Void Union has a simple mission statement: preserve the Jamaican music of the 1960’s, collaborate with Ska’s originators, and actively recruit guest players from the ensembles that have proven equal to the task of reinventing the genre. On this brand new album David Hillyard (The Slackers), Steve Jackson (The Pietasters), Alex Desert {Hepcat), Jr Thomas, The Expanders all guest on what surely will become a modern ay classic! Top-shelf collaborations are nothing new, in the past Derrick Morgan, The Skatalites, Lynval Golding (The Specials), King Django, Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Chris Rhodes (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Spring Heeled Jack),and David Hillyard (The Slackers, Hepcat) all have been featured on Void Union recordings. In November of 2010, Vin Gordon (The Skatalites, Bob Marley and the Wailers) joined the group for a watershed European tour. Thaddeus Merritt (Bass), Rick Smith (Drums), Rich Graiko (Trumpet), Alex Stern (Guitar, Keys), and Anant Pradhan(Tenor Sax), comprise Void Union’s core, but, the band’s philosophy lends itself to a collective atmosphere in which like-minded musicians sit in and assure that no show is the same as the one that preceded it. The audience at a gig is not a mere handful of die-hard Ska enthusiasts; a survey of the crowd yields suits, working stiffs, parents, children, dreadlocks, moptops, and…hipsters? All turn out to bear witness to a versatile ensemble that is as at ease providing the jazz-tinged instrumental foil to a Jamaican legend as it is leading a sing-along at a neighborhood bar. “Return Of The Super Vape available now on CD, limited edition tape, and vinyl limited to 300 copies. Orange vinyl limited to 200.
Tag: VOID UNION
BROOKLYN ATTRACTORS “Good Evil Alchemy” CD / LP (OUT OF PRINT) – All Star Jamaican Ska Jazz Reggae!
Anyone familiar with the American Reggae and Ska scene has already heard the work of the musicians in the BROOKLYN ATTRACTORS. The group’s core line-up consists of New York City Reggae and Ska veterans, LARRY McDONALD, EDDIE OCAMPO, BIG DAN JESSELSOHN, BUFORD O’SULLIVAN, JUSTIN ROTHBERG, as well as Anant Pradhan and Luke Penella, two emerging musicians on the NY Jazz scene. The group was created by Westbound Train trumpeter and Void Union co-founder RICH GRAIKO in 2011 as a way to pay homage to 1960’s era Jamaican and American instrumental music. Continue reading BROOKLYN ATTRACTORS “Good Evil Alchemy” CD / LP (OUT OF PRINT) – All Star Jamaican Ska Jazz Reggae!
VOID UNION “HIGHER GUNS” LP red vinyl (JUMP097LP) – OUT OF PRINT
The VOID UNION is a musical collective, brought together by their love of Jamaican music styles. Their core line-up consists of current and former members of Boston soul/ska road heroes WESTBOUND TRAIN – Thad Merritt on bass, Jesse Hayes on drums, Rich Graiko on trumpet, Alex Stern on guitar, and Anant Pradhan on tenor and alto sax. Both on and off stage, the VOID UNION invite other, like-minded musicians to join in – so it’s no surprise that their sophomore full length “HIGHER GUNS’ includes appearances from KING DJANGO, ANGELO MOORE, DAVE HILLYARD, and OBI FERNANDEZ just to name a few. Continue reading VOID UNION “HIGHER GUNS” LP red vinyl (JUMP097LP) – OUT OF PRINT
