Interview with Eitan Avineri (trumpet/ fugel horn) of Full Spectrum.
Who's who in Full Spectrum.

Eitan Avineri-trumpet/fugel horn
Steve Groneberg-lead guitar
David Sills-saxophones/flute
Bobby Cressey-piano
Emmanuel Morgan-bass
Fritz Madden-drums
Chris Stofen-trombone

Interview with Eitan:
I came up with the idea of the band. It started as an offshoot of the Allentons, but I ended up finding the members of the band at the store that I work and teach at. I needed to get the musicians that felt comfortable with Jazz in order to be able to play the type of music we play. We are mostly from the Los Angeles area in California. A couple of the guys are from down south (Orange County & San Diego County). The band began about a year and a half ago, but with the present members... about 5 months. I wanted the name to somewhat reflect our music. We pull influences from all types of music...Jazz, Blues, Ska, Afro-Cuban music, Reggae... We have one 6-song ep that came out about 7 months ago. It might be released in Europe on vinyl. We are now working on a full length CD which will be released by Rivercidal Syndicate Records in the near future. My personal favorite song that we've recorded is called Hard Hop. It's a great Reggae tune with a heavy Jazz vibe. We started off playing some Steadybeat shows. Those were fun, but I felt like the crowd wasn't that into it. We have been doing better in a more mixed crowd. We started playing some shows for the Skavaganja series. Those shows had a more ecclectic lineup, and the crowd seemed more responsive. Also, playing those shows made us remember how rooted we really are in the Traditional scene. We would love to play any shows we are offered. We just love to play. Our main Ska influences include The Skatalites, NY Jazz/Ska Ensemble, EST, and Jump with Joey. Our main influences have a wide range because each band member has a number people they love. Some include Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Rosand Roland Kirk, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock.... It would be great to play with The Skatalites, Hepcat, Ocean 11, See Spot. Watching those bands inspired me to play Traditional Ska and form this group. I think right now Ska is doing pretty well. There is a resurgence in Europe which is promising. Also, I played the show with Phillis Dillion and the crowd loved it. Shows like that give me hope that Ska will be around for a long, long time. The worst show we played unfortunately was The Allentons reunion show in Long Beach. Kingston 10 opened up, and there were like 40 people there when they were playing. When we went on all of these fans were totally dejected after that show. The best show was our last one. It was at the Knitting Factory with The Nomadic Cannibals and The Untouchables. We sounded really tight and we all were really excited to play. The crowd seemed to really like it too. We got a lot of positive responses after our set from other musicians and also from people in the crowd. It was great!! The Vessels are great!! As long as our music is reproduced, we'll be happy. Right now we're working on both. Leech records from Switzerland wants to put out an eight song 10" of ours. Also, Rivercidal Synicate Records is putting out a full length CD of ours soon. If you have any questions about us, you can contact us at fullspectrummusic@yahoo.com or logon to www.geocities.com/fullspectrummusic.
Thank you very much!
Eitan Avineri (Full Spectrum)

<< INTERVIEW FOR THE SOUND OF SKA
FRANCE

1. STORY OF THE GROUP SINCE THE BEGINNING UP TO THE PRESENT DAY.

Alex “Wizard” Solano, (Hammond B3 organ, Piano, Bass, Guitar, Percussion player of Empire All- Stars:)

The group began at a time when traditional ska dominated rude boy and skinhead scene. Many groups played Traditional Ska, and I too was in a ska band before I went reggae. I was 16 in 1996 and my interest was focused on rock-steady and what is known as "skinhead-reggae" The reggae riddims had that fast drumming and rhythmic pulse that grasped my attention. So I began to manifest that in my music as well. My first composition was "Train Memorial". I originally recorded it on my Yamaha SY-77 sequencer. I hooked up with Bernie Garcia & went down to the Skeletones studio to
4- track the song, as a demo. And later got the appropriate musicians to do the studio work, that is how the Empire All Stars came about. Alex Vargas (from Mobtown) played the drums and I took care of the rest (bass, guitars, percussions, and keyboards). The track was successful and thus came out on Steady Beat's compilation Ska, Rock steady, Reggae The West Coast Chronicles Vol.1 That was the first track of Empire All Stars.
After that we went back into the studio with the help of Bernie Garcia again, as producer and financial investor, as well as other musicians, again with Alex Vargas of (Mobtown) on drums Kip Wirtzfeld of (The Skeletones/ The Debonaires) on tenor sax & Steve Wilson of (Skiptooth) on tenor sax, Jason Schultz of (The Skeletones) on drums, Mark Cummings of (The Skeletones) on bass, Ryan Tomazin of (The Debonaires) on bass and also Mike Cazares of (Reggae Foundation Band) on guitar who made the recordings possible. The group pretty much remained a studio project and with the help of these musicians I was able to play my music and make it part of everyone else involved. My role was to do the song writing and somewhat be director of the band to make sure that everybody learned their parts. The last track that we recorded was "Journey" since then we have just been releasing the material with no studio work involved since then.

