Howdy from Atown Records, it's your faithful musical servant here- Maria Mesa. I've been given the honor of writing music reviews, which puts me in the position of bestowing a wealth of great music upon anyone who will read them. I want you to know that I don't take this responsibility lightly. There's a war being fought over music today, and the Corporate Bahstards are winning. So it's up to the little people like us to dig out obscure hidden gems in a sea of bile, so we can save the soul of rock n roll and for that matter every other form of music if you think about it. In addition to the words of wisdom from a vast encyclopedia of musical knowledge (Me) I also grade with a ten pont system.

Most of these reviews are printed in the Austin Daze paper, and read by thousands of cool people all over Central Texas. I hand picked all of these by choice- not because I've been paid. (If by chance your band is featured here, and you want to say "thanks" for the free promotion, you can do that with a small donation at the "Support Atown" page.)

That being said, thanks for sending me your CD's and now it's time to read on!

RokkaTone
“In This Life”
2006 Independently Released

Score = 7.5

RokkaTone is a 5-piece acoustic band from Austin, specializing in old school ska and rocksteady. The goal of this group is to sound like “a Jamaican street band” from the time when Alton Ellis, Toots & the Maytals, Desmond Dekker and the Skatalites ruled the island. They blend that sound with American folk, blues and ragtime, and a bit of doo-wop for good measure.

By the late 1970’s, ska music was slowly being absorbed by the punk rock scene, which resulted in songs with faster and faster tempos. More of the bands were coming from England or America instead of Jamaica. Sadly, this became the ska sound that most Americans know today. While hyperfast tempos may have been fun for a while, in the end it ripped the heart and soul right out of the genre. Ska had lost its roots, Jah was saddened, and darkness fell upon the face of the earth.

So it is really refreshing to me that this group is helping to revive the style, and bring it back to its simple, mellow “rocksteady” ways. More interesting is the acoustic format, with upright bass and stripped down drums and percussion. Even more interesting is the use of the melodica, and the sparse presence of steel drum. The choice of instrumentation really helps to create a unique and timeless thing. (There just aren’t many towns in America where such a ska band would form other than Austin.)

The production is sparse and thin, but I think that’s the feel veteran ska producer Victor Rice was shooting for. (You almost expect to hear a few skips and pops as if you’re listening to old vinyl.) Songwriting is up to the task creating smooth, intoxicating melodies and the same kind of simple romantic lyrics old ska was known for. The musicianship wisely lets the songwriting take the lead and does not stand in the way by doing unnecessary things. I don’t think these guys are trying too hard to please the purists, but if any kind of ska is your thing, these guys are for you.