coming to Hank's Saloon — celebrate Hank on the 64th anniversary of his death with all yer fave country/rockabilly artists from the NYC/NJ country scene! Sean Kershaw & The New Jack Ramblers start things off with their Honky Tonk Brunch from 12:00-3:00, and then The Lonesome Prairie Dogs and special guests take the stage until 6pm.

The Hank-O-Rama party — New York’s longest-running Hank Williams tribute  —was conceived by The LPD’s Heidi and Luke Lonesome as a tribute to Hank on the anniversary of his death, and has been held every New Year's Day since 2005. Hank was just 29 years old when he was found dead in the back of his Cadillac on the morning of January 1st, 1953, en route to what was to be a New Year’s Day gig in Canton, Ohio. The party is a symbolic raincheck for that show.

Sunday, January 1st at Hank's Saloon
46 Third Avenue (at Atlantic), Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Doors at noon. No cover. 21+ with ID.

January Action!



  • 1/1: Honkeytonk Brunch (noon - 3pm)
  • SEAN KERSHAW & THE NEW JACK RAMBLERS
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/1: Hank-O-Rama! (3-6pm)
  • with LONESOME PRAIRIE DOGS and special guests
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

1/5: JARED MANCUSO / JAMES PARENTI
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/6: Punk Island Benefit!
  • THERE ARE FOR LIGHTS / EX BY V
  • TRASHY / LIBRARY / DEADNAME
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/8: Honkeytonk Brunch (noon - 4pm)
  • SEAN KERSHAW & THE NEW JACK RAMBLERS
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/11: Devour Comedy Hour
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/12: OFFICE CULTURE / TRASH GENDER
  • THE CHARLIE KAPLAN BAND / PLAIN DOG
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/14: TALKING DOGS / DOUG BLEEK
  • PLUM DUMPSTER / LAKEWHALES
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/15: Honkeytonk Brunch (noon - 4pm)
  • SEAN KERSHAW & THE NEW JACK RAMBLERS
  • (After-party with ARON BLUE & THE BOOTLEGGERS, 4pm - 6pm)
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/18: SLIM KINGS
  • SASHA DOBSON (Puss N Boots)
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/19: GALAPAGOS NOW!
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/20: Drakkar Knights
  • DJs MELLY SUSTANON and ANGRY EDDIE
  • Banter, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/20: Handbills After-Party/Benefit
  • MISCEGENATOR / DJ GRACE OF SPADES
  • SCREAMIN' LAURA PALMER / TRASHY
  • MC DENISE DUFFY / THE LADY AYE
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/21: CBGBs Reunion Show
  • HYMEN HOLOCAUST / THE WHORES
  • NO VALENTINE / DRAG SOLDIER
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/22: Honkeytonk Brunch (noon - 4pm)
  • SEAN KERSHAW & THE NEW JACK RAMBLERS
  • (After-party with FIDDLER & THE CROSSROADS BAND, 4pm - 6pm)
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/25: Psychic Rodeo Night
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/26: RADIONICS / SLIM WHISKERS
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/27: A Tribute To Roland Alphonso
  • DAVID HILLYARD & THE ROCKSTEADY 7 / DJ 100dBs
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/28: RUNNY (record release show)
  • RISK/REWARD / THE LITTLE BOMBS
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

  • 1/29: Honkeytonk Brunch (noon - 4pm)
  • SEAN KERSHAW & THE NEW JACK RAMBLERS
  • (After-party with CANNIBAL RAMBLERS, 4pm - 6pm)
  • Hank's Saloon, Brooklyn U.S.A.

Photo of The Rocksteady 7 live at Hank's by J. Schultz © 2016