2. WHAT ARE THE MEMBERS?

Alex Vargas-drums & percussion (Mobtown)
Kip Wirtzfeld -tenor Sax (The Skeletones/ The Debonaires)
Steve Wilson -tenor Sax (Skiptooth)
Jason Schultz - drums (The Skeletones)
Mark Cummings – bass (The Skeletones)
Alex Solano -arranger/song writer- bass, guitar, hammond b3 w/ leslie, piano, percussion. (Skiptooth/ Reggae Foundation Band)
Ryan Tomazin – bass (The Debonaires)
Mike Carzares – guitar (Reggae foundation Band)

3. WHEN THE EMPIRE ALL-STARS BEGUN, ANY BAND PLAYED SKINHEAD REGGAE IN CALIFORNIA, WHY THIS STYLE OF MUSIC RATHER THAN SKA OR ROCK STEADY?

There were few successful bands that were able to pull it off. Dynamic Pressure was one of them. There may have been other local bands who covered old songs, but it was rare to have a band play that style. Most stuck to Ska or regular reggae. For some reason most ska drummers couldn't pull off the raw-ness of skinhead reggae. I admit that it is a distinct style, which, if you study the history of it, only lasted a few years before it evolved into something else. And for this reason I eagerly pursued into investing my time to record this style, because so many people liked it but no body was doing it.

4. WHICH SKINHEAD REGGAE BANDS HAVE HAD AN INFLUENCE ON YOU?

Well I can only mention the originators of the music, and that’s Lauren Aitken, The Upsetters, Hot Rod All-Stars, GG All-Stars, Prince Buster, Harry J-All Stars, King Stitt and countless others. Also many artists featured on the SKINHEAD JAMBOREE Cd as well as the SKINHEAD REVOLT cd.
But for the most part, it was Jamaican reggae from Studio One, Treasure Isle, Lee Perry, and Prince Buster who had the most influence on me.

5. ARE THE EMPIRE ALL-STARS ONLY AN INSTRUMENTAL BAND?

Yes they are, it is mainly composed of musicians who can perform that early type of reggae style, but yet have an original sound.

6. SEVERAL MEMBERS OF EMPIRE ALL-STARS PLAY WITH OTHER BANDS. IT MUST BE DIFFICULT FOR THE
REPETITIONS AND THE RECORDINGS?

Not really, since the members are studio musicians we respect the fact that each person may go their own way after a session, as long as they're there when the recording takes place and the instrumentation is in place. Well as the name goes Empire All-Stars was derived from these musicians living in the region called, “Inland Empire”, California, USA.

7. THE EMPIRE ALL-STARS DEFINE THEMSELVES AS A STUDIO BAND. IS THERE ANY FRUSTRATION FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR PUBLIC TOO? I'M SURE THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU ON STAGE? IS IT A PLAN IN THE FUTURE?

To be honest, a few years have passed since the last recording and so many have moved onto other projects which have nothing to deal with the band, and the name of the band was pretty much titled for the reason that it was studio work. I would like to re-do some old songs that I wrote way back, but now focus more on a clean and tuff sound from the studio.

8. HORROR FILMS; WESTERNS…HAVE AN INSPIRATION "SOURCE" FOR THE SKINHEAD REGGAE. IS IT TRUE FOR YOU AND YOUR TRACKS?

We did one track titled "A Fistfull of Reggae" which derived its name from a record called "A Fistfull of Dollars" By the Crystalites. "A Fistfull of Reggae" was a wicked track using the B-3 Hammond. But for the most part, the original skinhead music was inspired by Westerns because of the time it lived in and its historic context. Today there are no westerns and so it is a thing of the past.

9. HOW MANY TRACKS FOR EMPIRE ALL-STARS? ARE YOU PLANNING A LOT OF COVERS?

As of now we have recorded 8 tracks. We did cover one song, which was produced by legendary producer HARRY MOODIE. In fact, here’s the story. When I was 16 I had bought a single entitled ROME on the Moodisc Label. and so the B-side was the DUB. I made a keyboard composition to the DUB and so recorded it on cassette. I then mailed it to Florida to Harry Moodie and he liked the track. So what ended up happening was that I recorded the B-3 Hammond on ADATS and sent him the tracks, which he later put the original music to it and released a 7" single entitled RETURN TO ROME by ALEX "WIZARD" SOLANO.

That was probably one of the greatest accomplishments I made with reggae music.
Later I had Jason Schultz the drummer from (The Skeletones) help me record the same song but with instrumentation done by the Empire All-Stars.



10. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST ALBUM? IT'S TITLE? HOW MANY TRACKS? WHICH LABEL? WILL WE FIND AGAIN THE TITLES WHICH ALREADY ARE ON THE COMPILATION "PRIMO SONIC RHYTHMS VOL. 1"?

Well, the first album was never released because of a limited supply of tracks. As time went on, the Empire All-Stars were going their separate ways to be with other bands & conflicting schedules. So some of the tracks were given away to some labels for compilations. These include: Luis Correra’s Steady Beat Recording label, “The West Coast Chronicles Vol. 1” (SBR110CD), Bernie Garcia’s Rivercidal Syndicate Records label, “Primo Sonic Rhythms Vol. 1” (70010-2), Jon Schuman’s label Boss Sounds Records label, “Forward March” (BS001). Also a International German label runned by
Florian



11. WE CAN FIND ONE OF YOUR TITLES ON EACH COMPILATION "SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBELS VOL.1 & 2", HOW THE GERMAN LABEL HAS CONTACTED YOU? HAVE THESE TWO INTERNATIONAL COMPILATIONS BEEN A POSITIVE THING FOR YOU?

Yes they have, although I was not pleased with the quality of the recording the band did. This was the track called “A Fistful of Reggae”, on “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels Vol.1”. It was released on vinyl. If I could go back and change anything, it would be the studio mix. But for the most part, its great to have my music be outside the States.
Also we released the final studio recording of “Journey” to the follow up compilation “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels Vol. 2. We were very pleased on this track.

12. SINCE SEVERAL YEARS IN CALIFORNIA, BANDS WHO PLAY REGGAE MUSIC ARE MORE AND MORE NUMEROUS. FOR YOU, IT'S A NEW "TURNING POINT", FOR THE TRADITIONAL CALIFORNIA SCENE? ARE THERE REGGAE FESTIVALS IN CALIFORNIA? AND IN YOUR AREA?

I gotta say that I dropped off the scene somewhere in 1998 when I joined a Rasta Reggae Band called Reggae Foundation Band. I played the keyboards and did some song writing. There is still a Traditional Scene with a new generation and some new bands emerging form all parts of the US & beyond. Such bands are: The Debonaires, The Vessels, The Rhythm Doctors, Kingston 10, The Irie Beats, The Soul Steppers, Go Jimmy Go, The Cover Ups/ Twilites, and so forth. The reggae festivals that I do attend now-a-days are more modern artists with conscious vibes such as Lucciano, Sizzla, Turbulance, Buju Banton, and the like.

13. WHICH TRACKS WILL APPEAR ON THE COMPILATION "PRIMO SONIC RHYTHMS VOL. 2"?

For Vol. 2 there might be 2 tracks previously released on an East Coast compilation & also a German compilation. If not we might go back into the studio & record different tracks. It’s really up to Bernie Garcia the producer.

14. HOW IS YOUR MUSIC IN THE L.A. SKINHEAD SCENE PERCIEVED? ARE THERE SOME SKINS IN YOUR BAND?

The Drummer and I were skins back when we began recording in 1996-97. As far as how L.A. skinhead scene is perceived as big as I left it. More & more Skins are starting to form their own bands. Some get tired of playing the Skinhead Reggae so they go a bit further to the Oi sound. Others just record some great tracks for others to check out.

15. YOUR PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE?

I gotta say that after many years I still have a love for reggae music. It may not have the same sound as it did when I first started but it does have the fundamental reggae elements. At the moment I work alot with building Reggae Riddims with MIDI and sequencing as well as some live instrumentation from the bass and guitars. As well, I have evolved from instrumentation to singing. So on my own music I find myself singing. I now work more with engineering and producing than song writing for
a band. But if Bernie and I take the time, than I’m pretty sure we could get some of the old musicians back in the studio for a RETURN OF THE ALL-STARS.

Thanks for the interview Connan.

Much respect to you & The Sound Of Ska.

Alex “Wizard” Solano

INTERVIEW WITH NOE SANTANA OF THE IRIE BEATS
Can you give us a little history behind The Irie Beats?

Irie Beats began initially with an idea from which placed us to where we are today. Each band member brought his particular musical style into the composition of the band and as result, developed a reggae, rock-steady influenced sound.

Being one of the first reggae bands to break into the ska scene and change the direction, why do you think more bands following the trend?

Bands are following the trend for many reasons. For starters, they are influenced by other bands they have a liking for. Secondly, personal preferences prevails. Third, the music style is plainly phat, heavy, and groovy. Lastly, there is no better music to get Irie with.

It seems now that every band in the scene wants to be the first to create a new sound. Do you see the Irie Beats playing reggae forever?

I see us to be influenced by reggae forever, but as we mature as a band, our repertoire will certainly evolve into other venues of music. Whats for certain though is that we will always be true to our roots.

What are some things that you think make your band unique from every other reggae band out there?

Although our music is reggae based, we don't limit ourselves, we play outside-the-box so to speak. Our uniqueness stems from, as I mentioned earlier, we all have different musical backgrounds, when combined, a different type of beat is formulated.

How were you first introduced to the music?

I was first introduced to this type of music when I was about 11 or 12 years old. My brother, Efren Santana was a main influence. At that time, I would watch him practice in the garage with his former band, the Skandels a ska band. Aside from my brother, I was also partially influenced by my father, who was also a musician at the time. Being around music, as I was, it kind of rubbed on me.

Who does most of the music writing in the band?

In Irie Beats, everyones musical ideas is greatly encouraged and taken into account.

Can we expect The New Album To sound like "Downtown Reaction"?

We have changed to some extent. We have a new addition to the group ŸAlkhaaliq‡ (vocals) whom adds a new dimension into our band and a new bass player who provides refreshed and polished vibes and vamps to our style.

Whats your most memorable show?

Hands down, our first show at the Alligator Lounge with Ocean 11. This was the first show were my newly guitar skills were put to use in front of a mad and demanding crowd. The show rocked, the people appreciated our groove and reacted very positively. I new from thereon, Irie Beats was going to perform in many shows to come.

What is favorite album (any artist, any genre)?

My favorite album is Scientific by ŸHepcat.‡ I really felt that album, the tunes were extraordinary and in a different league among many others.

What are some artists or bands out right now that you dig ?

I dig the Future Ancients, they have a coo sound, Steady-Ups, Erika Badau, Eric Clapton, Santana, and so many more.

Who are some of the bands Influences?

Delroy Wilson,Bob Marley and the Wailers,and Ernest Ranglin.

If you could play with any artist from anytime who would it be?

It would be a great honor to play with Bob Marley himself. He was a man way ahead of his time. I can't begin to imagine the things I can learn from such a talented, down-to-Earth, individual.

Both you and your brother are two great musicians and are well know in the circut, have you guys ever performed together on stage?

Unfortunately not, being that my brother was busy doing his thing with Hepcat and me with Irie Beats we never really had the opportunity to do so. Not to say we haven't, we've had our share of jams sessions in the garage with the fellas.

The Irie Beats have that guitar driven sound that takes you back to the styles of Lyn Taitt and Ernest Ranglin, how do you and Robert come up with such great melodies?

We play from the heart and when something begins to sound coo, we elaborate on it and mold it to perfection.

How has the band changed musically from when it started?

As we mature and welcome new additions to the band, musical elements will inevitably come into effect, as it has and will continue to do so.

When can we expect the New Album to come out? Is there a Title yet?

The album "Reggae Regulation" will be in records stores by the end of this year, if not sooner. Our good friend Brian Dixon is the egineering talent behind this album. We put a lot of effort in this new album and we hope that it will exceed our fan's expectations and create awareness that Irie Beats is here to stay.

Anything you would like to add?

Thanks to the fans who keep our band in performance and for the motivation they provide at shows. Thanks to the band members for persevering the difficult times and coming through. Thanks to cousin Steve for his late-night buffets. Thanks to you who made this site. Last, but not least, to my wonderful gal for her support and love she showers me with. Keep reggae alive, keep peace in line.

Thanks Bro

Noe Santana (guitar player of Irie Beats)
The Sound Of Ska Interview (France) with Brad Pate of After Hours

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your interest in my project. I really appreciate
it!

1. STORY OF THE GROUP (AFTER HOURS), SINCE THE BEGINNING UP TO THE PRESENT DAY.

I guess it starts with See Spot. Brian Dixon plays rhythm guitar and I play keyboard for the Los Angeles ska band, See Spot. I was one of the founding members of this band back in 1990 and Brian joined in 1996. We are still playing today, but in 1998, it appeared that See Spot was going to be breaking up. Brian and I did not want to stop making music, so we decided to continue to write songs and make our own album. We had met several terrific musicians over the years and we thought we'd try to get as many of our favorite musicians as we could from the Southern California ska scene to play our songs. We called them up, and they were interested in recording. So that's how it started.

2. WHAT ARE THE MEMBERS? DISCOGRAPHY?

The only people on every track are:

Brian Dixon (SeeSpot, Checkmate, Rhythm Doctors/guitar)
Brian Wallace (Mobtown/tenor sax, flute)
myself, Brad Pate (See Spot, Mobtown/piano, organ, vocals).

There are several guest musicians, however:

Joey Altruda (Jump With Joey/bass, guitar)
Eitan Avineri (Allentons/trumpet)
Mike Boito (Jump With Joey/piano)
Elliot Caine (Jump With Joey/trumpet)
Wally Caro (Mobtown/guitar)
Chili Charles (percussion)
Oliver Charles (Ocean 11/drums, percussion),
Alex Desert (Hepcat/vocals)
Chuck Farrar (SeeSpot/vocals)
David Fuentes (Hepcat/bass)
Greg Lee (Hepcat/vocals)
Willie McNeil (Jump With Joey/drums)
Malik Moore (Mobtown, Ocean 11, Irie Beats/vocals)
Chris Murray (vocals)
Aaron Owens (Hepcat/guitar)
Brandon Owens (Showens/bass)
Paul Pate (Dynamics/barritone sax)
Dave Ralicke (Jump With Joey/trombone, barritone sax)
Kincaid Smith (Hepcat/vocals)
Chris Stoefen (Allentons/trombone)
David Urquidi (Yeska/tenor sax)
Kevin Williams (Bonedaddies/vocals)

Discography:

We have one 7" split single w/ the Dynamics:
Track: "Indecision (Dub No 1.)" (available from After Hours or the Dynamics)

We are on two compilations so far:
Album: "Workin' Third Shift: Midnight Radio Vol. 2" (Jump Start Records)
Track: "Go Figure"

Album: "Primo Sonic Rhythms Vol. 1" (Rivercidal Syndicate Records)
Track: "Blue Over You"

3. ORIGIN OF BAND'S NAME?

We both had everyday jobs so we did all of the recording on late evenings and weekends.
Thus the name, After Hours. We also had a song that I had written for See Spot called
"After Hours", so the name has a connection with what we missed the most... playing with See Spot.

4. AFTER HOURS IS AN ALL-STARS BAND. ALL THE MUSICIANS PARTICULLY PLAY WITH OTHER BANDS. HOW DO YOU SETTLE WITH THE FACT FOR THE REPETITIONS, GIGS, AND RECORDINGS?

Well, After Hours was always going to be a studio project first, then a live act... if we
could get enough people together. We played one show, but it was too hard to find enough people to rehearse and get a set together. So we went back to just being a studio project. I wrote and arranged most of the songs, Brian Dixon did the mixing, and Brian Wallace took charge of the horns. It worked very well!



5. ARE YOU PLAYING ONLY ROCK STEADY? NO REGGAE; SKA? DO YOU PLAY A LOT OF COVERS?

No, we play lots of ska, reggae, and rocksteady... some skinhead reggae type songs, too. We have a different group of musicians on every track, so each song sounds different. I really like that part of it.

We have about four covers that we recorded:

"Night and Day" (Cole Porter) - we recorded this in a lounge/reggae style
"Almost Like Being In Love" (Lerner/Loewe) - we did this swing ska
"'Round Midnight" (T. Monk) - we did this instrumental reggae
"Once In A While" - this song was from the "Rocky Horror Show". We were supposed to be on a compilation called "the Reggae Horror Picture Show", but it was never released. So we decided we would put this one out when we release our album.

6. YOU PLAY MORE SUNG TRACKS THAN INSTRUMENTALS? WHAT ARE THE SUBJECTS OF YOUR SONGS?

We have about 13 vocal songs and 7 instrumentals. Most of the songs are about love and
relationships... always a good subject. I have one reggae song that deals with living out
your time on earth and getting closer to death, though. But you might not realize it by
listening to it.

7. HOW MANY TRACKS FOR AFTER HOURS? SOON YOUR FIRST ALBUM? HAVE YOU GOT SOME LABEL'S PROPOSITIONS?

We have about 20 tracks that are mixed. We picked the best 15 and mastered an album, but we have not decided how to release it yet. There is not as much interest in ska as there was when we first started recording. We will probably release it ourselves.

8. WHAT IS THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR GIGS? ARE YOU PLAYING ONLY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA?

We don't play shows since After Hours is strictly a studio project. We did play one show
back in 1999 to promote our 7" record. It was pretty tough to get everyone together for
that. I guess it was a pretty good show.

9. COULD YOU GIVE US SOME NEWS OF THE BAND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS NEW YEAR 2002 (CONCERNING GIGS, RECORDINGS, NEW TRACKS, GIGS)?

Brian Dixon and I are going to be working hard to get our 1st After Hours album out soon! I have started writing songs for another After Hours album and I want to get more musicians to appear on this one... not just from Los Angeles but from all over the world (if possible).

10. DID THE COMPILATION "PRIMO SONIC RHYTHMS VOL. 1", BRING YOU SOMETHING, COULD YOU EXPLAIN?

Bernie Garcia who put together this compilation is a really, really nice guy and I have
always gotten along with him. When he asked me if I would like to submit a track, I was
glad to do so. He is one of the guys that you are happy to see have success. Plus, it was
a good way for more people to hear us. We only had a couple of tracks out there and this
would open up a few more ears.

11. HOW IS THE TRADITIONAL SCENE IN LOS ANGELES (MANY GIGS)? IS THERE AN UNITY BETWEEN THE BANDS?

Ska has become less popular financially in Los Angeles over the past year or two. But there are still a lot of loyal fans of the music that will come and support the bands that have staid together. The bands are very united! We all would like to see each other do well. On any given show night, you could see a member from any of the local bands playing with another band. We have become somewhat of a family out here and we love to play music with each other.

12. YOUR PROJECTS?

Well, the main focus for Brian Dixon and me right now is See Spot. We are working on a new See Spot album right now that is going to blow people away!!! But I am also writing songs for a new After Hours album. Brian is very busy as an engineer! He is always helping local bands mix and produce their albums. He is also busy putting together his own dub project, King Terror. Along with instrumental reggae band, the Aggrolites. They are VERY good, by the way. So things are pretty busy, but we are loving every minute of it.

Thank you once again for your interest in After Hours! This was fun... good luck!

Brad Pate


After Hours/See Spot
seeskap8@pacbell.net

- end of interview-